Typically Tropical
Encyclopedia
Typically Tropical are a British
band
. They are best known for the song "Barbados
".
The band was actually a duo
comprising Geraint Wyn Hughes and Jeffrey Calvert, who had met through Hughes' band, Quasar. They wrote and recorded
songs at Morgan Studios
, where Calvert worked with his father, when no-one else was around. Calvert had been on holiday in Barbados
and based the song on his experiences. It was recorded with various session musician
s, including guitarist
Chris Spedding
, drummer
Clem Cattini
, and Vic Flick
.
Although the song, featuring mock vocal
s by Captain Tobias Wilcox (Hughes' alter ego) of Coconut Airways, was far from being genuine reggae
it was originally intended to be released on Trojan
, but the little known record label
Gull Records came up with a better offer (reportedly £1,500). "Barbados" was ready for release in November 1974, but the label thought it best to wait until the next summer
before releasing it.
"Barbados" entered the UK Singles Chart
on 5 July 1975, and five weeks later was at #1 for one week. In total "Barbados" spent eleven weeks in the UK chart.
Typically Tropical released one album titled 'Barbados Sky' in 1975 with the follow-up single
s "Rocket Now" and "Ghost Story". They failed to chart
, and as a recording act the duo went their separate ways, billed forever as one-hit wonders. Hughes (often billed and known as Max West), currently composes production library music. Calvert subsequently became a pilot
.
Hughes and Calvert meanwhile continued to work in the studio
together, writing Sarah Brightman
's "I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper
" in 1978, and later producing
Judas Priest
's album
, Sad Wings of Destiny
.
"Barbados" was later successfully covered
by the Vengaboys
in 1999 as "We're Going to Ibiza
".
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
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...
. They are best known for the song "Barbados
Barbados (song)
"Barbados" was a UK number one single in August 1975 by Typically Tropical. "Barbados" entered the UK Singles Chart on 5 July 1975, and five weeks later was at #1 for one week. In total, "Barbados" spent eleven weeks in the chart. The track also reached #1 on the Irish Singles Chart and #20 on the...
".
The band was actually a duo
Duet (music)
A duet is a musical composition for two performers. In classical music, the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word duo is also often used. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is referred to as...
comprising Geraint Wyn Hughes and Jeffrey Calvert, who had met through Hughes' band, Quasar. They wrote and recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
songs at Morgan Studios
Morgan Studios
Morgan Studios, also known as Morgan Sound Studios, were recording studios in Willesden, North London. The studios were notable for many recordings of the 1960s and 1970s by many British bands and artists such as Ten Years After, Yes, The Kinks, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Joan Armatrading, Cat...
, where Calvert worked with his father, when no-one else was around. Calvert had been on holiday in Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
and based the song on his experiences. It was recorded with various session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
s, including guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Chris Spedding
Chris Spedding
Chris Spedding is an English rock and roll and jazz guitarist, best known for his session work. Allmusic states - "Spedding is one of the UK's most versatile session guitarists, and has had a long career on two continents that saw him tackle nearly every style of rock and roll, as well as...
, drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Clem Cattini
Clem Cattini
Clem Cattini , is an English rock and roll drummer who was a member of The Tornados before becoming well known for his work as a session musician...
, and Vic Flick
Vic Flick
Victor Harold Flick is an English guitarist, most famous for playing the guitar riff in the "James Bond Theme".-Biography:...
.
Although the song, featuring mock vocal
Human voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
s by Captain Tobias Wilcox (Hughes' alter ego) of Coconut Airways, was far from being genuine reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
it was originally intended to be released on Trojan
Trojan Records
Trojan Records is a British record label founded in 1968. It specialises in ska, rocksteady, reggae and dub music. The label currently operates under the Sanctuary Records Group. The name Trojan comes from the Croydon-built Trojan truck that was used as Duke Reid's sound system in Jamaica...
, but the little known 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,...
Gull Records came up with a better offer (reportedly £1,500). "Barbados" was ready for release in November 1974, but the label thought it best to wait until the next summer
Summer
Summer is the warmest of the four temperate seasons, between spring and autumn. At the summer solstice, the days are longest and the nights are shortest, with day-length decreasing as the season progresses after the solstice...
before releasing it.
"Barbados" entered 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 ...
on 5 July 1975, and five weeks later was at #1 for one week. In total "Barbados" spent eleven weeks in the UK chart.
Typically Tropical released one album titled 'Barbados Sky' in 1975 with the follow-up 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...
s "Rocket Now" and "Ghost Story". They failed to 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....
, and as a recording act the duo went their separate ways, billed forever as one-hit wonders. Hughes (often billed and known as Max West), currently composes production library music. Calvert subsequently became a pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
.
Hughes and Calvert meanwhile continued to work in the studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
together, writing Sarah Brightman
Sarah Brightman
Sarah Brightman is an English classical crossover soprano, actress, songwriter and dancer. She is famous for possessing a vocal range of over 3 octaves and singing in the whistle register...
's "I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper
I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper
"I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper", sometimes cited as " Starship Trooper", is a 1978 single written by Jeff Calvert and Max West of Typically Tropical and performed by Sarah Brightman and Hot Gossip...
" in 1978, and later producing
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Judas Priest
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1969. The current line-up consists of lead vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. The band has gone through several drummers over the years,...
's 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...
, Sad Wings of Destiny
Sad Wings of Destiny
-CD Track listing:The 1995 CD reissue by Repertoire Records had track 3 labeled as "Dream Deceiver" rather than "Dreamer Deceiver", this was later changed back to its original title on the 1998 release by Snapper Music. None of the reissues of Sad Wings of Destiny are endorsed by Judas Priest. -...
.
"Barbados" was later successfully 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...
by the Vengaboys
Vengaboys
Vengaboys are a Eurodance pop group based in Amsterdam. The brainchild of two Dutch producers Wessel van Diepen and Dennis van den Driesschen , they enjoyed commercial success in the late 1990s. They are best known for their two UK number one singles, "Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!!" and "We're Going...
in 1999 as "We're Going to Ibiza
We're Going to Ibiza
"We're Going to Ibiza", a single by the Vengaboys released on 30 August, 1999, was one of the Vengaboys' most successful singles. The song was based on Typically Tropical's 1975 number one hit "Barbados," with modified lyrics...
".
See also
- One-hit wonders in the UKOne-hit wonders in the UKThis 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...
- List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart
- Number 1 Singles in Ireland 1975Number 1 Singles in Ireland 1975This is a list of singles which have reached number one on the Irish Singles Chart in 1975.-See also:*1975 in music*Irish Singles Chart*List of artists who reached number one in Ireland...
External links
- [ Typically Tropical biography] at 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...