Bucks Fizz (album)

Last updated

Bucks Fizz
Bucks Fizz 1981.jpg
Studio album by
Released27 July 1981
RecordedMarch – July 1981
Studio Mayfair (London), Morgan (London)
Genre Pop
Length37:26
Label RCA Records
Producer Andy Hill
Bucks Fizz chronology
Bucks Fizz
(1981)
Are You Ready
(1982)
Singles from Bucks Fizz
  1. "Making Your Mind Up"
    Released: March 1981
  2. "Piece of the Action"
    Released: May 1981
  3. "One of Those Nights"
    Released: August 1981
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Record Mirror Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Chart SongwordsStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
RTÉ Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [3]
Music-NewsStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]

Bucks Fizz is the eponymous debut studio album by the British pop group Bucks Fizz. It was released in July 1981, it features their Eurovision-winning song "Making Your Mind Up" as well as the two follow-up singles "Piece of the Action" and "One of Those Nights". The album was produced by Andy Hill and released on RCA Records. Bucks Fizz has been re-released twice on CD, first in 2004 with bonus tracks and as a two-disc edition in 2015.

Contents

Overview

In late 1980, songwriter Andy Hill and his partner Nichola Martin came up with a song that was to be entered into the Eurovision Song Contest . Martin quickly set about bringing a group together to perform it. In January 1981, Bucks Fizz were formed from auditionees Bobby G and Jay Aston along with the already chosen Mike Nolan and Cheryl Baker. The song "Making Your Mind Up" not only won the Contest, but went on to reach No. 1 in the UK singles chart, as well as many other countries in Europe. [5] [6] This launched the group on a run of success that would last for much of the decade. [7]

In May the follow-up single, also written and produced by Hill, was released. "Piece of the Action" proved that Bucks Fizz were not one-hit wonders, despite the reputation of the Contest, and quickly became another worldwide hit. [8] The record company, RCA were keen to get an album out, and Bucks Fizz was released in late July 1981.

Recorded between promotional tours and a hectic schedule, the album featured ten pop tracks, most of them quite different to "Making Your Mind Up", the song that had made their name. [9] Of the remaining nine tracks, only "The Right Situation" mirrored the Eurovision winner in terms of structure and style. Other variations were the disco-styled "Took It to the Limit" and the funk-influenced "Shine On". Ballads were present in the form of "It's Got to Be Love", "One of Those Nights" and "Getting Kinda Lonely". The album was released in a glossy gatefold sleeve, depicting head and shoulders shots of the group both inside and outside. [10] Produced and largely written by Hill, the album also became a success when it reached the UK top 20 the following month and was certified gold. [11] A third single was released in August, the ballad "One of Those Nights". This, like the others also reached the top 20 in the UK and secured Bucks Fizz as one of the top acts of the year.

No more singles were released from the album, although their next single "The Land of Make Believe" (released in November 1981) went to No.1 and revived the album in the early months of 1982, where it went as far as 34 in the charts and spent more weeks in the top 100 than it had originally done - eventually clocking up 28 in total. [12] Outside of the UK, the album reached number 20 in New Zealand and number 29 in Sweden. [13]

A year later, the group recorded the songs "It's Got to Be Love" (which was their second biggest hit in the Philippines, after "Making Your Mind Up"), "One of Those Nights", "Getting Kinda Lonely" and "Shine On" in Spanish for an album released in Latin America. Tracks "Piece of the Action" and "One of Those Nights" were included on their debut album in North America, released in 1982. [14]

The album was re-issued on Compact disc in 2004 with bonus tracks. [15] In 2008, demos and early versions of tracks "Piece of the Action", "One of Those Nights", "Getting Kinda Lonely" and "The Right Situation" were included on The Lost Masters 2 - The Final Cut compilation. In June 2015 the album was re-released again on CD as a two-disc edition featuring bonus tracks and their 1982 Spanish album El Mundo De Ilusion. [16]

Reviews and reception

The Bucks Fizz album received average to good reviews from magazines. Record Mirror gave the album three out of five stars and said; "I think Bucks Fizz are bunch of gutless wonders who can perhaps sing in tune but don't know the meaning of singing with emotion...[The album] is a big production job with slick session musicians, ten ready-made songs for them to warble, and yet the whole shebang still can't spark Bucks Fizz into action...Bucks Fizz could be good if they only learned to FEEL their songs", citing track "Shine On" as the only song to display any feeling. [1] The same journalist went on to review their following album a year later saying that the songs had "a generous dash of emotion, something that was conspicuous by its absence on their debut". [17] Short-lived music magazine Chart Songwords said in another three out of five review; "Whether they'll be in the public eye as long as Kim Wilde or Duran Duran, to name just two recently emerging stars, is difficult to decide, but on the strength of their debut LP, they have a fair chance", but also complained that some songs sounded like "sub Brotherhood of Man, or even worse - Guys 'n' Dolls". [2] Irish magazine RTE Guide was more favourable by giving the album five out of five and said "Bucks Fizz is an excellent pop album. Of the seven non-single tracks, about four would easily make top-class single releases... Bucks Fizz is an instantly appealing album with some tracks registering immediately and other tracks growing on you". [3]

At the time of release, the members of the group listed their favourite tracks on the album with Nolan favouring "Making Your Mind Up", Aston: "Piece of the Action", G: "One of Those Nights" and Baker: "Midnight Reservation". [18] [19] [20] [21] Baker herself has since stated that she didn't particularly like the tracks "One of Those Nights" and "The Right Situation", while all members (including Nolan) have been quoted as saying "Making Your Mind Up" was one of their weaker singles. While recording the album Baker said that they were aiming for various styles; "It's not 'Making Your Mind Up' mark I, II, III and IV". [22] On its 2015 release, Music-News.com labelled tracks "One of Those Nights" and "Piece of the Action" as "classy" and mentioned that it was clear that this album was a bid to quickly steer themselves away from the Eurovision Song Contest. [4]

In 2017, Classic Pop magazine reviewed the album favourably saying the tracks were "great" and mentioned "the Moroder-ised 'Took it to the Limit', the Abba-esque 'Lady of the Night' and the disco-funky 'Shine On'." [23]

Track listing

Original album

2004 CD re-issue

Bonus tracks:

#Song title and creditsTime
11."Don't Stop"
Writers: Andy Hill, Nichola Martin
Producer: Andy Hill
4:06
12."Always Thinking of You"
Writers: Andy Hill, Nichola Martin
Producers: Andy Hill
3:56
13."Noches Sin Ti" ("One of Those Nights" - Spanish version)
Writers: Steve Glen, Mike Burns, Dave Most, Biddy & Mary McClusky
Producer: Andy Hill
4:26
14."Via Libre" ("One Way Love" - Spanish version)
Writer: Andy Hill, Pete Sinfield, Biddy & Mary McClusky
Producer: Andy Hill
4:50
15."Eso Fue Ayer" ("Now Those Days Are Gone" - Spanish version)
Writers: Andy Hill, Nichola Martin, Biddy & Mary McClusky
Producer: Andy Hill
3:33
16."Otra Noche" ("Another Night" - Spanish version)
Writers: Andy Hill, Nichola Martin, Biddy & Mary McClusky
Producer: Andy Hill
3:39
17."El Mundo de Ilusion" ("The Land of Make Believe" - Spanish version)
Writers: Andy Hill, Pete Sinfield, Biddy & Mary McClusky
Producers: Andy Hill
3:50
18."I Used to Love the Radio"
Writers: Andy Hill
Producer: David Motion
3:25
19."Love in a World Gone Mad"
Writer: Pete Sinfield, Billy Livesey
Producer: David Motion
3:58
20." Heart of Stone " (12" version)
Writers: Andy Hill, Pete Sinfield
Producer: Andy Hill
4:29

Personnel

Musicians
Production

Chart performance

Release dateSingle titleUK Chart position
March 1981"Making Your Mind Up"1
May 1981"Piece of the Action"12
August 1981"One of Those Nights"20
Release dateAlbum titleUK Chart position
July 1981Bucks Fizz14
June 2004Bucks Fizz (CD re-issue)
June 2015Bucks Fizz (double CD edition)

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Making Your Mind Up</span> 1981 song by Bucks Fizz

"Making Your Mind Up" is a song by the British pop group Bucks Fizz with music composed by John Danter and lyrics written by Andy Hill. Released in March 1981, it was Bucks Fizz's debut single, the group having been formed just two months earlier. It represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 1981, held in Dublin, winning the contest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheryl Baker</span> British singer

Rita Maria Stroud, known professionally as Cheryl Baker, is an English singer and television presenter. She was a member of pop group Bucks Fizz, which won the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest and, following legal disputes, now performs under the name the Fizz. Bucks Fizz had 20 singles reach the UK top 60 between 1981 and 1988, including three number one hits with "Making Your Mind Up" (1981), "The Land of Make Believe" (1981) and "My Camera Never Lies" (1982).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bucks Fizz</span> English pop group (1981–2018)

Bucks Fizz are an English pop group that achieved success in the 1980s, most notably for winning the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Making Your Mind Up". The group was formed in January 1981 specifically for the contest and comprised four vocalists: Bobby G, Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and Jay Aston. They received attention for the dance routine which accompanied the song, in which the male members of the group ripped the female members' outer skirts off to reveal much shorter mini-skirts beneath. The group went on to have a successful career around the world, but the UK remained their biggest market, where they had three No.1 singles with "Making Your Mind Up" (1981), "The Land of Make Believe" (1981) and "My Camera Never Lies" (1982) and became one of the top-selling groups of the 1980s. They also had UK Top 10 hits with "Now Those Days Are Gone" (1982), "If You Can't Stand the Heat" (1982), "When We Were Young" (1983) and "New Beginning " (1986). Bucks Fizz have sold over 50 million records worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jay Aston</span> Musical artist

Jay Hilda Aston is a British singer and occasional songwriter. She was a member of the British pop group Bucks Fizz from 1981 to 1985. She was the youngest member of the group's original line-up, aged 19 when they won the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest. During Aston's membership, the group had 12 of their 13 UK top 40 hit singles, including three number one hits. Since 2009, she has performed alongside fellow original Bucks Fizz members Cheryl Baker and Mike Nolan. The group used to perform under the name the Original Bucks Fizz but are now known as the Fizz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Nolan (singer)</span> Irish singer (born 1954)

Michael Mary Nolan is an Irish singer who is best known as one of the four original members of the British pop group, Bucks Fizz, who now perform as The Fizz. He was born in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, but brought up in the UK, where he still resides. As a member of Bucks Fizz, he won the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest and achieved 20 UK top 60 singles between 1981 and 1988, including three number one hits. He was a member of the group until 1996. Since 2004, he has been a member of the group The Fizz, along with other former Bucks Fizz members Cheryl Baker, Shelley Preston and Jay Aston.

Bobby G, also known as Bobby Gee, is a member of pop group Bucks Fizz, best known for winning the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest and for achieving three UK number one hits with "Making Your Mind Up" (1981), "The Land of Make Believe" (1981) and "My Camera Never Lies" (1982).

<i>Are You Ready</i> (Bucks Fizz album) 1982 studio album by Bucks Fizz

Are You Ready is the second studio album by the British pop group Bucks Fizz. It was released on 26 April 1982 and features the UK No. 1 singles "The Land of Make Believe" and "My Camera Never Lies" as well as the follow-up "Now Those Days Are Gone". It was produced by Andy Hill and released by RCA Records. It was the group's most successful album. It went on to be re-released on compact disc three times between 2000 and 2015.

<i>Hand Cut</i> 1983 studio album by Bucks Fizz

Hand Cut is the third studio album by the British pop group Bucks Fizz. It was released on 1 March 1983 and features the UK top 20 hits, "If You Can't Stand the Heat" and "Run for Your Life".

<i>I Hear Talk</i> 1984 studio album by Bucks Fizz

I Hear Talk is the fourth studio album by the pop group Bucks Fizz and their last under contract to RCA Records. Released in November 1984, the album featured the singles "Talking in Your Sleep", "Golden Days" and "I Hear Talk".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Land of Make Believe</span> 1981 song

"The Land of Make Believe" is a 1981 single by British band Bucks Fizz. It reached No.1 in the UK in early 1982 - the second single by the band to do so. The song was produced by Andy Hill with music by Hill and lyrics by ex-King Crimson member Peter Sinfield. Despite the apparent sugar-coated style of the song, Sinfield later claimed it was a subtle attack on Margaret Thatcher and her government's policy at the time. "The Land of Make Believe" became a big hit across Europe in early 1982, topping the charts in Netherlands, Belgium and Ireland as well as the UK. The song was later covered by pop band allSTARS* for a 2002 single release.

Andrew Gerard Hill is an English record producer and songwriter who worked with Bucks Fizz and Celine Dion during the 1980s and 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">When We Were Young (Bucks Fizz song)</span> 1983 single by Bucks Fizz

"When We Were Young" is a 1983 single by UK pop group Bucks Fizz. The track features lead vocals by band member Jay Aston. The song became their sixth top-ten-hit in the UK and it is one of their biggest hits in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piece of the Action</span> 1981 single by Bucks Fizz

"Piece of the Action" is the second single by pop group Bucks Fizz, the follow-up to the Eurovision-winning song "Making Your Mind Up". It was released in May 1981 and became a UK top 20 hit.

<i>Live at the Fairfield Hall, Croydon</i> 1991 live album by Bucks Fizz

Live at the Fairfield Hall, Croydon is a live album released in 1991 by pop group Bucks Fizz. It was their first and only release with Jet Records.

<i>The Story So Far</i> (Bucks Fizz album) 1988 compilation album by Bucks Fizz

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Run for Your Life (Bucks Fizz song)</span> 1983 single by Bucks Fizz

"Run for Your Life" is a 1983 single by UK pop group Bucks Fizz. It was written by Andy Hill and Ian Bairnson and became the group's eighth consecutive top 20 hit in the UK. It featured on the group's third album Hand Cut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You and Your Heart So Blue</span> 1985 single by Bucks Fizz

"You and Your Heart So Blue" is a single by UK pop group Bucks Fizz. Released in June 1985, the song was written by Andy Hill and Peter Sinfield and was produced by Hill. This single was the last to feature member Jay Aston, who quit the group the same month.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Now Those Days Are Gone</span> 1982 single by Bucks Fizz

"Now Those Days Are Gone" is a single by UK pop group Bucks Fizz. It became a UK top ten hit in July 1982 and featured on the group's album Are You Ready. The song was nominated for an Ivor Novello award the following year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bucks Fizz discography</span>

This is a discography of UK pop group Bucks Fizz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Fizz</span> British pop music group

The Fizz are a British pop music group formed in 2004 as a spin-off from the original group, Bucks Fizz. The core of the group consists of Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and Jay Aston, who are all former members of Bucks Fizz and performed as OBF initially with Shelley Preston and then replaced by Jay Aston. The group then performed as Formerly of Bucks Fizz, and Bobby McVay later became a member in 2015, making the group a quartet, and then renaming as The Fizz until he left in 2018. To date, the group have released four albums, three of which have charted in the Official UK Albums Chart. Their 2017 album The F-Z of Pop reached No.25, becoming the highest-charting Bucks Fizz related album in 33 years. In 2018, Christmas with the Fizz was released. In 2020, Smoke & Mirrors was released, reaching number 29 in the Official UK Albums Chart and number 6 on the Official Sales Chart. In May 2024, Mike Nolan announced his departure from the group effective later in the year.

References

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  2. 1 2 "Album Reviews". Chart Songwords Magazine. 31. August 1981.
  3. 1 2 Brendan Martin, RTÉ Guide. Album reviews, August 1981
  4. 1 2 "Bucks Fizz, The Definitive Editions". Music-News.com. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  5. Gearchange. ""Making Your Mind Up" feature". Archived from the original on 4 October 2008. Retrieved 10 October 2008.
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  8. Raffem. "Bucks Fizz history - 1981" . Retrieved 18 July 2008.
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  10. Raffem. "Bucks Fizz gatefold sleeve" . Retrieved 18 July 2008.
  11. "BRIT Certified". BPI. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  12. "bucks fizz | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  13. Swisscharts. "Sweden/NZ album chart details". Archived from the original on 14 June 2011. Retrieved 18 November 2009.
  14. Raffem. "Bucks Fizz history - 1982" . Retrieved 18 July 2008.
  15. Early years. "BMG Re-release information". Archived from the original on 3 December 2008. Retrieved 10 December 2008.
  16. Cherry Red records. "Cherry Red Re-release information". Archived from the original on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  17. Daniela Soave, Record Mirror , Are You Ready album review, May 1982
  18. "Cheryl Baker Collect-a-page". Look-in. 41: 32. 12 September 1981.
  19. "Mike Nolan, Collect-a-page". Look-in. 42: 32. 19 September 1981.
  20. "Bobby G, Collect-a-page". Look-in. 43: 32. 26 September 1981.
  21. "Jay Aston, Collect-a-page". Look-in. 44: 32. 3 October 1981.
  22. Reid, Maggie (4 July 1981). "Bubbling Over". Look-In. 28: 12.
  23. Lester, Paul (October 2017). "Never mind the Bollocks, here's the Fizz". Classic Pop Magazine. 33: 58.