Cappella

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This article is about a musical group. For the musical term, please see A cappella
Rodney Bishop & Kelly Overett
Rodney Bishop & Kelly Overett

Cappella were an Italian eurodance, house and techno group that found international success mainly in the early 1990s.

Contents

[edit] Background

The name Cappella was first used in the year 1987. The main man behind Cappella was the Italian producer Gianfranco Bortolotti of Media Records, with contributions from the likes of Michele Persona and Mauro Picotto. In 1988 the act debuted on the British charts with the song Bauhaus (Push The Beat) - and the following year with Helyom Halib which peaked at #11. At the time the act was fronted by the singer Ettore Foresti.

Some three years later Cappella returned with Take Me Away (UK #25), which sampled Loleatta Holloway's Love Sensation - the same track that had been unlawfully sampled on the #1 hit Ride On Time by Black Box in 1989. In 1991 also the band released Everybody which was remixed a number of times and is still regarded by many as a true 'Old School Classic'.

It wasn't until 1993 when Cappella managed to really gain momentum. U Got 2 Know which sampled Siouxsie and the Banshees "Happy House" got to the heady heights of #6 in the UK, two permanent members were drafted in: rapper Rodney Bishop (from SE London) and vocals from ex-SL2 dancer Kelly Overett (from Ipswich). It has since emerged that Kelly did not perform on any of the records, which were sung by Vickie Sheppard, even though Overett attempted (and managed [1]) to sing Move On Baby live on the Top Of The Pops and on a concert special that aired on France's M6 in 1994. The act had to perform Baby live on TOTP because of the show's policy at the time in which performers had to sing it instead of lip-synching the track. Among the real vocals used included: "U Got 2 Know" (Xaviera Gold's vocals from "You Used To Hold Me") "U Got 2 Let the Music" (from a track recorded by JM Silk) and "U & Me" (from a track recorded by Vicki Shepard).

U Got 2 Let the Music, sampling Alphaville's Sound Like A Melody (UK #2), Move On Baby (UK # 7) and U & Me (UK # 10) followed into the UK top ten as well as being pan-European hits. They had one more successful chart single "Move it up/Big beat" (UK # 16). However, the group replaced Kelly by Allison Jordan (of "Boy from New York City" fame). Rodney Bishop was also replaced by Patrick Osborne, but was soon called back. By the time the group returned in the summer of 1995, Eurodance was rapidly going out of fashion so the single Tell Me The Way (UK #17) and the album War In Heaven were relatively unsuccessful.

The act continued to have minor hits in Europe for a while before resorting to remixes of previous big hits. Throughout the mid to late 1990s, U Got 2 Know got brief recognition through its use for the announcement of the starting lineup for the Houston Rockets (a basketball team belonging to the National Basketball Association). In 2004, the act - now once again faceless, released a brand new track called Angel which failed to trouble the German or Italian charts but it is rumoured that new singers are being looked for to front a new Cappella in the near future. A best-of CD/DVD was released in August 2005.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

[edit] Singles

  • 1988 "Bauhaus (Push the Beat)" UK #60
  • 1989 "Helyom Halib" UK #11
  • 1989 "House Energy Revenge" UK #73
  • 1990 "Get Out of My Case"
  • 1990 "Everybody Listen to It"
  • 1991 "Everybody" UK #66
  • 1992 "Take Me Away" UK #25
  • 1993 "U Got 2 Know" UK #6
  • 1993 "U Got 2 Know (Remix)" UK #43
  • 1993 "U Got 2 Let the Music" UK #2
  • 1994 "Move On Baby" UK #7
  • 1994 "U and Me" UK #10
  • 1994 "Move It Up / Big Beat" UK #16
  • 1995 "Don't Be Proud"
  • 1995 "Tell Me the Way" UK #17
  • 1996 "I Need Your Love"
  • 1996 "Turn It Up and Down"
  • 1997 "Be My Baby" UK #53
  • 1997 "Do You Run Away Now"
  • 1997 "U Tore My World Apart"
  • 1998 "U R The Power Of Love"
  • 1998 "U Got 2 Let the Music '98"
  • 1998 "Throwin' Away"
  • 2002 "U Got 2 Know 2002"
  • 2004 "Angel"
  • 2004 "U Got 2 Let the Music 2004"
  • 2006 "U Got 2 Let the Music Technikal Remix"
  • 2007 "U Got 2 Know (Spenno, Dizzy & Sparky Rmx)"
Title Year Uk Ireland Swiss Swe Ger Fra Nor Neth Bel Fin
Bauhaus (Push The Beat) 1988 60 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Helyom Halib 1989 11 29 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
House Energy Revenge 1989 73 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Everybody 1991 66 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Take Me Away 1992 25 12 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
U Got 2 Know 1993 6 7 N/A N/A 21 N/A N/A 26 N/A N/A
U Got 2 Know (re-mix) 1993 43 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
U Got 2 Let the Music 1993 2 6 1 14 3 12 4 9 N/A N/A
Move On Baby 1994 7 9 1 9 4 30 8 1 N/A N/A
U & Me 1994 10 25 13 15 14 34 N/A 4 N/A N/A
Move It Up/Big Beat 1994 16 26 19 N/A 33 N/A N/A 8 N/A N/A
Don't Be Proud 1995 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 26 27 N/A
Tell Me The Way 1995 17 29 35 N/A N/A 35 N/A 24 27 15
I Need Your Love 1996 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 33 N/A 30 N/A 6
Turn It Up And Down 1996 N/A N/A N/A 54 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 7
Be My Baby 1997 53 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 11

[edit] See also

  • 49ers - One of Gianfranco Bortolotti's other Italio-house acts of the era.
  • Media Records
  • Nukleuz
  • Rodney Bishop
  • Kelly Overett

[edit] References

  1. ^ From YouTube

[edit] External links