The Box (band)
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1981 |
| Founder | Jean-Marc Pisapia |
| Headquarters | Montreal , Canada |
| Products | Albums, singles |
The Box is a pop rock ensemble originating from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Their musical style transitioned from synth-driven new wave pop to a guitar-centric sound influenced by prog elements. Established in 1981, the band attained commercial recognition within Canada, producing four albums and ten singles that charted between 1984 and 1990.
Although the group dissolved in 1992, they reassembled in 2004 with a refreshed lineup and subsequently released two more albums.
Biography
Founded in 1981 by Jean-Marc Pisapia, who had previously been part of Men Without Hats, the original lineup included guitarist Guy Florent and bassist Jean-Pierre Brie. Prior to adopting the name The Box, the band performed under the moniker Checkpoint Charlie. Their debut single attracted attention from Montreal radio stations, resulting in a contract with Alert Records. That same year, Jean-Marc’s brother, Guy Pisapia, joined as keyboardist.
The band's self-titled debut album The Box was released in 1984, featuring singles such as "Must I Always Remember" and "Walk Away". Subsequent lineup modifications saw drummer Sylvain Coutu replaced by Pierre Taillefer and guitarist Florent succeeded by Claude Thibeault. During this period, they toured Canada as the opening act for British prog rock group Marillion.
In 1985, the album All the Time, All the Time, All the Time was issued, including backing vocals from Sass Jordan and Marie Carmen. It generated singles like "My Dreams of You" and "L'Affaire Dumoutier (Say to Me)". Despite initial reluctance from their label due to its experimental sound and bilingual lyrics, "L'Affaire Dumoutier" became their inaugural Top 40 hit and was accompanied by a cinematic-style music video. Pisapia considers this track his finest work. The song is part of a trilogy that narrates the story of a murderer through various album tracks and B-sides.
The band earned the 1985 Félix Award for Group of the Year and received a Juno nomination for Most Promising Group.
Their 1987 release, Closer Together, marked their peak commercial success, achieving platinum status with popular singles including "Ordinary People," "Closer Together," and "Crying Out Loud for Love." Vocal contributions came again from Jordan and Martine St. Clair. The title track was originally composed for an anti-leukemia benefit event. That year, The Box secured a Juno nomination for Group of the Year and won several Félix Awards, notably Anglophone Group of the Year.
Following extensive touring, the band produced The Pleasure and the Pain in 1990 under producer Martin Rushent. However, this album did not meet commercial expectations; Pisapia attributed this partly to their identity as francophone artists performing in English during the politically charged Meech Lake Accord period, alongside compromises between creative goals and label strategies aimed at penetrating the U.S. market. Additionally, nearly two years of continuous touring led to fatigue. The label also insisted they support Sinéad O'Connor on her Canadian tour despite their status as headliners.
The Box ultimately disbanded in 1992 after releasing their greatest hits compilation titled A Decade of Box Music.
Hiatus and revival
In 1995, Pisapia launched a solo project with the album John of Mark, which was later reissued under The Box’s name in 2015. Subsequently, he primarily earned income through composing jingles for television commercials.
Pisapia resurrected The Box in 2002 with new members, issuing two previously unreleased tracks (from sessions in 1996 and 2002) included on the compilation Always in Touch With You. Initially functioning as Pisapia supported by session musicians, this lineup eventually solidified into a consistent group characterized by a stronger prog-rock influence compared to the original incarnation.
The band’s first new studio album in fifteen years, Black Dog There, appeared in 2005. This concept album—drawing inspiration from Pisapia’s admiration for progressive rock acts like Genesis, Pink Floyd, and Gentle Giant—relates the tale of a young Canadian astronaut trapped between alternate realities following a spaceship accident.
This was followed by D'Après le horla de Maupassant (also known as Le Horla) in 2009, marking The Box's first entirely French-language album.
During the 2010s, changes within the music industry prompted Pisapia to reduce focus on full-length albums. He took up painting but continued operating his personal recording studio for musical endeavors. Throughout this decade, The Box released multiple singles in both English and French along with a four-track EP titled Take Me Home.
In 2024, The Box appeared at Quebec City's Festival d'été de Québec.
Singles
| Year | Single | Highest chart rankings | Album | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN | QC | |||||||||
| 1984 | "Walk Away" | 48 | 46 | The Box | ||||||
| "Must I Always Remember" | 82 | — | ||||||||
| "Dancing on the Grave" | — | — | ||||||||
| 1985 | "With All This Cash" | — | — | All the Time, All the Time, All the Time | ||||||
| "L'Affaire Dumoutier (Say to Me)" | 21 | 18 | ||||||||
| 1986 | "My Dreams of You" | 51 | 30 | |||||||
| 1987 | "Closer Together" | 13 | 2 | Closer Together | ||||||
| "Ordinary People" | 16 | 10 | ||||||||
| "Crying Out Loud for Love" | 40 | 8 | ||||||||
| 1988 | "I'm Back" | — | — | |||||||
| 1990 | "Carry On" | 12 | 3 | The Pleasure and the Pain | ||||||
| "Temptation" | 39 | 4 | ||||||||
| "Inside My Heart" | 20 | 7 | ||||||||
| 2014 | "Les plus belles années de ta vie" | — | — | (Single only) | ||||||
| 2015 | "Life is a Party" | — | — | (Single only) | ||||||
| 2015 | "Trop Loin" | — | — | (Single only) | ||||||
| 2016 | "Incredible Human Being" | — | — | (Single only) | ||||||
| "—" indicates singles that did not enter the charts | ||||||||||
Original studio albums
| Release date | Title | Chart rankings |
|---|---|---|
| Canada RPM Album charts | ||
| May 1984 | The Box | 95 |
| January 1986 | All the Time, All the Time, All the Time | 73 |
| March 1987 | Closer Together | 25 |
| March 1990 | The Pleasure and the Pain | 31 |
| June 1995 |
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Compilation albums
- A Decade of Box Music (1992)
- Always in Touch with You: The Best of the Box (2002)
- The Best of the Box (2007) CD and DVD package