Fairground Attraction was a
ScottishScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
acousticAcoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
popPop music is a music genre that developed from the mid-1950s as a softer alternative to rock 'n' roll and later to rock music. It has a focus on commercial recording, often orientated towards a youth market, usually through the medium of relatively short and simple love songs...
bandIn music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform songs. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band* Dansband* Fife and drum...
, best-known for its
hitA hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
singleIn music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats.-History:...
"
Perfect"Perfect" is the title to Fairground Attraction's first single, released in Apirl 1988.The single reached number one on the 9 May 1988 in the UK Singles Chart, where it stayed for one week, and stayed in the chart for thirteen weeks. It also reached number one in Australia for three weeks in August...
", and for helping to launch the career of its
lead singerThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. Lead vocalists may also play one or more instruments...
,
Eddi ReaderEddi Reader MBE is a Scottish singer, known both for her work with Fairground Attraction and for an enduring solo career. She is the recipient of three Brit Awards and has topped both the album and singles charts...
.
In 1987 Fairground Attraction were signed to
RCARCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1983 and a partner from 1983 to 1986.-The RCA family of labels:RCA is the name of three different co-owned record...
, and launched their first single, "Perfect", in April 1988. It was an immediate success, reaching number one on the
UK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record industry. The full chart contains the top 200 singles based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 of this list...
. Their
albumAn album or record album is a collection of related audio or music tracks distributed to the public. The most common way is through commercial distribution, although smaller artists will often distribute directly to the public by selling their albums at live concerts or on their websites.-...
The First of a Million KissesThe First of a Million Kisses was the first album by Fairground Attraction, released in 1988.The album was a characteristic blend of folk, jazz, country, and Cajun elements . Released in May 1988, it followed the success of the band's first single, "Perfect," by entering the album chart at number...
was a blend of
folkThe term folk music originated in the 19th century as a term for musical folklore. It has been defined in several ways; as music transmitted by word of mouth, music of the lower classes, music with no known composer...
, jazz,
countryCountry music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains...
, and
cajunCajuns are an ethnic group mainly living in Louisiana, consisting of the descendants of Acadian exiles...
elements (all but one of its songs being written by Nevin).
Fairground Attraction was a
ScottishScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
acousticAcoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
popPop music is a music genre that developed from the mid-1950s as a softer alternative to rock 'n' roll and later to rock music. It has a focus on commercial recording, often orientated towards a youth market, usually through the medium of relatively short and simple love songs...
bandIn music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform songs. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band* Dansband* Fife and drum...
, best-known for its
hitA hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
singleIn music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats.-History:...
"
Perfect"Perfect" is the title to Fairground Attraction's first single, released in Apirl 1988.The single reached number one on the 9 May 1988 in the UK Singles Chart, where it stayed for one week, and stayed in the chart for thirteen weeks. It also reached number one in Australia for three weeks in August...
", and for helping to launch the career of its
lead singerThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. Lead vocalists may also play one or more instruments...
,
Eddi ReaderEddi Reader MBE is a Scottish singer, known both for her work with Fairground Attraction and for an enduring solo career. She is the recipient of three Brit Awards and has topped both the album and singles charts...
.
Career
In 1987 Fairground Attraction were signed to
RCARCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1983 and a partner from 1983 to 1986.-The RCA family of labels:RCA is the name of three different co-owned record...
, and launched their first single, "Perfect", in April 1988. It was an immediate success, reaching number one on the
UK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record industry. The full chart contains the top 200 singles based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 of this list...
. Their
albumAn album or record album is a collection of related audio or music tracks distributed to the public. The most common way is through commercial distribution, although smaller artists will often distribute directly to the public by selling their albums at live concerts or on their websites.-...
The First of a Million KissesThe First of a Million Kisses was the first album by Fairground Attraction, released in 1988.The album was a characteristic blend of folk, jazz, country, and Cajun elements . Released in May 1988, it followed the success of the band's first single, "Perfect," by entering the album chart at number...
was a blend of
folkThe term folk music originated in the 19th century as a term for musical folklore. It has been defined in several ways; as music transmitted by word of mouth, music of the lower classes, music with no known composer...
, jazz,
countryCountry music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains...
, and
cajunCajuns are an ethnic group mainly living in Louisiana, consisting of the descendants of Acadian exiles...
elements (all but one of its songs being written by Nevin). Released in May 1988, it followed the success of "Perfect" by entering the
UK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website ; the full Top 200 is published exclusively in ChartsPlus.To qualify for the UK albums...
at number three, and rising to number two; it was eventually certified
platinumMusic recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped a certain number of copies.Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories, which are named after the precious materials gold, platinum and diamond...
. Three other singles were released from the same album: "Find My Love" (which reached number seven on the UK Singles Chart), "A Smile in a Whisper", and "Clare".
At the 1989
BRIT AwardsThe Brit Awards, often simply called The Brits and stylized as The BRIT Awards, are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British" or "Britannia", but has subsequently become a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
"Perfect" won the award for best single, and
The First of a Million Kisses won best album.
Although they were popular in
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
an countries, and toured the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, their main success outside the
UKThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
was in
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, where they toured in 1989 (a tour that produced their only
live albumA live album – commonly contrasted with a studio album – is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances. Live albums may be recorded at a single concert, or combine recordings made at multiple concerts...
,
Kawasaki Live in Japan 02.07.89).
In September 1989, however, during the
recordingSound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
of their second album, rumours of arguments circulated, and in January 1990 the band split up. An album
Ay Fond Kiss was released in 1990, and one of its songs, "Walking after Midnight", became their last single. The album was made up of
B-sideA-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of 7 inch vinyl records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
s and other material recorded alongside the first album (many being collaborations by just two band members). Material for the second album went on to be recorded by Nevin with
Brian KennedyBrian Edward Patrick Kennedy is an Irish singer-songwriter and author, known for his ballads, and as representing Ireland at Eurovision 2006.-Personal life:...
under the name Sweetmouth, although eight tracks have since appeared sung by Reader on the
Kawasaki Live in Japan 02.07.89 album.
Personnel
- Eddi Reader
Eddi Reader MBE is a Scottish singer, known both for her work with Fairground Attraction and for an enduring solo career. She is the recipient of three Brit Awards and has topped both the album and singles charts...
— vocals - born 28 August 1959, GlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
- Mark E. Nevin — guitar
The guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that adapts readily to a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six strings, but four-, seven-, eight-, ten-, eleven-, twelve-, thirteen- and eighteen-string guitars also exist. The size and shape of the neck and the base of the guitar...
- born 13 August 1959, Ebbw ValeEbbw Vale is a town at the head of the valley formed by the Ebbw Fawr tributary of the Ebbw River, south Wales. It is the largest town and the administrative centre of Blaenau Gwent county borough...
, WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, bordered by England to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It is also an elective region of the European Union...
- Simon Edwards — guitarrón
- Roy Dodds — drums
A drum set is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person . The term "drum kit" first became used in the 1700s in Britain...
- born 11 July 1958
Original albums
- 1988: The First of a Million Kisses
The First of a Million Kisses was the first album by Fairground Attraction, released in 1988.The album was a characteristic blend of folk, jazz, country, and Cajun elements . Released in May 1988, it followed the success of the band's first single, "Perfect," by entering the album chart at number...
- 1990: Ay Fond Kiss
- 2003: Kawasaki Live in Japan 02.07.89
Compilation albums
- 1994: The Collection: Fairground Attraction, featuring Eddi Reader
- 1995: Perfect: The Best of Fairground Attraction
- 1996: The Very Best of Fairground Attraction, featuring Eddi Reader
- 1997: The Masters
- 1998: 80s Eternal Best: Fairground Attraction Best
- 2004: The Best of Fairground Attraction
Singles
- 1988
- "Perfect
"Perfect" is the title to Fairground Attraction's first single, released in Apirl 1988.The single reached number one on the 9 May 1988 in the UK Singles Chart, where it stayed for one week, and stayed in the chart for thirteen weeks. It also reached number one in Australia for three weeks in August...
" (original release)
- "Find My Love"
- 1989
- "A Smile in a Whisper"
- "Clare"
- 1990
- 1993
- "Perfect" (Celtic Heart release)
Videos
- 1990: The First of a Million Kisses
- Collection of music video
A music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music/song. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings. Although the origins of music videos go back much further, they came into their own in the...
s: "Perfect", "Find My Love", "A Smile in a Whisper", "Clare"
- 1990: Live at Full House
- Live performances from German
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
televisionTelevision is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic or color, usually accompanied by sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming or television transmission...
show called Live at Full House:
External links