Generally, when I do a installment of Listen to This, I'll cover a single release from a band. And, usually, it's something not quite on the beaten track. But, today, I'm going to break, a little, with tradition, and cover one of the unsung musical heroes of the eighties, and their newest release, some twenty years later.
The Escape Club had its humble beginnings in 1982 out of the wreckage of two smaller bands; The Expressos (Johnnie Christo - bassist, Milan Zekavica - drums) and Mad Shadows (Trevor Steel - singer/guitar, John Holiday - guitar). A year later they had their first gig as an opening act. Within a couple short years they had built a following and released their first single,
Breathing, from Bright Records.
After a gig on TV landed them a deal with EMI, the band released their first album,
White Fields, in 1986; as well as a tour opening for China Crisis and The Alarm.
Modern visuals added by "80's Now Again"
Not a commercial success, then EMI CEO David Munn gave the boys one more shot; letting them return to the studio for one more try. In 1988, with the threat of make-a-hit-or-else over their heads, the boys jammed out
Wild Wild West, and didn't disappoint...
Wild Wild West was a bit of a departure for the band; trying to break away from the U2 trap befalling a lot of British bands of the time. (Ironic, considering the
rip off scandal that heralded U2's departure from the music scene.) Opting, instead, for a dance rock hybrid, they unleashed this hit single into the American musical market to a huge success. Ironically, though, the band would also become slightly notorious with this same track, as it would be banned in England; deemed too misogynistic for air play. This would earn them the odd footnote of the only UK band to chart #1 in America, but not in the UK.
Though the single, and title track, gained them notoriety and fame in the states, it's important to point out that the album is packed full of great tracks, like
Walking through Walls and
Shake for the Sheik.
In 1991, now on Atlantic Records, The Escape Club dropped
Dollars and Sex out with its opening single,
Call It Poison; a stinging tease on the hair band scene. However, with the shift in music away from guitar driven rock, it was the track
I'll be There - written in tribute to the passing of a friend's wife - that ended up charting, giving the band one more hit.
In 1992, with their Atlantic contract up, financial issues knocking at the door, and the changing landscape of radio music, the band drifted; eventually breaking up. The four members went off in their own directions to pursue other projects.
It would be another twenty years before Trevor and John would reunite to put together
Celebrity. "It's written for our generation but isn't a 'Dad Rock' album", the band says of their latest offering. "We've managed to keep ourselves fit in a musical sense by producing and writing for other artists."
Listening to the title track,
Celebrity, I think the boys are back, and right on target...
One of the things I have enjoyed most about the band, over the years, has been their unique musical stylings mixed with their often thought provoking commentary - and sometimes parody - of the world going on around them. From the afore linked videos, mentioned above, to the lesser known hits - Like Goodbye Joey Rae (WWW), or Where Angles Cry (WF), the band has managed to blend together words and sounds that give their style a very worldly, approachable feel; something that has earned them a place in my personal all time top ten.
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| Proud to sport the entire discography in my collection! |
