Steve Allen - Singles 1985-89

Steve Allen (a.k.a. Enrico Cadillac, picture on the left (c) Alan Perry ), after Deaf School was in Original Mirrors (1978) with Ian Broudie (former Big in Japan) and provided back vocals for Clive Langer’s Boxes albums (see posts below) and for other artists (i.e., The Tremblers). Only much later, in 1984 he was back on the scene with a string of singles, often recorded with the collaboration with Italian producers - hence the label of Italo-disco usually associated to the products of Allen’s solo career. The first single was released in mid-1984:

- A Letter from My Heart (b/w live version)

Later the same year another single was released:

- Message of Love (b/w instrumental version)

In 1986Allen formed the Perils of Plastic, with Steve Nieve (former Attraction). The group released a couple of singles (Ring a Ding Ding and Womanhood, both in 1986). In February 1987 Steve Allen under his name released another single:

- Love Is in the Air (b/w instrumental version)

In 1989 another single was issued, the last of the decade .

- Lagoon Girl (b/w Carribean Dream)

steve allen singles

Clive Langer & The Boxes - Splash (1980)

The first vinyl release by the Boxes was not warmly received by the press. Clive Langer, who by 1979 had already successfully produced Bette Bright, Madness and the Teardrop Explodes, put his experience and focus into re-vitalizing his solo project. In 1980, after a support tour with Elvis Costello, Clive Langer and a new line-up for the Boxes – including Ben Barson on keyboards, James Eller on bass, Martin Hughes of drums, the brass section of the Rumour, plus Steve Allen and Bette Bright on backing vocals – released a couple of singles (namely Splash (A Tear Goes Rolling Down) b/w Hello and It’s All Over Now b/w Lovely Evening), both of which were to be included in the band’s first LP (except for the b-side Lovely Evening, already featured on the first 12”):

Splash (1980)
- Hello
- Never Wanted You
- Ain’t Gonna Kiss Ya
- Hope And Glory
- Best Dressed Man
- Half As Nice
- Splash
- It's All Over Now
- Burning Money
- Take You Down
- First Thing In The Morning


(For all Madness fans out there, this is where the sound that was to become distinctive of the band was born, experimented with and developed.) After his time with the Boxes, Clive Langer started his collaboration with Alan Winstanley, as one of the most appreciated and productive partnership of producers of the 80s.

clive langer - 1980


(see also http://www.langerwinstanley.com/ )

Clive Langer & the Boxes - I Want the Whole World (1979)

Clive Langer full-member of the Deaf School since 1974, also collaborated with the early Big in Japan in 1978. In 1979, after both acts disbanded he started working with some friends as Clive Langer and the Boxes. The first-line up of the Boxes included, besides Langer himself (vocals and guitars), Deaf School friends Bette Bright and Steve Allen (backing vocals), Budgie (drums, former Spitfire Boys, Big in Japan) and Ben Barson (keyboards, brother of and main influence for Mike Barson, keyboard player with Madness). In March 1979 the group released their first 12”:

I Want the Whole World (1979)
a1. I Want the Whole World
a2. Lovely Evening
a3. I Know I
b1. Those Days
b2. Simple Life

clive langer & boxes (1979)

Bette Bright & The Illuminations - Rhythm Breaks the Ice (1981)

In 1981 Bette Bright went back to collaborating with former Deaf School bandmate Clive Langer, and the new line-up of the Illuminations featured all of Langer’s backing band, the Boxes, namely Ben Barson (keyboards, brother of Mike Barson from Madness), James Eller (bass), Martin Hughes (drums). Other members were Ian Broudie (guitar) and Joe Allen (drums). With this line-up Bette Bright & The Illuminations released their first album (on Korova) which features the three singles released since 1980:

Rhythm Breaks the Ice (Sep. 1981)
- When You Were Mine
- On A Night Like This
- Hello, I Am Your Heart
- All Girls Lie (Bette Bright)
- Take What You Find
- Talking Whispers
- Thunder And Lightning
- Shoorah Shoorah
- Some Girls Have All The Luck
- Tender Touch
- Hold On

The album was produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley, also producers with Madness, and it was via Langer, Winstanley and Barson that Bright got to know Graham MacPherson (a.k.a. Suggs), lead singer with the band. In 1982 they married and Bright retired from music.

bette bright - rhythm

Bette Bright & The Illuminations - The Captain of Your Ship (1979)

In January 1979, Bette and the Illumiations released a second single:


The Captain of Your Ship (1979)
a. The Captain of Your Ship
b. Those Greedy Eyes



After this, Bette Bright spent some time as a backing singer for the Dutch band Gruppo Sportivo (on the 1980 album Copy Copy). She also appeared in Malcolm McLaren's Sex Pistols movie The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle. Back home, she started to collaborate with old Liverpudlian friends and colleagues (Broudie, Langer, etc.) and in the period 1980-81 three singles were released, Hello, I’m Your Heart (b/w All Girls Lie, April 1980), When You Were Mine (b/w Soulful Dress, May 1981), Some Girls Have All the Luck (b/w Tender Touch, August 1981), the former of which made the Charts. All of them were then to be featured on the Illuminations’ first album released the same year.


bette bright - captain

Bette Bright & The Illuminations - My Boyfriend’s Back (1978)

After Deaf School, Bette Bright (a.k.a. Anna Martin, Anne Martino, Ann Murray) started her solo career backed by the Illuminations, a support band with a very fluid line-up which at the beginning included Henry Priestman (ex Yachts, later The Christians), Rusty Egan (ex Visage, Rich Kids), and Glen Matlock (ex Sex Pistols, Rich Kids). The first single was released in September 1978:

My Boyfriend’s Back (1978)
a. My Boyfriend’s Back
b. Hold On, I’m Coming



bette bright - boyfriend

(see also: http://www.myspace.com/bettebright81
http://www.merseybeat.co.uk/articles-details.php?cat=Mersey+Artists&id=377 )

Steve Lindsey (a.k.a. Mr. Average, Steve Tempo)

In 1978, after the split of Deaf School, Steve Lindsey went on to join Big in Japan (replacing Holly Johnson), although for a short period of time (and did D.F. colleague Clive Langer before him). At the same time he was working on solo projects, which materialized in March 1978:

Mr. Average (1978)
a. Mr. Average
b. Mr. Average Goes to Nashville

After the single, Lindsey put together the Secrets, with Ian Broudie (guitar, ex Big in Japan), Budgie (drums, ex Spitfire Boys, Big in Japan) and Dave Hughes (keyboards, from Dalek I Love You) which rehearsed for a while. No vinyl releases.
In January 1979, under the pseudonym of ‘Steve Tempo’, Lindsey returned a solo-artist and released a second single (Break it to Me Gently b/w I’m on Fire). Curiously, both songs were to be re-recorded and released by the Lindsey’s next group, the Planets (see post below)

mr. average

(Thanks to our friend Bas
See also: http://www.discog.info/planets.html)