Music for Pleasure were a new wave band from

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

, England, active in the first half of the 1980s. Music for Pleasure were founded in 1979 by Martin King (bass guitar), Alan Peace (lead vocal), Sean Wheatley (drums) and David Whitaker (keyboards). The band were originally signed to Rockburgh Records and contributed the song "The Human Factor" to Rockburgh's seminal

Northern Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating ...

bands compilation ''Hicks from the Sticks'' (1980). In 1980, Peace and Wheatley were replaced by Mark Copson (lead vocal) and Christopher Oldroyd (drums – formerly a member of fellow Leeds band Girls at Our Best!). This line-up released a couple of

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

on the indie label Rage Records – a re-recorded version of "The Human Factor" (1980) and the

John Leckie John William Leckie (born 23 October 1949) is an English record producer and recording engineer. His production credits include Magazine's ''Real Life'' (1978); XTC's '' White Music'' (1978); Dukes of Stratosphear's '' 25 O'Clock'' and the F ...

produced "Fuel to the Fire" (1981). King was replaced by Ivor Roberts (bass guitar) in 1982, and Music for Pleasure then signed to

Polydor Records Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in ...

. The first Polydor release was the single "Switchback" (1982) produced by

Mike Hedges Mike Hedges (born 1954) is a British audio producer/engineer best known for his work with the Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Manic Street Preachers. During his career, Hedges has worked with an eclectic roster of artists ranging from rock ...

, followed by the band's first

album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

'' Into the Rain'' (1982) which was co-produced by Hedges and the band. The band released two more singles from the album, "Light" (1982) and a re-recorded version of "Time" (1983), followed by the Hedges produced single "Dark Crash" (1983), before being dropped by Polydor. Without having a record deal, Music for Pleasure continued to release records on their own Whirlpool label, the

Colin Richardson Colin Richardson is a British record producer, mixer and recording engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound source ...

co-produced single "Disconnection" (1984), the John Porter produced EP ''Chrome Hit Corrosion'' (1984) and the album ''Blacklands'' (1985). However, following the release of ''Blacklands'' the band disbanded. Keyboard player Whitaker went on to join

the Danse Society The Danse Society (formerly known as Y? or Danse Crazy) are an English gothic rock band, formed in Barnsley in 1980. They were originally active until 1986, reforming in 2011. They achieved moderate success during their career. Their lineup inc ...

(1985–1986), while drummer Oldroyd appeared on

Red Lorry Yellow Lorry Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, also known very briefly as the Lorries, are an English rock band formed in Leeds in early 1981 by guitarist and songwriter Chris Reed, vocalist Mark Sweeney, bassist Steve Smith and drummer Mick Brown. After breaking up ...

's second album '' Paint Your Wagon'' (1987).

Discography

Albums

* '' Into the Rain'' (1982) * ''[Blacklands'' (1985)

Singles

* "The Human Factor" (1980) * "Fuel to the Fire" (1981) * "Switchback" (1982) * "Light" (1982) * "Time" (1983) * "Dark Crash" (1983) * "Disconnection" (1984)

EPs

* ''Chrome Hit Corrosion'' (1984)

Compilation appearances

* ''Hicks from the Sticks'' (1980) * ''Off the Street'' (1993) All discography information from Discogs.

References

{{Authority control Musical groups established in 1979 English new wave musical groups English synth-pop new wave groups Polydor Records artists Post-punk groups from Leeds English synth-pop groups