Alta Moda | |
---|---|
Origin | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
Genres | Funk rock |
Years active | 1979-1988 |
Labels | CBS Records, CBS Records |
Associated acts | Infidels |
Members | Molly Johnson Norman Orenstein Steven Gelineau, Etric Lyons |
Alta Moda was a Canadian funk rock band formed in 1979 in Toronto. [1] It originally consisted of singer Molly Johnson and guitarist Norman Orenstein. [2] Drummer Steven Gelineau and bassist Etric Lyons were added in 1982 and 1983 respectively. [3]
After performing for several years in Toronto and releasing the promotional single "Train" in 1986, [4] the band signed to CBS Records and released their debut album, Alta Moda, in 1987. [5]
The album received mixed reviews, with some critics saying it sounded too much like funk or disco; [6] the band even faced some assertions that they were "too black" for the Canadian market. [7] The album spawned the single "Julian", but the song was only a modest hit, peaking at #53 in the RPM Hot 100 chart the week of January 30, 1988. [8] The album's other singles, "Notown (In Particular)" and "Cool Love", did not chart.
Alta Moda contributed a non-album track, "American Chaser", to the soundtrack of the 1986 television film Popeye Doyle . [9]
The band declined a Juno Award nomination in the R&B category for "Julian", because they felt it was a miscategorization of the song. [10]
Although Alta Moda had originally signed a six-album deal with CBS, they were dropped from the label after the album's poor sales. [11] The band continued to perform live, on the lookout for another deal. Orenstein wrote and produced material for other artists, and Johnson performed jazz and blues with a backing band which later became Big Sugar. [12]
Johnson and Orenstein signed a new deal with IRS Records in 1990, [11] but changed the band's name to Infidels by the time of their 1991 album. [10]
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