Alison Limerick
Encyclopedia
Alison T. Limerick is a British
singer
.
She began her music career as a backing vocalist
in the mid 1980s, after attending the London Contemporary School of Dance. Her work appeared on The Style Council
's 1985 album
, Our Favourite Shop
. In 1989 she made a brief appearance as an African sorceress in Bob Rafelson
's film, Mountains of the Moon
. She has also contributed to the musical project This Mortal Coil
, singing on two of its albums: Filigree & Shadow
(1986) and Blood (1991). Another 4AD related contribution found her singing on the Pieter Nooten & Michael Brook album Sleeps with the Fishes (1987) on the song "Equal Ways." Work with Peter Murphy
(1992's Holy Smoke) followed before Limerick finally made her solo
debut the same year, teaming with the house-music
record producer
s David Morales
and Frankie Knuckles
.
Limerick is best known for her 1990s club
anthem
s, her most successful and best known track being "Where Love Lives," her only US release, which was originally a club success in 1991, and a UK Singles Chart
#9 smash when remix
ed in 1996. Her 1992 hit, "Make It On My Own," reached #16 in the UK
chart
.
Her own album With a Twist appeared in 1994, plus the 1996 remix collection Club Classics followed, and a year later Limerick returned with "Put Your Faith in Me." "Where Love Lives" has made three separate appearances in the U.S.
Hot Dance Club Play
chart in 1991 (#3), 1996 (#4) and 2003 (#16). None of her full-length works were released in the US.
In 2003, she recorded a lead vocal on two songs recorded for the Full Flava's album Colour of My Soul
("Perfect Love" and "I'm Not Giving Up (This Feeling)").
Alison Limerick also sang backing vocals on the M People
's album track "Melody of Life."
Limerick is also notable as one of the (uncredited) singers heard performing the closing title song on each eisode of Blackadder the Third
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
singer
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
.
She began her music career as a backing vocalist
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
in the mid 1980s, after attending the London Contemporary School of Dance. Her work appeared on The Style Council
The Style Council
The Style Council were an English band, formed in 1983 by the ex-The Jam singer and guitarist Paul Weller, with keyboardist Mick Talbot. The permanent line-up grew to include drummer Steve White and Weller's then-wife, vocalist Dee C. Lee. Other artists such as Tracie Young and Tracey Thorn also...
's 1985 album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Our Favourite Shop
Our Favourite Shop
Our Favourite Shop is the second album from the band The Style Council. The majority of the album's material was released in the USA as Internationalists by Geffen Records Our Favourite Shop is the second album from the band The Style Council. The majority of the album's material was released...
. In 1989 she made a brief appearance as an African sorceress in Bob Rafelson
Bob Rafelson
Robert "Bob" Rafelson is an Emmy Award winning American film director, writer and producer. He was an early member of the New Hollywood movement in the 1970s and is most famous for directing and co-writing the film Five Easy Pieces, starring Jack Nicholson, as well as being one of the creators of...
's film, Mountains of the Moon
Mountains of the Moon (film)
Mountains of the Moon is a 1990 theatrical film depicting the 1857-58 journey of Richard Francis Burton and John Hanning Speke in their expedition to central Africa — the project that culminated in Speke's discovery of the source of the Nile River. The expedition led to a bitter rivalry between the...
. She has also contributed to the musical project This Mortal Coil
This Mortal Coil
This Mortal Coil was a gothic dream pop supergroup led by Ivo Watts-Russell, founder of the British record label 4AD. Although Watts-Russell and John Fryer were technically the only two official members, the band's recorded output featured a large rotating cast of supporting artists, many of whom...
, singing on two of its albums: Filigree & Shadow
Filigree & Shadow
Filigree & Shadow is an album released in 1986 by Ivo Watts-Russell's supergroup, This Mortal Coil. The supergroup consists primarily of artists attached to the 4AD label, of which Ivo was the co-founder and the owner and president...
(1986) and Blood (1991). Another 4AD related contribution found her singing on the Pieter Nooten & Michael Brook album Sleeps with the Fishes (1987) on the song "Equal Ways." Work with Peter Murphy
Peter Murphy (musician)
Peter John Murphy is an English rock vocalist. He was the vocalist of the rock group Bauhaus, and later went on to release a number of solo albums, such as Deep and Love Hysteria...
(1992's Holy Smoke) followed before Limerick finally made her solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
debut the same year, teaming with the house-music
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
s David Morales
David Morales
David Morales is an internationally acclaimed Grammy-winning house music DJ and producer. In addition to his production and DJ work, Morales is one of the most prolific remixers of all time, transforming many pop music songs into club-friendly dance tracks...
and Frankie Knuckles
Frankie Knuckles
Frankie Knuckles is an American DJ, record producer and remix artist. He played an important role in developing house music as a Chicago DJ in the 1980s and he helped to popularize house music in the 1990s, with his work as a producer and remixer...
.
Limerick is best known for her 1990s club
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
anthem
Anthem
The term anthem means either a specific form of Anglican church music , or more generally, a song of celebration, usually acting as a symbol for a distinct group of people, as in the term "national anthem" or "sports anthem".-Etymology:The word is derived from the Greek via Old English , a word...
s, her most successful and best known track being "Where Love Lives," her only US release, which was originally a club success in 1991, and a UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#9 smash when remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
ed in 1996. Her 1992 hit, "Make It On My Own," reached #16 in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
.
Her own album With a Twist appeared in 1994, plus the 1996 remix collection Club Classics followed, and a year later Limerick returned with "Put Your Faith in Me." "Where Love Lives" has made three separate appearances in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Hot Dance Club Play
Hot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
chart in 1991 (#3), 1996 (#4) and 2003 (#16). None of her full-length works were released in the US.
In 2003, she recorded a lead vocal on two songs recorded for the Full Flava's album Colour of My Soul
Colour of My Soul
Colour of My Soul is the second studio album released by Full Flava, which is the brainchild of a group of two writers and musicians based in Birmingham - Rob Derbyshire and Paul 'Solomon' Mullings, assisted by back-up vocalist Tee...
("Perfect Love" and "I'm Not Giving Up (This Feeling)").
Alison Limerick also sang backing vocals on the M People
M People
M People are a British house music act from Manchester, who formed in 1990 and achieved success throughout most of the 1990s. The name M People is from the initials of Mike Pickering, who formed the group.-Career:...
's album track "Melody of Life."
Limerick is also notable as one of the (uncredited) singers heard performing the closing title song on each eisode of Blackadder the Third
Blackadder the Third
Blackadder the Third is the third series of the BBC situation comedy Blackadder, written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, which aired from 17 September to 22 October 1987....
.
Albums
- And Still I Rise (1992) UKUK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
#53 - With A Twist (1994)
- Club Classics (1996)
- Spirit Rising (1998)
Singles
- "Where Love Lives" (1990)
- "Where Love Lives" (re-issue) (1991) UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#27 - "Come Back For Real Love" (1991) UK #53
- "Magic's Back (Theme from The Ghosts of Oxford Street)" (with Malcolm McLarenMalcolm McLarenMalcolm Robert Andrew McLaren was an English performer, impresario, self-publicist and manager of the Sex Pistols and the New York Dolls...
) (1991) UK #42 - "Make It On My Own" (1992) UK #16
- "Gettin' It Right" (1992) UK #57
- "Hear My Call" (1992) UK #73
- "Time Of Our Lives" (1994) UK #36
- "Love Come DownLove Come Down"Love Come Down" is a hit single by Evelyn "Champagne" King. It was produced by Morrie Brown and written by Kashif. "Love Come Down" was the first single culled from her multi-platinum, number-one R&B album, Get Loose . In the U.S., it reached number one on the R&B and dance charts and number...
" (1994) UK #36 - "Love Will Keep Us Together" (with James Taylor QuartetJames Taylor QuartetThe James Taylor Quartet are a British four-piece jazz funk band who have become renowned for their live performances. They were formed by Hammond organ player James Taylor following the break-up of his former band The Prisoners in the wake of Stiff Records' bankruptcy...
) (1995) UK #63 - "Where Love Lives" (remixRemixA remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
) (1996) UK #9 - "Make It On My Own" (remix) (1996) UK #30
- "Put Your Faith In Me" (1997) UK #42
- "Let's Hold On To Love" (1998)
- "Where Love Lives" (second remix) (2003) UK #44