The Outfield
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- This article is about the band The Outfield and references the band's guitarist Tony Lewis. For other persons named Tony or Anthony Lewis, see Anthony Lewis (disambiguation).
| The Outfield | |
|---|---|
 The Outfield (L-R): John Spinks, Paul Reed, Tony Lewis |
|
| Origin |  London, England |
| Years active | 1985 - present |
| Genres | Pop Rock New wave |
| Labels | Columbia Sony MCA |
| Members | Tony Lewis John Spinks |
| Past members | Alan Jackman Paul Reed Simon Dawson |
| Website(s) | www.theoutfield.com |
The Outfield are a British pop/rock band based in London. They began recording during the mid-1980s, and in 1985 they released their first album, Play Deep, which went triple platinum in America. The Outfield are unique for a British band in that they enjoyed great commercial success in the US, but never reached the album or singles charts in their homeland. They continued to record into the early 1990s, before a hiatus during the middle of that decade. They resumed touring in 1998, and thereafter released two live albums via their Web site. The band's latest album, Any Time Now, was released by Sidewinder Records in March 2006.
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[edit] History
The Outfield formed within London's East End. Playing under the name The Baseball Boys, the trio of bassist/singer Tony Lewis, guitarist/keyboardist John Spinks, and drummer Alan Jackman played around London and recorded some early demos, attracting the attention of Columbia/CBS Records, who signed the band shortly thereafter in 1984.
The Outfield began working on their debut album, Play Deep, which was released in 1985 and was a smash success, going triple platinum and reaching No. 9 in the US album charts; it also produced a Top 10 single entry with "Your Love". To support the album, the band launched an international tour, opening for Journey and Starship.
In 1987 the band issued their second album, Bangin'; while not duplicating the huge commercial success of their debut, it produced two hit singles, "Since You've Been Gone" (not to be confused with the 1970s Rainbow and Head East hit of the same name) and "No Surrender".
The Outfield's third album, Voices of Babylon, released in 1989, featured a stylistic shift, and was more meticulously produced than their previous efforts. It spawned a single of the same name, but the band's commercial success was slipping. Jackman left the band after it was recorded, and Paul Reed was hired to step in as drummer for the Voices Of Babylon tour.
Spinks and Lewis, now officially a duo, switched labels and began recording Diamond Days for MCA. A new session drummer, Simon Dawson, joined them, and helped add an electronic edge to their sound. Diamond Days produced one of the band's biggest singles, "For You".
The Outfield followed the album with 1992's Rockeye. Its single, "Winning It All", became a feature at sporting events (perhaps most notably, for NBC's NBA Finals coverage) and appeared on the soundtrack album to the film The Mighty Ducks. Simon Dawson had become increasingly involved in the shaping of the band's sound, and soon became an official member of the group.
The band went on hiatus for much of the mid-'90s as changing musical fashions, especially the popularity of edgier bands such as Nirvana and Pearl Jam, made life difficult for older bands with a more melodic touch. The Outfield returned to their East End roots, and often played low-key gigs at a local pub, where much of the clientele were unaware that the group had sold millions of records in the US. Unfortunately, this situation was typical of the problems The Outfield had faced in their homeland: little recognition and a much smaller following than they had experienced in the US. Nevertheless, the band returned to record an exclusive release for their fan club, entitled It ain't over, then embarked on a tour. Soon thereafter, in 1999, they released Extra Innings, a compilation of several songs they wrote during the '90s, and also four new songs written during 1998.
The early 2000s saw the band issue two live collections, issued via their official website: Live in Brazil and The Outfield Live. In March 2006, the band released Any Time Now, a new studio album.
[edit] Discography
- Play Deep (1985) #9 US
- Bangin' (1987) #18 US
- Voices of Babylon (1989) #53 US
- Diamond Days (1990) #90 US
- Rockeye (1992)
- Playing the Field (1995)
- Big Innings: The Best of The Outfield (1996)
- It Ain't Over (1998)
- Extra Innings (1999)
- Live in Brazil (2001)
- The Outfield Live (2005)
- Any Time Now (2006)
[edit] Singles
| Year | Song | US Hot 100 | US Mainstream Rock | UK Singles | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | "Your Love" | #6 | #7 | #83 | Play Deep |
| 1986 | "All The Love In The World" | #19 | #14 | #96 | Play Deep |
| 1986 | "Everytime You Cry" | #66 | #20 | - | Play Deep |
| 1987 | "Since You've Been Gone" | #31 | #11 | - | Bangin' |
| 1989 | "Voices Of Babylon" | #25 | #2 | #78 | Voices Of Babylon |
| 1989 | "My Paradise" | #72 | #34 | - | Voices Of Babylon |
| 1990 | "For You" | #21 | #13 | - | Diamond Days |
| 1992 | "Closer To Me" | #43 | - | - | Rockeye |
[edit] Trivia
- The band's 1985 song "Your Love" was featured on the soundtrack for Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, a popular video game, playing on Pop station Flash FM.
