| The Housemartins |
From
left: Dave Hemingway, Paul Heaton, Norman Cook, Stan Cullimore
|
| Background information |
| Origin |
 Hull,
England |
| Genre(s) |
Indie rock, College
rock |
| Years active |
1983 – 1988 |
| Label(s) |
Go! Discs, Elektra |
Associated
acts |
The Beautiful South
Fatboy
Slim |
| Former members |
Paul
Heaton (vocals)
Stan Cullimore (guitar)
Norman
Cook (bass)
Dave Hemingway (drums)
Ted Key (bass)
Chris Lang (drums)
Hugh
Whitaker (drums) |
The Housemartins were an English alternative
rock band that was active in the 1980s.
|
Contents
- 1 Career
- 2 Discography
- 2.1 Albums
- 2.2 Singles
- 2.3 Compilations
- 3 Videography
- 4 External
links
|
Career
The band was formed in 1983 by Paul
Heaton (vocals), Stan Cullimore (guitar), Ted Key (bass)
and Chris Lang (drums). The band's
membership changed quite a lot over the years. Ted Key was replaced by Norman
Cook — the future Fatboy Slim — and drummer
Chris Lang was replaced by Hugh Whitaker, former drummer with The Gargoyles, who in turn was
replaced with Dave Hemingway.
The band often referred to themselves as "the 4th best band in
Hull", referring to Hull, the city in England where
the band formed in 1983. (The three bands that were "better" were Red
Guitars, Everything but the Girl,
and The Gargoyles.)
In 1986, having recorded two John Peel sessions, the band broke through
with the single "Happy Hour", which reached No.3 in the UK charts. The
single's success was helped by a claymation animated pop promo of a type
that was in vogue at the time, featuring a cameo by TV comedian Phill
Jupitus, who toured with the band under the stage name "Porky
the Poet". At the end of the same year, they narrowly missed out on the
Christmas No.1 single with a cover version of Isley
Jasper Isley's "Caravan of Love", when it was
knocked off the top spot by Jackie Wilson's "Reet
Petite" on 23 December.
The a cappella style
of "Caravan of Love" was not to the taste of all Housemartins fans and
was even derided by some as a sell-out. However, a cappella
material had always been part of the band's repertoire. "Caravan of
Love" was first performed by the band in their second John Peel session
in April
1986, prior to their initial chart success. At Peel's suggestion, the
band then recorded another session (under the name The Fish City Five)
consisting entirely of a cappella performances, and
on at least one occasion played support act for their own performance
under this alternative name. One of these a cappella songs, "When I
First Met Jesus", formed the B-side of the "Caravan of Love" single.
The band released three albums: London
0 Hull 4, The
People Who Grinned Themselves to Death, and the
greatest hits album Now That's What I
Call Quite Good. A "Best Of" compilation
followed in 2004.
The Housemartins' lyrics were an odd mixture of Marxist politics
and Christianity,
reflecting Paul Heaton's beliefs at the time (the back cover of London
0 Hull 4 contained the message, "Take Jesus - Take Marx -
Take Hope"). He has since stated that he is an atheist.
The band split in 1988, but the members have since remained
friends and worked on each other's projects. Norman Cook has enjoyed
significant success with both Beats
International and then as Fatboy Slim, while Heaton,
Hemingway and roadie Sean Welch formed The Beautiful South.
Despite repeated requests from fans, they have never reformed.
In 1993, former drummer Hugh Whitaker was convicted of assault
after attacking his business partner James Hewitt with an axe. Whitaker
has since been released from prison and now resides in Leeds, where he
occasionally drums with local band Percy.
Following the 2006 release of the "In Session at the BBC" CD,
some fans began a petition to rally the band into reforming.
Discography
Albums
- London 0 Hull 4
(June 1986, Go! Discs, UK #3)
- The
People Who Grinned Themselves to Death (Sep
1987, Go! Discs, UK #9)
- Live At The BBC (2006, Universal)
Singles
- "Flag Day" / "Stand at Ease" (Oct 1985)
- "Sheep" / "Drop Down Dead" (Mar 1986, UK #56)
- "Happy Hour" / "The Mighty Ship"
(May 1986, UK #3)
- "Think for a Minute" / "Who Needs the Limelight" (Sep 1986,
UK #18)
- "Caravan of Love (Single)" /
"When I First Met Jesus" (Nov 1986, UK #1)
- "Caravan of Love", "We Shall Not Be Moved" / "When I First
Met Jesus", "So Much In Love", "Heaven Help Us All (Sermonette)" (12" single)
- "Flag Day" / "The Mighty Ship" (Feb 1987, US issue)
- "Five Get Over Excited" / "Rebel without the Airplay" (May
1987, UK #11)
- "Me and the Farmer" / "I Bit My Lip" (Aug 1987, UK #15)
- "Build" / "Paris in Flares" (Nov 1987, UK #15)
- "There Is Always Something There to Remind Me" / "Get Up
Off Your Knees" (live) (Apr 1988, UK #35)
Compilations
- The Housemartins Christmas Box Set (Nov
1986, UK #84)
- Now That's What I
Call Quite Good (Apr 1988, UK #8)
- The Best of the Housemartins (Mar 2004)
Videography
(does not include "live" appearances on TV programmes)
- "Sheep"
- "Happy Hour"
- "Think for a Minute"
- "Caravan of Love"
- "Five Get Over Excited"
- "Me and the Farmer"
- "Build"
- "Always Something There to Remind Me"
External links
