The Stars of Heaven were an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

guitar pop band formed in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

in 1983. They released two albums on the Rough Trade label before splitting up in 1990.

History

The band was formed in 1983 by Stephen Ryan (vocals, guitar), Stan Erraught (guitar, formerly of The Peridots), Peter O'Sullivan (bass guitar), and Bernard Walsh (drums).Strong, Martin C. (2003) "Stars of Heaven" in ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 523 They were strongly influenced by

The Byrds The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole cons ...

and

Gram Parsons Ingram Cecil Connor III (November 5, 1946 – September 19, 1973) who was known professionally as Gram Parsons, was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist who recorded as a solo artist and with the International Submarine Band, ...

, even being labelled "Ireland's answer to The Byrds, Gram Parsons and the Velvet Underground all in one package".Young, Rob (2006) ''Rough Trade: Labels Unlimited'', Black Dog Publishing, , p. 174 After a début single on the Hotwire label ("Clothes of Pride") which received airplay from

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

, they were signed by Rough Trade, who issued the album ''Sacred Heart Hotel'' in 1986, which reached number 11 on the

UK Independent 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 ...

.Lazell, Barry (1998) ''Indie Hits 1980-1989'', Cherry Red Books, , p. 216 Peel's patronage continued throughout their career, with the band recording four sessions for his

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, ...

show, the first of which was included on ''Sacred Heart Hotel''.Smillie, Christian " ''Sacred Heart Hotel'' Review,

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, retrieved 2010-10-10 They also appeared on

RTÉ (RTÉ) (; Irish language, Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the Public broadcaster, national broadcaster of Republic of Ireland, Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on RTÉ Television, telev ...

television. They released a further single and EP ("Never Saw You"/''The Holyhead EP'') which was a top five hit on the independent chart, and in 1988, Rough Trade released their second and final album, ''Speak Slowly'', which peaked at number 6. ''Speak Slowly'' included the track ''The Lights of Tetouan'' although this was not released as a single. The song is written by the band's singer, Stephen Ryan, about growing up on the south coast of Spain from where he could see the Moroccan town of Tetouan. ''The Lights of Tetouan'' was covered (as ''The Lights of Te Touan'') by Everything But the Girl on their 1994 EP ''Rollercoaster'' Along with the original, as this version is a B-side, it is not widely known/available. However, it is available for listening/viewing online. The band split up shortly after the release of ''Speak Slowly'',Smillie, Christian " ''Speak Slowly'' Review,

, retrieved 2010-10-10 with Ryan going on to form a new band, The Revenants, along with former members of The Would-Be's and

Something Happens Something Happens are an Irish pop-rock band whose heyday was the late 1980s and early 1990s. The band's lineup consists of Tom Dunne (Vocals), Ray Harman (Guitar), Alan Byrne (Bass) and Eamonn Ryan (Drums). An earlier incarnation of the band ...

, who released two albums (''Horse of a Different Colour'' and ''Septober Nowonder'') in 1993 and 1995 respectively. Erraught went on to form The Sewing Room, with Eamonn Davis and Colm Fitzpatrick from Hey Paulette, which released two albums and an EP during the mid-to-late 1990s. In 2009 the group's two albums were made available as a free download from the Independent Records website.

Discography

Albums

*''Sacred Heart Hotel'' (1986), Rough Trade - UK Indie #11 *''Speak Slowly'' (1988), Rough Trade - UK Indie #6 ;Compilations: *''Rain on the Sea'' (1987), Rough Trade - ''Sacred Heart Hotel'' + ''The Holyhead EP'' *''Unfinished Dreaming'' (1999), Independent

Singles, EPs

*"Clothes of Pride" (1985), Hotwire *"Never Saw You" (1987), Rough Trade *''The Holyhead EP'' (1987), Rough Trade - UK Indie #5

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stars of Heaven Irish indie pop groups Rough Trade Records artists 1983 establishments in Ireland Musical groups established in 1983 Musical groups disestablished in 1988 Musical groups from Dublin (city)