Taxxi (band)
Encyclopedia
Taxxi are an English
rock
band best known for the song "I'm Leaving". The band formed in the late 1970s and first came to prominence in the early 1980s with a few minor AOR
hit single
s and some MTV
airplay.
The band received club play in France
with the album tracks "Not Me Girl", "Girl (New York City)" and "Metro Boulot Dodo". Their most successful U.S. album was States Of Emergency, which featured three tracks that received rock radio airplay: the aforementioned "I'm Leaving", "Cocktail Queen (Don't She Love To Rock & Roll)" and "The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter". "Still In Love" was remixed for a 12" single which received minor club airplay in the U.S.
the band recorded demos and were eventually signed by Berkeley
's Fantasy Records
. Teamed with producer Phil Kaffel the band recorded three albums for Fantasy Records. Filling out the trio's sound were session musicians including bassist Randy Jackson
, keyboardist Tim Gorman
, guitarists Danny Chauncey and Marlon McClain, and saxophonist Steve Douglas
. Journey
drummer Steve Smith
lent a hand on tambourine
for their second album. Moving to MCA Records
in 1985, Taxxi recorded their 4th album with Tom Dowd
. A fifth album that included Kevin Russell from the band 707
was recorded but never released.
In 2001, Chequered Past, a compilation CD was remastered with participation by the band and their original producer, although—released by Fantasy Records—it ignored the band's 4th album and the unreleased material.
The band opened in concert for the Police
, Triumph
, Foreigner
, Night Ranger
, Loverboy
and the Motels
, and released five music videos.
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...
rock
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
band best known for the song "I'm Leaving". The band formed in the late 1970s and first came to prominence in the early 1980s with a few minor AOR
Album-oriented rock
Album-oriented rock is an American FM radio format focusing on album tracks by rock artists.-Music played:Most radio formats are based on a select, tight rotation of hit singles...
hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
s and some 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....
airplay.
The band received club play in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
with the album tracks "Not Me Girl", "Girl (New York City)" and "Metro Boulot Dodo". Their most successful U.S. album was States Of Emergency, which featured three tracks that received rock radio airplay: the aforementioned "I'm Leaving", "Cocktail Queen (Don't She Love To Rock & Roll)" and "The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter". "Still In Love" was remixed for a 12" single which received minor club airplay in the U.S.
History
Scottish-born singer/guitarist David Cumming, bassist Colin Payne, and drummer Jeffrey Nead formed the band in London in the late 1970s. Through an association with Kit LambertKit Lambert
Christopher "Kit" Sebastian Lambert was a record producer and the manager for The Who.-Early life:Kit Lambert was the son of noted composer, Constant Lambert...
the band recorded demos and were eventually signed by Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
's Fantasy Records
Fantasy Records
Fantasy Records is a United States-based record label that was founded by Max and Sol Weiss in 1949 in San Francisco, California. They had previously operated a record-pressing plant called Circle Record Company before forming the Fantasy label...
. Teamed with producer Phil Kaffel the band recorded three albums for Fantasy Records. Filling out the trio's sound were session musicians including bassist Randy Jackson
Randy Jackson
Randall Darius "Randy" Jackson is an American bassist, singer, record producer, music manager, A&R executive, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is best known as a judge on American Idol and executive producer for MTV's America's Best Dance Crew...
, keyboardist Tim Gorman
Tim Gorman
Tim Gorman is a rock keyboardist born and based in San Francisco. He has worked as a session musician from the 1980s until the present, his most notable collaborations being with Duane Eddy, Paul Kantner and The Who....
, guitarists Danny Chauncey and Marlon McClain, and saxophonist Steve Douglas
Steve Douglas (saxophonist)
Steven Douglas Kreisman , better known as Steve Douglas, was an American saxophonist, flautist and clarinetist. Douglas is best known as a Los Angeles session musician, a member of The Wrecking Crew, who worked with Phil Spector, Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys...
. Journey
Journey (band)
Journey is an American rock band formed in 1973 in San Francisco by former members of Santana. The band has gone through several phases; its strongest commercial success occurred between the 1978 and 1987, after which it temporarily disbanded...
drummer Steve Smith
Steve Smith (musician)
Steve Elliott Smith is an American drummer who has worked with hundreds of artists in his career, but is mostly known for being the drummer of the rock band Journey during their peak years of success. Modern Drummer magazine readers voted him the #1 All-Around Drummer five years in a row...
lent a hand on tambourine
Tambourine
The tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all....
for their second album. Moving to MCA Records
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
in 1985, Taxxi recorded their 4th album with Tom Dowd
Tom Dowd
Tom Dowd was an American recording engineer and producer for Atlantic Records. He was credited with innovating the multi-track recording method. Dowd worked on a virtual "who's who" of recordings that encompassed blues, jazz, pop, rock and soul records.- Early years :Born in Manhattan, Dowd grew...
. A fifth album that included Kevin Russell from the band 707
707 (band)
707 was a rock band of the early 1980s, best known for the rock radio hits "I Could Be Good For You" and "Mega Force".-I Could Be Good for You:...
was recorded but never released.
In 2001, Chequered Past, a compilation CD was remastered with participation by the band and their original producer, although—released by Fantasy Records—it ignored the band's 4th album and the unreleased material.
The band opened in concert for the Police
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
, Triumph
Triumph (band)
Triumph is a Canadian hard rock power trio that was popular in the late 1970s through the 1980s. Eight of the band's albums were certified gold or higher, and Triumph was nominated for multiple Juno Awards, including Group of the Year Award in 1979, 1985, 1986 and 1987.Like their fellow Canadians...
, Foreigner
Foreigner (band)
Foreigner is a British-American rock band, originally formed in 1976 by veteran English musicians Mick Jones and ex-King Crimson member Ian McDonald along with American vocalist Lou Gramm...
, Night Ranger
Night Ranger
Night Ranger is an American rock band from San Francisco that gained popularity during the 1980s with a series of albums and singles. The band's first five albums sold more than 10 million copies worldwide...
, Loverboy
Loverboy
Loverboy is a Canadian rock group formed in 1980 in Calgary, Alberta. Throughout the 1980s, the band accumulated numerous hit songs in Canada and the United States, earning four multi-platinum albums and selling millions of records...
and the Motels
The Motels
The Motels are a New Wave music band from the Los Angeles area best known for "Only the Lonely" and "Suddenly Last Summer", each of which peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1982 and 1983, respectively. Their song "Total Control" reached #4 on the Australian charts in 1980...
, and released five music videos.
Discography
- Day For Night (1980)
- States Of Emergency (1982) — including "I'm Leaving", #39 Billboard Mainstream Rock TracksMainstream Rock TracksHot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music. Modern rock tracks are counted in the Alternative Songs chart.This chart began with the March 21, 1981, issue...
chart - Foreign Tongue (1983) — including "Maybe Someday", #31 Mainstream Rock Tracks chart
- Expose (1985) — including "Still In Love", #36 Mainstream Rock Tracks chart
- Chequered Past (2001) — remastered CD collection of 15 tracks from their first three albums for Fantasy Records
Soundtracks and Compilations
- Weird ScienceWeird Science (film)Weird Science is a 1985 American teen comedy film written and directed by John Hughes and starring Anthony Michael Hall, Ilan Mitchell-Smith, and Kelly LeBrock...
(1985) — including "Forever" - The Secret of My Succe$sThe Secret of My Succe$sThe Secret of My Success is a 1987 American comedy film starring Michael J. Fox and Helen Slater, produced and directed by Herbert Ross . The screenplay is written by Jim Cash, who previously co-scripted Top Gun.-Plot:Brantley Foster The Secret of My Success (sometimes stylized as The Secret of My...
(1987) — including "Heaven And The Heartaches"