Biff Bang Pow!
Encyclopedia
Biff Bang Pow! were an indie pop
band from London
, England
, active between 1983 and 1991, centering around Creation Records
boss Alan McGee
.
. The first release on Creation records, "'73 in '83" by The Legend! came with a flexi-disc featuring Laughing Apple's "Wouldn't You", a song that would later appear on the first Biff Bang Pow! album.
The initial Biff Bang Pow! line-up was McGee on guitar and vocals, with Dick Green on guitar, Joe Foster on bass, and Ken Popple on drums, these recording the first 2 singles "50 Years of Fun" and "There Must Be A Better Life".
Dave Evans then replaced Foster (who went solo as Slaughter Joe
), and guitarist/organist Andrew Innes
(later to join Primal Scream
) joined on a part-time basis. Debut album Pass The Paintbrush...Honey was released in early 1985, displaying a mixture of mod, psychedlia and new wave influences. 1986 saw arguably the band's strongest album The Girl Who Runs The Beat Hotel, which expanded on the first album's psychedelic and sixties pop influences, and featured collaborations with artist/painter JC Brouchard. This album coincided with the peak of the first wave of indie pop
and as this gave way to shoegazing
and grunge
, Creation Records also moved in that direction, with the label increasingly being associated with artists such as My Bloody Valentine and Ride
. With Biff Bang Pow!, however, McGee continued with guitar pop, becoming increasingly melancholy with releases such as Oblivion (1987), Love Is Forever (1988), Songs For The Sad Eyed Girl (1990), and Me (1991), which proved to be the last album proper by the band. Two compilations, L'Amour, Demure, Stenhousemuir and Debasement Tapes were subsequently released on Creation, with Bertula Bop released in 1994 on the Tristar label. A further collection, Waterbomb, compiled by Joe Foster, was released on Rev-Ola
in 2003.
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
band from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, active between 1983 and 1991, centering around Creation Records
Creation Records
Creation Records was a British independent record label headed by Alan McGee. Along with Dick Green and Joe Foster, McGee founded Creation in 1983. The label lasted until its demise in 1999. The name came from the 1960s band The Creation , whom McGee greatly admired. McGee, Green and Foster were...
boss Alan McGee
Alan McGee
Alan McGee has been a record label owner, musician, manager, and music blogger for The Guardian.McGee is best-known for co-forming and running the independent Creation Records label from 1983–1999, and then Poptones from 1999-2007...
.
History
Glaswegian Alan McGee had previously been in the band The Laughing Apple, who released three singles in 1981/82. After moving to London, McGee formed a new band, Biff Bang Pow!, taking their name from a song by one of his favourite bands, The CreationThe Creation (band)
The Creation were an English rock band, formed in 1966. The most popular Creation song was "Painter Man", which made the Top 40 in the UK Singles Chart in late 1966, and reached #8 in the German chart in April 1967. It was later covered by Boney M in 1979, and reached the #10 position in the UK...
. The first release on Creation records, "'73 in '83" by The Legend! came with a flexi-disc featuring Laughing Apple's "Wouldn't You", a song that would later appear on the first Biff Bang Pow! album.
The initial Biff Bang Pow! line-up was McGee on guitar and vocals, with Dick Green on guitar, Joe Foster on bass, and Ken Popple on drums, these recording the first 2 singles "50 Years of Fun" and "There Must Be A Better Life".
Dave Evans then replaced Foster (who went solo as Slaughter Joe
Slaughter Joe
Slaughter Joe aka Joe Foster is a musical artist, record producer, historian, and former child actor.Along with Alan McGee and Dick Green, he had formed Creation Records in 1983. He set up the Kaleidoscope Sound label in the mid 1980s, and Creation's subsidiary label Rev-Ola Records in the early...
), and guitarist/organist Andrew Innes
Andrew Innes
Andrew Innes is a London-based musician. He is best known for being the rhythm guitarist in Scottish rock band Primal Scream.-Early years:...
(later to join Primal Scream
Primal Scream
Primal Scream are a Scottish alternative rock band originally formed in 1982 in Glasgow by Bobby Gillespie and Jim Beattie and now based in London. The current lineup consists of Gillespie, Andrew Innes , Martin Duffy , and Darrin Mooney...
) joined on a part-time basis. Debut album Pass The Paintbrush...Honey was released in early 1985, displaying a mixture of mod, psychedlia and new wave influences. 1986 saw arguably the band's strongest album The Girl Who Runs The Beat Hotel, which expanded on the first album's psychedelic and sixties pop influences, and featured collaborations with artist/painter JC Brouchard. This album coincided with the peak of the first wave of indie pop
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
and as this gave way to shoegazing
Shoegazing
Shoegazing is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged from the United Kingdom in the late 1980s. It lasted there until the mid 1990s, with a critical zenith reached in 1990 and 1991...
and grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
, Creation Records also moved in that direction, with the label increasingly being associated with artists such as My Bloody Valentine and Ride
Ride (band)
Ride were a British alternative rock band that formed in 1988 in Oxford, England, consisting of Andy Bell, Mark Gardener, Laurence "Loz" Colbert, and Steve Queralt. The band were initially part of the "shoegazing" scene. Following the break-up of the band in 1996, members moved on to various other...
. With Biff Bang Pow!, however, McGee continued with guitar pop, becoming increasingly melancholy with releases such as Oblivion (1987), Love Is Forever (1988), Songs For The Sad Eyed Girl (1990), and Me (1991), which proved to be the last album proper by the band. Two compilations, L'Amour, Demure, Stenhousemuir and Debasement Tapes were subsequently released on Creation, with Bertula Bop released in 1994 on the Tristar label. A further collection, Waterbomb, compiled by Joe Foster, was released on Rev-Ola
Rev-Ola Records
Rev-Ola Records is a UK record label formed in 1988 that specializes in reissues, as well as select new releases. The label is headed by Joe Foster, a former child actor and musician/producer...
in 2003.
Discography
All on Creation Records except where stated. Chart placings shown are from the UK Independent Chart.Singles
- "50 Years Of Fun" (Feb 1984, CRE003 [7"]) - #31
- "There Must Be A Better Life" (Jun 1984, CRE007 [7"])
- "Love's Going Out Of Fashion" (Mar 1986, CRE024 [7"]/CRE024T [12"]) - #6
- "Someone Stole My Wheels" (Nov 1986, CRE034 [7"]/CRE034T [12"]) - credited to JC Brouchard with Biff Bang Pow !, #31
- "The Whole World Is Turning Brouchard" (Feb 1987, CRE038 [7"]) - #26
- "She Haunts" (Feb 1988, CRE051 [12"]) - #28
- "Sleep" (Nov 1990, CAFF, CAFF13 [7"]) - split single with The TimesThe Times (band)The Times are a British, 1980s-90s, independent band, the brainchild of Ed Ball, co-founder member of the Television Personalities, Teenage Filmstars and 'O' Level.-Whaam! Records 1981-1982:...
Studio Albums
- Pass The Paintbrush...Honey (Feb 1985, CRELP004 [LP])
- The Girl Who Runs The Beat Hotel (Mar 1987, CRELP015 [LP]) (reissued May 1988 on CD/C, including first album) #10
- Oblivion (Jun 1987, CRELP020 [LP]) #16
- Love Is Forever (Apr 1988, CRELP029 [LP])
- Songs For The Sad Eyed Girl (Jan 1990, CRELP058 [LP]/CRECD058 [CD]/CCRE058 [C]) (CD incl. Oblivion, C incl. Love Is Forever)
- Me (Apr 1991, CRELP071 [LP]/CRECD071 [CD]/CCRE071 [C])
Compilations
- The Acid House Album (Jun 1989, CRELP046 [LP]/CRECD046 [CD])
- L'Amour, Demure, Stenhousemuir (Nov 1991, CRELP099 [LP]/CRECD099 [CD]/CCRE099 [C])
- Debasement Tapes (Feb 1992, CRELP125 [LP]/CRECD125 [CD])
- Bertula Pop (Apr 1994, Tristar, ? [CD])
- Waterbomb : The best of (Jul 2003, Rev-Ola, CRREV28 [CD])