It’s Immaterial grew out of the diminishing Yacths. In fact, John Campbell (vocals) left the group in 1978, followed by Martin Dempsey (guitars) in 1980. While Dempsey became a member of Pink Military, Campbell teamed up with Jarvis Whitehead (vocals, keyboards) and founded It's Immaterial. Yachts finally split up in 1981, and Henry Priestman, after a short period with Bette Bright & the Illuminations, then went on to join (if briefly) It's Immaterial (before Wah! and, later The Christians). The three piece line-up was completed by Paul Barlow (drums, later Wah!) and Julian Scott (bass), with Martin Dempsey occasionally assisting.
The band first vinyl release was in July 1980: the single ‘Young Man’
Young Man (Seeks An Interesting Job) (July 1980)
a. Young Man (Seeks An Interesting Job)
b. Doosha
The single – echoing the Yachts and Wah! Heat – was to be followed by a couple of single releases in 1981:
A Gigantic Raft (in the Philippines) (July 1981)
a. A Gigantic Raft (in the Philippines)
b. No Place For A Prompter
Imitate the Worm (November 1981)
a. Imitate the Worm
b. The Worm Turns
The same month (11 Nov. 1981), Campbell, Whitehead, Priestman, Scott
and Barlow recorded their first Peel Session (performing their recent signles Gigantic Raft, Imitate the Worm, plus what was to be their next single White Man’s Hut, and an unreleased track, Rake). In July 1982 the same line-up minus Scott recorded another Peel session with songs, three of which never to appear on any other official recordings (Huzah Huzah Physic Stick, Life's My Favourite Instinct, Speak and Washing The Air – then appeared on the b-side of the 1985 single Ed's Funky Diner) . In October 1983, almost two years after its first performance on the first Peel’s show, the band released White Man’s Hut their fourth single.
White Man’s Hut (October 1983)
a. White Man’s Hut
b. The Worm Turns
By this time, Barrow and Priestman officially left the band to join Wah! – but kept collaborating with the band – and It's Immaterial became a duo backed by session musicians In November of the same year the band cut the third Peel session, recording both tracks from their current single plus a couple of unreleased tracks (Let's Murder The Moonshine and Challo),and a few months later, in February 1984, they released their last single before setting to plan a much-awaited LP. The main track was a re-working of their 1981 single A Gigantic Raft (in the Philippines).
A Gigantic Raft (in the Philippines) / The Mermaid (February 1984).
a. A Gigantic Raft (in the Philippines) (Tempest Mix)
b. The Mermaid
early recordings (1980-1984)
In 1983 Campbell, Whitehead, Priestman shared a flat in Liverpool, around Sefton Park, “signed the dole every second Thursday, [hung] around in cafes where they read the music weeklies and despair at the success of their rivals. […] At 1983’s Larks In The Park show, which also featured the budding Frankie Goes To Hollywood, [Priestman]’d been impressed by an a cappella act called The Christians. At irst he arranged for them to add their vocals to It’s Immaterial’s music, but them became a full-time Christian himself” (Du Noyer 2004). Between the start of 1985 and 1986 the two-piece Immaterial released their last pre-album records, the Ep Fish Waltz (March 1985), and the singles Ed's Funky Diner (October 1986) and Driving Away From Home (March 1986).
1. The Better Idea (Push the Boat Out)
Ed's Funky Diner (1985)
Driving Away From Home (1986)
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