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Biography
for|the band's self-titled debut album|A Flock of Seagulls (album)Use British English|date=May 2011Use dmy dates|date=May 2011Infobox musical artist | name = A Flock of Seagulls| image = | caption =| image_size = | background = group_or_band| origin = Liverpool , England| genre = New Wave music|New Wave , synthpop , post-punk | years_active = 1979& ndash;1986 1989& ndash;present| label = Jive Records|Jive , I.R.S. Records|I.R.S. , Cocteau Records | website =| current_members = Mike Score|Michael "Mike" Score Joe Rodrνguez Pando Michael Brahmcite web|author=UK |url= http://www.myspace.com/aflockofseagulls |title=A Flock of Seagulls on MySpace Music |publisher=Myspace.com |date=21 September 2008 cite web|url= http://www.afosfanclub.com/Band/band.html |title=A Flock of Seagulls Fan Club |publisher=Afosfanclub.com | past_members = Randy "V" Valli Alister "Ali" James Score Frank Maudsley Paul Reynolds (musician)|Paul Reynolds Shavin 'Pepper' Duffy Ed Berner Benton Brower Sean Pugh Willie Woo Mark Edmondson A Flock of Seagulls (also known as Flock of Seagulls ) are an English New Wave music|New Wave band originally formed by brothers Mike Score|Michael "Mike" Score (keyboards, vocals) and Ali Score|Alister "Ali" James Score (drums), with Frank Maudsley (bass) and Paul Reynolds (musician)|Paul Reynolds (guitar).
The group had a string of international hit singles including " I Ran (So Far Away) ", " Space Age Love Song ," " Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You) " and " The More You Live, the More You Love ", and became notable in the 1980s for their MTV video for the song "I Ran (So Far Away)".
History
A Flock of Seagulls was started by Mike Score and his brother Ali in 1979 in Liverpool . Mike, who was previously a hairdresser, played keyboards, guitar, and vocals, Ali played drums and their friend Frank Maudsley played bass. The band took their name from a line in the song "Toiler on the Sea" by The Stranglers , which appears on their album Black and White (The Stranglers album)|Black and White .Smith, Steve Bits and Pieces: the Penguin Book of Rock and Pop Facts and Trivia . Penguin, 1988 ISBN 0-14-010743-6 The band added guitarist Willie Woo, Rob Koreman (after a brief stint as a pilot), and Mark Edmondson joined briefly when Ali and Mike had a falling out; however, Ali re-joined when Mark took ill. They then began writing songs. Soon after, Willie left, allowing Paul Reynolds to join. They then started playing clubs and eventually got a recording contract.
Eventually, under the management of Tommy Crossan and Mick Rossi (Checkmount Limited), they began to release singles through Jive Records . The group released an Extended Play|EP and a couple of singles, 'Its Not Me Talking' and 'Telecommunication' on Bill Nelson's 'Cocteau' label; both tracks produced by Nelson. In 1982 the group's third single, produced by Mike Howlett "I Ran (So Far Away)" became a worldwide hit, most notably reaching number 1 in Australia and the top 10 in the US and New Zealand (where the band became popular). The parent album A Flock of Seagulls (album)|A Flock of Seagulls and another single "Space Age Love Song" were also successful. In late 1982 the band found major success in their home country with "Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)" (first single from their next album) which reached the top 10.cite web|url= http://www.chartstats.com/songinfo.php? id=10242 |title=A Flock Of Seagulls Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You) |publisher=Chart Stats |date=29 January 1983 As it turned out, 1982 would prove to be the peak year of their commercial and critical success. The band is regarded as breaking the ground for other musical acts during the advent of the video music area.cite web|url= http://www.salon.com/entertainment/music/feature/2001/08/30/eighties |title=Never mind the hair bands, here's a Flock of Seagulls& #33; |publisher=Salon.com |date=30 August 2001
1983 saw the release of three singles to back their second album Listen (A Flock of Seagulls album)|Listen . Each was only a minor success in the UK and abroad. Faced with disappointment the group produced a third album in 1984. "The More You Live, the More You Love" was The Story of a Young Heart 's lead single. It was moderately successful, but the album's other two singles "Never Again (The Dancer)" and "Remember David" did not make any headway. Faced with sliding sales and a loss of direction following the third album, the group relocated to Philadelphia , Pennsylvania minus Paul Reynolds (musician)|Paul Reynolds . Eventually, in 1985, the group released a new album; Dream Come True (A Flock of Seagulls album)|Dream Come True . The album was critically panned and a commercial failure. The remaining members fell out and A Flock Of Seagulls in its original incarnation disbanded. In promotion of Dream Come True , two videos "Who's That Girl" and "Heartbeat Like a Drum" were filmed in quick succession. These two videos were the last time the three remaining members were together in a recording or performance capacity until 2003.
For the next eighteen years, Mike Score worked with various musicians under the A Flock Of Seagulls banner, playing live gigs and occasionally issuing new recordings. In 1989, the group released a single called "Magic" which did not chart. The follow-up album ( The Light at the End of the World (A Flock of Seagulls album)|The Light at the End of the World ) which included the single did not appear until 1995, and similarly did not chart.
By 2002, A Flock of Seagulls was brought back to life when Rockstar Games added their most famous single "I Ran" to Grand Theft Auto: Vice City , and included in the games official trailer.
In November 2003, the original line-up (Mike and Ali Score, Paul Reynolds and Frank Maudsley) reunited for a one-off performance on the VH1 series, Bands Reunited . In September 2004, they reformed again and played a small number of live shows in the United States, but broke up immediately afterward. Mike Score continues to tour with other musicians as A Flock Of Seagulls.
Legacy
Although parodied in later years, the band is now recognised as a pioneering act, capturing the zeitgeist of their time, particularly with multi-layered hits such as "Space Age Love Song", Telecommunication (song)|Telecommunication and Modern Love is Automatic (song)|Modern Love is Automatic .Space Age Love Song: The Mix Tape in a Digital Universe Megan M. CarpenterMM Carpenter works.bepress.com The band also is noted for creating successful concept album , their debut, which alludes to an alien invasion of earth.Shakespeare Meets the Backbeat: Literary Allusion in Rock Music. JR Duxbury - Popular Music & Society , 1988 - Taylor & Francis The group garnered the attention of legendary producer Phil Spector , whom, upon hearing a demo of "I Ran" called the sound "phenomenal" and was in talks to produce an album. However, the talks fell apart when Spector and the bands label did not see eye to eye. Wall of pain: the biography of Phil Spector . D Thompson - 2003 - Sanctuary Pub Ltd
In popular culture
It was referred to, as a means of scoff, in Pulp Fiction (film)|Pulp Fiction .
When Danny Pintauro came out of the closet , The Daily Show referred to his Flock of Seagulls haircut on '' Who's the Boss? as an indicator of his orientation.
The band is referenced in Austin Powers: The Spy who Shagged Me when Austin Powers says "The 70s and the 80s? You're not missing anything, believe me. I've looked into it. There's a gas shortage and A Flock of Seagulls. That's about it." http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0145660/quotes Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) Memorable quotes (IMDB)
Personnel
Original line-up (19791984)
Frank Maudsley Bass
Paul Reynolds (musician)|Paul Reynolds Guitar
Alister "Ali" James Score Drums
Mike Score|Michael "Mike" Score Keyboards, Vocals
Discography
Studio albums
Year
Album
Chart positions
Certification
UK small>cite web
DEU small>cite web
SE small>
U.S small>Allmusic
AUS small>Kent, David Australian Chart Book 19701992 . David Kent, 1993 ISBN 0-646-11917-6 ref>
1981
Modern Love Is Automatic EP
Release Date: 1981
Label: Jive Records
1982
A Flock of Seagulls
Release Date: April 1982
Label: Jive Records
Producer: Mike Howlett
32
26
32
10
19
British Phonographic Industry|UK : Silver http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx
RIAA|US : Goldcite web|url= http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php? table=SEARCH |title=Recording Industry Association of America |publisher=RIAA
1983
Listen
Release Date: May 1983
Label: Zomba Records
Producer: Mike Howlett
16
14
44
16
90
1984
The Story of a Young Heart
Release Date: August 1984
Label: Jive/Arista
30
31
67
1985
Dream Come True
Release Date: 1985 (UK), March 1986 (US)
Label: Jive Records
1995
The Light at the End of the World
Release Date: 1995
Label: I.R.S. Records
Compilation albums
The Best of A Flock of Seagulls (1991)
'' 20 Classics of the 80's (1995)
Wishing (A Flock of Seagulls album)|Wishing (1996)
The Best of A Flock of Seagulls (1998 album) (1998)
Greatest Hits Remixed (1999)
I Ran (live album) (1999)
Platinum & Gold Collection (A Flock of Seagulls album)|Platinum & Gold Collection (2003)
Essential New Wave (2003)
I Ran: The Best of A Flock of Seagulls (2003)
'' We Are the 80's (2006)
Space Age Love Songs (2008)
Playlist: The Very Best of A Flock of Seagulls (2008)
Singles
Year
Title
Album
Chart positions
UK small>
UK Indie small>cite web
AUS small>
NETH small>
DEU small>
IRL small>cite web
NZ small>cite web
US small>
Hot 100 small>
MSR small>
Dance Club Play small>
1981
" (It's Not Me) Talking "
45
Telecommunication "
A Flock of Seagulls
19
1982
" I Ran (So Far Away) "
43
1
46
31
7
9
3
8
"Space Age Love Song"
34
68
31
30
59
" Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You) "
Listen
10
46
44
37
6
33
26
3
62
1983
"(It's Not Me) Talking" (Cocteau Records re-issue) small>
22
"Nightmares"
Listen
53
"Transfer Affection"
38
22
43
"(It's Not Me) Talking" (Rerecording) small>
78
1984
" The More You Live, the More You Love "
The Story of a Young Heart
26
16
37
32
56
10
"Never Again (The Dancer)"
"Remember David"
1985
"Who's That Girl (She's Got It)"
Dream Come True
66
1986
"Heartbeat Like a Drum"
1989
"Magic"
1995
"Magic" (Re-issue) small>
The Light at the End of the World
"Burnin' Up"
1996
"Rainfall"
2000
"Rainfall" (Re-issue) small>
2007
"I Ran (So Far Away)" (A Flock Of Seagulls vs. The Angry Kids) small>
Video albums
Year
Title
Format
1984
Through the Looking Glass
Notes: Features A Flock of Seagulls songs from 19811984 and a brief interview.
VHS
Grammy Award
The album track, " D.N.A. (song) " from A Flock of Seagulls (album)|A Flock of Seagulls , won a Grammy Award in Grammy Awards of 1983|1983 for Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance|Best Rock Instrumental Performance .
References
Reflist|2
External links
myspace|aflockofseagulls
http://www.afosfanclub.com/ Fan Club site
http://www.tqmanagement.net/ Booking Agency
DEFAULTSORT:Flock Of Seagulls, A Category:British New Wave musical groups Category:Grammy Award winners Category:English pop music groups Category:English rock music groups Category:Musical groups from Liverpool
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