Obituary
Blancmange has essentially been a solo Neil Arthur concern for many years because Stephen Luscombe quit due to ill health back in 2011.
I can’t find any details over how he has died, but I thought he should be remembered here.
The Indian feel to some of Blancmange’s music is down to him. His side project, The West Indian Company featured Asha Bhosle among others.
Listening to Happy Families and Mange Tout, you can hear how many ideas were fizzing around. While Happy Families was a simple synth duo album. I see it as a companion to Upstairs at Eric’s. A soulful voice and great songwriting.to a couple of albums, fizzing with ideas. Mange Tout is another beast entirely, they’ve invited the rest of the band in. I revisit Mange Tout regularly and consider it an overlooked wonder.
Anyway, RIP.
Blancmange were the interesting synth pop stars. They recorded aome brilliant songs that more than stand up today. I’ve always especially loved Sad Day – it seems eminently appropriate today.
Many to choose from, but let’s go with this one.
I always loved this one, this was kind of different to all the regular stuff in the charts, with Indian influences integrated into the song (I think the great Pandit Dinesh was on it).
Side project with Asha Bhosle & Pandit Dinesh (and according to the listing – Vince Clarke). Not sure I’d ever heard this before… quite ahead of the curve for 1984.
Another one! Never heard it.
Odd name for a band, but great examples of the “New Pop” Golden Age: “I”m up the bloody tree” is a great line to get onto TOTP
It was changed for broadcast to “cuckoo tree”. That’s a redubbed video.
Yes I remember that detail too.
Tom Robinson was on TOTP and had to change a line in one of his songs “have another cigarette” to “avocado vinegarette”.
Yes! I love that Tom Robinson song, and had completely forgotten about it.