| Made
in Sheffield...... |
| Big
in Holland...... |
| "Independence
Day"...... |
| If
this is all you know about The Comsat Angels, read on... |
| A
favourite in music magazines "Where Are They
Now" sections - The Comsat Angels split after
their UK Tour in late 1995, leaving behind a large
back-catalogue of stirring music. Most people
know the band for one song, Independence Day
a radio-hit from long, long ago. But there is
much more to The Comsat's than one song.
The
band released their 9th studio album, The
Glamour in mid-1995. Between 1979 -
1995 The Comsats explored the extremes of their
craft - never remaining in one place long enough
to become too comfortable and safe. Maybe this
was their big mistake. A lot of bands stick
to what they perceive to be their winning formula
- and if they do move on, they often take two
steps back and attempt to recapture what made
them tick in the first place. The Comsat Angels
remained true to their spirit to the bitter
end.
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The
Early Days
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Do
You Remember Your First Time?
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| Like
most followers of the band, the first Comsat's
track I heard was Independence Day. The
song hit me immediately - I loved the tension
in the arrangement - and I've always been a sucker
for harmonics in a song. |
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| The
hyper-lyrics were also intriguing: |
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"I
can't stand up and I can't sit down
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'cos
a great big problem stopped me in my tracks
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I
can't relax 'cos I haven't done a thing
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and
I can't do a thing 'cos I can't relax"
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The
bands first album Waiting For A Miracle
was a critical, if not commercial, success. It would
always be like this. Instead of dancing on the city
streets, the great British public stayed at home.
Their loss, I guess.
The
Comsats started life as The Skylids, then
Radio Earth, before changing to their final
moniker, releasing the Red Planet ep on the
short-lived Junta label, in April 1979. The
debut Polydor release was Total War,
closely followed by the July 4th 1980 release of Independence
Day. Live dates followed the release of the album
(with artists as diverse as Captain Beefheart
& the Yellow Magic Orchestra). Waiting
For A Miracle was produced by Pete Wilson
(who also produced The Jam) and The Comsat
Angels.
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1981
heralded the release of the second Comsat Angels album,
Sleep No More - a much darker release.
The band toured with Siouxsie & The Banshees
and, at the end of the year, they took part in a co-headlining
tour with U2. Much has been said about
Steve Fellows guitar style influencing U2's
The Edge - one is now a multi-millionaire
and one isn't. Ain't that always the way.
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| "I
heard that he lost the beat - what a surprise
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now he's in un-real estate - until he dies"
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The
Sleep No More sessions threw
up Mik Glaishers famous "drums
recorded down a lift shaft" sound - that
added to the intensity of the recordings.
But from darkness there comes light - in the
shape of the 3rd and final Polydor
release - Fiction.
Released
in 1982 - things got off to a good start with
an appearance on BBC TV's The Old Grey
Whistle Test - performing two songs. The
band also released their most commercial single
to date - It's History:
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| "It's
history - there's no future in a memory
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| ....Stop
holding on - so stubbornly
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just let it go - it's history"
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| The
band also embarked on their first US tour in 1982
- which lasted barely a week - due to illness.
On it's release, the Fiction
album received mixed press - journos who has previously
mocked the band as being too dark, suddenly leapt
upon the slight "lightening up" as being
a sign of selling out. After The Rain
was released, in remixed form, as a single - and
remains one of The Comsat's best loved songs amongst
followers to this day. |
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| The
band's albums were selling reasonably well - but obviously
not well enough for Polydor - who let the band
go. |
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"She
took a drink from the radio"
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So
it was time for a re-think - a re-fit - a re-assessment.
The band signed to Jive Records in mid-1983
- recording the album Land with
OMD producer Mike Howlett.
It
was the time of picture discs and remix frenzy -
why release it once, when you can remix it again.
The single Will You Stay Tonight received
a fair amount of airplay (for a Comsat's single),
but even the re-recorded Independence Day
failed to dent the charts.
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The band were going for the Pop jugular - but still retained their individuality. The follow-up album, 1985's 7 Day Weekend carried on where Land had left off, with a perhaps stronger selection of songs - but even after the release of virtually the whole album as singles, the charts refused to succumb and the band were soon homeless again. |
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| Following on from the lack of success with Jive, the band were recommended to Island Records Chris Blackwell by long-time champion of the band, Robert Palmer - who was enjoying the most commercially successful period of his career to date. The band joined the Island rosta and delivered a stunning new album in 1986's Chasing Shadows. The Comsat's made one of their rare TV appearances on the UK televison show The Tube performing a couple of tracks live - and Island released a single from the album, The Cutting Edge. |
Once
again, the band earned critical rather than commercial
success with Chasing Shadows - but
it would have seemed that Island would have
been an ideal home for the band - as a lot of the
bands signed to the record label were considered more
as album artists as opposed to single artists. The
band persuaded Island to let them build their
own studio - which would save money in the long-run
- and the Comsat's set about recording their second
Island album.
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| The
Comsat Angels had been having difficulties with
their name for many years - The Communications
Satellite Inc. company objected to the bands
use of "Com Sat" and so an alternative
was sought. The Headhunters was
chosen as a replacement initially (the band played
one gig under this name) - but the follow-up to
Chasing Shadows was released
under the name Dream Command.
The Comsats, probably in an attempt to please
their new masters, attempted a change in direction
- aiming for the US market with a more AOR approach
to song-writing. |
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| Like
most bands who try to hit on a formula for success,
they failed dismally. The tapes were bounced back and
forth between band and record company - with no-one
happy with the results, the album slipped out onto the
US market in limited quantities and the band were dropped
by Island.
Most
UK based Comsat's fans (like myself) thought the band
had split following Chasing Shadows.
Very few people in the UK knew about the Dream
Command debacle, until The Comsats were mentioned
in Q magazines "Where Are They Now"
section. The band set about writing and recording
new material on their own terms - aiming to please
only themselves - and they finally hooked up with
RPM records, who released The Comsat's Radio
1 sessions on a CD compilation Time Considered....
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Shortly
afterwards, RPM took up the option to release
a new Comsat's single, Driving, and album
My Mind's Eye. Just for a change,
the music press heaped praise on the album - citing
several current bands (Curve & The
Catherine Wheel) who were influenced by The Comsat's
sound (if there is such a thing).
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| "Melody
Maker" reviewed My Minds Eye: |
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"My
Minds Eye could
easily have been recorded by ghosts, such is the dexterity
of the Comsat's approach and the haunted nature of
their anguished restraint...Every snapping bassline
and icebound guitar fragment has a place, a purity
and a passion that chills...At the heart of their
hurtling hailstorm lies Steve Fellow's punishing baritone.
The man sounds like he's singing from a carriage on
the soul train to hell, all sweat and worry as the
songs rage around him like they've come for a debt..."
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| RPM
also issued the Dutch radio sessions collection Unravelled
before the final studio album The Glamour
in 1995 - the first studio album to feature new members
Simon Anderson & Terry Todd (who
appeared on Unravelled) - and the first
studio release without Kevin Bacon who was now
concentrating on production work at the bands Axis
studios in Sheffield. No singles were released from
The Glamour - although there are unreleased
songs from these sessions that have yet to see the light
of day - i.e. Hyperprism and Evanescent.
The new members added fresh energy and enthusiasm to
the band - who seemed to be at home with rpm - a label
who seemed to be in love with the band and the stirring
music they create - instead of falling into the trap
of trying to mould the band into a "unit-shifter".
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"And
I don't know where I am going
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but
I am going anyway..."
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The
Comsat Angels disbanded in late 1995 following UK
dates to promote The Glamour.
Steve Fellows released an instrumental album,
Mood X, his first solo release, on
RPM in late 1997 - and he is also currently
working on a more "traditional" song-based
solo album, as well as managing the band Gomez.
The rest of the band regrouped - with a new vocalist,
Peter Hope, under a new moniker of Soup
- but have now disbanded.
There
will be further Comsat's releases - Connoisseur
released the Jive era albums (Land
& 7 Day Weekend) on CD in early
2001, complete with non-album tracks and excellent
sleeve-notes. Cherry Red released the
first of 2 compilations, From Beyond 2 - A Compilation
1987 - 1995, in May 2000. Volume 1 is still awaiting compilation & release..
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| Please
bookmark the site and visit again - and remember to
sign up to the Sleep
No More
mailing list - if you want to be informed of site updates
& news, as well as taking part in Comsat's chat
with fellow fans.
Tony Kinson 2001
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