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Hue and Cry is a pop duo formed in 1983 in Coatbridge, Scotland by the brothers Pat Kane (vocals) and Greg Kane (keyboards). They had a number of modest hits in the UK Singles Chart in the late 1980s, and early 1990s, and have released eleven albums from 1987 to date.
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Career
Their first single "Here Comes Everybody" was released on a small Glasgow-based independent label, Stampede. While not a chart hit, it attracted the interest of Virgin Records' subsidiary Circa who signed the duo in 1986. Around the same time, the Kane brothers contributed a track ('Dangerous Wreck') to a compilation cassette entitled "Honey at the Core" which featured then up-and-coming Glasgow bands, including Wet Wet Wet and Deacon Blue.
Their debut single for Circa, "I Refuse", reached number 85 in the UK Singles Chart. Their second single and, to date, biggest hit was "Labour of Love" (1987, UK No.6), from the debut album Seduced and Abandoned (1987, UK No.22). Other UK Top 40 hits included "Looking for Linda" (1989, UK No.15) and "Violently (Your Words Hit Me)", an EP that reached No. 21 - both from their second album Remote (1988, UK No.10). Although "Ordinary Angel" was released during the group's chart spell, it only managed No. 42, despite an appearance on TV's What's That Noise? with Craig Charles. Remote was re-released in 1989 as a double album, including "The Bitter Suite", a live recording.
In the 1990s the brothers embarked upon a period of musical experimentation. The 1991 album Stars Crash Down pushed the boundaries of the pop genre, embracing folk, country, Latin and quartet jazz. Truth & Love (1992) was released on the brothers' own short-lived label, Fidelity. Hue and Cry had a brief chart revival in 1993 with the release of the Circa compilation album Labours of Love - The Best of Hue and Cry (UK No.27), which included a Joey Negro remix of "Labour of Love" (UK No.25).
1994 saw a successful collaboration with master jazz arranger and composer, Richard Niles. This produced the album Showtime! and the single "Just Say You Love Me". Pat Kane continued to work with Niles sporadically on many live concerts for BBC Radio 2 with Niles' own band Bandzilla and the BBC Big Band. In 1996 Hue and Cry signed to the Scottish jazz and classical record label, Linn Records, for an intended trilogy of albums. First came JazzNotJazz, an album that mixed jazz with non-jazz sounds. The album was recorded in a week during the Glasgow Jazz Festival, enlisting the services of some of the jazz musicians visiting the city. They included Michael Brecker (tenor sax) and Randy Brecker (trumpet) - who had played on the Remote album - as well as guitarist Mike Stern (sidesman with Miles Davis), drummer Danny Gottlieb (Pat Metheny) and saxophonist Tommy Smith.
Next Move (1999) was even more radical, embracing drum 'n' bass, R&B and Nuyorican Latin-funk. The album contained a controversial cover of Prince's "Sign 'O' the Times", which they stripped bare and built up again as an aggressive bebop number.[1]
Financial problems meant the brothers' intended third album on Linn Records would never see the light of day, and Pat and Greg concentrated on their solo projects - Pat with his writing and solo performing, and Greg with his music production and DJing.
In April 2005 Hue and Cry made a comeback when they won the fourth-week heat of the ITV1 pop-competition show Hit Me Baby One More Time with a rendition of "Labour of Love" and a cover of Beyoncé's "Crazy in Love".[2] They were beaten in the final by Shakin' Stevens.
The band followed this up with dates in Scotland, a piano-vocal spot in support of Jamie Cullum at the 'Live on the Lawn' festival in Aberdeenshire, and a set in front of 25,000 at Glasgow's Hogmanay party. Their concerts in 2006 and 2007 sold out. The band also performed two nights at the West End festival in Glasgow in 2007, where they showcased piano-vocal versions of new and old songs. They also played Retrofest at Culzean Castle on 2 September 2007, and headlined the Darvel Music Festival on 5 October. The duo showcased new tracks at a gig in Edinburgh Voodoo Rooms on 12 July 2008.
On 15 September 2008 they released their Open Soul album, for which recording and mixing finished in 2007. The first single "The Last Stop" on digital download was released on 1 September and coincided with the 20th anniversary of the release of their biggest selling album to date Remote. Their 'Open Soul' tour had sold out dates in Inverness, Aberdeen, Glasgow, London, Manchester and Sheffield, beginning on 11 September 2008. On 1 December the band released a second single "Heading for a Fall". They completed a tour of House of Fraser stores and in February 2009 embarked on another sell out UK tour, billed as 'Open Soul..Open Road'. On 6 February EMI released a 'Best Of Collection' and the band a third single "Fireball." May 2009 saw headline the "Burns an a that" festival in Ayrshire, supported by Passionate Friends and play an acoustic set in Aberdeen. In July 2009 the brothers supported Human League at Thetford Forest and in Novermber 2009 played a stunning set at "Homecoming Live- The Final Fling" Indeed the scenes at the meet and greet after the show were reminiscent of their 80's heyday, with fans jostling to meet their heroes! They released a Christmas album on 30th November 2009 entitled "Xmasday" to more critical acclaim, particularly for their reworking of "Two Little Boys." They will play 2 sold out nights back to back at the o2 ABC as part of the History City weekend on 18th and 19th December 2009 with fans coming from all over Europe to enjoy an up close and personal experience with Hue and Cry. 2010 promises more touring and a new album.
Discography
Albums
- 1987 Seduced and Abandoned #22 UK
- 1988 Remote #10 UK
- 1989 Remote/The Bitter Suite #10 UK
- 1991 Stars Crash Down #10 UK
- 1992 Truth & Love #33 UK
- 1993 Labours of Love - The Best of Hue and Cry #27 UK
- 1994 Showtime!
- 1995 The Best of Hue and Cry
- 1995 Piano & Voice
- 1996 JazzNotJazz
- 1999 Next Move
- 2005 The River Sessions: Volume 1
- 2008 Open Soul - UK #130[3] - Scottish Albums Chart #42[4]
Singles
- 1986 "Here Comes Everybody"
- 1987 "I Refuse"
- 1987 "Labour of Love" #6 UK
- 1987 "Strength To Strength" #46 UK
- 1988 "I Refuse" #47 UK
- 1988 "Ordinary Angel" #42 UK
- 1989 "Looking For Linda" #15 UK
- 1989 "Violently" (EP) #21 UK
- 1989 "Sweet Invisibility" #55 UK
- 1989 "Peaceful Face"
- 1991 "My Salt Heart" #47 UK
- 1991 "Long Term Lovers of Pain" (EP) #48 UK
- 1991 "She Makes A Sound"
- 1992 "Profoundly Yours" #74 UK
- 1993 "Labour of Love (re-mix)" #25 UK
- 1994 "Just Say You Love Me"
- 1994 "Cynical"
- 2008 "The Last Stop"
- 2009 "Fireball"
- 2009 "Headin' For a Fall"
References
- ^ "Hue and Cry - Next Move - Glasgow Evening Times". http://www.linnrecords.com/review-hue-and-cry-next-move-glasgow-evening-times.aspx. Retrieved 2009-03-09.
- ^ "HUE & CRY PIPPED BY SHAKY IN GRAND FINAL OF 'HIT ME BABY ONE MORE TIME'!". Theplayethic.com. http://www.theplayethic.com/patkanehc.html. Retrieved 2009-03-09.
- ^ "Official Album Chart for the week ending 27 September 2008". ChartsPlus (Milton Keynes: IQ Ware Ltd) (370): 5–8.
- ^ "The Official Scottish Album Chart for the week ending 27 September 2008". ChartsPlus (Milton Keynes: IQ Ware Ltd) (370): 5–8.
- ^ a b Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 262. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
External links
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