| Flesh for Lulu | |
|---|---|
Nick Marsh and Kevin Mills of Flesh for Lulu during a dinner interview in San Francisco, 1987 |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Brixton, London, England |
| Genres | Alternative rock, Gothic Rock |
| Years active | 1982–1992 |
| Labels | Polydor, Beggars Banquet, Capitol |
| Website | Official website |
| Past members | |
| Nick Marsh James Mitchell Kevin Mills Glen Bishop Rocco Barker Mike Steed Hans Persson Derek "Del Strangefish" Greening[1] |
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Flesh for Lulu was an Alternative rock/Gothic band formed in Brixton, London, UK, and was active between 1982 and 1992. Their music was a mix of the New York Dolls and Rolling Stones with gothic rock's gloomy atmosphere and aesthetics.
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Nick Marsh (vocals and guitar) and James Mitchell (drums) formed the band and soon recruited Rocco (originally from Wasted Youth, guitar and vocals), and Glen Bishop (bass),[1] taking their name from an American cult movie.[2] They signed to Polydor Records in 1983, and soon thereafter, bassist Glen Bishop left to join Under Two Flags, and was replaced by Kevin Mills (formerly of Specimen).[1]
The label dropped them a year later after their eponymous first album failed to find any commercial success.[1]
In 1985, the band signed to Hybrid Records and released a mini LP, Blue Sisters Swing, which was produced with Craig Leon. The cover image of two nuns kissing resulted in the album being banned in the United States and Europe.[2] Flesh for Lulu then joined Statik records, who released Big Fun City later that year.
The following year, the band signed to Beggars Banquet Records, and their song "I Go Crazy" was featured in Some Kind of Wonderful and saw some airplay on American college rock radio stations. This allowed Flesh for Lulu to sustain a successful tour of the US.
In 1989, "Decline and Fall" followed and became a top 15 hit on the new Modern Rock Tracks chart. The next year, "Time and Space" written by newest member Del Strangefish[3] became their biggest US hit, hitting the top 10 of the Modern Rock chart, but the song failed to chart on any other US chart. The band were dropped again, and dissolved soon afterwards.[1]
The song "Postcards from Paradise" was covered by Paul Westerberg as a secret bonus track on his 2002 album "Stereo". Unfortunately, the 'secretness' of the cover meant zero royalties for Flesh, and as the original publishers remain unwilling to provide any accounting to the band, the real extent of their dues in this instance remain unknown. The Goo Goo Dolls also covered the same song, which will be part of a "deluxe edition" release of their 2010 album Something for the Rest of Us available on the band's website.
In 1996, Nick Marsh and Rocco formed a new band they called Gigantic, recruiting Dave Blair on bass and Al Fletcher on drums. Columbia Records signed them, and put them on tour with the Goo Goo Dolls and Bush. Their first album was a commercial flop, and the group disbanded in 1998.
Since the breakup of Gigantic, Nick Marsh has released a solo album and performs bourbon soaked gypsy bop and stroll band 'Urban Voodoo Machine' while Rocco joined a band called The Space Police with reggae / jungle artist General Levy and Italian keyboardist and producer Dr.Cat (Aka Luca Gatti).
In 2007, Gigantic's one and only album, Disenchanted, originally released in 1996 on Columbia Records, was repackaged and reissued on Corporate Risk as Gigantic under the Flesh for Lulu name.
Rocco was featured on the Channel 4 series A Place in Spain: Costa Chaos.[4]