Chart entered : 25 February 1984
Chart peak : 74
Number of hits : 12
You could fit what I previously knew about this lot on a postage stamp but they easily qualify for inclusion here.
Loose Ends were the brain child of multi-instrumentalist Steve Nichol who formed the band as Loose End in 1980. Guitarist and singer Carl McIntosh was found through auditions ; his co-vocalist Jane Eugene was discovered at a college fashion show. They signed for Virgin in 1981 but were temporarily sidelined by Steve's commitments with The Jam. He played the trumpet on The Gift and was part of the line up for both the tour of that name and their farewell tour , playing trombone and keyboards on stage as well. In between those two tours Loose End released their debut single "In The Sky", a solid jazz funk number sung by Jane with a snazzy sax solo from guest Lloyd Dwyer. It was produced by The Real Thing's Chris and Eddie Amoo. It was followed by "We've Arrived " written and produced by James Hargreaves and Tony Ajabe which has a more electronic sound and an interesting banjo in the mix.
For their third single "Don't Hold Back Your Love" in 1983 they turned to Shalamar producer Peter Walsh. It's a polished soul/funk number which probably sounded OK in a night club on Canvey Island but doesn't have the hooks for radio.
With three flops already under their belt the band were under a bit of pressure by 1984. With this one Carl took the lead vocal for the first time on a song he co-wrote with Steve and someone called Shell. Jane does some answering vocals as the girl who's a bit of a tease. It has a more upfront groove and a lengthy guitar solo in the latter half and is a clear step forward in terms of having wider commercial appeal. It still wasn't much of a hit but at least got them on the board.
No comments:
Post a Comment