| A Flock of Seagulls | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Liverpool, England |
| Genres | New Wave, synthpop, post-punk |
| Years active | 1979–1986 1989–present |
| Labels | Jive, I.R.S., Cocteau Records |
| Members | |
| Michael "Mike" Score Joe Rodríguez Pando Michael Brahm[1][2] |
|
| Past members | |
| Randy "V" Valli Alister "Ali" James Score Frank Maudsley Paul Reynolds Shavin 'Pepper' Duffy Ed Berner Benton Brower Sean Pugh Willie Woo Mark Edmondson |
|
A Flock of Seagulls (also known as Flock of Seagulls) are an English New Wave band originally formed by brothers Michael "Mike" Score (keyboards, vocals) and Alister "Ali" James Score (drums), with Frank Maudsley (bass) and Paul Reynolds (guitar).
The group had a string of international hit singles including "I Ran (So Far Away)", "Space Age Love Song," "Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)" and "The More You Live, the More You Love", and became notable in the 1980s for their MTV video for the song "I Ran (So Far Away)".
Contents |
A Flock of Seagulls was started by Mike Score and his brother Ali in 1979 in Liverpool. Mike, who was previously a hairdresser, played keyboards, guitar, and vocals, Ali played drums and their friend Frank Maudsley played bass. The band took their name from a line in the song "Toiler on the Sea" by The Stranglers, which appears on their album Black and White.[3] The band added guitarist Willie Woo, Rob Koreman (after a brief stint as a pilot), and Mark Edmondson joined briefly when Ali and Mike had a falling out; however, Ali re-joined when Mark took ill. They then began writing songs. Soon after, Willie left, allowing Paul Reynolds to join. They then started playing clubs and eventually got a recording contract.
Eventually, under the management of Tommy Crossan and Mick Rossi (Checkmount Limited), they began to release singles through Jive Records. The group released an EP and a couple of singles, 'Its Not Me Talking' and 'Telecommunication' on Bill Nelson's 'Cocteau' label; both tracks produced by Nelson. In 1982 the group's third single, produced by Mike Howlett "I Ran (So Far Away)" became a worldwide hit, most notably reaching number 1 in Australia and the top 10 in the US and New Zealand (where the band became popular). The parent album A Flock of Seagulls and another single "Space Age Love Song" were also successful. In late 1982 the band found major success in their home country with "Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)" (first single from their next album) which reached the top 10.[4] As it turned out, 1982 would prove to be the peak year of their commercial and critical success. The band is regarded as breaking the ground for other musical acts during the advent of the video music area.[5]
1983 saw the release of three singles to back their second album Listen. Each was only a minor success in the UK and abroad. Faced with disappointment the group produced a third album in 1984. "The More You Live, the More You Love" was The Story of a Young Heart's lead single. It was moderately successful, but the album's other two singles – "Never Again (The Dancer)" and "Remember David" – did not make any headway.
Faced with sliding sales and a loss of direction following the third album, the group relocated to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania minus Paul Reynolds. Eventually, in 1985, the group released a new album; Dream Come True. The album was critically panned and a commercial failure. The remaining members fell out and A Flock Of Seagulls in its original incarnation disbanded. In promotion of Dream Come True, two videos – "Who's That Girl" and "Heartbeat Like a Drum" – were filmed in quick succession. These two videos were the last time the three remaining members were together in a recording or performance capacity until 2003.
For the next eighteen years, Mike Score worked with various musicians under the A Flock Of Seagulls banner, playing live gigs and occasionally issuing new recordings. In 1989, the group released a single called "Magic" which did not chart. The follow-up album (The Light at the End of the World) which included the single did not appear until 1995, and similarly did not chart.
By 2002, A Flock of Seagulls was brought back to life when Rockstar Games added their most famous single "I Ran" to Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and included in the games official trailer.
In November 2003, the original line-up (Mike and Ali Score, Paul Reynolds and Frank Maudsley) reunited for a one-off performance on the VH1 series, Bands Reunited. In September 2004, they reformed again and played a small number of live shows in the United States, but broke up immediately afterward. Mike Score continues to tour with other musicians as A Flock Of Seagulls.
Although parodied in later years, the band is now recognised as a pioneering act, capturing the zeitgeist of their time, particularly with multi-layered hits such as "Space Age Love Song", Telecommunication and Modern Love is Automatic.[6] The band also is noted for completing a successful concept album, their debut, which alludes to an alien invasion of earth.[7] The group garnered the attention of legendary producer Phil Spector, whom, upon hearing a demo of "I Ran" called the sound "phenomenal" and was in talks to produce an album. However, the talks fell apart when Spector and the bands label did not see eye to eye.[8]
Original line-up (1979–1984)
| Year | Album | Chart positions | Certification | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK[9] | DEU[10] | SE | U.S[11] | AUS[12] | |||
| 1981 | Modern Love Is Automatic EP
|
– | – | – | – | – | |
| 1982 | A Flock of Seagulls
|
32 | 26 | 32 | 10 | 19 | |
| 1983 | Listen
|
16 | 14 | 44 | 16 | 90 | |
| 1984 | The Story of a Young Heart
|
30 | 31 | – | 67 | – | |
| 1985 | Dream Come True
|
– | – | – | – | – | |
| 1995 | The Light at the End of the World
|
– | – | – | – | – | |
| Year | Title | Album | Chart positions | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK[9] | UK Indie[15] | AUS[12] | NETH | DEU[10] | IRL[16] | NZ[17] | US[11] | |||||
| Hot 100 | MSR | Dance Club Play | ||||||||||
| 1981 | "(It's Not Me) Talking" | — | – | 45 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| "Telecommunication" | A Flock of Seagulls | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 19 | |
| 1982 | "I Ran (So Far Away)" | 43 | – | 1 | 46 | 31 | – | 7 | 9 | 3 | 8 | |
| "Space Age Love Song" | 34 | – | 68 | – | – | – | 31 | 30 | 59 | – | ||
| "Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)" | Listen | 10 | – | 46 | 44 | 37 | 6 | 33 | 26 | 3 | 62 | |
| 1983 | "(It's Not Me) Talking" (Cocteau Records re-issue) | — | – | 22 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| "Nightmares" | Listen | 53 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| "Transfer Affection" | 38 | – | – | – | – | 22 | 43 | – | – | – | ||
| "(It's Not Me) Talking" (Rerecording) | 78 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| 1984 | "The More You Live, the More You Love" | The Story of a Young Heart | 26 | – | – | 16 | 37 | – | 32 | 56 | 10 | – |
| "Never Again (The Dancer)" | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| "Remember David" | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||
| 1985 | "Who's That Girl (She's Got It)" | Dream Come True | 66 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1986 | "Heartbeat Like a Drum" | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 1989 | "Magic" | — | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1995 | "Magic" (Re-issue) | The Light at the End of the World | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| "Burnin' Up" | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| 1996 | "Rainfall" | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 2000 | "Rainfall" (Re-issue) | — | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2007 | "I Ran (So Far Away)" (A Flock Of Seagulls vs. The Angry Kids) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| Year | Title | Format |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Through the Looking Glass
|
VHS |
Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; refs with no name must have content; see the help page==In popular culture==
The album track, "D.N.A. (song)" from A Flock of Seagulls, won a Grammy Award in 1983 for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.