Black (singer)

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Black

Colin Vearncombe in Birkenhead on 22 March 2007
Photo: Andrew D. Hurley
Background information
Origin Liverpool, England
Genres Pop rock, New Wave
Years active 1981–present
Labels WEA Records
A&M Records Ugly Man
Nero Schwarz Records

Black is the pseudonym for English singer-songwriter Colin Vearncombe (born 26 May 1962, Liverpool, England), who briefly enjoyed mainstream success in the late 1980s. William Ruhlmann of Allmusic described Verncombe as a "smoky-voiced singer/songwriter, whose sophisticated jazz-pop songs and dramatic vocal delivery place him somewhere between Bryan Ferry and Morrissey."[1]

Career

Black

Black's first release was "Human Features" on Rox Records in 1981. This was followed by another independent release in 1982 "More than the Sun", after which he was signed by WEA Records.

In 1982, Black played with the Thompson Twins on their "Quick Step and Side Kick" tour. The live sound of synth/percussion/guitar and the use of reel-to-reel tapes got him noticed.

The first release for WEA was "Hey Presto" (1984), which got him noticed outside the UK: the video for this song featured on the satellite music channel Music Box, and the single was released in Australia. The second WEA single was a re-recording of "More than the Sun". After this, Black was dropped from the record label.

1985 was a gloomy year for Vearncombe, causing him to write the ironically entitled minor key song "Wonderful Life". Released independently through Ugly Man Records at first, this track got Black noticed by A&M Records who signed Vearncombe and launched his international career. At first, the single "Everything's Coming Up Roses" flopped, but the follow-up, "Sweetest Smile" became a UK top 10 hit. The third single, a re-release of "Wonderful Life", was a massive hit worldwide. The album of the same name, released in 1987, had similar success, reaping commercial and critical acclaim.

Black then went on to sell over two million records worldwide with Comedy (1988) and Black (1991). In the meantime, Vearncombe married Swedish singer Camilla Griehsel, formerly from the band One 2 Many. Disillusioned with having to deal with a big record company, Vearncombe founded the independent label Nero Schwarz (which is the word "black" in Italian and in German, respectively), and released one album Are We Having Fun Yet? (1993).

After a prolonged hiatus, Vearncombe returned in 1999 to release a string of recordings under his own name.

Vearncombe returned to the name "Black" to release a new recording entitled Between Two Churches in November 2005. On this album he included a song mocking the success of his hit "Wonderful life", where he poignantly re-asked the question, "Are you having a wonderful life?".

2009 saw two album releases. The Given was issued on 4 July, initially available as a free download under Vearncombe's name; and Water On Stone on 17 November, the first Black studio album in four years.

In September 2011, the album Any Colour You Like was released through Black's website.[2]

Discography

Albums

Year Album Name Credited as Label UK Albums Chart[3] WW sales mil.
1987 Wonderful Life Black A&M Records No. 3 1.5
1988 Comedy Black A&M Records No. 32 0.5
1991 Black Black A&M Records No. 42 0.2
1993 Are We Having Fun Yet? Black Nero Schwarz Records & Various
1999 The Accused Colin Vearncombe Nero Schwarz Records & East Central One
1999 Abbey Road Live Colin Vearncombe Nero Schwarz Records
2000 Water On Snow Colin Vearncombe Nero Schwarz Records
2001 Live At The Bassline Colin Vearncombe Nero Schwarz Records
2002 Smoke Up Close Colin Vearncombe Nero Schwarz Records
2005 Between Two Churches Black Nero Schwarz Records
2009 The Given Colin Vearncombe Nero Schwarz Records
2009 Water On Stone Black Nero Schwarz Records
2013 Wonderful Life (Expanded & Remastered) Black A&M Records

Compilation albums

Year Album Name Label UK Top WW sales mil.
1996 Master Series A. & M. Records
2000 Millennium Edition A. & M. Records
2000 The Collection[4] Spectrum Music
2007 Black: C.V. Nero Schwarz Records
2011 Any Colour You Like Nero Schwarz Records

Singles

Year Single Name Label UK Singles Chart[3] WW sales mil.
1981 "Human Features" Rox Records
1982 "More Than The Sun" Wonderful World Of Records
1984 "Hey Presto" WEA
1984 "More Than The Sun" WEA
1985 "Wonderful Life" Ugly Man Records No. 72
1986 "Everything's Coming Up Roses" A&M Records
1987 "Sweetest Smile" A&M Records No. 8
1987 "Wonderful Life" (re-recording) A&M Records No. 8
1987 "I'm Not Afraid" A&M Records
1988 "Paradise" A&M Records No. 38
1988 "The Big One" A&M Records No. 54
1988 "You're A Big Girl Now" A&M Records
1988 "Live At The Tokyo Powerstation (EP)" A&M Records
1989 "Now You're Gone" A&M Records No. 66
1991 "Feel Like Change" A&M Records No. 56
1991 "Here It Comes Again" A&M Records No. 70
1991 "Fly Up To The Moon" (duet with Sam Brown) A&M Records
1993 "Don't Take The Silence Too Hard" Nero Schwarz
1993 "Wishing You Were Here" Nero Schwarz
1993 "Just Like Love" Nero Schwarz
1994 "Wonderful Life" (re-issue) PolyGram No. 42
2005 "Two Churches (EP)" Nero Schwarz

References

  1. Wonderful Life review at Allmusic.
  2. colin vearncombe aka black. Colinvearncombe.com. Retrieved on 2012-04-09.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 59. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. 
  4. Cduniverse.com

External links

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