The Seahorses

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The Seahorses
Origin England
Genre(s) Indie rock, Alternative rock, Britpop, Prog rock
Years active 1996-1999
Label(s) Geffen
Members
John Squire
Stuart Fletcher
Chris Helme
Mark Heaney
Former members
Andy Watts

The Seahorses were an English band of the mid to late 1990s, best known as the post-Stone Roses project of guitarist John Squire. They are best remembered for their 1997 singles Love Is the Law (April 1997) which reached #3 in the UK charts and Blinded by the Sun (July 1997).

Contents

[edit] History

Formed in 1996, The Seahorses leaned more towards guitar-driven music than the dancehall rock of Stone Roses.[1] For the band, Squire picked three unknowns. First to join was the bassist Stuart Fletcher who Squire saw standing in for a friend in a York pub band called The Blueflies, next was the lead vocalist Chris Helme (who a friend of Squire's had spotted busking outside Woolworths, also in York), with drummer Andy Watts, who also provided backing vocals, being the last to join.

Their one and only album, Do it Yourself, was produced by Tony Visconti, for Geffen Records in June 1997, and received varied reviews. One of the songs on the album, "Love Me and Leave Me", was co-written with Liam Gallagher of Oasis, with whom the Seahorses toured in 1997.

Shortly before the release of the single "Love Me And Leave Me", it was announced that drummer Andy Watts was leaving the group to spend more time with his family. It was later brought to light in an online interview with Watts that he was asked to leave by the bands lawyer's on behalf of the band, because they didn't approve of the drummer's excessive behaviour on tour, and felt he didn't fit in with the desired image for the band. Watts was eventually replaced by Mark Heaney and played several secret gigs showcasing new material destined for a second album. However, the group disbanded in 1999 during recording sessions. A bootleg entitled "2nd Album Recordings" can be found containing many new tracks and demos which were destined for the second Seahorses album which would have been titled either "Minus Blue" or "Motorcade". It is believed Helme showed more interest in pursuing a solo career off the back of his involvement with Squire than working on the 2nd album, and John Squire walked out of the sessions.[2]

[edit] The name

The origin of the name The Seahorses has been the subject of various theories after a pair of NME readers spotted it was an anagram of the phrase He Hates Roses, and wrote in to the paper. Other anagrams include The Rose Ashes, and by dropping the definitive article, She's A Rose. Squire has claimed in interviews that the band was named after a large fibreglass seahorse which Squire bumped his head against while leaving a pub on the very day he announced his departure from The Stone Roses.[3]

Following the controversy, the name was changed from The Seahorses to simply Seahorses. The name-change was short-lived, becoming the subject of a dispute when another band revealed they had already been performing as Seahorses for several years.

[edit] After the break-up

Following the demise of The Seahorses John Squire released two albums as a solo artist. Stuart Fletcher and Chris Helme currently play together in semi-pro outfit The Yards who play pub gigs around their hometown of York, Fletcher also plays with former Shed Seven frontman Rick Witter in his new band Rick Witter & The Dukes.

[edit] Discography

Albums
Singles
  • "Love Is the Law" (April 1997) UK #3[4]
  • "Blinded by the Sun" (July 1997) UK #7[4]
  • "Love Me and Leave Me" (September 1997) UK #16[4]
  • "You Can Talk to Me" (December 1997) UK #15[4] U.S. Modern Rock #30

[edit] References

  1. ^ YouTube - John Squire shredding on his guitar!
  2. ^ The Seahorses - Jsu Mini-Site
  3. ^ Media - The Seahorses - Jsu Mini-Site
  4. ^ a b c d e Search Results -- Singles. http://www.everyhit.com (2008-03-23). Retrieved on 2008-03-23.

[edit] External links