Paul Quinn (singer)

Last updated

Paul Quinn
Born1959 (age 6364)
Dundee, Scotland
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
Years active1980–present
Labels
Formerly of Jazzateers

Paul Walter Quinn (born 1959) is a Scottish musician who was the lead singer of cult 1980s band Bourgie Bourgie, and also released records with Jazzateers, Vince Clarke and Edwyn Collins and sang on an early track by the French Impressionists.

Contents

Biography

Quinn was a classmate of Edwyn Collins between the ages of 11 and 15, and sang backing vocals on "Rip It Up" by Collins' band Orange Juice. [1] After singing with Postcard Records band Jazzateers (contemporaries of Josef K, The French Impressionists and Aztec Camera) he formed Bourgie Bourgie in May 1983 along with former members of his previous band. [1] Bourgie Bourgie were signed by MCA Records and released two singles in 1984, both of which charted in the UK, "Breaking Point" peaking at number 48 and "Careless" at number 96. [2] [3] The group began recording an album with producer Mike Hedges but it remained unreleased when they split up. Quinn then collaborated with Edwyn Collins on a version of The Velvet Underground's "Pale Blue Eyes", released on Postcard Records boss Alan Horne's new Swamplands label, which reached number 72 in the UK in August 1984. [2] [4] In early 1985, Quinn released his first solo single, "Ain't That Always the Way", which again featured Collins but was credited solely to Quinn for contractual reasons, which was also a minor hit, reaching number 98 in the UK. [5] He then collaborated with Vince Clarke on the "One Day" single, which fared similarly. [6]

Quinn returned in 1992 with a new band, The Independent Group, a supergroup containing former members of Orange Juice, Aztec Camera, Lloyd Cole & the Commotions, and The Bluebells. [2] Signed to a revived Postcard Records, they released two albums in 1992 and 1994. [2]

In 1995, Quinn collaborated with Nectarine No. 9 on the Pregnant with Possibilities EP.

Quinn has neither recorded nor made any public appearances for many years. In December 2020, it was announced that a boxset anthology of Quinn's work was to be released in 2021 on a reactivated Postcard Records

Bourgie Bourgie

Bourgie Bourgie comprised Quinn and the following:

All were former members of Jazzateers. They released two singles in 1984, both minor hits, and recorded a session for John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show the same year. [7]

Paul Quinn & the Independent Group

The Independent Group featured James Kirk (guitar, of Orange Juice), Blair Cowan (keyboards, from Lloyd Cole and The Commotions), Tony Soave, (drums, of The Silencers) Campbell Owens (bass, of Aztec Camera), Robert Hodgens (guitar, of The Bluebells), and Postcard Records founder Alan Horne. [2] The group's first album The Phantoms & the Archetypes was released in 1992. After a further single, "Stupid Thing", Hodgens was replaced by Mick Slaven (formerly of Jazzeaters and Del Amitri), Steve "Skip" Reid (formerly of Associates), Andy Alston, and Jane Marie O'Brien. [2] A second album, Will I Ever Be Inside of You , was released in 1994. [2] The band performed at the Glasgow Film Theatre, playing songs from the album while clips of films including Midnight Cowboy , The Loveless , Taxi Driver , and Un Chien Andalou played behind them. [8]

Discography

with Bourgie Bourgie

with Edwyn Collins

with Vince Clarke

as Paul Quinn & The Independent Group

Albums

Singles

  • "Stupid Thing" / "A Passing Thought" / "Superstar" (1993), Postcard, Cat No: DUBH 933

as Paul Quinn & The Nectarine No. 9

In the satirical 2010 novel Gabriel's Angel by Mark A. Radcliffe, Quinn's "Will I Ever Be Inside Of You" is the song that is playing when one of the characters wakes from a coma.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

Orange Juice were a Scottish jangle pop band founded in the Glasgow suburb of Bearsden as the Nu-Sonics in 1976. They became Orange Juice in 1979, and became perhaps the most important band in the Scottish independent music scene that emerged in the post-punk era, inspired by contemporary punk bands including Subway Sect, Television, and Buzzcocks but also 1960s acts, most notably the Byrds and the Velvet Underground. Musically, the band brought together styles and genres that often appeared incongruous, for example, country, disco and punk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aztec Camera</span> Scottish musical group

Aztec Camera were a Scottish pop/new wave band founded by Roddy Frame, the group's singer, songwriter, and only consistent member. Formed in 1980, Aztec Camera released a total of six studio albums: High Land, Hard Rain (1983), Knife (1984), Love (1987), Stray (1990), Dreamland (1993), and Frestonia (1995). The band garnered popular success for the songs "Oblivious", "Somewhere in My Heart", and "Good Morning Britain".

Vic Godard is an English singer-songwriter formerly of the punk group Subway Sect. He is now also a solo performer, while continuing to appear with various incarnations of Subway Sect.

Josef K were a Scottish post-punk band, active between 1979 and 1982, who released singles on the Postcard Records label. The band was named after the protagonist of Franz Kafka's novel The Trial. Although they released just one album while together and achieved only moderate success, they have since proved influential on many bands that followed.

Craig Gannon is an English guitar player, best known as the second guitarist in the Smiths (1986). He is now a composer for film and television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strawberry Switchblade</span> Scottish pop duo

Strawberry Switchblade were a Scottish pop duo formed in Glasgow in 1981 by Jill Bryson and Rose McDowall, best known for their song "Since Yesterday" from 1985, and their flamboyant clothing with bows and polka-dots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edwyn Collins</span> Scottish musician

Edwyn Stephen Collins is a Scottish musician, producer and record label owner from Edinburgh. Collins was the lead singer for the 1980s post-punk band Orange Juice, which he co-founded. After the group split in 1985, Collins started a solo career. His 1995 single "A Girl Like You" was a worldwide hit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roddy Frame</span> Scottish musician

Roddy Frame is a Scottish singer-songwriter and musician. He was the founder of the 1980s new wave band Aztec Camera and has undertaken a solo career since the group's dissolution. In November 2013, journalist Brian Donaldson described Frame as: "Aztec Camera wunderkind-turned-elder statesman of intelligent, melodic, wistful Scotpop."

Postcard Records is a British, Glasgow-based independent record label founded by Alan Horne in 1979 as a vehicle for releases by Orange Juice and Josef K. The label's motto was "The Sound of Young Scotland", a parody/tribute to the Motown motto; its logo featured a cartoon cat beating a drum. Although short-lived, Postcard was a key influence on the C81 and the later C86 indie-pop movements.

Setanta Records was a British independent record label led by founder Keith Cullen. Setanta published UK and Irish indie music in the late 1980s and in the 1990s.

The Bluebells are a Scottish indie new wave band, active between 1981 and 1986.

<i>Rip It Up</i> (Orange Juice album) 1982 studio album by Orange Juice

Rip It Up is the second album by Scottish post-punk band Orange Juice, released in 1982. It contains their hit song of the same name, which reached the Top 10. The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

<i>The Orange Juice</i> 1984 studio album by Orange Juice

The Orange Juice is the third and final studio album by Scottish post-punk band Orange Juice. It was released in 1984.The title was a tribute to The Velvet Underground's eponymous third album.

Malcolm Ross is a Scottish guitarist. His career started when he played guitar in the Scottish band Josef K. They released a string of singles and an album, The Only Fun in Town, on Postcard Records in the early 1980s.

<i>Losing Sleep</i> (Edwyn Collins album) 2010 studio album by Edwyn Collins

Losing Sleep is the seventh solo album by Scottish singer-songwriter Edwyn Collins, released on 13 September 2010 on Heavenly Records.

Jazzateers were a Scottish underground pop/post-punk group, active for the first half of the 1980s, who recorded for Postcard Records and Rough Trade Records, and have more recently had their original material released by Marina Records, Cherry Red Records and Creeping Bent. The group was formed by ever-present members Ian Burgoyne and Keith Band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rip It Up (Orange Juice song)</span> 1983 single by Orange Juice

"Rip It Up" is a song by Scottish indie pop band Orange Juice, released in 1983 as the second single from their 1982 album of the same name. The song became the band's only UK top 40 success, reaching No. 8 on the chart. "Rip It Up" signalled a departure from the sound of the band's earlier singles, with Chic-influenced guitars and using a synthesiser to create a more disco-oriented sound.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One Day (Vince Clarke and Paul Quinn song)</span> 1985 single by Vince Clarke and Paul Quinn

"One Day" is a song by British musician Vince Clarke and Scottish singer Paul Quinn, released as a one-off collaboration single in 1985. The song was written by Clarke, Jamie Morgan and Cameron McVey, and produced by Flood with assistance from Daniel Miller. "One Day" reached No. 99 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 7 on the UK Independent Singles Chart. A music video was filmed to promote the single.

<i>The Bluebells</i> (EP) 1983 EP by The Bluebells

The Bluebells is a five-song EP, or mini-album as it states on the record, by Scottish indie new wave band The Bluebells, released in 1983 by Sire Records. It was only released in the US and Canada in order to showcase singles released in the UK.

<i>The Phantoms & the Archetypes</i> 1992 studio album by Paul Quinn and the Independent Group

The Phantoms & the Archetypes is the debut studio album by Scottish band Paul Quinn and the Independent Group, released by Postcard Records in 1992.

References

  1. 1 2 Williams, Lee (1984) "Bourgie Bourgie Explained", Debut, Issue 03, p. 24
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Strong, Martin C. (2003) The Great Indie Discography, Canongate, ISBN   1-84195-335-0, p. 471
  3. 1 2 "Bourgie Bourgie", Chart Stats, retrieved 16 October 2010
  4. 1 2 "Paul Quinn And Edwyn Collins", Chart Stats, retrieved 16 October 2010
  5. "Paul Quinn", Chart Stats, retrieved 16 October 2010
  6. 1 2 "Vince Clark And Paul Quinn", Chart Stats, retrieved 16 October 2010
  7. "18/01/1984 – Bourgie Bourgie", Keeping It Peel, BBC, retrieved 16 October 2010
  8. Belcher, David (1994) "Fragile egos mighty Quinn", The Herald , 14 October 1994, retrieved 16 October 2010
  9. Lazell, Barry (1998) Indie Hits 1980–1989, Cherry Red Books, ISBN   0-9517206-9-4, p. 45