A Flock of Seagulls
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A Flock of Seagulls
- Genres: Rock
Biography
As well-known for their bizarrely teased haircuts as their hit single "I Ran (So Far Away)," A Flock of Seagulls were one of the infamous one-hit wonders of the new wave era. Growing out of the synth-heavy and ruthlessly stylish new romantic movement, A Flock of Seagulls were a little too robotic and arrived a little too late to be true new romantics, but their sleek dance-pop was forever indebted to the short-lived movement. The group benefitted considerably from MTV's heavy rotation of the "I Ran" video in the summer of 1982, but they were unable to capitalize on their sudden success and disappeared nearly as quickly as they rocketed up the charts.Hairdresser Mike Score (lead vocals, keyboards) formed A Flock of Seagulls with his brother Ali (drums) and fellow hairdresser Frank Maudsley (bass) in 1980, adding guitarist Paul Reynolds several months later. The group released its debut EP on Cocteau Records early in 1981, and while the record failed to chart, its lead track, "Telecommunication," became an underground hit in Euro-disco and new wave clubs. The band signed a major-label contract with Jive by the end of the year, and their eponymous debut album appeared in the spring of 1982. "I Ran (So Far Away)" was released as the first single from the album, and MTV quickly picked up on its icily attractive video, which featured long shots of Mike Score and his distinctive, cascading hair. The single climbed into the American Top Ten, taking the album along with it. In the U.K., "I Ran" didn't make the Top 40, but "Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)" reached number ten later that year; in America, that single became a Top 40 hit in 1983, after "Space Age Love Song" peaked at number 30. "Wishing" was taken from the group's second album, Listen (1983), which was moderately successful.
However, the band's fortunes crashed shortly after the release of Listen as 1984's The Story of a Young Heart failed to produce any hit singles. Reynolds left after the album and was replaced by Gary Steadnin; the band also added keyboardist Chris Chryssaphis. The new lineup was showcased on 1986's Dream Come True, which failed to chart. Shortly after its release, the band broke up. Mike Score assembled a new lineup of A Flock of Seagulls in 1989, releasing the single "Magic" and touring the U.S.A. The band failed to make any impact and most of the members left by the end of the year. The band continued to tour worldwide, although with major changes to its members, and in 1996 released a new album, The Light at the End of the World. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi
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A Flock of Seagulls
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A Flock of Seagulls
For the band's self-titled debut album, see A Flock of Seagulls (album).
| A Flock of Seagulls | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Liverpool, England |
| Genres | New Wave, synthpop, post-punk |
| Years active | 1979–1986 1989–present |
| Labels | Jive, I.R.S., Cocteau Records |
| Members | |
| Michael "Mike" Score Joe Rodríguez Pando Michael Brahm [1][2] |
|
| Past members | |
| Randy "V" Valli Alister "Ali" James Score Frank Maudsley Paul Reynolds Shavin 'Pepper' Duffy Ed Berner Benton Brower Sean Pugh Willie Woo Mark Edmondson |
|
A Flock of Seagulls (also known as Flock of Seagulls) are an English New Wave band originally formed in Liverpool by brothers Michael "Mike" Score (keyboards, vocals) and Alister "Ali" James Score (drums), with Frank Maudsley (bass) and Paul Reynolds (guitar).
The group had a string of international hit singles including "I Ran (So Far Away)", "Space Age Love Song," "Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)" and "The More You Live, the More You Love", and became notable in the 1980s for their MTV video for the song "I Ran (So Far Away)".
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Contents
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History
A Flock of Seagulls was started by Mike Score and his brother Ali in 1979 in Liverpool. Mike, who was previously a hairdresser, played keyboards, guitar, and vocals, Ali played drums and their friend Frank Maudsley played bass. The band added guitarist Willie Woo, and Mark Edmondson joined briefly when Ali and Mike had a falling out; however, Ali re-joined when Mark took ill. They then began writing songs. Soon after, Willie left, allowing Paul Reynolds to join. They then started playing clubs and eventually got a recording contract.
Eventually, under the management of Tommy Crossan and Mick Rossi (Checkmount Limited), they began to release singles through Jive Records. The group released an EP and a couple of singles, 'Its Not Me Talking' and 'Telecommunication' on Bill Nelson's 'Cocteau' label; both tracks produced by Nelson. In 1982 the group's third single, produced by Mike Howlett "I Ran (So Far Away)" became a worldwide hit, most notably reaching number 1 in Australia and the top 10 in the US and New Zealand (where the band became popular). The parent album A Flock of Seagulls and another single "Space Age Love Song" were also successful. In late 1982 the band found major success in their home country with "Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)" (first single from their next album) which reached the top 10.[3] As it turned out, 1982 would prove to be the peak year of their commercial and critical success. The band is regarded as breaking the ground for other musical acts during the advent of the video music area.[4]
1983 saw the release of three singles to back their second album Listen. Each was only a minor success in the UK and abroad. Faced with disappointment the group produced a third album in 1984. "The More You Live, the More You Love" was The Story of a Young Heart's lead single. It was moderately successful, but the album's other two singles – "Never Again (The Dancer)" and "Remember David" – did not make any headway. Faced with sliding sales and a loss of direction following the third album, the group relocated to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania minus Paul Reynolds. In 1985, the band, released a new album; Dream Come True. The album was critically panned and a commercial failure. The remaining members fell out and A Flock Of Seagulls in its original incarnation disbanded. In promotion of Dream Come True, two videos – "Who's That Girl" and "Heartbeat Like a Drum" – were filmed in quick succession. These two videos were the last time the three remaining members were together in a recording or performance capacity until 2003.
For the next eighteen years, Mike Score worked with various musicians under the A Flock Of Seagulls banner, playing live gigs and occasionally issuing new recordings. In 1989, the group released a single called "Magic" which did not chart. The follow-up album (The Light at the End of the World) which included the single did not appear until 1995, and similarly did not chart.
By 2002, A Flock of Seagulls was brought back to life when Rockstar Games added their most famous single "I Ran" to Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and included in the games official trailer.
In November 2003, the original line-up (Mike and Ali Score, Paul Reynolds and Frank Maudsley) reunited for a one-off performance on the VH1 series, Bands Reunited. In September 2004, they reformed again and played a small number of live shows in the United States, but broke up immediately afterward. Mike Score continues to tour with other musicians as A Flock Of Seagulls.
Legacy
Although parodied in later years, the band is now recognised as a pioneering act, capturing the zeitgeist of their time, particularly with multi-layered hits such as "Space Age Love Song", Telecommunication and Modern Love is Automatic.[5] The band also is noted for creating successful concept album, their debut, which alludes to an alien invasion of earth.[6] The group came to the attention of legendary producer Phil Spector, who, upon hearing a demo of "I Ran" called the sound "phenomenal" and was in talks to produce an album. However, the talks fell apart when Spector and the bands label did not see eye to eye.[7]
In popular culture
- It was referred to, as a means of scoff, in Pulp Fiction.
- When Danny Pintauro came out of the closet, The Daily Show referred to his Flock of Seagulls haircut on Who's the Boss? as an indicator of his orientation.
- The band is referenced in Austin Powers: The Spy who Shagged Me when Austin Powers says "The 70s and the 80s? You're not missing anything, believe me. I've looked into it. There's a gas shortage and A Flock of Seagulls. That's about it."[8]
Personnel
Original line-up (1979–1984)
- Frank Maudsley – Bass
- Paul Reynolds – Guitar
- Alister "Ali" James Score – Drums
- Michael "Mike" Score – Keyboards, Vocals
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | Certification | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK[9] | DEU[10] | SE | U.S[11] | AUS[12] | |||
| 1981 | Modern Love Is Automatic EP
|
– | – | – | – | – | |
| 1982 | A Flock of Seagulls
|
32 | 26 | 32 | 10 | 19 | |
| 1983 | Listen
|
16 | 14 | 44 | 16 | 90 | |
| 1984 | The Story of a Young Heart
|
30 | 31 | – | 67 | – | |
| 1985 | Dream Come True
|
– | – | – | – | – | |
| 1995 | The Light at the End of the World
|
– | – | – | – | – | |
| 2012 | Pick Me Up
|
– | – | – | – | – | |
Compilation albums
- The Best of A Flock of Seagulls (1991)
- 20 Classics of the 80's (1995)
- Wishing (1996)
- The Best of A Flock of Seagulls (1998 album) (1998)
- Greatest Hits Remixed (1999)
- I Ran (live album) (1999)
- Platinum & Gold Collection (2003)
- Essential New Wave (2003)
- I Ran: The Best of A Flock of Seagulls (2003)
- We Are the 80's (2006)
- Space Age Love Songs (2008)
- Playlist: The Very Best of A Flock of Seagulls (2008)
Singles
| Year | Title | Album | Chart positions | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK[9] | UK Indie[15] | AUS[12] | NETH | DEU[10] | IRL[16] | NZ[17] | US[11] | |||||
| Hot 100 | MSR | Dance Club Play | ||||||||||
| 1981 | "(It's Not Me) Talking" | — | – | 45 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| "Telecommunication" | A Flock of Seagulls | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 19 | |
| 1982 | "I Ran (So Far Away)" | 43 | – | 1 | 46 | 31 | – | 7 | 9 | 3 | 8 | |
| "Space Age Love Song" | 34 | – | 68 | – | – | – | 31 | 30 | 59 | – | ||
| "Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)" | Listen | 10 | – | 46 | 44 | 37 | 6 | 33 | 26 | 3 | 62 | |
| 1983 | "(It's Not Me) Talking" (Cocteau Records re-issue) | — | – | 22 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| "Nightmares" | Listen | 53 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| "Transfer Affection" | 38 | – | – | – | – | 22 | 43 | – | – | – | ||
| "(It's Not Me) Talking" (Rerecording) | 78 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| 1984 | "The More You Live, the More You Love" | The Story of a Young Heart | 26 | – | – | 16 | 37 | – | 32 | 56 | 10 | – |
| "Never Again (The Dancer)" | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| "Remember David" | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||
| 1985 | "Who's That Girl (She's Got It)" | Dream Come True | 66 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1986 | "Heartbeat Like a Drum" | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 1989 | "Magic" | — | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1995 | "Magic" (Re-issue) | The Light at the End of the World | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| "Burnin' Up" | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| 1996 | "Rainfall" | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 2000 | "Rainfall" (Re-issue) | — | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2007 | "I Ran (So Far Away)" (A Flock Of Seagulls vs. The Angry Kids) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
Video albums
| Year | Title | Format |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Through the Looking Glass
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VHS |
Grammy Award
The album track, "D.N.A. (song)" from A Flock of Seagulls, won a Grammy Award in 1983 for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.
References
- ^ UK (21 September 2008). "A Flock of Seagulls on MySpace Music". Myspace.com. http://www.myspace.com/aflockofseagulls.
- ^ "A Flock of Seagulls Fan Club". Afosfanclub.com. http://www.afosfanclub.com/Band/band.html.
- ^ "A Flock Of Seagulls – Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You)". Chart Stats. 29 January 1983. http://www.chartstats.com/songinfo.php?id=10242.
- ^ "Never mind the hair bands, here's a Flock of Seagulls!". Salon.com. 30 August 2001. http://www.salon.com/entertainment/music/feature/2001/08/30/eighties.
- ^ Space Age Love Song: The Mix Tape in a Digital Universe Megan M. CarpenterMM Carpenter – works.bepress.com
- ^ Shakespeare Meets the Backbeat: Literary Allusion in Rock Music. JR Duxbury - Popular Music & Society, 1988 - Taylor & Francis
- ^ Wall of pain: the biography of Phil Spector. D Thompson - 2003 - Sanctuary Pub Ltd
- ^ Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) – Memorable quotes (IMDB)
- ^ a b "A Flock Of Seagulls". Chart Stats. http://www.chartstats.com/artistinfo.php?id=3577.
- ^ a b "Charts-Surfer". Charts-surfer.de. http://www.charts-surfer.de/.
- ^ a b http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p4280
- ^ a b Kent, David Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. David Kent, 1993 ISBN 0-646-11917-6
- ^ http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx
- ^ "Recording Industry Association of America". RIAA. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH.
- ^ "Indie Hits "A"". Cherryred.co.uk. 23 January 1997. http://www.cherryred.co.uk/books/indiehits/a.htm.
- ^ Jaclyn Ward – Fireball Media Ltd. – http://www.fireballmedia.ie+(1 October 1962). "The Irish Charts – All there is to know". Irishcharts.ie. http://www.irishcharts.ie/.
- ^ Steffen Hung. "New Zealand charts portal". charts.org.nz. http://charts.org.nz/search.asp?cat=s&artist=a&artist_search=starts&title=&title_search=starts.
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