Opus III
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Artists:
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Opus III
- Genres: Electronica
Biography
Opus III had a few hit songs in the early-'90s ambient house scene before lead vocalist Kirsty Hawkshaw embarked on a successful venture later on in the decade as a freelance vocalist, working with some of dance music's most successful artists. The group's debut album for Atlantic, Mind Fruit (1992), featured the popular songs "It's a Fine Day" and "I Talk to the Wind." The group attained notoriety for merging ethereal female vocals with the ambient house sound synonymous with similar popular groups from the era like the Orb and Enigma. Also in 1992, while Opus III was experiencing their peak popularity, Hawkshaw worked with Orbital on their second album, the landmark Orbital 2. Opus III returned in 1994 with the follow-up album Guru Mother, which was a disappointment relative to the group's promising debut album, though it did feature the single "When You Made the Mountain." With the group's future put on hiatus, Hawkshaw returned to session work during the late '90s, working with producers like BT, Delerium, the Silent Poets, DJ Tiesto, and again with Orbital. ~ Jason Birchmeier, RoviWikipedia on Answers.com:
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Opus III
Opus III were a techno and house music group from England 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 'The Fly' Dodds, Ian Munro and Nigel 'Spider' Walton. The group members promoted a strong environmental message through their lyrics, album liner notes and photo and video imagery.
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 favour 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 is still a major presence in dance music, 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.[5]
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Contents
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Discography
- Mind Fruit (1992)
- Guru Mother (1994)
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. http://www.cherryred.co.uk/books/indiehits/j.htm. Retrieved 2006-04-14.
- ^ "Edward Barton - News". Edward Barton - Unofficial Web Page. January 25, 2005. http://homepages.force9.net/king1/Barton/News.html. Retrieved 2006-04-14.
- ^ a b 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
- ^ "Biography by Jason Birchmeier". Allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p26818. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
- "Artist Chart History - Opus III". Billboard.com. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.vnuArtistId=23144&model.vnuAlbumId=201662. Retrieved 2006-04-19.
External links
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Mentioned in
Mind Fruit
(1992 Album by Opus III)
Dance Nation 2003
(2003 Album by Various Artists)
MK
(Electronica Artist, '90s)
Movement in Still Life [UK]
(1999 Album by BT)
Movement in Still Life [Import Bonus Tracks]
(2000 Album by BT)
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