Shelleyan Orphan were a British alternative music group that peaked during the 1980s and early 1990s. They played a style of pop influenced by

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small numb ...

, and which featured dual male-female vocals.

Career

In 1980,

Caroline Crawley Caroline Crawley (8 August 1963 – 4 October 2016) was an English singer who sang for various bands. Career Caroline Crawley was the co-founder of Shelleyan Orphan alongside guitarist Jemaur Tayle. They met in their mutual home town of Bour ...

and Jemaur Tayle met in

Bournemouth Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...

, England, where they discovered a mutual appreciation of poet

Percy Bysshe Shelley Percy Bysshe Shelley ( ; 4 August 17928 July 1822) was one of the major English Romantic poets. A radical in his poetry as well as in his political and social views, Shelley did not achieve fame during his lifetime, but recognition of his achie ...

.Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 500-501 Two years later, after taking the name Shelleyan Orphan from the Shelley poem '' Spirit of Solitude'', the pair moved to

London London is the capital and 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

to seek out orchestral elements to add to their voices. In June 1984, the band got their first break and landed a session with Richard Skinner for

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

. The band signed with

Rough Trade Records Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London, England. It was formed in 1976 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove. Having successfully promoted and sold records by punk rock and early post-pun ...

in 1986 and released the

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'' ...

, "Cavalry of Cloud" and "Anatomy of Love". In 1987, the band released their first of four

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: ''Helleborine''. Named after the Helleborine orchid said to have the power to cure madness, the album was recorded at

Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music c ...

with producer Haydn Bendall. ''Helleborine'' included an assortment of guest musicians including Stuart Elliott (the drummer for

Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer. In 1978, at the age of 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single "Wuthering Heights (song), Wuthering Heights", ...

), and Kate's brother

Paddy Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer. In 1978, at the age of 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single " Wuthering Heights", becoming the first female ...

. In 1989, they released ''Century Flower''. So called after a flower that blooms only once in its lifetime, this album was intended to mark "an event which affects enormous change, maybe once in a century: on a world scale, the atomic bomb: on a personal level, the death of someone close to you". Produced by David M. Allen, the band's sound caught the ear of

The Cure The Cure are an English Rock music, rock band formed in 1978 in Crawley, Crawley, West Sussex. Throughout numerous lineup changes since the band's formation, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter Robert Smith (musician), Robert Smith has re ...

's Robert Smith, who invited the band to accompany them on their Prayer Tour. While on that tour, Caroline Crawley began a relationship with Cure drummer

Boris Williams Boris Peter Bransby Williams (born 24 April 1957) is a French-born English drummer best known for his extensive work with the Cure (1984–1994). Biography Born in Versailles, France, he had previously worked with various artists, including ...

. In 1991, the band received another break when Crawley was approached by 4AD Records founder

Ivo Watts-Russell Ivo Watts-Russell (born 1954) is a British music producer and record label executive. He was joint-founder with Peter Kent of the indie record label 4AD. He has produced several records, although he prefers to use the term "musical director". Ea ...

who asked her to appear on four tracks of

This Mortal Coil This Mortal Coil were a British music collective led by Ivo Watts-Russell, founder of the British record label 4AD. Although Watts-Russell and John Fryer were the only two official members, the band's recorded output featured a large rotati ...

's ''

Blood Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood in the c ...

''. Crawley was permitted to do her own interpretations of the tracks, and appeared in the video for the

Syd Barrett Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett (6 January 1946 – 7 July 2006) was an English singer, songwriter, and musician who co-founded the rock band Pink Floyd in 1965. Barrett was their original frontman and primary songwriter, becoming known for his ...

cover, "Late Night". With Jem Tayle, Shelleyan Orphan recorded and released tracks for several

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

s during this period. In 1992, Shelleyan Orphan returned with their album ''Humroot''. Named after Tayle's childhood dog, ''Humroot'' was recorded by Bill Buchanan, and the band were joined by Boris Williams,

Porl Thompson Pearl Thompson (born 8 November 1957 as Paul Stephen ThompsonChris Gerrard (2021)The Cure FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About the Most Heartbreakingly Excellent Rock Band the World Has Ever Known. Backbeat, ISBN 9781493053988, p. 155) is an E ...

(The Cure) and Roberto Soave ( Presence). Shortly after ''Humroots release, Shelleyan Orphan disbanded. Tayle formed his own band, Elephantine, and Crawley, along with Williams and Soave, formed Babacar. Soon after, Tayle joined Babacar as a full-time member, though not contributing to the songwriting. In 2000, the band reunited to record a cover of

Tim Buckley Timothy Charles Buckley III (February 14, 1947 – June 29, 1975) was an American musician. His music and style changed considerably through the years. Buckley began his career based in folk music, but his subsequent albums experimented with ...

's "Buzzin' Fly" for ''Sing a Song for You: A Tribute to Tim Buckley''. A new album, entitled ''We Have Everything We Need'', was released in October 2008 on One Little Indian Records. In October 2016 Caroline Crawley died after a long illness.

Discography

Albums * ''Helleborine'' Rough Trade, 1987 (LP/CD) - UK Indie No. 5Lazell, Barry (1998) ''Indie Hits 1980–1989'', Cherry Red Books, , p. 203 * ''Helleborine'' (US Version) Columbia, 1988(?). (LP/CD) * ''Century Flower'' Rough Trade, 1989 (CD) - UK Indie No. 19 * ''Century Flower'' (US Version) Columbia, 1989 (CD) * ''Humroot'' Columbia/Rough Trade, 1992 (CD) * ''We Have Everything We Need'' One Little Indian, 2008 (CD) Singles * "Cavalry of Cloud" Rough Trade, 1986 (7"/12") * "Anatomy of Love" Rough Trade, 1987 (7"/12") - UK Indie No. 12 * "Shatter" Rough Trade, 1989 (7"/12") - US ''Billboard'' Hot Modern Rock Tracks No. 22 Promotional EP * ''Cavalry of Cloud'' Rough Trade, 1986 (CD) * ''Century Flower'' (Japanese Promo) Columbia, 1990 (CD) * ''Waking Up'' Columbia/Rough Trade, 1992 (CD) Compilations * "Suffer Dog" ''The Liberator, Artists for Animals'' Deltic Records, 1989 (CD) * "Ice" on ''Acoustic Christmas'' Columbia/Sony, 1990 (CD) * "Shatter" on "Rough Trade Summer Collection 1991" (Brazilian Rough Trade Compilation with acts like

James (band) James are an English rock band from Manchester, who were formed in 1982. They had popularity throughout the 1990s, with four top 10s on the UK Singles Chart and nine top 10s on the UK Albums Chart. The band's best-known singles include " Come ...

Pere Ubu Pere Ubu is an American rock group formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1975. The band had a variety of long-term and recurring band members, with singer David Thomas being the only member staying throughout the band's lifetime. They released their ...

, AR Kane and others) * "Who Loves the Sun" on '' Heaven & Hell - A Tribute To The Velvet Underground (Volume Two)''

Imaginary Records Imaginary Records was an independent record label based in Heywood, Greater Manchester, England, which specialised mainly in indie rock and post-punk. It was started in 1985 by Alan Duffy, known for his lyrical contributions to Porcupine Tree's f ...

, 1991 (CD) * "Joey" on ''Brittle Days - A Tribute To Nick Drake''

, 1992 (CD) * "Ice" on ''A Different Kind of Christmas'' Risky Business, 1994 (CD) * "Buzzin' Fly" on ''Sing a Song for You: A Tribute to Tim Buckley'' Manifesto Records, 2000 (CD)

References

External links

Live video from Travelling Folk on BBC Scotland - January 2009

''(new link)''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shelleyan Orphan English alternative rock groups English rock music groups English new wave musical groups Musical groups established in 1980