The Vapors

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The Vapors
The Vapors.jpg
The Vapors, 1980. Left to right: Edward Bazalgette, David Fenton, Steve Smith, Howard Smith.
Background information
Origin Guildford, Surrey, England
Genres New wave, [1] power pop, [2] punk rock [3]
Years active1978–1981, 2016–present
Labels United Artists, Liberty, RT Industries, Elektra
MembersDavid Fenton
Steve Smith
Michael Bowes
Danny Fenton
Past membersEdward Bazalgette
Howard Smith
Michael Hedges
Michael Jordan
Robert Kemp
Bob Heard
Steve Hampton
Website thevapors.co.uk

The Vapors are an English new wave and power pop band that initially existed between 1978 and 1981. They had a hit with the song "Turning Japanese", which reached No. 3 in the UK Singles Chart in 1980 [4] and No. 36 in the US Billboard Hot 100.

Contents

Career

1978–1982

Based in Guildford, Surrey, an early version of the group were playing at The Three Lions pub in Farncombe when The Jam's bassist Bruce Foxton spotted them. [5] The group's line-up stabilised with David Fenton (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Howard Smith (drums), Edward Bazalgette (lead guitar) and Steve Smith (bass). Howard Smith and Steve Smith were not related. The group were originally named The Vapours but had removed the "u" to help garner more attention in America. Foxton then offered the group a few gigs and agreed to jointly-manage them with John Weller (father of Paul Weller). [1] The Vapors were then offered a slot supporting The Jam on the Setting Sons tour in 1979.

The group signed to United Artists, releasing their first single, "Prisoners", at the end of 1979, but it failed to chart. Their second single, "Turning Japanese", is the song for which they are best remembered. The track was produced by The Jam's producer Vic Coppersmith-Heaven and reached number 3 in the UK [4] and number 1 in Australia. It was also a top-ten hit in Canada and New Zealand and reached the top 40 in the United States. "Turning Japanese" was believed to euphemistically refer to masturbation, [6] although Fenton (the song's writer) denied that claim in an interview on VH1. He did, however, say he wished to thank whoever first came up with that interpretation, as he felt the salacious rumour about what the song 'really' meant may have been what made it a hit. [7] [ failed verification ] The follow-up singles "News at Ten" and "Jimmie Jones" both peaked at number 44 in the UK Singles Chart. [4]

The group released two albums; New Clear Days (1980) and Magnets (1981). New Clear Days contained "Turning Japanese" and displayed a new wave sound with socially-conscious lyrics. [8] That album reached the middle of the charts in the UK, Canada, and US. Magnets revealed a power pop sound and darker lyrics, with the song "Jimmie Jones" making reference to cult leader Jim Jones. [9] That album sold poorly and the band broke up in 1982. [1] Fenton alleged in a later interview with Record Collector magazine that lack of record label support was the chief reason for the band's split, while a planned single release was cancelled without explanation. [7]

After the Vapors broke up, David Fenton joined the legal profession in the early 1990s, concentrating on the legal aspects of the music industry, and from 1999 he worked as a London-based in-house solicitor for the Musicians' Union. [10] [11] Edward Bazalgette became a television director; his credits include a 2005 BBC documentary about Genghis Khan and two episodes of Doctor Who in 2015. [12] [13] For many years Howard Smith ran an independent record shop, People Records in Guildford, the band's home town. [14] [15] Steve Smith formed the band Shoot!Dispute, which appeared in John Peel sessions, and toured in support of Bruce Foxton; and later joined the rap/rock band 1ST.[ citation needed ]

2016–present

After 34 years of inactivity, David Fenton, Ed Bazalgette, and Steve Smith appeared on stage at the Half Moon in Putney on 30 April 2016. With a guest drummer standing in for Howard Smith, they played "Turning Japanese" and then left the stage. Rumors of a reunion were rife, and the Vapors completed a four-date tour in October–November 2016 with Michael Bowes on drums. [5] The Vapors continued with six more concerts in 2017 and 10 in 2018. [16] That included three dates in New York City with David Fenton's son, Danny Fenton, standing in for Ed Bazelgette on lead guitar, [17] where they played several new tracks, including "Sundown River", "Letter to Hiro (No11)", "The Right Stuff", "One of My Dreams", and "King L". [18]

As of 2017, the band's catalogue masters are controlled by Razor & Tie Industries, [19] which acquired them from Warner Music Group, whose Alternative Distribution Alliance serves as RT Industries' worldwide distributor when RT was newly launched in 2018. [20] On 21 April 2018, they re-released "Turning Japanese" on red vinyl with bonus tracks for Record Store Day. [21]

In April 2019, the band was announced as the support to From the Jam on the 30-date Setting Sons 40th Anniversary tour. [22] The Vapors had been the opening act for The Jam on the original 1979 Setting Sons tour.

On 3 March 2020, the Vapors announced that they would be releasing a new album, Together, and issued "Crazy" as its lead single. [23] Together was released on 15 May. It was the first album from the Vapors in 39 years, marking one of the longest gaps between studio albums.

On 30 August, "Girl from the Factory", the third single from the album, reached number one on the United DJs Heritage Chart. [24] Follow-up single "Wonderland" also reached the top of the Heritage Charts on 22 November.

The band celebrated their top-selling album by going out on the New Clear Days 40th Anniversary Tour in 2021. The download-only singles "One of My Dreams Came True" (2021), "Novocaine" (2022), and "Eyes on the Prize" (2024) all reached the Heritage Chart top ten, maintaining the band profile. [25]

On 2 September 2022 the band returned to their Guildford roots to play at the town's Suburbs Holroyd Arms [26]

In January 2023, a US show was announced: the band played at the Cruel World Festival in Pasadena, California on 20 May 2023. [27]

In August 2024, the band announced plans to crowdfund the production of their fourth album, to be released in March of 2025. [28]

Discography

Studio albums

TitleAlbum detailsPeak chart positions
UK
[29] 		AUS
[30] 		CAN
[31] 		NZ
[32] 		US
[33]
New Clear Days 4424412562
Magnets ——39—109
Together
  • Release date: 15 May 2020
  • Label: Manmade Soul
  • Formats: LP, CD
87————
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Compilation albums

TitleAlbum details
Anthology
Turning Japanese:
The Best of the Vapors
  • Release date: 1996
  • Label: EMI Records
  • Formats: CD, cassette
Vaporized
  • Release date: 7 April 1998
  • Label: Collectables
  • Formats: CD, cassette
The Best of the Vapors
  • Release date: 5 August 2003
  • Label: EMI Records
  • Formats: CD

Singles

YearSinglePeak chart positions Certifications
(sales threshold)		Album
UK
[4] 		AUS
[30] 		CAN
[34] 		NZ
[35] 		US
[36] 		US Dance
[33] 		US Main
[33]
1979"Prisoners"———————Non-album single
1980"Turning Japanese"31793634—New Clear Days
"News at Ten"44——————
1981"Waiting for the Weekend"———————
"Spiders"———————Magnets
"Jimmie Jones"44—————39
2020"Crazy"———————Together
"Together"———————
"Girl from the Factory"———————
"Wonderland"———————
2021"One of My Dreams Came True"———————Non-album singles
2022"Novocaine"———————
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Vapors | Biography". AllMusic . Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  2. ↑ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2006). "The Vapors". Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN   0-19-531373-9. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014.
  3. ↑ "Punk rock". Empire State Report. 7 (1–32): 77.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 582. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.
  5. 1 2 Curley, John (13 September 2016). "The Vapors are reuniting for their first shows in 35 years". Goldmine. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  6. ↑ Mason, Stewart. "Turning Japanese – The Vapors". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  7. 1 2 Kim, Kristen Yonsoo (6 September 2012). "One-Hit Wondering - The Vapors". vice.com. Noisey. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  8. ↑ "New Clear Days - The Vapors". AllMusic.
  9. ↑ "Magnets - The Vapors". AllMusic.
  10. ↑ Jake, McDade (8 July 2014). "MUSIC LAWYER DAVID FENTON". Attackmagazine.com. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  11. ↑ Wyatt, Malcolm (15 September 2016). "Waiting for The Vapors Return - The Dave Fenton Interview". writewyattuk.com. Malcolm Wyatt. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  12. ↑ "Edward Bazalgette". IMDb.com. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
  13. ↑ Wyatt, Malcolm (17 November 2016). "Back and Beyond with the Vapors - The Ed Bazelgette Interview". writewyattuk.com. Malcolm Wyatt. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  14. ↑ "Venue". Record Store Day. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  15. ↑ "Howard Smith". linkedin.com. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  16. ↑ "The Vapors Concert Setlists". setlist.fm. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  17. ↑ "The Vapors to play three shows at NYC's Mercury Lounge in October". Goldmine Magazine. 25 May 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  18. ↑ "The Vapors Setlist at the Mercury Lounge (10/19/2018)". setlist.FM. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  19. ↑ "The Vapors". Razorandtiepublicity.com. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  20. ↑ "Independent label RT Industries launches with divestments from Warner". Music Business Worldwide. 17 April 2018.
  21. ↑ "Record Store Day: Turning Japanese". Recordstoreday.com. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  22. ↑ "From the Jam Announce 'Setting Sons' 40th Anniversary Autumn 2019". Just Listen to This. 22 April 2019. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  23. ↑ "Untitled". Vapors Official. Archived from the original on 11 March 2020. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  24. ↑ "Heritage Chart". uniteddj.com. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  25. ↑ "Heritage Chart Archive". heritagechart.co.uk. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  26. ↑ McIntosh, David (3 September 2022). "Review of The Vapors". Skiddle.
  27. ↑ Jones, Damien (23 January 2023). "Siouxsie Sioux and Iggy Pop lead Cruel World Festival 2023 line-up with other acts including the Human League". NME. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  28. ↑ "Fourth album Crowdfunder link". thevapors.co.uk. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  29. ↑ "The Official Charts Company – The Vapors". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  30. 1 2 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 320. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  31. ↑ "Results – RPM – Library and Archives Canada – Top Albums/CDs". RPM . Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  32. ↑ "New Zealand charts portal". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  33. 1 2 3 "The Vapors | Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 15 January 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  34. ↑ "Results – RPM – Library and Archives Canada – Top Singles". RPM. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  35. ↑ "New Zealand charts portal". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  36. ↑ "The Vapors Album & Song Chart History – Hot 100". Billboard . Prometheus Global Media . Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  37. ↑ "BPI Searchable Database". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  38. ↑ "International Certifications" (PDF). Cash Box . 25 October 1980. p. 43. Retrieved 3 December 2021– via World Radio History.
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