| The Invisible Girls | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Salford, Greater Manchester, England |
| Genres | Post-punk Synthpop Gothic rock |
| Years active | 1978 - c. 1982 |
| Labels | Factory, Illusive, Epic |
| Associated acts | John Cooper Clarke, 10cc, Pauline Murray, Penetration, Dead or Alive, The Mission, The Sisters of Mercy, Buzzcocks, Wah!, Flag of Convenience, Nico |
| Former members | |
| Martin Hannett Steve Hopkins Paul Burgess Robert Blamire Vini Reilly Dave Rowbotham John Maher Dave Hassell Wayne Hussey |
|
The Invisible Girls were a rock band formed in Salford, Greater Manchester in 1978[1] to provide a musical backdrop to the recorded output of Salford punk poet John Cooper Clarke. The band was based around the nucleus of Joy Division producer Martin Hannett and keyboardist Steve Hopkins, with contributions from, amongst others, Pete Shelley of Buzzcocks and Bill Nelson of Be Bop Deluxe. The band also played on the first solo album by Pauline Murray (lead singer of Penetration), the eponymous Pauline Murray And The Invisible Girls and some singles, and later with Nico (of The Velvet Underground) for the single "Procession".
Contents |
History
The band was formed to provide backing music for punk poet John Cooper Clarke. It initially featured Factory Records producer Martin Hannett on bass guitar, Steve Hopkins on keyboards and 10cc drummer Paul Burgess. This line-up played on Cooper Clarke's debut album Où est la maison de fromage?, before they named themselves The Invisible Girls. A second album, 'Disguise in Love' (billed as being by "John Cooper Carke with The Invisible Girls") was produced by Hannett and released in 1978, and featured collaborations with Bill Nelson and Buzzcock Pete Shelley. A second album, Snap, Crackle & Bop, followed in 1980.
Pauline Murray
In 1980, the band began to work with Pauline Murray, who in the same year dissolved her punk band Penetration. Burgess had left The Invisible Girls by this point in order to dedicate more time to 10cc. During Murray's period with the band, Hannett worked as producer, being replaces on bass by Robert Blamire, also a former member of Penetration.
The band's first single, "Dream Sequences", was released in August 1980, featuring Murray, Hannett, Hopkins, Blamire, and Alan Rawlings from Cowboys International as guest guitarist. Shortly afterwards, the line-up was extended to The Durutti Column's Vini Reilly and Dave Rowbotham (then with The Mothmen) on guitar, Dave Hassell on percussion and John Maher from Buzzcocks on drums. They released an eponymous album in September, followed by a second single, "Mr X", in November 1980.
In order to perform live, the band recruited guitarist Wayne Hussey (ex-Walkie Talkies), who had answered an advert in Melody Maker magazine. The band (comprising Murray, Blamire, Hopkins, Hannett, Maher and Hussey) recorded a final single, Searching For Heaven, which they released in 1981: the A-side featured (but didn't credit) Bernard Sumner as guest guitarist. After this, Hannett and Hopkins continued as the only remaining members, with Paul Burgess re-joining; Murray and Blamire went on to form The Storm; Hussey joined Dead or Alive; Maher (who dissolved Buzzcocks in early 1981) continued with his new band, Flag of Convenience; Reilly continued with The Durutti Column; Rowbotham continued with The Mothmen until his death in 1991.
Later projects
In 1982, the band returned to work with John Cooper Clarke; his final album, Zip Style Method, was released the same year. At the time, former Velvet Underground singer Nico was living in Manchester, and she worked with the band. They released only one single, "Procession", produced by Hannett. The title track featured Philip "Toby" Tolman (formerly of The Nosebleeds and Ludus) on drums. The B-side, a cover of "All Tomorrow's Parties", featured Burgess on drums.[2]. Shortly afterwards, Nico and Toby went to work with Blue Orchids.
Discography
Albums
- Disguise in Love (1978)
- Snap, Crackle & Bop (1980)
- Pauline Murray And The Invisible Girls (September 1980)
- Zip Style Method (1982)
Singles
- Dream Sequences (Illusive, August 1980)
- Mr X (Illusive, November 1980)
- Searching For Heaven (Illusive, April 1981)
- Procession (as Nico & The Invisible Girls) (1/2, 1982)
References
- ^ The Invisible Girls. Allmusic, Retrieved on 10 April, 2009.
- ^ Nico & Invisible Girls-Procession. Discogs. Retrieved on 10 April, 2009.
External links
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