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The Colourfield | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Coventry /Manchester, England |
| Genres | New wave,pop rock |
| Years active | 1984–1987 |
| Labels | Chrysalis |
| Past members | Terry Hall Toby Lyons Karl Shale |
The Colourfield (initially The Colour Field, spelt in one word from 1987 onwards) were an English band formed in 1984 in Manchester, England when formerSpecials andFun Boy ThreefrontmanTerry Hall joined up with Karl Shale and ex-Swinging Cats member Toby Lyons.[1] Despite all three members being from Coventry, the band was based in Manchester.
In January 1984, the Colour Field released their first single "The Colour Field", which just missed making the top 40 in the UK Singles Chart.[2] In the summer of the same year, they released "Take" as their second single, which commercially performed less well. Their third single was "Thinking of You", released in January 1985, which reached number 12 in the UK chart,[2] and featuredKatrina Phillips accompanying Hall on vocals. Their fourth single, released days before their debut album came out, was "Castles in the Air", which reached the lower reaches of the UK chart.[2]
WhenVirgins and Philistines was initially released in April 1985,[1] it contained 12 tracks in the U.S. release and 10 in the UK version – but can now be found with 20 tracks as a Japanese re-release, containing manyB-sides and live tracks. It failed to gain a large audience due to difficulty in marketing an album with such a diverse sound—it mixes 1960s and early 1970s pop music with more acoustic-based melodies and string arrangements.Virgins and Philistines often is regarded[by whom?] as the direct musical predecessor to the later work of other northern bandsthe Beautiful South andthe Lightning Seeds in the 1990s; Hall later collaborated with the latter in a songwriting role and provided occasional vocals.Virgins and Philistines reached No. 12 in the UK Albums Chart.
Virgins and Philistines contained all original material except "The Hammond Song" (a cover ofthe Roches song), and—in the US—"Can't Get Enough of You Baby" (written by Linzer/Randell), which was the only track that received much airplay. The album was recorded atStrawberry Studios in Stockport and was produced byHugh Jones and Jeremy Green, and engineered by Chris Jones. Additional personnel featured on the album includedPete de Freitas (Echo & the Bunnymen) on drums,Paul Burgess (ex-Camel, also drums),Preston Heyman (percussion), Ian Nelson (clarinet), Katrina Phillips (background vocals).
In January 1986, the Colour Field became a four-man group, adding Gary Dwyer (ex-The Teardrop Explodes) on drums. Around the same time, the band's U.S. label compiled a six trackEP titledThe Colour Field (sic) containing the new UK single and B-side "Things Could Be Beautiful" / "Frosty Morning" produced byIan Broudie; two live tracksrecorded at theHammersmith Palais, "Pushing Up the Daisies" and "Yours Sincerely"; and two older tunes produced byHugh Jones, "Armchair Theatre" and "Faint Hearts". "Things Could Be Beautiful" did not make the UK or U.S. charts, and it was another year before the public heard any new material.
The band returned in the spring of 1987 as the Colourfield. They were now just a duo (Hall & Lyons) augmented byRaquel Welch's band and session musicians. Hall had to hire Welch's band after Lyons departed midway through the recording sessions.[citation needed] Hall has voiced his displeasure with the recording ofDeception because he did not feel he had sufficient control of the session musicians and producers to be able to preserve the Colourfield's sound.[citation needed]Deception was produced byRichard Gottehrer and Jeffrey Lesser at Wool Hall Studio in Beckington, Somerset.
The first two singles released fromDeception were both covers: "Running Away", originally bySly & the Family Stone,[1] and "She", a song composed by the songwriting duo ofTommy Boyce and Bobby Hart. "She" was released as a12" and contained the additional track "Monkey in Winter" with lead vocals bySinéad O'Connor.
Additional personnel featured included Gregg Mangiafico (keyboards); Sammy Merendino (drum programming);Roland Orzabal (Tears for Fears) (guitar on "Running Away" and "Confession"); Dolette McDonald; Deborah Malone andJanice Pendarvis (background vocals on "Digging It Deep"). Both Hall and Lyons appear on the interior cover of the album's CD re-release by Cherry Red Records in 2010 though Hall and his sessioners recorded significant sections of the finished album.
Hall undertook many other projects since the Colourfield. In 1990, he formedTerry, Blair & Anouchka, who released the albumUltra Modern Nursery Rhymes. In 1992 he collaborated withDave Stewart (Eurythmics) under the nameVegas. In 1995 he released his first solo albumHome. He worked withthe Lightning Seeds,Stephen Duffy,Gorillaz, andTricky. He also appeared live withthe Ordinary Boys.
On 21 July 2003, Hall released his albumThe Hour of Two Lights, a collaboration with Mushtaq (Fun-Da-Mental). In 2009, he embarked on a well-received reunion tour with the original line-up ofthe Specials, but withoutJerry Dammers, and had continued touring with the band since. Hall died on 18 December 2022 from pancreatic cancer at the age of 63.[3] Lyons is now a university lecturer/tutor of graphic design at Sheffield Hallam University in South Yorkshire. Karl Shale joinedthe Candyskins. After they broke up, he worked in a record shop.
| The Colourfield discography | |
|---|---|
| Studio albums | 2 |
| EPs | 1 |
| Compilation albums | 2 |
| Singles | 10 |
The discography of the Colourfield consists of two studio albums, one mini-album, two compilation albums and eleven singles.
| Year | Album details | Chart Positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart [4] | RIANZ]] [5] | ||
| 1985 | Virgins and Philistines
| 12 | 28 |
| 1987 | Deception
| 95 | – |
Non-UK singles are marked in brackets.
| Year | Title | Album | Chart Positions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart [4][2] | Irish Singles Chart [6] | |||
| 1984 | "The Colour Field" | — | 43 | – |
| "Take" | Virgins and Philistines | 70 | – | |
| 1985 | "Thinking of You" | 12 | 11 | |
| "Castles in the Air" | 51 | – | ||
| "Yours Sincerely"(FR) | N/R | – | ||
| "Can't Get Enough of You Baby"(U.S. and CA) | — | N/R | – | |
| 1986 | "Things Could Be Beautiful" | 83 | – | |
| 1987 | "The Windmills of Your Mind"(JP) | N/R | – | |
| "Running Away" | Deception | 84 | – | |
| "Goodbye Sun Valley"(FR) | N/R | – | ||
| "She" | – | – | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
