Ian Page
Encyclopedia
Ian Page is a British
singer and author
, achieving notoriety as singer in the band Secret Affair
in the late 1970s.
Teaming up with guitarist Dave Cairns
while at school, Ian Page formed power pop
/punk
band New Hearts
and signed to CBS Records in 1977, releasing two singles and touring with The Jam
before the demise of the New Hearts in 1978.
Continuing to work with Cairns and forming Secret Affair, the two songwriters spent the second half of 1978 writing songs that would form the basis of the first two Secret Affair albums. Page sang lead vocals in the group and is also credited as the band's trumpeter and keyboardist on the sleeve of their first album, Glory Boys. In a period of a little over two years, the band posted five releases in the UK Singles Chart
, and released three albums. The debut single
"Time For Action" sold 198,000 copies and reached number 13 in the UK pop chart in 1979, putting them at the forefront of the mod revival
movement. More chart success followed with "Let Your Heart Dance", "My World" and "Sound Of Confusion".
Secret Affair regularly appeared on UK television show Top Of The Pops
and were cover stars of many UK magazines, including New Musical Express, Sounds and Smash Hits
. Likened to Jimmy Pursey
, Ian Page was often asked to appear on UK television programmes and was viewed as an articulate spokesman for his generation, although his opinionated views sometimes alienated as many potential fans as they won over.
After the split of Secret Affair in 1982, Page released two solo singles - "Too Young" and "Unity Street" - under the name of Ian Page and Bop before leaving music. In his lyrics he had often railed against the music industry and his decision to quit the business was borne out of the same frustration.
By the mid 1980s, he turned fantasy
author and wrote a series of spin-off books in the Lone Wolf
universe.
In 1999 he returned to the live stage, touring with his band Ian Page and The Affair, performing a mixture of his own hits, soul covers and new material. With this band he released a series of singles, including "Prove It". He parted company with this band in 2007, having recorded the largest part of an as yet unreleased album.
In 2002 he once again teamed up with Dave Cairns to reform Secret Affair, initially for three gigs in the UK, including a performance at London's Shepherds Bush Empire
. They returned in June the following year, playing at The Scala in London to promote the release of Time For Action: The Anthology (Sanctuary), a major CD retrospective of hits, rarities and previously unreleased tracks. The concert was filmed and released on DVD.
In 2005 Page and Cairns attempted to mend their sometimes fractious relationship and started work on a fourth Secret Affair album, recording five new songs. The album remains unfinished and unreleased as of September 2008. However, Ian Page & Dave Cairns appeared once again as Secret Affair at The Isle of Wight Scooter Rally, August 22 & The London Astoria 2, Sept 13th 2008.
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...
singer and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, achieving notoriety as singer in the band Secret Affair
Secret Affair
Secret Affair were a mod revival band, formed in 1978 and disbanded in 1982. They reformed to perform and record in the 2000s.-Career:In a period of a little over two years, Secret Affair posted five releases in the UK Singles Chart and released three albums...
in the late 1970s.
Teaming up with guitarist Dave Cairns
Dave Cairns
Dave Cairns is an English rock guitarist and songwriter, best known for his role in the 1970s/1980s band Secret Affair...
while at school, Ian Page formed power pop
Power pop
Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
/punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band New Hearts
New Hearts
New Hearts were a British band from London, England.-Biography:New Hearts evolved out of college band Splitz Kidz, who met at Loughton College, comprising Ian Page , Dave Cairns , John Harty and drummer Rob Milne. At the start of 1977, Milne was replaced by Matt McIntyre...
and signed to CBS Records in 1977, releasing two singles and touring with The Jam
The Jam
The Jam were an English punk rock/New Wave/mod revival band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. They were formed in Woking, Surrey. While they shared the "angry young men" outlook and fast tempos of their punk rock contemporaries, The Jam wore smartly tailored suits rather than ripped...
before the demise of the New Hearts in 1978.
Continuing to work with Cairns and forming Secret Affair, the two songwriters spent the second half of 1978 writing songs that would form the basis of the first two Secret Affair albums. Page sang lead vocals in the group and is also credited as the band's trumpeter and keyboardist on the sleeve of their first album, Glory Boys. In a period of a little over two years, the band posted five releases in 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 ...
, and released three albums. The debut 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...
"Time For Action" sold 198,000 copies and reached number 13 in the UK pop chart in 1979, putting them at the forefront of the mod revival
Mod Revival
The mod revival was a music genre and subculture that started in England in 1978 and later spread to other countries . The mod revival's mainstream popularity was relatively short, although its influence has lasted for decades...
movement. More chart success followed with "Let Your Heart Dance", "My World" and "Sound Of Confusion".
Secret Affair regularly appeared on UK television show Top Of The Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
and were cover stars of many UK magazines, including New Musical Express, Sounds and Smash Hits
Smash Hits
Smash Hits was a pop music based magazine, aimed at teenagers and young adults and originally published in the United Kingdom by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006 and was issued fortnightly for most of that time...
. Likened to Jimmy Pursey
Jimmy Pursey
Jimmy Pursey is an English singer and record producer. He was the founder and frontman of the English punk rock band, Sham 69 from 1976 to 1980, and from 1986 to 2006.-Biography:...
, Ian Page was often asked to appear on UK television programmes and was viewed as an articulate spokesman for his generation, although his opinionated views sometimes alienated as many potential fans as they won over.
After the split of Secret Affair in 1982, Page released two solo singles - "Too Young" and "Unity Street" - under the name of Ian Page and Bop before leaving music. In his lyrics he had often railed against the music industry and his decision to quit the business was borne out of the same frustration.
By the mid 1980s, he turned fantasy
Fantasy literature
Fantasy literature is fantasy in written form. Historically speaking, literature has composed the majority of fantasy works. Since the 1950s however, a growing segment of the fantasy genre has taken the form of films, television programs, graphic novels, video games, music, painting, and other...
author and wrote a series of spin-off books in the Lone Wolf
Lone Wolf (gamebooks)
Lone Wolf is a series of 28 gamebooks, created by Joe Dever and initially illustrated by Gary Chalk. The series began publishing in July 1984 and sold more than 10.2 million copies worldwide....
universe.
In 1999 he returned to the live stage, touring with his band Ian Page and The Affair, performing a mixture of his own hits, soul covers and new material. With this band he released a series of singles, including "Prove It". He parted company with this band in 2007, having recorded the largest part of an as yet unreleased album.
In 2002 he once again teamed up with Dave Cairns to reform Secret Affair, initially for three gigs in the UK, including a performance at London's Shepherds Bush Empire
Shepherds Bush Empire
The O2 Shepherds Bush Empire is a music venue in Shepherd's Bush, London, England, run by the Academy Music Group. It was built in 1903, as a music hall, and in 1953 became the BBC Television Theatre...
. They returned in June the following year, playing at The Scala in London to promote the release of Time For Action: The Anthology (Sanctuary), a major CD retrospective of hits, rarities and previously unreleased tracks. The concert was filmed and released on DVD.
In 2005 Page and Cairns attempted to mend their sometimes fractious relationship and started work on a fourth Secret Affair album, recording five new songs. The album remains unfinished and unreleased as of September 2008. However, Ian Page & Dave Cairns appeared once again as Secret Affair at The Isle of Wight Scooter Rally, August 22 & The London Astoria 2, Sept 13th 2008.
External links
- Secret Affair Official band site