Frazier Chorus

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Frazier Chorus
Frazier Chorus.JPG
Background information
Origin Brighton, England
Genres Pop, dream pop
Years active1986–1996
Labels 4AD
Virgin
Pinkerton
Past membersTim Freeman
Kate Holmes
Chris Taplin
Michéle Allardyce
Website http://frazierchorus.co.uk

Frazier Chorus were an English pop group from Brighton, England. [1] They were known for their unconventional instrumentation, including synthesizers, trumpets, flutes and clarinets, as well as frontman Tim Freeman's "soft, heavily accented ... talk-singing" and sarcastically witty lyrics. [2]

Contents

History

Frazier Chorus was formed in Brighton, England, by Tim Freeman (the brother of actor Martin Freeman, [3] [4] on vocals and keyboards), Michéle Allardyce (percussion), Kate Holmes (flute) and Chris Taplin (clarinet, programming). [5] Original names for the band included both Clouds and Plop!, [5] but the band eventually settled on Frazier Chorus, a phrase they'd seen on a jacket for the Frazier College football team's cheerleaders in the United States. [6]

The band first signed to British indie record label 4AD [7] and released the single "Sloppy Heart" in 1987. [8] Shortly afterwards, they moved to Virgin Records and achieved chart success with a string of melodic pop songs taken from their 1989 debut album, Sue . [7] Allardyce was eventually dismissed from the band. [5]

Their second album, Ray , followed in 1991, and its singles were remixed by a number of top remixers, including Paul Oakenfold, [7] Chad Jackson and Youth. Following the album's release, the band was let go from Virgin after the label was purchased by EMI and began purging a number of its artists; subsequently, Holmes and Taplin fired Freeman before ultimately disbanding entirely. [6] Holmes later moved into electronica via the bands Sirenes, Technique, and Client.

Freeman took several years off and re-emerged in the mid-1990s, resurrecting the band name with permission from Holmes and Taplin. [6] In 1995, Freeman released a mini-album as Frazier Chorus, Wide Awake , which did not reach the UK Albums Chart. He later released Monkey Spunk , a collection of five demos recorded prior to the sessions for Wide Awake, available exclusively via the band's website. [9]

After leaving the band, Holmes became a member of the synthpop band Technique, before joining Dubstar's Sarah Blackwood in the electronic band CLIEͶT in the 2000s. [10] [11]

Discography

Studio albums

YearAlbum UK Albums
Chart
[12]
Label
1989 Sue 56 Virgin
1991 Ray 66Virgin
1995 Wide Awake -Pinkerton
"-" denotes releases that did not chart.

Singles

YearSongPeak chart positionsAlbum Label
UK Singles Chart [12] US Alternative Songs [13] US Dance/Club Play Songs [14]
1987"Sloppy Heart"---Non-album release 4AD
1988"Dream Kitchen"57-- Sue Virgin
1989"Typical!"53--
"Sloppy Heart"73--
1990"Cloud 8"521714 Ray
"Nothing"51-28
1991"Walking on Air"60--
1996"Driving"--- Wide Awake Pure
"Wide Awake"---Seedy Singles
"-" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that country.

Compilations

YearAlbum
1998 Monkey Spunk

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References

  1. "Frazier Chorus - Sue". Cherry Red Records. Archived from the original on 21 January 2011. Retrieved 17 January 2011.
  2. Sutton, Michael. "Frazier Chorus - Sue Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic . Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  3. "Frazier Chorus". 16 March 2010.
  4. "Sue".
  5. 1 2 3 Ankeny, Jason. "Frazier Chorus Biography, Songs & Albums". AllMusic . Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 Gourley, Bob (1996). "1996 Interview with Frazier Chorus". Chaos Control Digizine. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 913. ISBN   0-85112-939-0.
  8. "Frazier Chorus". 4AD. Archived from the original on 16 November 2010. Retrieved 17 January 2011.
  9. "New release from Frazier Chorus...Monkey Spunk!". Frazier Chorus. Archived from the original on 13 December 2003. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  10. "Kate Holmes - Read Her Story".
  11. "Kate Holmes starts her own fashion revolution". 16 July 2011.
  12. 1 2 "The Official Charts Company: Frazier Chorus". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 18 January 2011.
  13. "Frazier Chorus: Billboard Chart History - Alternative Songs". Prometheus Global Media . Retrieved 19 January 2011.
  14. "Frazier Chorus: Billboard Chart History - Dance/Club Play Songs". Prometheus Global Media . Retrieved 19 January 2011.