The Merton Parkas
Encyclopedia
The Merton Parkas were a mod revival
band
, formed in the Merton
area of South London
in the mid 1970s, by Danny Talbot (vocals and guitar
), his brother
, Mick Talbot
(keyboards
), Neil Hurrell (bass
) and Simon Smith (drum
s).
They signed with the independent record label
, Beggars Banquet
. They were discovered playing in a pub in Clapham ,South London by Alan Anger,punk journalist.Their name at first was The Sneekers and they were a part of the Powerpop bands that included The Pleasers. The Merton Parkas released a few moderately successful singles
, such as: "You Need Wheels", "Plastic Smile", "Give it to Me Now" and "Put Me in the Picture". They also released one album
, Face in the Crowd.Rick Buckler of The Jam played with the band at Ronnie Scotts and Mick Talbot appeared on an album by The Jam.He played on Heatwave. After the group disbanded in 1980, Mick Talbot went on to play with Dexys Midnight Runners
, The Bureau
, and The Style Council
. Simon Smith went on to join psychedelic revival band, Mood Six.
The Merton Parkas' most notable track
was "You Need Wheels", which reached #40 in the UK Singles Chart
in the summer of 1979. As this was their only success in that chart
, they are referred to as one-hit wonders
.
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...
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...
, formed in the Merton
London Borough of Merton
The London Borough of Merton is a borough in southwest London, England.The borough was formed under the London Government Act in 1965 by the merger of the Municipal Borough of Mitcham, the Municipal Borough of Wimbledon and the Merton and Morden Urban District, all formerly within Surrey...
area of South London
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
in the mid 1970s, by Danny Talbot (vocals and 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...
), his brother
Sibling
Siblings are people who share at least one parent. A male sibling is called a brother; and a female sibling is called a sister. In most societies throughout the world, siblings usually grow up together and spend a good deal of their childhood socializing with one another...
, Mick Talbot
Mick Talbot
Michael 'Mick' Talbot is a British keyboardist. He played with the late 1970s mod revivalists The Merton Parkas; Dexys Midnight Runners; The Bureau, and later with Paul Weller in The Style Council....
(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...
), Neil Hurrell (bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
) and Simon Smith (drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s).
They signed with the independent 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,...
, Beggars Banquet
Beggars Banquet Records
Beggars Banquet is an English independent record label that began as a chain of record shops owned by Martin Mills and Nick Austin, and is part of the Beggars Group of labels...
. They were discovered playing in a pub in Clapham ,South London by Alan Anger,punk journalist.Their name at first was The Sneekers and they were a part of the Powerpop bands that included The Pleasers. The Merton Parkas released a few moderately successful singles
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...
, such as: "You Need Wheels", "Plastic Smile", "Give it to Me Now" and "Put Me in the Picture". They also released one 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...
, Face in the Crowd.Rick Buckler of The Jam played with the band at Ronnie Scotts and Mick Talbot appeared on an album by The Jam.He played on Heatwave. After the group disbanded in 1980, Mick Talbot went on to play with 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....
, The Bureau
The Bureau
The Bureau were a New Wave soul group formed in late 1980 in Birmingham, England, when the original lineup of Dexys Midnight Runners split-up....
, and The Style Council
The Style Council
The Style Council were an English band, formed in 1983 by the ex-The Jam singer and guitarist Paul Weller, with keyboardist Mick Talbot. The permanent line-up grew to include drummer Steve White and Weller's then-wife, vocalist Dee C. Lee. Other artists such as Tracie Young and Tracey Thorn also...
. Simon Smith went on to join psychedelic revival band, Mood Six.
The Merton Parkas' most notable track
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
was "You Need Wheels", which reached #40 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 the summer of 1979. As this was their only success in that chart
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....
, they are referred to as one-hit wonders
One-hit wonders in the UK
This is a list of artists who have achieved one #1 hit on the UK Singles Chart and no other entry whatsoever on the chart. The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles uses this definition of "one-hit wonder", which is a controversial term with various other proposed definitions.-Methodology:A hit is...
.
See also
- Merton ParkMerton ParkMerton Park is a place in the London Borough of Merton. It is a quiet and leafy suburb situated between Wimbledon, Morden, South Wimbledon and Wimbledon Chase. It is 7.3 miles south-west of Charing Cross...
- List of Peel sessions
- List of bands from England
- Mod revivalMod RevivalThe 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...
- List of performers on Top of the Pops
External links
- [ Merton Parkas biography] at the Allmusic websiteWebsiteA website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
- Merton Parkas bio & info
- Find Merton Parkas & Mod music