The Real People
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The Real People, from Liverpool, England, were one of the very first bands to play what is today known as “Britpop”, and have been quoted by Oasis as being one of their major influences. They were formed (as Jojo and The Real People) in 1988 by brothers Christopher and Anthony Griffiths, the original lineup consisted of Chris Griffiths (guitar and vocals) Tony Griffiths (bass and vocals) Tony Elson (drums) (later to be replaced by Garry Ford) and Sean Simpson (guitar) (later to be replaced by Alan Gillibrand)
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[edit] The band
Originally influenced by the Stone Roses and the Inspiral Carpets, as well as by the Mersey sound of the 1960s, the band started playing in local clubs and later toured as support act for the Inspiral Carpets and Ocean Colour Scene.
JoJo & The Real People (& Tina Labrinksi and Sarah Lamarra aka The Creamy Whirls) signed a management deal with local band manager Mick Swift of Whitehouse Management, Bold Street, Liverpool in 1986. Their first record deal was in 1988, a one single deal brokered with Polydor records after Mick Swift had persuaded Eddie Lundon of Kirkby band China Crisis to produce the demo of their debut single One by One (song). The Band band also signed a publishing deal with Polygram not long after. In 1989 they were then signed as The Real People by CBS on the Columbia label, although CBS were subsequently bought out by Sony. They released their self titled debut album The Real People in 1991. All the songs were written by Chris and Tony Griffiths. This reached #59 in the album charts. They recorded a second album, Marshmellow Lane, for CBS, but although Believer, the first single from the album, charted at #38 and another single, Too Much Too Young, appeared soon afterwards, the album was never actually released and the band were dropped by Sony in 1992. (Several tracks subsequently appeared on a 2 band compilation album called Liverpool - The Calm Before The Storm, released in 1996 on the Columbia label). Tony and Chris Griffiths went on to set up their own recording studio in Liverpool and started their own label Egg Records.
Their next album, What's On The Outside, was released independently under their own label in 1996 but failed to make the charts. Although another album was reported to be in preparation in 2001, it was never released.
Despite this the band have continued to play live. In 2002 they supported Meat Loaf at Leeds and toured the UK as support for Simple Minds.
[edit] The Real People and Oasis
Oasis were still unsigned when Noel Gallagher first met Tony Griffiths of The Real People when he was roadie to the Inspiral Carpets. In 1992, determined to make a professional sounding demo, he contacted Tony and asked him to help record something decent to send out to record companies.
Paul Moody of the N.M.E reported:-
'Used to the hard-knock school of the Manchester scene, Oasis were shocked by the co-operation of their scouse mates. "Because we'd got our own eight-track studio we let them come down to the Dock Road and record there," says Tony. "They were quite naive about recording, so we'd show them how to play the songs, how to think about the structure of the songs and the dynamics. We were just helping them because that's what bands do in Liverpool. I don't think it's quite the same in Manchester, because no one had done anything for them before."'
The result was the now legendary eight song music demo (later dubbed the Live Demonstration tape) recorded in Liverpool in 1993 that got Oasis their first record deal. The tape included many of the songs that eventually featured on the band’s first album Definitely Maybe.
- "Rock 'N' Roll Star"
- "Strange Thing"
- "Bring It On Down"
- "Fade Away "
- "Columbia"
- "Cloudburst"
- "D'Yer Wanna Be A Spaceman"
- "Married With Children"
Armed with the demo, Oasis finally got their deal and the band ended the year with a series of low-key support dates with The Verve [then just plain Verve] and the Real People.
The white-label demo version of Columbia caused a buzz in music industry circles. As plugger Gary Blackburn recalls: "When we first heard the Oasis tapes over at Creation, Alan McGee said: ' Right Gary, you're at Wembley. It's the World Cup Final. The ball's on the penalty spot and there's no goal keeper. If you stick this one away, you've won the cup. And it turned out to be like that. It was incredibly easy. We started off with this white-label of Columbia., took it to a few radio stations and they put it on the playlist straight away."
Chris and Tony Griffiths' input into the writing and recording process has since been fully acknowledged by Oasis. Tony Griffiths is credited with providing vocals on Definitely Maybe. Chris Griffiths also co-wrote "Rockin Chair" with Noel in 1993. This was released as the B side to the single of "Roll With It" in 1995, and also appears on the album The Masterplan. (Chris Griffiths also claimed to have actually written the lyrics for "Columbia", with Liam Gallagher being responsible for the chorus). They are both included in the doumentary made for the Definitely Maybe 10th anniversary DVD.
[edit] Current work
Despite having minimal chart success themselves and little acclaim from the music press, The Real People enjoy cult status among fans and from their more successful contemporaries. Chris and Tony Griffiths have performed with (and written chart hits for) several other artists, including Ocean Colour Scene and Cher (The number 7 hit "One by One" from Cher's 'covers album' It's a Man's World was an early Griffiths track with the band 'Jo Jo and The Real People' in 1987).
The Griffiths brothers have continued to work with new talent, recently recording demos for the launch of West London band The History, and previously for BB Mak. They have also co-written songs with singer/songwriter Alistair Griffin.
In Summer 2006 "Losing A Friend" was released in the UK as a single by Icelandic girl group Nylon. It reached #29 in the UK chart. Another Griffiths song, "Closer" was the second single release from the group in October 2006.
They have also written several tracks for the forthcoming debut solo album by ex Atomic Kitten, Natasha Hamilton. [1]
Chris and Tony Griffiths continue to perform live, both as solo artists and as backing for other bands. In November 2006 they reformed the Real People for a special benefit concert at the Carling Academy Liverpool, for the mental health charity C.A.L.M.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Year | Title | UK Chart |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | The Real People | 59 |
| 1996 | What's On The Outside | 185 [2] |
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | UK Chart |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | "Window Pane" | 60 |
| 1991 | "Open Up Your Mind (Let Me In)" | 70 |
| 1992 | "The Truth" | 41 |
| 1992 | "Believer" | 38 [3] |
| 1992 | "Too Much Too Young" | |
| 1995 | "Bring You Down" | |
| 1995 | "The Real People EP" | |
| 1995 | "Every Vision of You" | 138 [2] |
| 1996 | "Rayners Lane" | 98 [2] |
| 1996 | "Rolling Stone" | 106 [2] |
| 1997 | "The People in the Telly" | 155 [2] |
[edit] References
- ^ BBC Liverpool: Natasha Hamilton interview 2005/06/15 (Accessed: November 29,2006)
- ^ a b c d e Zobbel.de UK chart log 1994-2005 (Accessed: November 29, 2006)
- ^ EveryHit.co.uk UK 40 Database (Accessed: November 29, 2006)
- Paul Moody and Mark Beaumont. "Brotherhood of the Manc: The Oasis Story", Vox, May, 1996. Retrieved on 2006-01-04.
- Directory of Liverpool Bands
- CHRONOLOGY 1993 from Oasis FAQ
- BBC interview, November 11, 2006 (Realplayer)
