marker54
| Texas |
Texas
live in Glasgow,
2006.
|
| Background information |
| Genre(s) |
Alternative
rock |
| Years active |
1986 – present |
| Website |
www.texas.uk.com |
| Members |
Sharleen
Spiteri
Tony McGovern
Ally McErlaine
(Alistair Manson McErlaine)
Johnny McElhone
Eddie Campbell
Michael
Bannister
Neil Payne |
Texas are a pop music band
from Glasgow, Scotland. They were
founded by Johnny McElhone (formerly
of the bands Altered Images and Hipsway)
in 1986
and had their performing debut in March 1988 at Scotland's University
of Dundee. They took their name from the 1984 Wim Wenders movie Paris,
Texas. Their musical sound went from blues rock
on their debut
album Southside via the blue-eyed
soul of White on Blonde to the disco pop of Red
Book.
|
Contents
- 1 History
- 2 Membership
- 3 Discography
- 4 Notes
- 5 Trivia
- 6 External
links
|
History
Texas scored a UK hit in 1989 with their debut single
"I Don't Want a Lover." This was
taken from their debut album Southside,
which went on to sell two million copies worldwide. The follow-up
albums Mothers Heaven
(1991) and Ricks Road
(1993) were
less successful and failed to provide the band with any further big hit
singles in the UK. Although these albums sold well
in France
and Spain,
this was not sufficient for the record company, meaning the band faced
a lot of pressure with their fourth release. In the meantime Ellen
DeGeneres had approached the band, and Sharleen
Spiteri and Ally McErlaine flew to the U.S.
to re-record a song from the third album, "So Called Friend," which
went on to become the theme song to DeGeneres' US sitcom Ellen.
In 1997 Texas came back with "Say
What You Want"; this became their biggest hit single yet, peaking at
#3. The album White on Blonde followed, entering at
#1, where it would return a year later. Other hit singles from the
album were "Halo," "Black Eyed Boy," and "Put Your Arms Around Me"; a
reworking of "Say What You Want" with Method Man
was released alongside album track "Insane."
The band's fifth album, The Hush, was
released in 1999
with the lead-off single "In Our Lifetime" which was a huge hit in the
UK reaching number 4 and was included in the "Notting Hill" Soundtrack.
This album went straight into the UK
album charts at #1 like its predecessor. The second single, "Summer
Son," became a massive hit across Europe reaching the Top 5 in the UK and
France , also making #1 in Croatia and Lebanon ,leading
the album to become their best selling so far.
In 2000,
a greatest-hits album was released that included three new songs ("In
Demand," "Inner
Smile," and "Guitar Song"). The video for "In Demand" featured actor Alan
Rickman, and in the video for the anthemic follow-up single, co-written
by Gregg Alexander, Spiteri dressed up
as Elvis
Presley. "Inner
Smile" was a big hit in Europe and was later featured prominently in
the 2002
feature film Bend It Like Beckham.
The song "Like Lovers (Holding On)" is featured during the ending
credits of the animated feature film Titan A.E.
In September 2002,
Spiteri gave birth to her daughter Mysty Kyd. However, this did not
prevent her from working on another album. Careful What You
Wish For was released in late 2003 and was promoted by the lead single
"Carnival Girl." This was a very different style from previous singles
and featured the rapper Kardinal Offishall.
Unfortunately, many disliked this perceived change in direction, and
although the album was more traditional pop, it sold far less than the
previous three releases. A ballad, "I'll See It Through," was released
at Christmas time, but by then the project was dead and buried.
In the television show The Office,
fictional character David Brent claims that Texas used to
open for his band, "Foregone Conclusion," before he gave up music to
manage the Slough office of Wernham Hogg, a paper supply firm.
The band returned in mid-2005 with the single "Getaway," which
entered the UK Top 10, the video for which was shot by Christopher
Doyle and directed by Tim Royes. The single "Can't Resist" and
album Red Book followed in the autumn. On Red
Book the band collaborated with The
Blue Nile singer Paul Buchanan on a track called
"Sleep," which entered the UK charts at #6 in January 2006. British
comedian
Peter
Kay scripted the music video to this song, which mainly
consisted of spoofs
of famous love scenes. The BBC One charity show Children
in Need showed a preview on November
18, 2005,
featuring a spoof on Lionel Richie's "Hello", Ghost,
and An Officer and a Gentleman.
Surprisingly, "Sleep" outsold the lead single.
The potential fourth single "What About Us" was released as a promo-only
issue, perhaps indicating a terminal loss in popularity.
In 2005 Sharleen Spiteri was featured in the song "Stirb nicht
vor mir // Don't die before I do", by the German band Rammstein's Rosenrot album.
Membership
- Sharleen Spiteri, vocals and guitar (1988— )
- Tony McGovern, vocals and guitar (1999— )
- Ally McErlaine (Alistair Manson McErlaine), guitar (1988— )
- Johnny McElhone, bass guitar (1988— )
- Eddie Campbell, keyboards (1991— )
- Michael Bannister, keyboards (2005— )
- Neil Payne, drums (2003— )
Former members
- Richard Hynd, drums (1991–1999)
- Stuart Kerr, drums (1989–1991)
- Steve Washington, drums (2001)
- Mikey Wilson, drums (1999–2001)
- Mark One, DJ
(1999–2001)
- Charlotte Hodson, backing vocals (2001)
- Nicole Patterson, backing vocals (1999–2001)
Discography
Albums
- Southside
(1989) UK #3
(Gold), US #88
- Mothers Heaven
(1991) UK #32
- Ricks Road (1993) UK #18 (Gold)
- White on Blonde
(1997) UK #1
(6x Platinum)
- The Hush (1999) UK #1 (3x
Platinum)
- The Greatest Hits
(2000) UK #1
(6x Platinum)
- Careful What You Wish For
(2003) UK #5
(Gold)
- Red Book
(2005) UK #16
(Gold)
| Year |
Album |
UK
(Weeks in Top 75) |
France |
Germany |
Spain |
Sweden |
| 1989 |
Southside |
#3 (30) |
#3 - 548,500 |
? |
#23 |
#14 |
| 1991 |
Mothers Heaven |
#32 (4) |
#11 - 322,300 |
? |
#15 |
#35 |
| 1993 |
Ricks Road |
#18 (2) |
#4 - 286,500 |
? |
#17 |
#50 |
| 1997 |
White On Blonde |
#1 (102) |
#2 - 440,000 |
#44 |
#4 |
#12 |
| 1999 |
The Hush |
#1 (47) |
#2 - 665,000 |
#7 |
#5 |
#7 |
| 2001 |
Greatest Hits |
#1 (47) |
#1 - 522,100 |
#11 |
#2 |
#8 |
| 2003 |
Careful What You Wish For |
#5 - 100,000 (4) |
#5 - 105,000 |
#25 |
#10 |
#43 |
| 2005 |
Red Book |
#16 - 135,000+ (10) |
#9 - 65,400+ |
#43 |
#27 |
#60 |
Singles
| Year |
Title |
Chart positions |
Album |
| UK |
Fr |
Ger |
Sp |
| 1989 |
"I Don't Want a Lover" |
8 |
11 |
18 |
20 |
Southside |
| "Thrill Has Gone" |
60 |
-- |
73 |
-- |
| "Everyday Now" |
44 |
25 |
|
|
| "Prayer For You" |
73 |
|
|
|
| 1991 |
"Why Believe In You" |
66 |
|
|
|
Mothers
Heaven |
| "In My Heart" |
74 |
44 |
|
|
| 1992 |
"Alone With You" |
32 |
28 |
|
|
| "Mothers Heaven" |
-- |
|
-- |
-- |
| "Tired of Being Alone" |
19 |
|
|
|
| 1993 |
"So Called Friend" |
30 |
|
92 |
|
Ricks Road |
| "You Owe It All to Me" |
39 |
|
|
|
| 1994 |
"So In Love With You" |
28 |
50 |
|
|
| "You've Got To Live A Little" |
|
|
|
|
| "Fade away" |
|
|
|
|
| 1997 |
"Say What You Want" |
3 |
22 |
21 |
3 |
White
on Blonde |
| "Halo" |
10 |
|
|
|
| "Black Eyed Boy" |
5 |
29 |
68 |
|
| "Put Your Arms Around Me" |
10 |
67 |
|
|
| 1998 |
"Say What You Want (feat. Wu-Tang
Clan) / Insane" |
4 |
|
|
|
| 1999 |
"In Our Lifetime" |
4 |
23 |
68 |
4 |
The Hush |
| "Summer Son" |
5 |
4 |
3 |
8 |
| "When We Are Together" |
12 |
-- |
71 |
|
| 2000 |
"In Demand" |
6 |
-- |
80 |
10 |
The Greatest Hits |
| 2001 |
"Inner Smile" |
6 |
37 |
36 |
8 |
| "I Don't Want a Lover" (remix) |
16 |
|
|
|
| "Guitar Song" |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
| 2003 |
"Carnival Girl" |
9 |
57 |
94 |
14 |
Careful What You Wish For |
| "I'll See It Through" |
40 |
-- |
|
|
| 2005 |
"Getaway" |
6 |
59 |
59 |
|
Red Book |
| "Can't resist" |
13 |
-- |
|
|
| 2006 |
"Sleep" |
6 |
-- |
|
|
Notes
-
Only released in France
-
Only released in Belgium
Trivia
- David Brent, from the smash hit BBC comedy series The
Office, is of the opinion that they are not capable of running and
managing a successful paper merchants.
- Were once supported by little known band 'Forgone
Conclusion' - fronted by singer/songwriter David
Brent.
External links
