Pseudo Echo
Encyclopedia
Pseudo Echo are an Australian New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...

 band formed in 1982 in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

. The original line-up consisted of Brian Canham (vocal
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...

s, guitar
Guitar
The 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...

s and keyboards
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...

), Pierre Gigliotti (as Pierre Pierre) (bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

, keyboards), Tony Lugton (guitar
Guitar
The 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...

s and keyboards) and Anthony Argiro (drums). A later line-up included James Leigh (keyboards) and his brother, Vince Leigh (drums). In the 1980s, Pseudo Echo had Australian top 20 hits with "Listening", "A Beat for You", "Don't Go", "Love an Adventure", "Living in a Dream" and their cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...

 of "Funky Town
Funkytown
"Funkytown" is a 1980 disco hit song by the disco band Lipps Inc. The song expresses the singer's pining for a metaphorical place that will "keep me movin', keeps me groovin' with some energy". It reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Dance charts in 1980, also reaching number 1 in Germany,...

", which peaked at No. 1 in 1986. In 1987, it reached No. 1 in Canada and New Zealand, No. 6 in United States and No. 8 in United Kingdom.

They released their debut album, Autumnal Park in 1984 which peaked at No. 11 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...

. Love an Adventure followed in 1985 and reached No. 14. Their third album, Race (1989) peaked at No. 18 and in 1990 the group disbanded. They reformed in 1998 and issued Teleporter in 2000. Rock music historian Ian McFarlane, stated they "combined flash clothes, blow-wave hairstyles, youthful exuberance and accessible synth-pop to arrive at a winning combination ... and found a ready-made audience among teenagers who fawned on the band's every move".

Formation

Pseudo Echo formed in Melbourne in 1982 by school friends Brian Canham on vocal
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...

s, guitar
Guitar
The 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...

s, and keyboards
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...

 and Pierre Gigliotti (as Pierre Pierre) on bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

 on keyboards, they were joined by Tony Lugton (ex-James Freud & the Radio Stars
James Freud
James Randall Freud was an Australian rock musician-songwriter. He was a member of Models during the 1980s and wrote their two most popular singles, "Barbados" and "Out of Mind, Out of Sight"....

) on guitars and keyboards The group were named for a sound effect available on their keyboards and were influended by New Romantics bands, Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...

, Spandau Ballet
Spandau Ballet
Spandau Ballet are a British band formed in London in the late 1970s. Initially inspired by, and an integral part of, the New Romantic fashion, their music has featured a mixture of funk, jazz, soul and synthpop. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s, achieving ten Top Ten singles...

 and Ultravox
Ultravox
Ultravox is a British New Wave rock band. They were one of the primary exponents of the British electronic pop music movement of the late 1970s/early 1980s. The band was particularly associated with the New Romantic and New Wave movements....

. Molly Meldrum, television presenter for pop music series Countdown, saw the group at a gig and aired them on the show with a demo version of "Listening" in June 1983. The band initially used a drum machine
Drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...

 until replaced by Anthony Argiro (drums
Drum kit
A 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 ....

) in July. They were signed to EMI Records
EMI Records
EMI Records is the flagship record label founded by the EMI company in 1972 and launched in January 1973 as the successor to its Columbia label. The EMI label was launched worldwide...

 and "Listening" – produced by Peter Dawkins
Peter Dawkins
Peter Dawkins may refer to:*Pete Dawkins, Vice Chairman of the CitiGroup Private Bank and former Chairman/CEO of Primerica Financial Services, Inc.*Peter Dawkins , English founder of the Francis Bacon Research Trust...

 – was issued in November as their debut single, which peaked at No. 4 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.

Their first album Autumnal Park, produced by Dawkins and John Punter
John Punter
John Punter is an English music producer and recording engineer. He has worked with many bands and musicians, such as Japan, Procol Harum, Roxy Music and Slade. His career in music spanned over 30 years and many different genres...

, was released in June 1984, which peaked at No. 11 on the Kent Music Report Albums Chart. It was an Ultravox-influenced effort which, besides "Listening", yielded the singles "A Beat for You" (No. 12 in April), "Stranger in Me" (July) and "Dancing Till Midnight" (December). "His Eyes", another album track, received overseas exposure when it was used in the film Friday the 13th: A New Beginning
Friday the 13th: A New Beginning
Friday the 13th: A New Beginning is a 1985 slasher film. It was released on March 22, 1985. It is the fifth film in the Friday the 13th film series...

.

Second album: Love an Adventure

Pseudo Echo's Tony Lugton was replaced by James Leigh (aka James Dingli) in October 1984. Tony Lugton left the band due to musical differences. Lugton eventually joined synth rock band Talk That Walk. Another line-up change occurred just after the recording of the second album, Love an Adventure, with Argiro replaced by James's brother Vince Leigh (aka Vincent Dingli). In November 1985, Canham joined a charity project for research on Fairy penguins
Little Penguin
The Little Penguin is the smallest species of penguin. The penguin, which usually grows to an average of in height and in length , is found on the coastlines of southern Australia and New Zealand, with possible records from Chile.Apart from Little Penguins, they have several common names...

, as a guest vocalist with other Australian artists and backed by The Incredible Penguins
The Incredible Penguins
The Incredible Penguins were an Australian supergroup formed in 1985, which reached the top ten on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart with their cover of "Happy Xmas " in December. Contributors included Angry Anderson , Bob Geldof, Brian Mannix , Scott Carne , Colleen Hewett, and John...

. They covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...

 the John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...

 and Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono
is a Japanese artist, musician, author and peace activist, known for her work in avant-garde art, music and filmmaking as well as her marriage to John Lennon...

 hit "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
"Happy Xmas " is a song written by John Lennon and Yoko Ono and released in 1971 as a single by John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band with the Harlem Community Choir....

", which peaked at No. 10 in December.

Their second album, issued in November, was produced by Mark S. Berry, and Brian Canham, which reached No. 14. Three of its singles reached the Top 20 including "Don't Go" (No. 4 in October), "Love an Adventure" (No. 6 in January 1986), and "Living in a Dream" (No. 15 in May). A fourth single, "Try" (August), did not peak into the Top 50.

In October, Pseudo Echo released a rockier version of the Lipps, Inc. disco song "Funky Town", which spent twelve weeks at number-one from December. The album, Love an Adventure, was re-released the following year to include their remake of "Funky Town" which brought the group their biggest international success, the single reached No. 6 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...

 in the United States, and No. 8 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 ...

 in July 1987.

The overseas release of Love an Adventure featured a different track listing and included re-mixed versions of three singles from Autumnal Park: "Listening", "A Beat for You", and "Destination Unknown". These were more rock-oriented, to better match the other album tracks. Canham re-recorded his vocals for a slicker sound for the rock remixes. The overseas version of Love an Adventure had the re-make of "Funky Town" replacing "Don't Go".

In 1987, the band re-released "Listening" for the movie North Shore
North Shore (film)
North Shore is a 1987 film about Rick Kane , a young fictional surfer from a wave tank in Arizona, who heads to surf the season on the North Shore of Oahu and see if he has the skills to cut it as a pro surfer...

starring Nia Peeples
Nia Peeples
Virenia Gwendolyn "Nia" Peeples is an American R&B and dance music singer and actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Nicole Chapman on Fame...

. In October they won the 1987 World Popular Song Festival (aka Yamaha Music Festival) with "Take on the World", which provided a prize of US$10,000. Their third album, Race (1989), produced by Julian Mendelsohn
Julian Mendelsohn
Julian Mendelsohn is a British record producer, audio engineer and mixer. Records bearing his work have been featured on English top ten charts...

 and Brian Canham, had a more mature rock sound. It featured the Australian singles "Fooled Again", "Over Tomorrow", "Eye of the Storm", and "Don't You Forget". The album reached No. 18 on the Kent Music Report Albums Chart and No. 32 on the ARIA Albums Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...

. The band's move to a more rock, metal genre had alienated a portion of their established fan base. Pseudo Echo disbanded shortly after touring for Race in 1990. Rock music historian, Ian McFarlane, stated they "combined flash clothes, blow-wave hairstyles, youthful exuberance and accessible synth-pop to arrive at a winning combination ... and found a ready-made audience among teenagers who fawned on the band's every move".

Recent projects

After Pseudo Echo disbanded in 1990, Canham moved into record production including Chocolate Starfish
Chocolate Starfish
Chocolate Starfish were an Australian rock music group based in Melbourne, Australia, releasing a number of hits in the early '90s, before disbanding in 1998....

's 1994 debut album, Chocolate Starfish, which peaked at No. 2 on the ARIA Albums Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...

. Gigliotti performed with a covers band, All the Young Dudes. The Leigh brothers formed Vertigo (later renamed as Invertigo
Invertigo
Invertigo were an Australian four-piece pop/rock group active in the early 2000s.Its members were Christian Argenti as well as brothers Gerry Leigh , James Leigh and Vince Leigh Invertigo were an Australian four-piece pop/rock group active in the early 2000s.Its members were Christian Argenti (b....

) in 1996. In 1997, Canham formed Brill with Darren Danielson (ex-Chocolate Starfish) on drums.

Pseudo Echo reunited in March 1998, with Canham and Gigliotti joined by Danielson on drums and Tony Featherstone on keyboards (ex-The Badloves
The Badloves
The Badloves is an Australian band that formed in 1990, dissolved in 1997 and reformed in 2008.-1990:The Badloves were formed by frontman Michael Spiby in Melbourne during January 1990 under the name DC3. The band consisted of Spiby , his brother John Spiby , John Housden , Stephen O'Prey and...

) to tour. With Andy McIvor added on bass guitar and Dave Stuart on Keyboards, they toured as Brill and issued an album, Brill in August. In late 1999, as Pseudo Echo, Canham and Gigliotti were joined by Ben Grayson on keyboards and released an EP Funkytown Y2K: RMX, with six new remixes of "Funky Town". In 2000, they supported international artists Culture Club
Culture Club
Culture Club are a British rock band who were part of the 1980s New Romantic movement. The original band consisted of Boy George , Mikey Craig , Roy Hay and Jon Moss...

 and Village People
Village People
Village People is a concept disco group that formed in the United States in 1977, well known for their on-stage costumes depicting American cultural stereotypes, as well as their catchy tunes and suggestive lyrics....

. Pseudo Echo issued a double-CD Teleporter (2000), produced by Canham. One disc featured four new tracks and five re-mixed tracks. The second disc was a live performance, which featured all the tracks from Autumnal Park except "From the Shore", some tracks from Love an Adventure and the rare B-side "In Their Time". Since reuniting, the band toured Australia, including with the "Idols of the 80s" in 2005. In April 2010, they played two sold out shows in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...

, South Australia, and then toured nationwide.

Influences

Pseudo Echo were originally influenced by Simple Minds
Simple Minds
Simple Minds are a Scottish rock band who achieved worldwide popularity from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. The band produced a handful of critically acclaimed albums in the early 1980s and best known for their #1 US, Canada and Netherlands hit single "Don't You ", from the soundtrack of the...

, Ultravox
Ultravox
Ultravox is a British New Wave rock band. They were one of the primary exponents of the British electronic pop music movement of the late 1970s/early 1980s. The band was particularly associated with the New Romantic and New Wave movements....

, Japan
Japan (band)
Japan were a British New Wave group, formed in 1974 in Catford, South London. The band achieved success in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when they were often associated with the burgeoning New Romantic fashion movement .- History :The band began as a group of friends...

 and then later Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...

 and The Human League
The Human League
The Human League are an English electronic New Wave band formed in Sheffield in 1977. They achieved popularity after a key change in line-up in the early 1980s and have continued recording and performing with moderate commercial success throughout the 1980s up to the present day.The only constant...

.

Studio albums

  • Autumnal Park (1984) AUS: KMR
    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...

     No. 11
    • Pseudo Echo (1984) (US version of Autumnal Park)
  • Love an Adventure (1986) (An alternate version was released in the US in 1987) AUS: KMR No. 14 #57 (US)
  • Race (1989) AUS: KMR No. 18, ARIA
    ARIA Charts
    The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...

     No. 32
  • Teleporter (2000)

Compilation albums

  • Long Plays 83-87 (1987) AUS: KMR No. 44
  • Best Adventures (1995)
  • The 301 Demo Sessions (2006)

Singles

  • "Listening" / "In Their Time" (1983)1st version#4(AUS) 2nd #2(AUS)
  • "A Beat For You" / "Autumnal Park" (1983)#11(AUS)
  • "Dancing Until Midnight" / "Scripts" (1984)#UNKNOWN
  • "New York Dance Mix" (1984)#UNKNOWN
  • "Stranger in Me" / "Turning the Pages" (1984)#57 (AUS)
  • "Don't Go" / "Living in a Dream (Jazz)" (1985)#4 (AUS)
  • "Love an Adventure" / "All Tied Up" (1985)#6 (AUS)
  • "Living in a Dream" / "Loose Ends" (1986)#15 (AUS) #57 (US)
  • "Try" / "Lonely Without You" (1986)#
  • "Funky Town
    Funkytown
    "Funkytown" is a 1980 disco hit song by the disco band Lipps Inc. The song expresses the singer's pining for a metaphorical place that will "keep me movin', keeps me groovin' with some energy". It reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Dance charts in 1980, also reaching number 1 in Germany,...

    " / "Lies Are Nothing" (1986)#1 (AUS) #6 (US) #8(UK)
  • "Fooled Again" / "Take on the World" (1988)#UNKNOWN
  • "Over Tomorrow" / "Wings" / "Nothing to Say" (1989)#UNKNOWN
  • "Eye of the Storm" / "Don't You Forget" (1989)#UNKNOWN
  • "Funkytown Y2K:RMX" (1999)#NOT RATED

External links

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