Perfect Songs
Encyclopedia
Perfect Songs is an independent music publishing company with a catalogue containing many memorable songs of the past 25 years.
It is part of the SPZ Group of companies which also includes Sarm Studios (recording studios), ZTT Records
, Stiff Records
(record labels) and Music Bank hire
(equipment hire and rehearsal studios).
Songs featured in their catalogue include Relax and Two Tribes by Frankie Goes to Hollywood
– two of the best selling pop hits of the eighties, the Grammy Award-winning Kiss From A Rose by Seal
, Frankie's The Power of Love, and Dreams and Sunshine by Gabrielle (singer)
, and Beatbox, Close (To The Edit) and Moments in Love by the Art of Noise – two of the most sampled songs in history.
The company was formed in 1982 by record producer Trevor Horn
and manager Jill Sinclair and it's been based at the same office –Sarm Studios - ever since. Horn's credits date back to Baby Blue, a 1979 co-write for Dusty Springfield
, via hit songs of the 80s written for Malcolm McLaren
and Grace Jones
to co-writes in the 00s for Cher
, Lisa Stansfield
and several worldwide smash hit singles for tATu.
In recent years, Perfect has signed David Jordan (singer)
(whose 2007 debut album, Set The Mood, has sold over 150,000 copies), singer-songwriter Kid Harpoon
, Alistair Griffin
, and Tim Hutton (whose recent co-writes include Ian Brown and Sugardaddy, a partnership with Tom Findlay from Groove Armada).
Two of Perfect's most enduring songwriters were both signed as almost complete unknowns, and have since collected an impressive line of Grammy nominations and awards. Seal
, whose hits include Crazy, Kiss From A Rose, Killer and Future Love Paradise. And Marsha Ambrosius
, who signed to Perfect in the very early 00s and has written for and in collaboration with Michael Jackson
and Alicia Keys
.
They helped to deliver some of the most memorable music of the 1980s
and in the 1990s
discovered Gabrielle, Mark Morrison
, rapper MC Tunes
, rave act Shades of Rhythm
and 808 State
.
It is part of the SPZ Group of companies which also includes Sarm Studios (recording studios), ZTT Records
ZTT Records
ZTT Records is a record label founded in 1983 by NME journalist Paul Morley, record producer Trevor Horn, and businesswoman Jill Sinclair. The label's name was also printed as "Zang Tumb Tuum" and "Zang Tuum Tumb" on various releases....
, Stiff Records
Stiff Records
Stiff Records is a record label created in London in 1976, by entrepreneurs Dave Robinson and Andrew Jakeman , and active until 1985. It was reactivated in 2007....
(record labels) and Music Bank hire
Music Bank hire
Established in 1994, Music Bank Ltd. provides backline equipment hire and a suite of rehearsal studios. Music Bank is an integral part of record producer Trevor Horn's SPZ Group, which also includes the world-renowned Sarm Studios, music publishers Perfect Songs and two of the most notorious...
(equipment hire and rehearsal studios).
Songs featured in their catalogue include Relax and Two Tribes by Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Frankie Goes to Hollywood were a British dance-pop band popular in the mid-1980s. The group was fronted by Holly Johnson , with Paul Rutherford , Peter Gill , Mark O'Toole , and Brian Nash .The group's debut single "Relax" was banned by the BBC in 1984 while at number six in the charts and...
– two of the best selling pop hits of the eighties, the Grammy Award-winning Kiss From A Rose by Seal
Seal (musician)
Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel , known simply as Seal, is a British soul and R&B singer-songwriter, of Nigerian and Brazilian background. Seal has won numerous music awards throughout his career, including three Brit Awards—winning Best British Male in 1992, four Grammy Awards, and an...
, Frankie's The Power of Love, and Dreams and Sunshine by Gabrielle (singer)
Gabrielle (singer)
Louisa Gabrielle Bobb is a multi-platinum selling, BRIT Award winning English singer, who records under the name Gabrielle. Gabrielle began her career temping during the day and singing for free in London clubs at night...
, and Beatbox, Close (To The Edit) and Moments in Love by the Art of Noise – two of the most sampled songs in history.
The company was formed in 1982 by record producer Trevor Horn
Trevor Horn
Trevor Charles Horn CBE is an English pop music record producer, songwriter, musician and singer. He was born in Houghton-le-Spring in north-east England....
and manager Jill Sinclair and it's been based at the same office –Sarm Studios - ever since. Horn's credits date back to Baby Blue, a 1979 co-write for Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'BrienSources use both Isabel and Isobel as the spelling of her second name. OBE , known professionally as Dusty Springfield and dubbed The White Queen of Soul, was a British pop singer whose career extended from the late 1950s to the 1990s...
, via hit songs of the 80s written for Malcolm McLaren
Malcolm McLaren
Malcolm Robert Andrew McLaren was an English performer, impresario, self-publicist and manager of the Sex Pistols and the New York Dolls...
and Grace Jones
Grace Jones
Grace Jones is a Jamaican-American singer, model and actress.Jones secured a record deal with Island Records in 1977, which resulted in a string of dance-club hits. In the late 1970s, she adapted the emerging electronic music style and adopted a severe, androgynous look with square-cut hair and...
to co-writes in the 00s for Cher
Cher
Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
, Lisa Stansfield
Lisa Stansfield
Lisa Stansfield is an English singer and songwriter.-Early years:Stansfield was born to Marion and Keith Stansfield in Heywood, Lancashire, in England, where she attended Redbrook School, Rochdale. Her first television appearance was on a talent programme in the Granada TV area in 1982...
and several worldwide smash hit singles for tATu.
In recent years, Perfect has signed David Jordan (singer)
David Jordan (singer)
David Jordan is an English singer-songwriter.Born to a mother from Montserrat and a father from Calcutta, Jordan has been writing pop-rock songs since he was 11 . Growing up his music idol was Prince...
(whose 2007 debut album, Set The Mood, has sold over 150,000 copies), singer-songwriter Kid Harpoon
Kid Harpoon
Kid Harpoon is an English singer-songwriter and musician.- Career :Originally hailing from Chatham, Kid Harpoon began to play live locally at venues such as The Tap & Tin and Command House...
, Alistair Griffin
Alistair Griffin
Alistair Richard Griffin is an English singer/songwriter and musician. Already an established songwriter, he first became famous as a solo artist through his appearances on the BBC television show Fame Academy 2 in 2003, where he was "spotted" and championed by Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees...
, and Tim Hutton (whose recent co-writes include Ian Brown and Sugardaddy, a partnership with Tom Findlay from Groove Armada).
Two of Perfect's most enduring songwriters were both signed as almost complete unknowns, and have since collected an impressive line of Grammy nominations and awards. Seal
Seal (musician)
Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel , known simply as Seal, is a British soul and R&B singer-songwriter, of Nigerian and Brazilian background. Seal has won numerous music awards throughout his career, including three Brit Awards—winning Best British Male in 1992, four Grammy Awards, and an...
, whose hits include Crazy, Kiss From A Rose, Killer and Future Love Paradise. And Marsha Ambrosius
Marsha Ambrosius
Marsha Ambrosius or Marsha is an English singer/songwriter. A former member of the English Soul/R&B duo Floetry, she released her first solo album Late Nights & Early Mornings on March 1, 2011.-Early career with Floetry:...
, who signed to Perfect in the very early 00s and has written for and in collaboration with Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
and Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano...
.
They helped to deliver some of the most memorable music of the 1980s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
and in the 1990s
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
discovered Gabrielle, Mark Morrison
Mark Morrison
Mark Morrison is a British R&B singer. He was the most successful UK R&B singer of the mid-90s and the first black male solo artist to reach number one in the 90s. His single "Return of the Mack" became a #1 or Top 10 hit in several European countries in 1996...
, rapper MC Tunes
MC Tunes
MC Tunes is a British rapper from the suburb of Moss Side in Manchester. His name was legally changed to Lockett in 1981. Tunes was one of the big promoters of the Madchester-era during the 1980s and 1990s.-808 State:Tunes first worked with 808 State on the 1990 album, The North At Its Heights...
, rave act Shades of Rhythm
Shades of Rhythm (band)
Shades of Rhythm was a British based electronic dance music group in the late 1980s and early 1990s, formed in Peterborough in 1988. They are best known for being a part of the rave music scene.-Career:...
and 808 State
808 State
808 State are a British electronic music outfit, formed in 1987 in Manchester, taking their name from the Roland TR-808 drum machine and their common state of mind...
.
Catalogue
A selection of songs in the Perfect Songs repertoire:- 808 State - "Pacific State"
- Alicia Keys - "Go Ahead"
- Alistair Griffin - "You And Me Tonight"
- Amy Winehouse - "Close To The Front"
- Art of Noise - "Beat Box"
- David Jordan - "Sun Goes Down"
- The Frames - "Dance The Devil Back Into His Hole"
- Frankie Goes To Hollywood - "Relax"
- Gabrielle - "Give Me A Little More Time"
- Grace Jones - "Slave To The Rhythm"
- Kid Harpoon - "Her Body Sways"
- Malcolm McLaren - "Buffalo Gals"
- Mark Morrison - "Return of The Mack"
- Mutya Buena - "Song For Mutya"
- The Pogues - "Fairytale Of New York"
- Seal - "Crazy"
- Shane MacGowan and Moya Brennan - "You're The One"
- Shane MacGowan and Sinead O'Connor - "Haunted"
- Sugababes - "Overload"
- Tatu - "All The Things She Said"