Denim were formed in the early 90's following the disbanding of Lawrence Hayward's first band, the highly-regarded Felt. Known for the frequent disputes with his bandmates during the decade-long run of his first band, it came as little surprise that for his next project, he was not merely the uncontested leader, but the sole constant member. Denim was not a band in the traditional sense, but instead, Hayward worked with a revolving cast of musicians for Denim's various studio projects and live appearances. The band also found Hayward setting aside the lush but wiry guitar-based pop that was Felt's calling card, and instead founded a new sound inspired by glam rock, 70's pop, and distaff offshoots of early new wave, with the eclectic music tied together by Hayward's dryly witty, often bitterly satiric lyrics. Denim made its debut in 1992 with the album 'Back In Denim', in which Hayward celebrated the '70s with the song 'The Osmonds', and revealed his contempt for what followed on 'I'm Against the 1980's'. Recorded over the space of two years and released by Boys Own Records, the album fared well with critics but didn't sell especially well, and it wasn't until 1996 that Denim released their second record, the sprawling and eclectic 'Denim On Ice', which was issued by Echo Records, a UK imprint affiliated with Japan's Pony Canyon Records, but once again, record buyers proved less enthusiastic than critics. In early 1997, Denim shifted labels once again, this time to EMI, and their label debut was the collection of b-sides and unreleased tracks, 'Novelty Rock', but by late summer of 1997 Denim were gearing up for the release of their third album, 'Denim Take Over', and in advance of its release they planned to release 'Summer Smash' as the lead single. Copies were sent to radio and press in anticipation of an early September release date, but while initial reaction suggested Denim might have had a hit on their hands, the single was derailed by the death of Princess Diana in a car crash on 31 August 1997. Following Diana's death, EMI decided that releasing a song called 'Summer Smash' would be in poor taste, and they not only cancelled the release of the single and destroyed all copies still in their hands, but they shelved 'Denim Take Over' permanently. Following this frustrating turn of events, Hayward retired Denim, though he did re-record a few songs from the unissued album with his subsequent project, Go-Kart Mozart, but if you have fond memories of Denim and want to hear that third album, then here it is.
Track listing
01 Denim Take Over
02 Island In The Sun
03 Delta Echo Echo Beta Alpha Neon Kettle
04 Lorra Laughs, Cilla
05 Summer Smash
06 West Brom Blues
07 Olly Olly
08 Transgressions
09 Sun's Out
10 City Centre
11 Synth Wizard
12 Robot Voice
13 City Of The Dead
14 Men Look At Women
