The Brilliant Corners were a British

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and sub ...

band from

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

who recorded throughout the 1980s and into the early 1990s.

History

The group was formed in 1983, taking the name from the

Thelonious Monk Thelonious Sphere Monk (, October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including " 'Round Midnight", "B ...

jazz album, ''

Brilliant Corners ''Brilliant Corners'' is a studio album by American jazz musician Thelonious Monk. It was his third album for Riverside Records, and the first, for this label, to include his own compositions. The complex title track required over a dozen takes ...

''.Strong, Martin C.: ''The Great Alternative & Indie Discography'', 1999, Canongate, The line-up included Davey Woodward (b. Avonmouth,

, England; vocals, guitar), Chris Galvin (1959 – 22 December 1998; bass guitar), Winston Forbes (lead guitar, percussion, backing vocals), Bob Morris (drums) and Dan Pacini (occasional trumpet and keyboards). A later addition was Phil Elvins on guitar. The band's first releases were early examples of indie pop, with three singles being released in 1984 on their own SS20 label. Their first (mini-)album, ''Growing Up Absurd'', appeared the following year. With an explosion of indie pop groups in 1986, their May release ''Fruit Machine'' EP gained them both attention and radio airplay, followed by a second mini-album, ''What's In A Word''. "Brian Rix", a re-recorded version of a track from the LP, with added trumpet, and a tribute to Rix, the "king of farce", was issued as a single, the proceeds going to Mencap, the charity of which Rix was chairman. The video, featuring Woodward running Rix-like around a couch with his trousers around his ankles, was shown on '' The Tube'', further raising the band's profile. In March 1988, the band set up another label, McQueen, and released third album, ''Somebody Up There Likes Me'', followed by a collection of their sought-after early singles, ''Everything I Ever Wanted''. Two more albums followed in 1989 (''Joy Ride'') and 1990 (''Hooked''), followed by a second compilation, ''Creamy Stuff'', in 1991. They released ''A History Of White Trash'' in 1993 before splitting up. Woodward and Galvin formed the

Experimental Pop Band The Experimental Pop Band are an English indie pop group, led by former singer with The Brilliant Corners, Davey Woodward. History The band was formed in mid-1990, initially as a studio project under the name The South West Experimental Pop Band ...

in 1995. Galvin died from cancer in 1998. The Brilliant Corners reformed in 2013 for a short tour. Winston Forbes died in 2019.

Band members

* Davey Woodward (vocals, guitar) * Winston Forbes (guitar) * Chris Galvin (bass) * Bob Morris (drums) * Dan Pacini (trumpet, keyboards) * Phil Elvins (guitar) * Paul Sandrone (guitar)

Discography

Chart placings shown are from the

UK Indie Chart The UK Independent Singles Chart and UK Independent Albums Chart are charts of the best-selling independent singles and albums, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Originally published in January 1980, and widely known as the indie chart, the rele ...

Singles

*"She's Got Fever" (1984, SS20) (No. 1) *"Big Hip" (1984, SS20) (No. 16) *"My Baby's In Black" (1984, SS20) (No. 14) *"Brian Rix" (1987, SS20) (No. 11) *"Delilah Sands" (1987, SS20) (No. 9) *"Teenage" (1988, McQueen) (No. 9) *"Why Do You Have To Go Out With Him When You Could Go Out With Me?" (1988, McQueen) (No. 10) *"I Love It, I Lost It" (1990, McQueen) *"The Pope, The Monkey and The Queen" (1990, McQueen)

EPs and mini-albums

*''Growing Up Absurd'' mini-album (1985,

SS20 The RSD-10 ''Pioneer'' (russian: ракета средней дальности (РСД) «Пионер» tr.: ''raketa sredney dalnosti (RSD) "Pioner"''; en, Medium-Range Missile "Pioneer") was an intermediate-range ballistic missile with a ...

) (No. 26) *''The Fruit Machine EP'' (1986, SS20)

Albums

*''What's In A Word'' (1986, SS20) (No. 8) *''Somebody Up There Likes Me'' (1988, McQueen) (No. 6) *''Joy Ride'' (1989, McQueen) (No. 6) *''Hooked'' (1990, McQueen) *''A History Of White Trash'' (1993, C.M.P.)

Compilations

*''Everything I Ever Wanted'' (1988, McQueen) (compilation) (No. 17) *''Creamy Stuff'' (1991, McQueen) *''Heart on Your Sleeve: A Decade in Pop 1983–1993'' (2013, Cherry Red)

References

External links

Unofficial fansite with photos, videos & more
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brilliant Corners, The British indie pop groups Jangle pop groups Musical groups from Bristol Musical groups established in 1983 Musical groups disestablished in 1993