| The Farm | |
|---|---|
Promotional photograph of The Farm in 1992 L to R: Ben Leach, Carl Hunter, Roy Boulter, Keith Mullen (back row), Steve Grimes and Peter Hooton (front row) |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Liverpool, England |
| Genres | Alternative rock, alternative dance, baggy |
| Years active | 1983–1996, 2004–present |
| Labels | Produce, Sire |
| Members | |
| Peter Hooton Steve Grimes Carl Hunter Roy Boulter Keith Mullin Ben Leach |
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| Past members | |
| Phil Strongman Andy McVann Anthony Evans Steve Levy George Maher John Melvin |
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The Farm were a British band from Liverpool, popular through the early 1990s. Their album Spartacus reached the top position on the UK Albums Chart when it was released in March 1991.[1][2]
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They formed in early 1983.[2] and initially comprised Peter Hooton, Steve Grimes, John Melvin and Andrew John "Andy" McVann,[3] who was killed in a police chase on October 1, 1986 at the age of 21,[4] and to whose parents the band's subsequent album, Spartacus, would be dedicated.
The band evolved out of an earlier group called The Excitements, initially including Phil Stephenson on bass, Neil (Cad) Campbell on drums, as well as Grimes on guitar & Thomas (the bands dancer). They became The Farm after Martin Dunbar (vocals) left and Peter Hooton joined, although they did play several gigs as The Excitements with Hooton on vocals. In 1984, they released the single, "Hearts and Minds," produced by Graham "Suggs" McPherson, lead vocalist with Madness.[2] In 1986, after McVann's death, Melvin left the band to pursue a varied career as the director of his own construction firm, but he eventually returned to music in 1990 under the guise of Mr. Smith, a two-piece band that would tour frequently, but not release anything of note. In 1987, the band supported The Housemartins on their UK tour.
After the departure of Melvin and the death of McVann, Hooton promptly brought in a new line-up. They released four Indie singles, but failed to earn themselves a big break until 1990. In 1989, the band had been given a cameo role in the movie The Final Frame starring Suggs. They were signed after this and hired Suggs as their producer. Their first single under new management was "Stepping Stone," a dance remake of Paul Revere & the Raiders and The Monkees' single "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone," a 1966 single that in its day reached #20 in the U.S. Billboard charts for The Monkees.[2] They were soon featured in The Face, an influential popular culture magazine in the UK, and their promotion of "No alla violenza" anti-hooligan t-shirts during the Italia 90 helped raise their profile further.
The Farm's first song to reach the upper end of the UK singles chart was "Groovy Train," which reached the Top 10 in September 1990. In late November that year they released their most famous song, "All Together Now," which instantly became a hit.[2] It was on the crest of this wave that their album Spartacus reached #1 in the UK. However, this success was short-lived, and their first single for a major label (Sony Records), "Love See No Colour" (1992), did not perform well, which led to a split from producers Pete Heller and Terry Farley. The band joined up with Mark Saunders, the man who had produced Erasure and The Cure. They released a cover of The Human League's "Don't You Want Me," which reached the Top 20.
In 1994, they released the album Hullabaloo on the Sire label, followed by their last major single.[2] Despite being a group largely supporting Liverpool F.C., they released a single to accompany the presence of their cross-city rivals, Everton, in the 1995 FA Cup Final.
Their most recent release was "Alltogethernow 2004," featuring the S.F.X. Boys Choir, Liverpool, as the official anthem of the England National Football Team at Euro 2004. It was issued on May 31, 2004 and as the name suggests, in a slightly remixed format, with radio commentary from the Euro 2004 Qualifiers added to the track, whilst a bonus remix also featured on the single with the help of DJ Spoony. The Farm were also central to the commemorative Hillsborough track "The Fields of Anfield Road," the proceeds going to the families of those killed in the disaster.
Many sources on the Web have stated that the Bands current members where chosen for for being ex-British Nation Party(BNP) members, a British Far-Right political party which was the only UK party not to condemn the actions of Norwegian terrorist Anders Behring Brevik.
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [1][2] |
NED | SWI | US Mod |
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| 1984 | "Hearts and Minds" | – | – | – | – | Pastures Old and New | |
| 1985 | "Steps of Emotion" | – | – | – | – | ||
| 1986 | "Some People" | – | – | – | – | ||
| 1989 | "Body and Soul" | – | – | – | – | Non-album singles | |
| 1990 | "Stepping Stone" / "Family of Man" | 58 | – | – | – | ||
| "Groovy Train" | 6 | 41 | – | 15 | Spartacus | ||
| "All Together Now" | 4 | 9 | 18 | 7 |
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| 1991 | "Sinful! (Scary Jiggin' with Doctor Love)" (with Pete Wylie) | 28 | – | – | – | Non-album single | |
| "Don't Let Me Down" | 36 | – | – | – | Spartacus | ||
| "Mind" | 31 | – | – | – | Love See No Colour | ||
| 1992 | "Love See No Colour" | 58 | – | – | – | ||
| "Rising Sun" | 48 | – | – | – | |||
| "Don't You Want Me" | 18 | – | – | – | |||
| "Love See No Colour" (re-mix) | 35 | – | – | – | |||
| 1994 | "Messiah" | – | – | – | – | Hullabaloo | |
| "Comfort" | – | – | – | – | |||
| 1995 | "All Together Now" (Everton FA Cup Final version) | 24 | – | – | – | Non-album singles | |
| 2004 | "All Together Now 2004" (feat. SFX Boys Choir) | 5 | – | – | – | ||
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