It's Immaterial

Last updated

It's Immaterial
Origin Liverpool, England
Genres New wave, indie pop
Years active1980–present [1]
LabelsHit Machine, Inevitable, L.H.M., Eternal, Ark, Siren, Virgin
MembersJohn Campbell
Jarvis Whitehead
Past membersPaul Barlow
Martin Dempsey
Henry Priestman

It's Immaterial are an English indie pop band from Liverpool, England, formed in 1980. They are best known for their 1986 single "Driving Away from Home (Jim's Tune)", which reached number 18 on the UK Singles Chart. [2]

Contents

Career

It's Immaterial were formed by three former members of Yachts – Mancunian John Campbell (vocals), Martin Dempsey (guitar), and Henry Priestman (keyboards) – in addition to Paul Barlow (drums). By 1984, the band had been reduced to a duo – Campbell and Jarvis Whitehead, on guitar and keyboards, who joined in 1982. [3]

On 11 November 1981, around the time of the release of the band’s third single, It's Immaterial recorded the first of four sessions for John Peel at BBC Radio 1. The track listing was "A Gigantic Raft (In the Philippines)", "Imitate the Worm", "White Man's Hut", and "Rake". [4] "A Gigantic Raft" was featured on the soundtrack of Jonathan Demme's 2004 The Manchurian Candidate .

In April 1985, the band recorded their fourth and final John Peel session, with the tracks: "Rope", "Hang On Sleepy Town", "Space" and "Festival Time". In the same month, the band's Fish Waltz EP reached number 30 on the UK Indie Chart. [5]

Less than a year later the band had a hit single with "Driving Away from Home (Jim's Tune)". [6] This song was their biggest hit and has since featured widely on television advertisements and on 1980s-based compilation albums.[ citation needed ]

Another minor hit followed, "Ed's Funky Diner (Friday Night, Saturday Morning)", with accompanying video, before the release of the band's debut album, Life's Hard and Then You Die , in September 1986. [7] [8]

In 1990, they released their second album Song . As before, the music was of a subdued, understated nature, with wry wit in the manner of an indie Pet Shop Boys. [9] The album was a commercial flop, despite receiving positive reviews in the music press. The album was produced by Calum Malcolm, best known for his work with Glasgow band the Blue Nile. In the same year as Song, former It's Immaterial keyboard player Henry Priestman had a UK number one album The Christians with the band of the same name.

In 1993, the band started to work on a new album which remained uncompleted for many years. [10] Since 2010 some unreleased songs from the album have appeared on different internet music channels: "Just North of Here", "New Moon", "Is It Alright (Between Us)", "House for Sale" and "How Can I Tell You".[ citation needed ]

A deluxe edition of their album Life's Hard and Then You Die was released on 1 July 2016. The double-CD issue contains the original album remastered plus bonus tracks of single versions, B-sides, remixes and one of the group's John Peel sessions. [11]

On 23 September 2016, the group launched the campaign to produce and release their "lost and found" album House for Sale via Pledge Music. The pledge target was reached, although an initial tentative release date of spring 2017 was later postponed to early 2018. [12] The album was finally released on 18 September 2020, through Burning Shed Distribution. [13]

Discography

Studio albums

YearTitleChart positions
UK
[14]
AUS [15]
1986 Life's Hard and Then You Die
  • Label: Siren
62100
1990 Song
  • Label: Siren
2020House for Sale
  • Label: Burning Shed

Singles and EPs

YearTitleChart positions
UK
[14]
1980"Young Man (Seeks Interesting Job)"

"Doosha (A Success Story)"

  • Label: Hit Machine
1981"A Gigantic Raft (In the Philippines)" [16]

"No Place for a Prompter"

  • Label: Inevitable
"Imitate the Worm"

"The Worm Turns"

  • Label: L.H.M
1982"A Gigantic Raft (In the Philippines)"
  • Label: Wonderful World
1983"White Man's Hut"

"The Worm Turns"

"Solid Piles of Food"

  • Label: Eternal
1984"A Gigantic Raft (In the Philippines)"

"The Mermaid"

  • Label: Eternal
1985Fish Waltz (EP)

"The Better Idea (Push the Boat Out)"

"Several Brothers"

"Lullaby"

"Fish Waltz"

  • Label: Ark
"Ed's Funky Diner"
  • Label: Siren
-
1986"Driving Away from Home (Jim's Tune)"
  • Label: Siren
18
"Ed's Funky Diner (Friday Night, Saturday Morning)"
  • Label: Siren
65
"Space"
  • Label: Siren
1987"Rope"
  • Label: Siren
1988Driving Away from Home (CD EP)
1990"Heaven Knows"
  • Label: Siren

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Echo & the Bunnymen</span> English rock band

Echo & the Bunnymen are an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1978. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bassist Les Pattinson. By 1980, Pete de Freitas joined as the band's drummer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China Crisis</span> English new wave and synth-pop band

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Christians (band)</span> British musical ensemble

The Christians are a musical ensemble from Liverpool, England. They had the highest selling debut album of any artist at Island Records and international chart hits in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Modern English are an English new wave/post-punk band formed in 1979 in Colchester, Essex, England. They are best known for their songs "I Melt with You", "Hands Across the Sea", and "Ink and Paper". The group disbanded in 1987, only to re-form two years later and then disband again in 1991. They reunited once again in 1995 and have continued in various lineups since that time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camera Obscura (band)</span> Scottish indie pop band

Camera Obscura are a Scottish indie pop band from Glasgow. The group formed in 1996, and have released six studio albums to date. Led by primary singer and songwriter Tracyanne Campbell, the band consists of guitarist/vocalist Kenny McKeeve, bassist Gavin Dunbar, and drummer Lee Thomson. Following the death of long-serving keyboardist Carey Lander, the band went on hiatus from 2015 to 2018. After reuniting in 2019 and adding Donna Maciocia as a permanent member, Camera Obscura released their first new album in 11 years, Look to the East, Look to the West, to critical acclaim.

Ooberman were an English band first formed in 1997 in Liverpool, England. The band released their debut album The Magic Treehouse in 1999. They split up in 2003, shortly after the release of their second album Hey Petrunko, but reformed in 2006 and released their third album Carried Away the same year. Six of their singles have charted on the UK singles chart, with "Blossoms Falling" (1999) peaking at #39.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pete Wylie</span> English singer/songwriter and guitarist

Peter James Wylie is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist, best known as the leader of the band variously known as Wah!, Wah! Heat, Shambeko! Say Wah!, JF Wah!, The Mighty Wah! and Wah! The Mongrel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Lotus Eaters (band)</span> British band

The Lotus Eaters are an English new wave band formed in 1981 in Liverpool. Their debut single, "The First Picture of You", became a hit in the UK and in continental Europe, notably France, Italy, Belgium and Spain.

The Wild Swans are a post-punk band from Liverpool, England, formed in 1980 shortly after Paul Simpson left The Teardrop Explodes. The band's personnel has been subject to regular turnover, with vocalist Simpson being the only constant member.

A Witness are an English post-punk/indie rock band, who were originally active in the mid-1980s alternative music scene. Their first EP Loudhailer Songs and début album I am John's Pancreas brought them to the attention of BBC Radio 1 disc jockey John Peel, for whom they recorded four sessions. Their career was brought to a halt with the death of guitarist Rick Aitken in 1989. Founder member and songwriter Vince Hunt revived the band with a new line-up for a series of UK-wide dates in 2014 marking the 25th anniversary of Aitken's death, and the band continues to play live.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yachts (band)</span> British power pop/new wave band

Yachts were a British power pop/new wave band, best remembered for their 1977 single "Suffice to Say" and the minor new wave classic "Love You, Love You".

The Room were a new wave band from Liverpool formed in late 1979. They released three albums and several singles before breaking up in 1985. Two of the band members went on to form Benny Profane, Dust, and Dead Cowboys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ginger Wildheart</span> British rock musician

Ginger Wildheart, sometimes known simply as Ginger, is an English rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career as a guitarist in The Quireboys, but is best known as the founder and leader of The Wildhearts. In addition, he has released numerous solo albums and has been involved in many other musical projects.

Henry Christian Priestman is an English rock singer, keyboardist, record producer and songwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cud (band)</span> British indie rock band

Cud are an English indie rock band formed in Leeds in 1987. The original line-up included vocalist Carl Puttnam, guitarist/keyboardist Mike Dunphy, bassist William Potter and drummer Steve Goodwin.

Intastella were an English alternative rock band from Manchester, England, who evolved from the earlier band Laugh. They had four top-75 hits in the UK during the 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pink Military</span> British post-punk band

Pink Military were a post-punk band from Liverpool. Led by former Big in Japan singer Jayne Casey, other band members included former Deaf School drummer Tim Whitaker, guitarist Martin Dempsey who also played in Yachts and It's Immaterial and drummers Chris Joyce and Budgie.

<i>Song</i> (Its Immaterial album) 1990 studio album by Its Immaterial

Song is the second album by English pop act It's Immaterial, released in June 1990 by Siren Records. Reduced to a duo of John Campbell and Jarvis Whitehead, It's Immaterial recorded the album with producer Calum Malcolm in his Castlesound studios in Pencaitland, Scotland, having chosen him for his keyboard skills and work with the Blue Nile. With Malcolm, the duo spent a lengthy time recording the record with meticulous sessions that incorporated extensive homemade sampling, including some samples recorded outdoors.

<i>Lifes Hard and Then You Die</i> 1986 album by Its Immaterial

Life's Hard and Then You Die is the debut album by the British band It's Immaterial, released in September 1986. The album was released several months after the single "Driving Away from Home " reached the top twenty on the UK Singles Chart, and spent three weeks on the UK Albums Chart, peaking at number 62.

References

  1. "It's Immaterial: New Album: House for Sale on PledgeMusic". Pledgemusic.com. Archived from the original on 11 May 2017.
  2. "Retrochart for Late April 1986 - everyHit.com". Retrocharts.com. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  3. Strong, Martin C.:The Great Alternative & Indie Discography, 1999, Canongate, ISBN   0-86241-913-1
  4. "Radio 1 – Keeping It Peel – Sessions: It's Immaterial Session 1". BBC. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
  5. "Indie Hits". Archived from the original on 23 September 2006. Retrieved 29 November 2007.
  6. "John Campbell puts his foot down on the pedal – ever so gently – to cruise out along the M62. A Mini-Midwestern road movie transported to Liverpool" – Du Noyer, C. (2002) Liverpool – Wondrous Place: From the Cavern to the Capital of Culture, Virgin Books, London, p. 264; ISBN   978-0753508404
  7. It's Immaterial – Ed's Funky Diner on YouTube
  8. "Life's Hard and then You die - It's Immaterial... | AllMusic". AllMusic .
  9. Larkin, C. (2003) The Virgin Encyclodepia of 80's Music, Muze, London, p. 264, ISBN   978-1852279691
  10. 'We got there!' Cult pop band It's Immaterial back after 27 years The Guardian 15 September 2020
  11. "It's Immaterial / Life's Hard and Then You Die reissue track listing revealed". superdeluxeedition.com. 4 June 2016. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  12. "It's Immaterial". pledgemusic.com. Archived from the original on 8 October 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
  13. "House for Sale". Burningshed.com. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  14. 1 2 "IT'S IMMATERIAL | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  15. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 150. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  16. "45cat – It's Immaterial – A Gigantic Raft In The Philippines / No Place For A Prompter – Inevitable – UK – INEV 009".