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Sophisti-pop Musical Groups
Sophisti-pop is a pop music subgenre that developed during the mid-1980s out of the British new wave era. It originated with acts who blended elements of jazz, soul, and pop with lavish production. The term "sophisti-pop" was coined only after the genre's peak in the mid-late 1980s. Characteristics Sophisti-pop is characterized by its extensive use of electronic keyboards, synthesizers, and polished arrangements. Artists also utilized cutting-edge studio technology and perfectionist recording methods. The genre has been described as mellow, romantic, and atmospheric, with artists often adopting a sharp, well-dressed and well-groomed visual presentation. History ''Stylus Magazine'' suggested that acts had been influenced by the work of Roxy Music (such as 1982's ''Avalon'', often cited as the first sophisti-pop album), and Bryan Ferry's '' Boys and Girls'' (1985) and '' Bête Noire'' (1987). ''Sweetwater'' named major artists in the genre as including the Blue Nile, Prefab Spr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pop Music
Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom.S. Frith, W. Straw, and J. Street, eds, ''iarchive:cambridgecompani00frit, The Cambridge Companion to Pop and Rock'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press), , pp. 95–105. During the 1950s and 1960s, pop music encompassed rock and roll and the youth-oriented styles it influenced. ''Rock music, Rock'' and ''pop'' music remained roughly synonymous until the late 1960s, after which ''pop'' became associated with music that was more commercial, wikt:ephemeral, ephemeral, and accessible. Identifying factors of pop music usually include repeated choruses and Hook (music), hooks, short to medium-length songs written in a basic format (often the verse–chorus form, verse–chorus structure), and rhythms or tempos that can be easily danced to. Much of pop music also borrows elements from other styles such as rock, hip hop, urban contemporary, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Avalon (Roxy Music Album)
''Avalon'' is the eighth and final studio album by the English rock band Roxy Music, released on 28 May 1982 by E.G. Records, and Polydor. It was recorded between 1981 and 1982 at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas, and is regarded as the culmination of the smoother, more adult-oriented sound of the band's later work. It has been credited with pioneering the sophisti-pop genre. The first single, " More Than This", preceded the album and was a top 10 hit in Britain, Australia, and several European countries. " Avalon", the second single, reached the top 20; "Take a Chance with Me" reached the top 30. In the United States, "More Than This" and "Take a Chance with Me" reached 103 and 104. ''Avalon'' is Roxy Music's most successful studio album. It stayed at number one on the UK Albums Chart for three weeks, and stayed on the chart for over a year. Although it reached only No. 53 in the US, ''Avalon'' endured as a sleeper hit and became Roxy Music's lone million-selling US rec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Swing Out Sister
Swing Out Sister are a British pop band, best known worldwide for the 1986 song " Breakout". Other hits include " Surrender", " You On My Mind", " Twilight World", " Waiting Game", and a remake of the Eugene Record soul composition "Am I the Same Girl" History Although Swing Out Sister are currently a duo, they began as a trio in the UK. The band was formed by Andy Connell (keyboards) and Martin Jackson (drums); they were later joined by Corinne Drewery (vocals). According to the band's website, "They christened themselves after an obscure Billie Burke "B"-musical from the '40s because it was the only name they could agree upon - they all agreed they hated it." Both Connell and Jackson had been playing in other bands prior to forming Swing Out Sister, while Drewery was a fashion designer and model before she became the band's lead vocalist. 52nd Street's Diane Charlemagne was influential in the period just prior to the band signing to Phonogram Records. Connell and Jackso ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Basia
Barbara Stanisława "Basia" Trzetrzelewska (; born 30 September 1954), better known mononymously as Basia, is a Polish singer-songwriter and recording artist noted for her Latin-inspired jazz-pop music. She began singing professionally in various Polish bands beginning in the late 1960s and during the 1970s, then moved to the UK in 1981. She rose to fame as a singer in the British trio Matt Bianco. By 1986, Basia and her bandmate Danny White had left the group to focus on her solo career. She signed with Epic Records and enjoyed a successful international career from 1987 until 1995, particularly in the U.S. where her first two albums '' Time and Tide'' and '' London Warsaw New York'' both sold more than a million copies, her biggest hits being " Time and Tide", " New Day for You", " Promises", " Baby You're Mine", " Cruising for Bruising", and " Drunk on Love". She also developed a following in Asia. She took a lengthy hiatus due to personal tragedies. She made a comeback ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sade (band)
Sade ( or ) are an English band, formed in London in 1982 and named after their lead singer, Sade Adu. The band consists of Adu alongside bassist Paul Denman, saxophonist and guitarist Stuart Matthewman, and keyboardist Andrew Hale. Founding drummer Paul Anthony Cooke left the band in 1984, while Dave Early, Cooke's replacement, left in 1985. Since Early's departure in 1985, the band has employed numerous session and touring drummers in absence of an official drummer. The band's music features elements of soul, quiet storm, smooth jazz and sophisti-pop. All of the band's albums, including compilations and a live album, have charted in the US Top Ten. The band's debut studio album, '' Diamond Life'' (1984), reached number two on the UK Album Chart, selling over 1.2 million copies and won the Brit Award for Best British Album in 1985. The album was also a hit internationally, reaching number one in several countries and the top ten in the United States, where it has sol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Simply Red
Simply Red are an English soul music, soul and pop band formed in Manchester in 1985. Band leader, singer and songwriter Mick Hucknall was the only original member left by the time Simply Red initially disbanded in 2010. They have released thirteen studio albums, from ''Picture Book (Simply Red album), Picture Book'' (1985) through Time (Simply Red album), ''Time'' (2023), all of which have peaked within the top ten on the UK Albums Chart; with the albums ''A New Flame'' (1989), ''Stars (Simply Red album), Stars'' (1991), Life (Simply Red album), ''Life'' (1995) and Blue (Simply Red album), ''Blue'' (1998), along with their Greatest Hits (Simply Red album), ''Greatest Hits'' (1996) album, reaching number one. Their 1991 album ''Stars'' is one of the List of best-selling albums in the United Kingdom, best-selling albums in the United Kingdom. The group released ten songs that have reached the top 10 on the UK Singles Chart, including "Stars (Simply Red song), Stars", the Fugees-a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Danny Wilson (band)
Danny Wilson were a Scottish pop band formed in Dundee in 1984. The band was best known for its 1988 UK number 3 hit single " Mary's Prayer". The band served as a launchpad for the career of Gary Clark, who also played in the 1990s bands King L and Transister before becoming a successful songwriter for other artists including Natalie Imbruglia, Liz Phair, Nick Carter, k.d. lang and former Spice Girls Melanie C and Emma Bunton. Other former members of the band have played in Simple Minds, Deacon Blue and Swiss Family Orbison. History Background and early history Gary Clark and Ged Grimes grew up together in Dundee, Scotland and played together in school bands. Influenced by soul and pop artists such as Steely Dan, Stevie Wonder, Burt Bacharach, and Hal David, they eventually moved to London, where they played in the bands Perfect Strangers and Dream Kitchen during the early 1980s. Neither band met with success: circa 1984, while still in London, Clark and Grimes noticed that t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Everything But The Girl
Everything but the Girl are an English musical duo formed in Kingston upon Hull in 1982, consisting of lead singer, songwriter, composer and occasional guitarist Tracey Thorn and guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, composer, producer and singer Ben Watt. The group's early works have been categorized as sophisti-pop with jazz influences before undergoing an electronic music turn following the worldwide success of the 1994 hit single " Missing", remixed by Todd Terry. The duo have achieved four top 10 and 12 top 40 singles in the UK and received eight gold and two platinum album BPI certifications in the UK as well as one gold album RIAA certification in the US. Their cover of "I Don't Want to Talk About It" reached No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart in 1988, a feat later matched by "Missing", which charted high in several countries and reached No. 2 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1995. The "Missing" remix spent over seven months on the UK Singles Chart, which led to a Br ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scritti Politti
Scritti Politti are a British band formed in 1977 in Leeds by singer-songwriter Green Gartside, who is the sole remaining member of the original band. Initially formed as a punk culture, punk-aligned underground act influenced by leftist politics, they transitioned into a commercial pop music project in the early 1980s, achieving success on the record charts in the UK. The group's most successful album, 1985's ''Cupid & Psyche 85'', spawned three UK Top 20 hits with "Wood Beez (Pray Like Aretha Franklin)", "Absolute (Scritti Politti song), Absolute", and "The Word Girl", and one US Top 20 hit with "Perfect Way (Scritti Politti song), Perfect Way". The band's 1988 album ''Provision (album), Provision'' peaked in the UK Top 10 and produced a UK Top 20 hit single, "Oh Patti". After releasing two non-album singles in 1991, as well as a collaboration with B.E.F. (British Electric Foundation), B.E.F., the band returned in the late 1990s after a seven-year break. History Origins In t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Style Council
The Style Council were an English pop band formed in Woking in 1982 by Paul Weller, the former lead vocalist, principal songwriter and guitarist with the rock band the Jam, and keyboardist Mick Talbot, previously a member of Dexys Midnight Runners, the Bureau and the Merton Parkas. Weller started the project to escape the restrictions of the Jam, and to explore a more arty, European, jazzier direction, which encompassed pop, hip hop, and soul. The permanent line-up grew to include drummer Steve White and Weller's then-girlfriend, vocalist Dee C. Lee. Other artists such as Tracie Young, Tracey Thorn ( Everything but the Girl) and drummer/percussionist Steve Sidelnyk (who has played for Madonna, Seal and Richard Ashcroft) also performed and collaborated with the group. As with Weller's previous band, most of the London-based group's hits were in their homeland, where they scored seven top 10 hits. The band also had hit singles and albums in Australia and New Zealand duri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Prefab Sprout
Prefab Sprout are an English pop/rock band from Witton Gilbert, County Durham who rose to fame during the 1980s. Formed in 1978 by brothers Paddy and Martin McAloon and joined by vocalist, guitarist and keyboard player Wendy Smith in 1982, they released their debut album '' Swoon'' to critical acclaim in 1984. Their subsequent albums, including 1985's '' Steve McQueen'' and 1990's '' Jordan: The Comeback'', have been described by Paul Lester of ''The Guardian'' as "some of the most beautiful and intelligent records of their era". Frontman Paddy McAloon is regarded as one of the great songwriters of his time and the band have been credited with producing some of the "most beloved" pop music of the 1980s and 1990s. Nine of their albums reached the top 40 on the UK Albums Chart and one of their singles, " The King of Rock 'n' Roll", peaked at number seven on the UK Singles Chart. The band's other popular songs include " When Love Breaks Down" and " Cars and Girls". The band ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Blue Nile (band)
The Blue Nile were a Scottish band which originated in Glasgow. The group's early music was built heavily on synthesizers and electronic instrumentation and percussion, although later works featured guitar more prominently. Following early championing by established artists such as Rickie Lee Jones and Peter Gabriel (the band later worked with both acts), the Blue Nile gained critical acclaim, particularly for their first two albums '' A Walk Across the Rooftops'' and ''Hats'', and some commercial success in both the UK and the US, which led to the band working with a wide range of musicians from the late 1980s onwards. The Blue Nile's highest chart placement came when "Tinseltown in the Rain" reached No. 28 in the Netherlands in 1984, their only Dutch charting song. The band has had four top 75 hits on the UK singles chart, the highest being " Saturday Night", which reached No. 50 in 1991. In the United States, "The Downtown Lights" was their only chart entry, peaking at No. 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
