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1987's biggest-hit "I Heard A Rumour" by
Bananarama called "House Of Beat to Miami
Mix". Enjoyed from Maxi-singles as "House
Mix", "Miami Mix" and a "Rare Dub House
Mix"), this is my own tribute. Hope you'll
remember this job!
Review until 1987.- Bananarama are a British
girl group who have had success with pop and
new wave songs since 1982. The group was
founded in London in September 1979 by
friends Siobhan Fahey, Sara Dallin, and Keren
Woodward. Dallin and Woodward had been
friends since the age of 4. In 1981,
Bananarama's members were living above the
rehearsal room which was used by former Sex
Pistols members Steve Jones and Paul Cook.
With their help, Bananarama recorded their
first demo "Aie a Mwana" (a cover of a song
by Black Blood, sung in Swahili). The demo
was heard at Demon Records, who offered the
girls their first deal. The song was an
underground hit and the girls were
subsequently signed by Decca (later London
Records).
Bananarama experienced their greatest success
during the period from 1982 to 1989. Their
first three albums were primarily produced
and co-written with Jolley & Swain. Their
debut album, Deep Sea Skiving (1983)
contained several hit singles — "Really
Saying Something" (#5 UK) and "Shy Boy" (#4
UK) — and included a cover version of "Na
Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" (#5 UK). The
band recorded a version of the Sex Pistols
song "No Feelings" in late 1982 for the
soundtrack of the British film Party Party
and performed as opening acts for such bands
as The Monochrome Set, Iggy Pop, The Jam and
Department S.
The next album, Bananarama (1984) was a more
serious and socially conscious effort. The
songs tackled heavier topics: "Robert
DeNiro's Waiting" is about teenage girls who
react to disillusionment in real
relationships by retreating into the illusion
of celebrity obsession; "Hot Line to Heaven"
is a stand against the drugs-are-cool
culture; and "Rough Justice" dealt with
social apathy. The album contained the hit
single "Cruel Summer" (1983), which was
included in the movie The Karate Kid. The
trio also recorded the single "The Wild Life"
for a 1984 American film of the same name.
Their music videos from this period often
contained a feminist or self-empowerment
stance, such as learning how to box in order
to scare off neighbourhood bullies ("Na Na
Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye").
In 1986, some of the group's production
duties on the album True Confessions were
taken up by Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW). This
move resulted in the international number one
hit "Venus" (a remake of Shocking Blue's
number one hit from 1970). The dance-oriented
beats on the song typified the SAW approach
to pop production. Bananarama were said to
have been put in contact with SAW after
hearing and expressing a fondness for "You
Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" by Dead or
Alive. Also in 1986, Dallin and Woodward were
featured as backing vocals on two songs on
Family Album, produced by John Lydon).
The music video for "Venus" received heavy
airplay on MTV in the U.S. It featured the
group in various costumes including a devil,
a French temptress, a vampire and a Greek
goddess. The video marked a pivotal shift
towards a more glamorous and sexual image
that contrasted with the tomboyish style of
their earlier work. It was also the start of
their use of male boy-toys as backup dancers
that would become a hallmark of their videos.
This visual iconography and Hi-NRG-influenced
sound drew heavily from gay culture and
accordingly attracted a gay fan-base. Shortly
after, Siobhan Fahey herself came out as
bisexual.
In the wake of the success of "Venus", all
production and co-writing responsibilities
for their next album, 1987's Wow!, were
transferred from Jolley & Swain to SAW.
Consequently, the group's sound also morphed
from rock-influenced and New Wave pop to
dance-oriented, bubblegum Europop.
I Heard a Rumour" was their strongest
performing international hit from this album.
"Love in the First Degree" was one of their
biggest UK hits, and the disco-oriented "I
Can't Help It" (which boasted a
semi-controversial video featuring the group
in a milk bath filled with fruit and
half-naked men) was a minor hit.
The group have had ten Top 10 singles in the
UK singles chart to date, as well as three
U.S. Top 10 hits, one of which hit number
one. Some of their biggest international hits
include "Cruel Summer", "Venus", "Love in the
First Degree" and "I Heard a Rumour".
Bananarama were one of the few female groups
featured on the Band Aid single "Do They Know
It's Christmas?", and were the only artists
to appear on both the original 1984 Band Aid
and the 1989 Band Aid II versions. They did
not, however, participate in 2004's Band Aid
20 twentieth anniversary version.
Tags : 80's Bananarama Heard Rumour House of Beat to Miami Mix Wow! 1987 UK England New wave Pop Dance music video tribute |
