Curiosity Killed the Cat
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- For the proverb, see Curiosity killed the cat.
Curiosity Killed the Cat was a British band that found success in the UK Singles Chart in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
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[edit] Career
They played soulful, funky pop jazz and were initially signed to Phonogram Records' Mercury imprint. The first came to notice of the UK music press when they hooked up with photographer Andy Warhol for the video of the 1986 single "Misfit". This featured the band in New York and at one point featured frontman Ben Volpeliere-Pierrot dancing down a side street whilst Andy Warhol referenced Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues" by dropping pieces of white card in time to the music (an effect that would also be copied by INXS in the video for their track Mediate of 1988).
Their debut album Keep Your Distance entered the UK Albums Chart at number one in May 1987, and stayed in the Top Ten for 13 weeks, however the release of that album's "Free" as a single lost some of the momentum by limping to only Number 56 in the singles chart.
The band's second album Getahead was led by an upbeat funky track called "Name and Number". Even though this record only reached Number 14 in 1989, the "Hey How You Doin'" refrain would find itself in the Top Ten two years later as part of the De La Soul song "Ring Ring Ring (Hey Hey Hey)".
After the lack-lustre performance of Getahead and second single "First Place", Curiosity (as they were now billed) found themselves dropped from Mercury Records. However three years after the release of that single they returned to the UK Top Ten as a three piece on RCA Records, with a cover of Johnny Bristol's "Hang On In There Baby". However the band's follow ups (covers of "I Need Your Lovin'" and "Gimme the Sunshine") flopped, which resulted in the album Back to Front only being released in Japan and selected overseas markets.
In the 2000s the band reformed for an appearance on a National Lottery midweek show on BBC 1, and since then Volpeliere has toured under the name Curiosity Killed the Cat, on a number of 1980s revival packages.
[edit] Band members
- Ben Volpeliere-Pierrot (born Martin Benedict Volpeliere-Pierrot, 19 May 1965, in Earls Court, London, England - Vocals).
- Julian Godfrey Brookhouse (born 15 May 1963, in Putney, London - Guitarist).
- Nicholas Bernard Thorpe (born 25 October 1964, in Sunbury-On-Thames, London - Bassist).
- Migi Drummond (born Miguel John Drummond, 27 January 1964, in Strawberry Hill, London - Drummer).
[edit] Albums
[edit] Billed as Curiosity
- Back to Front (1994)
[edit] Singles
- "Misfit" (1986) UK #76
- "Down to Earth" (1986) UK #3
- "Ordinary Day" (1987) UK #11
- "Misfit" (re-issue - 1987) UK #7 US #42
- "Free" (1987) UK #56
[edit] Billed as Curiosity
- "Name and Number" (1989) UK #14
- "First Place" (1989) UK #86
- "Hang On In There Baby" (1992) UK #3
- "I Need Your Lovin'" (1992) UK #47
- "Gimme the Sunshine" (1993) UK #73
- "Relax"
[edit] Trivia
- Volpelierre-Pierrot was best known for wearing a Frank Spencer-style beret in most pictures of the band. He later revealed it was in fact a peaked fisherman's hat, turned round with the peak to the rear so that it resembled a beret.
- Ben VP (as he was billed on a number of solo singles in the mid 1990s) was frequently referred to as Ben Vol-au-vont-Parrot in Smash Hits magazine.
- Volpelierre-Pierrot appeared as a male model on the front of Mike Read's Pop Quiz board game.
- In 1995, Miggi Drummond and Nick Thorp set up Naked Records which was acquired a year later by software maker Eidos Plc.
- Like Wet Wet Wet, the band had an additional 'fifth member' called Toby Anderson. However unlike that Scottish band, Toby Anderson was a 'mystery member' and the band was accused of not only hiding Toby due to his looks but also being a front for his writing as in the case of The Brothers credit for Bros.
- On Name and Number the band and co-writer get writing credits, however on De La Soul's "Ring Ring Ring" only the co-writer gets a credit even though it utilises the chorus of the Curiosity song.
