The Pale Fountains were an English band formed in

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

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 Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest Interpersonal relationship, interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of ...

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and

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, 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 Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...

, ''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 ...

Ian Broudie Ian Zachary Broudie (born 4 August 1958) is an English musician and singer-songwriter from Liverpool. After emerging from the post-punk scene in Liverpool in the late 1970s as a member of Big in Japan, Broudie went on to produce albums (somet ...

, who later found fame with

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. Their sole

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

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 r ...

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. 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 Shepherd's Bush Empire (currently known as O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire for sponsorship reasons, and formerly known as the BBC Television Theatre) is a music venue in Shepherd's Bush, West London, run by the Academy Music Group. It was originall ...

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