P.S. I kept the mistake in on purpose.
Anyhoo. I just watched one of those daft things on YouTube that tell you all about rock history. Not one bloody mention!
I seem to recall circa 1981 a BEF compilation cassette that made us all go, Tina Turner? Wow! Tina’s fab! Talk about being written out of herstory!
Jaygee says
Was that Music for Stowaways or Music of Quality and Distinction?
Only other thing I can really remember about BEF (effectively Heaven 17) was their absurd attempt to persuade people they were going to evolve into some sort of corporation (as, iirc, did PIL). Fascist Groove Thang and Penthouse and Pavement were pretty good though.
Mrbellows says
I’m not that much of a trainspotter but I’m pretty sure it was 1981. Correct me if I’m wrong.
Pajp says
It was Music Of Quality And Distinction and it was 1982. I knew the name, but had to look up the date.
I was going to say something about Tina Turner or what Music Of Quality And Distinction meant to me as a mere 18 year old, but I can’t think of anything sensible just now, so I will l leave it at that.
Mrbellows says
Thanks for the (word escapes me).
Pajp says
The words escaped me too, hence the short post. 🙂
Black Celebration says
Completely agree. Fab FM stalwart ever-present platter Let’s Stay Together, with Heaven 17 backing vocals, got her back into the charts and from that point onwards she hit the big time.
SteveT says
I would say Mark Knopfler was equally responsible for her resurrection. He wrote Private Dancer which was her comeback hit
Mrbellows says
Absolutely. No argument there. The UK seems to be able to provide a home and a springboard for down in their luck Artists from the USA. I think it must be the Pie and darts combo that revives them.
Black Celebration says
Fair call – I think Private Dancer was her 3rd or 4th comeback single (and of course the title track of the album).
Carl says
As BC notes, her cover of Let’s Stay Together was her comeback hit and it predated Private Dancer by about a year.
It was produced by BEF, and it all followed on from the Ball Of Confusion session.
fentonsteve says
One of my showbiz chums is a big Stax/Motown fan. When asked by producer Greg Walsh for ideas for songs Tina Turner might cover for her comeback, he replied “Al Green’s Let’s Stay Together”. The rest, as they say, is history.
Tiggerlion says
Absolutely.
Music Of Quality And Distinction also highlighted what a wonderful song Perfect Day is and gave Billy Mackenzie the change to out-Bowie Bowie on Secret Life Of Arabia. It wasn’t all good, though. Gary Glitter was allowed to murder Suspicious Minds and what Paula Yates did to These Boots Are Made For Walkin’ is beyond words.
metal mickey says
Regardless of the quality of the track (I like it FWIW), that Gary Glitter track is apparently the only one in which GG and the Glitter Band actually perform together – all of the “classic” GG tracks were performed solely by Mike Leander and GG himself…
Chrisf says
Weren’t BEF also responsible for (or at the least producing) Terence Trent D’Arby’s debut album, “Introducing the Hardline….”
Tiggerlion says
Just Martyn Ware.
retropath2 says
BEF coulda bin/shoulda bin huge. The original plan was that they would be the electro boffin duo with different singers. H17 emerged as Glenn Gregory became sufficient reason to develop that aspect further, his voice being right, as well as being a mate. So H17 took off as a more successful offshoot. 3 BEF volumes, tho’ over the years, varying in quality if not distinction. Now that H17 approaching heritage status and use more additional guests, as well as one of the two boffins leaving, the borders are blurred and shows will include material via both brands. (And yes, both Tina T and TTD had BEF content on their solo material, and would agree it stepped up/launched their respective credibility’s.)
https://sixsongs.blogspot.com/2020/04/electricity-british-electric-foundation.html?m=1
dai says
I heard H17 on radio the other day. Thought it was interesting that they chose a singer who sounded pretty much the same as Phil Oakey (with a bigger range probably)
Tiggerlion says
Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh left The Human League because of musical differences. In the end, Heaven 17/BEF sounded pretty much the same.
KDH says
Sadly they didn’t have as much success trying to re-energise Jimmy Ruffin’s career – pity, as this is rather great:
As is the b-side, their take on a Luther Vandross classic:
slotbadger says
Tina’s often mentioned it was Bowie’s hearty endorsement of her at the height of his Let’s Dance bankability that got EMI execs finally interested in her as a solo act without Ike. Since leaving the crazy man, she’d been struggling on the cabaret circuit, a has-been at 40. With Bowie and Jagger on side, Knopfler’s ‘Private Dancer giving her a global smash, it was like, Ike, who?
dai says
As stated above Private Dancer was the 4th (or 5th) comeback hit and it actually only got to no. 26 in UK. What’s Love Got to Do With It was the biggest hit (3). PD made top 10 in US, but only after WLGTDWI had previously made no. 1.
(Bowie whispers something very rude to her in the video of “Tonight”)
Tiggerlion says
Tina is wasted on Tonight. One of the world’s greatest hollerers is reduced to whispers. I’m pleased it attracted some attention, though.