Yargo were a band from

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

, England, active in the mid-to-late 1980s, featuring former members of

Biting Tongues Biting Tongues were a post-punk band formed in Manchester, England in 1979, whose members went on to join Simply Red, Yargo, and 808 State. History The band was formed in 1979 by saxophonist Howard Walmsley, initially to record a soundtrack for ...

History

The band was formed in the mid-1980s by Basil Clarke (vocals), Phil Kirby (drums) and Paddy Steer (bass guitar) (all of whom had previously played with Biting Tongues), with guitarist Tony Burnside.Strong, Martin C. (1999) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 720 They mixed

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

and

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

, with Clarke receiving comparisons with

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr. (; April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984) was an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and soul singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He helped shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player an ...

, and made their debut in 1986 with the ''Get High'' EP on the Skysaw label, featuring

Andy Diagram Andy Diagram (born 1959 in London) is a British musician and trumpet player. He has worked with the instrument in a variety of bands and contexts ranging from pop and rock to experimental jazz, art rock and dance music. He is best known for hi ...

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...

.Larkin, Colin (1998) ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Indie & New Wave'', Virgin Books, , p. 480 Their profile was raised by a performance on ''

The Tube The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or as the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent home counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England. The Undergro ...

''. Their debut album, ''Bodybeat'', was released in 1987 on their own label of the same name. In 1988 they were signed by

London Records London Recordings (or London Records and London Music Stream) is a British record label that marketed records in the United States, Canada, and Latin America for Decca Records from 1947 to 1980 before becoming semi-independent. The London nam ...

, who reissued their debut album and followed it with ''Communicate'' in 1989. Also in 1989, they recorded the theme to

Tony Wilson Anthony Howard Wilson (20 February 1950 – 10 August 2007) was a British record label owner, radio and television presenter, nightclub manager and impresario, and a journalist for Granada Television, the BBC and Channel 4. As a co-founder ...

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV (TV network), ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire on weekdays only, as ABC Weekend TV, ...

show ''The Other Side of Midnight'', which was also released as a single. They reverted to the Bodybeat label for a live album, ''Yargo Live'', in 1991, recorded at the Manchester International 2 the previous year. It proved to be their final release. Clarke recorded as a solo artist, releasing the "Out of my Face" single in 1991, and made a guest appearance on the

Future Sound of London The Future Sound of London (often abbreviated FSOL) is a British electronic music duo composed of Garry Cobain and Brian Dougans. They have been described as a "boundary-pushing" electronic act, covering techno, ambient, house music, trip h ...

album ''Accelerator'' in the same year. He also contributed vocals to

Strange Parcels Strange Parcels was an industrial hip-hop group, formed in 1991. The nucleus was guitarist Skip McDonald, drummer Keith LeBlanc and bassist Doug Wimbish. The group also enlisted the aid of numerous guest musicians, including Mark Stewart, Bim Sh ...

' ''Disconnection'' album in the mid-1990s.

Discography

Albums

*''Bodybeat'' (1987), Bodybeat - UK Indie #15,Lazell, Barry (1998) ''Indie Hits 1980-1989'', Cherry Red Books, , p. 261 reissued (1988),

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

*''Communicate'' (1989), London *''Live'' (1991), Bodybeat

Singles, EPs

*''Get High'' EP (1986), Skysaw *"Carrying Mine" (1987), Racket Manufacture *"Help" (1987), Bodybeat *"Help" (1988), London *"The Other Side of Midnight" (1989), London *"The Love Revolution" (1990), Bodybeat

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yargo Musical groups from Manchester