The Passions

The Passions were a British pop band which formed in 1978 and disbanded in 1983. They were archetypal one-hit wonders with their misty, trance-like pop song, "I'm in Love with a German Film Star".

Career

Based in Shepherds Bush, West London, The Passions' music was grounded mainly in Barbara Gogan's voice, and Clive Timperley's delicate echoplex guitar work. Before forming in 1978, most of the members had spent time in other groups. Timperley was an ex-101ers, whilst drummer Richard Williams and singer/guitarist Barbara Gogan were in the punk rock outfit, The Derelicts. The Passions' first single, issued in March 1979, was "Needles and Pills", which helped them gain a recording contract with Fiction Records, home of The Cure. The Passions were predominantly a guitar band but they fitted in with the spirit of the times, being part New Romantics, and part "European grey".

A year passed between the release of the "Needles and Pills" single, and "Michael and Miranda", the band's first album. Singles "Hunted", and "Swimmer" followed, and then their major charting song, "I'm in Love with a German Film Star". Before "The Swimmer" Bidwell and Barker left the band, the former to join The Wall. David Agar took over on bass guitar. The band's second album, "30,000 Feet Over China", was released in August 1981. It included previously released A-sides and several brand new recordings.

Clive Timperley left the band in Verona in December 1981, during the Italian leg of their prophetically named "Tour Till We Crack" tour, as a result of "serious political differences". The follow-up single release "Africa Mine" was recorded with a new line-up. Barbara Gogan explained the situation thus: "It's the same old story. Some bands play together for ten years and it's all very wonderful and imaginative. More often, though, you reach a point where you've done all you can do and you want to change. Whenever we've reached that point someone has always left and brought us a step further on. Any band playing their own songs to the public has a duty to change and keep being imaginative all the time." [http://micksinclair.com/sounds/passions.html]

Kevin Armstrong (a contributor to a Thomas Dolby album), who had previously been with Local Heroes joined, and the group added a keyboard player, Jeff Smith, perhaps best known for his past work with Lene Lovich. Armstrong and Smith took part in the recording of the band's third album, "Sanctuary".

"Sanctuary" appeared in the autumn of 1982.Stephen Wright, previously in the band Bim, joined in 1982, replacing Armstrong. The band toured Europe and the U.S., appeared on the "Old Grey Whistle Test" on BBC 2, and "Whatever You Want" on Channel 4, but dissolved for good in the summer of 1983, after playing their last ever live show at London's Marquee Club on 12 August that year.

Post-Passions

*Gogan resurfaced in 1998, when she released "Made on Earth", an album recorded with the experimentalist, Hector Zazou.
*There have been several cover versions of "I'm in Love with a German Film Star" to date, including one by the Foo Fighters in 2005, and the forthcoming collaboration between artist Sam Taylor-Wood and Pet Shop Boys which is due in October 2008.
*"I'm in Love with a German Film Star" was re-released as a download, in December 2006.
*In the first episode of the BBC Television cop-drama "Ashes to Ashes", when DI Alex Drake enters Luigi's restaurant, "I'm in Love with a German Film Star" is the backing track as she walks in slow motion.
*"Thirty Thousand Feet Over China" is re-issued as a CD with five bonus tracks on Cherry Red Records, 21 July 2008

Band members

*Barbara Gogan — guitar, vocals
*Clive Timperley — guitar (up to 1981)
*Kevin Armstrong — guitar (from 1981 to 1982)
*Claire Bidwell — bass guitar (up to 1980)
*David Agar — bass guitar (from 1980)
*Richard Williams — drums
*Mitch Barker — vocals (up to 1980)
*Jeff Smith — keyboards (from 1981)
*Stephen Wright — guitar (from 1982)

Discography

ingles

*1979: "Needles and Pills" (Soho Records)
*1979: "Hunted" (Fiction)
*1980: "Swimmer" (Polydor) — reissued 1982
*1981: "I'm in Love with a German Film Star" (Polydor) — number 25 UK Singles Chart
*1981: "Skin Deep" (Polydor)
*1982: "Africa Mine" (Polydor)
*1982: "Jump for Joy" (Polydor)
*1982: "Sanctuary" (Polydor)
*2006: "I'm in Love with a German Film Star" (Polydor) (download only)

Albums

*1980: "Michael and Miranda" (Fiction)
*1981: "Thirty Thousand Feet Over China" (Polydor) — number 92 UK Albums Chart
*1982: "Sanctuary" (Polydor)
*1985: "Passion Plays" (Polydor) — compilation album
*2008: "Thirty Thousand Feet Over China" (Cherry Red)

References

*Guinness Book of British Hit Singles (14th edition). ISBN 0-85156-156-X
*Guinness Book of British Hit Albums (7th edition). ISBN 0-85112-619-7

Audio sample

External links

* [http://www.thepassions.co.uk Official Passions website]
* [http://www.myspace.com/passionsuk The Passions on MySpace]
* [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:2o420r3at48p~T1 The Passions biography] at Allmusic website

ee also

Dream pop