The Fixx

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The Fixx
The Fixx a Hambourg.jpg
The Fixx performing in Hamburg, 2012
Background information
Also known asPortraits (1979–1980) The Fix x(1980-1981)
Origin London, England
Genres
Years active1979–present
Labels MCA, RCA, Kirtland
Members Cy Curnin
Adam Woods
Rupert Greenall
Jamie West-Oram
Dan K. Brown
Past membersTony McGrail
Russell Mckenzie
Charlie Barrett
Alfie Agius
Website Official website

The Fixx are a rock band from London, England, founded in 1979. The band's hits include "One Thing Leads to Another", "Saved by Zero", "Are We Ourselves?", and "Secret Separation", each of which charted in the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100, as well as Mainstream Rock chart hits "Red Skies", "Stand or Fall", "Driven Out" and "Deeper and Deeper", which was featured on the soundtrack of the 1984 film Streets of Fire .

Contents

Early years as Portraits and The Fix (1979–1981)

College friends Cy Curnin on vocals and Adam Woods on drums formed the group in London in 1979, initially calling themselves Portraits. [1] The pair placed an ad for additional members, and recruited keyboardist Rupert Greenall, guitarist Tony McGrail and bassist Russell Mckenzie, the last of whom was later replaced by Charlie Barrett. [2] Portraits issued two singles for Ariola Records: "Little Women" (1979), and "Hazards In The Home" (1980). [3]

Later in 1980, McGrail left. At this point, the band added guitarist Jamie West-Oram (formerly of Phillip Rambow's band) and changed their name to The Fix. [1] This version of the band recorded for 101 Records, releasing their first single ("Lost Planes") in February 1981. [2] This track, along with several live tracks issued by 101 on various compilations, received some radio exposure on the BBC. In these early days, West-Oram was billed simply as 'Jamie West'.

The Fix's raised profile eventually led to the group being offered a contract by MCA Records. [3] Worried about the potential drug-user implication of the band's name, MCA insisted on a name change before signing them to the label. [4] A compromise was reached as the band altered the spelling of their name to The Fixx, and a deal was duly signed.

MCA and RCA years (1982–1991)

Barrett left The Fixx just after the recording of their first album, Shuttered Room , in 1982. [2] This album featured the band's initial hits, "Stand or Fall" and "Red Skies", both of which charted in the US and the UK. The band found particular success in Canada, where "Stand or Fall" reached No. 37. "Stand or Fall" entered the charts in the US on 30 October 1982.

Barrett was replaced on bass by Alfie Agius for the Shuttered Room tour. Agius' stay in the band was short-lived, though, as he left during the 1983 recording of their next album Reach the Beach , after having recorded four tracks. Agius is credited as co-writer on all the album's tracks, but the group for this album was officially credited as a quartet (Curnin, Greenall, West-Oram and Woods). Agius went on to briefly tour with the hard rock/heavy metal band Fastway that same year.

Reach the Beach , produced by star producer Rupert Hine, became the group's most commercially successful album and was certified Platinum by the RIAA on 5 January 1984. [2] Agius' bass work is featured on the album's first two singles "Saved by Zero" and "One Thing Leads to Another." [5] Both these singles cracked the US top 40, and "One Thing Leads To Another" became the band's biggest-ever hit (No. 1 Canada, No. 4 US). It was during these sessions that bassist Dan K. Brown joined the band. [2] Brown played bass on the third top 40 single from the album, "The Sign Of Fire" and continued with the band on its subsequent tour. Brown became a full member of the band thereafter.

Curnin and West-Oram played on "I Might Have Been Queen" and "Better Be Good To Me" by Tina Turner on her 1984 album Private Dancer . [1]

The 1984 album Phantoms contained the hits "Are We Ourselves?" (#29 Can.), the first video in which a mobile phone ever appeared (a modified Motorola KR999), and "Sunshine In The Shade." Another single, "Deeper And Deeper," was initially released as the B-side of "Are We Ourselves?" (and also appeared in an edited version on the soundtrack for the film Streets of Fire ) as well as on the extended 12" version of "Less Cities, More Moving People" in the UK. [2] This track received substantial airplay on U.S. and Canadian modern rock radio stations.

In 1985 the Fixx recorded the song "A Letter to Both Sides" for the soundtrack of the film Fletch . In 1986, they released their fourth album, Walkabout , featuring "Secret Separation" (No. 1 on Billboard Magazine's "Album Rock" chart, No. 49 in Canada) and "Built for the Future." The 1987 album React , was a compilation of both live and new studio material, after which the band would depart MCA Records.

In 1989, the Fixx released their first album in nearly three years and only release on RCA Records, Calm Animals , which contained another hit "Driven Out" (another No. 1 on Billboard's "Album Rock" chart).

The band signed to Impact (Distributed by MCA) for their next album, 1991's Ink . The album featured "How Much Is Enough?" (No. 27 Canada, No. 35 US).

Recent years (1992–present)

Dan K. Brown took a hiatus from the band in 1994. He was not officially replaced, and the band used session musicians on bass in his stead, with Chris Tait playing bass on most recordings and live shows from 1995 through the early 2000s. The four-man line-up (with contributions from Tait and other sessioneers) recorded 1998's Elemental, as well as the 1999 album 1011 Woodland, on which they re-recorded a selection of previous hits and album tracks.

In 2002, the Fixx performed Nancy Sinatra's 1960s classic "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" for an album of cover versions of songs from the 1960s to 1990s called When Pigs Fly.

In 2003, the band released their ninth studio album, Want That Life. Gary Tibbs (formerly a member of Roxy Music, The Vibrators and Adam and the Ants) played bass for this album. [3]

Long-time bassist Dan K. Brown rejoined the band in 2008, replacing Tibbs. They celebrated 25 years of making music together, with the release of the double-CD Twenty-fifth Anniversary Anthology compilation.

With the classic lineup back intact, the Fixx released their 10th studio album, Beautiful Friction, on 17 July 2012. The Fixx regularly tour the world.

On 5 November 2021, The Fixx announced on their website a new single called "Wake Up". The song also featured on their most recent album, Every Five Seconds, released 3 June 2022. "Woman of Flesh and Blood" and "Closer" are two more singles from the album. [6]

On 10 November 2023 the band released a newly-recorded single "Winter's Time" backed with "Someone Like You" a track recorded initially during the Every Five Seconds sessions.

Members

Discography

Related Research Articles

<i>Shuttered Room</i> 1982 studio album by the Fixx

Shuttered Room is the debut studio album by the British band the Fixx, released on 14 May 1982.

<i>Reach the Beach</i> 1983 studio album by the Fixx

Reach the Beach is the second studio album by English new wave band the Fixx, released in May 1983 by MCA Records. It was the group's most successful studio album, reaching No. 8 on the Billboard albums chart and eventually selling two million copies in the United States alone. The album was certified Platinum by the RIAA. It was certified platinum in Canada in November 1983. The album's cover art was provided by George Underwood, who went on to illustrate future Fixx releases including Phantoms (1984), Calm Animals (1989), and Beautiful Friction (2012).

<i>Phantoms</i> (The Fixx album) 1984 studio album by the Fixx

Phantoms is the third studio album by the English new wave band the Fixx, released in 1984 by MCA Records.

<i>Walkabout</i> (The Fixx album) 1986 studio album by the Fixx

Walkabout is the fourth studio album by the English new wave band the Fixx, released in 1986. The first single, "Secret Separation", spent two weeks atop the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart in July 1986; it was the band's second No. 1 single on the chart.

<i>React</i> (The Fixx album) 1987 live album by the Fixx

React is the first official live album, and fifth album overall, by British new wave band the Fixx, released in 1987. It was recorded during three concerts in Canada in 1986 in the band's tour in support of their album Walkabout. The album contains three new studio tracks: "Big Wall", "Rules and Schemes", and "Don't Be Scared", which was released as a single. Also included is a re-recorded studio version of "Red Skies".

<i>Calm Animals</i> 1989 studio album by the Fixx

Calm Animals is the fifth studio album by British band the Fixx, released on February 7, 1989. The single "Driven Out" gave them a No. 1 song on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in early 1989, and reached No. 55 on the Billboard Hot 100. The single "Precious Stone" reached the top 25 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart later that year. Calm Animals was the Fixx's only album to be released on RCA Records.

<i>Ink</i> (The Fixx album) 1991 studio album by British band The Fixx

Ink is the sixth studio album by British new wave band the Fixx, released in 1991.

<i>Elemental</i> (The Fixx album) 1998 studio album by the Fixx

Elemental is the seventh studio album by British new wave band the Fixx, released in 1998.

<i>1011 Woodland</i> 1999 studio album by the Fixx

1011 Woodland is the eighth studio album by British new wave band the Fixx, released in 1999. All but the last three tracks are re-recordings of previous songs done by the band, largely in an acoustic and modern form. The final three tracks are live recordings.

<i>Want That Life</i> 2003 studio album by the Fixx

Want That Life is the ninth studio album by British new wave band the Fixx, released in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One Thing Leads to Another</span> 1983 single by the Fixx

"One Thing Leads to Another" is a song by English new wave band the Fixx, from their album Reach the Beach. It is one of the band's most successful singles, reaching number four on the US Billboard Hot 100 in November 1983. It also peaked at number two on the Billboard Rock Top Tracks chart and became a number-one hit in Canada. Vocalist Cy Curnin has described the song as an indictment of dishonest politicians.

Gary Tibbs is a bass guitarist and actor. He is best known as a member of Adam and the Ants and for his work with Roxy Music. He appeared alongside Hazel O'Connor in the film Breaking Glass (1980) as bass guitarist Dave.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Better Be Good to Me</span> 1984 single by Tina Turner

"Better Be Good to Me" is a song written by Mike Chapman, Holly Knight, and Nicky Chinn, recorded by singer Tina Turner for her solo studio album Private Dancer (1984) and released as a single in early September 1984. The song was originally recorded and released in 1981 by Spider, a band from New York City that featured co-writer Knight as a member. Turner's version was successful in the United States and peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 6 on the then-Hot Black Singles charts. At the 27th Annual Grammy Awards in 1985, it won Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female, one of four Grammys awarded to Turner's Private Dancer album at that ceremony. The song was also included on the Miami Vice soundtrack, and the 2024 Paramount Pictures film IF, during which the main characters sing and dance to the track inside the official music video.

<i>Rockstar Mentality</i> 2007 studio album by Shop Boyz

Rockstar Mentality is the only studio album by American Southern rap rock group Shop Boyz. It was released on June 19, 2007 through Universal Republic Records. Production was handled by Jason Pittman, Jim Jonsin, Ron "Neff-U" Feemster, Cal Rip, David Banner, Richard Harris III, and The Original Dream Team, with Billy Hume serving as an additional producer on two tracks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cy Curnin</span> Musical artist

Cyril John Curnin is an English singer-songwriter who serves as the lead vocalist for the new wave band, the Fixx. He has released five solo albums: Mayfly (2005), The Returning Sun (2007), Solar Minimum (2009), The Horse's Mouth (2013) and Lockdown (2020). His Cinema for the Blind EP (2012) explored ambient music, containing no vocals.

<i>Happy Landings and Lost Tracks</i> 2001 compilation album by the Fixx

Happy Landings and Lost Tracks is a compilation album by the Fixx released on 11 December 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saved by Zero</span> 1983 single by the Fixx

"Saved by Zero" is a song by English new wave band the Fixx. Released in 1983, it was the lead single off their second studio album, Reach the Beach, and is one of the group's best known hits. Their signature song is the follow-up single "One Thing Leads to Another".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Skies</span> 1982 single by the Fixx

"Red Skies" is a song by new wave/rock band the Fixx. Released in 1982, it was the third single from the group's debut album, Shuttered Room. It reached number 13 on Billboard's Album Rock Tracks but peaked at number one on Billboard's Bubbling Under the Hot 100 chart in early 1983.

<i>Beautiful Friction</i> 2012 studio album by the Fixx

Beautiful Friction is the tenth studio album by British New Wave band the Fixx, released on 17 July 2012. It marks the return of longtime bassist Dan K. Brown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stand or Fall</span> 1982 single by the Fixx

"Stand or Fall" is a song by new wave/rock band the Fixx. Released in 1982, it was the third of four single releases from the group's debut album, Shuttered Room.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Dutton, Earle (14 July 2014). "Interview with Cy Curnin of The Fixx". Equality365.com. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Colin Larkin, ed. (2003). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music (Third ed.). Virgin Books. p. 196. ISBN   1-85227-969-9.
  3. 1 2 3 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Fixx | Biography, Albums, Streaming Links". AllMusic . Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  4. ↑ James, Gary. "Gary James' Interview With Cy Curnin Of The Fixx". Classicbands.com. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  5. ↑ Mann, Brent (2005). Blinded By the Lyrics. New York, NY: Citadel Press Books
  6. ↑ Mark, Professor (10 July 2022). "The Fixx – "Every Five Seconds" | Progressive Rock Central.com" . Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  7. ↑ "The Fixx Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
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