The Blue Ox Babes
Encyclopedia
The Blue Ox Babes were an English
pop
group, formed in early 1981 by the former Dexys Midnight Runners
guitarist Kevin 'Al' Archer, together with his girlfriend Yasmin Saleh, and former Dexys keyboard player Andy Leek
. Archer was keen to mix the soul
sounds of his previous group with folk styles. To this end he recruited fiddle player Helen O'Hara
to play on demo tapes of the new songs he had written. When former colleague Kevin Rowland
heard these demo tapes, he invited O'Hara to join Dexys, and adopted a similarly folk-influenced sound for his own group.
By the time The Blue Ox Babes finally released their debut single "There's No Deceiving You" on Go! Discs
in 1988, the line-up consisted of Archer (guitar and vocals), Saleh (backing vocals), Pete Wain (piano), Nick Smith (saxophone), Ian Pettitt (drums), former Dexys members Steve 'Brennan' Shaw (fiddle), and Steve Wynne (bass).
"There's No Deceiving You" was only a minor chart entry, peaking at #92 UK. Two other singles, "Apples and Oranges" and "Walking On The Line", were released, but sales were disappointing and these singles did not chart. A planned album Apples & Oranges was recorded by the group but shelved, and the Blue Ox Babes broke up shortly thereafter.
In 2009, a CD of Apples & Oranges was finally released, containing all their recordings for Go! Discs, through Cherry Red Records. The package included all their singles plus many unreleased songs - and several additional demos were also made available as downloads.
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...
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...
group, formed in early 1981 by the former Dexys Midnight Runners
Dexys Midnight Runners
Dexys Midnight Runners are a British pop group with soul influences, who achieved their major success in the early to mid 1980s. They are best known for their songs "Come On Eileen" and "Geno", both of which went No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart....
guitarist Kevin 'Al' Archer, together with his girlfriend Yasmin Saleh, and former Dexys keyboard player Andy Leek
Andy Leek
Andy Leek is an English musician, noted for his work with Dexys Midnight Runners.-Biography:Andy began his musical career while still at school fronting progressive punk band The Wailing Cocks...
. Archer was keen to mix the soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
sounds of his previous group with folk styles. To this end he recruited fiddle player Helen O'Hara
Helen O'Hara
Helen O'Hara is a British musician, formerly a member of the band Dexys Midnight Runners between 1982 and 1987, including performing on songs such as "Come on Eileen" from the Too-Rye-Ay album....
to play on demo tapes of the new songs he had written. When former colleague Kevin Rowland
Kevin Rowland
Kevin Rowland is an English singer-songwriter and former frontman for the pop band Dexys Midnight Runners, which had several hits in the early 1980s, the most notable being "Geno" and "Come On Eileen".-Career:...
heard these demo tapes, he invited O'Hara to join Dexys, and adopted a similarly folk-influenced sound for his own group.
By the time The Blue Ox Babes finally released their debut single "There's No Deceiving You" on Go! Discs
Go! Discs Records
Go! Discs was a Hammersmith, London based record label, launched in 1983 by Andy MacDonald and Lesley Symons. With artists like Billy Bragg, The Housemartins and later The Beautiful South, it became a prominent label. Go! Beat Records was launched as a subsidiary for dance artists like Beats...
in 1988, the line-up consisted of Archer (guitar and vocals), Saleh (backing vocals), Pete Wain (piano), Nick Smith (saxophone), Ian Pettitt (drums), former Dexys members Steve 'Brennan' Shaw (fiddle), and Steve Wynne (bass).
"There's No Deceiving You" was only a minor chart entry, peaking at #92 UK. Two other singles, "Apples and Oranges" and "Walking On The Line", were released, but sales were disappointing and these singles did not chart. A planned album Apples & Oranges was recorded by the group but shelved, and the Blue Ox Babes broke up shortly thereafter.
In 2009, a CD of Apples & Oranges was finally released, containing all their recordings for Go! Discs, through Cherry Red Records. The package included all their singles plus many unreleased songs - and several additional demos were also made available as downloads.
Singles
- "There's No Deceiving You" / "The Last Detail" / "Take Me To The River" (1988)
- "Apples And Oranges" / "Pray Lucky" / "Yes Let's" / "Russia in Winter" (1988)
- "Walking On The Line" / "Four Golden Tongues Talk" / "What Does Anybody Ever Think About" / "Thought As Much" (1988)