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The Hit Parade is a music group from London that has released eight LPs and fourteen 7" vinyl records. The group has been described as "the very definition of twee Eighties style indie".


Background

The Hit Parade was initially formed by three schoolfriends Julian Henry, Raymond Watts, and Matthew Moffatt. They released their first single "Forever" in 1984 by announcing that they were 'London's No.1 Pop Group'. Their second and third singles "My Favourite Girl" and "The Sun Shines in Gerrards Cross" were lauded by the pop press and played on
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, ...
by DJs John Peel,
Janice Long Janice Berry ( Chegwin; 5 April 1955 – 25 December 2021), known professionally by her first married name Janice Long, was an English broadcaster who was best known for her work in British music radio. In a career that spanned five decades, ...
despite being lo-fi and recorded cheaply in the garage of the Watts family house, a studio named 'The Building Site'. The group was later dismissed by the weekly music press as inconsequential and Watts moved to
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in 1989 to work with
KMFDM KMFDM (originally Kein Mehrheit Für Die Mitleid, loosely translated by the band as "no pity for the majority") is a multinational industrial band from Hamburg led by Sascha Konietzko, who founded the band in 1984 as a performance art project. ...
, Henry developed a business in marketing and journalism, while Moffatt founded his own film lighting company. But The Hit Parade has continued to release new records to the present day, proclaiming the
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
motto "Semper Eadem" ("always the same").


Recordings

The Hit Parade record for JSH UK record label producing 7" vinyl singles in limited editions. The first Hit Parade single "Forever" was released in 1984 with a mock-vorticist manifesto. A year later The Hit Parade signed to Stiff Records but the label went out of business before anything (other than a track on a compilation album) was released. The first pressing of the band's "See You in Havana' single JSH5 with Stiff Records logo is collectible. The first Hit Parade LP ''With Love From The Hit Parade'' was released in 1988 to poor reviews: 'mire of cheesy mundane tunes' 'oblivious to musical developments of the last 24 years' (Q Magazine) 'twee like you wouldn't believe' (MM), apart from The Legend! at NME who declared the Hit Parade to be the 'perfect pop machine'. The band's diy approach was also lauded by fanzines (Caff, Are You Scared To Get Happy, Especially Yellow) and the album sleeve photograph was self-taken '
selfie A selfie () is a self-portrait photograph, typically taken with a digital camera or smartphone, which may be held in the hand or supported by a selfie stick. Selfies are often shared on social media, via social networking services such as ...
', first time this technique had been used on an album cover. The album has been re-issued several times and is viewed as 80s indie classic. Following its release Henry was approached by Cherry Red Records and arranged nine songs on the first Would-be-goods album. In the 1990s, The Hit Parade signed to Sarah Records label and recorded "In Gunnersbury Park" b/w "Harvey". After live shows in Japan in the 1990s the Hit Parade were linked to the
Shibuya-kei is a microgenre of pop music or a general aesthetic that flourished in Japan in the mid-to late 1990s. The music genre is distinguished by a "cut-and-paste" approach that was inspired by the kitsch, fusion, and artifice from certain music styles ...
movement alongside groups The Pastels, Orange Juice and
Flipper's Guitar Flipper's Guitar (フリッパーズ・ギター) were a Tokyo-based rock band led by (and later a duo of) Keigo Oyamada and Kenji Ozawa. The band were influenced by the chirpy sound of British 80s pop and post-punk groups like Haircut 100, Ex ...
. Rockin On Magazine termed the Hit Parade 'Neo Acoustic' for its thoughtful and retrospective attitudes. The Hit Parade signed to Vinyl Japan and later Polystar Records, had a minor hit with "Hello Hannah Hello". They toured Japan several times, played at the opening of the
Virgin Megastore Virgin Megastores is an international entertainment retailing chain, founded in early 1976 by Richard Branson as a record shop on London's Oxford Street. In 1979 the company opened their first Megastore at the end of Oxford Street and Tottenha ...
Shinjuku, Tokyo, appearing on MTV Japan and other music TV shows, and signed to
Minty Fresh Minty Fresh is a Chicago-based record label, founded in 1993 by Jim Powers with Anthony Musiala. The label is known for launching the careers of Veruca Salt. They also gave the Swedish band The Cardigans their first US release and released the d ...
Records, Chicago releasing their first US single, "Hello Hannah Hello". The Hit Parade produced their fifth LP with
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producer Ian Catt in 2006 ''The Return of the Hit Parade'', and 9th single "My Stupid Band", the story of a failed pop group doomed to a life of obscurity. It was published with a manifesto that called for Food Lovers Fairs to be banned and for JG Ballard to be knighted. In 2007 the Hit Parade single "You Didn't Love Me Then", appeared on
Sanctuary Records Sanctuary Records Group Limited was a record label based in the United Kingdom and is as of 2013 a subsidiary of BMG Rights Management solely for reissues. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest m ...
C86 ''C86'' is a cassette compilation released by the British music magazine '' NME'' in 1986, featuring new bands licensed from British independent record labels of the time. As a term, C86 quickly evolved into shorthand for a guitar-based music g ...
double album ''Cd86: The Birth of Indie Pop''. The 10th Hit Parade 7" single was a tribute to Le Corbusier's 'Unite D'Habitation', featuring Manchester singer Cath Carroll. "I Like Bubblegum" b/w "
Zennor Zennor is a village and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The parish includes the villages of Zennor, Boswednack and Porthmeor and the hamlet of Treen. Zennor lies on the north coast, about north of Penzance,Ordnance Survey ...
Mermaid" raised funds for the
Porthmeor Porthmeor (from kw, Porth Meur, meaning "large cove") is a hamlet that consists of two farms, Higher and Lower Porthmeor, in the parish of Zennor in Cornwall, England. It should not be confused with Porthmeor beach at St Ives. Higher Porthmeor ...
Studio in St Ives Cornwall restoration fund and was voted one of the best singles of 2010 by Drowned in Sound. Julian Henry was interviewed in
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
in 2011. In 2014, the Hit Parade released ''Cornish Pop Songs'', songs set in South West England, described by Cornishman art critic Lee Trewhela as "the best album made about Cornwall this century" and "a glorious collection of melodic, memorable guitar-based tunes". The album was re-issued on vinyl in 2016. In 2018, the Hit Parade released their 13th single "Happy World" to mark Record Store Day, described by the Arts Desk as "the very definition of twee Eighties style indie". A year later the eighth Hit Parade LP ''The Golden Age Of Pop'' was released on JSH Records and in 2022 "Pick Of The Pops" was issued on vinyl for the first time by Optic Nerve to 5* reviews in the music weeklies.


Concerts

The Hit Parade first played live in 1990 at The Mean Fiddler in London before embarking on a UK Tour. In 1992 they toured Japan playing concerts in Shinjuku, Tokyo; they returned for four other Japan tours playing concerts in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Sendai, appearing with Billy Childish and his group the Milkshakes, and
Edwyn Collins Edwyn Stephen Collins (born 23 August 1959) is a Scottish musician, producer and record label owner from Edinburgh, Scotland. Collins was the lead singer for the 1980s post-punk band Orange Juice, which he co-founded. After the group split in ...
. Their line up during these tours included Mike Watts (keyboards), Harvey Williams (guitar) and Cath Carroll (vocals). Julian Henry and Harvey Williams played concerts in London and Oxford in 2009 and 2010 at the London Indiepop Festival. In May 2014, The Hit Parade performed as Sarah 058 at the Arnolfini Bristol 'Between Hello & Goodbye The Secret Life of Sarah Records' exhibition.


Line up

The Hit Parade bass guitarist, Raymond Watts, is known for his industrial group
PIG The pig (''Sus domesticus''), often called swine, hog, or domestic pig when distinguishing from other members of the genus '' Sus'', is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is variously considered a subspecies of ''Sus ...
, releasing seventeen albums. As well as touring North America, Japan and Europe, Watts has recorded many albums with
KMFDM KMFDM (originally Kein Mehrheit Für Die Mitleid, loosely translated by the band as "no pity for the majority") is a multinational industrial band from Hamburg led by Sascha Konietzko, who founded the band in 1984 as a performance art project. ...
as Raymondo Scaballero, including writing credits on the platinum selling video game and movie '' Mortal Kombat''. Since 2009, Watts has co-produced the music for
Alexander McQueen Lee Alexander McQueen CBE (17 March 1969 – 11 February 2010) was a British fashion designer and couturier. He founded his own Alexander McQueen label in 1992, and was chief designer at Givenchy from 1996 to 2001. His achievements in fashio ...
's Fashion shows. The Hit Parade's drummer, Matthew Moffatt, runs a London-based film lighting company, working with directors
Mike Leigh Mike Leigh (born 20 February 1943) is an English film and theatre director, screenwriter and playwright. He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and further at the Camberwell School of Art, the Central School of Art and Design ...
,
Kathryn Bigelow Kathryn Ann Bigelow (; born November 27, 1951) is an American filmmaker. Covering a wide range of genres, her films include '' Near Dark'' (1987), '' Point Break'' (1991), '' Strange Days'' (1995), '' K-19: The Widowmaker'' (2002), ''The Hurt Loc ...
and
Paul Greengrass Paul Greengrass (born 13 August 1955) is a British film director, film producer, screenwriter and former journalist. He specialises in dramatisations of historic events and is known for his signature use of hand-held cameras. His early film ' ...
. Moffatt is credited on several Hollywood and British produced films including the
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-winning '' Hurt Locker'', and the Oscar nominated ''
Vera Drake ''Vera Drake'' is a 2004 British period drama film written and directed by Mike Leigh and starring Imelda Staunton, Phil Davis, Daniel Mays and Eddie Marsan. It tells the story of a working-class woman in London in 1950 who performs illegal a ...
'' and '' United 93''. The Hit Parade's guitarist, Julian Henry, founded the public relations agency Henry's House, is a trustee of The
Institute of Contemporary Arts The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) is an artistic and cultural centre on The Mall in London, just off Trafalgar Square. Located within Nash House, part of Carlton House Terrace, near the Duke of York Steps and Admiralty Arch, the ICA c ...
(ICA, London), is advisor to
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, and has written for periodicals including ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'', ''
Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...
'' and ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' on music and marketing. Other members included Cath Carroll, Harvey Williams and Mike Watts.


Discography


Singles


Albums


References


External links


The Hit Parade websiteThe Hit Parade myspace site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hit Parade, The British pop music groups Sarah Records artists British indie pop groups Musical groups established in 1984