Limahl

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Biography

Christopher Hamill better known by his stage name Limahl (born 19 December 1958) is an English pop singer. He rose to fame as the lead singer of the 1980s pop group Kajagoogoo , before embarking on a briefly successful solo career, which reached its peak with the 1984 hit " The NeverEnding Story (song)|The NeverEnding Story ", taken from the The NeverEnding Story (film)|film of the same name .

Early years and Kajagoogoo

Hamill was born in Pemberton, Greater Manchester|Pemberton , Wigan , a town in Lancashire in the north west of England. He attended Mesnes High School, in Wigan, before eventually enrolling at the Westcliff-on-Sea Palace Theatre Repertory Company. With aspirations to be an actor, Hamill toured with the company in a production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat . In 1980, he was given a small role in an episode of the ITV police series The Gentle Touch playing a schoolboy. In 1981, Hamill appeared as an extra in the promotional video for Adam and the Ants ' number one UK single 'Stand and Deliver'. Although his acting career never really took off, Hamill also had an interest in music, forming a short-lived punk music|punk band called Vox Deus. Next he joined Crossword, but after a brief period left them to form Brooks (vocal group)|Brooks , with Mike Nolan (singer)|Mike Nolan . He adopted his stage name (an anagram of his surname) at the time he was recruited by the existing members of Kajagoogoo, who were then performing under the name Art Nouveau.

The four members of Art Nouveau, the band who were yet to become Kajagoogoo, had placed an advert in the music magazine Melody Maker , asking for a 'front man who could sing and look good'. Hamill attended the audition and subsequently joined the band which was then, after some deliberation, renamed Kajagoogoo. Soon after he had joined, the group signed a deal with EMI and released their first single, " Too Shy ", which went to Number 1 in the UK Singles Chart and made the Top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 . The band had further hits with " Ooh to Be Ah " (UK #7) and " Hang on Now " (UK #11), with their debut album White Feathers reaching UK #5. Their first major UK tour was attended by 60,000 people , and the final show at the Hammersmith Odeon in London was recorded and released on home video/Laserdisc (the 16-track White Feathers Tour ).

By mid-1983 and soon after the end of the White Feathers concert tour, the band fired him by telephone. Limahl accused the other bandmembers of being jealous of his prominence as lead singer, and was quoted in the press as saying that "I've been betrayed!", and that "I was sacked for making them a success".

Solo career

After leaving the band, Limahl launched a solo career, achieving hits with " Only for Love "(UK #16) in 1983, and with " The NeverEnding Story (song)|The NeverEnding Story " (UK #4) in 1984. The latter was the title theme from The NeverEnding Story (film)|the film of the same name , composed by Giorgio Moroder . The English version was sung with Beth Anderson . However Mandy Newton was the appearance "singer" in Europe (except for Top of the Pops, where she did really sing it live). (Mandy Newton was in 2010 acting with the Gutted Film and Theatre Company and could be seen in the play '12 Angry Women' in the summer of 2010? in London) Beth was the real singer (who lived in the USA), and she did have a chance to "sing" it with Limahl when he came to the states? to appear on American Bandstand (Bandstand was only lip-sync, unlike TOTP). The French version (titled "L'histoire sans fin"), was performed with Ann Calvert , with translated lyrics by Pierre-André Dousset. The single was no.1 in eight countries and Top 5 in nine more.
His debut album, 1984's '' Don't Suppose , was a commercial failure in the UK, peaking at No.63, but it was more successful in Europe with it topping the Norwegian album chart and reaching the Top 10 in Austria, Sweden and Switzerland.

Following this, Limahl released two more albums: 1986's Colour All My Days , and Love Is Blind (Limahl album)|Love Is Blind in 1992, which were commercial failures in the UK but found moderate success in Italy, Spain, and Germany.

Unable to replicate the success of his earlier career, Limahl hit hard times and was later photographed coming out of an unemployment office in the UK. The pictures were published in a British Sunday newspaper, highlighting how "the once mighty can fall". He was also ridiculed by the British Viz (comics)|Viz comic, which satirised him as 'Limahl, whose hit includes "Too Shy"'.

In the late 1990s, Limahl started making club appearances. Wearing an orange wig similar to his original Kajagoogoo hairstyle, he performed hits from his time with Kajagoogoo and from his solo career.

2003 – present

In late 2003, Limahl briefly reunited with the other members of Kajagoogoo for the VH1 special Bands Reunited (which aired in 2004), but this did not lead to a permanent reunion. Also in 2004, Limahl took part in the musical reality show Comeback on German TV channel Pro7 . A year later, in 2005, he appeared in a similar UK show, Hit Me Baby One More Time on ITV . The episode in which Limahl appeared also featured Howard Jones (musician)|Howard Jones , who had enlisted the services of Kajagoogoo bass player Nick Beggs to support him during his own performance.

Limahl eventually reunited with Kajagoogoo again in 2008. Now reformed in their original five-piece line-up, the band took part in various music festivals in Denmark and Scotland, and performed in other parts of Europe. In August 2008, after the cancellation of a concert in the Czech Republic due to organizational problems (and not due to any of the bands or artists involved), the band then performed in Poland in a concert of 'stars of the 1980s', sharing the stage with Kim Wilde , Thomas Anders (ex- Modern Talking ), Samantha Fox , Sandra (singer)|Sandra , Sabrina Salerno|Sabrina , and Shakin' Stevens . This concert was a part of the Sopot Festival 2008, and was broadcast live on Polish channel TVN (Poland)|TVN . The band then began writing and recording new material, and embarked on tours of the UK and Germany in September 2009.

Limahl also played a concert in Ferry Meadows Peterborough England on 8 August 2009 where he sang his two biggest hits, "Too Shy" and "The NeverEnding Story", alongside covers of 1980s hits "Gold", "True", "It Must Be Love", "What Is Love", "Hello", "Just Can't Get Enough", "I Won't Let The Sun Go Down On Me", "Tainted Love" and "Karma Chameleon".

In 2008, he formed a 10-piece musical band "Limahl and His Swing Orchestra" with a series of swing remakings of Limahl and Kajagoogoo well-known songs. This show was the opening performance for the return of Kajagoogoo in December, where they once again played as a full line up at The Stables, Milton Keynes, UK.

In 2009, Kajagoogoo played 'The Space Cadet' Tour of the UK. The tour was a great success and left fans hoping for more to come from the band. This year was ended with another concert at The Stables, Milton Keynes.

In 2010, the full Kajagoogoo line up played two festivals, 'Rewind' at Henley and the Midland Music Festival at Tamworth.

In 2011, fan site 'KajaFax' initiated the release of 'Death Defying Headlines' as a digital single, taking on all the promotion themselves. Limahl and drummer Jez Strode both appeared on television to promote the release with the KajaFax administrators.

Limahl has returned in 2012 with a brand new single called "1983", co-written/produced with Norwegians Tommy Olsen, Rune Maurtvedt and Stig Antonsen. The track has been released worldwide by Dig Music (Norway) on January 10, 2012. The release date was the same as "Too Shy" by Kajagoogoo 29 years earlier.

Influence

Limahl, and the hairstyle he sported circa 1984, was illustrator Arthur Adams (comics)|Arthur Adams ' inspiration for the look of the Marvel Comics character Longshot .Cooke, Jon B. , Reprinted from Comic Book Artist #17, 15 November 2001

Personal life

Though now openly gay, Limahl once shared a flat with disc jockey Paul Gambaccini (who is also author of the first official Kajagoogoo biography, songbook and photobook), leading to rumours in the tabloid press that the two were lovers, a claim they both deny.

Discography

Solo albums

1984 – '' Don't Suppose ( EMI Records|EMI ) ( UK Albums Chart|UK #63)

1986 – Colour All My Days ( EMI Records|EMI )

Solo singles

1983 – " Only for Love " ( UK Singles Chart|UK #16, Billboard Hot 100|U.S. #51, Germany|GER #8, Switzerland #5)

1984 – "Too Much Trouble" (UK #64, GER #26)

1984 – " The NeverEnding Story (song)|The NeverEnding Story " (UK #4, US #17, GER, ITA, Austria #2, Sweden #1, Norway #1, Switzerland #3)

1984 – " The NeverEnding Story (song)|The NeverEnding Story (L'histoire sans fin) " ( France|FRA #7French version – France only

1985 – "Tar Beach (7" Remix)" (GER #30) Germany only

1986 – "Love in Your Eyes" (UK #80, GER #28, ITA #22, Switzerland #26)

1986 – "Inside to Outside" (GER #57)

1986 – "Colour All My Days" Spain only

1986 – "No lo pienses más" Spanish version of "Colour All My Days" – Spain only

1986 – "Don't Send For Me"

1992 – "Stop (7" Version)"

1992 – "Maybe This Time"

1992 – " Too Shy|Too Shy '92 "

1992 – "Love Is Blind"

1996 – "Walking in Rhythm"

2002 – "Love That Lasts" / "Lost in Love" (Limahl/ Tina Charles (singer)|Tina Charles A-side and B-side|double A-side single )

2006 – "Tell Me Why" (GER #96)

2012 – "1983"

Other singles/remixes

1980 – "It's Christmas"

1980 – "Angel"

1999 – "Then Suddenly (Almighty Remix)"

2004 – "Survivor"

2004 – " The NeverEnding Story (song)|The Never Ending Story "/" Can You Feel the Love Tonight "

2004 – " Don't Go Breaking My Heart "

2006 – " Too Shy (Club Mix – Extended Version)"/"Too Shy (Club Mix – Remix)"

Other (sound)tracks

2001 – " A View to a Kill "/" The Never Ending Story "/" Pinball Wizard "/" Can You Feel the Love Tonight " Solo album|solo tracks performed by Limahl from the Compilation album|compilation entitled ''What a Feeling II – The Rock'n'Pop Musicals in Concert The compilation entitled What a Feeling II – The Rock'n'Pop Musicals in Concert'' is the original soundtrack from the musical of the same name, starring Limahl, Melanie Marcus, Gwen Dickey (formerly of the Rose Royce), Dylan Turner , and the 4 the Boys. The front cover of the soundtrack album describes the records as 'the original cast recording of the new show featuring hit songs from the hit movies and musicals'. The track listing totally includes 20 tracks, 4 of which are solo performances by Limahl, 2 are duets by Limahl and Melanie Marcus, 2 are sung by Limahl, Melanie Marcus, Gwen Dickey and Dylan Turner . As for the rest, 5 tracks are performed by Gwen Dickey, 3 are by Melanie Marcus, 1 is by 4 the Boys, 1 is by Dylan Turner , and, finally, 2 are generically credited to 'Cast', but not featuring Limahl. The soundtrack, recorded at the Oxford Apollo Theatre, in October 2000, and produced and mixed by Stuart Epps , at the Snake Ranch Studios, in London, was released in the UK on Demon Music Group Ltd./Flying Music labels. from the musical of the same name

2001 – " Dancing Queen "/" Mamma Mia (song)|Mamma Mia "

2001 – " Seasons of Love "/" Fame (Irene Cara song)|Fame "

Main solo compilations

1996 – The Best of Limahl ( EMI Records|Disky Communications Europe ) *

2002 – Never Ending Story ( EMI Records|Disky Communications Europe ) **

2003 – Best of Limahl ( Silver Star ) *

* * Collection featuring eight selected tracks each from '' Don't Suppose and Colour All My Days .

* ** Reduced version of the 1996 / 2003 compilations, featuring five songs from '' Don't Suppose and seven from Colour All My Days .

1999 – Limahl ( Laser Light Digital )

2003 – All the Hits plus More

2006 – Never Ending Story ( ZYX )

2008 – Greatest Hits Reloaded ( ZYX )

*Compilation of re-recorded solo and Kajagoogoo tracks, notable for the inclusion of Kajagoogoo and Kaja songs not originally sung by Limahl. Limahl later regretted their inclusion. Two new tracks ("Rhythm of Love" and "Lost in Love") were also featured. The 2006 version – Never Ending Story , also included "Tell Me Why".

Copyright Citations

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1. Giorgio Moroder

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