Our Daughter's Wedding
Encyclopedia
Our Daughter's Wedding was an American
synthpop
trio
from New York
, consisting of Layne Rico on synthesizer
, Keith Silva on vocals
and keyboards
, and Scott Simon on bass-synth and saxophone
. The group took their name from a section of greeting cards.
in August 1981. They toured with other bands
of the day including U2
, Duran Duran
, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
, Iggy Pop
, The Psychedelic Furs and frequently appeared on MTV
as guest hosts. Their television
resume also included various shows on BBC Television
.
They released the "Digital Cowboy" EP
on EMI
in 1981. The EP was recorded
at Chipping Norton
Studios
in England
(with notes "no sequencers used"), and it featured "Target for Life" which had a similar sound to early Talk Talk
hits that came a year later.
After "Digital Cowboy", the band released an album
in 1982 - Moving Windows
. The record was co-produced
by David Spradly (writer of "Atomic Dog" and a member of P-Funk) who gave the music a prescient hip hop
sound. Locked in a recording contract
and with no record or tour support, the band remained on the road for one year touring the country with The Psychedelic Furs
. In 1984, after that tour, the band dissolved.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
trio
Trio (music)
Trio is generally used in any of the following ways:* A group of three musicians playing the same or different musical instrument.* The performance of a piece of music by three people.* The contrasting section of a piece in ternary form...
from New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, consisting of Layne Rico on synthesizer
Synthesizer
A 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...
, Keith Silva on vocals
Human voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
and keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A 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...
, and Scott Simon on bass-synth and saxophone
Saxophone
The 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...
. The group took their name from a section of greeting cards.
Career
In 1981, they released the internationally successful "Lawnchairs". It peaked at #49 in the UK Singles ChartUK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in August 1981. They toured with other bands
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
of the day including U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
, Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark are a synthpop group whose founding members are originally from the Wirral Peninsula, England...
, Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
, The Psychedelic Furs and frequently appeared on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
as guest hosts. Their television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
resume also included various shows on BBC Television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
.
They released the "Digital Cowboy" EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
on EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
in 1981. The EP was recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound 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...
at Chipping Norton
Chipping Norton
Chipping Norton is a market town in the Cotswold Hills in the West Oxfordshire district of Oxfordshire, England, about southwest of Banbury.-History until the 17th century:...
Studios
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
(with notes "no sequencers used"), and it featured "Target for Life" which had a similar sound to early Talk Talk
Talk Talk
Talk Talk were an English musical group, active from 1981 to 1991. The group had a string of international hit singles including "Today", "Talk Talk", "It's My Life", "Such a Shame", "Dum Dum Girl", "Life's What You Make It" and "Living in Another World"....
hits that came a year later.
After "Digital Cowboy", the band released an album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
in 1982 - Moving Windows
Moving Windows
Moving Windows is an album made by Our Daughter's Wedding in 1982.-Side one:# "Auto Music" # "She Was Someone" # "Elevate Her" # "Track Me Down" # "Daddy's Slave" # "Longitude 60°" -Side two:...
. The record was co-produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by David Spradly (writer of "Atomic Dog" and a member of P-Funk) who gave the music a prescient hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
sound. Locked in a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
and with no record or tour support, the band remained on the road for one year touring the country with The Psychedelic Furs
Psychedelic Furs
The Psychedelic Furs are an English rock band founded in 1977. Led by singer Richard Butler and his brother Tim on bass guitar, the Psychedelic Furs are one of the many acts spawned from the British post-punk scene...
. In 1984, after that tour, the band dissolved.
Singles
- "Lawnchairs" (1980)
- "Nightlife" (1980)
- "Digital Cowboy" (1981)
- "Auto Music" (1982)
- "Elevate Her" (1983)
- "Take Me" (1984)
Albums
- Digital Cowboy (1981)
- Moving WindowsMoving WindowsMoving Windows is an album made by Our Daughter's Wedding in 1982.-Side one:# "Auto Music" # "She Was Someone" # "Elevate Her" # "Track Me Down" # "Daddy's Slave" # "Longitude 60°" -Side two:...
(1982) - Nightlife: The Collection (2007) (Almacantar Records - compilation albumCompilation albumA compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
- Also available on iTunes)