651 Hello Happy Mondays - W.F.L.

Chart entered :  30  September  1989

Chart  peak : 68

Number  of  hits : 11

Although  there's  one  of  their  singles  lurking  in  my  record  collection,  I  could  never  really  get  to  grips  with  this  lot,  partly  I  think  down  to  resistance  to  the  idea  that  a  group  who  looked  like  the  sort  of  people  I'd  cross  the  road  to  avoid  could  have  something  interesting  to  say.

Happy  Mondays   hail  from  a  not  particularly  nice  area  of  Salford  called  Little  Hulton ( I  spent  a  day  working  at  a  school  there  a  few  years  ago  and  it  was  rough ). Their  surprisingly  durable  line up  was  Shaun  Ryder  (vocals ), Paul  Ryder  ( bass ), Paul  Davis  ( keyboards ), Mark  Day ( guitar ), Gary  Whelan ( drums )  and  Mark  Berry  ( percussion ). They  claim  to  have  formed  in  1980  but  if  so  their  profile  was  subterranean  until  they  appeared at  a  battle  of  the  bands  contest  at  the  Hacienda  in  1985  and  caught  the  ear  of  Tony  Wilson.

He  sent  them  into  the  studio  with  Vini  Reilly  who  found  a  couple  of  hours  in  their  company  unbearable  and  quit. Hacienda  DJ  Mike  Pickering  finished  the  sessions. The  band  recorded  three  tracks  put  out  as  the  "Forty-five"  EP on  Factory   in  September  1985.  "Delightful"  sounds  like  Joy  Division's  Digital  weighed  down  by  Gary's  drumming  which  is  so  stiff  it  might  as  well  be  a  drum  machine. "This  Feeling"  sounds  more  like  Ceremony  with   a  Kevin  Rowland-esque  belligerence  in  the  lyrics. The  third  track  "Oasis " sounds  more  like  Echo  and  the  Bunnymen  and  started  the  habit  of   magpie  references  to  other  songs  ( in  this  case It's  Not  Unusual   although   the  second  line  "It's  not  unusual  to  be  fucked  by  everybody"  is   a  Ryder  amendment ).

There  wasn't  much  evidence  of  their  interest  in  dance  culture  on  that  first  EP. That  came  with  their  next  single "Freaky  Dancin'"  in  1986. You  would  look  pretty  freaky  trying  to  dance  to  it  as  everyone  seems  to  be  playing  a  different  song  and  it's  just  a confused  mess.    It  doesn't  say  much  for  Bernard  Sumner's  skills  as  a  producer  either.

There  was  then  a  remarkable  jump  in  competence  and  sophistication  to  their  next  single  "Tart  Tart "  in   March 1987  which  may  have  owed  something  to  producer  John  Cale. The  song  outlines  two  stories, the  departure  of  Martin  Hannett  from  Factory  and  the  death  of one  of  their  drug  suppliers  from  a  brain  tumour. It  rests  on  a  solid  funk  bass  line  somewhat  similar  to  The  Smiths'  Barbarism  Begins  At  Home  with  Mark  playing  both  psychedelic  and  white  funk  guitar  lines.  Shaun  now  sounds  more   like  Wah's  Pete  Wylie  than  Ian  Curtis.

It  was  featured  on  their  debut  album  "Squirrel  and  G-Man Party  Twenty  Four  Hour Party   People Plastic  Face  Carn't  Smile  ( White  Out )"   which  came  out  the  following  month. The  bizarre  title  is  mostly  taken  from  a  line  in  the  song  "24  Hour  Party  People"   which  wasn't  on  the  original  version  of  the  album  but  Michael  Jackson's  lawyers  forced  the  removal  of  the  track  "Desmond"  for  quoting  too  liberally  from  Ob-La-Di  Ob-La-Da.  You  wonder  if   "Plastic  Face  Carn't  Smile"  refers  to  that  especially  as  Shaun  enunciates  "Carn't"  to  sound  like  a  rather  different  word, The  single  is  a  good  indicator  to  the  sound  of  the  LP, their  fusion  of  psychedelia  and  white  funk  sounding  fresh  and  original  although  Shaun's  tuneless  blaring  does  begin  to  grate  at  album's  length.

"24  Hour  Party  People"  was  then  released  as  the  next  single,  a  tribute  to  the  Northern  Soul  scene  with  a  slamming  backbeat  imposing  a   stricter   discipline  on  where  the  song  can  go  and  Paul  D's  keyboards  having  a  more  prominent  role  than  usual. That's  probably  why  it  was  originally  earmarked  as  a  standalone  single.  Both  singles  featured in  the  independent  charts  but  didn't  cross  over.

The  original  version  of  "Wrote  For  Luck"   was  their  next  single  with  Martin  Hannett  back  in  the  fold  as  producer. With  both  band  and  producer  consuming  vast  amounts  of  chemicals  it's  a  wonder  any  music  emerged  from  the  sessions. The song  is  a  rambling  account  of  a  normal  drug-fuelled  night  out  for  the  boys  set  to  a  turgid, jangly  grind  with  a  typically  Gothic  echo-laden  production  from  Hannett  which  doesn't  prevent  it  from  becoming  wearing.

The  album  "Bummed"  followed  in  November  1988. It's  much  more  overtly  psychedelic  than  its  predecessor  with  slower  songs  and  Hannett  drenching  the  sound  in   lysergic  haze. This  also  has  the  effect  of  making  Shaun's  vocals  sound  a  little  smoother  than  before.  The  lyrics  reference  late  sixties  totems  like  the  film  Performance  and  Altamont  documentary  Gimmee  Shelter  when  they're  not  conjuring  up  grim   and  threatening  sex  and  drugs  scenarios. "Bring  A  Friend"  is  a  particularly  seedy  and  explicit  account  of  making  a  porn  video. The  LP  didn't  chart  initially  but  reached  a  peak  of  59  in  1990.

We'll  skip  the  next  single  "Lazyitis"  as  we'll  be  returning  to  it  in  another  post  soon  enough.

If  the  group  weren't  quite  getting  enough  attention  from  Joe  Public they  were  getting  noticed  by  their  contemporaries  and  both  Vince  Clarke  and  Paul  Oakenfold , a  successful  DJ  on  the  burgeoning  acid  house  scene  had  a  stab  at  remixing  "Wrote  For  Luck"  . Both  were  issued  as  a  single  with  Clarke's  , re-titled  "WFL"  as  the  A-side. An  edired  version  appeared  on  the  7  inch. Clarke  strips  out  everything  bar  Shaun's  voice  and  some  of  Mark's  guitar  work; I  don't  think  any  of  the  other  Mondays  are  on  the  track. The  sparse  electronic  backing  track  makes  the  song's  aggressive  tunelessness  even  more  in  your  face  but  that  didn't  matter  anymore. Pop's  audience  no  longer  demanded  a  tune  accompanied  a  good  groove  and  so  the  Mondays  chalked  up  their  first  hit.
    
  

650 Hello New Kids On The Block - Hangin' Tough

Chart  entered : 16  September  1989

Chart  peak :52  ( 1  on  reissue  in  1990 )

Number  of  hits : 12

This  lot  really  ushered  in  the  tide  of  boy  bands  that  has  yet  to  recede  unfortunately.

New  Kids  on  the  Block  were  germinated  in  1984  when  Svengali  Maurice  Starr  and  his  colleague  Mary  Alford  severed  their  ties  with  New Edition  and  decided  that  a  white  version  would  do  even  better. Their  first  recruit  was  Donnie  Wahlberg  , a  15  year  old  white  rapper  from  Boston. He  was  allowed  a  say  in  who  the  other  members  were  an  unsurprisingly  selected  his  younger  brother  Mark. and  his  best  mate  Danny  Wood, a  Herman  Munster  lookalike  who  wouldn't  have  got  in  under  any  other  circumstance. He  also  persuaded  a  former  school  mate  Jordan  Knight  to  audition. He  passed  and  he  too  was  allowed  to  bring  his  little  brother   ( Jonathan )  into  the  band. Mark  Wahlberg  wasn't  really  ready  for  it  and  dropped  out  before  recording  started. 12  year  old  Joey  McIntyre  who  wasn't  previously  known  to  the  others  was  drafted  in  to  replace  him. After  intensive  rehearsals  Starr  got  them  a  deal  with  Columbia  Records.

They  released  their  eponymous  debut  album  largely  written  by  Starr  ( with  some  input  from  Donnie )  in  April  1986. Its  bubblegum  R &  B  style   failed  to  attract  much  attention  and  the  singles  "Be  My  Girl "  and  "Stop  It  Girl"  with  its  knowing  references  back  to  The  Osmonds'  One  Bad  Apple  failed  to  make  the  chart. Columbia  later  released  their  version  of  the  Delfonics'  "Didn't  I  ( Blow  Your  Mind )"  as  a  single  to  reactivate  the  album  and  the  ploy  worked  with  the  album  reaching  25  in  the  US  and  6  in  the  UK  in  1990.

Starr  persuaded  Columbia  to  give  them  another  shot  and  a  new  single "Please  Don't  Go  Girl" was  released  in  June  1988. It's  a  ballad  led  by  Joey  's  Donny  Osmond  impression   and  set  to  what  sounds  like  the  backing  track  to  Sexual  Healing . It  got  off  to  a  slow  start  and  Columbia  were  on  the  point  of  cutting  them  loose  but  then  it  started  breaking  in  Florida  and  the  rest  of  the  nation  started  picking  up  on  it. Columbia  let  them  shoot  a  new  video  and  the  single  duly  reached  number  10  in  the  charts. It  was  their  first  release  here  but  didn't  attract  any  attention.

They  then  released  their  second  album  "Hangin'  Tough"  but  sales  initially  were  modest. Starr  put  together  a  backing  band  for  them  and  sent  them  out  on  the  road  as  support  act  to  Tiffany. Slowly  the  album  started  picking  up  and  the  second  single "You  Got  It  ( The  Right  Stuff )  a  tinny  attempt  at  new  jack  swing  got  on  MTV  rotation  and  reached  number  3  in  the US  at  the  beginning  of   1989. It  did  nothing  over  here  until  the  end  of  the  year  when  their  appearance  on  the  televised  Smash  Hits  Party  sent  it  to  number  one.

Their  next  single  "I'll  Be  Loving  You  ( Forever )"  , a  tooth-rotting  ballad  led  by  Jordan's  admittedly  impressive  falsetto  recalling  The  Stylistics  went  all  the  way  to  number  one  in  the  US.  It  reached  number  5  on  reissue  here  in  1990.

"Hanging  Tough"  came  next. Here's  Popular

649 Goodbye Spandau Ballet - Be Free With Your Love

Chart  entered : 26  August  1989

Chart  peak : 42

For  many  people,  Spandau  Ballet  are  the  quintessential  eighties  band  so  it's  somehow  fitting  that  they  didn't  make  it  out  of  the  decade.

It  was  hard  for  me  not  to  feel  betrayed  when  they  ditched  the  synths  and  European  influences  after  the  first  album  and  rediscovered  their  soul  boy  roots  with  their  fourth  single  "Chant  No  1".  Although  that  reached  number  3,  they  had  a  serious  wobble  with  the  next  two  singles  and  had  to  call  on  Trevor  Horn  to  rescue   their  position  on  "Instinction". They  then  switched  to  Bananarama's  producers, Swain  and  Jolley,   and  reached  their  commercial  peak  in  1983  when  "True"  got  to  number  one  ( 4  in  the  US ) . They  were  on  the  bill  at  Live  Aid  but  like  many  of  their  contemporaries  they  suffered  a  decline  in  popularity  in  its  wake. A  fall  out  with  their  record  label  didn't  help . The  atypical  "Through  The  Barricades"  was  their  only  subsequent  Top  10  hit. Their  last  two  singles  hadn't  made  the Top  30.

"Be  Free  With  Your  Love"  was  the  second  single  from  their  forthcoming  album  "Heart  Like  A  Sky". The  woolly  liberal  lyrics  recall  World  Party. Musically  it's  trying  to  be  two  records  in  one . The  first  couple  of  minutes  are  pretty  standard  Spandau,  the  glossy  funk-pop  they'd  been  peddling  for  the  past  seven  years with  the  London  Tabernacle  Gospel  Choir  bolstering  the  chorus. Then,  it  speeds  up  into  a  Gloria  Estefan  Latin  workout  with  horns  and  percussion  and  endless  repetition  of  the  title  as  if  trying  to  bludgeon  you  into  submission. The  single  did  slightly  better  than  its  predecessor  but  it  was  now  obvious  they  were  struggling.

The  album  - their  sixth - was  released  the  following  month. It's  the  first  not  to  be  written  entirely  by  guitarist  Gary  Kemp  with  the  lumpen  funk  track  "Motivator" composed  by  guitarist-cum-percussionist-cum-saxophonist  Steve  Norman. It  stalled  at  number  31  in  the  album  chart. The  band  persevered  with  further  singles, the  pompous  and  vacuous  ballad  "Empty  Spaces " and  polished  Belinda  Carlisle-style  pop  rock  of  "Crashed  Into  Love  " ( a  minor  hit  in  Italy  where  their  popularity  was  holding  up )   but  neither  achieved  anything  except  to  spoil  their  100%  hit  rate.

1990  was  the  year  of  reckoning  for  the  band. The  long-in-the-can  film  The  Krays  came  out  featuring  Gary  and  brother  Martin  as  the  infamous  gangsters. Both  received  praise  for  their  performances  which  shouldn't  have  been  that  much  of  a  surprise  as  they'd  both  been  to  stage  school. With  a  new  world  of  acting  opportunities  beckoning  the  band  was  put  on  hiatus. The  other  three  members  were  left  to  fend  for  themselves.

Singer  Tony  Hadley  popped  up  first, appearing  in  the  video  for  PM  Dawn's  1991  single "Set  Adrift  On  Memory  Bliss"  which  heavily  sampled  "True". He  used  that  as  a  launching  pad  for  his  solo  career  which  began  the  following  year. Drummer  John  Keeble  stuck  with  him   and  he  was  managed  by  Spandau  manager  Steve  Dagger. He  signed  with  EMI  for  his  debut  album  "The  State  of  Play".  Though  it  yielded  three  minor  hit  singles - the  biggest  "Lost  In  Your  Love", a  decent  pop rock  number  written  by  Bucks  Fizz  songwriters  Andy  Hill  and  Pete  Sinfield, reached  number  42   in  1992- the  album  itself  didn't  chart. EMI  gave  him  a  last  shot  with  a  single  "Absolution"  a  so-so  slice  of  Erasure-ish  synth-pop. When  that  failed  to  chart  he  was  dropped. He  had  to  sell  his  home  to  pay  off  an  overdraft,

In  1995,  after  prominent  roles  in  The  Bodyguard  and  Killing  Zoe,  Gary  made  his  only  solo  record "Little  Bruises".  I've  only  heard  two  of  the  tracks, the  singles  "An  Inexperienced  Man" and  "Standing  In  Love"  and  they  were  enough. Gary  hasn't  got  a  lead  singer's  voice  and  both  songs  are  drab  singer-songwriter  fare  with  ghastly  cod-Celtic  arrangements  to  convey  Van  Morrison-esque  "sincerity".

In  1996  Tony  set  up  his  own  record  label  Slipstream  whose  first  release  was  his  "Build  Me  Up", a  very  unremarkable  dance  track  he  recorded  for  the  soundtrack  to  dire  Sean  Bean  football  film  When  Saturday  Comes.  He  then  went  on  a  singers'  tour  of  Europe  with  Joe  Cocker  and  some  continental  luminaries   In  May  1997,  he  enjoyed  his  biggest  solo  hit  as  featured  artist  on  Tin  Tn  Out's  "Dance  With  Me"  a  muted  electronic  dance  track  that  reached  number  35.That  gave  him  the  fillip  to  release  "Tony  Hadley"  a  mainly  covers  album   including  a  version  of  "Save  A  Prayer"  by  Spandau's  traditional  rivals  Duran  Duran   which  was  released  as  a  single. I'd  stick  with  the  original. Also  released  as  a  single  was  a  different  "Dance  With  Me" which  he  wrote  with  Simon  Baisley, a  Latin  tinged  ballad with  one  of  his  best  vocal  performances   but  it  went  nowhere. His  dreary  version  of  the  Bee  Gees'  First  of  May  was  lined  up  as  another  single  but  was  withdrawn. The  album  got  to  number  45  in  the  UK. He  also  duetted  with  Dutch  singer  Erikah  Karst  on  a  version  of  Phil  Collins  and  Marilyn  Martin's  Separate  Lives  but  that  was  only  released  in  the  Netherlands.

Steve  in  the  meantime  had  re-located  to  Ibiza  and  got  involved  in  the  music  scene  there  , helping  to  compile  chill  out  compilations. He  also  performed  on  stage  usually  playing  sax  with  various  artists  on  the  house  music  scene  such  as  Frankie  Knuckles  and  Jeremy  Healy. He  formed  a  relationship  and  later  married  ex-Bucks  Fizz  singer  Shelley  Preston.

Martin  was  the  only  member  not  involved  in  music  during  the  nineties. He  moved  to  LA. and  concentrated  solely  on  acting  until  he  was  obliged  to  return  to  the  UK  in  1995  for  brain  surgery. Once  he'd  recovered  he  looked  for  acting  work  in  the  UK  and  in  1998  landed  a  plum  part  in  Eastenders.

The  group  was  back  in  the  news  the  following  year. Resentment  at  the  sidelining  of  the  band  had  festered  for  nearly  a  decade  and  Steve, Tony  and  John  took  Gary  to  court  claiming  he  had  reneged  on  an  agreement  to  share  the  songwriting  royalties.  Gary  vehemently  denied  it, Their  case  also  stated  that  even  if  there  was  no  agreement  ( surely  this  was  a  tactical  mistake ) the  trio  had  made  enough  contribution  to  the  songs  to  make  them  joint  authors.  Tony  admitted  in  court  that  he  was  pretty  skint. The  judge  ruled  for  Gary  and  a  threatened  appeal  never  materialised.

This  of  course  did  nothing  to  ease  Tony's financial  worries. He  guested  on  an  Alan  Parsons  single, put  out  a  live  CD  of  his  first  solo  gig  in  Cologne  called  "Obsession"  and  he  Steve and  John  had  to  go  out  on  tour  as  "Hadley, Norman  and  Keeble ex-Spandau  Ballet"  their  shares  in  the  name  sold  to  meet  legal  costs.

When  that  was  over, Steve  formed  his  jazz  outfit  Cloudfish  with  Preston  in  2001.

Tony  popped  up  again  in  2003 as  a  participant  on  Reborn  In  The  USA  although  the  premise  that  he  was  unknown  over  there  was  patently  ludicrous. He  ended  up  winning  the  competition  after  his  main  rival  Peter  Cox's  version  of  Norah  Jones's  Don't  Know  Why  became  "Don't  Know  The  Lyrics".

Tony  tried  to  capitalise  on  his  triumph  by  whacking  out  another  live  album  , this  time  of  a  gig  at  Ronnie  Scott's  in  1999, under  the  title  "Reborn"  and  re-compilations  of  his  earlier  LPs but  it  wasn't  to  be. He  toured  with  Cox  who  he'd  befriended  on  the show  and  then  ABC's  Martin  Fry, both  of  them  commemorated  with  cheap  CDs. He  then  tried  his  hand  at  jazz  with  an  album  of  standards, "Passing  Strangers "  and  then  an  LP  with  the  always-available  Tony  Bennett  "The  Kings  of  Swing". He  had  a  three  month  West  End  stint  as  Billy  Flynn  in  Chicago  in  2007 . He  also  did  TV  all  over  the  world

John  featured  on  a  2006  dance  album  by  Tim  Deluxe  and  then  started  mending  fences  with  Gary.  Martin's  stint  in  Eastenders  had  ended  in  2002 but  it  left  him  able  to  pick  and  choose  his  roles  on  TV. He  was  willing  to  pick  up  the  bass  again  and  by  the  beginning  of  2009  all  five  members  had  signed  up  to  a  reunion  that  had  seemed  exceedingly  unlikely  ten  years  earlier.

In  October  that  year  they  released  a  "new" album  "Once  More"  which  is  mainly  composed  of  re-recordings  of  the  hits. The  title  track  was  one  of  the  new  songs, composed  by  Gary  and  Steve. It  was  released  as  a  single  with  Gary, his  old  arrogance  re-surfacing , claiming  it  was  "a  way  for  us  to  show  that  Spandau  Ballet  are  back, not  just  to  play  the  hits  on  tour  but  also  to  take  on  our  contemporaries  in  the  pop  charts". I  guess  that's  why  it  sounds  exactly  like  latter-day  Take  That  but  his  prophecy  of  a  return  to  chart  action  was  sadly  mistaken. That  wasn't  true  of  the  album  which  reached  number  7.

The  Reformation  tour  was  a  great  success  and  the  band  have  stayed  together  and  done  further  tours  in  2014  and  2015 while  Martin  has  continued  acting  and  Tony  put  out  a  Christmas  album  in  2015  after  doing  that  year's  I'm  A  Celebrity  Get  Me  Out  of  Here . A  compilation  album  in  2014  reached  number  10  and  contained  three  new  songs. "This  Is  The  Love" , a  credible  return  to their  mid-eighties  pomp, was  issued  as  a  single  but  that  door's   just  not  going  to  open  for  them  again.

648 Hello Del Amitri - Kiss This Thing Goodbye

Chart  entered : 19  August  1989

Chart  peak : 59  ( 43  on  reissue  in  1990 )

Number  of  hits  : 17

The  Scottish  lads  were  no  overnight  success, taking  the  best  part  of  a  decade  to  score  their  first  hit.

The  band  started  in  1980  when  Justin  Currie  ( born  1964 )  placed  an  ad  in  a  music  shop  for  like-minded  musicians. As  well  as  singing  lead  Justin  played  bass  in  the  band  which  was  originally  a  trio  named  Del  Amitri  Rialzo, the  name  being  chosen  because  it  was  meaningless.Justin's  initial  recruits  didn't  last  long  and  in  1982  were  replaced  by  guitarists  Iain  Harvie  ( born  1962 )  and  Bryan  Tolland  and  drummer  Paul  Tyagi. The  group's  first  recording  was  on  a  flexi-disc  ( shared  with  The  Bluebells  ) for  a  local  fanzine  in  1982. It  was  called  "What  She  Calls  It  "  and  I  haven't  heard  it.

The  following  year  they  released  their  first  single  proper, "Sense  Sickness",  on  an  independent  label. A  tale  of  matchmaking  gone  wrong, it  sounds  like  Big  Country's  Stuart  Adamson  fronting  a  Postcard  act. Tinny  and  tuneless  it  was  never  going  to  be  a  hit. Nonetheless  their local  following  was  increasing  and  in  1984  they were  signed  by  Chrysalis.

In  1985  they  toured  with  The  Smiths  and  released  their  eponymous  debut  album. The  moment  you  hear  it  you  realise  the  two  events  are  connected.  Every  song  owes  something  to  The  Smiths  and  Justin's  vocals  sound  more  like  Morrissey  than  the  voice  on  their  hits  ( apart  from  "Breaking  Bread" where  he  sounds  uncannily like  Inspiral  Carpets'  Tom  Hingley. The  generally  downbeat  songs  aren't  that  bad  , just  over-wordy  and  lacking  in  punch. The  album  was  a  minor  hit  ,peaking  at  number  49  but  neither  of  the  singles "Sticks  and  Stones, Girl"  and  "Hammering  Heart ", charted.

Chrysalis  were  not  happy  with  the  return  on  their  investment  and  dropped  them  but  the  band  stayed  together  and  went  on  a  self-financed  tour  of  the  US  in  1986.  At  the  end  of  it,  Tolland  was  ejected  from  the  band  and  replaced  by  Mick  Slaven  ( born  1961 )  from  Bourgie  Bourgie  who  had  a  minor  hit  with  the  dramatic  soul-pop  of  "Breaking  Point"  in  1984.  Mick  recorded  the  next  album "Waking  Hours"   with  the  band  but  left  before  it  was  released  and  his  replacement  David  Cummings  appeared  on  the  sleeve. Keyboard  player  Andy  Alston  joined  in  1988  and  played  on  the  album. Paul left  during  the  sessions  and  Commotion  Steve  Irvine  helped  complete  the  LP; I'm  not  sure  which  of  them  is  playing  on  the  single.

"Kiss  This  Thing  Goodbye"  was  the  lead  single  from  the  album. Right  from  the  off  it  signals  a  new  musical  direction  with  harmonica, steel  guitar  and  banjo  suggesting  that,  like  Texas,  they  had  one  eye  on  success  across  the  pond. It's  an  OK  song  about  knocking  a relationship  on  the  head  with  a  shuffle  beat  and  Justin's  earnest  vocals  but. like  a  lot  of  their  material, it  fails  to  excite  me. The  song  was a  bigger  hit  in  America  reaching  number  35 . the  first  of  their  trio  of  hits  there.

647 Hello Black Box - Ride On Time

Chart  entered : 12  August  1989

Chart  peak : 1

Number  of  hits : 10  ( The  musicians  in  the  group  also  had  two  hits  under  the  names  Starlight  and  Mixmaster )

Black  Box  were   just  one  of  the  aliases  of  an  Italian  production  team  named  Groove  Groove  Melody. They  were  a  trio  of  club  DJ  Daniele  Davoli,  clarinet  teacher  Valerio  Semplici  and  keyboard  maestro  Mirko  Limoni. To  front  the  recotrds they  made  as  "Black  Box", they  recruited  a  French  model  Katrin  Quinol  who  made  no  musical  contribution  except  lip-synching  to  the  vocals  of  others.

"Ride  On  Time"  was  their  first  single  so  we'll  hand  over  to  Popular.

646 Hello Marcella Detroit* -You're History

(* as  part  of  Shakespear's  Sister )

Chart  entered : 29  July  1989

Chart  peak  : 7

Number  of  hits : 11 ( 8  with  Shakespear's  Sister, 3 solo )

Marcella  was  another  artist  who  served  a  long  apprenticeship  before  making  the  charts.

She  was  born Marcella  Levy  in , you  guessed  it, Detroit  in  1952. She  began  employing  her  soprano  vocal  talents   in  bands  in  the  early  seventies  including  one  called  Julia  that  supported  Bob  Seger  in  1972. He  invited  her  to  sing  backing  vocals  on  his  album  Back  in  72  which  was  partly  recorded  in  Leon  Russell's  studio, Russell  in  turn  invited  her  on  to  his  tour. She  moved  to  Tulsa  where  her  band  was  picked  up  by  Eric  Clapton   in  1975   , beginning  a  fruitful  four  year  musical  relationship  which  included  co-writing  "Lay  Down  Sally". She  started  work  on  a  solo  album  for  RSO  but  it  never  saw  the  light  of  day.

She  stopped  working  with  Clapton  at  the  end  of  the  seventies  and  had  a   US  hit  in  1980  as  co-vocalist  with  Robin  Gibb  on  "Help  Me" , a  song  for  the  soundtrack  to  the  film  Times  Square. The  song  written  by  Gibb   and  keyboard  player  Blue  Weaver  sounds  like  Bee  Gees-by-numbers with  a " hi-hi-hi"  in  the  chorus  in  case  we  were  in  any  danger  of  forgetting  who  he  was. Marcella  proves  she  can  hit  a  higher  note  than  Gibb's  big  brother  but  there's  not  much  else  to  recommend  it. It  made  number  50  in  the  US  but  didn't  register  here.

She  signed  for  Epic  and  in  1982  released  her  solo  album  "Marcella"  in  1982  as  Marcy  Levy. I've  heard  about  half  the  tracks  and  not  been  impressed. Marcella  sounds  like  she's  still  in  the  seventies  with  her  previous  employers,  producing  a  colourless  AOR  effort  that  wasn't  going  to  cut  the  mustard  in  1982. Epic  pulled  the  plug  on  a  planned  tour  with  John  Cougar  Mellencamp  and  dropped  her  from  the  label.

Marcella  went  back  to  working  with  Clapton  again  in  the  mid-eighties  but  she  also  formed  a  songwriting  partnership  with  Richard  Feldman  and  artists  who  recorded  their  songs  in  this  period  included  Philip  Bailey  ( Walking  on  the  Chinese  Wall ), Jennifer  Rush, Randy  Crawford  and  Chaka  Khan. Feldman  then  took  a  call  from  his  friend  Dave Stewart, would  they  be  interested  in  helping  his  wife  Siobahn  Fahey  launch  a  solo  career  after  leaving  Bananarama  in  1988 ?

Marcella  and  Feldman  answered  in  the  affirmative  and  co-wrote  the  first   Shakespear's  Sister  single  "Break  My  Heart  ( You  Really )" . Fahey  had  never  been  happy  with  the  group's  sell  out  to  Stock, Aitken  and  Waterman  and  had  been  a  constant  thorn  in  the  flesh  in  the  studio, You  might  therefore  have  expected  her  to  come  up  with  something  other  than  an  uninteresting  ( save  for  a  HM  guitar  solo )  Hi-NRG   track  , hardly  different  from  the  'Nanas'  output  apart  from  the  revelation  of  her  solo  voice, a  drab , thin,  drone  of  very  limited  range. You  can  hear  Marcella's  voice  in  the  backing  vocals  but  at  this  point  she  wasn't  counted  a  member  of  the  band  and  didn't  appear  on  the  sleeve  or  in  the  video. It  wasn't  even  a  minor  hit  which  must  have  had  Pete  Waterman  laughing  his  socks  off.

It  was  Stewart  that  suggested  the  group  should  become  a  duo. Fahey  then  suggested  she  change  her  name  to  avoid  being  bogged  down  by  her  previous  associations. Marcella  also  shed  her  long  tresses  for  a  more  contemporary  haircut. It  was  a  strange  marriage,  a  punk  girl  and  an  AOR  songwriter  six  years  her  senior  to  say  nothing  of  the  huge  disparity  in  their  respective  vocal  abilities.

Nonetheless  it  paid  off  immediately  with  "You're  History".written  by  Fahey  and  Feldman. As  the  title  suggests  it's  a  dismissal  of  an  ex-lover  with  Fahey  intoning  the  verses  before  Marcella  delivers  the  pay-off  line  in  a  falsetto  screech  which  provides  the  song's  main  hook. Musically  it's  mid-paced  funk  pop  owing  a  lot  to  Prince  with  an  African  chant  and  fuzz  guitar  solo  squeezed  into  the  middle  eight. Marcella  also  played  the  funky  guitar  line  which  carries  the  song  forward  after  each  chorus. She  had  helped  give Fahey  the  vindication  she  craved  and  their  greatest  triumph  was  still  to  come.

645 Hello The Stone Roses - She Bangs The Drums

Chart  entered :  29  July  1989

Chart  peak : 36  ( 34  on  reissue  in  1990 )

Number  of  hits : 14

1989  was  musically  dismal  but  it  did  brighten  up  in  the  latter  half  with  the  onset  of  Madchester . The  sense  of  relief  emanating  from  the  music  press  at  the  first  youth  cult  since  the  New  Romantics  to  achieve  genuine  traction  ( unlike  salsa, new  jazz, cowpunk  or  shambling )  was  palpable. In  a  musical  sense  it's  very  difficult  to  pin  down  its  essence  since  what  seemed  to  matter  most  was  where  you  came  from  rather  than  what  you  played; it's  hard  to  find  any  other  common  denominator  linking  James, 808  State  and  Inspiral  Carpets. Although  the  London  journalists  quickly  re-christened  the  scene  "baggy"  to  avoid  having  to  doff  their  cap  to  the  northern  rival, all  the  important  bands  came  from  the  north  west  including  this  lot.

 Ian  Brown  ( born  1963 )  and  John  Squire  ( born  1962 )  met  up  at  Altrincham  Grammar  School  for  Boys. They  formed  a  punk  band  The  Patrol  in  which  Ian  played  bass  in  1980  but  split  up  within  a  year. Ian  became  a  Northern  Soul  fan  and  legend has  it  met  Geno  Washington  who  encouraged  him  to  become  a  frontman. John  in  the  meantime  had  formed  a  new  band  The  Fireside  Chaps  recruiting  bassist  Gary  "Mani"  Mounfield  ( born  1962 ). They  soon  became  The  Waterfront  and  John  tempted  Ian  back  in  as  a  singer. This  band  too  was  short  lived. In  1983  Ian  and  John  combined  once  more  with  guitarist  Andy  Couzens  and  John  came  up  with  the  name Stone  Roses. After  six  months  rehearsing,  their  drummer, nearly-Smith  Simon  Wolstonecraft  left  to  join  The  Colourfield  and  was  replaced  after  an  audition  by  Alan  Wren  *( born  1964 )  in  May  1984. They played  their  first  gig  in  London  at  an  anti-heroin  concert  arranged  by  Pete  Townshend  who  compared  Alan  to  Keith  Moon.

After  building  a  reputation  live, the  band  went  into  the  studio  with  Martin  Hannett  to  record  their  debut  single , the  12 inch  double  A-side   "So  Young / Tell  Me"  which  was  released  on  the  Thin  Line  label  in  September  1985. Both  sides  are  tuneless  and  messy  post-punk  with  Hannett's   production  highlighting  the  fact  that  Ian  couldn't  sing. Some  of  Alan's  drum  patterns  on  "So  Young"  are  very  similar  to  The  Smiths'  Miserable  Lie. John's  guitar  work  shows  glimmers  of  potential .It's  the  only  one  of  their  pre-fame  singles  not  to  subsequently  chart  and  no  wonder. The  band  recorded  a  full  album  with  Hannett  but  were  unhappy  with  the  results  and  it  didn't  see  the  light  of  day  - as  Garage  Flower - until  after  the  band  had  split  in  1996.

In  1986,   the  band  incurred  the  wrath  of  the  local  authority  with  a  grafitti  campaign  in  Manchester. In  May  that  year  Couzens  was  pushed  out  of  the  band. John  and  Ian  started  writing  more  melodic  material.

In  May 1987, their  manager  persuaded  the  FM  Revolver  label  to  give  them  a  one  single  deal  and  they  recorded  "Sally  Cinnamon"  for  release  as  another  12inch. Ian  has  said it's  about illicitly  reading  a    lesbian  love  letter  but  it's  also  been  widely  interpreted  as  a  metaphor  for  heroin. The  breey  melody , chiming  guitars  and  offhand  vocals    betray  a  Jesus  and  Mary  Chain  influence. It's  pleasant  enough  but  lacks  a  real  hook. It  reached  number  46  on  reissue  in  1990  prompting  a  paint  attack  on  the  company's  offices  by  the  band  members. This  resulted  in  convictions  for  criminal  damage  but  added  to  the  group's  notoriety.

Shortly  afterwards  bassist  Pete  Garner  left  the  group  and  Gary  joined, cementing  the  classic  line  up. Early  in  1988  they  played  at  Dingwalls  and  attracted  the  attention  of  Rough  Trade's  Geoff  Travis  who  funded  the  recording  of  their  next  single "Elephant  Stone",  a  song  written  by  John  about  being  let  down  by  a  girlfriend, with  New  Order's  Peter  Hook  as  producer. Before  it  was  released  Rough  Trade  were  gazumped  by  Andrew  Lauder's  Silvertone  who  subsequently  bought  the  tapes  from  Rough  Trade  and  had  them  re-mixed  by  experienced  producer  John  Leckie. The  single  eventually  came  out  in  October  1988. A  polyrhythmic  rush  of  jangly  guitars , bright  melody ,funky  drumming  and  more  assured  vocals,  it  was  perhaps  a  little  too  chaotic  to  make  it  first  time  round  but  it  reached  number  8  on  reissue  in  March  1990.

It  was  followed  six  months  later  by  "Made  of  Stone" , a  complex  song  which  seems  to  be  about  wishing  a  violent  death  on  someone  but  has  also  been  interpreted  as  referencing  the  death  of  Jackson  Pollock  in  a  car  smash. For  me  it's  their  best  single  with  every  member  at  the  top  of  his  game  particularly  John, allowed  to  let  rip  with  a  solo  for  the  first  time. It's  richly  melodic  with  a  killer  chorus  ( which  owes  a  little  to  Primal  Scream's  Velocity  Girl ). Their  attempt  to  promote  it  on  BBC2's  arts  programme  The Late  Show  ended  in  disaster  with  the  much-repeated  footage  of  the  sound  cutting  out  after  a  minute. Although  Ian  can  be  heard  shouting   "Amateurs"  behind  the  host's  back  as  she  improvises  a  final  address, it  was  actually  the  band's  own  doing  as  they'd  been  warned  that  exceeding  the  prescribed  decibel  limit  would  trigger  a  shutdown  and  turned  the  amps  up  anyway. Even  so, it's  surprising  that  such  a  great  song  wasn't  a  hit  the  first  time  round  regardless. It  reached  number  20  on  reissue  in  March  1990.

Their  revered   debut  album  was  released  in  May  1989  but  without  a  hit  single  it  initially  failed  to  improve  on  its  entry  position  of  32. "She  Bangs  The  Drums"  was  sent  out  as  the second  single  to  revive  it. It's  either  a  straightforward  song  about  infatuation  or  another  paean to  heroin. Whichever  way  you  interpret  it, it's  an  infectious , sunny  guitar  pop  song  with  Mani's  melodic  bass  gradually   making  its  presence  felt   and  Alan's  backing  harmonies   a  crucial  element  in  the  chorus. It  would  be  their  next  single  that  really  sealed  their  reputation  but  this  one  lad  the  groundwork.

  

644 Goodbye Dead Or Alive - Come Home With Me Baby

Chart  entered  : 22  July  1989

Chart  peak  : 62

In  the  same  week  that  Ian  Broudie  chalked  up  his  first  hit ,  another  denizen  of  Eric's  was  making  his  final  mark  with  a  new  song.

Dead  or  Alive  had  been  on  a  steadily  downward  trajectory  since  "You  Spin  Me  Round  ( Like  A  Record ) "  reached  number  one  in  March  1985  broken  only  by  "Something  In  My  House"  reaching  number  12  in  the  post  Christmas  lull  at  the  start  of  1987. Later  that  year  bassist  Mike  Percy  and  keyboard  player  Tim  Lever   quit  the  band  to  work  as  a  production  team  leaving  the  band  as  a  duo  of  singer  Pete  Burns  and  drummer  Steve  Coy.  The  band's  relationship  with  Stock, Aitken  and  Waterman  also  came  to  an  end  and  their  1988  album  "Nude"  was  self-produced.  Its  lead  single  "Turn  Around  and  Count  2 Ten" only  reached  number  70   (  though  it  was  a  megahit  in  Japan )  in  September  1988   and  the  album  didn't  chart. ( Possibly  the  cover  picture  of  Pete  in  just  a  loincloth  didn't  help ).

"Come  Home  With  Me  Baby"  was  the  belated  second  single  from  the  album. Departing  from  their  usual  Hi-NRG  sound, the  band  opt  for  an  electro-funk  backing  track  that  ends  up  sounding  very  similar  to  Taylor  Dayne's  Tell  It  To  My  Heart.  Pete's  stern  baritone  is  in  god  nick  and  as  usual  he's  singing  about  lust  but  neither  the  chorus  nor  the  main  keyboard  riff  has  a  memorable  melody  and  the  record's  just  very  average  when  they  needed  a  strong  song  to  rescue  their  fortunes  here. It's  actually  their  third  biggest  hit  ( but  also  their  last )  in  America  where  it  reached  number  69.

The  duo  got  to  work  on  their  next  album  "Fan  the  Flame  Part  1"  with  producer  Tim  Weidner  but  Epic  would  only  sanction  its  release  in  Japan. That's a  minor  shame  as it  does  have  one  great  song  in  "Gone  2 Long"  and  most  of  it is  a  listenable  attempt  at  a  more  thoughtful  dance  pop  in  the  Pet  Shop  Boys  vein. It  has  to  be  said  that  all  the  tracks  go  on  too  long  with  only  the  dreary  closer  "Blue  Christmas"  clocking  in  at  under  4  minutes. It  maintained  their  popularity  in  Japan  where  it  reached  number  18  and  yielded  three  hit  singles.

They  recorded  a  "Fan  The  Flame  ( Part  2 ) "  but  it  was  never  released. In  1992  Pete  performed  some  acoustic  numbers  on  a  personal  appearances  tour  of  the  States  and  they  were  bootlegged  under  that  title.

By  1995  they  had  picked  up  a  new  keyboard  player  Jason  Alburey  who  played  on  their  album  of  that  year  "Nukleopatra". As  the  cover  revealed, Pete  had  had  substantial  plastic  surgery  in  the  intervening  years.  The  inclusion  of  two  re-worked  tracks  from  the  previous  album , covers  of  "Rebel  Rebel"  and  "Picture  This"  and a  re-recording  of  "Sex  Drive"  a  song  Pete  had  previously  recorded  with  Italian  house  act  Glam  indicated  that  inspiration  was  running  a  bit  dry  by  now. The  band  now  embraced  a  European  techno  sound  with  the  title  track  owing  a  lot  to  No  Limits. The  new  songs  range  in  quality  from  the  playful  "I'm  A  Star"  with  its  pop  at  George  Michael  to  the  interminable  "Getting  It  On". The  album  was  initially  only  released  in  Japan  again  but  when  a  remix  of  "You  Spin  Me  Round"  by  the  Sugar  Pumpers  was  a  hit  in  Australia  in  1996  it  was  added  to  the  album  which  then  got  an  international  release. "Sex  Drive"  was  also  a  minor  hit  in  Australia.

After  that  their  account  with  Epic  was  closed  despite their  popularity  in  Japan  remaining  buoyant. They  released  their  last  album  containing  new material  there  in  2000  with  "Fragile".  Apart  from  covers  of  U2's  Even  Better  Than  The  Real  Thing  and  Nick  Kamen's  I  Promised  Myself  , there  are  only  four  new  songs, all  of  them  listenable  dance  pop  efforts  including  their  last  hit  in  Japan  "Hit  and  Run  Lover".

Two  years  later  Pete  appeared  on  Never  Mind  The  Buzzcocks. After  over  a  decade  out  of  the  limelight  in  the  UK,  his  otherworldly  appearance  was  a  considerable  shock, not  least  to  his  team  captain  Sean  Hughes  who  looked  genuinely  scared by  him. This  kickstarted   his  new career  as  a  reality  TV  star.  The  following  year  "You  Spin  Me  Round  2003"  reached  number  23  in  the  UK  but  the  compilation  it  was  promoting  didn't  chart.

In  2004  he  teamed  up  with  the  Pet  Shop  Boys  for  his  only  solo  hit  "Jack  And  Jill  Party "  a  muted  slice  of  electronica  musing  on  the  pitfalls  of  fame. It  was  the  most  minor  of  hits, spending  a  single  week  at  number  75.

2006  was  a  red  letter  year  for  Pete. His  media  career  reached  its  height  with  his  appearance  on  Celebrity  Big  Brother  alongside  George  Galloway  and  Michael  Barrymore.  Another  remix of  "You  Spin  Me  Round"  reached  number  5  on  the  back  of  the  programme  and  he  published  his  autobiography  "Freak  Unique". However  he  also  separated  from  his  wife  of  26  years  and  was  arrested  for  assaulting  his  future  civil  partner  in  a  gay  bar. He  also  became  embroiled  in  a  law  suit  against  one  of  his  plastic  surgeons.

Pete's  last  recording  was  a  valedictory  download  single  "Never  Marry  An  Icon"  in  2010  released  on  Steve's  Bristar  label. It's  not  a  bad  tune  but  abuses  Autotune  to  such  an  extent  it  doesn't  sound  the  work  of  a  human  being  at  all. It  didn't  chart. He  blamed  that on the  song  being  leaked  onto  YouTube  in  an  ngry  press  release  that  gave  out  the  email  address  of  the  perpetrator.

Although  the  TV  work  continued, it  wasn't  enough  to  keep  the  wolves  from  the  door  financially  and  Pete  was  declared  bankrupt  in  2014. The  following  year  he  was  evicted  for  rent  arrears. In  October  last  year  he  died  of  a  heart  attack  definitively  bringing  Dead  Or  Alive  to  an  end,

As  mentioned  above,  Steve  manages  the  Bristar  Record  label  but  it  appears  to  be  only  a  vehicle  for  releasing  Dead  Or  Alive  or  Pete  Burns  product.

By  contrast,  Mike  and  Tim  achieved  real  success  with  their  company  One  World  Productions  doing  remixes  for  Phil  Collins, Rozalla, Danii  Minogue, Soul  II  Soul  and  The  Pasadenas  amongst  others  in  the  nineties. At  the  end  of  the  decade  they  started  achieving   even  more  success as  songwriters  under  the  name  Steelworks  with  hits  for  S  Club  7, Billie  Piper, Hear'say,  Five  and  Robbie  Williams  to  name   to  name  but  a  few.  Steelworks  Studios  in  Sheffield  is  still  a  going  concern  but  Mike  and  Tim  seem  to  have  retired  from  active  involvement  in  recent  years.  

643 Hello The Lightning Seeds - Pure

Chart  entered : 22  July  1989

Chart  peak : 16

Number  of  hits : 15

Here  begins  the  final  chapter  in  one  musical  cycle  as  we  come  to  the  last  punk  to  make  good.

Ian  Broudie  was   born  in  Liverpool  in  1958  and  was  part  of  the  Eric's  scene  in  Liverpool  in  the  late  seventies. He  joined  the  group  Big  in  Japan  in  1978  as  their  guitarist  and  was  their  most  incongruous  member  , a  nerdy-looking  teenager  alongside  the  transgressive  flamboyance  of  Holly  Johnson  and  Jayne  Casey. We've  covered  their  output  ( such  as  it  was )  in  the  Johnson  post. Although  not  a  partner  in  the  enterprise  Ian  worked  with  his  former  bandmates  Bill  Drummond  and  Dave  Balfe  at  Zoo  Records honing  his  skills  as  a  producer  on  the  first  Echo  and  the  Bunnymen  album Crocodiles .

However  Ian  still  wanted  to  perform  and  in  1979  founded  the  band  Original  Mirrors  with  vocalist  Steve  Allen  from  the  Liverpudlian  art-rock  outfit  Deaf  School. Other  members  included  keyboard  player   Jonathan  Perkins  who  had  a  short  spell  with  XTC  and  thirtysomething  drummer  Pete  Kircher  from  late  sixties  one  hit  wonders  Honeybus. Along  with  The  Photos , the  Original  Mirrors  were  one  of  those  bands  mentioned  a  lot  in  the  music  papers  I  was  buying  at  the  start  of  the  eighties  that  never  got  much  airplay. They  played  a  brash  modern  pop  decorated  by  synthesiser  flourishes. I  think  Simple  Minds  is  the  closest  comparison. Despite  the  press  attention, a  high  profile  support  slot  on  Roxy Music's  UK  tour  in  1980  and  backing  from  Peel, the  band  never  sold  many  records., largely  I  think  because  Allen's  singing- while- throwing- up  vocal  style  was  unattractive  and  the  songs  were  a  bit  lacking  in  substance. My  review  of  their  second  and  final  album  (  on  a first  listen, their  debut  was  slightly  better )  is  here. The  group  split  up  in  the  middle  of  1981.

Ian  occupied  himself  with  producing  the  next  Bunnymen  album  "Porcupine "  then  formed  a  duo  with  another  Zoo  alumnus  Paul  Simpson , keyboard  player  in  the  pre-fame  Teardrop  Explodes  and  more  recently  singer  with  The  Wild  Swans. Care  merged  Simpson's  poetic  lyrics  and  heroic  vocals  with  Ian's  melodic  nous  and  sonic  craft  to  create  a  baroque  synth-pop  with  late  sixties  influences  similar  to  Liverpudlian  contemporaries  the  Pale  Fountains  and  Icicle  Works  ( both  of  whom  he  later  produced ).  They  got  a  deal  with  Arista  and  released  three  singles "My  Boyish  Days", "Flaming  Sword"  and  "Whatever  Posssessed  You" . "Flaming  Sword"  with  its  piccolo  trumpets  almost  cracked  the  Top  40  in  the  autumn  of  1983  but  that  was  as  close  as  they  got. Again  Ian  had  linked  up  with  a  singer  whose  vocals  were  an  acquired  taste; Simpson's  wobbly  baritone  sounds  a  bit  mannered. The  pair  recorded  enough  material  for  an  album  but  it  never  saw  the  light  of  day  until  a  compilation  CD  ( which  neither  of  them  sanctioned )  "Diamonds  and  Emeralds"  in  1997. The  duo  went  their  separate  ways  in  1985.

For  the  next  few  years  Ian  concentrated  on  his  producing  work   and  his  client  base  expanded  to  include  Richard  Jobson, The  Colourfield, The  Fall  and  The  Bodines. However  he  was  still  writing  and  recording  some  material  for  himself   and  unveiled  himself  once  more  as  the  sole  member  of  "The  Lightning  Seeds"  with  this  single.

"Pure" is  not  too  far  removed  from  a  less  ornate  "Flaming  Sword"  with  Simpson's  sub-opearatics  replaced  by  a  rather  thin, reedy  vocal  that   dovetails  with  the  idea  of  keeping  things  "pure  and  simple  every  time".  It  floats  on  a  sea  of  lush  synths  with  the  odd  little  brass  interjection  to  add  a  sense  of  purpose. It  did  seem  anachronistic  at  the   time, the  sound  of  Cherry  Red  circa  1982  suddenly  reappearing  in  the  Top  20 alongside  Stock, Aitken  and  Waterman. The  song  is  an  expression  of  love  for  his  young  son  Riley  and  its  obvious  sincerity  proved  a  winner  even  without  a  particularly  strong  chorus.  The  melodic  bass  solo in  the  middle  sounds  like  it's  been  copped  from  New  Order's  Love  Vigilantes.

642 Hello Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers - Swing The Mood

Chart  entered :  15  July  1989

Chart  peak : 1

Number  of  hits : 11

You  can't  get  a  much  better  indicator  of  the  wretchedness  of  1989  as  a  musical  year than  these  guys  notching  up three  number ones.

The  two  guys  responsible  were  Andy  Pickles   and  Les  Hemstock  , mobile  DJs  from  South  Yorkshire  and  part  of  the  Music  Factory  DJ  Subscription  Service, the  network  responsible  for  spreading  this  virus.

All  else  is  covered  in  the  Popular  thread  here.

641 Hello Norman Cook* - Won't Talk About It / Blame It On The Bassline

( * "Won't  Talk" .. featuring  Billy  Bragg, "Blame  It"....featuring  MC  Wildski )

Chart  entered : 8  July  1989

Chart  peak : 29  ( a re-recording  of  "Won't  Talk  About  It"  featuring  Lindy  Layton  on  vocals  and  released  under  the  "Beats  International "  moniker  got  to  9  in  1990 )

Number  of  hits :  ( deep  breath ) 43  ( 2  under  his  own  name, 8  as  part  of  The  Housemartins, 5  as  Beats  International, 4  as  part  of  Freak  Power, 4  as  Pizzaman, 3  as  The  Mighty  Dub  Katz , 17  as  Fatboy  Slim )

Norman  wouldn't  thank  me  for  the  comparison  but  only  Jonathan  King  has  charted  under  more  guises  than  Brighton's  finest.

Norman's  real  name  is  Quentin. He  was  born  in  1963  and  played  in  Brighton  pub  bands  as  both  drummer  and  vocalist  while  also  DJ-ing  at  clubs  in  the  resort. He  met  Paul  Heaton  in  Reigate  and  they  briefly  formed  a  band, the  Stomping  Moonfrogs.. When  The  Housemartins'  original  bassist  quit  in  1985  , Paul  invited  Norman  to  join  despite  him  having  no  real  experience  of  the  instrument. Norman  stayed  and  played  on  all  their  hits. When  the  band  split  in  1988  Norman  returned  to  Brighton  to  pursue  his  interest  in  dance  music.

This  was  Norman's  first  single  since  the  split. the  two  sides  featured  a  different  collaborator so  it  was  diplomatic  to  make  it  a  double  A-side  although  Billy  Bragg  was the  bigger  name. "Won't  Talk  About  It"  was  originally  an  outtake  from  his  1984  album  Brewing  Up  With  Billy  Bragg. , a  reassurance  song  that  a  girl's  past  doesn't  matter. In  its  original  form  the  verses  are  mostly  spoken  word  and  at  five  minutes  it  drags. For  this  single  Billy  ditched  all  but  the  title  hook  and  doleful  two  note  guitar  riff  writing  simpler  new  verses  which  he  decided  to  sing  in  a  falsetto  croon  rather  than  his  usual  gruff  bark. The  result  wasn't  going  to  give  Jimmy  Somerville  any  sleepless  nights  but  its  serviceable   and  doubtless  still  catches  people  out  at  pop  quizzes. Norman's  contribution  is  a  hip  hop  beat  and  synth  bass  line  and  for  a  couple  of   minutes  it  works  very  well  until  he  decides  to  throw  the  kitchen  sink  in  with  hip  hop  interjections, house  piano, a  Santana-esque  guitar  solo  and  Peter  Hook  style  melodic  bass  runs  and  the  song  drowns  in  sonic  clutter. Sometimes  less  is  more.

"Blame  It  On  The  Bassline"  is  a  sample- heavy  hip  hop  track  based  around  The  Jacksons'  Blame  It  On  The  Boogie  although  the  titular  sample  is  actually  spoken  by  John  Peel  and   Funkadelic's  Get  Off  Your  Ass  and  Jam  is  also  prominently  pilfered. Norman's  mate  Wildski  contributes  a  very  English-sounding  rap  justifying  the  thievery. As  a  statement  of  intent  to  leave  indie  rock  behind,  it does  the  job  well  enough  but  I'm  in  no  hurry  to  hear  it  again.

640 Hello Gun - Better Days

Chart  entered : 1  July  1989

Chart  peak : 33

Number  of  hits : 14 *

It  feels  like  we're  close  to  the  nineties  now  with  a  band  who  qualify  for  this  blog  with  some  to  spare  but  only  really  crossed  over  with  a  cover  version.

Gun  had  their  roots  in  a  band  called  Blind  Allez  formed  in  Glasgow in  1983  by  guitarist  Giuliano  Gizzi,  vocalist  Peter  Scallan  and  bassist  Cami  Morlotti, soon  joined  by  Alan  Thornton  on  drums. According  to  wikipedia  they  released  a  single  "Can't  Get  Any  Lower"  in  1984  but  I  can't  find  any  trace  of  it. Scallan  left  in  1985  and  was  replaced  by  Mark  Rankin , cousin  of  Texas  singer  Sharleen  Spiteri. They  changed  their  name  to  Phobia  and  picked  up  another  guitarist  David  Aitken. In  1987  they  were  signed  by  A & M  and  changed  their  name  to  Gun. Before  they  started  recording  their  debut  album  Morlotti, Thornton and  Aitken  quit  the  band  and  were  replaced  by  Dante  Gizzi, Scott  Shields  and  Stephen "Baby  Stafford  respectively.

"Better  Days"  was  their  debut  single. It  was  something  of  a  sleeper  ,taking  6  weeks  to  reach  its peak  position  though  this  may  have  been  partly  down  to  A & M's  decision  to  release  the  album  while  the  single  was  still  climbing. Written  by  Mark  and  Giuliano  the  song  is  an  unspecific  call  to  stand  up  and  be  counted. Mark  sounds  a  bit  like  Def  Leppard's  Joe  Elliott  and  the  band's  unpretentious  hard  rock  sound  is  somewhere  between  the  Lepps  and  Guns'n'Roses  although  the  drumming  is  a  bit  pedestrian. The  chorus  is  reasonably  tuneful   without  really  cutting  through.

* Official  Charts  Company  seem  to  think  that  the  one hit  wonders  from  1968  with  "Race  With  The  Devil" are  the  same  band. These  guys  had  barely  started  school  when  that  was  a hit.