Gleaming Spires
Encyclopedia
Gleaming Spires were a new wave pop group popular in the 1980s. Performing as Bates Motel they were enlisted by the Mael brothers to be a part of the 1981-1985 incarnation of their band, Sparks
. After completing demos with neophyte producer Stephen Hague
, principal members Leslie Bohem
(writer of Dante's Peak
) and David Kendrick (later of Devo
) recruited fellow Sparks members Jim Goodwin and Bob Haag to form Gleaming Spires with the blessing of the Mael brothers. Following an introduction by graphic artist Kevin J. Walker (TSOL
, Channel 3 (band)
covers inter alia), they were signed to Posh Boy Records
on the strength of what had been intended by the group as a non LP b side "Are You Ready for the Sex Girls", which became a hit on L.A.'s KROQ-FM
radio station. The recording was later featured in the films The Last American Virgin
, and Revenge of the Nerds
and on the Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Hits of the 80's, Volume 3 various artists compilation. Rob Goraieb
sang background vocals on their "Funk For Children" EP.
Sparks (band)
Sparks is an American rock and pop band formed in Los Angeles in 1968 by brothers Ron and Russell Mael , initially under the name Halfnelson...
. After completing demos with neophyte producer Stephen Hague
Stephen Hague
Stephen Hague is an American music producer most active with various British acts in the 1980s. He was an influential figure in the synthpop movement.-Early career:...
, principal members Leslie Bohem
Leslie Bohem
-Biography:Les Bohem's writing credits include the miniseries Taken, Dante's Peak, Twenty Bucks, Daylight, and The Alamo. Bohem also played bass in the 1980s with the pop groups Sparks and Gleaming Spires. He also wrote the storybook of the Steven Spielberg produced mini-series Nine Lives.-External...
(writer of Dante's Peak
Dante's Peak
Dante's Peak is a 1997 disaster film directed by Roger Donaldson, written by Leslie Bohem, and starring Pierce Brosnan, Linda Hamilton and Charles Hallahan. The film portrays the effect of a volcano erupting near a small town in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The film is loosely...
) and David Kendrick (later of Devo
Devo
Devo is an American band formed in 1973 consisting of members from Kent and Akron, Ohio. The classic line-up of the band includes two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs and the Casales . The band had a #14 Billboard chart hit in 1980 with the single "Whip It", and has maintained a cult...
) recruited fellow Sparks members Jim Goodwin and Bob Haag to form Gleaming Spires with the blessing of the Mael brothers. Following an introduction by graphic artist Kevin J. Walker (TSOL
TSOL
TSOL is an American punk rock band which formed in 1978 in Long Beach, California. TSOL is short for True Sounds of Liberty although they are rarely referred to by their full name....
, Channel 3 (band)
Channel 3 (band)
Channel 3, also known as CH3, is a punk rock band from Cerritos, California. Part of the Southern California punk scene of the early 1980s, the band had a sound that was more melodic than many of their hardcore contemporaries, and lyrics which ranged from thoughtful and satirical to bratty and...
covers inter alia), they were signed to Posh Boy Records
Posh Boy Records
Posh Boy Records was a Hollywood, California based record label owned by Robbie Fields, a high school substitute teacher and former copyboy at the L A Times who took an interest in the emerging punk rock scene in Orange County, California during the late 1970s...
on the strength of what had been intended by the group as a non LP b side "Are You Ready for the Sex Girls", which became a hit on L.A.'s KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM — branded 106.7 KROQ — is a commercial modern rock radio station licensed to Pasadena, California serving the Greater Los Angeles. The call sign is pronounced "kay rock." It is the flagship station of Loveline hosted by Dr...
radio station. The recording was later featured in the films The Last American Virgin
The Last American Virgin
The Last American Virgin is a 1982 American coming-of-age film, a remake of the Israeli film Eskimo Limon .After the success of the original and several sequels, writer/director Boaz Davidson re-teamed with producers Golan-Globus to attempt to re-create the same success in the United States....
, and Revenge of the Nerds
Revenge of the Nerds
Revenge of the Nerds is a 1984 comedy film satirizing social life on a college campus. The film stars Robert Carradine and Anthony Edwards, with Curtis Armstrong, Ted McGinley, Julia Montgomery, Brian Tochi, Larry B. Scott, John Goodman, and Donald Gibb...
and on the Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Hits of the 80's, Volume 3 various artists compilation. Rob Goraieb
Rob Goraieb
Rob Goraieb is a singer, published songwriter, guitarist, and signed recording artist.-Biography:...
sang background vocals on their "Funk For Children" EP.
Members
- Leslie Bohem - Lead vocals, bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, acoustic guitarSteel-string acoustic guitarA steel-string acoustic guitar is a modern form of guitar descended from the classical guitar, but strung with steel strings for a brighter, louder sound...
, synthesizers - David Kendrick - drumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
Other members
- Bob Haag - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s, background vocals - Jim "Jimbo" Goodwin - keyboardKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
s, alto saxophoneAlto saxophoneThe alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions... - Greg Penny - synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s, guitars, background vocals - Paul Cutler - guitar
- Stephen Hague - synthesizer, producer
- Jim Goodwin - synthesizer
- "The Horns of Desire" - Bobby Moore (saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
), Dana Wylie (trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
s) - "The Passionettes" (background vocalists) - Katia Empkowicz Penny, Patty Foley, Beau Wesley, The Happy Boy, The Party God, Fanny Penny
- Alan D. Generes (formerly of the Bösendorfers) - percussion
Albums
- Songs of the Spires (1981)
- Walk on Well Lighted Streets (1983)
- Welcoming a New Ice Age (1985)