The Psychedelic Furs biography
The Psychedelic Furs are an English post-punk/New Wave band founded in 1977. Led by singer Richard Butler and his brother Tim on bass guitar, the Psychedelic Furs are one of the many acts spawned from the British post-punk scene. Their music went through several phases, from an initially austere art rock sound, later touching on new wave and hard rock.
They scored several hits in their early career, but were launched to international attention in 1986 when the film director John Hughes borrowed their song title "Pretty in Pink" for his movie of the same name. A newly recorded version of the song became the Psychedlic Furs' biggest hit to that time. "Heartbreak Beat", from their 1987 album Midnight to Midnight, was to be the Furs' biggest Top 40 entry in the US.
The Psychedelic Furs went on hiatus in 1991, and the Butler brothers formed a new band called Love Spit Love. The Psychedelic Furs later regrouped in 2001 and continue to perform around the world.
Career
Early days and success
The Psychedelic Furs came together in England's emerging punk scene in 1977, where they auditioned for Essex Kennedy's record label Manfactory Wave Punk. He hoped to cash in on the punk scene that was sweeping the U.K and believed that a more produced and studio sound would appeal to a larger market. They were initially called 'RKO', then 'Radio'. They then vacillated between calling themselves "The Europeans" and "The Psychedelic Furs," playing gigs under both names before permanently settling on the latter. The band initially consisted of Richard Butler (vocals), Tim Butler (bass guitar), Duncan Kilburn (saxophone), Paul Wilson (drums) and Roger Morris (guitars). By 1979, this line-up had expanded to a sextet with Vince Ely replacing Wilson on drums and John Ashton being added on guitar.
The Psychedelic Furs' debut, a self-titled album from 1980, was produced by Steve Lillywhite. The LP quickly established the band on radio in Europe and was a #18 hit in the UK Albums Chart. The album also found success in Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Australia. The US version of the album was resequenced, but failed to have a strong commercial impact.
The Furs did find success in the US with their next release, 1981's Talk Talk Talk, which saw the band making its debut on the US Billboard 200 chart. In New Zealand, the band became popular, as Talk Talk Talk reached #8 in the charts, the first in a string of Furs' albums to peak in the New Zealand Top 10.
In the UK, the album spun off two charting singles, "Dumb Waiters" and the original version of "Pretty in Pink". The latter song served as inspiration for the 1986 John Hughes film of the same name, and was re-recorded for the platinum-selling soundtrack - though Richard Butler remains adamant that the cinematic interpretation destroyed the original metaphor (Pretty in Pink equating to "naked")
In 1982, the band was reduced to a four-piece with the departures of Morris and Kilburn. (1991)
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