| "45 RPM" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The Poppy Fields (The Alarm) | ||||
| from the album In The Poppy Fields | ||||
| B-side | "Statue of Liberty" | |||
| Released | 2004 | |||
| Recorded | 2004 | |||
| Genre | Pop rock | |||
| Length | 3:10 | |||
| Label | Snapper Music | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Mike Peters & Steve Grantley | |||
| Producer(s) | Steve Brown | |||
| The Poppy Fields (The Alarm) singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"45 RPM" is a song written by Mike Peters and Steve Grantley.
This was the first official release by The Alarm since 1991, although it was originally credited as a recording by The Poppy Fields.
The single was released on 7" vinyl and two CD editions.
It was billed as an advance release from the album In The Poppy Fields.
All songs written by Mike Peters unless otherwise indicated.
Recorded at Foel Studios, Llanfair Caereinion, Wales. [1]
A promotional CD was released with one track only:
The single was released under the pseudonym band name The Poppy Fields. [2] Radio 1 DJs such as Mark and Lard and Steve Lamacq were taken in by the stunt. Music reviewers were raving about The Poppy Fields based on them being a bunch of punky teenagers. Record company executives desperately wanted to find out more about the unheard band. Music channels played a video of a fictional group.
Leader singer Mike Peters explained:
"We thought we had nothing to lose," said Peters. "If we had put out a single byThe Alarm, there would have been a negative feeling, because whether record companyexecutives and music journalists admit it or not image is rated far higher than the musicnowadays.
"I hope we've proved a valid point. Why must new music necessarily have to be made by newbands. I'm 44 but I'm writing new songs as fresh and as vibrant as anything I've ever done.In Britain we're too quick to want to find the next big thing. If you're over 35 you'redismissed as over-the-hill. [2]
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The Poppy Fields were a fictitious teenage group, invented by the Welsh rock band, The Alarm. The Poppy Fields scored a hit with the release of "45 RPM" that would become The Alarm's first hit in over a decade. Mike Peters revealed the truth on live radio as Radio 1 was conducting a 2004 broadcast of their then current chart countdown. The story was highlighted by international news outlets with several headlines being published globally.
Vinyl is a 2012 British comedy film written and directed by Sara Sugarman. It is based on the true story of Mike Peters and The Alarm who in 2004 released the single "45 RPM" under the name of a fictitious band "The Poppy Fields".
