Interview were a five piece pop/

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band from

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, England. They were signed to

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman. It grew to be a worldwid ...

, and between 1978 and 1981 released two

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

s and four

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

Career

Originally formed in 1977 by Pete Allerhand, Alan Brain and Jeff Starrs in Bath, they added

Manny Elias Manny Elias (born 21 February 1953) is an Indian drummer and record producer of British descent. He is notable for being the original drummer with Tears for Fears during the 1980s. Originally a member of the rock band Interview from Bathford, ...

(later of

Tears for Fears Tears for Fears are an English pop rock band formed in Bath, England, in 1981 by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith. Founded after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate, Tears for Fears were associated with the new wav ...

) on drums and Phil Crowther on bass. In 1978, they signed up to a five album

recording contract A recording contract (commonly called a record contract or record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist (or group), where the artist makes a record (or series of records) for the label to sell and promote. Artists ...

with Virgin. Their debut album, ''Big Oceans'', produced by

Colin Thurston Colin Thurston (13 July 1947 – 15 January 2007) was an English recording engineer and record producer. Born in Brentford, Middlesex, Thurston played in bands in London before he "bluffed his way" into audio engineering.Pierre Perrone (24 ...

, was released in 1978 consisted of both hard-edged power pop ("You Didn't Have to Lie to Me", "Academies to Anger") and more expansive, somber material ("Shipyards") that signaled the direction the band were to take on their second effort.

Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched ...

also did a session with the band, producing

demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film *Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...

versions of "You Didn't Have to Lie to Me", "That Kind of Boy" and "Shipyards", and these were subsequently released as archive material. For that next album, ''Snakes and Lovers'' (released in the U.S. eponymously titled ''Interview'' with different artwork and without the words "Snakes and Lovers" on the sleeve), which was produced by

Mick Glossop Mick Glossop is an English record producer and recording engineer. In 2009, he was awarded a Visiting Professorship at Leeds College of Music. Glossop was initially known for recording and producing for New wave music, new wave and Punk rock, pu ...

, they brought in bassist Alfie Agius, who was associated with

The Teardrop Explodes The Teardrop Explodes were an English post-punk/neo-psychedelic band formed in Liverpool in 1978. Best known for their Top Ten UK single "Reward", the group originated as a key band in the emerging Liverpool post-punk scene of the late 1970s. T ...

. This album has over subsequent years received critical acclaim, however at the time, it was poorly promoted by Virgin and was ignored by radio and the music press. According to an interview with Jeff Starrs in 1997, "soon after its release we did support dates in the UK with the Pretenders and Peter Gabriel whilst Virgin closely watched the sales graphs in the US climb. At one point, it seemed inevitable that we should go over and promote but Virgin would always say 'wait and see if the graph keeps going up'! Of course, after a while, it went down and a tour was decided against...". The band split up in 1981.

Discography

Albums

*''Big Oceans'' (1979, Virgin, UK, LP, V 2123) *''Snakes and Lovers'' (1980, Virgin, UK, LP, V 2157), released in U.S. as ''Interview'' (1980, Virgin distributed by Atlantic/Warner, U.S., LP, VA 13141; songs in different order, some with different lengths)

Singles

*"Birmingham" / "New Hearts in Action" (1978, Virgin, UK, 7", VS 218) *"You Didn't Have to Lie to Me" / "That Kind of Boy" (1979, Virgin, UK, 7", VS 249) *"To the People" / "Hart Crane in Mexico" (1979, Virgin, UK, 7", VS 310) *"Hide and Seek" / "Yes Man" (1980, Virgin, UK, 7", VS 331)

Reissues and archive releases

*''Big Oceans'' (CD) *''Snakes and Lovers'' (CD) *''Singles'' (CD) *''The First Demos'' (CD) *''The Last Demos'' (CD) *''Live in Edinburgh'' (CD)

References

External links

Interview at Allmusic An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" r ...

br>Listen to Interview tracksDiscography at Discogs.com
{{Authority control Musical groups from Somerset English pop rock music groups English new wave musical groups