Londonbeat
Encyclopedia
Londonbeat was originally a UK and American
R&B
and Dance
band
who scored a number of pop
and dance hits
in the early 1990s.
where "There's a Beat Going On" reached the Top 10, and then "9 A.M (The Comfort Zone)" which subsequently became a modest success in the United Kingdom
. They are best known for their song "I've Been Thinking About You
", which hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100
and the Hot Dance Music/Club Play charts
in 1991, and for their close harmonies
. Original Management Hyperkinetics Ltd London UK
with "I'm Just Your Puppet on a ... (String)", however they were not selected to go to the main contest (losing out to rap group Love City Groove
) and the single stalled at Number 55 in the UK Singles Chart
.
In 2003, Londonbeat re-grouped with a new line up and signed to German
record label
Coconut
. An album called Back in the Hi-Life featured re-recordings of "A Better Love" and "I've Been Thinkin' About You" amongst the new tracks.
Marc Goldschmitz left the band in 2004.
Living in Berlin now, he currently plays guitar in the band "Leash".
In 2011 Londonbeat were featured on two tracks on The Crossing (Expansion Records) by Brazilian pianist Eumir Deodato
, the title track (with guest percussionist Paco Sery
) and No Getting Over You.
Band members include American
s Jimmy Helms
(who also had a successful solo career and sang radio jingles for the likes of Radio Hallam and Hereward Radio in the UK ) and George Chandler (formerly a founding member and frontman of The Olympic Runners
); with Jimmy Chambers (born 20 January 1946), from Trinidad
, and multi-instrumentalist William Henshall UK born (credited as Willy M). Their follow-up single "A Better Love" became a Billboard Hot 100 Top 20 hit, and they returned to #1 on the dance chart with "Come Back" (Hot 100 #62).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
and Dance
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
who scored a number of 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...
and dance hits
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...
in the early 1990s.
History
Londonbeat's career started in the NetherlandsNetherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
where "There's a Beat Going On" reached the Top 10, and then "9 A.M (The Comfort Zone)" which subsequently became a modest success in the United Kingdom
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...
. They are best known for their song "I've Been Thinking About You
I've Been Thinking About You
"I've Been Thinking About You" is a song recorded by Londonbeat. It was released as a single in the last months of 1990 in many countries.It hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 13, 1991, having hit number two in the United Kingdom the previous year...
", which hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and the Hot Dance Music/Club Play charts
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
in 1991, and for their close harmonies
Harmony
In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...
. Original Management Hyperkinetics Ltd London UK
Demos
A demo of "I've Been Thinking About You" surfaced on audio cassettes and circulated amongst record companies around the time Londonbeat released their debut in 1988. "I've Been Thinking About You" was originally intended for release on Speak. However, record labels advised the band to hold off releasing the song on their debut LP so that the band could, as labels said, "... find its footing; develop an audience". The demo recording, originally completed in late 1987, is currently circulating on the internet, and originally brought to the internet's attention in a link to a Londonbeat on a German message board in 2006. German magazines, however, reported on the song just as Speak was being released in 1988.Comeback
In 1995, Londonbeat entered the UK heats of the Eurovision Song ContestEurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
with "I'm Just Your Puppet on a ... (String)", however they were not selected to go to the main contest (losing out to rap group Love City Groove
Love City Groove
Love City Groove represented the United Kingdom in the 1995 Eurovision Song Contest, with a self-titled song after being the runaway winner in a public vote. The pop/rap song finished tenth with 76 points; and peaked at #7 on the UK Singles Chart. Love City Groove were formed by a collective...
) and the single stalled at Number 55 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 ...
.
In 2003, Londonbeat re-grouped with a new line up and signed to German
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...
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,...
Coconut
Coconut Records
Coconut Records is a German record label formed in 1981 by producers Tony Hendrik and Karin Hartmann. Acts that have been signed to Coconut have included Bad Boys Blue, C. C. Catch, Haddaway, Londonbeat, Chyp-Notic, The Searchers, Soultans, the Weather Girls, Rammstein and Modern Talking.The...
. An album called Back in the Hi-Life featured re-recordings of "A Better Love" and "I've Been Thinkin' About You" amongst the new tracks.
Marc Goldschmitz left the band in 2004.
Living in Berlin now, he currently plays guitar in the band "Leash".
In 2011 Londonbeat were featured on two tracks on The Crossing (Expansion Records) by Brazilian pianist Eumir Deodato
Eumir Deodato
Eumir Deodato is a Brazilian pianist, composer, record producer and arranger, primarily based in the jazz realm but who historically has been known for eclectic melding of big band and combo jazz with varied elements of rock/pop, R&B/funk, Brazilian/Latin, and symphonic or orchestral music.Mainly,...
, the title track (with guest percussionist Paco Sery
Paco Sery
Paco Sery is a world music and jazz fusion drummer. He has played with Joe Zawinul and Eddy Louiss. He also has his own band, releasing his first solo album, Voyages, in 2000.-With Sixun:*2008 Palabre...
) and No Getting Over You.
1980s and 1990s
- Jimmy Helms
- Jimmy Chambers
- George Chandler
- William Henshall (Willy M)
Band members include American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
s Jimmy Helms
Jimmy Helms
James H. Helms is an American soul singer.-Early days:Helms' first release "Ragtime Girl" was put out on Pye Records in 1963...
(who also had a successful solo career and sang radio jingles for the likes of Radio Hallam and Hereward Radio in the UK ) and George Chandler (formerly a founding member and frontman of The Olympic Runners
The Olympic Runners
-External links:*...
); with Jimmy Chambers (born 20 January 1946), from Trinidad
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
, and multi-instrumentalist William Henshall UK born (credited as Willy M). Their follow-up single "A Better Love" became a Billboard Hot 100 Top 20 hit, and they returned to #1 on the dance chart with "Come Back" (Hot 100 #62).
Studio albums
- Speak (1988)
- In the BloodIn the Blood (album)- Singles :- Londonbeat :* Jimmy Helms: lead vocal* Jimmy Chambers:* George Chandler: vocal* William Henshall- Session musicians :* Mark Pender: trumpet* John Turnbull: guitar* Dave Winthrop: saxophone* Ian Green: bass, guitars, keyboards, programming...
(1990) - HarmonyHarmony (Londonbeat album)Harmony is the third album by British-based American R&B/dance group Londonbeat, released in 1992 on the Anxious label. Although less successful than its predecessor In the Blood, Harmony produced two minor UK hits, "You Bring on the Sun" and "That's How I Feel About You"...
(1993) - Londonbeat (1994)
- Back in the Hi-Life (2003)
- Gravity (2004)
Singles
- "Killer Drop / One Blink / Beat Patrol" (1988)
- "There's a Beat Going On" (1988)
- "9 A.M. (The Comfort Zone)" (1988)
- "Failing in Love Again" (1989)
- "It Takes Two Baby" (1989)
- "I've Been Thinking About YouI've Been Thinking About You"I've Been Thinking About You" is a song recorded by Londonbeat. It was released as a single in the last months of 1990 in many countries.It hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 13, 1991, having hit number two in the United Kingdom the previous year...
" (1990) - "A Better Love" (1990)
- "It's in the Blood" (1991)
- "No Woman, No CryNo Woman, No Cry"No Woman, No Cry" is a reggae song by Bob Marley & The Wailers. The song first became known in 1974 through the studio album Natty Dread. The live version from the 1975 album Live! is perhaps best known — it was this version which was released on the greatest hits compilation Legend. The original...
" (1991) - "This Is Your Life" (1991)
- "You Bring on the Sun" (1992)
- "That's How I Feel About You" (1992)
- "Lover You Send Me Colours" (1992)
- "Come Back" (1994)
- "I'm Just Your Puppet on a...(String!)" (1995)
- "Build it with Love" (1995)
- "Read Between Your Eyes" (1999)
- "Where Are U" (2003)
- "The Air" (2004)
- "I've Been Thinking About You" (with DamaeDamaeDamae Klein is a German born model, tv presenter and singer-songwriter who debuted as a vocalist on the Fragma track "You Are Alive". At the age of 14, Damae was discovered by a photographer from the teen magazine Bravo in Germany and began modeling...
) (2004) - "Heaven" (2004)