The Pale Fountains - Thank You (1983)

The Pale Fountains formed in Liverpool in 1981, and were led by singer/songwriter and guitarist Michael Head, along with bassist Chris McCaffrey, drummer Thomas Whelan and former Dislocation Dance trumpeter Andy Diagram. They were at the forefront of the new 'quiet pop' movement, and inspired by 1960's music such as Love, Burt Bacharach and the Beatles, they released their debut single '(There's Always) Something on My Mind' on the Operation Twilght label in 1982, which generated such a positive buzz that they were immediately signed by Virgin for the then-staggering sum of £150,000. However, their debut single for the label, the lavish 'Thank You', failed to crack the U.K. Top 40, despite a heavy promotional push, and after an intense year in the studio, the band's first LP, the bossa nova-inflected 'Pacific Street', finally appeared in 1984. After such a relatively long absence from the limelight, however, the group had lost its status as media darlings, and the record fared poorly. Producer Ian Broudie was brought in to helm 1985's '...From Across The Kitchen Table', which was more unified than its predecessor as it was recorded over a shorter period of time, and lead single 'Jean's Not Happening' is one of the great lost indie gems of the 80's, complete with a powerful string arrangement, but again success was not forthcoming. In the wake of considerable acrimony amongst the band and their label, The Pale Fountains soon split, with Head returning to Liverpool to form Shack with his brother John, while Andy Diagram had already left the band in 1984 to join James. As a reminder of of the beginnings of Michael Head's critically-acclaimed career, here are all the non-album singles and b-sides recorded by the band, plus a couple of rare compilation contributions, an unreleased single, as well as a John Peel session recording and two songs recorded for the Old Grey Whistle Test, none of which made it into the studio.  

Track listing

01 Thank You (single 1982)
02 Meadow Of Love (b-side of 'Thank You')
03 Just A Girl (b-side of '(There's Always) Something On My Mind' 1982)
04 Lavinia's Dream (b-side of '(There's Always) Something On My Mind' 1982)
05 Palm Of My Hand (single 1983)
06 Love's A Beautiful Place (b-side of 'Palm Of My Hand')
07 (I'm A) Longshot For Your Love (unreleased single 1982)
08 Love Situation (b-side of '(Don't Let Your Love) Start A War' 1984)
09 Walk On By (hidden track on b-side of '(Don't Let Your Love) Start A War' 1984)
10 Benoit's Christmas (from 'Ghosts Of Christmas Past (Remake)' compilation album 1982)
11 The Norfolk Broads (from John Peel session 1982)
12 We Have All The Time In The World (from the 'Moving Soundtracks (Volume One)'

                                                                                                          compilation album 1982)

13 Free (from The Old Grey Whistle Test 1983)

14 Hey There Fred (from The Old Grey Whistle Test 1983)