The Psychedelic Furs

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Psychedelic Furs

Background information
Origin London, England
Genre(s) Post-Punk
Years active 1977-1991, 2000-Present
Label(s) Columbia

The Psychedelic Furs are an influential English post-punk band founded in the late 1970s.

Contents

[edit] Biography

The Psychedelic Furs came together in England's emerging punk scene in 1977, where they were initially called "RKO," then "Radio." They then vacillated between calling themselves "The Psychedelic Furs" and "The Europeans", playing gigs under both names before permanently settling on the former name.[1] The band initially consisted of Richard Butler (vocals), Tim Butler (bass guitar), Duncan Kilburn (saxophone), Paul Wilson (drums)[1] and Roger Morris (guitars). By 1979, this line up had expanded to a sextet with Vince Ely replacing Wilson on drums and John Ashton being added on guitar.

Punk had dismissed psychedelic rock and was adamantly opposed to it. The Furs embraced punk's more liberating elements, but discarded such limitations and also embraced psychedelic rock. The outcome, a combination of droning guitars and sax, rhythm section in the deep end of the pool, and raspy biting vocals with a slightly more pop feel than punk, was progressively more pop and less punk with successive albums.

The Furs' initial self-titled album from 1980 featured a fairly heavy David Bowie influence, and was a top 20 hit in the UK. The US version of the album was resequenced, but failed to have a substantial commercial impact.

Assisted by producer Steve Lillywhite, famous for his big drum sound, the Furs broke into the U.S. market with the 1981 release Talk Talk Talk, which made the lower rungs of the US album charts. In the UK, the album was a solid hit which spun off two charting singles, "Dumb Waiters" and the original version of "Pretty in Pink". This latter song served as inspiration for the 1986 John Hughes film of the same name, and was re-recorded for the soundtrack.

In 1982, the band was reduced to a four-piece with the departures of Morris and Kilburn.[2] The band's remaining members moved permanently to New York state, where they recorded the album Forever Now with producer Todd Rundgren. This album contained "Love My Way", a minor hit which just missed the top 40 in both the US and the UK. Ely left the band after this release, though he would return for the 1988 single "All That Money Wants" and the 1989 album Book of Days.

The Furs' 1984 release Mirror Moves was produced by Keith Forsey, and featured the songs "The Ghost in You" and "Heaven". Both charted in the UK, and "Heaven" became the band's first top 40 UK hit -- but inexplicably, "Heaven" was never released as a single in America. Instead, Columbia Records opted for "Here Come Cowboys", despite "Heaven"'s UK success and heavy MTV airplay. "Here Come Cowboys" failed to chart, but "The Ghost In You" was a hit on the US pop charts. The band was becoming popular in Canada as well, CFNY, Toronto's new wave radio station, listed Mirror Moves as the #1 LP of 1984. [3]

By this time, the band had became somewhat of a staple on US college and progressive rock radio stations. As well, they were flirting with mainstream success, fairly consistently placing singles in the mid-range of the pop charts on both sides of the Atlantic. Then in 1986 came the re-recorded version of "Pretty in Pink", which became their biggest hit to that time in the US, and their biggest-ever UK hit.

But all was not well. Richard Butler later claimed that the success of "Pretty in Pink" caused the band to be pressured into entering the studio to record a follow-up release before they were ready. The result was Midnight to Midnight, an album which Butler characterized as "hollow, vapid and weak". A more overtly commercial effort than the Furs had ever recorded before, the Chris Kimsey-produced album featured the single "Heartbreak Beat", which happened to be their biggest top 40 US hit.

However, the Furs were dissatisfied with their new slickly commercial direction, and subsequently returned to a rawer sound with "All That Money Wants", a 1988 track especially recorded for a 'best-of' collection. 1989's Book of Days saw a return to the old-school style and the temporary return of Vince Ely 1991's World Outside was similarly more 'old school' in approach.

From 1988 on The Furs' chart success continued with three #1 hits on the US Modern Rock chart between 1988 and 1991.

The band splintered in the early 1990s, with the Butler brothers going on to found Love Spit Love. After spending the last half of the 1990s apart, Butler, Butler and Ashton reformed The Psychedelic Furs in 2000, and released a live album Beautiful Chaos: Greatest Hits Live, which also featured a new studio recording, "Alive (For Once In My Lifetime)".

Since then the Furs continue to tour the world along with former Love Spit Love drummer Frank Ferrer, ex-Information Society and World Party keyboardist Amanda Kramer and saxophonist Mars Williams who returns to the band after a stint in the late 80's..

[2] In early 2006, Pretty In Pink, was used by Cingular in ads to introduce the Motorola "pink Razr" cellphone.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Singles

Year Title Chart positions Album
UK Singles Chart US Hot 100 US Mainstream Rock US Modern Rock Φ
Oct 1979 "We Love You" - - - The Psychedelic Furs
Feb 1980 "Sister Europe" - - - The Psychedelic Furs, All of this and Nothing
Oct 1980 "Mr. Jones"
(single version)		 - - - Later re-recorded for Talk Talk Talk.
Apr 1981 "Dumb Waiters" #59 - - Talk Talk Talk
Jun 1981 "Pretty in Pink"
(original version)		 #43 - - Talk Talk Talk, All of this and Nothing
Jul 1982 "Love My Way" #42 #44 #30 Forever Now, All of this and Nothing
Sep 1982 "Run and Run" - - - Forever Now
Mar 1984 "Heaven" #29 - - Mirror Moves, All of this and Nothing
Jun 1984 "The Ghost in You" #68 #59 #25 Mirror Moves
Sep 1984 "Here Come Cowboys" - - - Mirror Moves
Aug 1986 "Pretty in Pink"
(re-recording)		 #18 #41 - Pretty in Pink Soundtrack
Oct 1987 "Heartbreak Beat" #79 #26 #11 Midnight to Midnight, All of this and Nothing
Jan 1987 "Angels Don't Cry" #85 - - Midnight to Midnight
1987 "Shock" - - - Midnight to Midnight
Jul 1988 "All That Money Wants" #75 - - #1 (3 weeks) All of This and Nothing
1989 "Should God Forget" - - - #8 Book of Days
Jan 1990 "House" #90 - - #1 (3 weeks) Book of Days
1991 "Until She Comes" - - - #1 (2 weeks) World Outside
1991 "Don't Be a Girl" - - - #13
2001 "Alive (For Once In My Lifetime)"

Φ Note: Billboard's US Modern Rock chart was established in 1988

[edit] Notes and references

  1. ^ Darling, John (2000). What's in a Name?: The Book of Bands. Xlibris Corporation. ISBN 0-595-09629-8. 
  2. ^ (2002) Grande enciclopedia rock. Giunti. ISBN 88-09-02852-X. 
  3. ^ http://www.spiritofradio.ca/

[edit] External links

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