 |
Fiction Factory | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Perth, Scotland |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1982–1987, 2007, 2011, 2022 |
| Labels | |
| Past members |
|
Fiction Factory were a Scottish new wave band from Perth. Formed in 1982, they are best known for their single "(Feels Like) Heaven", which peaked at #6 on the UK Singles Chart. The song was written by Eddie Jordan and Kevin Patterson.
Before they began Fiction Factory in 1982, Kevin Patterson (vocals) and Eddie Jordan (keyboards) had played in the band Street People around 1978, performing original songs and covers of Magazine and Ultravox! songs, before forming ska band the Rude Boys (later shortened to the RBs) with Grant Taylor (trumpet) and Chic Medley (guitar). [1] The eight-piece RBs played numerous live gigs, released an album and two singles, but due to musical differences Patterson, Jordan and Medley left the band to form Fiction Factory. Initially thought of as a song writing unit for other artists, they eventually enlisted Graham McGregor (bass guitar) and Mike Ogletree (drums and percussion), a former member of Simple Minds and Café Jacques, to form a proper band. Influences on Fiction Factory included Magazine, Kraftwerk and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), whom Patterson described as "a big favourite". [1] Patterson's vocal style was influenced by the Walker Brothers, Sparks, and Magazine's Howard Devoto. [1]
The band frequented Bandwagon Music Supplies in Perth. "They would come into my shop wanting to hear their recording on my wee cassette recorder that turned out to be a number six single that still gets played today," said Pete Caban, the shop's owner. "I still see the guys, they still come in." The shop closed in 2020 after 37 years in business. [2]
The band's single "(Feels Like) Heaven" became a UK Top 10 hit in 1984 (also reaching the Top 10 in Belgium, Germany, Italy, Ireland and Switzerland); it was their only success in the UK. The follow-up single "Ghost of Love" only reached no. 64 on the singles chart, while the parent studio album Throw the Warped Wheel Out did not reach the chart at all. [3] Fiction Factory had more success in Europe with "(Feels Like) Heaven" reaching no. 2 in Switzerland and the Top 20 in several countries, "Ghost of Love" spending 11 weeks on the German singles chart [4] and Throw the Warped Wheel Out charting in Switzerland (no. 23), [5] Sweden (no. 34) [6] and Germany (no. 57). [7]
In 1984 Fiction Factory toured Europe as support for OMD, but the same year Jordan, McGregor and Ogletree departed from the band. Patterson and Medley recorded the next studio album with session musicians, including keyboardist Paul Wishart and brothers Graham and Neil Weir of OMD. [8]
Fiction Factory disbanded in 1987 after the release of their second studio album Another Story had become a commercial flop. [8] Patterson formed the short lived duo The Dearhearts with singer Karen Smyth and left the music industry soon afterwards. [1] He now works in IT and is married with two children. [9] [10] Patterson and Jordan reunited to perform "(Feels Like) Heaven" with a backing band at the latter's wedding in August 2007. [11] Medley went on to work with the Scottish world music project, Mouth Music.
In 2011, the original line-up reformed for the first time since 1984 for their performance at that year's Rewind Festival. [12]
In 2016, Manic Street Preachers covered "(Feels Like) Heaven" for the album BBC Radio 2 Sounds of the 80s, Volume 2.[ citation needed ]
In 2022, Fiction Factory reunited and performed at the Belgian "W-Festival" in Ostend. [1]
| Fiction Factory discography | |
|---|---|
| Studio albums | 2 |
| Singles | 6 |
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN [13] | GER [7] | SWE [6] | SWI [5] | |||||||||||
| Throw the Warped Wheel Out |
| 98 | 57 | 34 | 23 | |||||||||
| Another Story |
| — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [14] | AUS [15] | AUT [16] | BEL [17] | GER [18] | IRE [19] | ITA [20] | NED [21] | NZ [22] | SWE [23] | SWI [24] | ||||
| 1983 | "Ghost of Love" | 64 | — | — | — | 49 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Throw the Warped Wheel Out | |
| "(Feels Like) Heaven" | 6 | 51 | 20 | 10 | 10 | 4 | 33 | 16 | 24 | 14 | 2 | |||
| 1984 | "All or Nothing" | 148 [25] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985 | "Not the Only One" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Another Story | |
| "No Time" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Standing at the Top of the World" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
Synth-pop is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic, art rock, disco, and particularly the Krautrock of bands like Kraftwerk. It arose as a distinct genre in Japan and the United Kingdom in the post-punk era as part of the new wave movement of the late 1970s.
Simple Minds are a Scottish rock band formed in Glasgow in 1977. They have released a string of hit singles, becoming best known internationally for "Don't You " (1985), which topped the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. Other commercially successful singles include "Promised You a Miracle" (1982), "Glittering Prize" (1982), "Someone Somewhere in Summertime" (1982), "Waterfront" (1983), "Alive and Kicking" (1985), "Sanctify Yourself" (1986), "Let There Be Love" (1991), "See the Lights" (1991) as well as the UK number one single "Belfast Child" (1989).
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) are an English electronic band formed in Wirral, Merseyside, in 1978. The group consists of founding duo and principal songwriters Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys, along with Martin Cooper and Stuart Kershaw (drums). Regarded as pioneers of electronic music, OMD combined an experimental, minimalist ethos with pop sensibilities, becoming key figures in the emergence of synth-pop; McCluskey and Humphreys also introduced the "synth duo" format to British popular music. In the United States, the band were an early presence in the MTV-driven Second British Invasion.
Men Without Hats are a Canadian new wave and synth-pop band, originally from Montreal, Quebec. Their music is characterized by the baritone voice of their lead singer Ivan Doroschuk, as well as their elaborate use of synthesizers and electronic processing. They achieved their greatest popularity in the 1980s with "The Safety Dance", a worldwide top ten hit, and "Pop Goes the World". After a hiatus for most of the 1990s and 2000s, Doroschuk reformed the band in 2010, and released Love in the Age of War (2012). The group, based in Vancouver, has continued to perform, including tour dates announced in support of the release of two studio albums, Men Without Hats Again , in 2021 and 2022 respectively.
Alphaville is a German synth-pop band formed in Münster in 1982. They gained popularity in the 1980s. The group was founded by singers Marian Gold, Bernhard Lloyd, and Frank Mertens. They achieved chart success with the singles "Forever Young", "Big in Japan", "Sounds Like a Melody", "The Jet Set", and "Dance with Me". Gold remains the only continuous member of Alphaville. They took their name from Jean-Luc Godard's movie of the same name.
China Crisis are an English new wave and synth-pop band formed in Kirkby, near Liverpool, Merseyside in 1979 with a core of lead vocalist/keyboardist Gary Daly and guitarist/vocalist Eddie Lundon. Initially a politically charged post-punk band influenced by Brian Eno's ambient soundscapes, China Crisis soon crossed over to a more commercial sound and had success in the United Kingdom in the 1980s with ten top 50 singles, including the top 10 hit "Wishful Thinking", and three albums charting in or just outside the top 20, including Working with Fire and Steel and the top 10 entry Flaunt the Imperfection, that both received a gold certification.
Eurogliders are a band formed in 1980 in Perth, Western Australia, which included Grace Knight on vocals, Bernie Lynch on guitar and vocals, and Amanda Vincent on keyboards. In 1984, Eurogliders released an Australian top ten album, This Island, which spawned their No. 2 hit single, "Heaven ". "Heaven" also peaked at No. 21 on the United States Billboard Mainstream Rock charts and appeared on the Hot 100. Another Australian top ten album, Absolutely, followed in 1985, which provided two further local top ten singles, "We Will Together" and "Can't Wait to See You". They disbanded in 1989, with Knight having a successful career as a jazz singer. Australian rock music historian Ian McFarlane described Eurogliders as "the accessible face of post-punk new wave music. The band's sophisticated brand of pop was traditional in its structure, but displayed the decidedly 'modern veneer' ". The band reformed in 2005 releasing two new albums followed in 2014 by their seventh album.
52nd Street were a British jazz-funk and R&B band formed in Manchester in late 1980. Throughout the 1980s the group enjoyed success not only in the UK but also on the Billboard chart in the United States. Their biggest and best-known hit single was "Tell Me ", released in 1985 by the 10 Records subsidiary of Virgin Records in the UK, and then months later on in 1986 on MCA Records in the US.
New Gold Dream (81–82–83–84) is the fifth studio album by Scottish band Simple Minds. The album was released in September 1982 by record label Virgin, and was a turning point for the band as they gained critical and commercial success in the UK and Europe. It is considered one of the defining albums of the new pop movement of the early 1980s.
Junk Culture is the fifth studio album by English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), released on 30 April 1984 by Virgin Records. After the commercial disappointment of the experimental Dazzle Ships (1983), OMD and Virgin intended for the group to shift towards a more accessible sound on its follow-up release. The band retained much of their early experimental approach but embraced a wider range of influences than previously, drawing inspiration from pop, dance, Latin and black music. Frontman Andy McCluskey characterised Junk Culture as "the catchiest, poppiest album we've ever made".
Crush is the sixth studio album by English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), released on 17 June 1985 by Virgin Records. It is the first of two OMD studio albums to be produced by Stephen Hague. Aimed primarily at the US market, Crush is notable for moving the group towards a more polished sound, although elements of earlier experimentation are still present. During recording the band employed a greater use of organic instrumentation than in the past.
The Pacific Age is the seventh studio album by English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), released on 29 September 1986 by Virgin Records. It was the last of two OMD studio albums produced by Stephen Hague, after Crush (1985). The record exhibits the same refined production values as its predecessor while venturing into the realm of mid-1980s sophisti-pop, retreating further from the group's experimental beginnings.
"(Feels Like) Heaven" is a song by Scottish new wave band Fiction Factory, which was released in 1983 as the second single from their debut studio album Throw the Warped Wheel Out (1984). The track was a hit in Switzerland, reaching #2 on the singles chart. In the UK, it peaked at #6. Other chart positions include #10 in Germany, #14 in Sweden and #20 in Austria. The song is a regular feature on 1980s and new wave compilation albums.
"Locomotion" is a song by English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), released on 2 April 1984 as the lead single from their fifth studio album, Junk Culture (1984). It was one of the band's biggest European hits, charting within the Top 5 in the UK, Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands, while also peaking at No. 14 in Germany.
The discography of English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) includes 14 studio albums and 46 singles, among other releases. The group issued their debut single, "Electricity", in 1979, and achieved several international top 10 hits during the 1980s and 1990s, including their signature songs "Enola Gay" (1980) and "If You Leave" (1986). OMD's albums Architecture & Morality (1981), The Best of OMD (1988) and Sugar Tax (1991) were certified platinum or higher in the UK; the gold-certified Dazzle Ships (1983) became one of the band's more influential works.
Throw the Warped Wheel Out is the debut studio album by the Scottish new wave band Fiction Factory. It was released in 1984 and included the UK and European hit single "(Feels Like) Heaven". The album failed to chart in the UK but was more successful in Europe, reaching the charts in Switzerland, Sweden and Germany. Alan Rankine of the Associates played the Synclavier, and produced the single "All or Nothing".
Another Story is the second and final album by the Scottish band Fiction Factory. It was released in 1985. The album was a commercial failure and featured no hit singles, despite the release of three singles the same year; "Not the Only One", "No Time" and "Standing at the Top of the World".
"Ghost of Love" is the debut single by new wave band Fiction Factory which was released in 1983 and appeared on the band's 1984 debut album, Throw the Warped Wheel Out. The song was re-released as a single again in 1984 following the success of "(Feels Like) Heaven". It was the last charting single in the UK for the band, peaking at No. 64 in the UK Singles Chart. It was more successful in Germany spending 11 weeks on the singles chart, peaking at No. 49. It was written by lead singer Kevin Patterson and produced by Peter Wilson.
"All or Nothing" is a song by new wave band Fiction Factory, released in 1984 as the third and final single from the band's debut album, Throw the Warped Wheel Out. The song was written by Kevin Patterson, Eddie Jordan and Chic Medley. It was produced by Alan Rankine.
"Not the Only One" is a song by new wave band Fiction Factory, released in 1985 as the lead single from the band's second and final album, Another Story. The song was written and produced by Kevin Patterson and Chic Medley.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
