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Biography
Infobox musical artist | name = The Psychedelic Furs| image = Psychedelic Furs.jpg| caption = The Psychedelic Furs, 2008| background = group_or_band| alias =| origin = London, England| genre = Post-punk , New Wave music|New Wave , alternative rock | years_active = 1977& ndash;19912000& ndash;present| label = Columbia Records|Columbia Sony Music Entertainment|Sony Music Legacy Recordings|Legacy | associated_acts = Love Spit Love | website = http://www.thepsychedelicfurs.com/ Official website| current_members = Richard Butler (singer)|Richard Butler Tim Butler Rich Good|Richard Good Mars Williams Amanda Kramer Paul Garisto| past_members = John Ashton (guitarist)|John Ashton Vince Ely Duncan Kilburn Roger Morris The Psychedelic Furs are an English post-punk / New Wave music|New Wave musical ensemble|band founded in 1977. Led by singer Richard Butler (singer)|Richard Butler and his brother Tim Butler|Tim on bass guitar , the Psychedelic Furs are one of the many acts spawned from the British post-punk scene. Their music went through several phases, from an initially austere art rock sound, later touching on New Wave music|new wave and hard rock .
They scored several hits in their early career, but were launched to international attention in 1986 when the film director John Hughes (filmmaker)|John Hughes borrowed their song title " Pretty in Pink (song)|Pretty in Pink " for his Pretty in Pink|movie of the same name . A newly recorded version of the song became the Psychedlic Furs' biggest hit to that time. " Heartbreak Beat ", from their 1987 album Midnight to Midnight , was to be the Furs' biggest Top 40 entry in the United States|US .
The Psychedelic Furs went on hiatus in 1991, and the Butler brothers formed a new band called Love Spit Love . The Psychedelic Furs later regrouped in 2001 and continue to perform around the world.
Career
Early days and success
The Psychedelic Furs came together in England's emerging punk scene in 1977, where they were initially called 'RKO', then 'Radio'. They then vacillated between calling themselves "The Europeans" and "The Psychedelic Furs," playing gigs under both names before permanently settling on the latter.cite book | first=John | last=Darling | title=What's in a Name? : The Book of Bands | publisher=Xlibris Corporation | isbn=0-595-09629-8 | pages= | year = 2000 The band initially consisted of Richard Butler (singer)|Richard Butler ( singer|vocals ), Tim Butler ( bass guitar ), Duncan Kilburn ( saxophone ), Paul Wilson ( Drum kit|drums ) and Roger Morris (guitars). By 1979, this line-up had expanded to a sextet with Vince Ely replacing Wilson on drums and John Ashton (guitarist)|John Ashton being added on guitar.
The Psychedelic Furs' debut, a self-titled album from 1980, was produced by Steve Lillywhite . The LP quickly established the band on radio in Europe and was a #18 hit in the UK Albums Chart . The album also found success in Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Australia. The US version of the album was resequenced, but failed to have a strong commercial impact.
The Furs did find success in the US with their next release, 1981's Talk Talk Talk , which saw the band making its debut on the US Billboard 200 record chart|chart . In New Zealand, the band became popular, as Talk Talk Talk reached #8 in the charts, the first in a string of Furs' albums to peak in the New Zealand Top 10.
In the UK, the album spun off two charting single (music)|singles , " Dumb Waiters (song)|Dumb Waiters " and the original version of " Pretty in Pink (song)|Pretty in Pink ". The latter song served as inspiration for the 1986 John Hughes (filmmaker)|John Hughes Pretty in Pink|film of the same name , and was re-recorded for the platinum-selling Pretty in Pink (soundtrack)|soundtrack - though Richard Butler remains adamant that the cinematic interpretation destroyed the original metaphor (Pretty in Pink equating to "naked")cite web |url= http://thequietus.com/articles/05128-the-psychedelic-furs-interview-talk-talk-talk/ |title=All Of This And Nothing: The Psychedelic Furs on 'Talk Talk Talk' |author=Ogg, Alex |date=20 Oct 2010 |work=The Quietus |accessdate=10 May 2011
In 1982, the band was reduced to a four-piece with the departures of Morris and Kilburn.cite book | first= | last= | title=Grande enciclopedia rock | publisher=Giunti | editors=F. Guglielmi, C. Rizzi | isbn=88-09-02852-X | pages= | year =2002 The band recorded their next album, " Forever Now (The Psychedelic Furs album)| Forever Now ", with record producer Todd Rundgren in Woodstock , New York . This album contained " Love My Way (song)|Love My Way ", which became another UK chart entry, and also their first US Billboard Hot 100 charting single.
Ely left the band after Forever Now , though he would return for the 1988 single " All That Money Wants " and the 1989 album Book of Days (The Psychedelic Furs album)|Book of Days . Phill Calvert played drums on their subsequent tour, but left before the recording of The Furs' 1984 release Mirror Moves . Mirror Moves was produced by Keith Forsey (who also programmed the drums), and featured the songs " The Ghost in You " and "Heaven". Both charted in the UK, and "Heaven" became the band's highest charting UK hit at the time, peaking at #29. Columbia Records opted for "Here Come Cowboys" for the corresponding US release but it failed to chart, but "The Ghost In You" was a hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
In Canada , "The Ghost In You" also charted and Toronto 's New Wave radio station CFNY-FM|CFNY listed the parent album Mirror Moves as the #1 LP of 1984. http://www.spiritofradio.ca/ The CFNY Spirit Of Radio Fan Page Mirror Moves became a Top 20 album on the Canadian LP chart.
By the mid 1980s, the band had become a staple on both US college and modern rock radio stations. Simultaneously, they were experiencing consistent mainstream success, placing several singles in the charts on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic . Still, according to biographer Dave Thompson, they would "have more impact on future musicians than they ever did in the marketplace".cite web|title=Amazon.com: The Psychedelic Furs:Beautiful Chaos:Books:Dave Thompson|url= http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/1900924471/103-1406910-4654261? SubscriptionId=0RAFPGWETQZXMXGFNN02|accessdate=2007-09-23
In 1986, the band recorded a new version of "Pretty in Pink" for the soundtrack of the film of the Pretty in Pink|same name . Released as a single, it became their biggest hit to that time in the US, and their biggest UK hit. Butler later claimed that the success of "Pretty in Pink" caused the band to be pressured into entering the recording studio to record a follow-up release before they were ready.Citation needed|date=July 2010 The result was Midnight to Midnight , their biggest Top 40 success to date, but an album Richard Butler later characterized as "hollow, vapid and weak".Liner notes to Greatest Hits , 2001, Sony Music A more overtly commercial effort than the Furs had ever recorded before, the album also featured the single " Heartbreak Beat ", which charted in the US Top 40. The album also featured drummer Paul Garisto and saxophone|saxophonist Mars Williams , both of whom continue to tour with the band.
In the wake of Midnight To Midnight , the Furs issued " All That Money Wants ", a 1988 track recorded for a greatest hits|best-of compilation album All of This and Nothing . 1989's Book of Days (The Psychedelic Furs album)|Book of Days also saw a return of Ely, while 1991's World Outside (album)|World Outside was their final commercial release.
From 1988 on, The Furs' singles had steady chart success with three #1 hits on the newly established US Hot Modern Rock Tracks|Modern Rock chart between 1988 and 1991. " All That Money Wants " was a #1 hit in 1988, while " House (song)|House " topped the chart in 1990, and " Until She Comes " was #1 in 1991.
Break up and reunion
The band split in the early 1990s, with the Butler brothers going on to found Love Spit Love together with Richard Fortus and Frank Ferrer . After spending most of the decade apart, the Butlers along with Ashton re-formed The Psychedelic Furs in 2000, and released a live album Beautiful Chaos: Greatest Hits Live , which included a new studio recording, "Alive (For Once In My Lifetime)". A DVD version of the performance included live versions of "Alive" and three other previously unreleased songs: "Anodyne (Better Days)", "Cigarette" and "Wrong Train".
Since then, lead singer Richard Butler has released an eponymous solo album, Richard Butler (album)|Richard Butler . Currentlywhen|date=December 2011, the band continues to tour around the world. The current Psychedelic Furs touring line-up is Richard Butler, Tim Butler, Rich Good , Mars Williams , Amanda Kramer and Paul Garisto.
In 2011, the band launched a spring/summer tour of the U.S., performing the album Talk Talk Talk in its entirety.cite web |url= http://www.stevestav.com/2011/05/psychedelic-furs-talk-talk-talk.html/ |title=The Psychedelic Furs' 'Talk Talk Talk Interview' |author=Stav, Steve |date=6 May 2011 |work=Intermittent Signals |accessdate=10 May 2011
Discography
Main|The Psychedelic Furs discography
The Psychedelic Furs (album)|The Psychedelic Furs (1980)
http://www.worldmusicdatabase.org/profile.php? id=The%20Psychedelic%20Furs& tag=sFc7V4Ho5q6b6Si The Psychedelic Furs at WorldMusicDatabase
The Psychedelic Furs DEFAULTSORT:Psychedelic Furs, The Category:English rock music groups Category:Musical groups from London Category:British New Wave musical groups Category:British post-punk music groups Category:Musical groups established in 1977 Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1991 Category:Musical groups reestablished in 2001
