Fragile Friends (1981-85)

Fragile Friends were born in late 1981, when Mike King (vocals) and Chas Cole (guitars, keyboards) left Tradition. Here’s how Pete Ellis of Merseysound described the band in 1982:

‘Meet Chas, one time lights operator in such hit musicals as Evita and The King and I, and former engineer with OMD, for the five months before Enola Gay. However, not content to bask in other’s glory […] Chas decided to turn performer.

‘Mike modestly claims to have led, in comparison, a somewhat boring life. He left school at 18, a General Music Fanatic’, played in a number of groups until finally joining up with Chas in a 5 piece called Tradition. Fragile indeed, they lasted only 2 months: thus in October 1981 Chas and Mike continued as Fragile Friends […]

‘Living in Southport and with close connections in London, they are very much a non-Liverpool band. Disenchanted by the current trend towards dance or depression which everyone seems to be churning out, they claim to play ‘music of hope’

As to the band first five-track demo, the same magazine comments:

‘Somewhere in between The Room and The System, I was left with the feeling they had much more to offer. Catchy chorus lines and neat, tight drumming, made for a most enjoyable debut sound. Mike’s voice often reminded me of Bono. Never more so than on ‘Who Says?’, a simple piano and vocals number which bore a slightly similarity to the brilliant ‘October’ by U2. The remaining 4 tracks are in a much more poppy vein. The best, by far, being ‘Agree to Differ’ with a punchy almost jazz funk feel. Fragile Friends have talent and firm foundations, but they must build on them.’ (Merseysound # 24, June 1982)

In 1983 the line-up expanded  to a five-piece − mainly for live performances − with the addition of Steve Travis (bass, former Debonaires, later Six), Steve Rimmer (keyboards) and David Bathe (drums, later Return of the Toreador). This formation recorded the band’s second cassette demo with 10 tracks (Emotional Tennis, Moments, Creatures of Habit, April Fool, Smack!, Happy Together, Gift Horse, November in the Rain, I’ll Say It for You, Creatures of Habit – Instr.). In 1984 Travis was replaced by Paul Fisher on bass. The same year the band recorded a third demo (featuring Paper Doll, Colour Blind, Summer Fate, V for Vitality) and eventually their first single, which was released in January 1985.

 

Paper Doll (1985)

- Paper Doll

- What I Call Beautiful

Breakout  Magazine reviewed the single as being ‘quite pleasant […] a good sound with definite chart potential’ (March 1985). Garden Party Magazine wrote about the title-track: ‘Classy it certainly is, well constructed, well arranged, a sad, clever ballad that stays in the mind after a few hearings’ (February 1985).

paper doll