4/12/2023 0 Comments Flock of seagulls hair pictures![]() The album only managed to produce one single, “The More You Live, The More You Love,” which anemically charted at number 56 on the Billboard Hot 100 before falling back down. The group followed up with 1984’s The Story of a Young Heart (Jive) and scaled back the overt use of synthesizers to concentrate on more of a pop sound. ![]() Though Listen exploited the synthesizers and electronics-driven sound of A Flock of Seagulls, it failed to sell as well and set the stage for the band’s relatively quick decline. “Wishing” became a Top Ten hit in the UK and climbed into the Top 40 in the US as well. Surprisingly, A Flock of Seagulls wasn’t as popular in their native land, but that was to change in 1983 when the group released the single “Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You),” the first single off of their new album Listen (1983 Jive). A Flock of Seagulls also contained the previously released “Telecommunication” and “Space Age Love Song,” which charted at number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100. “I Ran” eventually became a surprise Top Ten hit in the US. Modern rock stations in the US began playing the single and it grew to be so popular that it crossed over into regular pop format radio. The group made a video for the album‘s first single, “I Ran (So Far Away),” and MTV picked up on its otherworldly ambience, putting it into regular rotation. The group entered the studio and laid down tracks they had been working on, which resulted in their full-length debut album, A Flock of Seagulls (Jive), released in the spring of 1982. By the end of 1981, A Flock of Seagulls attracted the attention of some of the major labels and signed with Jive Records late in the year. A Flock of Seagulls recorded and released a 4-song EP on Cocteau in 1981 called Modern Love is Automatic, which included the song “Telecommunication.” Though the EP didn’t sell very well, “Telecommunication” became a sleeper hit in dance clubs and on New Wave-oriented radio. The group soon came to the attention of former Be Bop Deluxe leader Bill Nelson and his manager Mark Rye, who were starting a small label called Cocteau Records. The group took their synth-based sound to clubs and began to build a following. As hairdressers enamored with the New Romantic style, all the members of the band had distinctive hairstyles - but none more so than Mike Score, who came up with a “waterfall” style variation on the standard New Wave fringe haircut that swept the sides of his bleached blonde hair up and forward, cascading down across his forehead and face in a long, pointy bang. The new group adopted the name A Flock Of Seagulls from a line in the Stranglers’ song “Toiler On The Sea.” They adopted the fashion of the New Romantic movement, though they were late enough on the scene to never really be included as part of that musical trend. Reynolds’ echoing, heavily-effected sound was a perfect addition to what the band was trying to capture. The other members of the band decided that Woo’s sound wasn’t right for the group, so they went in search again for a different guitarist and soon recruited Paul Reynolds. When Edmondson became ill, Ali rejoined the band and the group continued writing songs. Shortly after adding Woo, the Score brothers had a falling out and Ali was briefly replaced by drummer Mark Edmondson. Originally, they added guitarist Willie Woo. The trio decided they needed a bigger sound, so they placed an ad in a local paper for a guitarist. With Maudsley on bass and Score’s younger brother Ali on drums, the three gathered after work above the shop where Score and Maudsley worked to jam and write songs together. Score was fascinated with the synthesizer-based bands that were coming out of the UK at the time and soon bought his own synth so he and Maudsley could work on some musical notions together. In the late ’70s, Mike Score and his friend Frank Maudsley were both young hairdressers (aptly enough) in Liverpool, England with a keen interest in music and fashion. All one has to do is mention a “Flock of Seagulls haircut,” and anyone who lived through that time period will know exactly what you’re talking about. A Flock of Seagulls will be eternally anchored to their early ‘80s heyday, just as much for their visual image as for their music. There are some bands that will forever be linked with a particular time and sound in music.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |