From Electric Blue To Code Blue...And Beyond

In June 1987 Icehouse released the first single from their forthcoming album. ‘Crazy’ was about as far into commercial pop-rock territory as Icehouse had ventured thus far, and soon found the band venturing once more into the Australian top 10 singles chart (for the first time in almost five years), peaking at #4. ‘Crazy’ finally broke Icehouse on the U.S. Hot 100 charts (#14) and also reached a respectable #38 in Britain a few months later.

The follow up single ‘Electric Blue’ was released in August 1987 and immediately made an impact on the Australian charts. By November it had reached the coveted #1 position, becoming the only chart topper of Icehouse’s long career. ‘Electric Blue’ also went on to electrify the U.S. Hot 100 (#7), but only had enough charge in Britain to reach #53 in early 1988. The track was another catchy pop-rock number, co-written by Davies and John Oates (Oates had already visited the U.S. Top 10 an impressive fifteen times as part of the hugely popular pop-soul duo Hall & Oates, including six number ones). John Oates joined Icehouse on stage at an October ‘87 Madison Square Gardens show to perform ‘Electric Blue’ with the band. Shortly after ‘Electric Blue’ hit the Australian charts, Icehouse unveiled their landmark album ‘Man Of Colours’. It would represent the high watermark, both commercially and critically, for Davies and the band. It debuted on the Australian charts during September ‘87 and by October had reached the #1 spot. ‘Man Of Colours’ spent a mammoth eleven weeks at the summit, eventually selling a staggering 540,000+ in Australia alone. Only the second coming of John Farnham proved more popular on the Australian music scene than Icehouse during 1987/88. ‘Man Of Colours’ was Davies’ tour de force and showcased a songwriter and musician in total command of his craft. The album earned ‘Best Album’ and ‘Highest Selling Album’ gongs at the 1987 A.R.I.A.’s, and remains won of the all time biggest selling albums in Australia by an Australian artist. It reached #43 in the U.S. (mainly on the back of the hits ‘Crazy’ and ‘Electric Blue’) but didn’t paint quite the same picture of success in Britain (#93).

‘Man Of Colours’ yielded three other top thirty hits in Australia during the first half of 1988, with my favourite track ‘My Obsession’ (#12/US#88), the majestic ballad ‘Man Of Colours’ (#28) and the high energy ‘Nothing Too Serious’ (#29), achieving the honour of being the first Australian album to yield five top thirty singles on the local charts. By comparison 1989 was a relatively quiet year for Iva and the boys. A double album compilation titled ‘Great Southern Land’ was released late in the year (OZ#2), featuring two newly recorded tracks, which were both released as singles. ‘Touch The Fire’ was another strong pop-rock number (OZ#15/US#84) in late ‘89, and it was followed by ‘Jimmy Dean’ (OZ#41) in early 1990. During this period long time guitarist Robert Kretschmer left the band.

After reaching the apex of commercial and critical achievement in Australia with ‘Man Of Colours’, anything that Iva Davies and Icehouse released subsequently was a fair bet to suffer by comparison. Before work commenced on the band’s next album, keyboardist Andy Qunta left the fold, leaving Davies to be supported in the studio by Simon Lloyd, Paul Wheeler and Stephen Morgan, whilst Paul Gidea (guitar) and Roger Mason (keyboards) were later added for touring duties. The advance single was the slightly top heavy ‘Big Fun’ (#51) in August 1990, quickly followed by the more radio friendly ‘Miss Divine’ (OZ#17). The eagerly awaited album ‘Code Blue’ was revealed to the world in October 1990. It reflected a songwriter and performer, in Davies, who wasn’t afraid to push the stylistic envelope. But as good as ‘Code Blue’ was, and as a stand alone album it’s very, very good, it was never going to satisfy an appetite conditioned by the five star experience offered by its predecessor. Though ‘Code Blue’ reached #5 on the Australian charts, and sold in excess of 70,000, it was considered pale by comparison to the vibrancy of ‘Man Of Colours’. The third single ‘Anything Is Possible’ (#46) proved to contradict its title in early 1991, whilst my personal choice of best album track ‘River Meets The Sea’ sailed past the ‘port of chart’ shortly after. Davies apparently considered ‘Code Blue’ as the album he’d most like Icehouse to be remembered for. The title ‘Code Blue’ originates from something that Iva Davies came across whilst researching material for the song ‘Charlie’s Sky’ - it was used as a verbal code by pilots in the Royal Australian Air Force.

Iva Davies kept a low profile over the next couple of years, and the next official Icehouse material to be released was the compilation ‘Masterfile’ (OZ#25) on CD and video (of which I bought both at the time) in late 1992. ‘Masterfile’ covered the Flowers/Icehouse hits/singles from ‘Icehouse’ to ‘Measure For Measure’, with one new track included. A reworked version of the 1981 Icehouse hit ‘Love In Motion’ with Divinyls siren Chrissie Amphlett. The tempo was slowed right down with Davies’ original and Amphlett’s newly recorded vocals trading shots throughout. Apparently Iva Davies had no direct involvement with that recording, which was produced by Bill Laswell. I recall initially not really liking the reworked version , but over time I’ve come to actually prefer it to the original, though the 1992 release didn’t even crack the top 75.

By November 1993, it had seemed like an eternity since the last Icehouse album, and it had in fact been three years since ‘Code Blue’. With the album ‘Big Wheel’ Davies kick started Icehouse back into motion again. Accompanying him this time were Lloyd, Wheeler and guitarist David Chapman. Despite ‘Big Wheel’ being every bit as deserving of its place in the Icehouse discography, the album stiffed big time in commercial terms (not even cracking the top 40), with none of the three singles lifted - ‘Satellite’, ‘Spin One’, or ‘Big Wheel’ - troubling chart statisticians. It must have been a bitter pill for Iva Davies to swallow, having produced such a quality collection of songs, only to find the fickle record buying public had moved on to grunge and hip hop in place of finely crafted pop-rock. The ‘Big Wheel’ CD also reflected Iva Davies ongoing love affair with cutting edge computer technology, this time in the form of a limited edition run of the album featuring one of the first deal interactive computer disk/CD packages released in Australia. If you happened to own an Apple computer and loved Icehouse, you could access lyrics, album credits, animated graphics, artwork , a written history of Icehouse, complete discography and even the storyboard graphics for the ‘Satellite’ promo clip. All of that mightn’t sound special by today’s standards, but circa 1993 it was pretty special - sadly I didn’t own an Apple computer though, so have never seen first hand what was on offer.

During 1995 Iva Davies undertook another project with the Sydney Dance Company, this time recording an album of cover songs as the score for the ballet production of ‘Berlin’. The album release was simply titled ‘The Berlin Tapes’ - repackaged in 2004 as ‘Heroes’ to coincide with the Athens Olympic Games - and though under the Icehouse banner (well Iva Davies and Icehouse), it was essentially a solo project for Davies (collaborating with pianist Max Lambert). Almost twenty years into the Icehouse journey, Iva Davies returned to some of his formative influences for the choice of material, including David Bowie, Lou Reed and Roxy Music, supplemented by the work of several of Icehouse’s ‘new wave’ peers including Psychedelic Furs, The Cure, Killing Joke (Guy Pratt’s old band), XTC and Simple Minds. I have to confess I don’t own a copy of ‘The Berlin Tapes’ - that’s a definite oversight I’ll have to remedy one day. During the ballet’s season Iva Davies gathered together his Icehouse cohorts to perform the score at each show. In 1997 the double album ‘Full Circle’ contained remixes of some of Icehouse’s earlier hits. The album had been completed back in 1993 but shelved at the time, aside from a low key EP release titled ‘Spin One’, featuring the track ‘Shakin’ The Cage’.

As mentioned in my first Icehouse post, Iva Davies revisited the band’s anthemic 1982 hit ‘Great Southern Land’ during 1999 with Richard Tognetti and Christopher Gordon. The original five minute track was expanded into a forty minute mini-pop opera titled ‘The Ghost Of Time’ (a line from the original lyrics). It was released on CD, then on New Year’s Eve 1999 Davies performed ‘The Ghost Of Time’ live on the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House. The performance, which also featured former Icehouse bassist Guy Pratt and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, was broadcast live across Australia. During 2001 Iva Davies began work on a planned Icehouse album, with the working title ‘Bi-Polar Poems’. When the official Iva Davies-Icehouse website was launched in 2004 several tracks were made available for download, including ‘Chemicals’ and ‘Your God Not Mine’, but at time of writing the album is still a work in progress. In the intervening years Davies worked on digitally remastering the Icehouse back catalogue for re-release on Warner Music Australia, and composed/performed the soundtrack music for the 2005 motion picture ‘The Incredible Journey Of Mary Bryant’. During 2008 Iva Davies lent his expertise as a judge on the TV talent show ‘Battle Of The Choirs’. On the show’s finale Davies led Icehouse in a rare appearance, performing ‘Great Southern Land’.

Icehouse were officially attributed icon status on the Australian music scene when they were inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall Of Fame in 2006. My own humble view is that next to Neil Finn, Iva Davies is the finest popular music composer that Australasia has produced, and the music that he channelled through Icehouse, in terms of its consistent quality, truly stands at the limit of endless ocean.

If, like me, you love the work of Iva Davies and Icehouse, I can highly recommend the website Spellbound’s Icehouse (from the same people behind the Icehouse fanzine ‘Spellbound’) - it has some great features and provides a much more comprehensive (and undoubtedly more accurate) take on all aspects in the careers of both Iva Davies and Icehouse. You’ll find it here: http://www.spellbound-icehouse.org/index.html

A Sidewalk Leads Cross The Border

Having already collaborated with director Russell Mulcahy on several Icehouse music videos, Iva Davies was invited by the director to compose the soundtrack music for his latest motion picture ‘Razorback’, which premiered in April ‘84. During this project Davies employed a valuable technical ally in the studio with his pioneering use of the Fairlight CMI (Computer Musical Instrument), which he would use more extensively on his band’s next venture. Over the same period the prolific Davies found time to pen and record the tracks for the new Icehouse album ‘Sidewalk’. The lead out single ‘Taking The Town’ was released in April ‘84 and soon after debuted on the Australian charts, eventually peaking at #29. The promo video (this time directed by Stephen Hopkins) was an elaborate production, featuring lots of wild stunt work on motorbikes and high wires (a bit like the Duran Duran ‘Wild Boys’ video meets ‘Mad Max’). In June ‘Sidewalk’ (produced solely by Davies) was released, and though not shifting the same number of units as its predecessors, still managed to stroll to #8 in Australia.

The follow up single was the evocatively brooding ballad ‘Don’t Believe Anymore’. I can recall listening to this lavishly produced song over and over in the dark, absorbing every tiny detail, submitting myself completely to its spell. Part of the appeal lay in the sublime saxophone over the intro and at key points throughout. The saxophone was played by one Joe Camilleri, who must have a had a free five minutes in between disbanding Jo Jo Zep and forming the Black Sorrows. I remember seeing Icehouse perform the song on Countdown, with Camilleri, and just being mesmerized by the whole thing. ‘Don’t Believe Anymore’ reached a middle of the road #31 on the Australian charts, but deserved so much better. The Whitlams recorded a cover of ‘Don’t Believe Anymore’ for their 2002 album ‘Torch The Moon’. Tim Freedman’s vocals gave the song a different feel but overall it was a creditable version which flirted with the lower reaches of the top forty. The third single from ‘Sidewalk’ was ‘Dusty Pages’ (OZ#82), released in late ’84, another brilliantly constructed song, from the opening crisp strum of Davies acoustic guitar (re-recorded for the more acoustically based single version of the song). The version of the promo vid I have (from the ‘Masterfile’ video) features Davies laid out in a coffin with rose petals slowly being dropped across his face until it’s fully covered by the end of the song. There was another version of the video, with the different tempo album cut, kicking around as well. In the latter part of 1984 Icehouse hit the road, touring Scandinavia and Japan, and in October performed on the ‘Behind The Iron Curtain’ show, broadcast to 80 million throughout Europe.

During 1985 the acclaimed Sydney Dance Company commissioned Iva Davies to compose the soundtrack for their ballet production ‘Boxes’. Davies duly obliged and recorded the soundtrack with the assistance of Icehouse guitarist Robert Kretschmer. Davies and Kretschmer both helped perform the music at the ballet’s premiere in November 1985 at the Sydney Opera House. The accompanying soundtrack album has apparently become quite the collector’s item.

Davies then refocussed on Icehouse for the band’s next album project, though some of the album’s inspiration (and material) crossed over from the ‘Boxes’ project. Davies also took a back seat on the production side of things on ‘Measure For Measure’ (co-produced by Rhett Davies - no relation - and David Lord-Alge), and guitarist Robert Kretschmer stepped forward to co-write most of the album’s songs with Davies. The advance single ‘No Promises’ had featured in the ‘Boxes’ project and was remixed for the new ‘Measure For Measure’ set. The atmospheric ‘No Promises’ debuted on the Australian charts in November ‘85 and reached a respectable #30. It became the first Icehouse/Flowers single to also chart in both the U.S. (#79) and U.K. (#72), and a remixed 12” version of the track reached the top 10 on the U.S. Dance/Club charts (that’s one version I’m glad I haven’t heard). ‘Measure For Measure’ debuted on the charts in April ‘86 and made a measured trek all the way to #8 by mid year (US#55). The second single ‘Baby, You’re So Strange’ (OZ#14) was released to coincide with this, the more guitar driven rock song also featured Davies delivering an unusually hard edged vocal performance. The promo vid is one of my favourite of this Icehouse age, and Davies had some fun playing around with his image (alternating between short haired straight laced look and a long maned rock star image). ‘Measure For Measure’ also yielded the hit singles ‘Mr. Big’ (OZ#18) and ‘Cross The Border’ (OZ#65), ensuring Icehouse maintained a presence on the airwaves and on the charts throughout 1986. The promo video for ‘Mr. Big’ featured an appearance from singer Carol Hitchcock (who had a hit with ‘Get Ready’ the following year, which coincidentally also reached #18 in Australia).

During this period, in the studio guitarist Robert Kretschmer was Davies’ right hand man, whilst bassist Guy Pratt and keyboardist Andy Qunta had stayed on since ‘Sidewalk’. The band roster for the ‘Measure For Measure’ sessions also featured Simon Lloyd (sax/ keyboards) and Steve Jensen (drums), whilst former Roxy Music member and Bowie collaborator Brian Eno guested on several tracks (keyboards and backing vocals). Joining Icehouse on the road were bassist Vito Portolesi (later replaced by Glen Krawezyk, later replaced again by Stephen Morgan) and drummer Paul Wheeler. During this period the band undertook extensive tours taking in Japan and the U.S.. On August 14th 1986 Icehouse performed at New York City’s Ritz Hotel, from which the video ‘Icehouse: Live at the Ritz’ was produced.

Despite the still consistent album sales and string of charting singles, there had been nothing earth shattering in commercial terms from Iva and the lads for sometime. All of that would change with the release of Icehouse’s next album in 1987.

Flowers Blossom Into Icehouse

Without doubt one of my all time favourite artists are the mercurial Australian pop-rock band Icehouse, led by the musical genius Iva Davies. From their very earliest incarnation as Flowers, through to the era during which the name Icehouse was ostensibly just a vehicle for the creative articulation of Davies, this brilliant pop-rock entity helped to shape the Australian music-scape for well over a decade. I was fortunate that same decade or more coincided with my own formative years, and from my very early teens through mid twenties, not a year went by without at least one Davies conceived gem providing a magical musical haven to retreat to, overtime cultivating a collective sensory oasis to be enveloped by. Only a handful of artists have done likewise for me thus far, among them the Beatles, Genesis, E.L.O., Stevie Wonder, the career work of Neil Finn, Brian Setzer and more recently Ben Folds. But the career and works of Iva Davies are perhaps less well known to some, so it’s time to use this little backwater of cyberspace to explore the world of Icehouse and pay due homage to the brilliance therein.

Iva Davies (born Ivor Davies in 1955) began his love affair with music as a teenager. He studied the oboe, of all things, at the New South Wales Conservatorium of Music, going on to play in The ABC National Training Orchestra. Davies taught himself the guitar as a teenager and quickly became swept up by a passion for popular music, leading him to record and submit several demos to record labels in the mid 70s. RCA signed Davies to a record deal before his 20th birthday, and the one time oboe player released his debut single ‘Leading Lady’ in July 1975. The single was incorrectly credited to ‘Iva’ Davies at the time (I guess the name stuck), and in keeping with the current wave at the time, it was a glam rock style song. In fact Davies was quoted during this period as citing some of his major influences as Led Zeppelin, Marc Bolan, Elton John, George Harrison and David Bowie. The follow up single was another glam rock effort titled ‘Back To California’, this time credited to Iva Davies and Afghan. Neither single sold enough to chart, or even pay the bills, so Davies made a living during this period writing transcripts for music publishing companies, as well as working as a cleaner at a squash court. It’s as well Davies kept the candle burning on his dreams to become a fulltime musician, otherwise a prodigious talent may have gone to waste.

When the punk-new wave movement swept into Australia during 76/77, Davies saw an opportunity to reinvent his sound and image. He bought himself a Les Paul electric guitar and a black leather jacket, and via a chance meeting with bassist Keith Welsh (through Davies’ job as a cleaner) found himself fronting a hard edged Sydney based glamour-punk band calling themselves Flowers (they jokingly dubbed themselves this as a comic counterpoint to their rough and tough visual image). They started out playing well oiled cover versions of rock standards by T-Rex, Lou Reed and David Bowie, being referred to at times as a virtual ‘punk jukebox’. The first Flowers’ line-up comprised Davies (vocals/guitar), Adam Hall (keyboards), Welsh (bass) and Don Brown (drums). During 1979 John Lloyd (ex-Paul Kelly and the Dots) took over from Brown on drums, and Michael Hoste replaced Hall on keyboards. The quartet were soon touring the country in support of established acts like The Angels and Cold Chisel, and found themselves opening for the likes of British punk-pop/new wave acts XTC and Magazine.

It was during that period Iva Davies began introducing original material into the Flowers’ live shows, most of which he penned. In January 1980 Flowers were signed to the Regular label and began work on their debut album. About half way through the sessions Anthony Smith assumed keyboard duties in place of Michael Hoste. Smith was actually the original keyboardist under the pseudonym Adam Hall, but went under his own name during this stint. In May 1980 Flowers issued their debut single ‘Can’t Help Myself’. The darker toned guitar-synth pop fusion was a great match for the lyrics which dealt with the unsettling internal mindset of an obsessive character who “can’t put the brakes on”. The song didn’t apply its brakes until it had reached #10 on the Australian charts mid year. It promised much for Flowers, who would soon go on to deliver on that promise, and more. The follow up single ‘We Can Get Together’ was released a couple of months later and debuted on the Australian charts in early October 1980. It was another first rate synth/guitar driven pop-rock track, very atmospheric again - a trait that Davies would regularly employ to great effect. I loved John Lloyd’s drum track on this one, and Davies’ vocal style was really coming into its own. ‘We Can Get Together’ peaked at #16 on the Australian charts late in 1980.

Around the same time that ‘We Can Get Together’ was climbing the charts, Flowers released their debut album ‘Icehouse’ (co-produced by Davies and Cameron Allan). The title refers to an Australian slang term for an insane asylum. The dark and brooding title track certainly reflected the meaning behind its name (and had in part been inspired by an old mansion used for a related purpose that Davies lived a short distance from). The third single ‘Walls’ was released in early 1981 and is my favourite track from the album, well second to favourite. ‘Walls’ also performed well on the charts (#20), helping to further propel the album ‘Icehouse’ up the Australian charts where it reached a peak position of #4 (US#82), going on to sell over 100,000 copies. Flowers were firmly planted alongside INXS as the next big thing on the Australian music scene. In March ‘81 they received the Countdown Award for ‘Best New Talent’ of 1980. The album also yielded the single ‘Sister’, which is my favourite track, though I’m not certain as to the release date (couldn‘t find it on any discographies) - I do recall it being released as a single because Flowers appeared on Countdown performing it (I know I’ve got an old video copy of that show I taped from when it was repeated on ABC’s Rage - but I haven’t got a lot of my old Countdown’s catalogued so haven’t found it yet to get a date).

Following their enormous success at home Flowers were signed up to an international distribution deal with Chrysalis. Due to legal restrictions they were forced to dispense with the name Flowers for their international releases (there was apparently another band by that name in Scotland). I guess they figured since their album was titled ‘Icehouse’ that would be a good choice to go with, and they may as well change their name at home to avoid confusion later on. And so during 1981 Flowers bloomed into Icehouse - actually the last time the band performed under the Flowers’ moniker was at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney during June ’81 (with the new Icehouse name announced to the audience at the end of the show). The single ‘We Can Get Together’ was released in both the U.K. and U.S., and did in fact reach #62 in the U.S., but Icehouse would have to wait a few years to break through in a big way Stateside. The band set off on an extensive European and North American tour during July ‘81 (including opening for Simple Minds), during which time the first fractures started to appear in the newly evolved house of ice. During the initial stages of recording their follow up album, a major split occurred in Icehouse, out of which bassist Keith Welsh and keyboardist Anthony Smith would depart for good (Welsh went on to manage both Do Re Mi and Boom Crash Opera - see future posts). Out of those early album sessions (recorded in London) was salvaged the single ‘Love In Motion’, a brooding slower tempo track that signalled a bit of a departure from earlier work. ‘Love In Motion’ hit the Australian charts in October ‘81 and managed to move as high as #10.

The departure of his band mates didn’t hinder Davies’ work on the album ‘Primitive Man’ during the first half of 1982, which though released under the Icehouse banner, was essentially a solo effort by Davies. With complete autonomy (and cutting edge recording technology) at his disposal, Davies set about creating a new scope to the Icehouse sound. The haunting ‘Great Southern Land’ was the lead out single, hitting the Australian charts during August ‘82. It was a stark contrast in style to Men At Work’s ‘Down Under’ which had been released a year or so earlier, but ‘Great Southern Land’ would soon assume the same iconic status on the Australian pop-rock landscape - becoming an unofficial anthem of sorts - and at the time staked a claim at #5 on the charts. ‘Great Southern Land’ would later be used in the hit 1988 film ‘Young Einstein’, and Davies would re-work the song in 1999. Drummer John Lloyd must have still been involved with things at this point, because he makes an appearance in the promo clip alongside a very Gary Numan-esque looking Davies.

The album ‘Primitive Man’ (co-produced by Davies and Keith Forsey) was released around the same time as ‘Great Southern Land’ was scaling the charts, and would soon evolve into a #3 album nationally (US#129), again breaking the 100,000 sales barrier. ‘Hey Little Girl’ proved a very strong follow up single, peaking at #7 in Australia in late ‘82, and it was the first song to break Icehouse in the U.K. (#17), where the new look band performed it on Top Of The Pops, and went on to reach #14 in Sweden, #13 in Holland, #5 in Germany, and #1 in Switzerland - the band’s first chart topper. A repackaged version of the album ‘Primitive Man’ was released shortly after in Britain and Europe as ‘Love In Motion’ (UK#64, Top 10 in Germany, Sweden and Switzerland). The third single lifted was the brilliant ‘Street Café’, which though my personal choice as the greatest Icehouse track of that era, performed relatively poorly on the charts in early ‘83 (OZ#57/UK#62) - maybe so many people had bought the album by that time, it impacted on the single’s sales. The promo clip for ‘Street Café’ was among my favourites from the early/mid 80s - the exotic locales (it was shot by Russell Mulcahy on location in Tunisia) were very reminiscent of the clip for Duran Duran’s ‘Hungry Like A Wolf’ and ‘Living On The Ceiling’ by Blancmange (see earlier post).

By early 1983 Icehouse were on the verge of the international big time, with really only the U.S. yet to succumb in a major way. During the same period Iva Davies had assembled a new Icehouse line-up, featuring class of ‘79 keyboardist Michael Hoste and Flowers’ era drummer John Lloyd. Added to the mix were guitarist Robert Kretschmer (ex-Parachute), bassist Guy Pratt (ex-Killing Joke/future Pink Floyd/Gary Moore), and keyboardist Andy Qunta. During 1983 the new roster released the EP ‘Fresco’, and embarked as the support act on the European leg of David Bowie’s ‘Serious Moonlight’ tour. Like INXS, the sky seemed the limit for Icehouse.

Talking In Your Sleep Is What I Like About You

As far as straight up infectious power pop songs go, the 1980s produced few that could match ‘What I Like About You’ by The Romantics. The Detroit based quartet set the Australian charts alight during 1980 with the song, and would repeat the feat on the U.S. charts several years later, albeit with a different song.

Initially taking inspiration from the U.K. punk-rock movement, four lads from the East Side of Detroit joined forces on Valentine’s Day 1977, with a vision to bring their own brand of guitar driven pop-rock to America. Appropriately enough the original quartet of Wally Palmar (vocals/guitar/harmonica), Mike Skill (lead guitar/vocals), Rich Cole (bass/vocals) and Jimmy Marinos (vocals/drums) named their newly established collective, The Romantics. But The Romantics were not a punk band per se, but rather took the oft time anarchic high energy of that brand, and harnessed it into their own formula of power pop-rock. They drew inspiration from the simplicity of the 60s British Invasion bands - the Kinks, the Yardbirds and the like - and melded it with the raw edged sound of some of their Detroit forefathers such as The Detroit Wheels, MC5 and the Stooges - and arguably owe a debt of inspiration to the Ramones.

Their surging high energy live performances were backed by a sharp image, not unlike the Knack (see future post), in terms of matching attire and relatively short hair - no big hair glam metal manes for these guys. They started writing their own songs, and had soon released their first single independently, comprising the first two songs they had written as a group - ‘Little White Lies’ and ‘I Can’t Tell You Anything’. Released in late 1977 on the group’s own Spider Records label, it didn’t sell many copies but that didn’t matter, it represented the first translation of The Romantics stage fury into a studio environment. Given these guys could play up a storm, it was simply a matter of the production team giving them the cue to let rip, and remembering to hit record.

The Romantics then embarked on conquering the entire U.S. East Coast, and in the process of extending their tour into Canada they came to the attention of Greg Shaw who ran a small time label called Bomb! Records, out of Toronto. Shaw gave them a deal to record an EP, which featured the track ‘Tell It To Carrie’. The EP sold well enough to indicate bigger things were on the horizon for The Romantics, and ‘Tell It To Carrie’ was the most advanced template yet of the band’s searing guitar power-pop formula to come.

Before long The Romantics were being labelled as part of the burgeoning ‘new wave’ movement, which in the U.S. represented a cleaner cut, more commercially palatable derivative of punk. 1979 saw a record contract with Nemperor Records, and again not unlike The Knack, The Romantics recorded their debut album in a quick fire period of three weeks. Producer Peter Solley managed to capture the raw but ultimately tight stage performance of The Romantics on their eponymous debut studio album. The matching fluorescent pink suits worn by the band on the album cover, reflected the sparkling pop-rock music contained within. Their earlier singles ‘Little White Lies’ and ‘Tell It To Carrie’ were included, but the stand out track was the new single ‘What I Like About You’. The rollicking rambunctious pop-rock number somehow managed to miss the mark on the U.S. charts (#49) in early 1980, but when it hit the airwaves in Australia mid year, it skyrocketed The Romantics to #2 nationally, spending 23 weeks on the national chart. Drummer Jimmy Marinos delivered a vocal tour de force on the track, backed by great harmonies, exemplary guitar work and Wally Palmar laying down a wailing harmonica solo. When compared to The Knack’s ‘My Sharona’, of just a year previous, The Romantics’ ‘What I Like About You’ stands firm as one of the finest examples of guitar-driven power-pop of that era. The follow up single ‘When I Look In Your Eyes’ and a polished cover of Ray Davies’ ‘She’s Got Everything’ gave ‘The Romantics’ (OZ#78/US#61) album everything it needed to be considered a first class debut effort.

Before the end of 1980 The Romantics had released their sophomore album ‘National Breakout’ (US#176), also produced by Peter Solley. A hectic touring schedule, which included Australia and Europe, hadn’t impeded the band’s song writing, and with added influences as diverse as surf music and Motown, it was apparent The Romantics weren’t about to rest on the same stylistic formula that had worked so well on their debut. For 1981’s album ‘Strictly Personal’ (US#182), The Romantics experienced their first line-up change with lead guitarist Mike Skill departing, replaced by Coz Canler. They also had a new producer on board with Mike Stone taking over from Peter Solley. Despite continuing to wow live audiences, The Romantics consistent popularity didn’t translate into great album sales or hit singles during this period.

Original lead guitarist Mike Skill then returned to the fold to assume bass duties following the departure of Rich Cole. The song writing collective of Palmar, Skill and Marinos, sometimes credited as ‘Palmarinoskill’, was back in action for The Romantics next album ‘In Heat’, released late in 1983. The album had been recorded in Miami during May and June 1983, the band taking a little more time over things this time around. Producer Peter Solley also came back into the fray, and he oversaw production on arguably The Romantics most commercially geared album to date. The lead out single was the radio friendly ‘Talking In Your Sleep’ which hit the charts almost immediately during October ‘83. The song became by far The Romantics biggest selling single, peaking at #3 on the U.S. Hot 100, and climbing to #14 in Australia in early ‘84. The follow up ‘One In A Million’ racked up sufficient sales to also crack the top 10 U.S. Mainstream Rock Charts (#37 Hot 100), pushing sales of ‘In Heat’ to platinum levels (US#14). The album also featured an interesting version of ‘Shake A Tail Feather’, and the minor rock hit ‘Rock You Up’, which highlighted a more arena-rock sound edge to The Romantics. It was perhaps this shift in style and focus that contributed to divisions within the band, and between band and management. The resultant fallout claimed Jimmy Marinos as a casualty, when the founding drummer left before the end of 1984.

David Petratos was recruited in place of Marinos, and in time for The Romantics next album, 1985’s ‘Rhythm Romance’. The album saw a further shift away from the band’s original simpler, straight edged power-pop toward slickly produced commercial rock. Though it yielded a minor hit in ‘Test Of Time’ (US#71), it was the first album by The Romantics to miss the U.S. charts altogether. The commercial disappointment of ‘Rhythm Romance’ resulted in The Romantics being dropped by Nemperor and their parent label Epic. The next few years proved a trying time for The Romantics, in every aspect of their career. It came to light that the band’s management had been licensing some of The Romantics’ songs for commercial use, without getting the ok from the band themselves. A prolonged and bitter legal wrangle ensued, which effectively tied the hands of The Romantics in terms of releasing any new material and even touring. With the royalty checks in stasis and no prospect of a breakthrough, it seemed by the late 80s that The Romantics were flatlining. Drummer David Petratos left the scene, and the remaining trio invited former Blondie sticks man Clem Burke to come on board during 1990. The new line-up began tentatively retracing the steps of their early career, re-discovering their old fan base and discovering a new one as a live act. With royalties and licensing fees locked up in legal proceedings, it was the band’s only means of income during the early 90s.

With the promise of a light at the end of the litigation tunnel, The Romantics released the five track EP ‘Made In Detroit’ during 1994 on a new label Westbound Records. Later in 1994 the news got better again for The Romantics when they received the gong for ‘Outstanding Pop/Rock Recording Artists’ at Detroit’s prestigious Motor City Music Awards. 1995 saw The Romantics finally regain control of their publishing rights and back catalogue, laying to rest seven years of litigation. Burke left to resume Blondie duties and original drummer Jimmy Marinos returned to the group during 1996/97. 1997 also saw the release of the live album ‘King Biscuit Flower Hour’, which had been recorded when The Romantics were at the peak of their powers in 1983.

Over the last decade The Romantics have maintained a solid touring schedule, up to an including 2008. During 2003 they recorded their first new studio album in over fifteen years. ‘61/49’ was named after the famous crossroads near Clarksdale, Mississippi at which it’s reputed famed bluesman Robert Johnson made his pact with the devil, and the album was intended to be The Romantics salute to the roots of blues and rock ‘n’ roll. In addition to the core trio of Palmar, Skill and Canler, drummer Clem Burke had returned to the fray (in between Blondie duties). Original drummer Jimmy Marinos also guested on a couple of tracks. The Romantics’ current line-up still boasts Palmar, Skill and Canler, but when Burke once more returned to Blondie, he recommended drummer Brad Elvis as his replacement.

Though ‘Talking In Your Sleep’ was by far their biggest U.S. hit, The Romantics remain best known for the power-pop anthem ‘What I Like About You. The song has featured in a U.S. sitcom of the same name, and been utilised in commercials for products such as Budweiser Beer, the Home Box Office (H.B.O.) cable TV network, and I recall the Holden car company in Australia using the tune for several ad campaigns. In early 2008 The Romantics won a law suit against the manufacturers behind the computer game ‘Guitar Hero - Rock Of The 80s’, for that companies use of a version of ‘What I Like About You’ in the game. It was alleged and judged that the game’s version too closely resembled The Romantics original.

Nervous Nights For All You Zombies - The Rise Of The Hooters

For a couple of years during the mid 80s, the Philadelphia based pop-rock band Hooters found themselves flirting with the edges of genuine rock superstardom, only to fade from the spotlight almost as quickly as they had arrived. But though one monster album and a handful of hit singles have been enough to give them a lasting place in the collective memories of most who witnessed and absorbed the 80s era of popular music, there is much more to the Hooters’ tale.

At the core of the Hooters were the songwriting team of Eric Bazilian (vocals/guitar/mandolin) and Rob Hyman (vocals/keyboards/hooter), who had played together previously in an outfit called Baby Grand. Baby Grand had recorded two low key albums on the Arista label but broke up late in 1978. Bazilian and Hyman continued to work together and then formed the Hooters during 1980, recruiting John Lilley (guitar), Bobby Woods (bass) and David Uosikkinen (drums) into the line-up. The band took their name from the nickname of Hyman’s keyboard-harmonica instrument, also known as a ‘melodica’, which would contribute to the Hooters signature sound (I wonder how the ‘Melodicas’ would have worked as a band name). Their rootsy blend of pop and folk-rock, laced with ska and reggae influences, quickly gained them a strong following in their home city of Philadelphia, and before long across the U.S. East Coast. They released a single during 1981 titled ‘Fightin’ On The Same Side’ (featuring the B-side ‘Wireless’ which was a dedication to the memory of Bob Marley), and followed this up with a live single release in early 1982 of an April ‘81 performance of a song called ‘All You Zombies’.

Whilst continuing to establish a strong live following and writing songs for a planned Hooters’ album, Bazilian and Hyman worked with Cyndi Lauper during 1982 on her debut album ‘She’s So Unusual’. They worked as arrangers, musicians and backing vocalists, and also wrote Lauper’s future #1 hit ‘Time After Time’. The multi-platinum #1 album was produced by Rick Chertoff, who had played with Hyman and Bazilian in Baby Grand.

In 1983 the Hooters released their debut album ‘Amore’ on the independent Antenna label. The album featured an early studio version of ‘All You Zombies’ and the band’s earlier single ‘Fightin’ On The Same Side’. During its initial run ‘Amore’ sold over 100,000 copies making it one of the biggest selling independent releases in the U.S. during 1983. When it was eventually released on CD twenty years later, the album also included a live version of ‘Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds’ (originally featured as the B-Side to the group’s 1987 single ‘Johnny B’), and the track ‘Man In The Street’ which was the very first Hooters song to receive airplay on commercial radio. Bassist Rob Miller was on board during this period but was replaced by Andy King during 1984.

With Bazilian and Hyman’s key involvement in Lauper’s album, and the warm reception offered the album ‘Amore’, the Hooters were signed to a major record deal with Columbia Records in July 1984. Their major label album debut ‘Nervous Night’ was released in the first half of ‘85. The lead out single was a re-worked version of ‘All You Zombies’, a powerful song that borders on an epic album track, which features brilliant lyrics tying Biblical references to contemporary socio-political issues. ‘All You Zombies’ was only a minor hit on the U.S. Hot 100 (#58), but regular airplay pushed it to #11 on the U.S. Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. It also broke the Hooters in Australia, debuting on the charts during August ‘85, and eventually peaking at #8. ‘All You Zombies’ was backed by one of my favourite music videos of the mid 80s, featuring the band playing in an industrial complex intercut with stark imagery relating to the song’s themes.

As both single ‘All You Zombies’, and album ‘Nervous Night’ were finding their feet on the charts, the Hooters found themselves as the first band to appear on the Philadelphia concert leg of the historic Live Aid event in July 1985. The follow up single ‘And We Danced’ displayed a more high energy and upbeat side to the Hooters sound. The song peaked at #21 in the U.S. and became the Hooters’ biggest hit in Australia, climbing to #6 in late 1985. The band again came up with a clever promo video, that featured them playing at a local drive-in theatre venue. ‘Day By Day’ was released in late ‘85 and soon became the Hooters only U.S. top 20 hit (#18), surprisingly only reaching #55 in Australia in early ‘86. The popularity of the first three singles helped push the album ‘Nervous Night’ to a high of #12 on both the U.S. and Australian charts (eventually going on to sell over two million worldwide). The album yielded one more top 40 hit in the U.S., with ‘Where Do The Children Go’ (#38) featuring backing vocals from Patty Smyth (see previous Scandal post). The Hooters were named by Rolling Stone magazine as ‘Best New Band Of The Year’ for 1985, as well as a swag of other awards.

TAKE TWO - Lloyd Cole Spends A Lost Weekend With The Commotions

NOTE: Apologies if you've already read this post. I originally published it on 29 September, but for some mysterious reason it's vanished into a cyberspace blackhole. So for the benefit (or aggravation) of those who didn't get a chance to read 'part one' of my Lloyd Cole (& the Commotions) post, here it is again (part two is two posts below where it was originally published).

A few years ago I purchased a ‘best of’ CD for Lloyd Cole (and the Commotions). It was a long overdue acquisition, given the fine body of work recorded by firstly the group Lloyd Cole and the Commotions, and later by Lloyd Cole as a solo artist during the 80s and 90s.

During 1981 English born Lloyd Cole was studying philosophy and English at the University of Glasgow, where he also began to develop his song writing craft (which lyrically at least would be strongly influenced by his academic background). Lloyd Cole and the Commotions were conceived during 1982, with the precise conception point said to be above Tennant's Bar in Glasgow's West End. Initially vocalist/guitarist Cole was joined by keyboardist Blair Cowan and guitarist Neil Clark (who Cole had befriended during the previous year). The trio dubbed themselves the Commotions and became regular players on the thriving Glasgow music scene. They were signed to a management deal by Derek MacKellop, and soon expanded their line-up to include bassist Lawrence Donegan and drummer Steven Irvine in the mix. For a short period the Commotions added a couple of female singers, basing themselves on the model of 70s group the Staple Singers, and playing a lot of soul material. But before long Cole’s own song writing was taking the band in a different direction musically, so they were pruned back to a quintet. It was on the strength of Cole’s cache of songs that the newly named Lloyd Cole and the Commotions was signed to the Polydor label.

Producer Paul Hardiman was brought in to oversee production for Lloyd Cole and the Commotions’ debut album ‘Rattlesnakes’ for the Polydor label in 1984. The lead out single ‘Perfect Skin’ was released in April ‘84 and reached a very acceptable peak of #26 on the British charts. A lot of music critics stood up to pay heed to a very promising artist. Cole's vocal style was a kind of understated, languid crooning, not dissimilar to Chris Isaak with a definite Elvis element to his tone (early on they covered a number of Elvis tracks in their live sets, including 'Mystery Train'). When combined with Neil Clark’s dextrous retro-style guitar work and Cole’s finely crafted, intelligent lyrics (overflowing with literary references), they were a more upbeat, melodic version of the Smiths. They were soon competing with the likes of Aztec Camera (see previous post), Stone Roses and Prefab Sprout (see future post) as the next big thing on the British indie ‘jangle’ scene (jangle referring to the chiming, melodic guitar style originally made popular by 60s bands like the Byrds). The second single ‘Forest Fire’ didn’t exactly burn hot on the charts but still managed to fire up to #41 in the U.K.

Soon after Polydor released the much anticipated album ‘Rattlesnakes’, with the title track released as a single in November ‘84. Whilst the brilliant single ‘Rattlesnakes’ (UK#65) was a relative disappointment in commercial terms, the album progressed steadily up the U.K. charts, eventually reaching #13 before year’s end. Polydor issued the album in Australia in early ‘85 (#28), with a rush release of all three singles within the space of a couple of months - ‘Forest Fire’ (OZ#87), ‘Perfect Skin’ (OZ#54) and ‘Rattlesnakes’ (OZ#59). None of them made a huge impact on the charts, but I can recall ‘Rattlesnakes’ in particular getting a lot of radio airplay and featuring on 'Countdown' more than once. Another album track 'Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken?' was re-recorded by 60s pop sensation Sandie Shaw and released as a single in 1986, reaching #68 on the British charts.
The ‘Rattlesnakes’ album also benefited greatly from the orchestration work of Anne Dudley (who had worked on ABC’s ‘The Lexicon Of Love’ - see future post), effectively augmenting but not overpowering the group’s sound.

Late 1985 saw the release of Lloyd Cole and the Commotions’ sophomore album ‘Easy Pieces’, again on Polydor (the U.S. distributor was still Geffen). At the behest of the suits at Polydor, the album was produced by the team of Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley, who had previously worked with Teardrop Explodes and Elvis Costello & The Attractions. Their production influence added a sugary shimmer to the album’s tone, which acted as an effective counterpoint to Cole’s oft times acerbic, even dark lyrical subject matter. The advance single was the melancholy pop classic ‘Brand New Friend’ which found a friendly environment at #19 on the British charts (OZ#73). Coinciding with the album release, the follow up single in November ‘85 was arguably the band’s best song ‘Lost Weekend’, which found a home at #17 in the U.K. and #49 in Australia. The top 20 success of both singles helped push ‘Easy Pieces’ into the top 5 on the British album chart, whilst it peaked at #14 in Australia in early ‘86. The third single ‘Cut Me Down’ (UK#38) gave Lloyd Cole and the Commotions yet another top 40 hit. Overall 'Easy Pieces' featured a more up-tempo Brit-pop sound. Though both albums had been released in the U.S., neither managed to crack the top 100 or yield any hit singles Stateside. Though Lloyd Cole and the Commotions enjoyed a growing fan base (especially on the campus scene) and almost universal critical acclaim, big time rewards on the mainstream charts continued to elude them. Cole's song writing infused ideas of modern love and the human condition with a sharp wit, and laced it all with elegant, evocative imagery that would become a feature of his career's work, but may have proved one aspects in terms of limiting that commercial accessibility in his music.

That quest for elusive mainstream recognition may have been a factor in the title for the band’s third album ‘Mainstream’ in late 1987, produced by Tears For Fears’ keyboardist Ian Stanley. The first single ‘My Bag’ (UK#46) was a low key performer, but the album soon found its way to #9 on the British charts (OZ#54 - by this stage Capitol were handling the band’s U.S. distribution). The follow up single ‘Jennifer She Said’ (UK#31) was another great song that was sadly overlooked for the most part by record buyers. The song ‘From The Hip’ was released as the feature song on a four track EP released in April ‘88 (UK#59). Another album track was ‘Sean Penn Blues’, a clever, tongue in cheek song which referred to Penn as ‘Mr. Madonna’ in the lyrics.

During 1988 the band undertook another extensive tour in support of the album, but following the tour, and amidst reported internal frictions, Cole announced he was leaving the band to pursue a solo career (which I’ll explore further in the next post). Of the Commotions, guitarist Neil Clarke continued to work with Cole on several of Cole’s solo albums and tours. He also formed the short lived band Bloomsday with fellow Commotion Steve Irvine (drums). Irvine also worked extensively as a session musician with fellow Scots group Del Amitri (see future post), Etienne Daho and Sarah Cracknell, before going on to a career in artist management. Keyboardist Blair Cowan also collaborated with Cole on his first two albums, before going on to play with Texas and Del Amitri. He has now largely retired from the professional music scene and has established a career in IT with British Telecom. Bassist Lawrence Donegan went on to a very successful career in journalism and as a non-fiction writer.

Polydor released the compilation album ‘1984-1989’ following the dissolution of the Commotions. It reached a peak position of #14 on the British charts, proving that although they were probably never destined to be as big as U2 in commercial terms, Lloyd Cole and the Commotions had established a considerable fan base in a recording career that spanned less than five years. Lloyd Cole himself, would soon set out to confirm himself as an artist of note in his own right.

Cameo Score Starring Role With 'Word Up'

Having been all the rage among the Elizabethan gentry, who would have thought the codpiece fashion accessory would have been brought back by a group of American soul-funk musicians in the 1980s. Well, in truth I don’t remember the ‘average Joe’ rushing down to the mall to pick up a leather pouch to attach to the front of his trousers, but the soul-funk group in question, Cameo, certainly introduced a unique article of clothing in the promo clip for their 1986/7 worldwide hit ‘Word Up’. But Cameo were no flash in the pan novelty act, rather a well established outfit who had already racked up more than twenty hits on the U.S. R&B charts since the mid 70s.

They originally formed as a soul-funk collective in New York City in the early 70s, under the name The New York City Players. Their line-up varied in numbers and personnel, but often featured up to a dozen in the mix. The New York City Players were essentially the brainchild of vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Larry Blackmon. By 1974 the Juilliard trained Blackmon had pruned down the group numbers (well a bit anyway) and changed their name to Cameo (it was felt their previous name might cause confusion with fellow funk band Ohio Players - Ohio…New York City…sure I can understand that). Blackmon handled bass/drum/vocal duties and among the other group members during this time featured Gregory ‘Straps’ Johnson (keyboards), Wayne Cooper (vocals), and Tomi ‘Tee’ Jenkins (vocals).

Cameo often opened for soul-funk giants Parliament/Funkadelic (see earlier George Clinton post), and were also signed to the same Chocolate City recording label (a subsidiary of the Casablanca label). Early on in particular Cameo suffered from direct comparisons to their more high profile label mates, often being branded as derivative of the Clinton camp’s style and sound, but over time Cameo would clearly transcend those comparisons, and their longevity and inventiveness would support their being regarded as a genuinely class act in their own right. They released their debut album ‘Cardiac Arrest’ (US#116) in 1977, scoring minor hits on the U.S. R&B/dance charts with tracks like ‘Post Mortem’ (#70), ‘Rigor Mortis’ (#33) and ‘Funk Funk’ (#20). This was quickly followed by two albums during 1978, ‘Ugly Ego’ (US#83) and ‘We All Know Who We Are’ (US#58), yielding more R&B/dance hits with ‘It’s Over’, ‘Insane’ and ‘It’s Serious’. Before long Cameo had established a solid fan base and had a strong reputation built around a combination of their outlandish stage shows, a mischievous sense of humour, and a sound that was at times cutting edge, and increasingly divergent of their contemporaries. At the height of the disco movement, a lot of the R&B and soul-funk traditionalists got in on the act with disco-fied dance/funk songs. Cameo scored a string of top 10 R&B/dance hits in the U.S. during 1979/80, including the top 10 efforts ‘I Just Want To Be You’ (#3), but once again illustrated their musical diversity with the outstanding ‘Sparkle’ (#10), which was one of their first R&B ballad style hits. They also continued their prolific studio output with the 1979 album ‘Secret Omen’ (US#46).

Whilst the arrival of the 80s saw the demise of many of the disco-specific artists, band’s like Cameo had plenty of musical heritage to fall back on. They released the cleverly titled 1980 album ‘Cameosis’ (US#25), featuring the not so cleverly titled US#8 R&B hit ‘Shake Your Pants’. By year’s end Cameo had released yet another album with ‘Feel Me’ (US#44). During 1981 Larry Blackmon had decided that he was unhappy with Cameo’s treatment overall on the East Coast by the media and recording industry, feeling the band needed to find a new environment to move beyond what seemed to be a plateau of popularity. Blackmon relocated Cameo to a new base of operations in Atlanta, establishing his own Atlanta Artists label. Cameo’s new recording ‘Camelot’ saw the release of the 1981 album ‘Knights Of The Sound Table’ (US#44), followed up by 82’s ‘Alligator Woman’ (US#23), and 83’s ‘Style’ (US#53) which featured a more prominent use of synthesizer tracks, edging them towards an electro-funk sound, but none managed to change the group’s level of success/popularity from moderate to massive. During the early 80s Cameo’s band roster at times resembled a packed auditorium more so than a funk group, in terms of numbers. Among the crowd during this period were Blackmon, Jenkins, Johnson, Nathan Leftenant, Stephen Moore, Aaron Mills, Anthony Lockett, Jose Rossy, Thomas Campbell, Jeryl Bright, Arthur Young and Arnett Leftenant - meaning when it came to splitting up the royalties, an entire team of accountants had to be hired.

By 1984 the economic factor came into play, forcing Blackmon to cast aside some of the band’s roster, reducing Cameo’s line-up to the trio of himself, Tomi Jenkins and Nathan Leftenant (vocals/trumpet). Blackmon also sharpened Cameo’s sound to a harder edged straight funk style, resulting in the breakthrough 1984 album ‘She’s Strange’ (US#27 Billboard 200). The brooding title track reached #1 on the U.S. R&B chart and became Cameo’s first mainstream Hot 100 hit, peaking at #47 in mid ‘84. ‘She’s So Strange’ also broke Cameo on the British singles charts (#22). The 1985 album ‘Single Life’ (UK#66/US#62) consolidated Cameo’s rise in status, producing the major U.S. R&B hits ‘Attack Me With Your Love’ (R&B#3/UK#65), and ‘Single Life’ (R&B#2/UK#15).

Cameo’s next album clearly represented the high watermark in their long career. 1986’s ‘Word Up!’ (US#12/UK#7/OZ#75) was their biggest selling LP, scoring a platinum accreditation Stateside. The title track single ‘Word Up’ was an electro-funk masterpiece and rocketed up world charts, peaking at #6 in the U.S. (#1R&B), #3 in Britain and #6 in Australia, and raising the profile of codpieces and geometric haircuts globally. The next single ‘Candy’ also hit #1 on the U.S. R&B charts (#21 Hot 100) and #27 in Britain, but in Australia Cameo were officially to remain a one hit wonder on the charts. ‘Back And Forth’ (US#50, #3R&B and UK#11) and ‘She’s Mine’ (UK#35) rounded out a stellar year for the now funk/R&B heavyweights. And like so many heavyweights of the boxing variety do, Cameo’s front man Larry Blackmon (who had never been the shy retiring type) took his level of verbal pomposity to new heights of outrage. He dismissed the likes of music legends Steve Winwood and Peter Gabriel as being false funk pretenders, accused Kool & The Gang of plagiarism, and chastised up and coming rappers as being irresponsible in their attitudes - how to win over your peers.

During 1987 Cameo collaborated with jazz legend Miles Davis on his album ‘In The Night’, but their ensuing 1988 album ‘Machismo’ (the album’s cover a not so understated reflection of the title) was a big disappointment (US#85/UK#74), realising just one minor mainstream hit with the electro-funk ‘You Make Me Work’ (US#85-R&B#4, UK#74) and the R&B top five ‘Skin I’m In’. It seemed that all the strutting and pontificating had worn thin, or at least had not continued to be matched by the quality of Cameo’s musical output.

In 1990 Cameo notched up their last major hit on the U.S. R&B charts with the #5 single ‘I Want It Now’, lifted from their last Billboard Top 200 album ‘Real Men…Wear Black’ (#84/R&B#18). During this period Larry Blackmon began producing other artists, including one of his protégé’s Bobby Brown’s debut album. Cameo’s 1991 album ‘Emotional Violence’ was their first in almost fifteen years to miss the Top 200 in the U.S. and failed to yield any chart hits, but the cover did show that Blackmon’s apartment block hairdo had added a few more floors, giving it virtual skyscraper status. But that didn’t act as an impediment to Blackmon taking on the role of vice president of A&R at Warner-Reprise Records in 1991, though it’s uncertain if it was the reason for his departure from the post in 1994. Whilst attending boardroom meetings and overseeing the careers of other artists, Blackmon’s own group Cameo was put on hiatus, with just a ‘Best Of’ released in 1993 (US#44-R&B).

Following his split from Warner-Reprise, Blackmon returned to duties with Cameo resulting in the 1994 album ‘In The Face Of Funk’, released on his own Way 2 Funky label, with the group hitting the road again, touring with the likes of Teena Marie and the Gap Band. In the decade following, Cameo’s output has been occasional at most, with the albums ‘Sexy Sweet Thang’ (2000-US#64R&B) and ‘Nasty Live And Funky’ (2007). During their most successful period, Cameo hit the U.S. R&B charts no less than 38 times between 1977 and 1995, clearly establishing Blackmon and the boys as one of the pre-eminent funk/R&B acts of the era. For all their over the top posturing and apparent pretence, Cameo had the substance to back it up. They consistently showed a willingness to innovate and push the boundaries of their music style, acting as an influence on future waves of the R&B and even hip-hop genres (and their songs have been sampled too many times to mention).