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Imagination | |
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 Imagination & others (1984) | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1981–1992 |
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| Past members |
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| Website | imaginationband |
Imagination were an English trio, who came to prominence in the early 1980s. They had hits in 28 countries, earning four platinum discs, nine gold discs, and more than a dozen silver discs around the world between 1981 and 1983. [4]
Singer/keyboardist Leee John (born 23 June 1957, Hackney, London) was working as a backing vocalist for the Delfonics, Chairmen of the Board, the Velvelettes and the Elgins [5] when he met Ashley Ingram, a guitarist/bassist (born 27 November 1960, Northampton). John and Ingram formed a songwriting partnership, resolving to start their own "slinky, sexy, and erotic" group, working in a short-lived band called Fizzz. While they were auditioning for another short-lived band, Midnight Express, they met drummer Errol Kennedy (born 9 June 1953, Montego Bay, Jamaica), who at a very young age had learned to drum in the Boys' Brigade and Air Training Corps. Kennedy was a member of the London-based soul-funk band TFB (Typical Funk Band), later known as Central Line, prior to co-founding Midnight Express.
Formed in early 1981, [5] the trio took a demo tape of a track called "Body Talk" to producers Jolley & Swain. It was released as a single in April 1981 under the group name "Imagination", which the group chose as a tribute to John Lennon. [6] The track reached number 4 in the UK Singles Chart in July 1981, selling 250,000 copies in the UK and spending 18 weeks in the Top 50. They had two more hit singles that year, "In and Out of Love" (September 1981) and "Flashback" (November 1981), both of which peaked at number 16, all from their debut album, also called Body Talk .
Their biggest hit, "Just an Illusion", peaked at number two in March 1982 ("Just an Illusion" would later be used as the end title song to the 1986 film, F/X ), followed by "Music and Lights" (number five in June), "In the Heat of the Night" (number 22 in September, also the name of their second album), and "Changes" (number 31 in December). [7] This was accompanied by a sell-out concert tour of Europe, with 22 dates in the UK. The trio frequently appeared on BBC Television's Top of the Pops , and other pop music television programmes, with a distinctive exotic style, reminiscent of Roman senators, harem orderlies and slaves. John made a guest appearance on Doctor Who in 1983. They were also known for their esoteric album sleeve notes.
Following this, the success of the group in the UK waned, but they continued to perform, tour and record with nine further singles charting in the UK top 100 between 1984 and 1989, though apart from Thank You My Love none of these broke into the top 40 . [5] In 1987, they were signed to RCA Records, but by the end of that year Ingram and Kennedy left the band. John with new members, Nat Augustin and Peter Royer, continued and recorded a last album, The Fascination of the Physical, in 1992 which produced no charting singles. The band split up the same year.
John went back to acting, but re-surfaced as a singer in the reality television show Reborn in the USA . Ingram also enjoyed success as a songwriter for Des'ree.
Simple Minds are a Scottish rock band formed in Glasgow in 1977, becoming best known internationally for their song "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), and the UK number one single "Belfast Child" (1989).
The Fatback Band is an American funk and disco band that was popular in the 1970s and 1980s. The Fatback Band is most known for their R&B hits: "(Do the) Spanish Hustle", "I Like Girls", "Gotta Get My Hands on Some (Money)", "Backstrokin'" and "I Found Lovin'".
Tom Tom Club is an American new wave band founded in 1981 by husband-and-wife team Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth and as a side project from Talking Heads. Their best known songs include the UK top 10 hit "Wordy Rappinghood" and the US top 40 hit "Genius of Love", both from their 1981 debut album, and a cover of The Drifters' "Under the Boardwalk" that reached the UK top 30.
Steven Nicholas Jolley and Tony Swain were a successful songwriting and record production duo in the United Kingdom in the early to mid-1980s, producing some of the top artists and songs of the era.
Freeez were an English electronic music group, initially known as one of the UK's main jazz-funk bands of the early 1980s before transitioning to an electro style. Initiated by John Rocca, Freeez consisted of various musicians, originally with Rocca and others such as Andy Stennett (keyboards), Peter Maas and Paul Morgan or Everton McCalla (drums). They had an international hit with "IOU", and a UK top 10 with "Southern Freeez".
Owen Paul is a Scottish singer best known in the UK for his 1986 No. 3 hit single, "My Favourite Waste of Time", a cover version of a song that was originally written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Marshall Crenshaw. After releasing a couple of singles and the album As It Is, he had a falling-out with his record label, resulting in him leaving the music industry for 15 years.
Leslie McGregor "Leee" John is an English musician, singer and actor of St Lucian descent. He rose to fame as the lead singer of the soul band Imagination, which had three UK top 10 hits in the early 1980s. He is known for his falsetto voice and his flamboyant sense of fashion and outfits.
Blackfoot Sue was a British pop / rock band, formed in 1970 by twin brothers Tom and David Farmer and Eddie Golga. A single released in August 1972, "Standing in the Road" on the Jam label No. JAM 13, reached number 4 on the UK Singles Chart. Lack of further tangible success left them labelled as one-hit wonders. However, they did have another record enter the UK Singles Chart. "Sing Don't Speak" reached number 36 in December 1972. In November 1972, they appeared on the German television programme, Disco. Further unsuccessful singles appeared on the DJM Records and MCA labels. According to AllMusic, "they were written off as a teen sensation and broke up in 1977".
Sons and Fascination/Sister Feelings Call is the (double-LP) fourth album by Scottish post-punk band Simple Minds. It was released in September 1981 and was their first to reach a wide international audience. It includes the singles "The American", "Love Song" and "Sweat in Bullet".
Central Line was an R&B and soul band from London, England. They recorded two albums with Mercury in the 1980s and had two hit singles in the United States, as well as one Top 40 hit in their native country.
"Changes" is the eighth single by the British soul and post-disco band Imagination, released by R & B Records in 1982 in the United Kingdom and by MCA Records in 1983 in the United States. The song was produced and arranged by Tony Swain and Steve Jolley.
Body Talk is the debut album by British soul/dance group Imagination, produced by Steve Jolley and Tony Swain and released in October 1981. It is one of the earliest albums of its genre to have a distinctive 'British' sound as opposed to being an attempt to recreate contemporary American styles.
In the Heat of the Night is the second album by British soul/dance group Imagination, produced by Steve Jolley and Tony Swain and released in 1982.
Scandalous is the third album by British soul/dance group Imagination, produced by Steve Jolley and Tony Swain and released in November 1983. In the US and Canada, the album was issued under title New Dimension in February 1984.
The Real Thing are a British soul group formed in the 1970s. The band charted internationally with their song "You to Me Are Everything", which reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart. They also had successes with a string of British hits such as "Can't Get By Without You" and "Can You Feel the Force?". They returned to mainstream success in 1986 with the Decade Remix of "You to Me Are Everything". By number of sales, they were the most successful black rock/soul act in England during the 1970s. The journalist, author and founder of Mojo magazine Paul Du Noyer credits them alongside Deaf School with restoring "Liverpool's musical reputation in the 1970s" with their success.
"Just an Illusion" is a song by the British trio Imagination. Co-written by Steve Jolley, Tony Swain, Ashley Ingram and Leee John, the song was a major European hit, peaking at number 2 in the group's native UK. In the United States, "Just an Illusion" went to number 27 on the Black chart. The song also peaked at number 15 on the dance charts.
"Promised You a Miracle" is a 1982 song by Scottish band Simple Minds and was released as the first single from their fifth studio album New Gold Dream (81–82–83–84). It was the band's first chart hit in the UK, reaching #13 in the UK Singles Chart and charting for 11 weeks. Their previous nine UK singles yielded no Top 40 hits in that country although some had sold well in Scotland.
"Burnin' Up" is a 1982 song recorded by British post-disco/soul trio Imagination, published by R&B Records in UK and MCA Records in the United States. "Burnin' Up" was composed by Leee John, Ashley Ingram and the Jolley & Swain duo. The song appears on their debut album titled Body Talk.
Errol Kennedy is a Jamaican-British musician, songwriter, composer, producer and original member of the British soul, funk and pop band Imagination.
"Body Talk" is the debut single by English trio Imagination, taken from their debut studio album, Body Talk (1981). It is their second biggest single on the UK Singles Chart, reaching a peak of number four, just behind their 1982 hits "Just an Illusion" (#2), but just ahead of "Music and Lights" (#5).
the U.K.-rooted John is best known to dance enthusiasts as the leader of famed post-disco trio Imagination
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