The Passions were a
BritishThe 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...
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...
which formed in 1978 and disbanded in 1983. They were archetypal
one-hit wonderA one-hit wonder is a person or act known mainly for only a single success. The term is most often used to describe music performers with only one hit single.-Characteristics:...
s with their misty, trance-like pop
songA song is a metrical composition intended or adapted for singing, especially one in rhymed stanzas; a lyric; a ballad....
, "
I'm in Love with a German Film StarI'm in Love with a German Film Star is a single released by artist and film-maker Sam Taylor-Wood on October 21, 2008, through Kompakt. The track, a cover version of the post-punk classic by The Passions, and covered in 2005 by the Foo Fighters, was produced by Pet Shop Boys, who also contributed a...
".
Based in Shepherds Bush,
West London, The Passions'
musicMusic is an art form whose medium is sound. Common elements of music are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
was grounded mainly in Barbara Gogan's
voiceThe human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary sound source...
, and Clive Timperley's delicate
echoplexDelay is an audio effect which records an input signal to an audio storage medium, and then plays it back after a period of time. The delayed signal may either be played back multiple times, or played back into the recording again, to create the sound of a repeating, decaying echo.-Early delay...
guitarThe 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...
work. Before forming in 1978, most of the members had spent time in other groups.
The Passions were a
BritishThe 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...
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...
which formed in 1978 and disbanded in 1983. They were archetypal
one-hit wonderA one-hit wonder is a person or act known mainly for only a single success. The term is most often used to describe music performers with only one hit single.-Characteristics:...
s with their misty, trance-like pop
songA song is a metrical composition intended or adapted for singing, especially one in rhymed stanzas; a lyric; a ballad....
, "
I'm in Love with a German Film StarI'm in Love with a German Film Star is a single released by artist and film-maker Sam Taylor-Wood on October 21, 2008, through Kompakt. The track, a cover version of the post-punk classic by The Passions, and covered in 2005 by the Foo Fighters, was produced by Pet Shop Boys, who also contributed a...
".
Career
Based in Shepherds Bush,
West London, The Passions'
musicMusic is an art form whose medium is sound. Common elements of music are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
was grounded mainly in Barbara Gogan's
voiceThe human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary sound source...
, and Clive Timperley's delicate
echoplexDelay is an audio effect which records an input signal to an audio storage medium, and then plays it back after a period of time. The delayed signal may either be played back multiple times, or played back into the recording again, to create the sound of a repeating, decaying echo.-Early delay...
guitarThe 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...
work. Before forming in 1978, most of the members had spent time in other groups. Timperley was an ex-101ers, whilst drummer Richard Williams and singer/guitarist Barbara Gogan were in the
punk rockPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed the perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
outfit,
The DerelictsThe Derelicts were a London-based "Trotskyist R&B band" active from 1974-1976, well known on the London pub rock/squat rock circuit, consisting of Barbara Gogan, Richard Williams, Susan Gogan, and John Studholme, amongst others...
. The Passions' first
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:...
, issued in March 1979, was "Needles and Pills", which helped them gain a
recording contractA 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...
with
Fiction RecordsFiction Records is a UK indie label started by Chris Parry in 1978 that is best known as being the home of The Cure for over 20 years. The label's first #1 record was Wish by The Cure in 1992, going #1 in the United Kingdom...
, home of
The CureThe Cure are an English alternative rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976 by Robert Smith, Lawrence Tolhurst and Michael Dempsey. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
. The Passions were predominantly a
guitarThe 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...
band but they fitted in with the spirit of the times, being part
New RomanticNew Romanticism was a youth fashion movement that peaked in the United Kingdom during the early 1980s. Originally centered around part of the Synthpop music scene, it has seen several revivals since then, and continues to influence popular culture...
s, and part "European grey".
A year passed between the release of the "Needles and Pills" single, and
Michael and Miranda, the band's first
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.-...
. Singles "Hunted", and "Swimmer" followed, and then their major
chartingA record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
song, "I'm in Love with a German Film Star". Before "The Swimmer Bidwell and Barker left the band, the former to join The Wall. David Agar took over on bass guitar. The band's second album,
30,000 Feet Over China, was released in August 1981. It included previously released
A-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 several brand new
recordingsSound 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...
.
Clive Timperley left the band in
VeronaVerona is a city in Veneto, northern Italy, one of the seven provincial capitals in the region. It is one of the main tourist destinations in north-eastern Italy, thanks to its artistic heritage, several annual fairs, shows and operas, such as the lyrical season in the Arena, the ancient...
in December 1981, during the
ItalianItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
leg of their prophetically named "Tour Till We Crack" tour, as a result of "serious political differences". The follow-up single release "Africa Mine" was recorded with a new line-up. Barbara Gogan explained the situation thus: "It's the same old story. Some bands play together for ten years and it's all very wonderful and imaginative. More often, though, you reach a point where you've done all you can do and you want to change. Whenever we've reached that point someone has always left and brought us a step further on. Any band playing their own songs to the public has a duty to change and keep being imaginative all the time".
Kevin Armstrong (a contributor to a
Thomas DolbyThomas Dolby is an English musician and producer.- Life and career :Contrary to the alluring story from most 1980s United Kingdom press releases, Dolby was not born in Cairo, Egypt; he was born in London, England, UK...
album), who had previously been with Local Heroes joined, and the group added a keyboard player, Jeff Smith, perhaps best known for his past work with
Lene LovichLene Lovich is an American singer based in England, who first gained attention as part of the New Wave music scene of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Her most popular hit single was "Lucky Number", first released in 1979.-Early years:...
. Armstrong and Smith took part in the recording of the band's third album,
Sanctuary, which appeared in the autumn of 1982.
Stephen Wright, previously in the band Bim, joined in 1982, replacing Armstrong. The band toured
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...
and the
U.S.The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, appeared on the
Old Grey Whistle TestThe Old Grey Whistle Test was an influential BBC2 television music show that ran from 1971 to 1987. It took over the BBC2 late night slot from "Disco Two", which had been running since January 1970, while continuing to feature non-chart music. It was devised by BBC producer Rowan Ayers...
on
BBC 2
, and
Whatever You Want on
Channel 4Channel 4 is a UK public-service television broadcaster which began working on November 2, 1982. Although commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station owned now and operated by the Channel Four Television...
, but dissolved for good in the summer of 1983, after playing their last ever live
showA concert is a live performance, usually of music, before an audience. The music may be performed by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band. Informal names for a concert include "show" and "gig"...
at
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
's
Marquee ClubThe Marquee was a music club first located at 165 Oxford Street, London, England when it opened in 1958 with a range of jazz and skiffle acts. It was also the location of the first ever live performance by The Rolling Stones on 12 July 1962....
on 12 August that year.
I'm In Love With A German Film Star
The lyrics for "I'm in Love with a German Film Star" were written by Barbara Gogan about a one time roadie for
The ClashThe Clash were an English rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk rock. Along with punk, they experimented with reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap and rockabilly...
and the
Sex PistolsThe Sex Pistols are an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They are responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
named Steve Connelly who had minor roles in several German films. It was produced by Pete Wilson who was the in house producer for
Polydor RecordsPolydor Records is a record label currently headquartered in the UK, and is a subsidiary of Universal Music Group.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used, as an export label, in 1924, the British and German branches...
. According to Wilson "It was a song that almost seemed to write itself". The music weeklies declared the song "Single of the Week" while it was named "Peoples Choice" on
Capital Radio95.8 Capital FM is a popular London local radio station owned by the Global Radio group.-Early years:This local radio station for London, which was based on the first two floors of the Euston Tower, was originally named Capital Radio, and was launched by then-chairman Richard Attenborough at 5:00...
. This lead to two
Top of the PopsTop of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. It was traditionally shown every Thursday evening on BBC1, before being moved to Fridays in 1996, and then moved to Sundays on BBC...
appearances. The single topped out at the number 25 position on the UK singles charts.
Post Passions
- Gogan resurfaced in 1998, when she released Made on Earth, an album recorded with the experimentalist
"Experimentalist" is a blanket term for all sorts of scientists engaged more in experimental activity than in the theoretical side of their sciences....
, Hector ZazouHector Zazou was a prolific French composer and record producer who has worked with, produced, and collaborated with an international array of recording artists...
.
- There have been several cover version
In popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition of a previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
s of "I'm in Love with a German Film Star" to date, including one by the Foo FightersFoo Fighters is an American rock band formed by singer/guitarist/drummer Dave Grohl in 1995. Grohl formed the group as a one-man project after the dissolution of his previous band, Nirvana, in 1994. Prior to the release of Foo Fighters in 1995, Grohl drafted Nate Mendel , William Goldsmith , and...
in 2005, and a collaboration between artist Sam Taylor-WoodSam Taylor-Wood is an English conceptual artist. She has been identified as a member of the Young British Artists movement. Her work includes photography and cinema.-Biography:Taylor-Wood was born in London, England...
and Pet Shop BoysPet Shop Boys are an British electronic dance music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant, who provides main vocals, keyboards and occasionally guitar and Chris Lowe on keyboards and occasionally on vocals....
in October 2008.
- "I'm in Love with a German Film Star" was re-released as a download
In networks, to download means to receive data to a local system from a remote system, or to initiate such a data transfer. Examples of a remote system might from which a download might be performed include a webserver, FTP server, email server, or other similar systems...
, in December 2006.
- In the first episode of the BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which began in 1932. The British Broadcasting Corporation has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927.-History of BBC Television:...
copA police service is a public force empowered to enforce the law and provide security through the legitimized use of force.The term is most commonly associated with police services of a state that are authorized to exercise the police power of that state within a defined legal or territorial area of...
-dramaDrama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a collective...
Ashes to AshesAshes to Ashes is a British science fiction/police procedural drama television series, serving as the sequel to Life on Mars.- Plot :...
, when DI Alex Drake enters Luigi's restaurant, "I'm in Love with a German Film Star" is the backing trackA backing track is an audio or MIDI recording that musicians play or sing along to in order to add parts to their music which would be impractical to perform live.-Uses:...
as she walks in slow motionSlow motion or slowmo is an effect in film-making whereby time appears to be slowed down. It was invented by Austrian August Musger. Typically this style is achieved when each film frame is captured at a rate much faster than it will be played back. When replayed at normal speed, time appears to be...
.
- "Thirty Thousand Feet Over China" was re-issued on CD
A Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store sound recordings exclusively, but later it also allowed the preservation of other types of data. Audio CDs have been commercially available since October 1982...
with five bonus tracks on Cherry Red Records, on 21 July 2008.
- Gogan and Wright are currently playing together as The Monarchs.
- Richard 'Rick' Williams appeared on the 'Identity Parade' on BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which began in 1932. The British Broadcasting Corporation has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927.-History of BBC Television:...
's programmeA television program , television programme , or television show is a segment of content broadcast on television...
, Never Mind the BuzzcocksNever Mind the Buzzcocks is a comedy panel game show with a pop and rock music theme, currently without a permanent presenter, but starring Phill Jupitus and from 2009 Noel Fielding as team captains. The show is produced by Talkback Thames for the BBC, and is usually aired on BBC Two...
, on 7 February 2007.
Band members
- Barbara Gogan — 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...
, vocals
- Clive Timperley — guitar (up to 1981)
- Kevin Armstrong — guitar (from 1981 to 1982)
- Claire Bidwell — bass guitar
The electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum....
(up to 1980)
- David Agar — bass guitar (from 1980)
- Richard Williams — 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...
- Mitch Barker — vocals (up to 1980)
- Jeff Smith — keyboards
A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include various types of organs as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
(from 1981)
- Stephen Wright — guitar (from 1982)
Singles
- 1979: "Needles and Pills" (Soho Records)
- 1979: "Hunted" (Fiction
Fiction Records is a UK indie label started by Chris Parry in 1978 that is best known as being the home of The Cure for over 20 years. The label's first #1 record was Wish by The Cure in 1992, going #1 in the United Kingdom...
)
- 1980: "Swimmer" (Polydor
Polydor Records is a record label currently headquartered in the UK, and is a subsidiary of Universal Music Group.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used, as an export label, in 1924, the British and German branches...
) — reissued 1982
- 1981: "I'm in Love with a German Film Star
I'm in Love with a German Film Star is a single released by artist and film-maker Sam Taylor-Wood on October 21, 2008, through Kompakt. The track, a cover version of the post-punk classic by The Passions, and covered in 2005 by the Foo Fighters, was produced by Pet Shop Boys, who also contributed a...
" (Polydor) — Number 25 (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...
)
- 1981: "Skin Deep" (Polydor)
- 1982: "Africa Mine" (Polydor)
- 1982: "Jump for Joy" (Polydor)
- 1982: "Sanctuary" (Polydor)
- 2006: "I'm in Love with a German Film Star" (Polydor) (download only)
Albums
- 1980: Michael and Miranda (Fiction)
- 1981: Thirty Thousand Feet Over China (Polydor) — Number 92 (UK Albums Chart
The 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...
)
- 1982: Sanctuary (Polydor)
- 1985: Passion Plays (Polydor) — compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from multiple recording artists, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, source or subject matter...
- 2008: Thirty Thousand Feet Over China (Cherry Red)
Audio sample
See also
External links