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Biography
Refimprove|date=June 2010Infobox musical artist | name = The Style Council| background = group_or_band| origin = London, England| image = The Style Council.jpg| caption = Mick Talbot and Paul Weller, 1988.| genre = Rock music|Rock , New Wave music|New Wave , synthpop , Sophisti-pop , deep house , Avant-Garde , Jazz , Funk | occupation =| years_active = 19831989| label = Polydor Records|Polydor (UK, Australia, Canada) Geffen Records|Geffen (United States)| associated_acts = The Jam | website =| current_members =| past_members = Paul Weller (singer)|Paul Weller Mick Talbot Dee C. Lee Steve White (drummer)|Steve White | notable_instruments = The Style Council were an English musical ensemble|band , formed in 1983 by the ex- The Jam singer and guitarist Paul Weller (singer)|Paul Weller , with keyboardist Mick Talbot . The permanent line-up grew to include drummer Steve White (drummer)|Steve White and Weller's then-wife, vocalist Dee C. Lee . Other artists such as Tracie Young and Tracey Thorn ( Everything but the Girl ) also collaborated with the group. As with Weller's previous band, most of this London based outfit's hits were in their homeland, although the band did score six top 40 hits in Australia, and seven top 40 hits in New Zealand.
History
The band showed a diversity of musical styles. Singles " Speak Like a Child " (with its loud soul music|soul -influenced style), the extended funk of "Money-Go-Round", and the haunting synthpop|synth - ballad "Long Hot Summer" all featured Talbot on keyboards and organ (music)|organ . Near the end of 1983, these songs were compiled on Introducing The Style Council , a long playing|mini-album initially released in Japan, the Netherlands, Canada, and the US only. The Dutch version was heavily imported to the United Kingdom.
In 1984, the Single (music)|single "My Ever-Changing Moods", backed with the Hammond organ instrumental "Mick's Company", reached #29 on the Billboard (magazine)|Billboard Billboard Hot 100|Hot 100 in the US. The song remains Weller's greatest success in the US (including his efforts in The Jam and as a solo artist), while the group reached the peak of its success in the UK with the 1985 album Our Favourite Shop .
In December 1984, Weller put together a charity ensemble, the Council Collective, to make a record, Soul Deep , to raise money for striking miners. The record featured The Style Council plus a number of other performers, notably Jimmy Ruffin and Junior Giscombe. In spite of the song's political content, it still picked up BBC Radio 1 airplay and was performed on Top of the Pops, which led to the incongruous sight of lyrics such as "We can't afford to let the government win / It means death to the trade unions" being mimed amid the show's flashing lights and party atmosphere.
The Style Council took a more overtly political approach than The Jam in their lyrics , with tracks such as "Walls Come Tumbling Down", "The Lodgers", and "Come To Milton Keynes" being deliberate attacks on ' middle class|middle England' and Thatcherism|Thatcherite principles prevalent in the 1980s. Weller was also instrumental in the formation of Red Wedge with Billy Bragg . However, he later said that this began to detract from the music: "We were involved with a lot of political things going on at that time. I think after a while that overshadowed the music a bit".Citation needed|date=June 2010 In 1986, the band released a live album , Home and Abroad , and, in 1987, The Cost of Loving was launched, followed later in the year by the non-album single "Wanted", which reached #20 in the UK Singles Chart . However, Confessions of a Pop Group , released a year later, sold poorly. This led to their record label Polydor Records|Polydor rejecting their final album ( Modernism: A New Decade ), which was influenced by the House music|house scene. A greatest hits album, The Singular Adventures of The Style Council , was released internationally in 1989; it included the non-album single "Promised Land", which had reached #27 in the UK earlier that year.
In 1989 members of The Style Council went under the name of 'King Truman' to release a single on Acid Jazz Records|Acid Jazz titled "Like A Gun". This was unbeknown to Polydor, and the single was pulled from the shops only three days prior to release. Acid Jazz founder Eddie Piller said "The pair offered to make a single for my new label, which I'd just started with Radio 1 DJ Gilles Peterson as a side project. Mick and Paul took pseudonyms Truman King and Elliott Arnold." http://www.paulwellerbook.com Paulwellerbook.com
The Style Council broke up in 1989. cquote|.... it's something we should have done two or three years ago. We created some great music in our time, the effects of which won't be appreciated for some time.Paul Weller - NME - March 1990cite book | first= John | last= Tobler | year= 1992 | title= NME Rock 'N' Roll Years | edition= 1st | publisher= Reed International Books Ltd | location= London | page= 468 | id= CN 5585
The cover version of "Promised Land" (originally by Joe Smooth ) was the only release which surfaced from the Modernism sessions at the time; however, the entire album was released in 1998, both independently and in a 5-CD box set , The Complete Adventures of The Style Council . After the split, Weller embarked on a successful solo career (which featured Steve White (drummer)|Steve White on drums, who had left The Style Council by the time Confessions of a Pop Group was released, having only played on a few of its tracks). Talbot and White released two albums as Talbot/White & mdash; United States of Mind (1995) and Off The Beaten Track (1996). Talbot and White then formed The Players (supergroup)|The Players with Damon Minchella and Aziz Ibrahim . White and Minchilla went onto form Trio Valore whilst Talbot went touring with Candi Staton in 2009.
All of The Style Council's UK releases (including singles, 12" maxi single|maxis , albums, compact discs and re-issues thereof) featured the work of graphic designer Simon Halfon , who often collaborated with Weller to hone his ideas into a graphic form. Weller and Halfon began working together at the end of The Jam's career, and continue to work together to this day on Weller's solo material.
Since 2007, the song "Walls Come Tumbling Down" has been used as the theme song for the German TV series Dr. Psycho Die Bφsen, die Bullen, meine Frau und ich .
Discography
Albums
Studio
Year
Album details
Peak chart positions
Certifications ( List of music recording sales certifications
UK cite web
AUT cite web
NLD cite web
NZ cite web
SWE cite web
US cite web
1983
Introducing The Style Council
-
-
-
6
-
-
1984
Cafι Bleu (US title: My Ever Changing Moods )
2
-
16
6
41
56
British Phonographic Industry|UK : Gold" http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx Certified Awards Search". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved on 2011-12-03. Note: User needs to enter "Style Council" in the "Search" field, "Artist" in the "Search by" field and click the "Go" button. Select "More info" next to the relevant entry to see full certification history.
1985
Our Favourite Shop (US title: Internationalists )
1
23
11
6
30
123
UK: Gold
1987
The Cost of Loving
2
-
23
35
46
122
UK: Gold
1988
Confessions of a Pop Group
15
-
-
-
-
174
UK: Silver
1998
Modernism: A New Decade (recorded 1989)
-
-
-
-
-
-
Live
Home and Abroad (1986) #8 UK Albums Chart|UK
The Style Council In Concert (1997)
Compilation
The Singular Adventures of The Style Council - Greatest Hits Vol.1 (1989) #3 UK Albums Chart|UK
Headstart For Happiness (1991)
''Here's Some That Got Away (1993) #39 UK
The Style Council Collection (1996) #60 UK
Master Series (1997)
The Complete Adventures of The Style Council (5 CD box set) (1998)
Classic Style Council - The Universal Masters Collection (1999)
Greatest Hits (2000) #28 UK
The Collection (2001)
The Best Of The Style Council - Superstar Collection (2001)
Cafe Blue - The Style Council Cafe Best (2002)
The Best Of The Style Council - The Millennium Collection (20th Century Masters) (2003)
The Sound Of The Style Council (2003)
The Ultimate Collection (3 CD) (2004)
Gold (2 CD) (2006)
Sweet Loving Ways - The Style Council Collection (2 CD) (2007)
Long Hot Summer" / "Paris Match" (Double A-side) #endnote_A
3
28
41
12
"A Solid Bond in Your Heart"
11
1984
"My Ever Changing Moods"
5
70
42
32
29
(Double A-side) #endnote_B>B
5
17
97
7
76
#endnote_C>C
7
8
6
#endnote_D>D
24
1985
"Walls Come Tumbling Down!"
6
19
15
"Come to Milton Keynes"
23
"The Lodgers"
13
47
#endnote_E>E
38
21
#endnote_E>E
91
1986
"Have You Ever Had It Blue"
14
33
1987
"It Didn't Matter"
9
48
48
"Waiting"
52
"Wanted"
20
98
1988
"Life at a Top People's Health Farm"
28
"How She Threw It All Away"
41
1989
"Promised Land"
27
"Long Hot Summer 89" ( remix )
48
A #ref_A| ^ Official title of the 7" single package is "Α Paris"; it contains the two tracks listed. In the UK, this was a double A-side. Elsewhere, "The Paris Match" did not chart.
B #ref_B| ^ Official title of the 7" single package is "Groovin'"; it contains the two tracks listed. In the UK and Australia, this was a double A-side. Elsewhere, "The Big Boss Groove" did not chart.
C #ref_C| ^ Appears on the Vision Quest soundtrack in the United States.
D #ref_D| ^ Release credited to The Council Collective
E #ref_E| ^ "Boy Who Cried Wolf" and "(When You) Call Me" were not released as singles in the UK
Videos and DVDs
What We Did On Our Holidays - The Video Singles (1983)
Far East & Far Out - Council Meeting In Japan (1984)
What We Did The Following Year - The Video Singles (1985)
Showbiz - The Style Council, Live! (1986)
JerUSAlem (1987)
Confessions Of A Pop Group (1988)
The Video Adventures Of The Style Council (1989)
The Style Council On Film (2003)
Classic Style Council - The Universal Masters DVD Collection (2005)
Live At Full House Rock Show (2006)
See also
Wikipedia-Books|The Style Council-
References
Reflist
cite book| author=Munn, Iain | title=Mr. Cool's Dream. The Complete History of the Style Council| publisher=Wholepoint Publications | year=2006 | isbn=0-9551443-0-2
External links
http://www.mrcoolsdream.co.uk ''Mr Cool's Dream, The Complete History of The Style Council - "painstakingly accurate" - Paul Weller
Allmusic|class=artist|id=p5548/biography|pure_url=yes Biography at Allmusic
The Style Council DEFAULTSORT:Style Council, The Category:English pop music groups Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1989 Category:Musical groups established in 1983 Category:British New Wave musical groups Category:Sophisti-pop musical groups Category:The Style Council| Category:The Jam
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