Transvision Vamp

Transvision Vamp were an English pop rock band. Formed in 1986 by Nick Christian Sayer and Wendy James, the band enjoyed chart success in the late 1980s, particularly in 1989. James, the lead singer and focal-point of the group, attracted media attention with her sexually charged and rebellious image. They scored 10 UK chart hits and also enjoyed considerable success in Australia. Their top single was 1989's "Baby I Don't Care", which reached number three on the UK and Australian charts.

Career

The band's original line-up was James, Sayer, Dave Parsons (bass), Tex Axile (keyboards) and Pol Burton (drums). Parsons and Axile had both been in punk bands prior to joining the band; Parsons in The Partisans, and Axile in various bands, most notably The Moors Murderers and X-Ray Spex offshoot Agent Orange.

The band were signed by MCA in December 1986 and released their first single, " Revolution Baby", the following year. It stalled at number 77 in the UK in September 1987. A cover of the Holly and the Italians' song, "Tell That Girl to Shut Up", was released as the band's second single in March 1988, reaching 45 on the UK Singles Chart. The single became their only charting entry on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, where it peaked at 87.

The band's third single, " I Want Your Love", with its pop/punk crossover appeal, became their first major hit, topping the Norwegian singles chart, and peaking within the top 10 in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, and Switzerland. Their next single was a re-release of " Revolution Baby", which rose to number 30 in the UK, 17 in Ireland, 24 in Australia and New Zealand. The fourth single, " Sister Moon", narrowly missed the UK top 40 at number 41.

In October 1988 the band released their debut album, '' Pop Art''. It was a major success in the UK where it stayed on the album chart for 32 weeks, peaking at number 4. The album achieved a similar level of success in Australia, where it was certified platinum, and placed as the 25th highest-selling album of 1989. N.B. The chart published on this site is missing some certifications, including the platinum certification for ''Velveteen''. The album also did well in Switzerland (number 20) and Sweden (number 25).

1989 proved to be the band's most successful year, with the release of the single "Baby I Don't Care". The single peaked at number three in both the UK and Australia, making it the band's most successful single in both countries. In Australia, the song spent 20 weeks in the top 50. The band's second album, ''Velveteen'', was released shortly after, debuting atop the UK Albums Chart and remaining on the chart for 26 weeks. ''Velveteen'' also reached number two on the Australian Albums Chart, spending 25 weeks in the top 100, and becoming the 39th best selling album of the year. ''Velveteen'' was also a significant success in New Zealand (reaching number 12), and parts of Europe, including Switzerland, Germany and Norway, where it entered the top twenty. The other singles from ''Velveteen'': " The Only One", "Landslide of Love" and "Born to Be Sold" all peaked within the top 30 in the UK, and the top 20 in Ireland.

In June 1991, MCA refused to release Transvision Vamp's third album '' Little Magnets Versus the Bubble of Babble'' in the UK, reportedly disliking the direction of the music, and after the two singles didn't chart as highly as previous singles on the UK charts. The album was released in New Zealand where it was top twenty and reached number 14. In Australia, the album was released and it peaked at number 25, spending 3 months on the ARIA top 100 albums chart. It was also released in Sweden and reached number 27. The album's first single, " (I Just Wanna) B with U", peaked at number 16 in Australia, and charted at number 30 in the UK and entered the Irish top 30. The second single released from the album, " If Looks Could Kill", entered the top 40 in New Zealand, and just missed the UK top 40 at number 41, it became the band's final single release. A third single from the album, "Twangy Wigout" was planned and promo copies were issued but it was shelved by their label after disputes.

On the third album, Wendy James has stated "it came out in America. But then we decided to split up, during which time the English record label had said they weren't convinced about this record, we're going to hold off on it and see how well it does in other countries first. By the time they were ready to release it, we'd already decided to split up, and so it never came out."

The group officially disbanded in February 1992 following a statement from MCA. Wendy James launched her solo career in 1993 with the Elvis Costello-written album ''Now Ain't the Time for Your Tears''.

Post-Vamp activities

Anthony Doughty (Tex Axile) joined a band called Max with Matthew Ashman

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