E-Zee Possee

Infobox musical artist 2
Name = E-Zee Possee


Img_capt =
Background = group_or_band
Origin = flagicon|United Kingdom United Kingdom
Genre = Dance, acid,
house, techno
Years_active = 1989-1991
Label = More Protein/Virgin Records
URL =
Members = Caron Geary alias MC Kinky & al. (male/female vocal/instrumental UK group

E-Zee Possee was a British dance, acid house and techno group, active between 1989 and 1991, made up of vocalists and musicians, both female and male, led by MC Kinky, rapper friend of Boy George’s, and promoted by his dance label More Protein, which he had just created.

Career

E-zee Possee was a band signed to Boy George's own dance label "More Protein" in the late 1980's. Fronted by Jeremy Healy (formerly of Haysi Fantayzee and Bonaventura), each track by the band featured a different vocalist. Also featured in the band were principal songwriters Simon Rogers and Angela Dust, one of Boy George's pseudomyms. (The "Angela Dust" credit was changed to "The Nelly Terrorist" on the US releases licensed to Charisma Records in 1991). E-zee Possee rarely performed as a live band, usually only performing brief one or two song sets for television appearances or at raves. The nature of the multi-vocalist catalog made touring a live show impractical, if not impossible. They chose instead to rely on multiple remixes and videos to promote their singles and album.

Born Caron Geary, MC Kinky has collaborated some times with Eighties superstar Boy George, in particular as regards the toastin’ section of the original version of "Kipsy", included in "Tense Nervous Headache" (1988), George’s second solo album. A different mix of the song, much more acid-sounding, as well as more deeply sung, is contained in the 4 CD-set titled "Culture Club - Box Set" (2002), and presents a much longer toastin’ than the edit version on the 1988 album, which features a remarkable text portion cut out. Another important collaboration between the female toaster and Boy George is represented by the co-writing on one of the Anglo-Irish artist's most famous underground tracks, "Generations Of Love", opener of his fourth studio album, "Jesus Loves You - The Martyr Mantras", composed by George himself (though under the pseudonym of Angela Dust), by producer Simon Rogers and by Caron, who has signed the song with her real surname, that is Geary. The first single by E-Zee Possee was also co-written by MC Kinky, Angela Dust and Simon Rogers, along with Jeremy Healy, co-producer of the track (the other co-producer on the song being Rogers himself), and also friend of Boy George's. MC Kinky released 2 solo singles for the More Protein label ("Get Over It" and "Inna We Kingdom") as well as a promo only single ("Love Won Another"). She contributed the rap to the Number One Erasure EP "Abba-esque" in 1992, but, as recounted in Boy George's autobiography "Take It Like A Man", squabbles over royalties led to her departure from the label just prior to it being dropped by Virgin Records. She has since released a few solo singles as "Kinky", and guested on tracks by "Flight" and "We Love".

"Everything Starts With an 'E'", E-Zee Possee’s biggest chart success, was originally released in Summer 1989, and received very little success, peaking at #69 in the UK, and leaving the charts after only one week. However, the single was re-released less than a year later, in March 1990 and made it all the way to #15 on the UK Singles Chart, more than 50 times higher than the original chart placing, staying among the first 75 positions for 8 weeks, making it the longest chart running for the band. The group released two more singles, "The Sun Machine" (again in 1990) and "Breathing is E-Zee" (in 1991, though credited to E-Zee Possee featuring Tara Newley), which both failed commercially, reaching #62 (3 weeks totally in the charts) and #72 (only 1 week) in the UK, respectively. In between the very first release and subsequent re-entry of their most successful single, the band gets instead another flop, that is "Love On Love", chronologically the group’s second single, only reaching Number 59, and staying in the charts for just 3 weeks.

"Everything Starts With an 'E'", rather controversial track due to its lyrics, explicitly dealing with drugs, in particular ecstasy, was released, at the time, by Boy George’s independent label, the above mentioned More Protein, just like all the other singles from the band, the first single being particularly important for the young label though: the very first single by the group also represents in fact the very first single ever marketed by the dance label, as the catalogue number of the track does indeed show, featuring the historical code {More Protein PROT 1}. The track was also re-released, with new remixes, in 1996, six years after its first successful re-entry in the charts, and seven years after its very first release, not as lucky.

A promo only single was released in 1992 entitled "Geddit", which features 3 remixes of the song.

E-zee Possee also released a triple album entitled "The Bone Dance", which was the final More Protein release from Virgin Records in 1992. The album combined new remixes of previous singles, new songs (each with a different vocalist), and a few instrumentals. The tracks were linked together in a non-stop DJ mix style, which was uninterrupted on the CD, but broken into 2 mixes for the cassette and 6 mixes for the LP. A re-released, re-mixed version of "Love On Love" was released as the single to promote the album. "The Bone Dance" was released with a somewhat controversial picture sleeve, depicting animals, people, and Mayan and Roman-influenced gods all in various sexually explicit poses. Much of the potentially offensive artwork was censored on the Compact Disc and cassette editions, but the vinyl version (which, as the LP era was coming to a close, wasn't was widely marketed) retained the full artwork.

Tracklisting for "The Bone Dance"
*Cake [Instrumental]
*Dream All Your Troubles Away [Vocals: Jagdeep Singh]
*Koyanisqaatsi [Instrumental]
*Killer On The Dance Floor [Vocals: Cher Ishamel]
*Don't Woncha [Vocals: Lil D]
*Geddit [Vocals: Beverley Skeetes]
*Breathing Is E-zee [Vocals: Tara Newly]
*Crack At The Mick [Instrumental]
*Deliverance [Vocals: Amos Pizzey of I-Sus AD]
*Sun Machine [Naomi Osborne, rap by Aniff Cousins]
*Sax Smurf [Instrumental remix version of "Generations Of Love"]
*I Can't Stop Loving You [vocals: Stefan Frank]
*Love On Love [Vocals: Derek Green as Dr. Mouthquake]
*Play The Sound [Instrumental]
*Everything Starts With An E [Vocals by Caron Geary as MC Kinky]
*Vanity [Vocals by Chris Ballin]

Several of the vocalists have released solo efforts on the More Protein label. I-sus AD released 2 singles ("Pressure" and "Darkissour") Later, Amos released several solo singles ("Come Away", "Only Saw Today / Instant Karma", and others) as part of the rejuvenated, totally independent More Protein. He also was part of a brief partnership with Jeremy Healy for 2 singles on the Positiva label ("Argentina" and "Stamp". ) Jagdeep Singh released a solo single called "Who's Gonna Love You", the acapella version appearing on the first "Closet Classics" compilation album. He has also sang back-up vocals on several of Boy George's solo albums, as had Derek Green and Stefan Frank. Both Amos and Derek also worked in the studio with Culture Club, with Amos' first recordings featuring on the first 2 Culture Club singles' B-sides. ("Love Twist" on "White Boy", and "Murder Rap Trap" on "I'm Afraid Of Me") Amos is the younger brother of the mother of Culture Club bassist Mickey Craig's oldest children.

After the More Protein label had been dropped by Virgin Records, it resurfaced as an entirely independent label by 1995 and began releasing new material as well as re-mixes and re-issues of previous offerings. Both "Everything Starts With An E" and "Love On Love" were re-issued as new vinyl only singles as part of the "Plus4" series of 12"ers with 4 new remixes apiece. The Plus4 series was intended to promote the new More Protein compilation, "Closet Classics Vol. 2" (Catalog number Vital / More Protein IMPCD2), also featuring a new version of "Deliverance" which previously had only been included on the "Bone Dance" album.

In 2000, Boy George released a More Protein compilation album in the USA called "Lucky For Some", featuring the new "Shuffle Remix" of "Everything Starts With An E". Limited edition versions of this release included an album of acapella versions, among which can be found an acapella version of "Everything Starts With An E". This album was released in Australia with the title "Something Old, Something New" with a modified track listing, with the bonus disc featuring classic More Protein tracks in place of the acapellas. Both albums (as well as a promo only CD "GNP" sold at Boy George's DJ gigs that year)feature a megamix of More Protein tracks called "Radio Protein". Featured in the mix are "Everything Starts With An E" and "Love On Love", as well as 2 Jesus Loves You singles. "Radio Protein" is a "hidden track" on the US version, included in the running time of track 1, disc 1.

In 2003, a promo only 12" was released featuring Shumel Flash's remix of "Everything Starts With An E", coupled with his remix of Eurythmics' "Who's That Girl". In 2007, a DJ-only white label 12" of "Everything Starts With An E" was released, remixed by Radiokillaz.

Charts

ingles

"Everything Starts With an 'E'"

Track listing

#"Everything Starts With an 'E'" (Edit) - 3:36
#"Everything Starts With an 'E'" (Full Length) - 7:10
#"Everything Starts With an 'E'" (Sir Frederick Leighton Remix) - 7:49

Credits

*Jeremy Healy, Simon Rogers: co-writers and co-producers
*Caron Geary alias MC Kinky, Boy George alias Angela Dust: co-writers
*C.C.C./R.C./D.O.D./R.K.P.: conglomerate production track 3
*Ewart, Reid @ Assorted
design
*Chrysalis Musica, Virgin Music Ltd., Copyright Control: publishers

Release details

Related links

*Tense Nervous Headache
*Jesus Loves You - The Martyr Mantras
*Culture Club - Box Set