Editing Comateens

{{Short description|American new wave band}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
The '''Comateens''' were originally a [[New wave music|new wave]] duo formed in 1978 in [[New York City]] by bassist/vocalist Nicholas Dembling (a.k.a. Nic North / Nick West) and guitarist Ramona Janquitto, who performs under the name Ramona Jan. Soon after, Lyn Byrd joined on vocals and synthesizer, and the duo became a trio.<ref name="am">{{cite web |title=Comateens |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/comateens-mn0000777001 |website=AllMusic |language=en}}</ref> When Jan departed in 1980, North's brother Oliver joined on guitar, completing the final lineup.

They contributed two tracks to the influential ''[[Marty Thau]] Presents 2x5'' compilation, and their debut album, the self-titled ''Comateens'' (1980), featured the band's original compositions alongside covers of "[[Summer in the City (song)|Summer in the City]]" ([[The Lovin' Spoonful]]), "[[TVC 15]]" ([[David Bowie]]), and the theme song from TV's ''[[The Munsters]]''. ''Pictures on a String'', their first album for [[Virgin Records]], followed in 1983, yielding the dance club hit "Get Off My Case". In 1984, the band released their final album, ''Deal with It'', which featured live drums played by [[Chuck Sabo]].

The band split up in 1985. Oliver North died in 1987 of [[asthma]]-related heart failure due to a heroin overdose. In 1988 Nic North (now Nicholas West) and Lyn Byrd recorded an album, ''West & Byrd'', together. In 1990 the duo, again under the name Comateens, recorded the song "A Place for Me", an English language adaptation of the [[Julien Clerc]] and [[Françoise Hardy]] song "[[Fais-moi une place]]", and it became a European hit. Virgin Records released a retrospective compilation of their music in 1991 called ''One By One: Best Of Comateens'' which has become a rare and much sought-after record among collectors of new wave music. In 1995, their video for "The Late Mistake" was mocked in a season five episode of [[Beavis and Butt-head]] called "Top O'The Mountain".

In November 2023, Nicholas Dembling and Ramona Jan reunited as friends and re-released original single "Danger Zone" backed with "Elizabeth's Lover" on Left-for-Dead Records.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Gentile |first=John |date=2024-02-07 |title=Comateens - Danger Zone [12-inch] |url=https://www.punknews.org/review/17978/comateens-danger-zone-12-inch |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=www.punknews.org |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Danger Zone / Elizabeth's Lover 12 |url=https://www.maximumrocknroll.com/review/mrr-488/danger-zone-elizabeths-lover-12/ |website=MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL |language=en}}</ref>

==Discography==
===Albums===
*''Comateens'' (1981)<ref>{{cite web |title=The Comateens - Comateens |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-comateens-mw0000838905 |website=AllMusic |language=en}}</ref>
*''Pictures on a String'' (1983)
*''Deal with It'' (1984)
*''Comateens'' (limited collectors edition) (2007)

===Compilations===
*''One by One - The Best of the Comateens'' (1991)

===West & Byrd===
*''West & Byrd'' (1988)

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.comateens.com Official Site]
* {{IMDb name|nm7746186}}
* [http://www.trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=comateens Comateens bio] from [[Trouser Press]]
* [http://www.discogs.com/artist/Comateens Comateens discography] on [[Discogs]]
* [http://www.allmusic.com/artist/comateens-p16596/biography Comateens] on [[AllMusic]]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTWvEgb3Egw Comateens] on [[Beavis and Butthead]]

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[[Category:1978 establishments in New York City]]
[[Category:American new wave musical groups]]
[[Category:Female-fronted musical groups]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1978]]
[[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1985]]
[[Category:Musical groups reestablished in 1990]]
[[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1990]]
[[Category:Musical groups from New York (state)]]