Blue Mercedes
Encyclopedia
Blue Mercedes were a pop music
duo
from London
, England
, comprising David Titlow and Duncan Millar. Titlow was known for wearing purple shorts onstage with the words "Funk Ass" printed on them, whilst Millar played a large portable synth with double keyboard
s — they dubbed their musical style 'Street Latin Wolff'. Their only Billboard Hot 100
hit
was "I Want To Be Your Property," which peaked at #66 in 1988 but they achieved more success on the US Dance Charts where they spent four weeks at #1 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart
; "Love is the Gun" peaked at #5 and "See Want Must Have" peaked at #18. Comparatively they had more success in the US than their native UK.
After releasing the single
"That Beauty Is You" they evolved into the indie
dance
band
Nixon and released the song "Sweet Temptation." A second single was recorded and manufactured by MCA Records
, a cover version
of the Sex Pistols
' "Submission." However, this was never released. Nixon also remix
ed the Blur
song
"Bad Day" from their first album for Food Records
. Whilst the mix was rejected by the band, a white label
twelve-inch
did appear.
Titlow then went on to form the indie rock
band Heave, who signed to Radar Records
in the early 1990s, releasing the singles "Suna/12XU" and "Pig Pretty." They followed this with the album Scaramanga, which was produced by Bryce Goggin
, and released in both the UK and Japan
.
Today, Titlow is a fashion and music photographer.
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
duo
Duet (music)
A duet is a musical composition for two performers. In classical music, the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word duo is also often used. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is referred to as...
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...
, comprising David Titlow and Duncan Millar. Titlow was known for wearing purple shorts onstage with the words "Funk Ass" printed on them, whilst Millar played a large portable synth with double keyboard
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
s — they dubbed their musical style 'Street Latin Wolff'. Their only Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
was "I Want To Be Your Property," which peaked at #66 in 1988 but they achieved more success on the US Dance Charts where they spent four weeks at #1 on the Hot Dance Club Play 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....
; "Love is the Gun" peaked at #5 and "See Want Must Have" peaked at #18. Comparatively they had more success in the US than their native UK.
After releasing the single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
"That Beauty Is You" they evolved into the indie
Indie (music)
In music, independent music, often shortened to indie music or "indie" is a term used to describe independence from major commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, and an autonomous, Do-It-Yourself approach to recording and publishing....
dance
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
Nixon and released the song "Sweet Temptation." A second single was recorded and manufactured by MCA Records
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
, a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of the Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
' "Submission." However, this was never released. Nixon also 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 the Blur
Blur (band)
Blur is an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1989 as Seymour, the group consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur's debut album Leisure incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing...
song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
"Bad Day" from their first album for Food Records
Food Records
Food Records was a record label set up in 1984 by David Balfe, who later took on Andy Ross as his partner. Originally formed as an independent record label with distribution going through Rough Trade Distribution, Food licenced acts to the Polygram offshoot London and Warner's WEA Records, before...
. Whilst the mix was rejected by the band, a white label
White label
White label records are vinyl records with adhesive plain white labels affixed. Test pressings, usually with Test Pressing written on the label, with catalogue number, artist and recording time or date, are produced in small quantities to evaluate the quality of the disc production...
twelve-inch
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
did appear.
Titlow then went on to form the indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band Heave, who signed to Radar Records
Radar Records
Radar Records was a UK-based record label formed by Martin Davis who had previously worked at United Artists Records, and Andrew Lauder, who had previously been head of A&R at the UK divisions of Liberty Records and United Artists...
in the early 1990s, releasing the singles "Suna/12XU" and "Pig Pretty." They followed this with the album Scaramanga, which was produced by Bryce Goggin
Bryce Goggin
Bryce Goggin is a record producer and sound engineer. He began his career in the early 1990s working at Baby Monster Studios. He first received acclaim for mixing the album Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain by Pavement...
, and released in both the UK and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Today, Titlow is a fashion and music photographer.
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 1988 | "I Want To Be Your Property" | US Dance Chart | 1 |
| October 1987 | "I Want To Be Your Property" | 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 ... |
23 |
| April 1988 | "See Want Must Have" | US Dance Chart | 18 |
| February 1988 | "See Want Must Have" | UK Singles Chart | 57 |
| August 1988 | "Love is The Gun" | US Dance Chart | 5 |
| July 1988 | "Love is The Gun" | UK Singles Chart | 46 |
| November 88 | "Treehouse" | UK Singles Chart | - |
| October 89 | "That Beauty is You" | UK Singles Chart | - |
| October 90 | "Sweet Temptation"* | UK Singles Chart | - |
- as Nixon [MCA Records - NXN 1]
Albums
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Rich and Famous | New Zealand Albums Chart | 25 |
| 1988 | Rich and Famous | US Albums Chart Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
165 |
| 1988 | Rich and Famous | UK Albums Chart | - |
See also
- List of Number 1 Dance Hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
- One-hit wonders in the UKOne-hit wonders in the UKThis is a list of artists who have achieved one #1 hit on the UK Singles Chart and no other entry whatsoever on the chart. The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles uses this definition of "one-hit wonder", which is a controversial term with various other proposed definitions.-Methodology:A hit is...