Norman Quentin Cook,also known by his stage name Fatboy Slim,is an English musician,DJ,and record producer who helped to popularise the big beat genre in the 1990s. In the 1980s,Cook was the bassist for the Hull-based indie rock band the Housemartins,who achieved a UK number-one single with their a cappella cover of "Caravan of Love". After the Housemartins split up,Cook formed the electronic band Beats International in Brighton,who produced the number-one single "Dub Be Good to Me". He then played in Freak Power,Pizzaman,and the Mighty Dub Katz with moderate success.
Tears for Fears are a British pop rock band formed in Bath in 1981 by Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal. Founded after the dissolution of their first band,the mod-influenced Graduate,Tears for Fears were associated with the new wave synthesizer bands of the 1980s,and attained international chart success as part of the Second British Invasion.
The Beautiful South were an English pop rock group formed in 1988 by Paul Heaton and Dave Hemingway,two former members of the Hull group the Housemartins,both of whom performed lead and backing vocals. Other members throughout the band's existence were former Housemartins roadie Sean Welch (bass),Dave Stead (drums) and Dave Rotheray (guitar). The band's original material was written by Heaton and Rotheray.
Paul David Heaton is an English singer-songwriter. He was the frontman of the Housemartins,who had success with the singles "Happy Hour" and the UK number one "Caravan of Love" in 1986 before disbanding in 1988. He then formed The Beautiful South,whose debut single and album were released in 1989 to commercial success. They had a series of hits throughout the 1990s,including the number-one single "A Little Time". They disbanded in 2007. He subsequently pursued a solo career,which produced three albums,and in 2014 he released What Have We Become?,a collaboration with former Beautiful South vocalist Jacqui Abbott. As of 2022,he has recorded four more albums with her:Wisdom,Laughter and Lines in 2015,Crooked Calypso in 2017,Manchester Calling in 2020 and N.K-Pop in 2022.
The Housemartins were an English indie rock group formed in Hull who were active in the 1980s and charted three top-ten albums and six top-twenty singles in the UK. Many of their lyrics conveyed a mixture of socialist politics and Christianity,reflecting the beliefs of the band. The group's a cappella cover version of "Caravan of Love" was a UK number one single in December 1986.
London 0 Hull 4 is the debut album by The Housemartins,released in June 1986. It contains the singles "Flag Day","Sheep","Happy Hour" and "Think for a Minute".
0898 Beautiful South,also referred to as 0898,is the third studio album by English band the Beautiful South. After the success of their previous work over 1989–1991,the band hired prolific record producer Jon Kelly and recorded the album at AIR Studios in London. The album contains a more "muscular" yet sometimes more sombre sound than their previous albums,although still entirely retains lyricist Paul Heaton's witty and bitter lyrical style. The album "deals in fragile melodies and harmonies,soulful but low-key instrumentation,and lyrics full of subtle social commentary and humour." The album title refers to the 0898 premium rate dialling code associated with sex hotlines in the UK at the time.
Miaow is the fourth album by English pop rock group the Beautiful South. It was released in 1994 via GO! Discs. As with most Beautiful South albums,the songs were written by Dave Rotheray and Paul Heaton. The cover originally depicted numerous dogs seated in a music hall with a gramophone on the stage. However,HMV made the band withdraw it as it mocked their trademark dog,and the band put out a second cover depicting four dogs in a boat. Both paintings were created by Michael Sowa.
Carry On Up the Charts:The Best of the Beautiful South is an album by English Alternative rock band The Beautiful South. It is the group's fifth album and their first greatest hits collection. It was a major commercial success,reaching number one in the UK Albums Chart and going on to become the second biggest selling album of 1994.
Quench is the Beautiful South's sixth original album,released in the UK on 12 October 1998. Including the compilation Carry On Up The Charts,it was the band's third album in a row to reach the top of the charts.
Solid Bronze:Great Hits is The Beautiful South's ninth album and second greatest hits compilation. It was released in November 2001 and contains 19 tracks. The album contains two songs that were released between Carry on up the Charts and Blue Is the Colour,and never made it onto any album.
Gaze is the eighth studio album by the rock band The Beautiful South. It was released in 2003 on Mercury Records. The release was accompanied by the Gaze With The Beautiful South tour. This was also the band debut for Allison Wheeler who replaced the departing Jacqui Abbott. All songs were written by Paul Heaton and Dave Rotheray.
"How Long's a Tear Take to Dry?" is a single by British pop rock group the Beautiful South from their sixth album,Quench (1998). It was written by Paul Heaton and Dave Rotheray. The lyrics,which take the form of a conversation between two reconciling lovers,are noted for a reference to the TARDIS from Doctor Who. According to the book Last Orders at the Liars Bar:the Official Story of the Beautiful South,"How Long's a Tear Take to Dry?" was originally to be called "She Bangs the Buns" due to its chord structure reminiscent of Manchester's the Stone Roses. The song reached number 12 on the UK Singles Chart,becoming the band's 12th and final top-20 hit.
"Everybody Wants to Rule the World" is a song by English pop rock band Tears for Fears from their second studio album Songs from the Big Chair (1985). It was written by Roland Orzabal,Ian Stanley,and Chris Hughes and produced by Hughes. It was released on 22 March 1985 by Phonogram,Mercury,and Vertigo Records as the third single from the album. "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" is a new wave and synth-pop song with lyrics that detail the desire humans have for control and power and centre on themes of corruption.
"Perfect 10" is a song by English pop rock band the Beautiful South,released on 21 September 1998 as the first single from their sixth studio album,Quench (1998). It debuted at number two on the UK Singles Chart,selling 89,000 copies during its first week of release,and is the band's last UK top-10 single to date. It received a platinum certification from the British Phonographic Industry in 2021 for sales and streams exceeding 600,000 units.
"Caravan of Love" is a 1985 R&B hit originally recorded by Isley-Jasper-Isley,the second half of the Isley Brothers' 3 + 3 lineup of the 1970s.
"Song for Whoever" is a song by English music group the Beautiful South,written by band members Paul Heaton and David Rotheray. The first and highest-charting single from their debut album,Welcome to the Beautiful South,it peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart in July 1989 and was certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). Considered typical of the band's gently subversive,self-reflexive signature style,it is sung from the point of view of a cynical songwriter who romances women solely to get material for love songs.
"Happy Hour" is a 1986 single by British indie rock band The Housemartins. It was the third single from the album London 0 Hull 4 and reached number three in the UK Singles Chart. Vocalist Paul Heaton had been working on the lyrics for some time,with the song originally being called "French England". It was completed on 22 January 1986,the same day "Me and the Farmer" was written. Guitarist Stan Cullimore had a chord progression planned for the verses,but wanted to finish the song quickly in order to go and buy some cakes,so he reused the same chords for the chorus and a quick demo was recorded,the whole process taking less than ten minutes.
Paramore is the fourth studio album by American rock band Paramore. It was released on April 5,2013,through Fueled by Ramen as a follow-up to Brand New Eyes (2009). Recorded between April and November 2012,the album was described by the band as being a "statement" and a reintroduction of the band to the world and to themselves. It is the first album without guitarist Josh Farro,the only album without drummer Zac Farro and the final album with bassist Jeremy Davis before his departure in 2015.
The discography of Paul Heaton,a solo artist previously a member of The Housemartins and The Beautiful South,consists of nine studio albums. Paul Heaton's first solo release was "Mitch",released under the banner of Biscuit Boy.
