Eels consists of Butch Norton, , E, Tommy Walter.
This article is about the band. For the fish, see eel. For the spectroscopic technique used in materials science, see electron energy loss spectroscopy.
Eels (also sometimes eels or EELS, depending on the album) are an American rock band formed by singer/songwriter Mark Oliver Everett, better known as Mr. E or simply E. He is the frontman of the band, calling Eels a vessel for his music. Other members rotate frequently, both in the studio and on stage. Their live shows include interesting interpretations of older songs, and usually some well-known covers.
A record was released in 1985 by Mark Everett called "Bad Dude in Love." Not much is known about the LP, all information found is located here . In 1992, Mr. E released his first solo album (under the name E) titled A Man Called E on Polydor. The single "Hello Cruel World" was a minor success. Touring to support this album, he opened for Tori Amos. A Man Called E was followed by Broken Toy Shop in 1993; This year he was also joined on stage by drummer Jonathan 'Butch' Norton. After Broken Toy Shop E was released from his record deal with Polydor.
When Butch and E met Tommy Walter, they founded Eels. The main reason for this name was so that the band's records would be next to E's in an alphabetical ordering. It was only later that they realised that The Eagles would fall in between. They signed a record deal with Steven Spielberg's Dreamworks, being one of their first bands. In 1996 the band released their debut album Beautiful Freak: a melancholic pop record, where the lyrics of a tormented Everett shine. With the singles "Novocaine for the Soul" and "Susan's House" the band had modest international success. They toured extensively to support the album in 1996 and 1997, playing many festivals and building their name as a live act in the United States and Europe. In September 1997, Tommy quit the band (or was fired, depending on who you ask - see the hidden message in the track "Dog's Life"). The album demonstrated a wide range of influences, including grunge and hip-hop.
