The Snowmen | |
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Genres | Novelty/children |
Years active | 1981–87 |
Labels | Stiff Records |
Past members |
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The Snowmen was a novelty band created by Stiff Records in 1981.
In 1981, Ian Dury left Stiff for Polydor Records. [1] As a cash-in for the Christmas market, Stiff commissioned session musicians to record a version of the Hokey Cokey with a Dury-soundalike vocal from Martin Kershaw, whose credits included guitar on "Kung Fu Fighting" and "Dance Yourself Dizzy", [2] and playing banjo on 120 episodes of the Muppet Show . [3] The other musicians on the recording were Nick Portlock, Jonathan Miller, and Bob Butterworth. [4]
Stiff enigmatically refused to confirm the identity of the genuine vocalist, [5] leading to speculation that it actually was Dury. [6] For more implausible deniability, Stiff created an antonymous sub-label, called Slack, with a logo based on a pile of nutty slack, on which to release the single; Kershaw and Portlock co-wrote the b-side. [7]
The recording reached the top 20 of the UK and Irish singles charts. Stiff press officer Nigel Dick, with other staff from the Stiff offices, donned snowman costumes for a video [8] [9] (shot in Brimpton, Berkshire) and appearance on the 17 December 1981 edition of Top of the Pops . [10]
Kershaw re-emerged with a medley single in 1982, [11] this time on Kershaw's own Solid Records label. [12] The Snowmen's final single came in 1986, with a version of the nursery rhyme This Old Man, by which time Dury himself was claiming to be involved, saying he "did it as a joke". [13]
Year | Album | UK |
---|---|---|
1981 | Hokey Cokey Party: The Album | – |
Year | Song | UK [14] | RoI [15] |
---|---|---|---|
1981 | "The Hokey Cokey" | 18 | 17 |
1982 | "Xmas Party" | 44 | – |
1986 | "Nik Nak Paddy Wak" | 80 | – |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart. |
Ian Robins Dury was an English singer, songwriter and actor who rose to fame in the late 1970s, during the punk and new wave era of rock music. He was the lead singer and lyricist of Kilburn and the High Roads, The Kilburns, Ian Dury and the Blockheads and Ian Dury and the Music Students.
Stiff Records is a British independent record label formed in London, England, by Dave Robinson and Jake Riviera. Originally active from 1976 to 1986, the label was reactivated in 2007.
The Hokey Pokey is a participation dance with a distinctive accompanying tune and lyric structure. It is well-known in English-speaking countries. It originates in a British folk dance, with variants attested as early as 1826. The song and accompanying dance peaked in popularity as a music hall song and novelty dance in the mid-1940s in the UK. The song became a chart hit twice in the 1980s. The first UK hit was by The Snowmen, which peaked at UK No. 18 in 1981.
Elizabeth Marguerita Mary Kershaw is an English radio broadcaster. She is one of the longest serving female national radio DJ's in the UK, celebrating 30 years on national BBC Radio in 2017.
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Michael William Gallagher is an English Hammond organ player best known as a member of Ian Dury and the Blockheads and for his contributions to albums by the Clash. He has also written music for films such as Extremes (1971) and After Midnight (1990), and the Broadway play Serious Money (1987).
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Nigel Dick is an English music video and film director, writer and musician from Catterick, North Yorkshire, now based in Los Angeles, California. He has directed many pop videos, for singers who include Britney Spears, Toto and Band Aid.
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The Blockheads are an English rock band formed in London in 1977. Originally fronted by lead singer Ian Dury as Ian Dury and the Blockheads or Ian and the Blockheads, the band has continued to perform since Dury's death in 2000. As of March 2023 members included Chaz Jankel, Nathan King (bass), Mick Gallagher, John Turnbull, John Roberts (drums), and Mike Bennett. There is a rolling line-up of saxophonists that includes Gilad Atzmon, Terry Edwards, Dave Lewis, and from time to time, the original sax player, Davey Payne. Between 2000 and 2022, the band's lead vocalist and main lyricist was Derek Hussey.
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"Xmas Ear Bender" is an extended play (EP) by the British rock band Slade, released in 1980. Xmas Ear Bender includes three tracks; two of which were recorded at the band's performance at the 1980 Reading Festival. The EP was produced by Slade and reached No. 70 in the UK, remaining in the charts for two weeks. The EP was later included in its entirety on the 2006 Salvo compilation Slade Alive! – The Live Anthology.
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"Wide Boy" is a song by English singer-songwriter Nik Kershaw. It was his sixth consecutive top-20 single, peaking at No. 9 on the UK Singles Chart in 1985. It was followed by "Don Quixote" which was to become the last of his string of top-20 singles on the UK chart. "Wide Boy" also charted highly in Ireland and Australia, peaking at No. 5 and No. 7, respectively.
No Man's Land is the third studio album by Lene Lovich, released on 12 November 1982 by Stiff Records. It is her last album to be released on the Stiff Records label. The album is produced by Lovich and Les Chappell. It contains songs from her previously released extended play, New Toy. The album had been planned to be released in 1981, but was postponed following disagreements with the record company.
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