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Fabulous | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Baggy |
| Origin | United Kingdom |
| Genres | Indie rock |
| Years active | 1991–1993 |
| Labels | Heavenly Records |
| Past members | Simon Spence Dudfield Martyn Goodacre Robert Hodges Russell Underwood Ronnie Flynn |
Fabulous were a British rock band formed in 1991 by NME journalist Simon Spence (a.k.a. Dudfield) and NME photographer Martyn Goodacre, initially under the name Baggy.
The original line up included Spence (vocals), Goodacre (guitar), Russell Underwood (guitar), Kieron "Ronnie Fabulous" Flynn (bass) and Robert "Hodge" Hodges (drums). [1] Briefly called Baggy, the band were managed by NME features editor James Brown who claimed that the exploits of Fabulous were the inspiration behind his later creation of Loaded magazine . [2] Their debut single "Destined To Be Free" was released on Heavenly Records in November 1991. [1] The sleeve was designed by Screamadelica artist Paul Cannell (HVN 11). "Destined To Be Free" was made "Single of The Week" in the NME. The band were at the centre of much controversy over their often-brief live shows and obscene Cannell-designed T-shirts. [3] Jacqui and Carrie of future Shampoo fame often appeared on stage with the group and ran their fan club. Malcolm McLaren suggested Fabulous work with Pete Waterman and the group signed to Waterman's PWL in 1992 (and were handed their own label PWL Rock).
After appearing on Waterman's The Hitman And Her TV show, Fabulous and PWL parted company. The album they were working on, Produced by Kylie, has never been officially released. Two further singles, "Personality Recession" and "Dead Friends" were recorded independently and released on the Kinglake Records label. [1] Fabulous worked briefly with Andrew Loog Oldham's Immediate Records before disbanding.[ citation needed ]
The band were better known by their hype than their music. Never out of the music paper gossip columns, they made tabloid headlines by being banned from nearly every venue on their debut UK tour. "Fabulous bad boys banned" splashed The Sun after an infamous stage-wrecking performance at Kingston Polytechnic that was also reviewed by the NME. Further publicity came via an association with American actor Keanu Reeves chronicled by The Daily Star, Smash Hits and The Face. [4]
Their Austin Maxi motor (left), dubbed the "Fab Mobile", was painted by Paul Cannell and was featured in a lengthy TV feature about Fabulous on the BBC2 music show Rapido . [5] Razorlight manager Roger Morton gave them their first live review in the NME on 27 July 1991 - their first ever gig — "the least dour group you will ever see". They featured heavily in i-D, The Face, The Wire, Select , and Melody Maker . Author Mark Simpson (journalist) profiled them in The Guardian , [6] and featured the group in his first book Male Impersonators. Radio broadcaster and author Stuart Bailie strongly supported them at the NME, making their debut single "single of the week" and, in a January 1992 cover story, writing: "They terrify the Manics. They flaunt porno t-shirts. They steal carpets, and erm, Santas. They are a sick NME joke. They are a daft, manipulative group, noisy, reckless, exciting." [7]
Martyn Goodacre is a photographer, musician and the owner of Kinglake Records. Simon Spence (under the name 'Simon Dudfield') contributed interviews and research to the books Stoned and 2Stoned, the autobiographies of The Rolling Stones' manager Andrew Loog Oldham. Ronnie Fabulous is a filmmaker. Robert Hodges works at the Malvern Theatre in Worcestershire, as well as playing drums with The Tights & Dogs Of Santorini. Russell Underwood runs a printing business in South-East London.
Madchester was a musical and cultural scene that developed in the English city of Manchester in the late 1980s, closely associated with the indie dance scene. Indie-dance saw artists merging indie music with elements of acid house, psychedelia and 1960s pop. The term Madchester was coined by Factory Records' Tony Wilson, with the label popularised by the British music press in the early 1990s, and its most famous groups include the Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, Inspiral Carpets, the Charlatans, James and 808 State. It is widely seen as being heavily influenced by drugs, especially MDMA. At that time, the Haçienda nightclub, co-owned by members of New Order, was a major catalyst for the distinctive musical ethos in the city that was called the Second Summer of Love.
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Dead or Alive were an English pop band that released seven studio albums from 1984 to 2000. The band formed in 1980 in Liverpool and found success in the mid-1980s, releasing seven singles that made the UK top 40 and three albums on the UK top 30. At the peak of their success, the lineup consisted of Pete Burns (vocals), Steve Coy (drums), Mike Percy (bass) and Tim Lever (keyboards), with the core pair of Burns and Coy writing and producing for the remainder of the band's career.
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Inspiral Carpets are an English rock band, part of the late-1980s/early-1990s Madchester movement. Formed in Oldham in 1980, the band's most successful lineup featured frontman Tom Hingley, drummer Craig Gill, guitarist Graham Lambert, bassist Martyn Walsh and keyboardist Clint Boon.
Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches is the third studio album by English rock band Happy Mondays, released on 5 November 1990 by Factory Records. DJ Paul Oakenfold and collaborator Steve Osbourne were previously enlisted by the band for remixes. The success of these led to the pair producing "Step On", a cover of the John Kongos song, for Happy Mondays. The band went on a tour of the United States, and by the end of which, had started recording their next album with Oakenfold and Osbourne at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles, California. They returned to the United Kingdom, where further recording took place at Eden Studios in London until September 1990. Described as a Madchester album, Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches saw substantial input from Oakenfold and Osbourne, with the former making loops, while the latter handled song arrangements.
Yes Please! is the fourth studio album by British rock band Happy Mondays, released 22 September 1992 through Factory Records. Following the non-album single "Judge Fudge", Factory allotted the band a budget of £150,000 for their next album. After settling on producers Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth, both members of Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club, Happy Mondays decamped to Blue Wave Studio in Saint Philip, Barbados in February 1992. The sessions were plagued by a variety of issues, such as frontman Shaun Ryder developing a crack habit, and dancer Bez breaking his arm three times. With little finished material and a lack of lyrics the band returned to the United Kingdom; Ryder was admitted into a detox centre. Recording continued for two weeks in May 1992 at Comfort's Place Studio in Lingfield, Surrey, where Ryder did his vocals. Yes Please! is a soul funk album, with a bleak sound that earned it a comparison to Unknown Pleasures (1979) by Joy Division.
David Clark is an English musician, songwriter, record producer and entrepreneur. Clark was the leader, drummer and manager of the 1960s beat group the Dave Clark Five, the first British Invasion band to follow the Beatles to the United States in 1964. In 2008 Clark and his band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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