Fairground Attraction
Encyclopedia
Fairground Attraction were a British
acoustic
pop
band
. They are best known for their hit
single
"Perfect
", and for helping to launch the career of lead vocalist
Eddi Reader
.
, and launched their first single, "Perfect", in April 1988. It was an immediate success, reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart
. Their album
The First of a Million Kisses
was a blend of folk
, jazz, country
, and cajun
elements (all but one of its songs being written by Nevin). Released in May 1988, it followed the success of "Perfect" by entering the UK Albums Chart
at number three, and rising to number two; it was eventually certified platinum
. Three other singles were released from the same album: "Find My Love" (which reached number seven on the UK Singles Chart), "A Smile in a Whisper", and "Clare".
At the 1989 BRIT Awards
"Perfect" won the award for best single, and The First of a Million Kisses won best album.
Although they were popular in Europe
an countries, and toured the United States
, their main success outside the UK
was in Japan
, where they toured in 1989 (a tour that produced their only live album
, Kawasaki Live in Japan 02.07.89).
In September 1989, however, during the recording
of their second album, rumours of arguments circulated, and in January 1990 the band split up. An album Ay Fond Kiss was released in 1990, and one of its songs, a cover of Patsy Cline's 1957 country hit "Walkin' After Midnight
", became their last single. The album was made up of B-side
s and other material recorded alongside the first album (many being collaborations by just two band members). Material for the second album went on to be recorded by Nevin with Brian Kennedy
under the name Sweetmouth, although eight tracks have since appeared sung by Reader on the Kawasaki Live in Japan 02.07.89 album.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
acoustic
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
. They are best known for their 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...
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...
"Perfect
Perfect (Fairground Attraction song)
"Perfect" is the title to Fairground Attraction's first single, released in March 1988.The single reached number one on the 9 May 1988 UK Singles Chart, where it stayed for one week, and stayed in the chart for thirteen weeks. It also reached number one in South Africa as well as in Australia for...
", and for helping to launch the career of lead vocalist
Lead vocalist
The lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
Eddi Reader
Eddi Reader
Eddi Reader MBE is a Scottish singer-songwriter, known both for her work with Fairground Attraction and for an enduring solo career. She is the recipient of three BRIT Awards and has topped both the album and singles charts...
.
Career
In 1987 Fairground Attraction were signed to RCARCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
, and launched their first single, "Perfect", in April 1988. It was an immediate success, reaching number one on 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 ...
. Their album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
The First of a Million Kisses
The First of a Million Kisses
The First of a Million Kisses was the first album by Fairground Attraction, released in 1988.The album was a characteristic blend of folk, jazz, country, and Cajun elements . Released in May 1988, it followed the success of the band's first single, "Perfect," by entering the album chart at number...
was a blend of folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, jazz, country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
, and cajun
Cajun
Cajuns are an ethnic group mainly living in the U.S. state of Louisiana, consisting of the descendants of Acadian exiles...
elements (all but one of its songs being written by Nevin). Released in May 1988, it followed the success of "Perfect" by entering the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
at number three, and rising to number two; it was eventually certified platinum
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
. Three other singles were released from the same album: "Find My Love" (which reached number seven on the UK Singles Chart), "A Smile in a Whisper", and "Clare".
At the 1989 BRIT Awards
Brit Awards
The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
"Perfect" won the award for best single, and The First of a Million Kisses won best album.
Although they were popular in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an countries, and toured the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, their main success outside the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
was in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, where they toured in 1989 (a tour that produced their only live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
, Kawasaki Live in Japan 02.07.89).
In September 1989, however, during the recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
of their second album, rumours of arguments circulated, and in January 1990 the band split up. An album Ay Fond Kiss was released in 1990, and one of its songs, a cover of Patsy Cline's 1957 country hit "Walkin' After Midnight
Walkin' After Midnight
"Walkin' After Midnight" is a song by written by Alan Block and Donn Hecht and originally recorded by American country music artist Patsy Cline. The song was originally given to pop singer Kay Starr; however, it was rejected by her record label. The song was left unused until Hecht rediscovered the...
", became their last single. The album was made up of B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
s and other material recorded alongside the first album (many being collaborations by just two band members). Material for the second album went on to be recorded by Nevin with Brian Kennedy
Brian Kennedy (singer)
Brian Edward Patrick Kennedy is an Irish singer-songwriter and author, known for his ballads, and has represented Ireland at Eurovision 2006. He is the younger brother of musician Bap Kennedy.-Personal life:...
under the name Sweetmouth, although eight tracks have since appeared sung by Reader on the Kawasaki Live in Japan 02.07.89 album.
Personnel
- Eddi ReaderEddi ReaderEddi Reader MBE is a Scottish singer-songwriter, known both for her work with Fairground Attraction and for an enduring solo career. She is the recipient of three BRIT Awards and has topped both the album and singles charts...
— vocals - born 28 August 1959, GlasgowGlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, ScotlandScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the... - Mark E. Nevin — 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...
- born 13 August 1959, Ebbw ValeEbbw ValeEbbw Vale is a town at the head of the valley formed by the Ebbw Fawr tributary of the Ebbw River, south Wales. It is the largest town and the administrative centre of Blaenau Gwent county borough...
, WalesWalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²... - Simon Edwards — guitarrón
- Roy Dodds — 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 ....
- born 11 July 1958
Singles
| Release date | Title | Chart Positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | Australia | New Zealand | ||
| March 1988 | "Perfect Perfect (Fairground Attraction song) "Perfect" is the title to Fairground Attraction's first single, released in March 1988.The single reached number one on the 9 May 1988 UK Singles Chart, where it stayed for one week, and stayed in the chart for thirteen weeks. It also reached number one in South Africa as well as in Australia for... " |
1 | 1 | 4 |
| July 1988 | "Find My Love" | 7 | - | 34 |
| November 1988 | "A Smile in a Whisper" | 75 | - | - |
| January 1989 | "Clare" | 49 | - | - |
| May 1990 | "Walking after Midnight" | 97 | - | - |
Studio albums
- The First of a Million KissesThe First of a Million KissesThe First of a Million Kisses was the first album by Fairground Attraction, released in 1988.The album was a characteristic blend of folk, jazz, country, and Cajun elements . Released in May 1988, it followed the success of the band's first single, "Perfect," by entering the album chart at number...
(1988) - Ay Fond Kiss (1990)
- Kawasaki Live in Japan 02.07.89 (2003)
Compilation albums
- The Collection: Fairground Attraction, featuring Eddi Reader (1994)
- Perfect: The Best of Fairground Attraction (1995)
- The Very Best of Fairground Attraction, featuring Eddi Reader (1996)
- The Masters (1997)
- 80s Eternal Best: Fairground Attraction Best (1998)
- The Best of Fairground Attraction (2004)
Videos
- The First of a Million Kisses (1990)
- Collection of music videoMusic videoA 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: "Perfect", "Find My Love", "A Smile in a Whisper", "Clare"
- Collection of music video
- Live at Full House (1990)
- Live performances from GermanGermanyGermany , 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...
televisionTelevisionTelevision is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
show called Live at Full House:
- Live performances from German