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Junoon (band)

Junoon (جنون ) is a Pakistani sufi rock band from Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, and Tappan, New York, formed in 1990.

The band is directed by founder, lead guitarist and songwriter, Salman Ahmad, who was soon joined by keyboardist Nusrat Hussain, bass guitarist Brian O’Connell and vocalist Ali Azmat. Junoon is Pakistan's and one of South Asia's most successful bands. Since their inception, the group has released a total of nineteen albums: seven studio albums; one soundtrack; two live albums; four video albums; and five compilations. They have sold over 30 million records worldwide.

Pioneers of Sufi rock with an original sound, they achieved success during the early 1990s. Its members were signed to major record label EMI Records and afterwards released their self-titled debut album Junoon in 1991. After two years, the band recorded their second album Talaash (1993) with their new bassist Brian O'Connell after Nusrat Hussain left the band. The release of their second album began to create a cult following for the band. In 1996, Junoon released their third album Inquilaab, and it was only then that Junoon developed a nationwide fan following, with blending rock guitars and bluesy vocals with Eastern elements like the use of tablas, raga-inspired melodies, traditional Pakistani folk music, and Eastern-inspired poetry. The following year, the band recorded the critically acclaimed Azadi (1997), being the band's first international record deal, and making it Junoon's debut album in neighbouring India. The band went on to record and release Parvaaz in 1999. The band found renewed success and popularity starting with 2001's Andaz and through 2003's Dewaar and their supporting tours. Junoon celebrated their 25th anniversary by releasing their eighth studio album titled Door in 2016.

Early years (1980 – 1989)
Junoon's roots stretch back to Tappan, New York, in the 1970s. Salman Ahmad left Lahore, Pakistan, for New York with his family when he was eleven, and received his baptism in rock music when a friend offered him a ticket to a Led Zeppelin concert. Salman Ahmad was so enthralled by the show that he saved $235 to buy his own electric guitar. He also befriended Brian O'Connell in Tappan, another young aspiring musician, with whom Ahmad formed their first band together by the name of "Eclipse". Salman Ahmad's parents moved back to Pakistan in 1981, and Salman began to study medicine at Lahore's King Edward Medical College.

In 1987, Nusrat Hussain, by then the lead guitarist of the band Vital Signs, after composing the song "Dil Dil Pakistan" parted ways with Vital Signs and suggested to Rohail Hyatt, founder and keyboardist of Vital Signs, to bring Salman Ahmad as his replacement in the band. Vital Signs then went on to record their debut album at the EMI Studios in Karachi, but almost all the songs were written and composed at Salman Ahmad's residence where the band had been lodged. In March 1989, the band released their debut album, Vital Signs 1, which was a success throughout the country. The following year, Salman Ahmad parted ways with the most successful pop band of Pakistan as he wanted a change in the band's music for their second album and therefore after leaving the band he went on to form his own band.

Formation (1990 – 1993)
Junoon formed in 1990 when Salman Ahmad, founder, songwriter and lead guitarist, had a dream where one of his teachers shook him and said "Tumhey mousiqui ka Junoon hai!" (You have an obsession for music!). Salman Ahmed recruited singer Ali Azmat from the Jupiters and then the former Vital Signs lead guitarist, Nusrat Hussain, on keyboards for Their self-titled debut album, Junoon. The music was recorded at the EMI Studios in Karachi and released in September 1991. Junoon did not achieve immediate success with their first album and barely made a dent in the Pakistani music industry. After the release of their debut album, Nusrat Hussain parted ways with the band to pursue his own career as a solo singer and went on to release his debut solo album Amrit in 1992.

After the departure of Nusrat Hussain, Salman Ahmad contacted Brian O'Connell and invited him to play bass on the band's second album. Brian O'Connell quit his job as a social worker and travelled 10,000 miles to Karachi, Pakistan, where he reunited with his old friend. It was after ten years both the friends reunited. In 1992, the band started working on their second studio album. The album was recorded and mixed at Tahir Gul Hasan's Sound on Sound recording studios in Karachi. While working on their second album at one side, on the other hand the band also featured in a television series, Talaash, directed by Atiqa Odho and written by Anwar Maqsood, based on the true story of the band in which the band members acted themselves and due to its novel storyline it became an extremely popular television series in Pakistan.

On 23 September 1993, Junoon released their second album Talaash. Singles from the album, such as "Talaash", were politically influenced and became subject to censorship, which led to the eventual ban.

Rise to fame (1994 – 1997)
In 1994, Junoon started working on their third studio album. In 1995, the band released their first compilation album, Kashmakash, which is the first such compilation album by a band in Pakistan. 1995 was also the year that Junoon's manager, Shehryar Ahmad, set up Junoon's website, www.junoon.com, which was the first ever website of any Pakistani music group. That year Junoon were courted for the controversial video release of the single "Ehtesaab", from Kashmakash, which included footage of a polo pony eating in a posh restaurant. Many thought that the image was an indictment of the corrupt Pakistani political elite, and especially of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. The government quickly responded to it and banned the song and video from the state television. In 1996, the band released their third studio album, Inquilaab, which was recorded and engineered with a completely new sound at Aamir Hasan Studios, Inquilaab was a blend of western music with classical eastern Sufi music. It was the release of their third album when Junoon started to gain success and began to reach a wider audience when one of their singles, "Jazba-e-Junoon", became the signature song of the Cricket World Cup. .

Following the success of "Inquilaab", in 1997 Junoon went on their first full-scale tour of the United States, performing from Birmingham, Alabama, to Los Angeles where they appeared at the House of Blues and at the New York's Roosevelt Hotel, which was reviewed in the international edition of Newsweek Magazine. They also went on tour to Canada and the UAE through which Junoon's fame grew rapidly. In September 1997, Junoon released their fourth studio album, Azadi, which was the band's first international record deal after the band manager, Shehryar Ahmad, secured a deal with EMI/Virgin Records which released Azadi as Junoon's debut album in India. Within three weeks of the release of Azadi, the album had sold over a million copies in India alone and hit platinum sales status in a record of four weeks. The music video of the first single, "Sayonee", was shot by Pakistani director Asim Raza.

International Success (1998 – 2000)
Azadi was released in India in February 1998 by EMI. In March 1998, Zee TV invited Junoon to perform at the star-studded Zee Cine Awards in Mumbai, where the group received accolades from the crème de la crème of India's entertainment industry. It was also in 1998 that Junoon went on their first tour of India. The band's first appearance of the tour was held in New Delhi, India. After travelling throughout the country, Junoon saw crowds of as many as of 100,000 fans at shows in Lucknow, Kanpur, Bangalore and Delhi. On this very first tour of India, Junoon was in Chandigarh when India tested its nuclear weapons at Pokhran (14 May 1998). The next day, from their hotel room in New Delhi, in interviews to CNN and BBC on the nuclear tests, Junoon's founder Salman Ahmad suggested that the Indian and Pakistani leaders should spend more on education and health than on weapons of mass destruction. The Pakistani Government reacted by banning Junoon from performing in the country, as well as bans on the band's music being aired on Pakistani radio or television. Pakistan's Ministry of Information and Culture formally charged Junoon with challenging "the national opinion on the nuclear tests", as well as making comments in India "amounting to sedition and treason". Junoon denied all charges, reminding people of the fact that they had been victimised since the release of "Ehtesaab" because they chose to speak out against political corruption.

On 9 August, Junoon performed at New York's Central Park. This was one of Junoon's most legendary live performances, with over 20,000 fans in attendance. This concert was made into a live video and recording titled "Junoon Live at Central Park: A Tribute to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan". Junoon then went on to perform at the BBC Mega Mela, which is the largest South Asian festival outside of South Asia, held in London, England. Junoon performed at all three days of the Mela and performed at the BBC Asian Awards where they were also awarded for their "Contribution to Asian Culture". On 28 November 1998, Junoon won the "Best International Group" title at the Channel V Music Awards, where they performed along with worldwide icons Sting, The Prodigy and Def Leppard. Azadi was nominated for "Best International Album", having achieved the prestigious honour of being the highest selling album in Pakistan, Bangladesh and India that year. In March 1999, the Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, in a spirit of cross-border friendship, invited the band to perform at the anniversary of his government in Delhi. Travelling in the same gilded bus that Vajpayee had travelled cross-border to shake hands with Pakistan and sign the Lahore declaration, Junoon crossed the Wagah border from Lahore into India. In a very emotional performance before the Prime Minister, they performed the Jupiters hit, "Dosti" onstage with Indian group, Silk Route. Later the same year, Junoon released their fifth studio album, Parvaaz, which was recorded and mixed at Abbey Road Studios in London and was hailed by many critics as the finest work by Junoon to date and was released by EMI internationally. The album was mostly based on the poetry of Bulleh Shah and singles from the album such as "Bulleya", "Sajna", "Ghoom" and "Mitti" were a success and did well at the music charts. The album was produced by John Alec who came from New York to work on the band's fifth studio album. Also in 1999, UNESCO invited Junoon to perform at their Millennium Peace concert held in Paris, France. Junoon were presented with an award "Outstanding Achievements in Music and Peace" by UNESCO. The event was attended by many well-known artists from around the world like Yesudas, Lionel Richie, Montserrat Caballe and Zubin Mehta. In 2000, Junoon released a compilation of their albums and videos, Millennium 1990–2000. The compilation album consisted of singles like "Azadi", "Muk Gaye Nay" and live tracks like "Allah Hu". Later the same year, Junoon performed in Japan. On 30 June, the band then went on to perform at the European Rock Festival, Roskilde Festival, near Copenhagen, in Denmark. Junoon became the first Asian band to perform at the festival and performed along with many well-known bands and musicians like Pearl Jam, Iron Maiden, The Cure, Queensrÿche and many other well-known artists from around the world. At the end of the year, Junoon performed at a concert in Dubai, UAE, with Bollywood singer Sonu Nigam, with nearly 20,000 in attendance, which was organised by Oberoi Middle East Events.

Continued success (2001 – 2004)
In March 2001, Junoon released its sixth studio album, Andaz (titled as Ishq in Pakistan). The album topped the music charts in Pakistan as well as in the Persian Gulf and South Asia. The first single entitled "Zamanae Ke Andaz (Saqi-Nama)" made it to No. 1 in the Persian Gulf and to No. 5 on the Asian charts. In April, Junoon performed to a sold-out concert at the Wembley Arena in London and went on to perform at the "United for Gujrat" concert, the first South Asian rock concert, held in New Delhi along with bands from India and Bangladesh, singing together to raise funds for the Gujrat earthquake victims. In June, Salman Ahmad attended the UN General Assembly in New York where he was appointed as the 'Goodwill Ambassador' of Pakistan by United Nations. On 30 June, Junoon performed at the Celebrate Brooklyn festival at Prospect Park Bandshell in Brooklyn, New York. On 7 July, the band performed at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago, Illinois. In September, Junoon did a concert in Norway with Morten Harket, lead vocalist of A-ha, performing a duet "Piya (Ocean of Love)". The same year, the band also made a trip China to perform a peace concert.

Following the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001, Junoon, in the aftermath of the attacks, travelled to the United States for a series of shows at universities and high schools. On 9 October, the band played a peace concert at the United Nations (UN). They became the first ever rock band to be invited to perform at the United Nations general assembly, by UN secretary-general Kofi Annan. On 29 November, the music television channel, VH1, aired a special documentary, Islamabad: Rock City, about the group hosted by Susan Sarandon. On 25 December, Junoon had once again been embraced by the Pakistani government, and were even joined on stage by then the President, General Pervez Musharraf, as he invited them to perform at the mausoleum of Pakistan's founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, on Jinnah's birthday. Although Junoon continues to promote peace and harmony, the band also speaks out on contentious issues that most popular groups avoid. The band served as goodwill ambassadors for HIV/AIDS awareness for the UN and raised several issues.

In 2002, Junoon opened a new chapter by releasing the antiterrorism song "No More" in English, yet another attempt by the group to spread their message to a wider audience. Although, Junoon had previously released English songs on their first two albums, such as "Our Land", "Lady Magic", "Downtown Princes" and "Game of Chance". The song "No More" is the first English song for which Junoon released a music video. CNN aired a 30-minute interview of Junoon on the program Talk Asia. They received rave reviews in The New York Times, Billboard Magazine, The New York Post, Newsweek, and others. On 29 March, Junoon released their second live album and the overall twelfth album, Daur-e-Junoon.

On 16 February 2003, Junoon performed at the Basant Festival Show held in Lahore. On May, 5, the band went to Karachi to perform at the PAF Creek Club. On 18 June, Junoon performed live at the Royal Albert Hall, London, England. On July, 17, the documentary The Rock Star and the Mullahs by Wide Angel was aired on BBC based upon Junoon and music in Islam. In December, Junoon released their seventh studio album, Dewaar. The single "Garaj Baras" was selected as the soundtrack of the Bollywood movie Paap directed by Pooja Bhatt, the song topped the charts in the country again in 2004. Another single off the album "Pappu Yaar" shot to the No. 1 spot on the music charts in Pakistan. This was the album which last featured the trio together. After the release of the band's seventh studio album bassist, Brian O'Connell went back to United States and vocalist, Ali Azmat went on to pursue his career as a solo singer. In April 2004, Junoon released their third compilation album, Dewaar: The Best of Junoon. In August, Junoon released Ghoom Taana video and a special documentary entitled "Building Bridges" which was screened at a launch ceremony in Karachi in time for the Independence Day celebrations of Pakistan and India. On 14 October, Journeyman Pictures released a short film documentary based on Pakistani music featuring local rock bands, Junoon and Fuzön.

Breakup (2005 – 2008)
Dewaar was the album which last featured the trio together. After the release of the album Brian O'Connell went back to United States. Since his departure, Pakistani musician Mekaal Hasan and the band's producer John Alec have been playing bass guitar for live shows in place. On 2 February 2005, Junoon performed a charity concert for the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami victims at Alhamra Auditorium in Lahore. On 3 March, Salman Ahmad appeared on the documentary It's My Country Too: Muslim Americans aired on BBC television documentary strand This World. The last Junoon concert to feature Ali Azmat took place in Dubai, UAE in March 2005 after which Ali Azmat went on to pursue his career as a solo singer. Later the same year, he released his debut solo album, Social Circus. Shehryar Ahmad, the band manager also departed from the band. Salman Ahmad also released his debut solo album, Infiniti in July 2005.

In September 2007, Junoon re-released three albums, Parvaaz, Azadi and Infiniti with Magnatune. On 11 December, Junoon performed at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway together with a variety of artists, which was broadcast live to over 100 countries.

On 25 May 2008, Junoon performed in Srinagar for the first time and turned thousands of music lovers hysterical. On 8 June, Ali Azmat performed a duet of "Garaj Baras" with Rahat Fateh Ali Khan along with singles from his solo albums at the Coke Studio season one first session. On 15 August, Ali Azmat released his second album, Klashinfolk, which was recorded at Mekaal Hasan Studios in Lahore. The album received significant critical acclaim across Pakistan, although, like the previous album, it was not a huge commercial success.

Post-breakup: Rock & Roll Jihad (2009 – 2010)
Salman continues to take the band to new heights, from performing at the Nobel Peace Prize, featuring at the Clinton Global Initiative to performing at the Atlantic City House of Blues with multi Academy/Grammy-winning artist Melissa Etheridge after collaborating with her on one of her albums. Salman also featured in the series of Mystical Sufi Tours throughout the US and Canada. He has performed at various educational institutions throughout the world, including Oxford, Harvard, Yale, Stanford various times and continues to actively tour and engage college audiences. He also is actively involved as a professor of Islamic Arts at Queens College NY.

On 12 September 2009, Junoon performed at "The Concert for Pakistan" along with other musicians from around the world, which included Outlandish, Sting held at the UN General Assembly Hall. At the concert Salman Ahmad also performed on stage with Gavin Rossdale covering the song "All Along the Watchtower". On 30 November, Salman Ahmad, as Junoon, announced that the first single from the upcoming album would be "Love Can You Take Me Back". On 12 January 2010, Salman Ahmad published a book, Rock & Roll Jihad: A Muslim Rock Star's Revolution, regarding his time with Junoon and all the struggle he faced to become a rock star. On 14 March, Junoon released the video of their first single. On 25 March, Salman Ahmad was invited at the television programme Good Day L.A. where he talked about his soundtrack album and about the book. On 1 June, Junoon released the soundtrack album Rock & Roll Jihad based on Salman Ahmad and Junoon's musical journey throughout the years.

On 23 July, Salman Ahmad was present at the opening ceremony of Masala Mehndi Masti 2010 in Toronto, Canada. On 24 July, Salman Ahmad with his band performed at the Masala Mehndi Masti 2010. On 26 July, Salman Ahmad appeared on the BBC television programme, HARDtalk, where he talked about religion and music in Islam. In August, Salman Ahmad was interviewed by American music magazine The Rolling Stone, he talked about his novel and the soundtrack album based on the novel. In the interview, Salman informed that in India the book will be published by Jaico Publishing House and will be accompanied by a free cd which includes two singles, "Love Can You Take Me Back" and "Bulleya/Lonely Heart" and also including two other tracks, "Sayonee" and "Meri Awaz Suno". Salman also confirmed that he's currently working on a new Junoon album release, which will release in next year. On 16 August, in an interview with BBC World Service, Salman Ahmad confirmed that he was writing a song named "Khwab" for the Pakistan flood victims to raise funds for them. He also confirmed that the song will be internationally released within a few weeks' time and hopes to record it with Pakistani and Western artists. After a few days, it was confirmed that Salman Ahmad will collaborate with Peter Gabriel on the song "Khwab", in an attempt to raise funds for the Pakistan flood victims. On 25 August, Salman Ahmad talked to Dutch TV about organising a charity concert with various artists to collect money for the flood victims in Pakistan. In September, Salman Ahmad confirmed that he has collaborated with Alison Sudol on the song "Pakistan Humara" (first named "Khwab", later named "Open Your Eyes") for the Pakistan flood victims. Salman further added that Peter Gabriel will be bringing his genius to the song on 6 September. "Will try and send a picture from the studio", says Salman.

In an interview with ABC News, it was confirmed that both the US and British governments have enlisted Salman Ahmad to speak against extremism. On 29 October, Salman Ahmad released the song "Open Your Eyes" with Peter Gabriel and Alison Sudol for the Pakistan flood relief. The song was launched on 2 November, to be downloaded from digital music sites globally. Each dollar for download will go to Pakistan flood relief through their charity organisation, Salman and Samina Global Wellness initiative (SSGWI). After the release of "Open Your Eyes", Peter Gabriel offered Salman Ahmad to record a complete album with his Real World Records label next year. Salman Ahmad also confirmed that he's working on a duet with American artist and producer David Sisko who has worked for the likes of Justin Timberlake & Gwen Stefani.

Partial Reunion: Junoon's 20th anniversary (2011 – 2012)
On 26 January 2011, Junoon performed at Lahore University of Management Sciences for United Nations HIV/AIDS campaign. On 16 March, the single "Pakistan Humara" in collaboration with Peter Gabriel was dedicated to the Pakistan cricket team playing at the 2011 Cricket World Cup. On 18 March, Junoon performed at The College of William & Mary as part of W&M's Asian studies initiative. On 23 March, Junoon launched the music video of the single "Pakistan Humara" directed by Asad Pathan.

On 12 August, in an interview with The Express Tribune newspaper, Ahmad confirmed that he is set to celebrate Junoon's 20th anniversary with the band's former bassist Brian O'Connell. "We are reaching Junoon's 20th anniversary, so I'm excited about more projects coming up regarding that," Ahmad told The Express Tribune. Ahmad also confirmed that Junoon's 20th anniversary celebration concert will be held at the Asia Society on 24 September in New York. The band also announced that it will release an album to mark two decades of Junoon. The album will be featuring Strings, Farhan Saeed, Bilal Khan, Outlandish, Aag, Usman Riaz, Laal's Taimur Rahman, Momina Mustehsan, and Sajid & Zeeshan. Shoaib Mansoor will be writing lyrics for the band's anniversary album.

On 24 September, Junoon celebrated their 20th anniversary by performing a concert at the Asia Society & Museum in New York City. It was after 8 years that both Salman Ahmad and Brian O'Connell shared the same stage together to celebrate the band's reunion and anniversary. In response to the 20th Anniversary of the band, former vocalist, Ali Azmat in an interview with Newsweek Magazine said that he does not want to associate his name with Junoon as there are some personal issues between Salman Ahmad and him. Azmat also confirmed that Salman Ahmad invited him to be part of the 20th Anniversary reunion concert but he never replied to his emails. On 30 September, Junoon performed at the Crowell Concert Hall in Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, United States and also released the first edition of their 20th Anniversary album, Junoon 20.

On 21 December, EMI Pakistan released Junoon's 20th anniversary album volume I in a ceremony held at Marriott Hotel, Karachi, Pakistan. On 25 December, Salman Ahmad announced that he will be collaborating with former Vital Signs lead vocalist, Junaid Jamshed to record a 21st-century version of the two famous Pakistani patriotic songs "Dil Dil Pakistan" and "Jazba-e-Junoon". Ahmad also stated that the rehearsal session was captured by Ahmad's son, Imran, with his phone. "The video and the photo contain a true emotion providing a rare glimpse of hope for the new generation. Two days ago, my dear friend and Vital Signs bandmate, Junaid Jamshed and I came together to rehearse after many years. We felt inspired to sing two anthems of our youth; 'Jazba Junoon' and 'Dil Dil Pakistan'."

On 28 April 2012, Junoon travelled on a tour to India performing at Mumbai. On 3 May, Junoon paid tribute to Khwaja Gharib Nawaz by performing an informal concert of Sufi songs in Ajmer Sharif. Followed by performing at BlueFrog in the capital city, New Delhi at a sold-out concert on 10 May. Salman Ahmed, lead vocalist of the band, confirmed, during his tour to India, in an interview that he has collaborated with singer Sunidhi Chauhan recording two songs, "Yaaron" and "Kaise Bolun", for Vicky Kumar's Bollywood movie, Rhythm.

Collaborations (2013 – 2016)
Former members of Vital Signs and Junoon collaborated to release a patriotic song, "Naya Pakistan". The song is written by Salman Ahmad and Aania Shah featuring Shahi Hassan on bass, Nusrat Hussain on keyboards and percussions, and vocalist Junaid Jamshed. The song was recorded at Indus Music World Studios and released on 22 February 2013.

Salman Ahmed while talking about his latest project at Asia Talk on BBC said, "For almost a decade, Junaid has always asked me not to bring guitar or to ask him to sing. When you are friends with somebody you always have to transcend differences and I respect Junaid's views. Junaid once told me that his biggest regret was not to be a part of Jazba Junoon's recording. So when we came up with 'Naya Pakistan', I asked him that this is the chance that's not going to come again so finally Junaid accepted the offer with the condition that he will sing only the opening lines with no music at all." and further added "it signifies the metaphor for unity as we have to compromise for unity in hope of Naya Pakistan."

After a long hiatus, Junoon released a new album titled Door in December 2016 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the band. The first single from the album is also titled "Door Bohat Door" and the music video was shot in Gwadar, Balochistan featuring Wasim Akram.

Coke Studio debut and more collaborations (2017)
On 18 August, Junoon produced and performed their hit song "Sayonee" at Coke Studio 10th season, where Salman Ahmad served as the musical director and featured renowned artists like Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Ali Noor, from Noori on the vocals. The single received mixed reviews from many critics, such as a writer for Dawn newspaper reportedly saying that "even the best fall down sometimes" while a piece in The News International newspaper said, "'Sayonee', sung by Ali Noor and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan with music directed by Salman Ahmed as Junoon is quite possibly one of the worst songs to have emerged from Coke Studio – not from just this season but in its ten years, the standard has never dropped to this degree until now." and the Daily Pakistan reported that the rendition "...left a bad taste in your mouth".

After the release of "Sayonee", Salman Ahmad recomposed the song "Ghoom Taana" for Coke Studio, he revealed to Samaa TV about this recreation, "Ayesha, Eman, Sajar and Simal were at a singing competition where I was a judge in January. I picked them out of 25 participants." He then convinced the executive producers of the show; Bilal Maqsood and Faisal Kapadia; to give them a chance and they accepted. On bringing forward the new talent; the four girls called Irteassh; he said, "We just need to give them a platform of arts and culture. They will succeed and show the world that Pakistan is a beautiful and rich country". He changed the old sound of the song to add a cinematic feel. While, he added that, Momina Mustehsan also wanted to join him as she sung earlier with him when they were in New York.

Reunion (2018 – Present)
In August 2018, Ali Azmat, Brian O' Connell, and Salman Ahmad came together once again to release a new video for the song "Khudi", sponsored by a biscuit company. On 25 December 2018, Junoon including Ali Azmat, Salman Ahmad and Brian O Connell reunited after 13 years to a sold-out concert in Karachi, Pakistan at the Moin Khan Academy.

This was followed by another sold-out concert in Dubai on 17 January 2019. Junoon band has now embarked on a world tour with UK in Aug 2019, US and Canada in Oct/19 Nov. Back to Dubai in November 2019. The band will be performing together as Junoon till further notice. In the new lineup, American drummer and musician Taylor Simpson joined as the drummer of the band.

A concert in Brampton, near Toronto Canada is planned on January 28, 2022.

On February 18, Junoon performed at the Dubai Exhibition Centre at Dubai Expo 2020 representing the line up featured by the Pakistan pavilion. The concert was unique in that it featured Faisal Kapadia and Goher Mumtaz during the closing set (who were in attendance during the event).

Language
On their debut album Junoon and their second album Talaash, songs were written in both the English and Urdu languages, but since then the band has only written songs in Urdu, with the only exceptions being "No More" from the live album Junoon for Peace and the single "Piya (Ocean of Love)", which is a duet with Morten Harket of A-ha. The soundtrack album Rock & Roll Jihad released in 2010 contain five tracks written in English by Salman Ahmad. Some of the songs recorded by Junoon are based on traditional or Sufi compositions in Punjabi, Saraiki, and other languages spoken in Pakistan.

Influence
Salman Ahmad, writer of most of the band's lyrics and music scores, says that he gets most of his inspiration for Junoon's songs from Led Zeppelin and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan music. Songs like "Lal Meri Pat" (from Azadi), "Dharti" (from Andaz) and "Mera Mahi" (from Inquilaab) are some examples of this influence. Another great influence of the band was poetry. The lyrics for the song "Khwaab" was taken by a poem called"khwaab hakikat na sahi" by a poet named Faiza Fiza in her book, chaand aur mein. Other songs, such as "Garaj Baras" and "Taara Jala" (from Dewaar) have elements of hard rock, and some others, like "Yaar Bina" (from Azadi), "Zamane Ke Andaz" (from Andaz) and the album Parvaaz have elements of classical music. Bands stated as influence include Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Van Halen, U2, Bee Gees, A-ha and Queen.

Poetry by famous poets like Maulana Rumi, Allama Iqbal and Bulleh Shah are also a big influence on Junoon's music.

On the other hand, Junoon has also been noted as a source of inspiration for other bands. Atif Aslam, former lead vocalist of rock band Jal, has done many covers of Junoon's music, most notably "Dosti" of which a video was also released. Atif Aslam also acknowledged that Junoon had greatly inspired him. Goher Mumtaz, lead guitarist of Jal, has also shown fondness for Junoon and acknowledged that some early work of the band has inspired him. In an interview, internationally acclaimed pop rock band Strings have acknowledged that Junoon has been influential to the band for making a comeback in the local music industry in 2000. In 2007, Strings performed a cover of Junoon's single version of "Lal Meri Pat" at Oslo Mela. Underground local band, Jumbo Jutt paid tribute to Junoon by covering their single "Sajna". Pakistani rock band Call performed a live session cover of Junoon's hit song "Bulleya" on Indus Music. Indian singer Harshdeep Kaur have covered Junoon's single "Saeein" in many live performances. The instrumental song "Aap Aur Hum" (also known as "Jugalbandi", from Talaash) was covered by American rock band Black Clover Leaf, adding vocals to the instrumental and releasing it on their self-titled debut album as "Breathe", in 2009.

Musical style
Junoon performs a blend of western music and classical eastern poetry. Junoon aimed to combine loud guitar riffs with the tranquility of Sufi poetry by the likes of Maulana Rumi, Shah Hussain, Bulleh Shah (in the song "Bulleya") and Allama Iqbal. Their music has been based on worldly issues and to have peace in the world. Their music has been one major force that has truly kept the national spirits high amidst the prevailing social woes which have surely worsened in the last three decades. Songs like "Jazba-e-Junoon", "Talaash", "Main Kaun Hoon" and "Sayonee" are examples. Their music has been captivating to the Pakistani youth for over ten years and have been the only saving grace of Pakistani music internationally after the departure of groups like Vital Signs and Nazia and Zoheb.

While the music of Junoon is centered around a male lead singer, the band has also featured some female vocals on their albums ever since their self-titled debut release Junoon. Since the release of their third studio album Inquilaab the band's music has been based on classical eastern poetry blending with western music. Their seventh studio album Dewaar featured elements of hard rock and heavy metal music with songs like "Garaj Baras" and "Dewaar".

Live performances
As the band started to gain success after the release of their third studio album Inquilaab, Junoon went on their first full-scale tour of the United States, performing from Birmingham, Alabama, to Los Angeles where the appeared at the House of Blues and from there to New York's Roosevelt Hotel, which featured in Newsweek Magazine.

Awards and nominations
Junoon won the "Best International Group" award at the Channel V Awards in New Delhi in 1998, beating Prodigy, Sting and Def Leppard. The Band's first international release Azadi, went triple platinum in India alone. "Sayonee" was at the top of the MTV India and Channel V charts for over two months. Junoon won the Award for "Best Rock Band" at the Indus Music awards in 2004 and from ARY Asian/Bollywood Awards. Junoon has also been awarded several awards for their contribution towards peace and South East culture by BBC, UNESCO and South Asian Journalists Association.

Junoon was nominated for Best Musical Group at the Lux Style Awards several years in a row

Studio albums

 * Junoon (1991)
 * Talaash (1993)
 * Inquilaab (1996)
 * Azadi (1997)
 * Parvaaz (1999)
 * Andaz (2001)
 * Dewaar (2003)
 * Door (2016)
 * 9th Studio Music Album (Junoon Album)(TBA)

Band members

 * Current members
 * Salman Ahmad – vocals, lead guitar (1990–present)
 * Ali Azmat – vocals, backing vocals, rhythm guitar (1990–2005, 2018–present)
 * Brian O'Connell – bass guitar, backing vocals (1992–2003, 2011–2017, 2024–present)

 * Former members
 * Nusrat Hussain – keyboard (1990–1998)

Published sources

 * Boston Globe, 2 May 2002, p. B1.
 * Herald, May 2003.
 * Journal News (Westchester, NY), 30 June 2001, p. B3.
 * Los Angeles Times, 7 August 1998, p. 6.
 * San Francisco Chronicle, 10 February 2003, p. A1.
 * Seattle Times, 2 May 2002, p. F3

title: Junoon (band)


text: File:Transmissions from the satellite heart album cover.jpg

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


text:
NISOA

The National Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association (NISOA) is the organization responsible for improving the quality of officiating at college soccer matches in the United States.

title: NISOA


text:
Operation Battleaxe

Operation Battleaxe (15–17 June 1941) was a British Army offensive during the Second World War to raise the Siege of Tobruk and re-capture eastern Cyrenaica from German and Italian forces. It was the first time during the war that a significant German force fought on the defensive. The British lost over half of their tanks on the first day and only one of three attacks succeeded.

The British achieved mixed results on the second day, being pushed back on their western flank and repulsing a big German counter-attack in the centre. On the third day, the British narrowly avoided disaster by withdrawing just ahead of a German encircling movement. The failure of Battleaxe led to the replacement of British General Sir Archibald Wavell, Commander-in-Chief Middle East, by Claude Auchinleck; Wavell took Auchinleck's position as Commander-in-Chief, India.

Unternehmen Sonnenblume/Operation Sunflower
In late March 1941, soon after the arrival of the Afrika Korps in Tripoli, Libya to reinforce the Italians, the Axis forces quickly captured the British front line position at El Agheila and by mid-April, had reached as far as Sallum, Egypt. The British held the fortified port of Tobruk, which was besieged by the Axis. Having been informed by General Wavell that the Western Desert Force was vastly inferior to the Axis forces now in Africa, Churchill ordered that a convoy of tanks and Hawker Hurricanes, Operation Tiger (Convoy WS 58), be sailed through the Mediterranean instead of around the Cape of Good Hope to cut forty days off the journey.

Tobruk
The German Armed Forces High Command (Oberkommando der Wehrmacht) sent General Friedrich Paulus to Africa to investigate the situation. On 12 May, Paulus, after witnessing one of Rommel's failed attempts to assault Tobruk, sent a report to OKW describing Rommel's position as weak, with critical shortages of both fuel and ammunition. With Operation Barbarossa imminent, Field Marshal Walther von Brauchitsch, Commander-in-Chief of the German Army, ordered Rommel not to advance further or attack Tobruk again.

Operation Brevity
Through Ultra intercepts, the British also received the report by Paulus. Churchill, believing that one strong push would dislodge German forces, began to increase the pressure on Wavell to attack. Operation Brevity was quickly planned as a limited operation to seize Sollum, Halfaya Pass and Fort Capuzzo, then advance on Sidi Aziz and Tobruk. The operation was to continue as far as supply would allow but not risk the forces committed; the objective was to destroy as much Axis equipment as possible and secure a foothold for the larger Operation Battleaxe, once the new tanks were made available. Brevity began on 15 May and Fort Capuzzo and Halfaya Pass were captured but next day William Gott, concerned that his 22nd Guards Brigade would be destroyed if caught in the open by Germans tanks, decided to pull almost the entire force back to Halfaya Pass. The operation ended on 17 May, with only the Halfaya Pass captured. The pass was retaken by a small German force on 27 May, in Operation Skorpion.

Greece and Crete
By the end of May, the Greek island of Crete had been captured in the Battle of Crete, providing the Luftwaffe with more airfields from which to attack Allied shipping and protect their supply convoys and troops in Cyrenaica; delaying Battleaxe could mean stronger Axis opposition. The British Chiefs of Staff stated that it was imperative that control be wrested in the area between Sollum and Derna and British air power be re-established there.

Tiger Convoy
On 12 May, the Tiger convoy arrived in Alexandria with 238 tanks and 43 Hurricanes consisting of 21 Light Tank Mk VI, 82 Cruiser tanks (including fifty of the new Crusader tanks) and 135 Matilda II Infantry tanks. There were delays in unloading the tanks, which also had to be adapted for desert use, so Battleaxe was postponed until 10 June. The tanks were intended for the 7th Armoured Division, which had been out of action since February, after most of its tanks had worn out during Operation Compass.

British plan
On 28 May, Wavell gave his orders for Operation Battleaxe, an operation in three stages; the Axis forces were to be defeated on the frontier and the area of Halfaya, Sollum, Capuzzo and Sidi Aziez was to be secured. In the second phase, XIII Corps was to secure the area around Tobruk and El Adem, then the areas of Derna and Mechili were to be captured. The plan was based on intelligence information, which incorrectly indicated that $2/3$ of the German tank strength was at Tobruk, which would put the British at a decisive material advantage on the frontier. The attack was originally scheduled for 7 June, but was pushed back at the insistence of General O'Moore Creagh, whose squadrons did not receive their tanks until 9 June. The new date was 15 June, giving Creagh five days for additional training.

In the first stage, the British would advance in a three-prong assault to clear the frontier region. Along the coast was Coast Force and inland was Escarpment Force. The former was responsible for capturing Halfaya Pass, while the latter was to capture the remainder of the frontier at Fort Capuzzo, Musaid and Sollum. The 7th Armoured Brigade Group and the artillery of the Support Group were to engage and destroy the German tanks, which were thought to be at Hafid Ridge. This would also trap Axis units on the frontier between themselves and the remainder of the British forces. After capturing the frontier, the brigades of the 7th Armoured Division would reform and continue north to relieve Tobruk. Once joined by the Tobruk garrison, the combined forces would press on to the west, driving the Germans as far back as possible.

Three days prior to the start of Battleaxe, to help soften the Axis forces, the Royal Air Force was to bomb Benghazi while all aircraft capable of ground attack were to bomb Axis movement on the frontier. Once the battle began, fighters were to patrol defensively over Allied ground forces, while medium bombers were to stand by to engage Axis columns. Such was the priority on Battleaxe that Arthur Tedder (Air Officer Commander-in-Chief, Middle East) was instructed by the Chiefs of Staff to accept significant risks in other theatres by diverting all possible air support for it. Beresford-Peirse and Tedder established headquarters well to the rear, at Sidi Barrani and Maaten Baggush. Beresford-Peirse chose Sidi Barrani as, even though it was more than a five-hour drive from the battlefield, it was equipped with the most advanced airfield for reconnaissance aircraft and was also the most forward position from which communications could be maintained with Maaten Baggush.

Axis preparations
Though Brevity had failed to yield any territory to the British, it showed Rommel that his front line defences were quite easy to breach. Anticipating further British attacks, the Axis forces created a line of fortified positions from Halfaya to Sidi Aziz, placing a number of anti-tank guns and anti-tank mines on the Halfaya Pass, Point 206 (south of Forth Capuzzo) and on Point 208 (west of Fort Capuzzo on the Hafid Ridge). The primary responsibility of the frontier defence was charged to the 15th Panzer Division, which had received a new commander, General Walter Neumann-Silkow, on 8 June. Poor signals security in the 7th Armoured Division gave Rommel nine hours notice of the operation. Rommel sent the 5th Light Division to the south of Tobruk, ready to use it against either the Sollum area or on Tobruk and ordered a big artillery bombardment of Tobruk the night before the operation, to prevent the Allied garrison from breaking out.

"Unfortunately, our petrol stocks were badly depleted, and it was with some anxiety that we contemplated the coming British attack, for we knew that our moves would be decided more by the petrol gauge than by tactical requirements."

15 June
For the RAF, everything went according to plan on the first day. Axis supply columns and airfields had been hit repeatedly up to the start of the attack and once the operation began, and British columns were able to move unmolested from their starting points at Sofafi and Buq-Buq to their destinations covered by RAF fighters. Axis aircraft managed only six attacks that day. On the eastern side, at 05:15, Coast Force—commanded by Brigadier Reginald Savory and charged with capturing Halfaya Pass, started to move on to their objective. On the escarpment was the Halfaya Group, composed of the 2nd Battalion Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders, the 13 tanks (twelve Matildas and one light tank) of C Squadron, 4th Royal Tank Regiment (which had captured Halfaya Pass during Operation Brevity) and an artillery battery from the 31st Field Regiment. To their east and below the lip of the escarpment were the 1st Battalion 6th Rajputana Rifles and 2nd Battalion 5th Mahratta Light Infantry, two troops of A Squadron, 4th Royal Tank Regiment and a few 25-pounder guns.

At 05:40, British artillery for the Halfaya Group was scheduled to open fire on the German and Italian forces in Halfaya, to cover the tanks and infantry but the battery had become bogged down by soft sand. After waiting until 06:00, 15 minutes after the fighting began to the west below the escarpment, the commander of C Squadron ordered his tanks to attack at the top of the pass; soon after, the anti-tank guns of the defenders opened fire and within a few hours all but one light tank and one of the Matildas had been destroyed, including Miles' own. The Cameron Highlanders were soon driven back by a detachment of German armoured cars and motorised infantry. Below the escarpment four of the Matildas were disabled by anti-tank mines which were supposed to have been cleared; this blocked the path of the remaining two and reduced the small tank force to acting in a pillbox capacity. The Rajputana Rifles and Mahrattas made several attempts to reach the pass but were repelled each time; the former lost their commanding officer in the final attack.

In the centre, the 7th Royal Tank Regiment reached Fort Capuzzo by noon and scattered the defenders, who retreated north to join the 15th Panzer Division, between them and Bardia. Soon afterwards, they faced several counter-attacks by a battalion from the 8th Panzer Regiment of the 15th Panzer Division. After being joined by the 22nd Guards Brigade, they faced the final and largest counter-attack at 18:30 but managed to repulse it. These were not serious assaults, as Rommel would not commit the 15th Panzer Division to battle without more information on the situation. The 8th Panzer Regiment skirmished briefly and then feigned a disorderly retreat to lure Matilda tanks into a chase into range of concealed anti-tank guns. Neither side took much damage from these actions. In response to the British capture of Capuzzo and concerned with a possible attack on Sollum and Bardia, Rommel ordered the 5th Light Division to Sidi Azeiz ready for a possible counter-attack.

The rest of the 4th Royal Tank Regiment had been used as a flank guard for the 7th Royal Tank Regiment. While B Squadron was kept in reserve, the three remaining troops of A Squadron (12 tanks) had initial success against Battle Position (B.P.) 38, capturing 200 Axis prisoners and eight field guns with virtually no loss. These gains were lost when A Squadron were repelled at Point 206 and German forces counter-attacked at B.P. 38. In the evening, after A Squadron was down to only one remaining tank, the sixteen tanks of B Squadron were brought into action and Point 206 was captured. In capturing these objectives, the British also took over 500 German and Italian prisoners. That night, the 2nd Scots Guards—a battalion of the 22nd Guards Brigade—were able to advance further eastward and capture an outpost at Musaid.

On the western side, the 7th Armoured Brigade had placed the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, equipped with older cruiser tanks, in front of the 6th Royal Tank Regiment to use their new Crusader tanks as a surprise. The force reached Hafid Ridge (which actually consisted of three ridges) by about 09:00. After 2nd Royal Tank Regiment had crossed over the first ridge, they were attacked at near point-blank range by dug in anti-tank guns, destroying two A9 cruiser tanks before the rest could retreat. This development posed a serious problem for the brigade, as the cruiser tanks were armed with 2-pounder anti-tank guns which lacked the High Explosive (HE) rounds needed to engage infantry and artillery. Artillery support was not available as it was attached to the Support Group in the south-west, was covering the 7th Armoured Brigade's flank.

It was decided to attempt a flanking attack while waiting for the artillery to arrive. A small force of tanks from the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment was sent to the western part of the Hafid Ridge, with orders to turn into the first valley. The attack went well at first, as the tanks caught the Axis forces unaware and were able to strafe along their trenches with their machine guns, losing only one tank in the process. As they approached point 208 on their way eastwards, the commander became aware of its fortifications and ordered his units to disengage; due to an equipment shortage, only one tank per troop was equipped with a radio and five of his tanks, not receiving the order, continued towards Point 208 and were destroyed by its 88 mm guns.

Soon, reports came in from Allied aircraft that German tanks were approaching and the order was given to clear the ridges to use the advantageous terrain for the upcoming tank battle. At 17:30 reports came in from forward observers that the defenders were withdrawing from Hafid Ridge. After clearing the first ridge, it looked as though the reports were accurate, as German trucks and towed guns were seen moving away over the second crest. Pursuit began but upon the British forces clearing the second ridge, the Axis forces sprung their trap and fired on the Crusader tanks at near point-blank range; within minutes, 11 of the Crusaders were destroyed and six more heavily damaged. The Axis infantry and anti-tank guns, bereft of entrenchments, also took significant casualties. Over thirty German tanks from a battalion of the 5th Panzer Regiment, part of the 5th Light Division which had earlier been stationed north at Sidi Azeiz, were seen arriving from the west.

By the end of the first day, Fort Capuzzo had been captured but not Halfaya Pass and Hafid Ridge and the British had lost a significant number of tanks. In the 7th Armoured Brigade, the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment was down to 28 cruiser tanks and the 6th Royal Tank Regiment to only 20 of their 50 Crusaders; many of the tanks which had been damaged, were abandoned in the field as the 7th Armoured Brigade withdrew from Hafid Ridge, leaving them for seizure by German tank recovery teams. The 4th Armoured Brigade, from its original strength of roughly 100 Matildas, was down to 37 (though 11 more were repaired by the following morning). German panzer losses were trifling, though there had been many casualties among the garrisons at Hafid Ridge, Point 206 and Fort Capuzzo. Beresford-Peirse planned to have the 11th Infantry Brigade continue its attack next day on Halfaya Pass, the 22nd Guards Brigade to hold their position and for the 4th Armoured Brigade to reinforce the 7th Armoured Brigade for a combined attack on the outnumbered 5th Light Division.

Through the wireless intelligence service, Rommel had a fairly clear picture of the British situation, including their losses, problems and the new orders issued by Beresford-Peirse. Rommel was concerned for the forces at Halfaya Pass, which were trapped by the 22nd Guards Brigade on one side and the 11th Infantry Brigade on the other and running low on supplies. His plan was to have the 5th Light Division, which by midnight had almost fully reached Sidi Azeiz, drive south towards Sidi Omar and then east towards Sidi Suleiman and then north-east to Halfaya Pass, approaching the 11th Infantry Brigade from the rear. To prevent the re-deployment of Matildas, either to reinforce the 7th Armoured Brigade as Beresford-Peirse planned or to assist the British forces at Halfaya, Neumann-Silkow was ordered to attack Capuzzo. He ordered the attacks to begin while still dark, as the British intended to start their operations shortly after dawn.

16 June
The 11th Infantry Brigade renewed their attack on Halfaya Pass, but met with same failure as the day prior. Bach's forces—though outnumbered and running low on supplies—were now totally surrounded, and thus could not retreat even if they were inclined to do so. Messervy saw this lack of progress and disregarded Beresford-Peirse's orders to release his tanks and decided to retain the few remaining Matildas he had until some breach of the Axis defences could be made. Neumann-Silkow began his attack on British held Fort Capuzzo at 06:00. He organised the 80 tanks under his command into two columns and attacked Capuzzo from either side. The attack went poorly from the onset, as the 15th Panzer Division ran directly into heavy artillery from 25-pounders which had been brought up during the night and Matilda tanks in entrenched positions. By 10:00, the 15th Panzer Division had lost fifty of its tanks, and by 12:00, they were forced to withdraw. Soon after the German forces withdrew the Scots Guards advanced further west, capturing the Sollum barracks to prevent Axis forces from either flanking on the east or linking up with the Halfaya garrison.

Starting at dawn, the 5th Light Division began to advance southwards past the western edge of Hafid Ridge. The 7th Armoured Brigade kept pace with them to the east, joined by the 7th Support Group as the two forces approached Sidi Omar. During the running skirmish, the British tanks had a few successful attacks against unarmoured German transport vehicles, but they found themselves at a significant disadvantage when they engaged the panzers, who utilised an extremely effective tactic against them. The Panzer IVs, armed with high-explosive 75 mm guns with an effective range of ~2750 m, would open fire while still well out of the roughly 460 m range of the 2-pounder guns found on British tanks. While this would do minimal damage to the British tanks, it decimated their towed 25-pounder artillery, which would be forced to withdraw. Without British artillery to concern them, the Panzer IV and 50 mm gun armed Panzer IIIs could then safely close range with their British counterparts and pick off the thinly armed cruiser tanks while still remaining beyond the range of the British tank guns. If the British tanks attempted to move forward to engage the panzers, the latter would quickly retreat behind a screen of anti-tank guns while lighter armoured elements would begin to move around the British flanks. To make matters worse for the 7th Armoured Brigade, they suffered numerous breakdowns. By evening, both regiments of the 7th Armoured Brigade had retreated east of the Frontier Wire and the 7th Support Group and withdrawn even further. At 19:00, just as dusk fell, the 5th Light Division further weakened the 7th Armoured Brigade with an attack which only ended when night fell.

Rommel—who had seen several of the engagements between the 7th Armoured Brigade and 5th Light Division—decided to attempt a full thrust against the 7th Armoured Brigade. At 16:00, he ordered the 15th Panzer Division to leave only minimal elements at its position north of Fort Capuzzo and make all haste to the northern flank of the 5th Light Division, which was pressing eastward to Sidi Suleiman. He hoped to cut off the majority of the British forces, encircling and then eliminating them. During the afternoon, Wavell had flown to Beresford-Peirse, to simplify the making of decisions. When he arrived, Beresford-Peirse was away, meeting with Messervy and Creagh, where he reconfirmed his orders for the infantry to maintain its attack on Halfaya and hold Capuzzo, while the 4th Armoured Brigade was to join the 7th Armoured Brigade, to confront the 5th Light Division to the west. That night, on learning of the 5th Light Division advance, Messervy took the initiative and ordered his forces to withdraw and ordered the remaining Matildas of the 4th Armoured Brigade to form a screen, to protect the retreating infantry from the advance of the panzers to the west. The 7th Armoured Brigade had lost more than half of the cruiser tanks operational in the morning and was down to 21 runners. The 4th Armoured Brigade had been reduced to 17 Matildas.

17 June
At 04:30, Rommel's panzers began their advance. The 5th Light Division encountered the 7th Armoured Brigade at 06:00 and began pushing them back. By 08:00 that morning, they had reached Sidi Suleiman. At Capuzzo, the early morning movements of the 15th Panzer Division led Messervy to believe another attack was imminent, and he thus cancelled Beresford-Peirse's orders for the 4th Armoured Brigade to reinforce the 7th so that they could be retained. The combination of the two events caused serious alarm to Creagh, who then sent a message to Beresford-Peirse, requesting his presence for instruction; Wavell, who was with Beresford-Peirse, took command of the operation and boarded a plane to Creagh's command post at Halfway House. This message was also intercepted by the Germans, as Rommel later wrote,

"It sounded suspiciously as though the British commander no longer felt himself capable of handling the situation. It being now obvious that in their present bewildered state the British would not start anything for the time being, I decided to pull the net tight by going on to Halfaya."

The 5th Light Division and the 15th Panzer Division, attacking from the south-west and north-west respectively, were only 9 mi from Halfaya. At 10:00, as the Panzer divisions pushed eastward, they ran into the remaining Matildas of the 4th Armoured Brigade, joined on the flank by the remaining cruisers and artillery of the 7th Armoured Brigade and 7th Support Group. The tanks formed a screen to protect the 22nd Guards Brigade and 11th Indian Infantry Brigade as they retreated toward Halfway House. At 10:45, Messervy contacted Creagh over the radio and, speaking Hindustani for security, informed him that he had ordered a retreat of his infantry from Capuzzo and Halfaya, to begin at 11:00. At noon, Wavell and Beresford-Peirse arrived at Halfway House and learned of the retreat, to which Wavell then gave his approval. The British armour stalled the panzer advance to Halfaya until 16:00, by which time the 22nd Guards had escaped.

Analysis
Churchill was displeased with the results of Operation Battleaxe. He had been expecting nothing less than complete success and had instead received news that the operation had failed and the tanks sent for it had been lost. Churchill sacked Wavell but could not have it look as though he was being punished or have Wavell return to England, as embarrassing questions could be raised. Churchill had Wavell exchange duties with General Claude Auchinleck, Commander-in-Chief, India. Along with Wavell went Michael O'Moore Creagh, who was replaced by Gott.

Beresford-Peirse was criticised for both his plan and control of the operation and on 4 October was sent to Sudan with the position of General Officer Commanding, Sudan. Beresford-Peirse took the place of William Platt, who had been promoted to Commander-in-Chief of the newly created East Africa Command. Beresford-Peirse was replaced as commander of XIII Corps by Lieutenant-General Reade Godwin-Austen, who had been promoted from command of the 12th (African) Division in the East African Campaign.

Casualties
The Allies had 969 casualties, with 122 killed, 588 wounded and 259 missing. The Germans had 678 casualties, with 93 killed, 350 wounded and 235 missing and the Italians suffered 592 casualties. The British lost 98 tanks (3 light, 30 cruisers and 65 Matildas) and the Axis had roughly 50 disabled, excluding tanks which had been knocked out and repaired during the battle. The Axis held the battlefield and recovered disabled vehicles; only 12 tanks were written off. The British lost 33 fighters and three bombers against 10 German aircraft. RAF fighter losses were caused by lack of pilot training and the need for continuous air cover; standing patrols could only be maintained by a few aircraft while the bulk were in transit to the battlefield, being repaired, rearmed and refuelled.

Allied forces

 * XIII Corps (Lieutenant-General Noel Beresford-Peirse)
 * 4th Indian Infantry Division (Major-General Frank Messervy)
 * 22nd Guards Brigade
 * 7th Armoured Division (Major-General Sir Michael O'Moore Creagh)

Coast Force

 * 7th Armoured Brigade Group
 * 7th Armoured Brigade (4 × A10 Cruiser tanks with brigade HQ)
 * 2nd Royal Tank Regiment (10 × A9, 11 × A10, 21 × A13 Mk II Cruiser tanks)
 * 6th Royal Tank Regiment (53 × Crusader I)
 * 3rd Hussars (16 × Mk VIb light tanks)
 * 7th Support Group
 * 1st The King's Royal Rifle Corps
 * 2nd The Rifle Brigade
 * 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery
 * 4th Regiment Royal Horse Artillery
 * 1st Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery

Escarpment Force

 * 22nd Guards Brigade
 * 2nd Scots Guards
 * 3rd Coldstream Guards
 * 1st The Buffs
 * 4th Armoured Brigade (2 × A10 Cruiser tanks with brigade HQ )
 * 4th Royal Tank Regiment (44 × Matilda II Infantry tanks, 6 × Mk VIb light tanks)
 * 7th Royal Tank Regiment (48 × Matilda II Infantry tanks, 6 × Mk VIb light tanks)

Coast Force

 * Halfaya Group
 * 2nd Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders
 * C Squadron, 4th RTR (12 × Matilda II Infantry tanks)
 * 11th Indian Infantry Brigade Group
 * 1st/6th Rajputana Rifles
 * 2nd/5th Mahratta Light Infantry
 * Two troops from A Squadron, 4RTR (6 × Matilda II Infantry tanks)

RAF

 * 98 fighters in six squadrons
 * 105 bombers in eight squadrons (204 Group).

Total British strength for the operation came to 25,000 men, c. 220 tanks (28 × Light, 100 × Cruiser and 92 × Infantry). Of the cruiser tanks, 38 were older cruiser models (Mk I, II and III/IV) and 53 were the new Crusader. The Crusader and Matilda tanks were fitted with a Rotatrailer, an un-armoured trailer with 10 impgal of water and 12-man/days of rations, 100 rounds of 2-pounder ammunition and 12 impgal of lubricating oil, with 120 impgal of fuel carried in the wheels.

Axis forces
Comandante Superiore:Generale d'Armata Italo Gariboldi

Deutsches Afrika Korps (DAK) under Generalleutnant Erwin Rommel Total Axis strength was 13,200 men (5,700 German, 7,500 Italian), ~194 tanks (75 × Panzer II, 119 × Panzer III and Panzer IV), 130 × fighters (60 × German and 70 × Italian) and 84 × bombers (59 × German, 25 × Italian).
 * 5th Light Division (Generalmajor Johann von Ravenstein) was in reserve with 57 × Panzer III and Panzer IV, 39 × Panzer I and Pz II. 5th Panzer Regiment of the 5th Light Division, which had 96 tanks of which 57 were medium tanks.
 * 15th Panzer Division (Generalmajor Walter Neumann-Silkow) was on the frontier. The 8th Panzer Regiment of the 15th Panzer Division had 36 × Panzer II and about 62 × Panzer III and IV. Most of the remaining units of the division were dispersed to various strong points along Rommel's defensive line.
 * The Italian 102nd Motorised Division "Trento"; most of the division was at Bardia but three infantry battalions and an artillery regiment were in the Sollum–Musaid–Capuzzo area.

title: Operation Battleaxe


text:
Joshua Muravchik

Joshua Muravchik (born September 17, 1947, in New York City) is a neoconservative political scholar. He resides in Washington, DC based World Affairs Institute, he is also an adjunct professor at the DC based Institute of World Politics (since 1992) and a former fellow at the Foreign Policy Institute of Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) (2009 – 2014). He was formerly a fellow at the George W. Bush Institute (2012–2013), a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute (1987–2008), and a scholar in residence at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (1985).

Muravchik was one of the group of writers who moved away from the political left in the 1960s and 1970s and came to be called neoconservatives. In 1986, a Wall Street Journal editor wrote: "Joshua Muravchik may be the most cogent and careful of the neoconservative writers on foreign policy." Muravchik wrote in defense of neoconservative position when it became controversial during the years of George W. Bush’s presidency.

Since his transition to neoconservatism, much of Muravchik's work has focused on defending Israel from critics on the left – he opposes a Palestinian right of return on the grounds that it will upset the Jewish character of Israel's demographics – and advocating for military action against Iran (in 2006, 2011 and 2015 he authored op-eds advocating for a pre-emptive strike against Iran).

Early life
Muravchik was born September 17, 1947 in New York City. His father, Emanuel Muravchik, was a leading American Jewish socialist.

Joshua Muravchik initially adopted his father's political leanings– he was National Chairman of the Young People's Socialist League (YPSL) from 1968 to 1973, and executive director of the Coalition for a Democratic Majority from 1977 to 1979. He was also an aide to the late Congressman James G. O'Hara (D-Mich.) in 1975 and to the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY) in 1977 and as a campaign aide to the late Senator Henry M. Jackson in his pursuit of the 1976 Democratic presidential nomination.

Career
Muravchik received an undergraduate degree from City College of New York (1970) and a Ph.D in international relations from Georgetown University (1984). He also received an honorary doctorate from the Aurel Vlaicu University of Romania (2004). In 1998, he received a citation from the Polish parliament for his activities on behalf of Solidarity.

Muravchik serves on the board of trustees and the executive committee of Freedom House. In 1995, he became a founding member of the Foundation for Democracy in Iran, a non-profit organization established with grants from the National Endowment for Democracy. In 2006, Muvarchik had an opinion piece published in the Los Angeles Times entitled "Bomb Iran". In it, he argues that the prospect of Iranians overthrowing their government seemed "even more remote today than it did a decade ago", compared the Iranian government to the Bolsheviks and the Nazis, and claimed that Iran was harboring Al Qaeda.

He was a member of the State Department’s Advisory Committee on Democracy Promotion from 2002 to 2009, and a member of the Commission on Broadcasting to the People's Republic of China in 1992. He served on the Maryland State Advisory Committee of the United States Commission on Civil Rights from 1985 to 1997. He is a member of the editorial boards of World Affairs, Journal of Democracy, and The Journal of International Security Affairs, as well as being an Advisory Editor at Fathom.

Muravchik argued in The Washington Post that the United States should attack Iran, stating: "Does this mean that our only option is war? Yes, although an air campaign targeting Iran's nuclear infrastructure would entail less need for boots on the ground than the war Obama is waging against the Islamic State, which poses far smaller a threat than Iran does."

title: Joshua Muravchik


text: Talk:Cheran (director)/Early dual page history


text:
Soloist

Soloist may refer to:
 * Soloist (ballet), a rank within a ballet company above corps de ballet but below principal dancer
 * Soloist (card player), a player who plays a solo against two or more others in a card game
 * Solo (music), a person playing music or singing alone
 * Solo (dance), a dancer who dances alone
 * In mountaineering, someone who specializes in solo climbing
 * The Soloist, a 2009 American drama film.
 * Jackson Soloist, a guitar model by Jackson Guitars
 * Rockman Soloist, a guitar amplifier part of the Rockman series

title: Soloist


text:
Transcendental curve

In analytical geometry, a transcendental curve is a curve that is not an algebraic curve. Here for a curve, C, what matters is the point set (typically in the plane) underlying C, not a given parametrisation. For example, the unit circle is an algebraic curve (pedantically, the real points of such a curve); the usual parametrisation by trigonometric functions may involve those transcendental functions, but certainly the unit circle is defined by a polynomial equation. (The same remark applies to elliptic curves and elliptic functions; and in fact to curves of genus > 1 and automorphic functions.)

The properties of algebraic curves, such as Bézout's theorem, give rise to criteria for showing curves actually are transcendental. For example an algebraic curve C either meets a given line L in a finite number of points, or possibly contains all of L. Thus a curve intersecting any line in an infinite number of points, while not containing it, must be transcendental. This applies not just to sinusoidal curves, therefore; but to large classes of curves showing oscillations.

The term is originally attributed to Leibniz.

Further examples

 * Cycloid
 * Trigonometric functions
 * Logarithmic and exponential functions
 * Archimedes' spiral
 * Logarithmic spiral
 * Catenary
 * Tricomplex cosexponential

title: Transcendental curve