576 Hello REM - The One I Love

Chart  entered  : 28  November  1987

Chart  peak  : 51  ( 16  on  re-release  in  1991 )

Number  of  hits  : 38

This  came  as  a  welcome  reminder  that  not  all  US  bands  were  metal  or  hip  hop.

As  it's  my  intention  to  resume  the  Albums  blog  when  this  one  catches  up  to  the  present   day, I'm  not  going  to  go  through  REM's  previous  material  here  and  I  think  my  post  on Eponymous  - which  includes  "The  One  I  Love" -  covers  the  ground  adequately.  It's  here.  

575 Hello Public Enemy - Rebel Without A Pause

Chart  entered  :  21  November  1987

Chart  peak : 37

Number  of  hits : 17

I  can't  pretend  that  this  lot's  music  ever  did  anything  for  me  but  they were  an  important  group  in  the  development  of  hip  hop.

Carlton  Ridenhour  was  born  in  Queen's  New  York  in  1960. He  studied  graphic  design  at  Adelphi  University  where   in  1982  he  met  William  Drayton  ( born  1959 )  who  had  got  there  despite  a  juvenile  crime  spree  that  included  arson  and  robbery. Despite  his  later  clown-ish  image  he  was  an  accomplished  musician. Calling  themselves  "Chuck  D"  and  "Flavor  Flav"  respectively  they  formed  an  outfit  called  Spectrum  City.  The  pair  financed  themselves  by  working  for  Chuck's  dad's  delivery  service. Chuck  also  worked  as  a  DJ  on  the  college  radio  station  WBAU. In  1984  they  put  a  single  "Check  Out  The  Radio"  which  is  a  series  of  radio  slogans  set  to a  drum  machine  and  an  elongated  guitar  solo. The  other  side  "Lies" was  more  political  and  made  more  use  of  samples.

Chuck  then  made  a  tape  with  a  defensive  track  "Public  Enemy  Number  #1,  a  rebuttal  of  criticism  by  other  rappers  set  to  a  synthesiser  drone. Chuck  delivers  most  of  it  with  Flav  doing  the  last  verse. Rick  Rubin  heard  it  and  wanted  to  sign  Chuck  to  a  solo  deal  with  Def  Jam  but  Chuck  insisted  they  were  a  group  with  Flav  and  a  young  local  DJ  Norman  Rogers ( born  1966 )  who  called  himself  Terminator  X  as  the  other  members  at  least  as  far  as  the  music  went. He   brought  along  a  trio  of  guys  from  the  Spectrum  City  operation  known  as  The  Bomb  Squad  to  produce  the  records. He  also  engaged  a  friend  Richard  Griffin  ( born  1960 )  to  act  as  the  group's  Minister  of  Information  under  the  name  Professor  Griff. Griff  had  been  in  the  army  and  then  formed  a  security  service  to protect  the  DJs  on  the  local  party  circuit  which  he  named  Security  of  the  First  World  or  S1W  for  short. S1W  members  would  henceforth  appear  on  stage  with  the  group  as  dancers .

"Public  Enemy  Number # 1"  was  released  as  a  single  in  December  1986. It  featured  on  the  debut  LP  "Yo ! Bum  Rush  The  Show", released  in  February  1987. It's  not  quite  as  minimalist  as  other  Def  Jam  records  of  the  time  with  a  heavier  use  of  samples  making  it  slightly  easier  on  the ear. At  this  stage  the  group's  writing  was  not  as  politicised  as  you  might  expect;   apart  from  "Righstarter  ( Message  For  A  Black  Man )"   and  the  anti-drugs  message  of  "Megablast",  it's  still  mainly  concerned  with  elevating Chuck  to  prime  position  among  his  peers  but  there's  an  element  of  menace  and  paranoia  that  you  don't  get  with  L L  Cool  J. The  misogynistic  "Sophisticated  Bitch"  is  the  runt  of  the  litter.  

The  single  chosen  was  the  opening  track , "You're  Gonna  Get  Yours" , an  extended  brag  about  driving  around  town  in  a  98  Oldsmobile  set  to  an  endlessly  looping  guitar  riff  that  becomes  maddening. It  bubbled  under  in  the  UK.

"Rebel  Without  A  Pause"  was  the  first  track  completed  for  their  next  album. The  group  hasd  made  a  conscious  decision  to  speed  up  the  beats  to  capture  the  excitement  of  their  live  shows  and  had  Flav  re-constructing  James  Brown's  Funky  Drummer  riff   on  the  drum  machine. The  main  sample  on  the  track  is  a  sax  blast  from  The  J.B.'s  instrumental  "The  Grunt"  looped  continuously  for  maximum  aggravation. Terminator  X's  scratching  breaks  were  amusingly  dubbed  the  "Transformer  effect"  after  their  similrity  to  an  effect  employed  in  the  Transformers  cartoon  series  was  noted.   Chuck's  lyrics  are   as   self-aggrandising  as  ever  but  now  laced  with  political  references  such  as  "Panther  power  on  the  radio "  and  "Impeach  the  President- pulling  out  the  ray-gun". I'd  say  it  was  the  most  uncompromising  record  to  make  the  Top  40  at  the  time.

574 Hello The Proclaimers - Letter From America

Chart  entered  : 14  October  1987

Chart  peak  : 3

Number  of  hits : 11

This  one's  a  little  landmark  as  the  last  single  I  first  heard  on  nighttime  radio  that  went  on  to  be  a  big  hit. That  was  in  the  last  days  of  Janice  Long   on  Radio  One. She  was  irritating  but  generally  her  tastes  were  sound. She  was  replaced  by  Nicky  Campbell  who  went  for  a  completely  different  audience  with  his  pre-punk  tastes  and  my  days  of  listening  to  the  radio  in  an  evening  were  over.

The  Proclaimers  are  twins  Craig  and   Charlie  Reid  from  Leith. They  moved  around  a  bit  as  children,   including  time  in  Cornwall, before  settling  in  Auchtermuchty. They  were  in  school  punk  bands  before  forming  The  Proclaimers  in  1983  when  they  were  20. To  tell  them  apart  Charlie  is  the  one  who  plays  guitar, Craig  is  the  one  who  doesn't. They  were  unknown  outside  Fife  until  1986  when  a  fan  sent  a  tape  to  The  Housemartins  who  liked  it  enough  to  engage  them  as  support  for  their  UK  tour  that  year. That  led  to  an  appearance  on  The  Tube  at  the  beginning  of  1987  and  in  turn  a  deal  with  Chrysalis  Records.

Their  first  single  "Throw  The  R' Away", a  protest  against  the  mockery  of  thick  Scottish  accents  was  released  in  May  1987.  It's  basically  a  raw  and  ragged  skiffle  tune  with  only  the  boys'  smooth  harmonies  doing  anything  to  soften  the  attack. The  lads  have  famously  refused  to  disguise  their  accents  when  singing  but  most  of  it's  intelligible. I  think  Chrysalis  were  a  bit  optimistic  if  they  thought  it  was  going  to  be  a  hit  though.

The  debut  album  "This  Is  The  Story"  came  out  a  month  later  and  the  single  proved  a  good  indicator  of  what  was  on  it. With  only  basic  percussion  to  augment  the  guitar  and  vocals  it's  basically  a  folk  record  with  the  themes  alternating  between  romance  and  anger  at  the  depressed  state  of  their  homeland.

For  their  next  single,  Chrysalis  persuaded  them   to  do  a  full  band  version  of  the  track "Letter  From  America",  a  lament  for  the  mass  emigration  of  Scots  over  the  centuries  with  a  smart  reference  to  the  revered  Radio  Four  staple  of  the same  name . Gerry  Rafferty  produced  it  and  there  are  hints  of  his  own  Night  Owl  in  the  arrangement. The  Reids  stay  just  the  right  side  of  overdoing  the  passion  in  their  delivery  and  it's  got  a  cracking  Celtic  tune. The  final  section  with  the  list  of  place  names  followed  by  the  words  "no  more"  brings  a  lump  to  the  throat. I  loved  it  on  first  listen  and  predicted  to  my  new  college  friend  Mark  that  it  would  be  a  hit  but  he  couldn't  see  it . I  was  therefore  well  chuffed  when  it  got  to  number  3.

573 Goodbye Earth Wind And Fire - System of Survival

Chart  entered : 7 November  1987

Chart  peak : 54

After  a  ten  year  run  of  hits  it  was  time  for  another  great  dance  act  to  leave  the  stage.

Earth  Wind  and  Fire  hit  their  commercial  peak  in  1979  with  three  successive  Top  5  hits  in  the  UK. The  following  year  guitarist Al  McKay   left  the  band  and  was  replaced  by  a  returning  Roland  Bautista  from  their  early  days. In  1981  they  integrated  electronics  into  their  sound  with  the  album  "Raise "  spawning  the number  3  hit  "Let's  Groove". The  next  two  albums  were  not  so  well  received  and  the  hits  became  much  smaller. Band  leader  Maurice  White  decided  the  band  needed  a  break  in  1984. Co-vocalist  Philip  Bailey  had  a  huge  transatlantic  hit  with  Phil  Collins  on  Easy  Lover   and  it  was  Collins  who  led  the  way  in  making  the  brass  section, The  Phoenix  Horns, much  sought  after  session  players. By  contrast  Maurice's  eponymous  solo  album  was  only  moderately  successful  and  when  a  compilation  album  hit  number  5  in  the  UK  in  1986, CBS  were  able  to  persuade  Maurice  and  Philip  to  re-launch   the  band. Also  joining  up  again  were  drummer  Ralph  Johnson, saxophonist  Andrew  Woolfolk  and  Maurice's  bassist  brother  Verdine.  Maurice's  other  brother  Fred  didn't  re-join  nor  did  the  rest  of  The  Phoenix  Horns ( Rahmlee  Davis, Michael  Harris , Don  Myrick, Louis  Satterfield ) . Also  missing  from  the  line  up  were   Roland,  keyboard  player   Larry  Dunn  and  guitarist  Johnny  Graham.  The  gaps  were  filled  by  Sonny  Emory  (drums ) , Sheldon  Reynolds ( guitar ) , Dick  Smith ( guitar ) Vance  Taylor  ( keyboards ) , Gary  Bias  ( saxophone ), Reggie  Young  ( trombone ) and  Raymond  Brown  ( trumpet ). We've  met  Sheldon  before  as  a  latter  day  member  of  The  Commodores.

"System  of  Survival"  was  their  comeback  single  heralding  their  new  album  "Touch  The  World".   It  was  written  by  enigmatic  songwriter  Skylark  who  later  joined  The  Doobie  Brothers  as  their  bass  player. Maurice  produced  and  showed  his   usual  adeptness  in  picking  up  on  contemporary  trends  in  black  music . This  could  easily  be  a  Jam  and  Lewis  production  with  its  sledgehammer  beat  and  nervy  synth  lines. He  and  Philip  share  the  vocal  duties  on  this  tale  of  urban  living. It's  more  than  competent  but  perhaps  a  perception  of  them  as  being  "old  school "  held  it  back. It  reached  number  60  in  the  US.

The  follow-up  "You  And  I "  sounded  more  like  their  old  selves  despite  being  written  by  outsiders  Mark  Mueller  and  Robbie  C'Est  La  Vie  Nevil  but  it's  instantly  forgettable   and  didn't  make  the  US  charts  either. The  third  single  "Thinking  Of  You " was  written  by  Maurice  with  Wayne  and  Wanda  Vaughan  and  has  a  more  contemporary  sound  but  there's  too  much  going  on  apart  from  any  real  hooks. It  made  number  67  in  the  US . "Evil  Roy"  is  a  reasonably  impressive  R &  B  track  about  a  drug  dealer  which  should  have  been  released  earlier  in  the  schedule. The  fifth  single , the  title  track  is  a  pop  gospel  song  ( later  covered  by  Whitney  Houston )  written  by  a  church  minister   and  sounds  like  fifth  choice. The  album  , on  which  most  of  the  members  barely  featured  as  much  of  the  instrumentation  was  handled  by  outsiders, improved  slightly  on  its  predecessor  in  reaching   33  in  the  US  but  it  didn't  chart  in  the  UK.

The  following  year  they  released  a  second  compilation  album  covering  their  material  since  1978. The  first  one  had  peaked  at  number  6 in  the  US  , this  one  scraped  to  number   190 , starkly  illustrating  how  far  their  star  had  diminished. A  track  they  had  recorded  for  the  Caddyshack  II  soundtrack  , "Turn  Up  ( The  Beat  Box ) "  a  modern  dance  pop  outing  of  which  Philip's  trademark  falsetto  is  the  only  distinctive  feature  was  released  as  a  single  but  didn't  trouble  the  charts.

The  band  came  back  at  the  start  of  1990  with  the  album  "Heritage"  which  featured  guest  spots  from  Sly  Stone  and  rapper  of  the  moment  MC  Hammer.  Both  tracks  featuring  the  latter  were  released  as  singles. " For  The  Love  Of  You "  is  flat-footed  and  tuneless  and  "Wanna  Be  The  Man"  sounds  equally  uncomfortable. In  both  cases  Hammer's  presence  wasn't  enough  to  restore  them  to  the  charts. The  third  single  "Heritage"   featured  junior  rappers  The  Boys  and  is  an  awkward  mix  of   cheesy  sentiment,  kiddie  vocals  and  Cameo-style  minimalist  funk. Failing  to  get  past  number  70, the  album  was  their  lowest  charting  since  1972  and  Columbia  decided  it  was  time  to  cut  them  loose.

Dick  quit  the  band  while  they  were  label-shopping  in  1991. The  following  year  another compilation  on  Telstar  Records  reached  number  40  in  the  UK. The  band  returned  to  their   first  label  Warner  Brothers  ( actually  their  subsidiary  Reprise )  and  released  the  lengthy "Millennium"  in  1993. The  lead  single  "Sunday  Morning" ,  a  mid-tempo  modern  soul  number  restored  them  to  the  US  chart, peaking  at  number  53  and  securing  a  Grammy  nomination  for  Best   R &  B  Vocal  Performance  By  a  Group. Generally  the  band  sound  more  comfortable  with  the  less  harsh  sound  of  nineties  R  &  B   but  there's  a  prevailing  blandness  and  subsequent  singles  "Spend  The  Night"  and  "Two  Hearts "  failed  to  chart. The  album  did  slightly  better  than  its  predecessor  reaching  number  59  but  that  was  not  the  sort  of  return  Warner  Brothers  were  looking  for  and  they  were  let  go.

Vance   threw  in  the  towel  at  that  point  and  Andrew  went  off  to  rejoin  his  old  mates  in  the  Phoenix  Horns.  The  following  year  Maurice  announced  his  retirement  from  the  road  which  he  later  confirmed  was  due  to  the  onset  of  Parkinson's  Disease  which  had  been  diagnosed  in  the  late  eighties.  

In  1996  another  Telstar  compilation  hit  number  29  in  the  UK.

A  new  album  "In  The  Name  Of  Love "  followed   on  Rhino  Records  in  1997.  It  was originally  released   in  Japan  only  with  a  slightly  different  track  listing  as  "Avatar".  It's another  undistinguished  collection  of  R  &  B  songs.  The  single  "Revolution" tries  to  channel some  of  The  Temptations'  politicised  soul  of  the  early  seventies  but  chugs  rather  than grooves before  being  sunk  completely  a  supper  club  sax  solo. The  album  became  their  first  studio  LP  not  to  chart.

In  1999  another  compilation  LP  got  to  34  in  the  UK. It  contained  a  Phats   and  Small  re-mix  of  "September"  which  reached  number  25  as   a  single, their  last  appearance  in  the  UK. singles   chart. That  was  also  the  year  Sonny   left  the  band. Sheldon  also  left  the band  before  the  next  album.

The  band   played  some  prestigious  gigs  a  the  turn  of  the  millennium  but  didn't  release  any  new  material  until  2003  with  "The  Promise"  coming  out  on  Maurice's  Kalimba  Records. It  saw  the  band  narrowing  its  approach  to  smooth  soul , ditching  any  attempt  to  sound  "urban". One  or  two  songs  are  lightly  funky, like  the  single  "All  In  The  Way"  which  reunited  them  with  The  Emotions,  but  otherwise  it's  pretty  much  all  ballads. The  album  saw  a  modest  revival  in  their  fortunes  by  peaking  at  number  89  in  the  US.  Raymond  retired  from  the  music  business  in  2004.

The  next  album  "|Illumination"  started  out  as  a  Philip  solo album  before  he  changed  his  mind  and  made  it  a  group  project.  That  said,  the  input  of  the  others  counted  for  much  less  than  the  impressive  list  of  guest  stars ( Raphael  Saddiq,  Jam  and  Lewis, Kelly  Rowland, will.i.am among others  ). Despite  appearing  on  the  cover,  Ralph  only  contributes  a  little  percussion  to  one  track. Most  of  the  tracks  have  a  featuring  credit  and  it  sounds  more like  tuning  into  an  R &  B  station  for  an  hour  than  a  coherent  group  album.  It  was  released  by  Sanctuary , the  label  owned  by  Matthew  "Father  of  Beyonce"  Knowles,  and  maintained their  commercial  recovery  by  reaching  number  32  in  the  US.

Another  compilation  album  reached  number  9  in  the  UK  in  2010.

As  Maurice's  condition  deteriorated,  the  band  didn't  return  to  the  studio  until  2013  for  "Now  Then  and  Forever"  their  first  album  without  any  musical  contribution  from  him  although  he  did  write  some  liner  notes.  As  some  compensation, Larry  was  part  of  the  production  team and  played  keyboards  on  several  tracks. The  album  was  a  conscious  attempt  to  get  back  to  their  old  sound  although  "Dance  Floor "  is  obviously  trying  ( far  too  hard )  to  be  a  contemporary  club  track.  It  has  its  moments,  the  instrumental  break  on  "Guiding  Lights"  is  very  good   and  the  final  couple  of  tracks  are  worth  another  listen.  The  public  agreed  and  the  album  reached  number  11  in  the  US  and  number  25  here, their  first studio  album  to  chart  since  1983's  "Powerlight".

Perhaps  over-eager  to  capitalise  on  this  renaissance,  the  band  released  a  Christmas  album  "Holiday"  the  following  year. Ralph  did  not  contribute  to  it  although  there's  been  no   other indication  he's  left  the  band. It  became  the  second  EW&F  album  not  to  chart.

Maurice  died  in  February  this  year  aged  75. Phil, Verdine  and  Ralph  are  continuing  the  band and  have  a  tour  lined  up  in  spring  next  year.

So, deep  breath, let's  tackle  the  diaspora. Al  pursued  a  solo  career  as  a  session  guitarist , video  instructor  and  producer  for  The  Temptations  and  A  Taste  of  Honey. In  2001  Al  McKay's  L.A.  All  Stars  as  a  sort  of  opposing  version  of  the  band.  Johnny, Fred, Rahmlee, Michael  and  Andrew  have  all  been  involved  at  some  point. They  play  a  show  called  The  Earth  Wind  And  Fire  Experience  and  have  released  several  CDs  in  Japan.

Fred  never  re-joined  his  brothers  in  EWF . He  did  a  little  session  work  before  joining  Al's version  of  the  band.

The  original  Phoenix  Horns  were  basically  uprooted  by  Phil Collins  and  formed  part  of  his  recording  and  touring  band  for  the  rest  of  the  decade  although  Michael  left  in  1986  to  be  replaced  by  Harry  Kim. In  1990  after  completing  a  world  tour  with  Collins , Don, who  was  struggling  with  drugs  left  and  was  replaced  by  Andrew. Collins  didn't  use  them  for  1993's  Both  Sides  and  by  1996's  Dance  Into  The  Light   they  had  dissolved. Kim  retained  Andrew  and  reconfigured  them  as  the  Vine  Street  Horns. Collins  later  sued  Rahmlee  and  Louis  for  overpayment  of  royalties   on  the  Serious  Hits...Live  album. He  won  the  case  but  they  were  not  required  to  pay  back  what  they'd  already  received.

Rahmlee  has  a  solo  career  as  a  jazz  trumpeter  and  has  released  four   albums  ( the  first  while still  in  the  band ) of  smooth  jazz  with  the  occasional  foray  into  vocal  R  &  B  such  as  "I'm Wrapped"  from  2006's  "You  Can't  Stop  This ". He  also  does  session  work  and  can  be  found on  recordings  by  Tupac  Shakur, Macy  Gray  and  Beatchuggers.

Don's  drug  problems  continued  and  in  1993  he  was  shot  dead  on  his  doorstep  during  a narcotics  investigation , by  a  police  officer  who  apparently  mistook  his  butane  lighter  for  a weapon.

Louis  did  a  bit  of  session  work  and  went  out  on  the  road  with  Cash  McCall, both as  a  bassist,  but  told  the  court  in  the  royalties  case   he  was  living  on state  benefits. He  died  in  2004  aged  67.

Michael  went  on  to  session  work  for  Michael  Jackson  amongst  others  and  an  instructional  video  on  playing  trumpet  before  hooking  up  with  Al  and  leading  the  horn  section  in  his  outfit.

Roland  went  back  to  session  work  with   Morris   Day,  DeBarge,   and   Wilton  Felder  in  the late  eighties  but  after  that  he  fell  off  the  radar  with   even  close  friends  wondering  where   he'd  gone. He  died  of   natural  causes  in  2012.

Johnny  now  lives  in  Japan  where  he  has  performed  with  a  number  of  local  bands  including  Soul  Sauce.

Larry  became  primarily  a  record  producer   as  the  co-owner  of  Source  Productions  with  wife Luisa  though  he  released  a  listenable   electro-disco  single  "Groove  Patrol"  in  1986  and  in  the early  nineties  put  out  a  jazz-funk  album  "Lover's  Silhouette"  in  Japan  under  the  name  "Larry Dunn  Orchestra".  As  well  as  helping  out  both  the  original  band  and  Al's  outfit  he  has  opened up  a  third  outlet  for  E W &  F  music  with  Sheldon  in  a  tribute  band  called  Devoted  Spirits.

Dick  returned  to  his  work  as  a  session  guitarist.  He  has  toured  with  Kenny  Loggins,  Air  Supply  and  Donny  Osmond. He  has  also  garnered  Emmy's  for  TV  soundtrack  work. He  also  had  a  few  acting  roles  recently  e.g.  in  Ray.

Vance  has  also  been  busy  either  recording  or  touring  with  a  wide  range  of  artists  including  Will  Downing, Elton  John, Aretha  Franklin  and  CeCe  Williams. He  was  musical  director  for  a  Toni  Braxton  tour. He  currently  plays  in  Maze  featuring  Frankie  Beverley. He  put  out  a  jazz-funk   instrumental album "Long  Overdue"  and  plays  in  churches  in  the  Atlanta  area.  

Andrew  played  with  the  Vine  Street  Horns  on  Collins's  Dance  Into  The  Light   in  1996  and  in  the  subsequent  Phil  Collins  Big  Band  project.  before  hooking  up  with  Al.

Sonny  is  much  in  demand  as  a  session  and  touring  drummer. In  recent  years  he's  worked  with  Jennifer  Lopez,  Bruce  Hornsby, , Bette  Midler  and  Lee  Ritenour. He  also  gives  private  lessons. He  put  out  a  jazz-funk  solo  LP  "Rock  Hard  Cachet"  in  2013.

Besides  working  with  Larry,  Sheldon  is  also  part  of  Experience  Hendrix, Having  once  been  married  to  Jimi's  adopted  half-sister  Janie.

Gary  continues  to  play  with  Earth  Wind  &  Fire  but  has  put  out  a  solo  LP  on  his  own  label.

Reggie  also  continues  to  work  with  Earth  Wind  and  Fire  but  has  also  played  on  recent  records  by  Andrea  Bocelli  and  MIchael  Buble.

572 Hello All About Eve - In The Clouds

Chart  entered  : 31  October  1987

Chart  peak  :  47

Number  of  hits :  14

As  the  eighties  waned, some  long-taboo  aspects  of  the  beginning  of  the  previous  decade began  to  re-surface  and  this  band  were  at  the  forefront  of  that.

All  About  Eve  began  to  form  in  Huddersfield  in  the  early  eighties  when  bassist  Andy Cousin  and  guitarist  Tim  Bricheno   were  playing  in  a  local  Goth  band  Aemotti  Crii.  In 1984  they  were  introduced  to  Julieanne  Regan,  formerly  a  music  journalist  with  the  magazine  ZigZag  and  briefly  bass  player  in  Gene  Loves  Jezebel  after  interviewing  the  band. She  invited  Tim  to  join  her  new  band  The  Swarm  with  two  other  friends. They  soon  changed   their  name  to  All  About  Eve  after  seeing  the  film  of  the  same  name  on  TV.

They  got  a  deal  with  indie  label  Eden  and  released  their  first  single  "D  For  Desire"  in  June  1985,  a  dense  Goth  rock  epic  namechecking  the  usual  touchstones  of  blood, sex  and  pain,  which  sounds  like  Siouxsie  Sioux in  particularly  good  form  guesting  with  The  Chameleons . It's  very  derivative  but  there  is  something  there.

The  rhythm  section  then  quit. Andy  was  brought  in  to  replace  the  bass  player  and  they  decided  to  use  a  drum  machine.

However  for  their  next  single in  1986, they  used  a  session  drummer  Matt  Kemp.  I  haven't  heard  this  original  version  of  "In  The  Clouds"  produced  by  ex-Motors  guitarist  Bram  Tchaikovsky.  Shortly  afterwards  Julieanne  was  introduced  to  The  Mission's  Wayne  Hussey   and  invited  to  contribute  some  backing  vocals  on  their  debut  album  God's  Own  Medicine. She's  particularly  prominent  on  Severina  which  was  released  as  a  single  in  March  1987.  Julieanne  appeared  with  The  Mission  on  both  Top  of  the  Pops  and  Whistle  Test   and  All  About  Eve  supported  them  on  their  UK  tour   Husssey  and guitarist  Simon  Hinkler  returned  the  favour  by  producing  the  third  All  About  Eve  single  "Our  Summer"  the  following  month.

"Our  Summer "  sees  Julieanne  shedding  the  skin  of  Siouxsie  and  finding  her  own  soaring  voice  on  a  melodic  song   about  a  hoped-for  rekindling  of  a  romance. It's  only  tethered  by  the  drum  machine's  limitations. It  made  the  "Bubbling  Under"  section  of  the  charts.

They  produced  their final  single  for  Eden  themselves. The  band  firmly  nailed  their  colours  to  the   folk  rock  mast  with  "Flowers  In  Our  Hair", an  undisguised  lament  for  the  loss  of  hippy  values. Unsurprisingly  it  did  generate  some  hostility  from  the  ex-punks  in  the  music  press  but  the  video  , with  its  frolicking  flower  children, got  shown  on  The  Chart  Show  and  again   they  bubbled  under.

The  band  were  then  signed  to  The  Mission's  label  Mercury  and  started  work  on  their  debut  album  with  producer  Paul  Samwell- Smith. The  first  single  for  the  label  was  this  one. I've  covered  it  previously  in  the  Albums  blog :

"In  The  Clouds"  was  the  first  single  for  Mercury  and  fell  just  short  of  the  Top  40. It  was  recorded  before  the  arrival  of  drummer  Mark  Price  and  so  features  The  Mission's  Mick  Brown  instead. The  densely textured  guitars  point  the  way  towards  their  eventual  move  into  the  shoegazing  scene  although  Brown  anchors  the  song  in 1987. Appropriately  enough  the  precise  meaning  of  the  song  is  obscure  but  that  sense  of  vulnerability  and  impermanence   that  pervades  the  whole  album  is  present  again.




  

571 Goodbye Shakatak - Mr Manic and Sister Cool

Chart  entered  : 24  October  1987

Chart  peak : 56

Shakatak  had  established  themselves  as  one  of  the  most  reliable  chart  acts  in  the  first  half  of  the  eighties. I  remember  Paul  Gambaccini  explaining  their  popularity  with  Radio  One  in  that  they  were  "very  programmable" , you  could  slip a  couple  of  minutes  of  their  latest  smash  in  a  gap  before  the  news  without  missing  anything. Their  biggest  hits  were  "Night  Birds"  in  1982  and  "Down  On  The  Streets"  in  1984  which  both  reached  number  9. There  had  been  changes  in  the  line  up.  In  1981  bassist  Steve  Underwood  was  replaced  by  George  Anderson .   A  year  later  keyboard  player  Nigel  Wright  quit  as  a  performer  to  concentrate  on  his  second career  as  a  producer. In  1983  singer  Jackie  Rawe  left . Neither  of  the  latter  two  had  permanent  replacements.The  band  were  very   popular  in  Japan  and  made  some  records  exclusively  for  the  Japanese  market  as  was  the  case  in  1986.

"Mr  Manic  &  Sister  Cool"  was  the  lead  single  for  the  forthcoming  album  "Manic  &  Cool"  which  would  be  their  first  UK  LP  in  nearly  three  years  and  was  produced  by  Nigel  and  Les  McCutcheon.  I  actually  think  this  is  one  of  their  better  singles. Bill  Sharpe's  trademark  tinkling  piano  work  is  there  of  course, as  aimless  and  soporific  as  ever,  and  the  lyrics  are  pure  fluff   but  I  like  the  Frankie  Goes  To  Hollywood  keyboard  interjections  and  the  house  rhythm. It  fits  Gambo's  theory  by  having  nothing  more  to  say  after  the  first  two  minutes  but  there  were  worse  things  around.

They  took  two  more  singles  from  the  LP , "Dr ! Dr! "  which  I  haven't  heard  and  "Time  of  My  Life"  which  continues  their  flirtation  with  synth  pop. There's  hardly  any  piano  and  it's  a  passable  attempt  at  Shalamar -ish   pop  disco  although  Jill  Saward's  soulless  vocals   don't  really  sell  it. Neither  single  charted, suggesting  their  fanbase  wasn't  happy  with  the  change  in  direction.

After  a  couple  of  Japan -only  releases  their  next  album  in  the  UK  was  1989's  "Turn  The Music  Up ".  The  title  track  was  the  lead  single  and  is  a  contemporary  pop  dance  track  with   melodic  similarities  to  Odyssey's  Use  It  Up  Wear  It  Out.   The  follow up  "Back  To  The Groove"  has  a  more  urban  feel  with  its  sledgehammer  beat  and  vocoder  interjections.

Two  more  Japanese  releases  followed  before  "Bitter  Sweet"  in  1991. The  only  single  was  the title  track, a  drab, forgettable  house  track. When  that  failed, Polydor  called  time  on  their  contract  and  subsequent  releases  were  on  smaller  labels.

Their  next  UK  release  was  1993's  "Street   Level" . The  single  "One  Day  At  A Time" had  contemporary  beats  but  restored  Bill's  tinkling  to  the  front  of  the  mix  and  sounds  much  more  like  "classic"  Shakatak  than  their  last  few  releases. There  don't  appear  to  have  been  any  singles  from  a  second  LP  "Under  The  Sun"  that  year.

1994's  "Full  Circle"  contained  the  single  "Brazilian  Love  Affair "  which  added  Latin  percussion  and  M-People  organ  stabs  to  the  mix. This  was  the  last  LP  to  feature  guitarist  Keith  Winter. He  had  to  quit  the  band  when  a  rare  nerve  disease  left  him  unable  to  play. Since  he  left   the  band  has  consisted  of  the  core  quartet  of  Bill, Jill, George  and  drummer  Roger  Odell  plus  touring   musicians.

They  returned  with  the  album  "Let  The  Piano  Play"  in  1997. The  title  track  is  a  slice  of  contemporary  R  &  B  with  the  piano  playing  a  fairly  secondary  role  to  the  beat  and  background  chatter. It's  reasonable  but  they  were  never  going  to  break  into  that  market. 1998's  " View  From  The  City"  contained  their  last  attempt  at  a  hit  with  "Move   A  Little  Closer"   a  languid  move  into  Lisa  Stansfield  territory.

That  seems  to  have  been  their  last  single  but  the  band  have  continued  and  seem  happy  to  be  regarded  as  a   jazz  act  these  days. They  play  prestigious  jazz  festivals  and  release  an  LP  pretty  much  every  other  year, the  most  recent  being  this  year's  "Times  And  Places". In  addition, George  has  released  a  couple  of  solo  LPs  and  Bill  a  couple  with  jazz  pianist  Don  Grusin. Roger also  does  gigs  with  his  own  jazz  trio.

I  now  realise  Nigel  should  have  had  a  post  of  his  own  after  making  the  connections  that  a  number  of   chart  acts  were  really  just  flags  of  convenience  for  him. His  second  career  as  a  producer  was  originally  based  on  taking  advantage of  the  medley  craze  and  he'd  enjoyed  two  hits  as  Enigma  and  one  each   as  This  Year's  Blonde  and  Mojo   before  Shakatak  had  cracked  the  Top  40  with  "Easier  Said  Than  Done"  in  1982. His  most  successful  guise  was  Mirage   and  he  had  seven  hits  under  that  name  with  house  medleys  including  the  number  4  hit  Jack  Mix  II/ III .   The  Jack  Mix  medleys  didn't  bolt  together  snippets   but  integrated  short  phrases  from  recent  pop / dance  hits   into   a  ubiquitous  house  rhythm   track. in  the  nineties  he  enjoyed  three  more  hits  under  the  name  "UK  Mixmasters". As  a  producer  rather  than  artist  Nigel  has  worked  with  Madonna, Barbra  Streisand, Take  That, Boyzone, Cliff  Richard  and  many  others  and  of  course  continued  to  produce  Shakatak  themselves. He's  also  had  a  long  association  with  Andrew  Lloyd-Webber   as  the  producer  for  all  his  cast  recordings  since  1991  and  musical  director  for  his  talent-spotting  programmes  on  BBC 1. He's  also  been  music  director  for  the  live  heats  of  The  X  Factor  since  2004.

Steve  has  recently  been  playing  with  white  soul  singer  Angela  Lewis  Brown.

Jackie  became  a  busy  session  singer  and  a  performer  on  the  gay  club  scene. She  became  associated  with  the  Almighty  Records  crew  recording  a  lot  of  cheap  covers  for  them  often  under  different  names. She  also  made  some  recordings  under  her  own  name.Her  1985  single  "I  Believe  In  Dreams"  is  a  popular  track  on  the  Hi-NRG  scene. In  2004  she  put  out  an  album  "My  Truth "  which  is  described  as  "Neo-Soul"  but  I  haven't  heard  any  of  it.

Happily  Keith's  condition  has  drastically  improved  in  the  last  three  years  and  he  was  able  to  do  a  gig  with  Roger's  band  last  year.