Secret Affair

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Secret Affair

Background information
Origin Flag of England London, England
Genre(s) Mod revival
Years active 1979-1982
Label(s) I-Spy
Associated
acts		 New Hearts
Website Official Secret Affair site

Secret Affair was a mod revival band, formed in 1978 and disbanding in 1982, reforming to perform and record in the 2000s.

Contents

[edit] Career

In a period of a little over two years, they posted five releases in the UK Singles Chart, and released three albums. The debut single "Time For Action" sold 198,000 copies and reached number 13 in the UK chart, putting them at the forefront of the mod revival movement. More chart success followed with "Let Your Heart Dance", "My World" and "Sound Of Confusion".

Formed after the demise of the CBS-signed power pop band New Hearts, singer Ian Page and guitarist Dave Cairns spent the second half of 1978 writing songs that would form the basis of the first two Secret Affair albums. They also drew up plans for a smart-dressing youth movement - the Glory Boys – based around the idea of Sixties gangster chic, influenced by the movie Performance.

After spending January 1979 demoing songs, Page and Cairns enlisted the services of bassist Dennis Smith from power pop band Advertising and Young Bucks drummer Seb Shelton. Sax player Dave Winthrop would join later in the year.

From their very first gig, opening for The Jam at Reading University in February 1979, the band were adopted by a group of East End mods, who readily embraced Ian Page’s Glory Boy concept. This group of fans began referring to themselves as Glory Boys, often tattooing the name on their arms or inner lips as a badge of allegiance. Secret Affair had become so closely linked to the emerging mod revival that in March 1979 Dave Cairns wrote what would become the youth movement's main anthem, "Time For Action".

Just a few months later, Secret Affair had signed to Arista Records and "Time For Action" was in the pop charts. It was soon followed into the charts by "Let Your Heart Dance", "My World" and "Sound Of Confusion". Their first two albums, Glory Boys (December 1979) and Behind Closed Doors (September 1980), with its more complex orchestrated arrangements, proved successful and in their first year Secret Affair regularly appeared on UK television show Top Of The Pops and were cover stars of many UK magazines, including New Musical Express, Sounds and Smash Hits. Likened to Jimmy Pursey, Ian Page was asked to appear on UK television programmes and was viewed as an articulate spokesman for his generation, although his opinionated views alienated as many potential fans as they won over.

The mod movement that had swept Secret Affair into the pop charts had all but evaporated by mid 1980, losing out to the rival Two Tone fashion movement, and after the release of the band's second album drummer Seb Shelton quit to join the "Come On Eileen"-era Dexys Midnight Runners. Secret Affair regrouped, recruiting ex-Advertising drummer Paul Bultitude and embarking on a lengthy tour of America, before returning in late 1981 with their final chart hit, "Do You Know".

One more single followed, "Lost In The Night", before the release of Business As Usual, an album that saw the band return to the rock-soul fusion of their earlier work. Although a spirited album, it was a commercial failure and Secret Affair split-up midway through 1982.

Cairns went on to form a band called Flag, with Archie Brown from The Bureau and signed a record deal in the USA. Ian Page released two solo singles before leaving the music business.

[edit] Reunion

In June 2002, Page, Cairns, Smith, Bultitude and Winthrop reformed for three gigs, including a performance at London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire. They returned in June the following year, playing at The Scala in Islington to promote the release of Time For Action: The Anthology (Sanctuary), a major CD retrospective of hits, rarities and previously unreleased tracks. The concert was filmed and released on DVD.

In 2006 Page and Cairns attempted to mend their sometimes fractious relationship and started work on a fourth Secret Affair album, recording five new songs. The album remains unfinished as of February 2007.

[edit] Band members

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[edit] Discography

[edit] UK Singles Chart

  • "Time For Action" - 1979 - Number 13
  • "Let Your Heart Dance" - 1979 - Number 32
  • "My World" - 1980 - Number 16
  • "Sound Of Confusion" - 1980 - Number 45
  • "Do You Know" - 1981 - Number 57

[edit] UK Albums Chart

  • Glory Boys - 1979 - Number 41
  • Behind Closed Doors - 1980 - Number 48
  • Business As Usual - 1982 - Number 84

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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