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The Associates (band)
The Associates (or simply Associates) were a Scottish post-punk and pop band, formed in Dundee in 1979 by lead vocalist Billy Mackenzie and guitarist Alan Rankine. The band released an unauthorized cover version of David Bowie's "Boys Keep Swinging" as their debut single in 1979, which landed them a recording contract with Fiction Records. They followed with their debut studio album The Affectionate Punch in 1980 and the compilation album Fourth Drawer Down in 1981, both to critical praise.
They achieved commercial success in 1982 with their UK Top 10 studio album Sulk and UK Top 20 singles "Party Fears Two" and "Club Country", during which time they were associated with the new pop movement. Rankine left the group that year, leaving Mackenzie to record under the Associates name until 1990. They briefly reunited in 1993. Mackenzie's suicide in 1997 was the band's end; Rankine died twenty-six years later in 2023.
Billy Mackenzie and guitarist Alan Rankine met in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1976 and formed the cabaret duo the Ascorbic Ones, although Rankine claimed that this was "a fantasy band that Bill and I dreamt up to give ourselves a past". In 1978, they recorded songs as Mental Torture before changing the name to the Associates.
Disappointed that their early recordings were not getting picked up, Mackenzie concocted the stunt of doing a cover version of David Bowie's "Boys Keep Swinging", without copyright permission, just six weeks after Bowie's version hit the UK Top 10. Released in June 1979, this debut Associates single reached No. 15 in Record Mirror's Scottish chart and gained them airplay on John Peel's Radio One show. Mackenzie later said that the band recorded the Bowie song "to prove the point. It was a strange way of proving it, but it worked. People said, 'That is awful. How dare they!'" The ensuing attention earned them a recording contract with Fiction Records, and their debut studio album, The Affectionate Punch, followed on 1 August 1980. By this time the duo of Mackenzie and Rankine had been joined by bassist Michael Dempsey and drummer John Murphy, though in most promotional material the group were still marketed as a duo.
A string of 1981 non-album singles on the label Situation Two were compiled as Fourth Drawer Down, released that October. These releases saw the band develop an interest in experimenting with unorthodox instrumentation and recording techniques, including sounds being amplified through the tube of a vacuum cleaner on the track "Kitchen Person". Also in 1981, Rankine and Mackenzie released a version of "Kites" under the name 39 Lyon Street, with Christine Beveridge on lead vocals. The B-side, "A Girl Named Property" (a remake of "Mona Property Girl" from the "Boys Keep Swinging" single), was credited to the Associates.
As Situation Two's parent label Beggars Banquet had a labels deal with WEA International at the time (primarily for Gary Numan), the Associates found themselves signed to Warner with their releases now going out on their own Associates record label. The band's breakthrough came in 1982 with the release of the single "Party Fears Two". Buoyed along by the popularity of synth-pop at the time, the song reached No. 9 on the UK singles chart with the band becoming one of the leading acts of the new pop movement. Two other hits followed, "Club Country" and "18 Carat Love Affair", a vocal version of the instrumental track "Nothinginsomethingparticular". On 14 May 1982, the band released their most commercially successful studio album, Sulk. Martha Ladly, of the Canadian rock band Martha and the Muffins, contributed backing vocals and keyboards to this album.
At the last minute, Mackenzie refused to proceed with the extensive tour that had been planned to promote the release of Sulk. This proved disastrous for the band's career; the band was being courted by Seymour Stein of Sire Records, but without Mackenzie's willingness to tour, Stein lost interest. In the aftermath of Mackenzie's refusal, Rankine left the band. Mackenzie continued to write and record music under the name Associates until 1990.
Their third studio album Perhaps was released on 9 February 1985. It was a commercial failure in comparison to their previous releases, peaking at No. 23 on the UK Albums Chart but only selling around 40,000 copies, putting Billy Mackenzie in significant debt to Warner Music Group. However, it was their only album to chart in the Netherlands, peaking at No. 29 on the Dutch Albums Chart. The first single taken from the album was "Those First Impressions" which reached No. 43 on the UK singles chart, "Waiting for the Loveboat" peaked at No. 53, and "Breakfast" turned out to be their last Top 50 hit, peaking at No. 49. "Breakfast" was also their sole showing on the Dutch Single Top 100 chart, peaking at 36.
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The Associates (band)
The Associates (or simply Associates) were a Scottish post-punk and pop band, formed in Dundee in 1979 by lead vocalist Billy Mackenzie and guitarist Alan Rankine. The band released an unauthorized cover version of David Bowie's "Boys Keep Swinging" as their debut single in 1979, which landed them a recording contract with Fiction Records. They followed with their debut studio album The Affectionate Punch in 1980 and the compilation album Fourth Drawer Down in 1981, both to critical praise.
They achieved commercial success in 1982 with their UK Top 10 studio album Sulk and UK Top 20 singles "Party Fears Two" and "Club Country", during which time they were associated with the new pop movement. Rankine left the group that year, leaving Mackenzie to record under the Associates name until 1990. They briefly reunited in 1993. Mackenzie's suicide in 1997 was the band's end; Rankine died twenty-six years later in 2023.
Billy Mackenzie and guitarist Alan Rankine met in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1976 and formed the cabaret duo the Ascorbic Ones, although Rankine claimed that this was "a fantasy band that Bill and I dreamt up to give ourselves a past". In 1978, they recorded songs as Mental Torture before changing the name to the Associates.
Disappointed that their early recordings were not getting picked up, Mackenzie concocted the stunt of doing a cover version of David Bowie's "Boys Keep Swinging", without copyright permission, just six weeks after Bowie's version hit the UK Top 10. Released in June 1979, this debut Associates single reached No. 15 in Record Mirror's Scottish chart and gained them airplay on John Peel's Radio One show. Mackenzie later said that the band recorded the Bowie song "to prove the point. It was a strange way of proving it, but it worked. People said, 'That is awful. How dare they!'" The ensuing attention earned them a recording contract with Fiction Records, and their debut studio album, The Affectionate Punch, followed on 1 August 1980. By this time the duo of Mackenzie and Rankine had been joined by bassist Michael Dempsey and drummer John Murphy, though in most promotional material the group were still marketed as a duo.
A string of 1981 non-album singles on the label Situation Two were compiled as Fourth Drawer Down, released that October. These releases saw the band develop an interest in experimenting with unorthodox instrumentation and recording techniques, including sounds being amplified through the tube of a vacuum cleaner on the track "Kitchen Person". Also in 1981, Rankine and Mackenzie released a version of "Kites" under the name 39 Lyon Street, with Christine Beveridge on lead vocals. The B-side, "A Girl Named Property" (a remake of "Mona Property Girl" from the "Boys Keep Swinging" single), was credited to the Associates.
As Situation Two's parent label Beggars Banquet had a labels deal with WEA International at the time (primarily for Gary Numan), the Associates found themselves signed to Warner with their releases now going out on their own Associates record label. The band's breakthrough came in 1982 with the release of the single "Party Fears Two". Buoyed along by the popularity of synth-pop at the time, the song reached No. 9 on the UK singles chart with the band becoming one of the leading acts of the new pop movement. Two other hits followed, "Club Country" and "18 Carat Love Affair", a vocal version of the instrumental track "Nothinginsomethingparticular". On 14 May 1982, the band released their most commercially successful studio album, Sulk. Martha Ladly, of the Canadian rock band Martha and the Muffins, contributed backing vocals and keyboards to this album.
At the last minute, Mackenzie refused to proceed with the extensive tour that had been planned to promote the release of Sulk. This proved disastrous for the band's career; the band was being courted by Seymour Stein of Sire Records, but without Mackenzie's willingness to tour, Stein lost interest. In the aftermath of Mackenzie's refusal, Rankine left the band. Mackenzie continued to write and record music under the name Associates until 1990.
Their third studio album Perhaps was released on 9 February 1985. It was a commercial failure in comparison to their previous releases, peaking at No. 23 on the UK Albums Chart but only selling around 40,000 copies, putting Billy Mackenzie in significant debt to Warner Music Group. However, it was their only album to chart in the Netherlands, peaking at No. 29 on the Dutch Albums Chart. The first single taken from the album was "Those First Impressions" which reached No. 43 on the UK singles chart, "Waiting for the Loveboat" peaked at No. 53, and "Breakfast" turned out to be their last Top 50 hit, peaking at No. 49. "Breakfast" was also their sole showing on the Dutch Single Top 100 chart, peaking at 36.