| Modern Romance | |
|---|---|
| Origin | England |
| Genres | Pop, Salsa music, Dance music, R&B, Mambo, Electronic music, Afro-Cuban music, Blues music, Soul music, Disco music |
| Years active | 1980–1985 2001– |
| Labels | WEA, RCA, Ronco, Wounded Bird Records |
| Website | Official website |
| Members | |
| Andy Kyriacou Peter J. Pinto Kevin Sutherland Chris Webb Matt Earnshaw Martin Shaw Nicola Poustie |
|
| Past members | |
| Geoff Deane David Jaymes Robbie Jaymes Paul Gendler John Du Prez Michael J. Mullins |
|
Modern Romance were a British pop music band that found popularity in the early 1980s. Formed in 1980 by previous members of an earlier band, The Leyton Buzzards, the band enjoyed a string of UK chart hits before they broke up in 1985.
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Geoffrey Deane and David Jaymes formed Modern Romance in 1980, having previously been the mainstays of the punk parody band the Leyton Buzzards which they formed in 1977.[1] The Leyton Buzzards released a single ("19 and Mad") on the independent label Small Wonder, but this was unsuccessful. After winning a competition organised by the UK tabloid newspaper The Sun, part of the prize was a recording contract with Chrysalis Records. In 1979, the band released a single via Chrysalis entitled "Saturday Night Beneath The Plastic Palm Trees". Despite an appearance on Top of the Pops, this was also unsuccessful (peaking at no.53) and their working relationship with Chrysalis quickly soured after further unsuccessful releases. The band then split up though Deane and Jaymes continued working together, embracing the burgeoning electronic style of dance music that was becoming popular in London clubs at the time. They found a new manager and created a limited company called Business Art Productions, and signed to WEA Records.[1] In 1980, their first release, eponymously titled "Modern Romance", was unsuccessful. After a second unsuccessful single, "Tonight", the band then opted to lessen the predominantly electronic sound in favour of a Latin-American dance style with emphasis on bass, percussion and brass. They recruited trumpet player John Du Prez into their new line-up.[1] The band released a new single, "Everybody Salsa" in summer 1981, which reached the UK Top 20.[2] They followed this later in the year with similarly themed "Ay Ay Ay Ay Moosey", which reached the UK Top 10.[2] Despite these two hits, the band's debut album, Adventures in Clubland, was not a success. However, in the US they scored a number 2 hit on the Billboard Dance chart with "Can You Move", a mostly rap variation of "Everybody Salsa".[3] After further UK Top 40 hits with "Queen of the Rapping Scene" and a cover of the 1955 hit "Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White", Deane departed the band to pursue solo projects.
Michael J. Mullins took over the mantle of lead vocalist, and their next release saw the band reach their highest UK chart position with "Best Years of Our Lives" in late 1982. Further hits followed in 1983: "High Life" (UK #8), "Don't Stop That Crazy Rhythm" (UK #14), and the ballad "Walking in the Rain" (UK #7).[2] Both "Best Years Of Our Lives" and "Walking In The Rain" earned Silver discs.[4] Despite being regularly featured in teen pin-up magazines, the band's commercial hot streak waned and further singles were less successul. The band released a compilation album for the Christmas 1983 market entitled Party Tonight. Though it only peaked at #45 in the UK, it became their most successful album and was certified Gold for sales in excess of 100,000 copies within six weeks of release.[4]
John Du Prez then left the band, and after a change of image - from bright coloured suits and wedge hairstyles to long hair and leather jackets - Modern Romance released a final album, Burn It!, in 1985. The album was received poorly and the band called it quits after releasing the stand-alone single "Tarzan Boy" - a cover of the Baltimora hit from earlier that year - and an anthology mix of their biggest selling songs titled Best Mix of Our Lives (also 1985).
After leaving Modern Romance, former lead vocalist Geoff Deane reappeared in 1983 as 'Geoff Deane & The Valley Girls' to release the single "Navy Lark", then again for the solo "What About Romance", and he also wrote "You Think You're A Man" for Divine. Deane later became a scriptwriter and television producer, scripting for television programmes such as Birds of a Feather, Babes in the Wood, Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, Chef!, Last Man Standing, and A Many-Splintered Thing. In 2005 he wrote the film Kinky Boots starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, and a year later It's a Boy Girl Thing for Elton John's Rocket Pictures.
David Jaymes has since moved into the management and consultancy side of the msuic industry. He worked as Music Supervisor on the film Fascination (2004) starring Jacqueline Bisset and James Naughton. He has also worked again with John Du Prez, composing music for commercials and feature films. Jaymes has managed artists such as Sinéad O'Connor, Justin Adams, Miles Hunt aka The Wonder Stuff, Republica, and Drum Club. He has also worked as consultant for Harry Nilsson, Jimmy Webb, George Fenton, and Chuck Mangione. In 2010, he worked with a host of musicians on the Haiti Earthquake disaster single (a cover version of "I Put a Spell on You"), including Shane MacGowan, Nick Cave, Chrissy Hynde, and Johnny Depp.
In 2001, Andy Kyriacou reformed Modern Romance with a new line-up, joining the burgeoning British 80s revival scene. The new line-up featured no original band members ( Kyriacou himself had first appeared on the Modern Romance single, "Ay Ay Ay Ay Moosey", though had remained their drummer until the band split in 1985). In 2002, the new line-up released the album Back on Track, which consisted mostly of re-recorded Modern Romance hits. Back on Track was also released as Moves 2 Fast, with a slightly different track listing. In their latest guise, Modern Romance continue to play the 1980s festival circuit, and appeared as the opening act at the 2010 Rewind Festival in Henley-on-Thames, which also included Boy George, Rick Astley, Level 42, T'Pau, Kajagoogoo and Heaven 17. On their official website, the band announced they were recording a new album in 2010/2011, though nothing has yet materialised.[5]
† "By The Way.." was the first credit on a single for their future lead singer Michael J. Mullins
† "Cherry Pink..." was a showcase for trumpet player John Du Prez, and was the last involvement of Geoff Deane
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