Pale Fountains - Peel Sessions 19 July 1982

AT the time of their first single, and soon after Nathan McGough quit, the Pale Fountains recorded a session for John Peel on 03 August 1982, with Tony Wilson producing and Dave Dade engineering. For the occasion Michael Head (guitar, vocals), Chris Mccafferty (bass) and Thomas Whelan (drums) were helped by session musicians such as Nathan Baxter, John Millor (both on percussion) and Andy Diagram (trumpet), who eventually joined for good.

Peel Session (1982)
- Lavinia's Dream
- (I'm A) Long Shot For Your Love
- Thank You
- The Norfolk Broads

This has been for quite a long time the only occasion to hear a recorded version of what could have been the Pale Fountains’ second single, that is Long Shot For Your Love, which instead was not. The press release accompanying the first single, in fact, reads: ‘Operation Twilight are lucky enough to have a new Pale Fountains single on the way, due for release in mid-September and entitled Longshot, a version of which you may have heard on their recent Radio One session’.
Curiously enough this Peel session has also been the occasion for a preview of the band’s actual second single, Thank You, to be released the following October.


pale fountains peel

(see also http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/johnpeel/sessions/1980s/1982/Jul19palefountains/
http://home.wxs.nl/~frankbri/ot_opt009.htm )

The Pale Fountains - Something on My Mind (1982)

Mike Head, Chris McCaffery, Tom Whelan and Nathan McGough recorded their first single with the aid of Andy Diagram (also Diagram Brothers on trumpet) and Williams Robinson (strings). The single was released in July 1982 on Operation Twilight, and the 12” version followed in August:

Something on My Mind (1982)
- Something on My Mind
- Just a Girl
- Lavinia’s Dream

Three, slightly different sleeves were produced, featuring the (original) Operation Twilight logo in black, embossed, or without star graphic. A Crepuscule 12" version (TWI 118) was released in Belgium in a totally different sleeve and with an extra track, Lavinia's Dream
In August 1982 after a series of live performances, Nathan Mcgough quit. According to the press (Masterbag Magazine, July 1982) he was responsible for introducing the band to '60 instrumental arrangers such as Burt Bacharach and Sergio Mendes. This influence combined with Head's admiration for Psychedelic Weast coast bands like Love has since come to be regarded as the distinctive trademark of Pale Fountains' sound.

something on my mind

(see also http://home.wxs.nl/~frankbri/ot_discog1.htm#opt009 )

The Pale Fountains - Live at Plato's (1981)

In 1979 Mike Head with Yorkie (a.k.a. David Palmer, later Balcony) formed their first band, Dance Party, playing their first gig as support act for the Wah! Heat’s debut at The Everyman Bistro. Very few traces are left of this band, one of which is the song Where You’ve Been (see relevant post). In 1980 the Dance Party turned into Egypt for Now, also featuring Paul Codman on drums (ex Mutants, Geisha Girls). This psychedelic oriented band used to cover such songs as Love’s She Comes In Colors and The Electric Prunes’ I had Too Much To Dream Last Night. A couple of their songs (Days On Edge, Soldiers) were finally released on the Liverpool compilation Street To Street Volume Two.
In 1980 Yorkie and Head went their separate ways, the former to for the Balcony, the later to put together a new band with the name of Pale Fountains with Chris McCaffrey on bass and Thomas Whelan (drums), with the collaboration of Nathan McGough (former O’Boogie Brothers, Royal Family and the Poor) and Andy Diagram (trumpet, former Dislocation Dance). This line-up recorded some tracks for a demo (featuring Celebrate, Clayton Square) and the same formation performed at one of the band’s first gig, at Plato’s Ballroom Club a.k.a Mr Pickwick’s 31/08/81, as a support act (together with the Wild Swans) to Orange Juice.

Live at Plato’s (1981)
- Celebrate
- Lavinia's Dream
- Chaise Lounge
- And Move Again
- Country Cottage (The Lonely Cottage)
- Riffnian
- Fountains

pale fountains live 1981

The Reverb Brothers (1982-1987)

In 1980 Colin Free (vocals, sax, former Pegasus) formed with James Rae (guitars, vocals) and Austin Quinn (bass) the Wirral-based act The Check, with Charlie Chapman, first and Stuart Valentine (future Electric morning), later (1981-1982), on drums. When Quinn and Valentine left the Check, Free and Rae continued writing and performing as a duo under the name of the Reverb Brothers, first with the aid of a drum machine and subsequently with session musicians (i.e. the brass section with OMD).

‘The Reverb Brothers songs of everyday suburban life on the Wirral, along with their Everly Brothers-style quiffs and harmonies, and the (then still avant garde) use of backing tracks that pounded out of an original 1960's Jukebox set them apart from many other Merseyside bands of that era. From 1982 to 1987 they performed at numerous venues around Liverpool and the Northwest including Brady's, the Masonic, the Everyman Bistro, the Warehouse, the Pyramid Club, Liverpool University, the Royal Court, and the Factory (Manchester).’
(http://www.myspace.com/reverbbrothers )

The first vinyl released was Ain’t So Sorry (b/w Another Teenage Bride) in June 1984. The band also worked on a possible follow-up single (Our Little Secret) which did not materialise.

In October 1985 You’re The Only One (b/w In the Nightclub) was issued, and in August 1986 Someone’s Selling Off the Country (b/w Next Big Thing, Far Away) also saw the light of day, both of which received national and international airplay.

The band split in 1987 during a UK tour supporting the Working Week.

More info and songs can be found here

Blue Nose B - Forever Passing Trains (1985)

Blue Nose B, from Seaforh, formed in 1984 when ex Indadais members Dave Billows (vocals), John Briody (guitars) and Mick Lawson (drums) teamed up with former Bneco Stephen Lawson (bass). The band played quite regularly and recorded a couple of demos in 1984 (the first in July 1984 featuring the songs Summer Girl, When I Love; the second in October 1984 featuring The Loneliest Dogs, Physically Satisfied, Escape, The Dream, Summer Girl, When I Love), collaborating with people such as Pete Wylie, Henry Priestman, Dave Hughes and Ian McNabb. They were mainly know as a live band and played quite extensively. Their song Summer Girl was voted best song of 1986 by Sounds and NME. At the end of 1985 the band’s first single was released:


Forever Passing Trains (1985)
- Forever Passing Trains
- Burning Up
- Maybe



By the end of 1986 the band boiled down to only Stephen Lawson, who kept the name and, after the release of a second single (My Diary b/w My Beautiful City, Hold Me I’m Alive) worked with session musicians on new material. The personnel included John Murphy on guitars, Jay Naughton on keyboards, Paul Thomas on sax, Gary Gilmurray on drums, Dave Reilly on percussions, besides Dave Billows on vocals and Michael Lawson on backing vocals). In late 1987 the line-up boiled down to a three piece including Danny Woods (guitars, formerly with Marianne Camilla) and Paul Denners (drums, former Marianne Camilla, also played with Emily’s Suitcase, It’s Immaterial, Orange Juice, Blackmange). This line-up recorded the song Why Do I NeecYou on the compilation Modesty Kills.

forever passing trains