Biff Bang Pow!

Infobox musical artist
Name = Biff Bang Pow!


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Origin = London, England
Genre = Indie pop
Years_active = 1983 – 1991
Label = Creation Records
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Current_members = Alan McGee
Dick Green
Joe Foster
Ken Popple
Dave Evans
Andrew Innes

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Biff Bang Pow! were an indie pop band from London, England, active between 1983 and 1991, centring around Creation Records boss Alan McGee.

Formation

Glaswegian Alan McGee had previously been in the band Laughing Apple, who released 3 singles in 1981/82. After moving to London, McGee formed a new band, Biff Bang Pow!, taking their name from a song by one of his favourite bands, The Creation. The first release on Creation records, "'73 in '83" by The Legend! came with a flexi-disc featuring Laughing Apple's "Wouldn't You", a song that would later appear on the first Biff Bang Pow! album.

The initial Biff Bang Pow! line-up was McGee on guitar and vocals, with Dick Green on guitar, Joe Foster on bass, and Ken Popple on drums, these recording the first 2 singles "50 Years of Fun" and "There Must Be A Better Life".

New line-up

Dave Evans then replaced Foster (who went solo as Slaughter Joe), and guitarist/organist Andrew Innes (later to join Primal Scream) joined on a part-time basis. Debut album "Pass The Paintbrush...Honey" was released in early 1985, displaying a mixture of mod, psychedlia and new wave influences. 1986 saw arguably the band's strongest album "The Girl Who Runs The Beat Hotel", which expanded on the first album's psychedelic and sixties pop influences, and featured collaborations with artist/painter JC Brouchard. This album coincided with the peak of the first wave of indie pop and as this gave way to shoegazing and grunge, Creation Records also moved in that direction, with the label increasingly being associated with artists such as My Bloody Valentine and Ride. With Biff Bang Pow!, however, McGee continued with guitar pop, becoming increasingly melancholy with releases such as "Oblivion" (1987), "Love Is Forever" (1988), "Songs For The Sad Eyed Girl" (1990), and "Me" (1991), which proved to be the last album proper by the band. Two compilations, "L'Amour, Demure, Stenhousemuir" and "Debasement Tapes" were subsequently released. McGee's position as head of Creation Records perhaps meant that his band were never given a fair hearing by the music press, although they always maintained a loyal fanbase.

Discography (all on Creation Records except where stated)

(chart placings shown are from the UK Independent Chart) [Lazell, Barry:"Indie Hits 1980-1989", 1997, Cherry Red Books, ISBN 0-9517206-9-4]

Singles

*"50 Years Of Fun" (Feb 1984, CRE003 [7"] ) #31
*"There Must Be A Better Life" (Jun 1984, CRE007 [7"] )
*"Love's Going Out Of Fashion" (Mar 1984, CRE024 [7"] /CRE024T [12"] ) #6
*"Someone Stole My Wheels" (Nov 1986, CRE034 [7"] /CRE034T [12"] ) "credited to JC Brouchard with Biff Bang Pow !" #31
*"The Whole World Is Turning Brouchard" (Feb 1987, CRE038 [7"] ) #26
*"She Haunts" (Feb 1988, CRE051 [12"] ) #28
*"Sleep" (Nov 1990, CAFF, CAFF13 [7"] )

Albums

*"Pass The Paintbrush...Honey" (Feb 1985, CRELP004 [LP] )
*"The Girl Who Runs The Beat Hotel" (Mar 1987, CRELP015 [LP] ) (reissued May 1988 on CD/C, including first album) #10
*"Oblivion" (Jun 1987, CRELP020 [LP] ) #16
*"Love Is Forever" (Apr 1988, CRELP029 [LP] )
*"The Acid House Album" (Jun 1989, CRELP046 [LP] /CRECD046 [CD] ) (compilation)
*"Songs For The Sad Eyed Girl" (Jan 1990, CRELP058 [LP] /CRECD058 [CD] /CCRE058 [C] ) (CD incl. Oblivion, C incl. Love Is Forever)
*"Me" (Apr 1991, CRELP071 [LP] /CRECD071 [CD] /CCRE071 [C] )
*"L'Amour, Demure, Stenhousemuir" (Nov 1991, CRELP099 [LP] /CRECD099 [CD] /CCRE099 [C] ) (compilation)
*"Debasement Tapes" (Feb 1992, CRELP125 [LP] /CRECD125 [CD] )
*"Bertula Pop" (Apr 1994, Tristar, ? [CD] ) (compilation)
*"Waterbomb : The best of" (Jul 2003, Rev-Ola, CRREV28 [CD] ) (compilation)

References