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Biography
dablink|This article is about a band. For other uses see Vapors Citations missing|date=August 2007Infobox musical artist || name = The Vapors| image = The Vapors.jpg| caption = The Vapors, 1980| image_size =| background = group_or_band| origin = Guildford , Surrey , England | genre = New Wave music|New Wave , power pop | years_active = 1979–1981| label = United Artists Records|United Artists , Liberty Records|Liberty | associated_acts =| website =| current_members =| past_members = David Fenton Howard Smith Edward Bazalgette Steve Smith Rob Kemp Bob Heard Mike Hedges Mike Jordon The Vapors were a New Wave music|New Wave and power pop band from England , that existed between 1979 and 1981. They had a Hit record|hit with the song " Turning Japanese " in 1980, which reached #3 in the UK Singles Chart ,cite book | first= David | last= Roberts | year= 2006 | title= British Hit Singles & Albums | edition= 19th | publisher= Guinness World Records Limited | location= London | pages= 582 | isbn= 1-904994-10-5 and #36 in the United States|U.S. Billboard Hot 100| Billboard Hot 100 record chart|chart .
Career
Based in Guildford , Surrey , their members were David Fenton ( songwriter , guitarist and singing|vocalist ), Howard Smith ( drummer ), Edward Bazalgette ( lead guitar ist) and Steve Smith ( bassist|bass guitarist and vocals). Their name was originally spelled "Vapours," but they removed the U to seem like an American band.
They were discovered and management|managed by the father of Paul Weller , John Weller and The Jam 's bassist , Bruce Foxton . The song for which they are mainly remembered, " Turning Japanese ", was record producer|produced by The Jam's producer Vic Coppersmith-Heaven and hit the Top Three in the United Kingdom|UK at the same time that " Going Underground " was at chart-topper|number one . It was also a big hit record|hit in Australia and in the U.S. The song "Turning Japanese" was believed to Euphemism|euphemistically refer to masturbation .Allmusic|class=song|id=t2027751|pure_url=yes AllMusic | Turning Japanese | The Vapors
The band released two album s: New Clear Days (the pun on "nuclear" being intentional) and Magnets (album)|Magnets . The first was more clearly in the "traditional" new wave style of music , while touching on social issue s such as the nuclear power|nuclear threat as well as love themes. The second album dealt more extensively with themes of Social alienation|alienation , with many dark lyrics about apparently psychosis|psychotic characters, including the opening track, "Jimmie Jones", about cult leader Jim Jones . Sales of the second album were poor and the band broke up soon after its release in 1981. Fenton alleged in a later interview with Record Collector magazine that lack of record label support was the chief reason; apparently their intended seventh single 'Red Flag' was cancelled without explanation. Follow-up single (music)|singles "News at Ten", and the aforementioned "Jimmie Jones", both coincidentally reached number 44 in the UK Singles Chart. Record producer Harry Cowell was for a while the band's drum tech.
After the band
A solicitor who specializes in music law, frontman Fenton has apparently retired from his days as a music creator and performer to concentrate on legal aspects of the music industry .
Edward Bazalgette has since become a television director , credits including a 2005 BBC documentary film|documentary about Genghis Khan .
Howard Smith now runs People Independent Records in Guildford; the band's home town.
Discography
Studio albums
Title
Album details
Peak chart positions
UK cite web
CAN cite web
NZ cite web
US cite web
New Clear Days
Release date: June 1980
Label: Capitol Records
Formats: Vinyl LP|LP , Compact cassette|cassette
Magnets
Release date: 1981
Label: United Artists Records
Formats: LP, cassette
"—" denotes releases that did not chart
Compilation albums
Title
Album details
Anthology
Release date: 30 May 1995
Label: One Way Records
Formats: Compact disc|CD , cassette
Turning Japanese: The Best of the Vapors
Release date: 1996
Label: EMI Records
Formats: CD, cassette
Vaporized
Release date: 7 April 1998
Label: Collectables
Formats: CD, cassette
The Best of the Vapors
Release date: 5 August 2003
Label: EMI Records
Formats: CD
Singles
Year
Single
Peak chart positions
Certifications ( List of best selling music artists
Album
UK
CAN cite web
NZ cite web
US cite web
US Dance cite web
US Main
1979
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New Clear Days
1980
3
7
9
36
34
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align="left"
British Phonographic Industry|UK : Silvercite web|url= http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx|title=BPI Searchable Database|publisher= British Phonographic Industry |accessdate=18 August 2011
"News at Ten"
1981
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"Jimmie Jones"
1982
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"Isolated Case"
"Civic Hall"
"—" denotes releases that did not chart
References
reflist
External links
Allmusic|class=artist|id=p21238|pure_url=yes The Vapors biography at the Allmusic
http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=oHb1IFPtlWs True Spin The Vapors - The Story Behind "Turning Japanese" YouTube
DEFAULTSORT:Vapors, The Category:English rock music groups Category:British power pop groups Category:Musical groups established in 1979 Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1981 Category:Liberty Records artists Category:British New Wave musical groups
