Pseudo Echo
| Pseudo Echo | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Melbourne, Australia |
| Genres | New Wave, synthpop, electronic rock, glam rock |
| Years active | 1982–1990, 1998–present |
| Labels | RCA, EMI |
| Associated acts | Brill, Vertigo, Invertigo |
| Members |
Brian Canham Darren Danielson Ben Grayson Simon Rayner |
| Past members |
Pierre Gigliotti Tony Lugton Anthony Argiro James Leigh Vince Leigh Greg Miller Aimon Clark Tony Featherstone Matt Campbell |
Pseudo Echo are an Australian New Wave band formed in 1982 in Melbourne. The original line-up consisted of Brian Canham (vocals, guitars and keyboards), Pierre Gigliotti (as Pierre Pierre) (bass guitar, keyboards), Tony Lugton (guitars and keyboards) and Anthony Argiro (drums). A later line-up included James Leigh (keyboards) and his brother, Vince Leigh (drums). In the 1980s, Pseudo Echo had Australian top 20 hits with "Listening", "A Beat for You", "Don't Go", "Love an Adventure", "Living in a Dream" and their cover of "Funky Town", which peaked at No. 1 in 1986. In 1987, it reached No. 1 in Canada and New Zealand, No. 6 in United States and No. 8 in United Kingdom.
They released their debut album, Autumnal Park in 1984 which peaked at No. 11 on the Australian Kent Music Report. Love an Adventure followed in 1985 and reached No. 14. Their third album, Race (1989) peaked at No. 18 and in 1990 the group disbanded. They reformed in 1998 and issued Teleporter in 2000. Rock music historian Ian McFarlane, stated they "combined flash clothes, blow-wave hairstyles, youthful exuberance and accessible synth-pop to arrive at a winning combination ... and found a ready-made audience among teenagers who fawned on the band's every move".
History
Formation
Pseudo Echo formed in Melbourne in 1982 by school friends Brian Canham on vocals, guitars, and keyboards and Pierre Gigliotti (as Pierre Pierre) on bass and keyboards, they were joined by Tony Lugton (ex-James Freud & the Radio Stars) on guitars and keyboards.[1][2] The group were named for a sound effect available on their keyboards and were influenced by New Romantics bands, Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet and Ultravox.[1][3] Molly Meldrum, television presenter for the pop music series Countdown, saw the group at a gig and aired them on the show with a demo version of "Listening" in June 1983.[3][4] The band initially used a drum machine until replaced by Brad Gormley (drums) in July.[2] They were signed to EMI Records and "Listening" – produced by Peter Dawkins – was issued in November as their debut single, which peaked at No. 4 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart.[2][5]
Their first album Autumnal Park, produced by Dawkins and John Punter, was released in June 1984, which peaked at No. 11 on the Kent Music Report Albums Chart.[2][5] It was an Ultravox-influenced effort which, besides "Listening", yielded the singles "A Beat for You" (No. 12 in April), "Stranger in Me" (July) and "Dancing Till Midnight" (December).[1][5] "His Eyes", another album track, received overseas exposure when it was used in the film Friday the 13th: A New Beginning.
Second album: Love an Adventure
Pseudo Echo's Tony Lugton was replaced by James Leigh (aka James Dingli) in October 1984.[1] Tony Lugton left the band due to musical differences.[6] Lugton eventually joined synth rock band Talk That Walk. Another line-up change occurred just after the recording of the second album, Love an Adventure, with Argiro replaced by James's brother Vince Leigh (aka Vincent Dingli).[1][2] In November 1985, Canham joined a charity project for research on Little Penguins, as a guest vocalist with other Australian artists and backed by The Incredible Penguins. They covered the John Lennon and Yoko Ono hit "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)", which peaked at No. 10 in December.[5][7]
Their second album, issued in November, was produced by Mark S. Berry, and Brian Canham, which reached No. 14.[2][5] Three of its singles reached the Top 20 including "Don't Go" (No. 4 in October), "Love an Adventure" (No. 6 in January 1986), and "Living in a Dream" (No. 15 in May).[5] A fourth single, "Try" (August), did not peak into the Top 50.[5]
In October 1986, Pseudo Echo released a rockier version of the Lipps, Inc. disco song "Funky Town", which spent twelve weeks at number-one from December.[5] The album, Love an Adventure, was re-released the following year to include their remake of "Funky Town" which brought the group their biggest international success, the single reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, and No. 8 on the UK Singles Chart in July 1987.[8]
The overseas release of Love an Adventure featured a different track listing and included re-mixed versions of three singles from Autumnal Park: "Listening", "A Beat for You", and "Destination Unknown". These were more rock-oriented, to better match the other album tracks. Canham re-recorded his vocals for a slicker sound for the rock remixes. The overseas version of Love an Adventure had the re-make of "Funky Town" replacing "Don't Go".
In 1987, the band re-released "Listening" for the movie North Shore starring Nia Peeples. In October they won the 1987 World Popular Song Festival (aka Yamaha Music Festival) with "Take on the World",[9] which provided a prize of US$10,000.[1] Their third album, Race (1989), produced by Julian Mendelsohn and Brian Canham, had a more mature rock sound.[1] It featured the Australian singles "Fooled Again", "Over Tomorrow", "Eye of the Storm", and "Don't You Forget". The album reached No. 18 on the Kent Music Report Albums Chart and No. 32 on the ARIA Albums Chart.[5][10] The band's move to a more rock, metal genre had alienated a portion of their established fan base. Pseudo Echo disbanded shortly after touring for Race in 1990. Rock music historian, Ian McFarlane, stated they "combined flash clothes, blow-wave hairstyles, youthful exuberance and accessible synth-pop to arrive at a winning combination ... and found a ready-made audience among teenagers who fawned on the band's every move".[1]
Recent projects
After Pseudo Echo disbanded in 1990, Canham moved into record production including Chocolate Starfish's 1994 debut album, Chocolate Starfish, which peaked at No. 2 on the ARIA Albums Chart.[1][11] Gigliotti performed with a covers band, All the Young Dudes. The Leigh brothers formed Vertigo (later renamed as Invertigo) in 1996. In 1997, Canham formed Brill with Darren Danielson (ex-Chocolate Starfish) on drums.[1]
Pseudo Echo reunited in March 1998, with Canham and Gigliotti joined by Danielson on drums and Tony Featherstone on keyboards (ex-The Badloves) to tour.[1] With Andy McIvor added on bass guitar and Dave Stuart on Keyboards, they toured as Brill and issued an album, Brill in August. In late 1999, as Pseudo Echo, Canham and Gigliotti were joined by Martin Dambrosi (Guitar) and Ben Grayson on keyboards and released an EP Funkytown Y2K: RMX, with six new remixes of "Funky Town". In 2000, they supported international artists Culture Club and Village People.[1] Pseudo Echo issued a double-CD Teleporter (2000), produced by Canham.[2] One disc featured four new tracks and five re-mixed tracks. The second disc was a live performance, which featured all the tracks from Autumnal Park except "From the Shore", some tracks from Love an Adventure and the rare B-side "In Their Time". Since reuniting, the band toured Australia, including with the "Idols of the 80s" in 2005. In April 2010, they played two sold out shows in Adelaide, South Australia, and then toured nationwide.
On 10 July 2012, Pseudo Echo released "Suddenly Silently" independently. It is their first new single release in over 20 years. However, the song was written years ago. Writer, Brian Canham, allowed dance outfit Origene to record and release the song in 2002. Pseudo Echo will tour selected Australian cities in Aug–Sept. 2012 to promote the new song and their many hits.
Influences
Pseudo Echo were originally influenced by Simple Minds, Ultravox, Japan and then later Duran Duran and The Human League.[12]
Discography
Studio albums
Australia/Europe
- Autumnal Park (1984) AUS: #11 (KMR)[5]
- Love an Adventure (1985) AUS: #14 (KMR),[5] US: #57
- Race (1988/89) AUS: #18 (KMR),[5] #32 (ARIA)[10]
- Teleporter (2000)
US/North America
- Pseudo Echo (1984) (US version of Autumnal Park)
- Love an Adventure (1987) (Different from the Australian version; includes remixes of three earlier singles: "A Beat for You," "Listening," and "Destination Unknown") US: #57
- This version of Love an Adventure appears to have also been released in certain European countries.[13]
- Race (1989) (Alternate album cover from Australian version)
- Teleporter (2000)
Compilation albums
- Long Plays 83–87 (1987) AUS: #44 (KMR)[5]
- Funky Town (1987) (New Zealand release)[14] NZ: #1[15]
- Best Adventures (1995)
- The 301 Demo Sessions (2006)
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS[16] | NZ[17] | US[18] | UK[19] | AUT[20] | BEL[21] | CAN[22] | FRA | GER[23] | IRE[24] | POL[25] | SAF[26] | SWE[27] | SWI[28] | |||
| 1983 | "Listening" | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single |
| "Listening" | 2 | 37 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Autumnal Park | |
| 1984 | "A Beat For You" | 11 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Dancing Until Midnight" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Stranger in Me" | 57 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Stranger In Me: New York Dance Mix" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| 1985 | "Don't Go" | 4 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Love An Adventure |
| "Love an Adventure" | 6 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986 | "Living in a Dream" | 15 | — | 57 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Try" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Funky Town" | 1 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 13 | 30 | 1 | 97 | 16 | 12 | 8 | 2 | 9 | 11 | Non-album single | |
| 1988 | "Fooled Again" | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Race |
| 1989 | "Over Tomorrow" | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Eye of the Storm" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999 | "Funkytown Y2K: RMX" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Teleporter |
| 2012 | "Suddenly Silently" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single |
| 2013 | "Fighting the Tide" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||||
References
- General
- McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Whammo Homepage". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86508-072-1. Archived from the original on 5 April 2004. Retrieved 9 April 2011. Note: Archived [on-line] copy has limited functionality.
- Spencer, Chris; Zbig Nowara, Paul McHenry with notes by Ed Nimmervoll (2002) [1987]. The Who's Who of Australian Rock. Noble Park, Vic: Five Mile Press. ISBN 1-86503-891-1. [29] Note: [on-line] version of The Who's Who of Australian Rock was established at White Room Electronic Publishing Pty Ltd in 2007 and was expanded from the 2002 edition. As from, September 2010 the [on-line] version shows an 'Internal Service Error' and was no longer available.
- Specific
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 1.11 McFarlane, 'Pseudo Echo' entry. Archived from the original on 18 February 2004. Retrieved 21 May 2011.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Holmgren, Magnus; Warnqvist, Stefan; McAlister, Karen. "Pseudo Echo". Australian Rock Database. Magnus Holmgren. Retrieved 21 May 2011.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Warner, Dave (June 2006). Countdown: The Wonder Years 1974–1987. Sydney, NSW: ABC Books (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). pp. 61, 78. ISBN 0-7333-1401-5.
- ↑ Jenkins, Jeff; Meldrum, Ian (2007). Molly Meldrum Presents 50 Years of Rock in Australia. Melbourne, Vic: Wilkinson Publishing. p. 130. ISBN 978-1-921332-11-1.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 5.9 5.10 5.11 5.12 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book Ltd. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. Note: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1974 until Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) created their own charts in mid-1988. In 1992, Kent back calculated chart positions for 1970–1974.
- ↑ Grech, Jason (29 April 2006). "An Interview with Brian Canham by Jason". Exclusive Interviews. Countdown Memories. Retrieved 21 May 2011.
- ↑ Spencer et al, (2007), Incredible Penguins entry.
- ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 441. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ↑ "WPSF 1987". World Popular Song Festival. Telenet. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Discography Pseudo Echo". Australian Charts Portal. Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
- ↑ "Discography Chocolate Starfish". Australian Charts Portal. Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
- ↑ "Pseudo Echo – Interview – Brian Canham Pseudo Echo". Music Interviews. Femail.com.au. Retrieved 22 May 2011. "Simple minds, Ultravox, Japan and then later Durran Durran (sic) and Human League. I didn't realize how much we were influenced until now. It's quite obvious when I actually listen to our music and draw comparisons."
- ↑ Pseudo Echo- Love an Adventure (German release) @Discogs.com Retrieved 24 March 2013.
- ↑ "Pseudo Echo – Funky Town". Discogs. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
- ↑ "PSEUDO ECHO - FUNKY TOWN (ALBUM)". Charts.org.nz. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
- ↑ "DISCOGRAPHY PSEUDO ECHO". Australian-Charts.com. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
- ↑ "PSEUDO ECHO IN NEW ZEALAND CHARTS". Charts.org.nz. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
- ↑ "Pseudo Echo". Billboard. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
- ↑ "PSEUDO ECHO". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
- ↑ "PSEUDO ECHO - FUNKY TOWN (SONG)". Austriancharts.at. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
- ↑ "Top 30". Radio 2. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
- ↑ "Top Singles vol 46". Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
- ↑ "Funky Town". Charts.de. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
- ↑ "Irish Charts". Irish Charts. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
- ↑ "Pseudo Echo". Polski Radio. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
- ↑ "SA Charts 1969 - 1989". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
- ↑ "PSEUDO ECHO - FUNKY TOWN (SONG)". Swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
- ↑ "PSEUDO ECHO - FUNKY TOWN". Hitparade.ch. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
- ↑ "Who's Who of Australian Rock / Compiled by Chris Spencer, Zbig Nowara & Paul McHenry". catalogue. National Library of Australia. Retrieved 21 May 2011.