Everything but the Girl
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2009) |
| Everything but the Girl | |
|---|---|
 Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt, 1996
|
|
| Background information | |
| Also known as | EBTG |
| Origin | Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England |
| Genre(s) | Pop, rock, alternative rock, electronica, bossa nova, sophisti-pop, lounge, trip hop, jazz, alternative dance |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Label(s) | Atlantic, Blanco y Negro, Virgin, Warner |
| Associated acts | Lazy Dog |
| Website | http://www.ebtg.co.uk |
| Members | |
| Tracey Thorn Ben Watt |
|
Everything but the Girl (often shortened EBTG) is a two-person English band formed in Hull in 1982, consisting of lead singer and sometime-guitarist Tracey Thorn (born 26 September 1962) and guitarist, keyboardist, and singer Ben Watt (born 6 December 1962).[1]
Watt and Thorn are also a couple; they are intensely private about their relationship and personal life. It was not a publicised fact for some time that they were a couple, or that they had subsequently married.[2] The duo have a strong desire to raise their three children outside of the spotlight.
Contents |
[edit] Early career
When Thorn and Watt met, their paths were very similar; they were both attending the University of Hull, and both had signed to the independent record label, Cherry Red Records, as solo artists. Thorn was also a member of the trio, Marine Girls, and Watt contributed a photograph to the cover of their first album, Lazy Ways. The pair each had solo album releases through Cherry Red: Thorn's 1982 LP was A Distant Shore, an eight-track mini-album. Watt's LP was entitled North Marine Drive.[1]
They formed a duo and took their name 'Everything but the Girl' from the slogan of well-known Hull shop, Turners' Furniture, on Beverley Road.[1] The store had originally put up a window sign that read, "for your bedroom needs, we sell everything but the girl,"[3] the last part of which was later added to the shop's main signage (see left).
[edit] Everything but the Girl
EBTG's debut single, a cover version of Cole Porter's "Night and Day", was released in June 1982.[1] Following steady sales and exposure from the Pillows & Prayers compilation album, the single was re-issued in August 1983. Their first album was released in 1984 in the UK as Eden.[1] 1984 also saw the UK release of the singles "Mine", and "Native Land". Their first UK hit single, "Each and Every One", had a jazzy sound, and EBTG was considered part of the jazz/pop movement known as sophisti-pop that included other British acts like Sade, Matt Bianco, and The Style Council, on whose Café Bleu album they guested.[1] EBTG and Sade both worked with record producer Robin Millar and engineers Ben Rogan and Mike Pela for their debut albums.
Although Eden was released in the UK, a different recording, Everything But the Girl, was released in the United States. The U.S. release contained about half the tracks from Eden, along with some different tracks, including "Mine" and "Native Land".
Subsequent releases underscored EBTG's versatility and range. Their 1985 album Love Not Money included a cover version of The Pretenders' song "Kid" (although this was not on the original UK release).
The following year they released the self-produced Baby the Stars Shine Bright, an album of original pop songs recorded with an orchestra.[1] They revealed the album's inspiration by their choices of B-sides for its single releases: songs from Bacharach and Jimmy Webb on the 12" versions (as well as a cover of Patsy Cline's "I Fall to Pieces"). The first single was "Come On Home", followed by "Don't Leave Me Behind".
In 1988, EBTG released Idlewild, a collection of mature songs that began a trend towards middle-of-the-road, adult-orientated contemporary music.[1] A cover version of Danny Whitten's "I Don't Want to Talk About It" (previously a hit by Rod Stewart) was released as a single; it achieved a high position in the UK Singles Chart and was added to the latter issues of the album.[1] Around this time, Lloyd Cole and the Commotions asked Thorn to contribute vocals to the song "Big Snake" on their final studio album Mainstream.
Tommy Lipuma produced the band's 1990 album The Language of Life, which featured the single "Driving".[1] Stan Getz contributed a tenor sax solo on the song "The Road".[1] Next came Worldwide, and its single "Old Friends" in 1991.
1992 saw another UK hit single with the release of the Covers EP The lead track was "Love Is Strange", and the EP featured cover versions of Bruce Springsteen's "Tougher Than the Rest"; Cyndi Lauper's "Time after Time" and Elvis Costello's "Alison".[1] These four tracks were included on the U.S. only album, Acoustic.[1]
In 1993, EBTG released a cover version of Paul Simon's "The Only Living Boy in New York" as a single in the UK.
The duo were forced to curtail recording and touring for a few years when Watt contracted Churg-Strauss syndrome, an autoimmune disease (he subsequently wrote a memoir, Patient, about his ordeal).[1] The next work of original music was not until 1994, when EBTG released Amplified Heart. Producer Todd Terry remixed the track "Missing", and when EBTG released the remix as a single, it became an international hit.[1] It hit the top of nearly every chart around the world, and charted in the U.S., a feat that had previously eluded the band. The track reached number two and stayed in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for well over a year.[1]
The success of that track, along with a collaboration Thorn had with Massive Attack and Deep Dish, influenced them and helped usher the band into a more electronic sound. Having completed contractual obligations to WEA, they were free to shop their recordings and had full ownership of their future recorded works. They signed licensing deals with Virgin Records for the United Kingdom and Europe, and Atlantic Records for the United States and Canada. Their subsequent albums Walking Wounded and Temperamental, showed the band's musical progress as well as establishing Watt as a dance music producer.[1] Between the two albums he produced "Stars All Seem To Weep" for Beth Orton.
[edit] Collaborations and other work
- Protection (with Massive Attack)[1]
- Batman Forever Soundtrack – "The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game" (with Massive Attack)
- Back to Mine – tracks selected by Everything But the Girl
- Watt has concentrated on being a DJ and producer/remixer, finding success as one half of Lazy Dog with partner Jay Hannan, before going solo and launching Buzzin Fly records and The Neighborhood (a dance club). He has helped to produce two albums for Beth Orton. His latest track, "Guinea Pig", came out in 2008 and incorporated the vocals of Julia Biel.
- In late spring 2005, Thorn recorded her first vocals in three years, on the song "Damage" on the album, Eat Books, for the German band Tiefschwarz, for which she also wrote the lyrics and melody.
- Thorn's second full solo album, Out of the Woods was released in March 2007.
Their most recent release is a double album of remixes, highlighting their electronica-influenced music including a trio of newly commissioned remixes.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Year | Album | UK[4] | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Eden | 14 | - |
| 1985 | Love Not Money | 10 | - |
| 1986 | Baby the Stars Shine Bright | 22 | - |
| 1988 | Idlewild | 13 | - |
| 1990 | The Language of Life | 10 | 77 |
| 1991 | Worldwide | 29 | - |
| 1992 | Acoustic | - | - |
| 1992 | Essence & Rare 82-92 | - | - |
| 1993 | Home Movies | 5 | - |
| 1994 | Amplified Heart | 20 | 46 |
| 1996 | Walking Wounded | 4 | 37 |
| 1996 | The Best of Everything but the Girl | 23 | - |
| 1999 | Temperamental | 16 | 65 |
| 2001 | Back To Mine, an EBTG compilation of Chill Out tracks | - | - |
| 2003 | Like the Deserts Miss the Rain | 58 | - |
| 2006 | Adapt or Die: Ten Years of Remixes | - | - |
| 2006 | The Platinum Collection | - | - |
| 2007 | The Works a 3 CD Retrospective | - | - |
[edit] EPs
| Year | EP | UK[4] | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Covers EP | 13 | - |
| 1993 | The Only Living Boy in New York EP | 42 | - |
| 1993 | I Didn't Know I Was Looking for Love EP | 72 | - |
| 1994 | Missing - the Live EP | - | - |
[edit] Singles
| Year | Song | UK[4] | IRL | U.S. | U.S. Dance | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | "Night and Day" | - | - | - | - | — |
| 1984 | "Each and Every One" | 28 | 19 | - | - | Eden |
| "Mine" | 58 | - | - | - | — | |
| "Native Land" | 73 | - | - | - | ||
| 1985 | "When All's Well" | - | - | - | - | Love Not Money |
| "Angel" | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1986 | "Come On Home" | 44 | 27 | - | - | Baby, the Stars Shine Bright |
| "Don't Leave Me Behind" | 72 | - | - | - | ||
| 1988 | "These Early Days" (remix) | 75 | - | - | - | Idlewild |
| "I Always Was Your Girl" | - | - | - | - | ||
| "I Don't Want to Talk About It" | 3 | 3 | - | - | ||
| "Love Is Here Where I Live" | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1990 | "Driving" | 54 | 30 | - | - | The Language of Life |
| "Take Me" (Hamblin remix) | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1991 | "Old Friends" | - | - | - | - | Worldwide |
| "Twin Cities" (Wildwood remix) | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1994 | "Rollercoaster" | 65 | - | - | - | Amplified Heart |
| "Missing" | 69 | - | - | - | ||
| 1995 | "Missing" (Todd Terry remix) | 3 | 3 | 2 | - | |
| 1996 | "Walking Wounded" | 6 | 29 | - | - | Walking Wounded |
| "Wrong" | 8 | 20 | 68 | 1 | ||
| "Single" | 20 | - | - | - | ||
| "Driving" (remix) | 36 | - | - | - | The Best of Everything but the Girl | |
| 1997 | "Before Today" | 25 | - | - | - | Walking Wounded |
| 1998 | "The Future of the Future (Stay Gold)" (Deep Dish with Everything but the Girl) | 31 | - | - | 1 | Temperamental |
| 1999 | "Five Fathoms (Love More)" | 27 | - | - | 1 | |
| "Blame" | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2000 | "Temperamental" | 72 | - | - | 1 | |
| "Lullaby of Clubland" | - | - | - | 3 | ||
| 2001 | "Tracey in My Room" (Mash-up – credited to EBTG vs Soul Vision) |
34 | - | - | - | — |
| 2002 | "Corcovado" | - | - | - | - | Red Hot + Rio |
[edit] See also
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "Biography by Jason Ankeny". Allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&searchlink=EVERYTHING|BUT|THE|GIRL&sql=11:wifpxqe5ldje~T1. Retrieved on 17 July 2009.
- ^ Salon.com
- ^ Amazon.com
- ^ a b c Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 190. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
[edit] External links
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
