Cutting Crew
Encyclopedia
The Cutting Crew is a pop rock
band formed in England
in 1985
, best known for their #1 hit
, "(I Just) Died in Your Arms
".
founded the group along with Canadian
guitarist
Kevin MacMichael
in 1985, and the two made demos
that led to a recording contract
, before bassist
Colin Farley and drummer
Martin Beadle joined in 1986.
Their first album, Broadcast, was released on Virgin Records
in 1986. Although Virgin Records was already a major label in the UK, this song provided the first U.S.
hit for Virgin as a full-fledged label. Virgin flew the band to New York City
for initial recordings of the album, then to Australia
to shoot music video
s. The unknown band shot to #1 in the major US market, as well as smaller markets such as Canada
and Norway
, with their debut single, "(I Just) Died in Your Arms
". Their most popular single
, it was a multiformat success in the US, where it also reached number four on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, #24 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
chart and —in an extended remix version— #37 on the Hot Dance/Club Play
chart. The song peaked at #4 in another major market, the UK Singles Chart
, as well as becoming a hit in the smaller Switzerland
and South Africa
markets. It went to #2 in Sweden
and Ireland
, and #9 in Austria
.
The choice for follow-up single in the UK had been "I've Been In Love Before", but that song spent only three weeks in the UK Top 40, peaking at #31. Their choice for follow-up single in the U.S. was their third UK release, "One For The Mockingbird", but the song was a relative commercial disappointment on both sides of the Atlantic, just cracking the Top 40 of the Hot 100 at #38 and hitting #29 on the Mainstream Rock chart in the U.S., #47 in Canada and #52 in the UK Singles Chart.
The band took a chance on "I've Been in Love Before" again, this time with greater success. The song became Cutting Crew's second U.S. Top 10 on the Hot 100, peaking at #9, and was their first major hit on the U.S. Adult Contemporary chart, where it peaked at #4. This success prompted a UK re-release, and this time it spent five weeks in the UK Singles Chart Top 40, peaking at #24. The song failed to chart throughout most of Europe, but it peaked at #8 in Canada. Despite an unflattering review by Rolling Stone magazine, the band received a Grammy
nomination as the Best New Artist of 1987.
The Scattering was released in early 1989. Its lead single, "(Between a) Rock and a Hard Place", (CA 54, UK 66, U.S. 77) failed to reach the Top 40. Van Eede's vocal style, however, did score a sizable U.S. Adult Contemporary hit with "Everything But My Pride." That song peaked at #4 and stayed in the top 50 for 22 weeks. It climbed to #72 on the Canadian pop charts, though it failed to hit the U.S. Hot 100. The prophetically named "The Last Thing" scaled the AC charts as high as #17 in early 1990 and went to #90 on the Canadian chart, and has been their final chart hit to date. Although a video for the title track did air briefly in the UK and North America, "The Scattering" failed to chart.
Cutting Crew's third album, Compus Mentus, released in 1992, failed to chart.
After the band broke up in 1993, MacMichael joined forces with Robert Plant
, and played on his Fate of Nations
album. MacMichael died of lung cancer
on New Year's Eve 2002, at his home in Nova Scotia
, at the age of 51.
Van Eede continued as a solo artist, producer, and songwriter. Colin Farley, the bass player in the 1980s line up, currently lives in Surrey
and continues to work in the music industry, playing with his new band in pubs
. Drummer Frosty Beedle has a successful career as a session musician and in the West End.
In 2005, Van Eede reformed the group with a completely new line-up. They released an album, Grinning Souls, in February 2006 on the Hypertension record label
. The new band toured Germany
early the same year and played on tours in the UK and Denmark
. In 2008, Cutting Crew signed a U.S. deal with label Spectra Records
.
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
band formed in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1985
1985 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1985.-January–March:*January 1 - The newest music video channel, VH-1, debuts on American cable. It is aimed at an older demographic than its sister station, MTV...
, best known for their #1 hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
, "(I Just) Died in Your Arms
(I Just) Died in Your Arms
" Died in Your Arms" is a power ballad written by Nick Van Eede and introduced by his band, Cutting Crew, in 1986. It was their biggest hit, peaking at #1 in the United States, Canada and Finland, and reaching the top five in the UK, South Africa, Sweden and Switzerland.-Background of the music and...
".
Career
Vocalist Nick Van EedeNick Van Eede
Nick Van Eede is an English musician, producer and songwriter. He is best remembered for singing and writing the 1987 U.S...
founded the group along with Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Kevin MacMichael
Kevin MacMichael
Kevin Scott MacMichael was a Canadian guitarist, songwriter and record producer, best known for being a member of the 1980s English based pop-rock band, Cutting Crew, who had a number-one hit in 1987 with " Died in Your Arms"...
in 1985, and the two made demos
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
that led to a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
, before bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Colin Farley and drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Martin Beadle joined in 1986.
Their first album, Broadcast, was released on Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
in 1986. Although Virgin Records was already a major label in the UK, this song provided the first U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
hit for Virgin as a full-fledged label. Virgin flew the band to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
for initial recordings of the album, then to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
to shoot music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s. The unknown band shot to #1 in the major US market, as well as smaller markets such as Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, with their debut single, "(I Just) Died in Your Arms
(I Just) Died in Your Arms
" Died in Your Arms" is a power ballad written by Nick Van Eede and introduced by his band, Cutting Crew, in 1986. It was their biggest hit, peaking at #1 in the United States, Canada and Finland, and reaching the top five in the UK, South Africa, Sweden and Switzerland.-Background of the music and...
". Their most popular single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, it was a multiformat success in the US, where it also reached number four on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, #24 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
chart and —in an extended remix version— #37 on the Hot Dance/Club Play
Hot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
chart. The song peaked at #4 in another major market, the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, as well as becoming a hit in the smaller Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
markets. It went to #2 in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, and #9 in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
.
The choice for follow-up single in the UK had been "I've Been In Love Before", but that song spent only three weeks in the UK Top 40, peaking at #31. Their choice for follow-up single in the U.S. was their third UK release, "One For The Mockingbird", but the song was a relative commercial disappointment on both sides of the Atlantic, just cracking the Top 40 of the Hot 100 at #38 and hitting #29 on the Mainstream Rock chart in the U.S., #47 in Canada and #52 in the UK Singles Chart.
The band took a chance on "I've Been in Love Before" again, this time with greater success. The song became Cutting Crew's second U.S. Top 10 on the Hot 100, peaking at #9, and was their first major hit on the U.S. Adult Contemporary chart, where it peaked at #4. This success prompted a UK re-release, and this time it spent five weeks in the UK Singles Chart Top 40, peaking at #24. The song failed to chart throughout most of Europe, but it peaked at #8 in Canada. Despite an unflattering review by Rolling Stone magazine, the band received a Grammy
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nomination as the Best New Artist of 1987.
The Scattering was released in early 1989. Its lead single, "(Between a) Rock and a Hard Place", (CA 54, UK 66, U.S. 77) failed to reach the Top 40. Van Eede's vocal style, however, did score a sizable U.S. Adult Contemporary hit with "Everything But My Pride." That song peaked at #4 and stayed in the top 50 for 22 weeks. It climbed to #72 on the Canadian pop charts, though it failed to hit the U.S. Hot 100. The prophetically named "The Last Thing" scaled the AC charts as high as #17 in early 1990 and went to #90 on the Canadian chart, and has been their final chart hit to date. Although a video for the title track did air briefly in the UK and North America, "The Scattering" failed to chart.
Cutting Crew's third album, Compus Mentus, released in 1992, failed to chart.
After the band broke up in 1993, MacMichael joined forces with Robert Plant
Robert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...
, and played on his Fate of Nations
Fate of Nations
Fate of Nations is Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant's sixth studio album. It was released in 1993 and re-released in a remastered edition on March 20, 2007. It features former Cutting Crew guitarist Kevin Scott MacMichael. The lead singer of Clannad, Máire Brennan is featured on the track "Come...
album. MacMichael died of lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
on New Year's Eve 2002, at his home in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, at the age of 51.
Van Eede continued as a solo artist, producer, and songwriter. Colin Farley, the bass player in the 1980s line up, currently lives in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
and continues to work in the music industry, playing with his new band in pubs
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
. Drummer Frosty Beedle has a successful career as a session musician and in the West End.
In 2005, Van Eede reformed the group with a completely new line-up. They released an album, Grinning Souls, in February 2006 on the Hypertension record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
. The new band toured Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
early the same year and played on tours in the UK and Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. In 2008, Cutting Crew signed a U.S. deal with label Spectra Records
Spectra Records
The Spectra Music Group is a United States music company founded in February 1997 comprising the independent record company Spectra Records—which is based in the United States and Canada.-Labels and projects:...
.
Members 1985-1993
- Nick Van EedeNick Van EedeNick Van Eede is an English musician, producer and songwriter. He is best remembered for singing and writing the 1987 U.S...
- lead vocals, rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA 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... - Kevin MacMichaelKevin MacMichaelKevin Scott MacMichael was a Canadian guitarist, songwriter and record producer, best known for being a member of the 1980s English based pop-rock band, Cutting Crew, who had a number-one hit in 1987 with " Died in Your Arms"...
- lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure... - Colin Farley - bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Martin "Frosty" Beedle - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Tony MooreTony Moore (musician)Tony Moore is an English singer/songwriter, musician, radio presenter and music promoter. He was also one of the early members of Iron Maiden...
- keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA 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...
Members 2005-present
- Nick Van EedeNick Van EedeNick Van Eede is an English musician, producer and songwriter. He is best remembered for singing and writing the 1987 U.S...
- lead vocals, rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA 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... - Gareth Moulton - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Sam Flynn - Keyboards
- Dominic Finley - Bass
- Tom Arnold - Drums
Discography
- 1986 Broadcast
- 1989 The Scattering
- 1992 Compus Mentus
- 2006 Grinning Souls