Before Too Long
Encyclopedia
"Before Too Long" was the first single released by Australian rock group Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls
from their debut double album, Gossip
. The single was released in June 1986 on the original White Label Records, a subsidiary of Mushroom Records
. It reached No. 15 on the Australian Kent Music Report
Singles Chart, remaining for 19 weeks. The track was a surprise hit for Kelly at a time when chart success had eluded him and provided increased interest for the release of Gossip, which would become his biggest mainstream success to that date.
The success of the single can partly be attributed to the accompanying video, which was directed by John Witteron, depicting Kelly as a long suffering cab driver dealing with a night shift full of eccentric passengers.
in early 1985, Paul Kelly
established a full-time band in Sydney. It included Michael Armiger (bass guitar, rhythm guitar), Michael Barclay (drums, ex-Weddings, Parties, Anything) and Steve Connolly (lead guitar). Bass guitarist Jon Schofield and keyboardist
Peter Bull soon joined. Through a joke based on Lou Reed
's song "Walk on the Wild Side", the band became known as Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls. Armiger left and the Coloured Girls line-up stabilised in late 1985 as Barclay, Bull, Connolly and Schofield.
In April 1986, the band entered Trafalgar Studios and released their debut 24-track double LP
, Gossip
in September. It included remakes of four songs from Post. Gossip peaked at No. 15 on the Australian Kent Music Report
Albums Chart. Charting singles from the album were "Before Too Long", released in June ahead of the album, which peaked at No. 15 on the related Singles Chart and "Darling It Hurts". "Before Too Long" was written by Kelly, its success is partly due to the accompanying video, which was directed by John Witteron, depicting Kelly as a long suffering cab driver dealing with a night shift full of eccentric passengers.
A trimmed version of Gossip, featuring 15 tracks on a single LP, was released in the United States by A&M Records
in July 1987. Allmusic's Mike DeGagne noted that "[it] bursts at the seams with blustery, distinguished tunes captivating both the somberness and the intrigue thrown forward from this fine Australian storyteller".
The album was co-produced by Kelly with Alan Thorne (Hoodoo Gurus
, The Stems
) who, according to music journalist Robert Forster
(former The Go-Betweens
singer-songwriter), helped the band create "a sound that will not only influence future roots-rock bands but, through its directness, sparkle and dedication to the song, will also come to be seen as particularly Australian. Ultimately, it means the records these people made together are timeless".
Due to possible racist connotations the band changed its name for international releases to Paul Kelly and the Messengers. They made a US tour, initially supporting Crowded House
and then headlining, travelling across the US by bus. The New York Times
rock critic Jon Pareles
wrote "Mr. Kelly sang one smart, catchy three-minute song after another – dozens of them – as the band played with no-frills directness" following the band's performance at the Bottom Line Club in New York.
Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls' second album, Under the Sun, was released in late 1987 in Australia and New Zealand; and early 1988 in North America and Europe (under the name Paul Kelly and the Messengers). On the Kent Music Report Albums Chart it reached No. 19 with the lead single "To Her Door
", written by Kelly, peaking at No. 14 on the related singles chart.
Additional musicians
Production details
Art work
Paul Kelly (musician)
Paul Maurice Kelly is an Australian rock music singer-songwriter, guitarist, and harmonica player. He has performed solo, and has led numerous groups, including the Dots, the Coloured Girls, and the Messengers. He has worked with other artists and groups, including associated projects Professor...
from their debut double album, Gossip
Gossip (album)
Gossip is the double LP debut album by Australian rock group Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls. Produced by Alan Thorne and Paul Kelly, it was released on Mushroom Records in September 1986, which peaked at No. 15 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart, and achieved gold record status...
. The single was released in June 1986 on the original White Label Records, a subsidiary of Mushroom Records
Mushroom Records
Mushroom Records is an Australian recoJrd company formed by Michael Gudinski and Ray Evans in Melbourne in 1972. After its sale in 1998, it merged into Festival Mushroom Records. From 2005 to 2009, it is one of the record labels operated by Warner Bros...
. It reached No. 15 on the Australian Kent Music Report
Kent Music Report
The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998...
Singles Chart, remaining for 19 weeks. The track was a surprise hit for Kelly at a time when chart success had eluded him and provided increased interest for the release of Gossip, which would become his biggest mainstream success to that date.
The success of the single can partly be attributed to the accompanying video, which was directed by John Witteron, depicting Kelly as a long suffering cab driver dealing with a night shift full of eccentric passengers.
Background
After recording his solo album, PostPost (Paul Kelly album)
Post is the first solo album by Australian singer-songwriter rock musician, Paul Kelly. Kelly had moved to Sydney by January 1985, after leaving his Melbourne-based Paul Kelly Band and the breakup of his marriage to Hilary Brown....
in early 1985, Paul Kelly
Paul Kelly (musician)
Paul Maurice Kelly is an Australian rock music singer-songwriter, guitarist, and harmonica player. He has performed solo, and has led numerous groups, including the Dots, the Coloured Girls, and the Messengers. He has worked with other artists and groups, including associated projects Professor...
established a full-time band in Sydney. It included Michael Armiger (bass guitar, rhythm guitar), Michael Barclay (drums, ex-Weddings, Parties, Anything) and Steve Connolly (lead guitar). Bass guitarist Jon Schofield and keyboardist
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
Peter Bull soon joined. Through a joke based on Lou Reed
Lou Reed
Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...
's song "Walk on the Wild Side", the band became known as Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls. Armiger left and the Coloured Girls line-up stabilised in late 1985 as Barclay, Bull, Connolly and Schofield.
In April 1986, the band entered Trafalgar Studios and released their debut 24-track double LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
, Gossip
Gossip (album)
Gossip is the double LP debut album by Australian rock group Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls. Produced by Alan Thorne and Paul Kelly, it was released on Mushroom Records in September 1986, which peaked at No. 15 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart, and achieved gold record status...
in September. It included remakes of four songs from Post. Gossip peaked at No. 15 on the Australian Kent Music Report
Kent Music Report
The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998...
Albums Chart. Charting singles from the album were "Before Too Long", released in June ahead of the album, which peaked at No. 15 on the related Singles Chart and "Darling It Hurts". "Before Too Long" was written by Kelly, its success is partly due to the accompanying video, which was directed by John Witteron, depicting Kelly as a long suffering cab driver dealing with a night shift full of eccentric passengers.
A trimmed version of Gossip, featuring 15 tracks on a single LP, was released in the United States by A&M Records
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
in July 1987. Allmusic's Mike DeGagne noted that "[it] bursts at the seams with blustery, distinguished tunes captivating both the somberness and the intrigue thrown forward from this fine Australian storyteller".
The album was co-produced by Kelly with Alan Thorne (Hoodoo Gurus
Hoodoo Gurus
Hoodoo Gurus are an Australian rock band, formed in Sydney in 1981, by the mainstay Dave Faulkner and later joined by Richard Grossman , Mark Kingsmill , and Brad Shepherd...
, The Stems
The Stems
The Stems were an alternative rock band formed in Perth, Western Australia in 1983 and were heavily influenced by 1960s garage rock and 1970s power pop. They broke up in 1987, reformed in 2003 and released a new album in 2007.-Formation:...
) who, according to music journalist Robert Forster
Robert Forster (musician)
Robert Forster is an Australian singer-songwriter, best known for his work with songwriting partner Grant McLennan, with whom he co-founded The Go-Betweens.Forster grew up in Brisbane, Australia attending Brisbane Grammar School...
(former The Go-Betweens
The Go-Betweens
The Go-Betweens were an indie rock band formed in Brisbane, Australia in 1977 by singer-songwriters and guitarists, Robert Forster and Grant McLennan. They were later joined by Lindy Morrison on drums, Robert Vickers on bass guitar and Amanda Brown on violin, oboe, guitar, and backing vocals,...
singer-songwriter), helped the band create "a sound that will not only influence future roots-rock bands but, through its directness, sparkle and dedication to the song, will also come to be seen as particularly Australian. Ultimately, it means the records these people made together are timeless".
Due to possible racist connotations the band changed its name for international releases to Paul Kelly and the Messengers. They made a US tour, initially supporting Crowded House
Crowded House
Crowded House are a rock band, formed in Melbourne, Australia and led by New Zealand singer-songwriter Neil Finn. Finn is the primary songwriter and creative director of the band, having led it through several incarnations, drawing members from New Zealand , Australia and the United States...
and then headlining, travelling across the US by bus. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
rock critic Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles is an American journalist who is the chief popular music critic in the arts section of the New York Times. He played jazz flute and piano, and graduated from Yale University with a degree in music. In the 1970s he was an associate editor of Crawdaddy!, and in the 1980s an associate...
wrote "Mr. Kelly sang one smart, catchy three-minute song after another – dozens of them – as the band played with no-frills directness" following the band's performance at the Bottom Line Club in New York.
Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls' second album, Under the Sun, was released in late 1987 in Australia and New Zealand; and early 1988 in North America and Europe (under the name Paul Kelly and the Messengers). On the Kent Music Report Albums Chart it reached No. 19 with the lead single "To Her Door
To Her Door
"To Her Door" was the first single released by Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls ahead of their second album, Under the Sun...
", written by Kelly, peaking at No. 14 on the related singles chart.
Personnel
Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls- Michael Barclay – drums, backing vocals
- Peter Bull – keyboards, backing vocals
- Steve Connolly – guitar, backing vocals
- Paul Kelly – acoustic guitar, lead vocals
- John Schofield – bass guitar, backing vocals
Additional musicians
- Astrid Munday – backing vocals
Production details
- Producer – Alan Thorne, Paul Kelly
- Engineer – Alan Thorne
- Studio – Trafalgar Studios, Sydney
Art work
- Cover art – Ann Richmond (picture sleeve)
Chart positions and releases
| Year | Chart | Peak |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Australian Singles Chart Kent Music Report Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998... |
15 |
| Format | Country | Label | Catalogue No. | Year |
| 7" single | AUS | White Label | K-49 | 1986 |