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THE
BEATLES
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THE
CHRISTIANS (1985-PRESENT)
The
Christian brothers Roger, Victor, Garry, Russell, and Mark Christian
started in the late 70's as an a cappella group called 'Equal Temperament'.
By
the end of 1985 they had renamed themselves 'The Christians.' In
1986 they signed to Island records and immediately began work on
their first album with producer Laurie Latham. Their partnership
with Latham proved highly successful and they released their debut
single, "Forgotten Town" in Jan 1987 to critical acclaim.
The release of two more singles ensured that the album went triple
platinum with U.K. sales alone exceeding 1,000,000 and on the back
of its success the Christians began to tour Europe. By 1988 they
had established themselves as a major new British soul act.
Victor
taught Music at Quarry Bank (John Lennon's old school) and Mark
Christian went on to University to become a professor of Sociology
and Black Studies. He now teaches and lives in the USA.
SPACE
(1993-PRESENT)
Space's
first single, Neighbourhood, was released in 1995. However, it wasn't
until the release of the Sinatra-esque single 'Female of the Species'
a year later that they were to have their first major hit. The single
captured the quirky, alternative indie sound that the band had been
developing since they formed in 1993. Initially Tommy Scott(vocals/bass),
Jamie Murphy(guitar) and Andy Kowalski(drums) had aimed for a Who
inspired sound, but as Space became more and more influenced by
the other Liverpool bands of their time, such as the Boo Radleys,
they developed a unique style of pop that made them stand out from
the early 90's 'alternative' indie scene they were recieving rave
reviews for their first album 'Spiders' which was released in 1996
hitting the charts at number 1.
CAST
(1993-PRESENT)
After
leaving the The La's in 1993 John Power was armed with a bagful
of songs and set about forming Cast.
Their
early sound was very similar to that of John's former band, the
La's - retro-rock inspired by early 60's Britsh invasion groups
like the Beatles. After a relentless number of U.K tours Cast were
eventually spotted by Polydor Records whilst supporting Oasis at
one of their very first shows and began work on their first album,
'All Change' with the producer, John Leckie( Pink Floyd, The Stone
Roses, XTC). It was Power's songwriting gift for simple, classic
pop hooks that had made Polydor notice them and in June 1995 they
released their first single, the catchy 'Finetime'. It entered the
charts at number 18 and marked the beginning of a string of top
20 hits, including 'Alright' and 'Walkaway' which took the album
to double platinum status.
THE
LA'S (1984-1993)
The
La's (the scouse expression 'la' is short for lad) were originally
started way back in 1984 by a singer and guitarist named Mike Badger.
Lee Mavers, who was eventually to become the bands provincial figure,
soon joined. A drummer, Tony Russell and a bassist were recruited
and the four of them began gigging around Liverpool as The La's.
They released their first single 'Way Out' in October 1987 which
set the scene for the La's sound.
In
October '88 the La's released the classic single 'There She Goes'
which is certainly their most successful song. They re-released
a remixed version of the single in 1990 to much greater acclaim.
It entered the U.K top 20 and reached No. 49 in the U.S. The La's
then spent three years finishing their first and only album which
is believed to have taken so long to record due to Mavers' intense
perfectionism.
FRANKIE
GOES TO HOLLYWOOD (1980-1987)
In
1984 a tabloid paper described Frankie Goes To Hollywood as having
'the wit of The Beatles, the decadence of The Rolling Stones and
the wildness of the Sex Pistols' which is probably one of the best
descriptions of the band to date.
The
five piece band featured ex-Big in Japan vocalist Holly Johnson,
and took their name from a magazine headline about the acting career
of Frank Sinatra.They were formed in Liverpool in 1980 and signed
to the record label ZTT two years later after being noticed on the
channel 4 music show 'The Tube'. They released their first single,
'Relax' the following year.The single was a driving dance number
with sexually explicit lyrics and a video featuring homoerotic material.
It instantly provoked controversy gaining the band publicity which
shot them on their way to superstardom. 'Relax' hit Number 1 in
the U.K in January 1984 where it remained for 5 weeks selling over
a million copies.
GERRY
AND THE PACEMAKERS (1962-66)
Gerry
and the Pacemakers are credited with being one of the first bands,
along with The Beatles, to define Merseybeat. They produced music
that was lightweight, catchy and driven by both rhythm guitar and
their singer's (Gerry Marsden's) chipper vocals. Originally a skiffle
band called 'The Mars Bars' they were formed in the late 1950's
by Gerry Marsden. However, by the time they were signed by manager
George Martin in 1962, becoming his second group after The Beatles,
they had changed their name to Gerry and the Pacemakers.
During
their early years they toured the same Liverpool/Hamburg circuit
as The Beatles and even matched them in terms of local popularity.
The Pacemakers burst onto the Merseybeat scene with the release
of their first single in 1963 and then went on to make history by
becoming the first act to have number 1 hits with their first three
singles: 'How Do You Do It', 'I Like It' and 'You'll Never Walk
Alone'. They also got to star in their own film, 'Ferry accross
the Mersey'.
THE
LIGHTNING SEEDS (1989-PRESENT)
The
Lightning Seeds were masterminded by the scouse guitarist and producer
Ian Broudie in 1989. Before creating the Lightining Seeds he had
been a member of several bands including the semi-legendary late
'70's punk outfit Big in Japan, who's line up also included Frankie
Goes To Hollywood's Holly Johnson. Despite the fact that the first
single released off the album,'Lucky You' flopped, not even reaching
the top 40, The Seeds didn't lose faith and released a second single,
'Change'. The single has become a live favourite and gave the seeds
a top 20 hit, going straight in at number 13. Due to good and quirky
promotion aswell as the release of two more singles, 'Perfect' and
'Marvellous' and the re-release of 'Lucky You' the Album quickly
sold over 600,000 copies.
Broudie's
next major hit was the famous Euro '96 Anthem 'Three Lions' which
he co-wrote with David Baddiel and Frank Skinner. It became a number
1 hit and turned into the nations new national anthem.
ECHO
AND THE BUNNYMEN (1978-PRESENT)
Echo
And The Bunnymen emerged from the late '70's new wave (post punk)
scene which centred around the Liverpool club Eric's. Inspired by
acts like David Bowie, The Velvet Underground and The Doors their
sound is one of neo-psychedelic, gloomy rock which has gained them
a worldwide cult favourite status. Releasing nine studio albums
over the last two decades-plus, they have become one of rock's most
fiercely uncompromisng and uniquely talented bands. The songwriting
team of Ian 'Mac' McCulloch (the bands lead singer) and Will Sergeant
has proven itself to be in the same league as the Jagger/Richards,
Lennon/McCartney and Reed/Cale.
The
group began when singer Ian McCulloch met guitarist Will Sergeant
in 1978 and began recording as a act called Echo!. Les Pattinson
joined them on bass shortly after and the trio became known as Echo
and the Bunnymen. They released their debut single, 'Pictures On
My Wall' on Zoo Records in 1979 which earned then a record deal
with Sire.
However,
McCulloch decided to start a solo career and left the band in 1988.
THE
FARM (1983-1994)
Lasting
for just over a decade, Liverpool's The Farm briefly found success
during the height of the 'Madchester' movement that dominated British
pop music during the late '80's and early '90's. The Farm were very
poltically orientated, carrying a strong socialist message and were
dubbed the 'Soul of Socialism'.
The
Farm failed to attract any mainstream attention. However, their
fortunes changed in 1990 when they were approached by the dance
producer Terry Farley who's previous work includes collaborations
with The Happy Mondays and The Soup Dragons. They released a cover
of the Monkees hit 'Stepping Stone' shortly after wards which fell
just short of the U.K. top 40. The single catapulted The Farm onto
the same baggy-pants, indie-dance club culture, Manchester scene
as the likes of The Happy Mondays, The Soup Dragons and The Stone
Roses and their next two singles 'Groovy Train' and 'All Together
Now' became U.K. top ten hits. 'Groovy Train' reached the top ten
and 'All Together Now' reached the top five, selling over 500,000
copies.
The
Farm then finally issued their debut album, 'Spartacus' in 1991.
THE
BOO RADLEYS (1989-1998)
During
the early '90's The Boo Radleys developed a dedicated cult following
with a loud, psychedelic, trance pop sound. Martin Carr and Sice
(originally Simon) Rowbottom, the bands founders, had been childhood
friends since the age of twelve and had always wanted to form a
band. They took the name from a character in 'To Kill A Mocking
Bird' by Harper Lee simply because they liked the sound of it.
Their
album, 'Giant Leaps' was a huge step forward. The album recieved
many favouble reviews, such as Melody Makers 'Album Of The Year'
award and the band began to build up a fan base in the U.K.
Their
next album, 'Wake Up' was the bands commercial breakthrough, reaching
number 1 in the U.K. charts. The album contains the single, 'Wake
Up Boo' which is their most successful single to date. The three
minute, catchy, horn-driven single entered the top ten in the spring
of 1995 and stayed there until the summer.
They
released another album, 'Kingsize' in 1998. However, despite the
album again recieving many excellent reviews from the likes of N.M.E
and Q, The Boo Radleys had dropped out of the mainstream and the
album only managed to reach number 45 in the U.K. They officially
split up a few months later.
THE
ICICLE WORKS
Ian
McNabb started his musical career with a Cabaret band called "Young
World" working men's clubs, weddings and other such events.
Chris Sharrock joined the band at the age of nine. They found a
third band member in Chris Layhe who had previously been playing
with the band "Eleanor" and taking their name from a science
fiction novel, formed "The Icicle Works" in 1980.
Hailing
from the same city the Beatles had emerged from some 20 years before,
they issued their debut single Ascending the following year. They
followed with Nirvana and Birds Fly (Whisper To A Scream) which
secured them a contract with Beggars Banquet. Love Is A Wonderful
Colour was their first U.K. hit peaking at number 15.
In
1984 they released their first album, a self titled effort that
hit top 30 on both sides of the Atlantic. This was accomplished
primarily on the strength of the song that was renamed in the U.S.
Whisper To A Scream (Birds Fly).
Chris Sharrock went on to drum for The Lightning Seeds while Layhe
retired from the band scene.
in
1989 Ian McNabb and Roy Corkhill formed a new Icicle Works band
with Dave Baldwin, Mark Revell, and Paul Burgess. The so-called
"Second Generation" group moved from Beggars Banquet to
Epic in 1990 with the dark and foreboding Permanent Damage. This
was to be the final album for The Icicle Works although 1992 saw
the release of BBC Live In Concert and The Best Of The Icicle Works
was issued in 1994.
This
is by no means an exhaustive list - just a guide to a few interesting
an inspiring bands. If you would like to see others included here,
drop us an email to liverpool@bbc.co.uk
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