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Altered Images were an early 1980s Scottish New Wave / post-punk band. Led by lead singer Clare Grogan, they ventured into pop with their most well-known hit "Happy Birthday".
History Early career Ex-school friends with an equal interest in the UK post punk scene, Clare Grogan (vocals), Caesar (guitar), Michael 'Tich' Anderson (drums), Tony McDaid (guitar) and Johnny McElhone (bass guitar), sent a demo tape to Siouxsie and the Banshees, who soon gave the band a support slot on their Kaleidoscope tour of 1980. The band's name refers to a sleeve design on the Buzzcocks' single "Promises", and was inspired by Buzzcocks vocalist Pete Shelley's constant interfering with the initial sleeve designs.
After being championed by legendary DJ John Peel, they quickly garnered enough attention to be offered a deal with Epic Records, but mainstream success was not immediate; their first two singles, "Dead Pop Stars" and "A Day's Wait", failed to reach the top 40. "Dead Pop Stars" was particularly controversial at the time, sung at the viewpoint of a "has-been" icon with much irony, perhaps badly timed in its release shortly after John Lennon's death, even though it was recorded earlier. It was absent from their studio album releases. After these two singles and their first two sessions for John Peel, Caesar left and formed The Wake.
Chart success With additional guitarist Jim McKinven, they recorded their debut LP, Happy Birthday (1981) seeing them continue their link with Siouxsie and the Banshees, as the band's bassist Steve Severin produced several tracks on it besides the title track, which became their third single and biggest hit
. "Happy Birthday" saw them be catapulted to fame with Grogan standing centre, quirky voice and bubbly character sending the band to number 2 in the singles chart in October of that year, establishing the band as one of the biggest New Wave acts around. This was confirmed when they were voted "Best New Group" at the NME awards. In 1984 "Happy Birthday" was brought to more widespread American audiences when included in the soundtrack to the John Hughes movie Sixteen Candles.
After a successful headlining tour they switched to producer Martin Rushent, and released Pinky Blue (1982) showing them following a more pop route than before, providing two more top 20 hits, "I Could Be Happy" and "See Those Eyes". The album also went top 20, but many critics who supported them previously began to turn sour. Meanwhile, after McKinven and Anderson left to be replaced by multi-instrumentalist Steve Lironi (who had left Restricted Code) they began to work with pop producer Mike Chapman, providing them with another hit, "Don't Talk To Me About Love", one of their most well-known songs. It peaked at #7 in the UK, one of their highest positions, and is consistently included on many 1980s retrospective collections in the UK. This continued collaboration (and one with Tony Visconti) was seen with Bite (1983), a severe departure from their former dream punk not far removed from Siouxsie to a far more conventional, studio based sound. Grogan pictured on the album's cover sleeve wearing a sophisticated, movie star-like dress and Audrey Hepburn look eluded many fans, and after the album's brief commercial spell, forced her and her band out of the spotlight and to their disbanding, post-tour with David Wilde (ex Endgames) on drums and saxophone and Jim Prime (later of Deacon Blue) on keyboards.
Break-up After the break up of the band, Grogan attempted a solo career, signing to London Records in 1987 and releasing a single, "Love Bomb". Grogan was also included on a London Records compilation titled Giant, contributing the track "Reason is the Slave". After "Love Bomb" failed, plans for a follow up single release, titled "Strawberry", and the full length album, Trash Mad, were shelved by London Records. There are rumors that promotional copies of Trash Mad were sent out in 1987.
Grogan also became a film and television actress, appearing in productions such as ''Gregory's Girl, Red Dwarf (in which she originated the role of Kristine Kochanski), EastEnders, and Father Ted. In recent years she has also become a presenter on UK television.
Grogan and Steve Lironi (who eventually married) formed Universal Love School, performing together but never releasing any recordings. Johnny McElhone went on to perform with Hipsway and eventually Texas. Grogan sang live under the name Altered Images in 2002 for the Here and Now Tour, showcasing a revival of popular bands of their era alongside the likes of The Human League, ABC, and T'Pau, and again for some separate shows in 2004.
DiscographyStudio albums
EPsSinglesCompilations and special releases
Copyright Citations
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