Waterfront (band)
Encyclopedia
Waterfront are a 1980s British
pop
duo
, comprising Phil Cilia (full name Philip Laurence Cilia) and Chris Duffy (full name Christopher James Duffy), who emerged from the ashes of local Cardiff
band 'The Official Secrets'.
success on both sides of the Atlantic
. Waterfront was signed directly to Polydor via David Munns the now ex- Vice Chairman & CEO of EMI Records.
They operated in a similar musical style as This Way Up and Climie Fisher
. The band were signed to Polydor Records
, and were best known for their 1989 UK
#17 hit
single
(and U.S.
#10 hit), "Cry". Waterfront followed up "Cry" in the U.S. with another single, "Nature Of Love", which hit #70 on the Billboard Hot 100
.
They released their debut album, Waterfront, in 1989 with eventual sales reaching in excess of 600,000 worldwide. They are the first Welsh duo to achieve top 10 single status in the US and were named BMI Songwriters of the year in 1990.
"Cry" was awarded one of the most 'Played Single on US Radio' at the BMI 50th Anniversary Celebrations in Los Angeles - "Cry" is now approaching one million plays on radio – resulting in membership to the BMI’s 'Million-Air' club.
In 1992, Chris Duffy released a solo album and single, also on Polydor Records
, both entitled "All The Time In The World". The album contained three tracks co-written with Phil Cilia. (517 038-2 - album / PZCD207 - single). (^)
In May 2000, Duffy and Cilia reunited as Waterfront at the Kashmir Klub/BMI Showcase in London, England, a concert that was broadcast on the internet. The group performed tracks like "Valentine's Day," "Cowboy Dreaming," and "Kingdom Comes."
In 2007, the reunited Waterfront secured single of the week for a two week period on the O2 / Napster mobile download portal – with a new acoustic alternative country track, "Valentine’s Day".
As of 2009, the band were recording songs for an upcoming album release, samples of which were available on their MySpace
page. According to this "The new material takes Waterfront in a completely new adult contemporary direction - allowing Phil and Chris to draw on their alternative country influences (Ryan Adams, Keith Urban, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Lucinda Williams, Counting Crows and the Wallflowers)". As of 2011, it remains unreleased.
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...
pop
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
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 Phil Cilia (full name Philip Laurence Cilia) and Chris Duffy (full name Christopher James Duffy), who emerged from the ashes of local Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
band 'The Official Secrets'.
Career
In 1987, Waterfront were signed directly to EMI/SBK Productions by Charles Koppelman and Marty Bandier. The band went on to achieve chartRecord 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....
success on both sides of the Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. Waterfront was signed directly to Polydor via David Munns the now ex- Vice Chairman & CEO of EMI Records.
They operated in a similar musical style as This Way Up and Climie Fisher
Climie Fisher
Climie Fisher were a UK pop duo formed by vocalist Simon Climie and former Naked Eyes keyboardist Rob Fisher...
. The band were signed to Polydor Records
Polydor Records
Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
, and were best known for their 1989 UK
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...
#17 hit
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...
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...
(and U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
#10 hit), "Cry". Waterfront followed up "Cry" in the U.S. with another single, "Nature Of Love", which hit #70 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...
.
They released their debut album, Waterfront, in 1989 with eventual sales reaching in excess of 600,000 worldwide. They are the first Welsh duo to achieve top 10 single status in the US and were named BMI Songwriters of the year in 1990.
"Cry" was awarded one of the most 'Played Single on US Radio' at the BMI 50th Anniversary Celebrations in Los Angeles - "Cry" is now approaching one million plays on radio – resulting in membership to the BMI’s 'Million-Air' club.
In 1992, Chris Duffy released a solo album and single, also on Polydor Records
Polydor Records
Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
, both entitled "All The Time In The World". The album contained three tracks co-written with Phil Cilia. (517 038-2 - album / PZCD207 - single). (^)
In May 2000, Duffy and Cilia reunited as Waterfront at the Kashmir Klub/BMI Showcase in London, England, a concert that was broadcast on the internet. The group performed tracks like "Valentine's Day," "Cowboy Dreaming," and "Kingdom Comes."
In 2007, the reunited Waterfront secured single of the week for a two week period on the O2 / Napster mobile download portal – with a new acoustic alternative country track, "Valentine’s Day".
As of 2009, the band were recording songs for an upcoming album release, samples of which were available on their MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page. According to this "The new material takes Waterfront in a completely new adult contemporary direction - allowing Phil and Chris to draw on their alternative country influences (Ryan Adams, Keith Urban, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Lucinda Williams, Counting Crows and the Wallflowers)". As of 2011, it remains unreleased.
Singles
Details relate to the UK releases.- "Cry" - (1989) Polydor (WONCA1 - CD / WON1 - 7" / WONA1 - 7" Poster / WONB1 - 7" Box / WONP1 - 7" Pic disc / WONX1 - 12" / WONCS1 - Cassette) - UKUK Singles ChartThe 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 ...
#17 - "Nature Of Love" - (1989) Polydor (WONCD 2 - CD / WON2 - 7" / WONB2 - 7" Box / WONG2 - 7" Poster / WONX2 - 12") - UK #63
- "Broken Arrow" - (1989) Polydor (WONCD 3 - CD / WON3 - 7" / WONB3 - 7" Box / WONG3 - 7" Poster / WONX3 - 12") - UK #63
- "Move On" - (1989) Polydor (WONCD 5 - CD / WON5 - 7" / WONB5 - 7" Box / WONG5 - 7" Poster / WONP5 - 7" Pic disc / WONX5 - 12" / WONCS5 - Cassette)
Album
| Year | Album | Chart positions | Track listing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
|||
| 1989 | Waterfront
|
- | - |
|
External links
- MySpace site
- Official website
- [ Allmusic entry]