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Brother Beyond were a British pop band who had success in the pop rock genre in the late 1980s.


Biography

The group's first four singles, "I Should Have Lied", "How Many Times", "Chain-Gang Smile" (produced by
Don Was Don Edward Fagenson (born September 13, 1952), known professionally as Don Was, is an American musician, record producer and record executive. Primarily a bass player, Was co-founded the funk-rock band Was (Not Was). In later years he produced so ...
), and an early version of "Can You Keep a Secret?", were written by band members
Eg White Francis Anthony "Eg" White (born 22 November 1966) is a British musician, songwriter and producer. He started his career in the cowpunk band Yip Yip Coyote in the 1980s and then formed Brother Beyond with his brother, David White, in the late ...
, and David Ben White in collaboration with Carl Fysh. The songs were also performed together by the band members, led by vocalist Nathan Moore. These early singles, released between 1986 and 1988, were minor chart successes in the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
. When the songwriters and producers Mike Stock,
Matt Aitken Matthew James Aitken (born 25 August 1956) is an English songwriter and record producer, brought up in Astley, Greater Manchester, best known as the creative force behind the 1980s and early 1990s songwriting/production trio Stock Aitken Waterman ...
and
Pete Waterman Peter Alan Waterman, (born 15 January 1947) is an English record producer, songwriter, radio and club DJ, television presenter, president of Coventry Bears rugby league club and a keen railway enthusiast. As a member of the Stock Aitken Water ...
, known as
Stock Aitken Waterman Stock Aitken Waterman (abbreviated as SAW) are an English songwriting and record production trio consisting of Mike Stock, Matt Aitken, and Pete Waterman. The trio had great success from the mid-1980s through the early 1990s. SAW is considere ...
(SAW), auctioned off their services to charity, Brother Beyond and label EMI won the auction. The first song to be released from this session was "The Harder I Try", a UK No. 2 hit. The song was succeeded by the song " He Ain't No Competition", getting to No. 6 in the UK. The following releases from the '' Get Even'' album failed to make the UK Top Ten. All these singles were taken from the two different editions of their first album ''Get Even''. After a brief hiatus, they returned with a brand new single in late 1989, " Drive On", which peaked at No. 39 in the UK, from their second album '' Trust''. They then released a cover of the
ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or '' ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
by
The Three Degrees The Three Degrees is an American female vocal group formed circa 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Although 16 women have been members over the years, the group has always been a trio. The current line-up consists of Helen Scott, Valerie Holi ...
, called "
When Will I See You Again "When Will I See You Again" is a song released in 1974 by American soul group The Three Degrees from their third album, ''The Three Degrees''. The song was written and produced by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. Sheila Ferguson sang the lead, acc ...
?", which peaked outside the UK top 40 at No. 43. The final release from their second album was the title track, " Trust", completely self-written, but only peaked at No. 53 in the UK. EMI America issued the album ''Trust'' in the USA mid-1990 adding two new songs which the group recorded in the USA and with a more American sound to break the US market. Both were released as singles there, with the lead single "
The Girl I Used to Know "The Girl I Used to Know" is a 1990 pop single from the boyband Brother Beyond. The song was recorded specifically for the American edition of their second album ''Trust'', released in mid-1990, with the European edition, which was released in 198 ...
" achieving success, peaking at No. 27 on the
Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online stream ...
. Nathan Moore has alleged the band were required to pay £100,000 to
the mafia "Mafia" is an informal term that is used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the original “Mafia”, the Sicilian Mafia and Italian Mafia. The central activity of such an organization would be the arbitration of d ...
as part of a
payola Payola, in the music industry, is the illegal practice of paying a commercial radio station to play a song without the station disclosing the payment. Under US law, a radio station must disclose songs they were paid to play on the air as spons ...
strategy to secure US airplay for the single. The follow up single was "Just a Heartbeat Away", released commercially in Australia and as a promotional single in the US, which failed to chart. "
The Girl I Used to Know "The Girl I Used to Know" is a 1990 pop single from the boyband Brother Beyond. The song was recorded specifically for the American edition of their second album ''Trust'', released in mid-1990, with the European edition, which was released in 198 ...
" was released as a non-album single in Europe in early 1991 and peaked at No. 48 in the UK. The group disbanded that same year, with Moore joining another boyband, Worlds Apart. In January 2011, an expanded edition of '' Get Even'' was released, featuring the original line up of the album, along with four bonus tracks. The bonus tracks are extended versions or remixes of "I Should Have Lied", "The Harder I Try", "He Ain't No Competition" and "Be My Twin".


Band members

* Nathan Moore (vocals) – born Nathan Marcellus Moore, 10 January 1965,
Stamford Hill Stamford Hill is an area in Inner London, England, about 5.5 miles north-east of Charing Cross. The neighbourhood is a sub-district of Hackney, the major component of the London Borough of Hackney, and is known for its Hasidic community, the ...
,
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
*David White (guitar) - born David Benjamin White, 6 June 1965,
Highbury Highbury is a district in North London and part of the London Borough of Islington in Greater London that was owned by Ranulf brother of Ilger and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Roads. The manor house was sit ...
, London *Carl Fysh (keyboards) - born Carl Anthony Fysh, 25 January 1963,
Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
,
Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primaril ...
* Steve Alexander (drums) – born Steven Alexander, 20 November 1962,
Ystradgynlais Ystradgynlais (, ) is a town on the River Tawe in southwest Powys, Wales. It is the second-largest town in Powys and is in the historic county of Brecknockshire. The town has a high proportion of Welsh language-speakers. The community includes ...
,
Powys Powys (; ) is a county and preserved county in Wales. It is named after the Kingdom of Powys which was a Welsh successor state, petty kingdom and principality that emerged during the Middle Ages following the end of Roman rule in Britain. Geog ...


Former members

*
Eg White Francis Anthony "Eg" White (born 22 November 1966) is a British musician, songwriter and producer. He started his career in the cowpunk band Yip Yip Coyote in the 1980s and then formed Brother Beyond with his brother, David White, in the late ...
(bass) – born Francis Anthony White, 22 November 1966


Brother Beyond discography


Albums

*'' Get Even'' (1988) – UK No. 9, AUS No. 89, GER No. 63 *'' Trust'' (1989) – UK No. 60 *'' The Very Best of Brother Beyond'' (compilation, 2005)


Singles


After the split

Lead singer Nathan Moore went on to sing with another
boy band A boy band is loosely defined as a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform love songs marketed towards girls and young women. Ma ...
, called Worlds Apart, successful in France in the mid-90s, and worked as a manager to such acts as
Jessica Garlick Jessica Julie Anne Garlick (born 1981) is an English-born Welsh pop singer. Garlick made her first steps into show business when she was 16. At that age, she won the Welsh final of BBC One's talent show '' Star for a Night''. The same year she a ...
. He was also a contestant on ITV's '' Hit Me Baby One More Time'', and part of Lisa Scott-Lee's '' Totally Scott-Lee'' programme set up on
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
. Drummer Steve Alexander toured with
Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer and bassist Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor. With the addition of drummer Roger Taylor the following year the band we ...
for six years, before going solo. He has since worked with
Jeff Beck Geoffrey Arnold Beck (born 24 June 1944) is an English rock guitarist. He rose to prominence with the Yardbirds and after fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, he switched to a mainly instrumental style, with a fo ...
and formed a musical collaboration called Flashma

with vocalist Renn. His new project is a collaboration with bassist Simon Little called Little Alex. Carl Fysh now works for Purple PR, a
public relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. ...
agency in London. He became manager to male duo Fierce Girl, as well as working with acts including
Goldfrapp Goldfrapp are an English electronic music duo from London, formed in 1999. The duo consists of Alison Goldfrapp (vocals, synthesiser) and Will Gregory (synthesiser). Despite favourable reviews and a short-listing for the Mercury Prize, their ...
,
Coldplay Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University ...
and
Adele Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (, ; born 5 May 1988), professionally known by the mononym Adele, is an English singer and songwriter. After graduating in arts from the BRIT School in 2006, Adele signed a rec ...
. David White obtained a BA degree in
Fine Arts In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwor ...
at Central St. Martin's College in London and is currently studying for his Master of Art at Chelsea College of Art and Design. He has shown his paintings all around England and Israel.


Eg and Alice

After leaving Brother Beyond, Eg White formed the duo Eg and Alice with artist Alice Temple. Their production was critically acclaimed but a commercial failure, and none of their singles ever entered the UK Top 75. They released one album (which also didn't chart) for WEA in 1991, before Eg decided to go solo, covering the
Jellyfish Jellyfish and sea jellies are the informal common names given to the medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the subphylum Medusozoa, a major part of the phylum Cnidaria. Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animals with umbre ...
hit "Stay Home". Eg White won an
Ivor Novello Ivor Novello (born David Ivor Davies; 15 January 1893 – 6 March 1951) was a Welsh actor, dramatist, singer and composer who became one of the most popular British entertainers of the first half of the 20th century. He was born into a musical ...
award for writing
Will Young William Robert Young (born 20 January 1979) is a British singer-songwriter and actor who came to prominence after winning the 2002 inaugural series of the ITV talent contest '' Pop Idol'', making him the first winner of the worldwide '' Idol ...
's "
Leave Right Now "Leave Right Now" is a song written by British singer-songwriter Will Young. It was written by Eg White and produced by Stephen Lipson for his second studio album, '' Friday's Child'' (2003). A song about unrequited love, it was released as th ...
", and has written songs for a variety of artists including
Natalie Imbruglia Natalie Jane Imbruglia ( , ; born 4 February 1975) is an Australian singer and actress. In the early 1990s, she played Beth Brennan in the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours''. Three years after leaving the programme, she began a singing caree ...
,
Joss Stone Joscelyn Eve Stoker (born 11 April 1987), known professionally as Joss Stone, is an English singer, songwriter and actress. She rose to prominence in late 2003 with her multi-platinum debut album, ''The Soul Sessions'', which made the 2004 Merc ...
and
Adele Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (, ; born 5 May 1988), professionally known by the mononym Adele, is an English singer and songwriter. After graduating in arts from the BRIT School in 2006, Adele signed a rec ...
.


Eg and Alice discography

;Album *'' 24 Years of Hunger'' (1991) ;Singles *"Indian" (1991) *"Doesn't Mean That Much to Me" (1991)


References


External links

*
Paul Gambaccini Paul Matthew Gambaccini (born April 2, 1949) is an American-British radio and television presenter and author in the United Kingdom. He has dual United States and British nationality, having become a British citizen in 2005. Known as "The Grea ...
,
Tim Rice Sir Timothy Miles Bindon Rice (born 10 November 1944) is an English lyricist and author. He is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote, among other shows, ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'', ...
, Jonathan Rice (1993), ''British Hit Singles'', Guinness Publishing
Moore Official
includes a detailed history and discography of Brother Beyond.
MySpaceTV
short clip of Brother Beyond being interviewed in 1988. * {{Use dmy dates, date=January 2020 English pop music groups English boy bands Musical groups established in 1985 Musical groups disestablished in 1991 1985 establishments in the United Kingdom