Opus III
| Opus III | |
|---|---|
| Origin | London, United Kingdom |
| Genres | Techno, house, chill |
| Years active | 1992-1994 |
| Labels | PWL International |
| Past members |
Kirsty Hawkshaw Kevin Dodds Ian Munro Nigel Walton |
Opus III was an English techno and house music group who had success on the UK Singles Chart and on the U.S. Dance charts. The group consisted of vocalist Kirsty Hawkshaw and producers/musicians Kevin Dodds, Ian Munro and Nigel Walton. The group members promoted a strong environmental and feminist message through their lyrics, album liner notes and photo and video imagery.
Biography
Their debut album, Mind Fruit, produced the track "It's a Fine Day", a cover of a 1983 single by Jane,[1][2] which topped the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart in 1992 and reached number five on the UK Singles Chart.[3]
The song, now considered a house music classic, is the basis of Orbital's 1992 track "Halcyon" and its album version "Halcyon + On + On" included in their second eponymous album; the "la la la" section of the "It's A Fine Day" chorus was backmasked and sampled throughout the song. Norwegian artist Erlend Øye also covered the song on his album that was part of the DJ-Kicks series.
Hawkshaw returned the favor by appearing in the video for "Halcyon" playing a housewife who was 'under the influence'. The other single release from Mind Fruit, was "I Talk To The Wind" a cover of the 1969 song by King Crimson. This was not a big chart success in the UK, only reaching number 52.[3]
Opus III's second album Guru Mother surfaced in 1994 and produced another U.S. number-one dance song "When You Made The Mountain".[4] A third dance chart entry, "Hand in Hand (Looking for Sweet Inspiration)" hit number 14.
The group disbanded after their second album. Hawkshaw was worried the project was becoming too commercial, which is one of the reasons for the band's separation.[5] Hawkshaw went on to pursue a solo career, lending her vocals to a number of electronic and dance music artists and tracks into the opening years of the 21st century, including Delerium, Silent Poets, DJ Tiësto and again with Orbital.[6]
Discography
Studio albums
- Mind Fruit (1992)
- Guru Mother (1994)
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUT | FRA | GER | IRE | ITA | SWE | SUI | UK [3] |
U.S. Dance [7] | ||||||
| 1992 | "It's a Fine Day" | 14 | 14 | 18 | 6 | 9 | 22 | 24 | 5 | 1 | Mind Fruit | |||
| "I Talk to the Wind" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 52 | — | |||||
| 1994 | "When You Made the Mountain" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 71 | 1 | Guru Mother | |||
| "Hand in Hand (Looking for Sweet Inspiration)" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 14 | |||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||||||||||||
See also
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
References
- ↑ "Indie Hits "J"". Cherry Red Records. Retrieved 2006-04-14.
- ↑ "Edward Barton - News". Edward Barton - Unofficial Web Page. January 25, 2005. Retrieved 2006-04-14.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 408. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ↑ Allmusic.com - Charts & Awards
- ↑ Kirsty Hawkshaw Interview Part 1 from YouTube
- ↑ "Biography by Jason Birchmeier". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
- ↑ US peaks
- "Artist Chart History - Opus III". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2006-04-19.
External links
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