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Beautiful South
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Biography |
Following the disbandment
of the British indie-pop group the Housemartins in 1989, vocalist
Paul Heaton and drummer David Hemmingway formed the Beautiful South.
Where their previous group relied on jazzy guitars and witty, wry
lyrics, the Beautiful South boasted a more sophisticated, jazzy pop
sound, layered with keyboards, R&B-inflected female backing
vocals and, occasionally, light orchestrations. Often, the group's
relaxed, catchy songs often contradicted the sarcastic, cyncial
thrust of the lyrics. Nevertheless, the band's pleasant arrangements
often tempered whatever bitterness there was in Heaton's lyrics, and
that's part of the reason why the Beautiful South became quite
popular within its native Britain during the '90s. Though the group
never found a niche in America -- by the middle of the decade, their
records weren't even being released in the U.S. -- their string of
melodic jazz-pop singles made them one of the most successful, if
one of the least flashy, bands in Britain. Their popularity was
confirmed by the astonishing success of their 1994 singles
compilation, Carry on Up the Charts, which became one of the
biggest-selling albums in British history. Heaton and Hemmingway
formed the Beautiful South immediately after the breakup of the
Housemartins, who were one of the most popular and well-reviewed
British guitar-pop bands of the mid-'80s. the Housemartins had
earned a reputation for being somewhat downbeat Northerners, so the
duo chose the name Beautiful South sarcastically. To complete the
lineup, the pair hired former Anthill Runaways vocalist Briana
Corrigan, bassist Sean Welch, drummer David Stead (formerly a
Housemartins roadie), and guitarist David Rotheray, who became
Heaton's new collaborator. In the summer of 1989, they released
their first single, "Song for Whoever," on the Housemartins' old
record label, Go!. "Song for Whoever" climbed to number two, while
its follow-up "You Keep It All In" peaked at number eight in
September, 1989. A month later, the group's debut, Welcome to the
Beautiful South, was released to positive reviews. "A Little
Time," the first single from the group's second album Choke, became
the group's first number one single in the fall of 1990. Choke was
also well-received, even though it didn't quite match the
performance of the debut, either in terms of sales or reviews. In
particular, some critics complained that Heaton was becoming too
clever and cynical for his own good. the Beautiful South released
their third album, 0898, in 1992; it was their first record not to
be released in the United States, yet it maintained their success in
Britain. Following the release of 0898, Corrigan left the group,
reportedly upset over some of Heaton's ironic lyrics. She was
replaced with Jacqui Abbot, who made her first appearance on the
band's fourth album, 1994's Miaow. While both 0898 and Miaow were
popular, they were only moderate successes. Their respectable chart
performances in no way prepared any observers, including the band
themselves, for the blockbuster success of Carry on Up the Charts, a
greatest-hits collection released at the end of 1994. Carry on Up
the Charts entered the charts at number one. It was one of the
fastest-selling albums in U.K. history and its success outlasted the
Christmas season. The album stayed at number one for several months,
going platinum many times over and, in the process, becoming one of
the most popular albums in British history. Its success was a bit of
a surprise, since the popularity of the Beautiful South's previous
albums never indicated the across-the-boards success that greeted
Carry on Up the Charts. The album wasn't released in America until
late 1995, after it broke several UK records. the Beautiful South
released their follow-up to Miaow, Blue is the Colour, in the fall
of 1996. Quench followed three years later and Painting It Red was
issued in fall 2000. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music
Guide
Stephen Thomas Erlewine |
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