(Vocal/instrumental group, 1977–82) The charismatic Adam Ant (b. Stuart Goddard) was a prominent figure in the boutiques and clubs of the punk scene, appearing in Derek Jarman’s film Jubilee, and releasing Dirk Wears White Sox in 1979. After his backing band became Bow Wow Wow, he started from scratch, gaining huge fame with his follow-up – 1980’s Kings Of The Wild Frontier. Powered by African-style drumming, courtesy of Merrick and Terry ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1982–86, 1998–99) The larger-than-life George O’Dowd is better known as Boy George. His smooth pop tenor, his outlandish get-up and the band’s catchy tunes made them unmissable. Roy Hay (guitar), Mikey Craig (bass) and Jon Moss (drums) provided the music for the lilting ‘Do You Really Want To Hurt Me’ which topped the UK chart in late 1982, and six smash hits ensued, including ‘Church Of The Poison Mind’, ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1978–present) The most glamorous of the new romantic bands, Birmingham’s Duran Duran (named after the evil scientist in the movie Barbarella) looked very good in the ambitious videos that accompanied their many Top 10 hits. These included ‘Girls On Film’ (1981), ‘Hungry Like The Wolf’, ‘Save A Prayer’ and ‘Rio’ (all 1982), ‘The Reflex’ and ‘Wild Boys’ (1984): a mixture of sexually charged, up-tempo pop and beguiling ballads, which ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1979–90, 2009) Tony Hadley (vocals), Gary Kemp (guitar), Steve Norman (saxophone), Martin Kemp (bass) and John Keeble (drums) enjoyed success with their amalgam of late 1960s orchestral pop and 1980s technology. Firmly at the forefront of new romantics, their hits included ‘Chant No 1 (Don’t Need This Pressure On)’, ‘Gold’ and ‘True’. The latter was a US Top 5 breakthrough in 1983. The band split acrimoniously in 1990 but ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1981–91) Mark Hollis (vocals, keyboards, guitar), Paul Webb (bass, vocals) and Lee Harris (drums) were initially packaged as new romantics. They developed into a well-respected group in the mould of Roxy Music with It’s My Life (1984) and The Colour Of Spring (1986); venturing into jazz territory on Spirit Of Eden (1988) and Laughing Stock (1991). They had hits on the way, including ‘Talk Talk’ and ‘It’s My Life’. ...
This was a decade when the impact of dance culture on rock and vice versa sometimes led to exciting results: it opened with ‘Thriller’ and closed with the Madchester scene of Happy Mondays. Punk had subsided to become the less threatening new wave movement, which, along with the new romantics, dominated the early days of the decade. As with the 1960s, producers emerged with their own distinctive sound – none more ...
Born out of a reaction to both punk and 2-Tone’s politics and anti-star stance, the British synth-pop wave of the early 1980s brought almost instant change to the UK pop scene. Moreover, the US success of the principal protagonists signalled the biggest ‘British Invasion’ since The Beatles and The Rolling Stones transformed American pop in the 1960s. Mixing a heavily styled, fashion-conscious image, machine-dominated and danceable tunes and a return to ...
AUTHORITATIVE
An extensive music information resource, bringing together the talents and expertise of a wide range of editors and musicologists, including Stanley Sadie, Charles Wilson, Paul Du Noyer, Tony Byworth, Bob Allen, Howard Mandel, Cliff Douse, William Schafer, John Wilson...
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Classical, Rock, Blues, Jazz, Country and more. Flame Tree has been making encyclopaedias and guides about music for over 20 years. Now Flame Tree Pro brings together a huge canon of carefully curated information on genres, styles, artists and instruments. It's a perfect tool for study, and entertaining too, a great companion to our music books.
David Bowie
Fantastic new, unofficial biography covers
his life, music, art and movies, with a
sweep of incredible photographs.