The Pale Fountains were an English band formed in Liverpool in 1980, and composed of

Mick Head Michael William Head (born 24 November 1961) is an English singer-songwriter and musician from Liverpool, England. He is most famous as the lead singer and songwriter for Shack and The Pale Fountains, both of which also feature his younger b ...

(vocalist/guitarist), Chris McCaffery (bassist), Thomas Whelan (drummer), trumpet player Andy Diagram ( horns) and Ken Moss (Guitar/Bass). Diagram was simultaneously a member of

Dislocation Dance Dislocation Dance are an English post-punk band from Manchester, England. The group's original line-up is obscure; their first EP, a self-titled 7" as a co-release between two labels, Delicate Issues and ''New Hormones'' recorded in May 1980, ...

for most of the Pale Fountains' existence.

Career

Inspired by 1960s music such as Love,

Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; born May 12, 1928) is an American composer, songwriter, record producer and pianist who composed hundreds of pop songs from the late 1950s through the 1980s, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. A six-time Gra ...

and The Beatles, the group released their debut single "(There's Always) Something on My Mind" on Les Disques du Crépuscule before signing a major label deal in October 1982. Although the Pale Fountains failed to make much commercial headway, the band would earn critical praise for the two albums released on Virgin, ''Pacific Street'' (1984) and ''...From Across the Kitchen Table'' (1985),

produced Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

by Ian Broudie, who later found fame with The Lightning Seeds. Their sole UK Singles Chart Top 50 single was "Thank You", which reached No. 48 in 1982. The band split up in 1987, with

going on to form

Shack A shack (or, in some areas, shanty) is a type of small shelter or dwelling, often primitive or rudimentary in design and construction. Unlike huts, shacks are constructed by hand using available materials; however, whereas huts are usually ru ...

with his brother John. Andy Diagram had already left in 1984 and would later join James. Bassist and founder member Chris "Biffa" McCaffery died in 1989 of a

brain tumour A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and secondary ...

. In November 2007, Head announced that he was reforming The Pale Fountains for two gigs. One at the Carling Academy in Liverpool on 2 February 2008, and another at the Shepherd's Bush Empire in London on 3 February 2008. The group remains particularly popular in France and Japan. Two compilations have been issued: ''Longshot For Your Love'' (Marina, 1998) and ''Something On My Mind'' (Crépuscule, 2013), the latter with a bonus live CD recorded in 1982.

Members

– vocals, guitar (1981–1987) * Chris McCaffery – bass guitar (1981–1987; died 1989) * Thomas Whelan – drums (1981–1987) * Andy Diagram – trumpet (1982–1984) * John Head – guitar (1984–1987)

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Singles

References

External links

Michael Head's Official Website
Shacknet – The Magical World of Shack & Pale FountainsFountains, The English new wave musical groups
English pop music groups Jangle pop groups Musical groups from Liverpool Musical groups established in 1981 Musical groups disestablished in 1987