The atmospheric pop band the Chameleons formed in Manchester, England, in 1981 from the ashes of a number of local groups: vocalist/bassist Mark Burgess began with the Cliches, guitarists Reg Smithies and Dave Fielding arrived from the Years, and drummer John Lever (who quickly replaced founding member Brian Schofield) originated with the Politicians. After establishing themselves with a series of high-profile BBC sessions, the Chameleons signed to Epic and debuted with the EP Nostalgia, a tense, moody set produced by Steve Lillywhite which featured the single "In Shreds."
·The band initially released three studio albums in the 1980s, following 1982 debut single "In Shreds" (the fruit of a brief signing to Epic, latterly reissued on the Statik label), and several radio sessions for the BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel. The Chameleons released their first album, Script of the Bridge, on the Statik label in 1983. After their third release, 1986's Strange Times and the 1987 sudden death of band manager Tony Fletcher, they disbanded. Burgess then fronted The Sun and the Moon (with Lever), who issued one eponymous album on Geffen in 1988, followed by an array of solo projects. Guitarists Fielding and Smithies formed The Reegs, who released two albums: Return of the Sea Monkeys (1991) and Rock the Magic Rock (1993). John Lever later joined Bushart, who released the album Yesterday is History (2008).
·The Chameleons had been broken up for well over a decade, before playing a small series of live dates in 2000, and the release of the album Strip (which reworked older material in an acoustic format). After a final studio album, 2001's Why Call It Anything?, another unplugged album (This Never Ending Now), and a reunion tour which took them across Europe and the United States, the band dissolved once again in early 2003. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------