The Style Council

The Style Council were an English band formed in late 1982 by Paul Weller, the former singer, songwriter and guitarist with the punk rock/new wave/mod revival band the Jam, and keyboardist Mick Talbot, previously a member of Dexys Midnight Runners, the Bureau and the Merton Parkas. The band enabled Weller to take his music in a more soulful direction.

The permanent line-up grew to include drummer Steve White and Weller's then girlfriend, vocalist Dee C. Lee. Other artists such as Tracie Young, Tracey Thorn (Everything but the Girl), and drummer / percussionist Steve Sidelnyk (who later played for Madonna & Seal).

As with Weller's previous band, most of the London-based group's hits were in the UK, where they scored seven top 10 hits. The band also had hit singles and albums in Australia and New Zealand during the 1980s.

Much of their work had a political message and they were active members of the Red Wedge collective.

The band produced a number of albums and some great tracks, in my opinion the best were the following...

'Speak like a Child'

'Long Hot Summer', from 1983 I believe.

'My ever changing Moods'

... and my personal favourite 'Walls come tumbling Down'

Dexy's Midnight Runners

Dexys Midnight Runners were an English pop band with soul influences from Birmingham, who achieved major commercial success in the early to mid-1980s. They are best known in the UK for their songs " Come On Eileen " and " Geno ", both of which peaked at No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, as well as six other top-20 singles. The original Dexys Midnight Runners were founded in 1978 in Birmingham, England by Kevin Rowland (vocals, guitar) and Kevin "Al" Archer (vocals, guitar). Both had been in the short-lived punk band the Killjoys. Rowland had previously written a Northern soul-style song that the two of them sang, " Tell Me When My Light Turns Green ", which became the first Dexys "song". The band's members were "Big" Jim Paterson (trombone), Geoff "JB" Blythe (saxophone, previously of Geno Washington's Ram Jam Band), Steve "Babyface" Spooner (alto saxophone), Pete Saunders (keyboard), Pete Williams (ba...

The Rezillos

The Rezillos were a punk/new wave band formed in Edinburgh, Scotland, in th emid 1970s. Although they emerged at the same time as other bands in the punk rock movement, the Rezillos took a more light-hearted approach to their songs. Their songs were heavily influenced by 1950s rock and roll, 1960s English beat music and garage rock, early 1970s glam rock, and recurring lyrical themes of science fiction and B movies; their influences mirrored those of US bands the Cramps and the B-52s, who were starting out at the same time. The Rezillos' biggest hit in their home country was the UK Top 20 single " Top of the Pops " in 1978, but they are best known outside the UK for their cover version of " Somebody's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonight ". Released in July 1978, the Rezillos' first studio album " Can't Stand the Rezillos " (and one of my favourite albums) is considered a classic of the first wave of British punk, but the group split up...

The Tourists

The Tourists were a British rock and pop band. They achieved brief success in the late 1970s before the band split in 1980. Two of its members, singer Annie Lennox and guitarist Dave Stewart, went on to international success as Eurythmics. As the Tourists they released a number of track as singles and had quite some success, I saw the band at Reading Uni, and they were a firm favourite at the time. The tracks I want to list here are a cross section of their output... ' The Loneliest man in the World ' and the Dusty Springfield cover " I Only Want to Be with You " both from 1979. And from 1980 " So Good to Be Back Home Again "

Muzical Mystery Tour

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