(Redirected from Everything but the girl)
| Everything but
the Girl |
Tracey
Thorn and Ben Watt in a publicity photo, c. 2005
|
| Background information |
| Also known as |
EBTG |
| Origin |
 Hull,
England |
| Genre(s) |
Electronica
Pop
Dance
Alternative |
| Years active |
1982 - Present |
| Label(s) |
Atlantic |
Associated
acts |
Lazy Dog |
| Website |
http://www.ebtg.co.uk |
| Members |
Tracey
Thorn
Ben
Watt |
Everything but the Girl (EBTG)
are an English
two-person band formed in Hull in 1982.
The band's members are:
- Lead singer and sometime-guitarist Tracey
Thorn (born September 26, 1962)
- Guitarist,
keyboardist
& vocalist
Ben
Watt (born December 6, 1962).
Watt and Thorn are also a couple; they are intensely private
about their relationship and personal life. It was not a publicized
fact for some time that they were a couple, or that they had
subsequently married.
The duo have a strong desire to raise their three children outside of
the spotlight.
|
Contents
- 1 Early
career
- 2 Everything
but the Girl
- 3 Collaborations
and other work
- 4 Discography
- 5 Trivia
- 6 See
also
- 7 References
- 8 External
links
|
Early career
1985 view of Turners, with their inspirational slogan
When Thorn and Watt met, their paths were very similar; they
were both attending the University of Hull, and both had
signed to independent record label Cherry
Red Records as solo artists. Thorn was also a member of the trio Marine
Girls, and Watt contributed a photograph to the cover of
their first album, Lazy Ways. The pair each had
solo album releases through Cherry Red Records: Thorn’s 1982
L.P. was A Distant Shore,
an eight-track mini-album. Watt’s L.P. was entitled North
Marine Drive.
They formed a duo and took their unusual name "Everything but
the Girl" from the slogan of well-known Hull shop Turner's furniture
shop on Beverley Road (left).
Everything but the Girl
E.B.T.G.'s debut single, a cover version of Cole
Porter's "Night and Day", was released in
June 1982. Following steady sales and exposure from the Pillows
& Prayers compilation album, the single
was re-issued in August 1983. Their first album was released in 1984 in
the UK as Eden.
1984 also saw the UK release of singles "Mine", and "Native Land".
Their first UK hit single, "Each and Every One", had a jazzy
sound, and E.B.T.G. was considered part of the jazz/pop movement known
as sophisti-pop
that included other British acts like Sade,
Matt
Bianco, and The Style Council, on
whose Café Bleu album
they guested. E.B.T.G. and Sade both worked with producer Robin Millar
and engineers Ben Rogan and Mike Pela for their debut albums.
Although Eden was released in the UK, a
different recording, Everything But the Girl, was
released in the United States. The U.S. release contained about half
the tracks from "Eden", along with some different tracks, including
'Mine' and 'Native Land'. The U.S. release balanced the bossa nova
stylings of the British version with a more folk rock aesthetic,
helping to establish the group's eclectic musicality.
Subsequent releases underscored E.B.T.G.'s versatility and
range. Their 1985 album Love Not Money
featured a shimmering pop sound with jangly guitars, and included a
cover version of The Pretenders' song "Kid" (not on
the UK L.P.). The lyrics have strong social and political content.
"Angel" comments upon child poverty and public attitudes towards it.
"Sean" is a bitter comment on the Northern
Ireland troubles. "Ugly Little Dreams" comments upon male attitudes to
intelligent women and is dedicated to actress Frances
Farmer. "Angel" was also released as a single in the UK.
The following year they released the self-produced Baby the Stars Shine
Bright, an album of original pop songs recorded
with an orchestra. They revealed the album's inspiration by their
choices of B-sides for its single releases: one finds songs from Bacharach
and Jimmy
Webb on the 12" versions (as well as a cover of Patsy
Cline's "I Fall to Pieces"). The first
single was "Come On Home", followed by "Don't Leave Me Behind". While
the jump from jazz to post-Smiths rock (with the release
of Love Not Money) may have jarred some of their
audience, the move to orchestral pop was much bolder and foretold the
stylistic swap they'd make ten years later with Walking
Wounded.
In 1988, E.B.T.G. released Idlewild,
a collection of mature songs that began a trend towards middle-of-the-road,
adult-oriented contemporary music. A cover version of Danny
Whitten's "I Don't Want to Talk
About It" (previously a hit by Rod Stewart) was released as a
non-L.P. single; it achieved a high UK chart position and was later
added to the album. Around this time, Lloyd Cole and the
Commotions asked Tracey to contribute vocals to the song "Big
Snake" on their final studio album Mainstream.
Tommy Lipuma
produced the band’s 1990 album The
Language of Life. The album, which featured the
single "Driving", was another lush pop effort, but with a more
contemporary sound. Jazz great Stan Getz contributed a solo. Next came Worldwide,
and its single "Old Friends" in 1991. Worldwide's
lyrics revolve around the themes of relationships, travel and personal
memories.
1992 saw another UK hit single with the release of the Covers
E.P.
The lead track was "Love Is Strange", and the E.P.
featured cover versions of Bruce Springsteen's "Tougher Than
the Rest"; Cyndi Lauper's "Time after Time"
and Elvis Costello's "Alison".
These four tracks were included on the U.S.-only album Acoustic.
In 1993, E.B.T.G. released a cover version of Paul
Simon's "The Only Living Boy
in New York" as a single in the UK.
The duo were forced to curtail recording and touring for a few
years when Watt contracted Churg-Strauss syndrome, an autoimmune
disease (he subsequently wrote a memoir, Patient,
about his ordeal). The next work of original music was not until 1994,
when E.B.T.G. released Amplified Heart.
Although most of the music was still acoustic-based, it had a much more
contemporary feel. Producer Todd Terry remixed the track "Missing", and when E.B.T.G.
released the remix as a single, it became a huge international hit. It
hit the top of nearly every chart around the world, and charted in the
U.S., a feat that had previously eluded the band. The track reached
number two and stayed in the U.S. Billboard
Hot 100 for well over a year.
The success of that track, along with a collaboration Thorn
did with the bands Massive Attack and Deep Dish,
influenced them and helped usher the band into a more electronic
sound. Having completed contractual obligations to WEA, they were free
to shop their recordings and had full ownership of their future
recorded works. They signed licensing deals with Virgin Records for the
United Kingdom and Europe, and Atlantic Records for the United States
and Canada. Their subsequent albums Walking Wounded
and Temperamental, showed the band's musical
progress as well as established Ben Watt as a notable dance music
producer. Between the two albums he produced "Stars All Seem To Weep"
for Beth Orton, and it immediately garnered attention. This would
bolster his growing reputation as a D.J. and producer.
Collaborations and other work
E.B.T.G. has been on hiatus for a few years, working on other
projects.
- Watt has concentrated on being a D.J. and producer/remixer,
finding great success as one half of Lazy Dog with partner Jay Hannan before going solo and
launching Buzzing Fly records and The Neighborhood (a dance club). He
has helped to produce two acclaimed albums for Beth
Orton.
- In late spring 2005, Thorn recorded her first vocals in
three years, on a song called "Damage" on the album Eat Books
for the German band Tiefschwarz, for which she also wrote
the lyrics and melody.
- Thorn's first full solo album, Out
of the Woods was released in March 2007,
garnering positive reviews.
Their fan base is still very active, as messages on the band's
website confirm. Most recently, the band released a double disc of
remixes highlighting the best of their eclectic electronica influenced
music including a trio of newly commissioned remixes.
Discography
Albums
| Year |
Album |
UK |
U.S. |
| 1984 |
Eden |
14 |
- |
| 1985 |
Love
Not Money |
10 |
- |
| 1986 |
Baby the Stars Shine
Bright |
22 |
- |
| 1988 |
Idlewild |
13 |
- |
| 1990 |
The
Language of Life |
10 |
77 |
| 1991 |
Worldwide |
29 |
- |
| 1992 |
Acoustic |
? |
? |
| 1993 |
Home
Movies |
5 |
- |
| 1994 |
Amplified
Heart |
20 |
46 |
| 1996 |
Walking
Wounded |
4 |
37 |
| 1996 |
The Best of
Everything but the Girl |
23 |
- |
| 1999 |
Temperamental |
16 |
65 |
| 2003 |
Like the Deserts Miss
the Rain |
? |
? |
| 2006 |
Adapt or Die: Ten
Years of Remixes |
- |
- |
Singles
| Year |
Song |
UK |
Irl |
U.S. |
U.S. Dance |
Album |
| 1983 |
"Night and Day"
b/w "Feeling Dizzy" / "On My Mind" |
92 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| 1984 |
"Each and Every
One" b/w "Laugh You Out the House" / "Never Could Have Been Worse" |
28 |
19 |
- |
- |
Eden |
| 1984 |
"Mine" b/w
"Easy as Sin" / "Gun Cupboard Love" |
58 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| 1984 |
"Native Land"
b/w "Riverbed Dry" / "Don't You Go" |
73 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| 1985 |
"When All's
Well" b/w "Heaven Help Me" / "Kid" |
77 |
- |
- |
- |
Love
Not Money |
| 1985 |
"Angel" b/w
"Pigeons in the Attic Room" / "Charmless Callous Ways" / "Easy as Sin
(Version)" |
93 |
- |
- |
- |
Love
Not Money |
| 1986 |
"Come On Home"
b/w "Draining the Bar" / "I Fall to Pieces" / "Come On Home (Ext.)" |
44 |
27 |
- |
- |
Baby,
the Stars Shine Bright |
| 1986 |
"Don't Leave Me
Behind" b/w "Alfie" / "Where's The Playground Susie?" |
72 |
- |
- |
- |
Baby,
the Stars Shine Bright |
| 1988 |
"These Early
Days (remix)" b/w "Dyed in the Grain" / "No Place Like Home" / "Another
Day, Another Dollar" |
75 |
- |
- |
- |
Idlewild |
| 1988 |
"I Always Was
Your Girl" b/w "Hang Out the Flags" / "Home From Home" / "Almost Blue" |
87 |
- |
- |
- |
Idlewild |
| 1988 |
"I Don't Want to Talk
About It" b/w "Oxford Street" |
3 |
3 |
- |
- |
Idlewild |
| 1990 |
"Driving" |
54 |
30 |
- |
- |
The
Language of Life |
| 1991 |
"Old Friends"
b/w "Apron Strings" (live) / "Politics Aside" (instrumental) / "Back To
The Old House (live)" |
- |
- |
- |
- |
Worldwide |
| 1992 |
"Love Is
Strange" / "Tougher Than the Rest" b/w "Time after Time" / "Alison" |
13 |
18 |
- |
- |
Covers
E.P.
/ Acoustic (U.S. Only) |
| 1993 |
"The Only
Living Boy in New York" / "Gabriel" b/w "Birds" / "Horses in the Room" |
42 |
- |
- |
- |
The
Only Living Boy in New York EP |
| 1993 |
"I Didn't Know
I Was Looking for Love" b/w "My head is my Only House Unless it Rains"
/ "Political Science" / "A Piece Of My Mind" |
72 |
- |
- |
- |
I
Didn't Know I Was Looking for Love EP |
| 1994 |
"Rollercoaster"
b/w "Straight Back To You" / "Lights Of Te Touan" / "I Didn't Know I
Was Looking For Love (demo)" |
65 |
- |
- |
- |
Amplified
Heart |
| 1994 |
"Missing" |
69 |
- |
- |
- |
Amplified
Heart |
| 1995 |
"Missing" (Todd Terry
remix) |
3 |
3 |
2 |
- |
Amplified
Heart |
| 1996 |
"Walking
Wounded" |
6 |
29 |
- |
- |
Walking
Wounded |
| 1996 |
"Wrong" |
8 |
20 |
68 |
1 |
Walking
Wounded |
| 1996 |
"Single" |
20 |
- |
- |
- |
Walking
Wounded |
| 1996 |
"Driving" (remix) |
36 |
- |
- |
- |
The
Best of Everything but the Girl |
| 1997 |
"Before Today" |
25 |
- |
- |
- |
Walking
Wounded |
| 1998 |
"The Future of
the Future (Stay Gold)" (with Deep Dish) |
31 |
- |
- |
1 |
Temperamental |
| 1999 |
"Five Fathoms
(Love More)" |
27 |
- |
- |
1 |
Temperamental |
| 2000 |
"Temperamental" |
72 |
- |
- |
1 |
Temperamental |
| 2000 |
"Lullaby of
Clubland" |
- |
- |
- |
3 |
Temperamental |
| 2001 |
"Tracey in My
Room" (Mash-up - artist credit reads Soul
Vision feat. EBTG) |
34 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| 2002 |
"Corcovado" |
- |
- |
- |
- |
Like
The Deserts Miss the Rain |
Trivia
- A short version of "Five Fathoms" was featured
on the video game Beatmania IIDX, with the music video
featuring Watt and Thorn playing on other Bemani video games by Konami in the London
Trocadero.
- A short version of "Five Fathoms" was also
featured on the movie Hitch.(Bar Scene)
- "Single" is featured in the film Timecode
- DJ
Sharaz also remixed "Missing" and "Wrong".
- The French singer Marc Lavoine refers to the
band in the chorus of his song 2005 hit “Tu me manques tant” :
Tu me manques tant/Je me sens si seul/Que j’écoute Everything/Que
j’écoute Everything/Everything But The Girl
See also
- List
of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List
of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
References
External links
