Kajagoogoo
Encyclopedia
Kajagoogoo are a British pop band, best known for their hit single
, "Too Shy
", which reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart
and No. 5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
in 1983.
, Bedfordshire
, in 1979, as a four-piece avant-garde
instrumental
group, called Art Nouveau, with Nick Beggs
on bass guitar
, Steve Askew
on lead guitar
, Stuart Croxford Neale on keyboards
, and Jeremy "Jez" Strode
on drums
. Art Nouveau released a track called "The Fear Machine". The single sold a few hundred copies, and was played on the John Peel
show, but the band were unable to get a record deal.
In 1981, they advertised for a lead singer, ultimately auditioning and choosing Christopher Hamill
, who then went under the stage name Limahl (an anagram of his surname). The name of the group was then changed to Kajagoogoo, coined by phonetically writing out a baby's first sounds, which gave them 'GagaGooGoo' - and with a minor alteration, it became 'Kajagoogoo'.
in July 1982, after Limahl had met Nick Rhodes
(of the group Duran Duran
) while Limahl was working as a waiter at the Embassy Club in London. Rhodes proceeded to co-produce the band's first single, "Too Shy
" with Duran Duran's EMI producer Colin Thurston
. The single was released in January 1983 and went to the top of the UK singles chart (before any of Duran Duran's singles had done so, Rhodes ruefully noted). Follow-up singles "Ooh to Be Aah" and "Hang on Now" also both reached the UK Top 20, and the group's debut album White Feathers reached no.5 in the UK album chart. After being the support act for the Birmingham
band Fashion
, Kajagoogoo embarked on their own headlining "White Feathers" tour in Spring 1983 (with the May 31st show at the London Hammersmith Odeon being filmed and released on home video).
As success came, tensions began to rise in the band, which eventually culminated in Limahl being fired by the other bandmembers in mid-1983 and Beggs then taking over as lead singer. The first single by the new four-piece Kajagoogoo was "Big Apple
", which made the UK Top Ten in late 1983. Their next single, "The Lion's Mouth", made the Top 30 but after that public interest waned and the hits dried up. The subsequent new album, Islands
, was less successful, peaking at only no.35 in the UK. In the U.S., the band renamed themselves as Kaja, and a different edition of the Islands album was released there as Extra Play
, peaking at no.185 on the Billboard charts. The single "Turn Your Back On Me" did well on the US Dance Charts peaking at no.2 for two weeks. Limahl, meanwhile, went on to equally brief success as a solo artist.
Strode then left the band and, in an attempt to gain some credibility and to lose their bubblegum image, the remaining three members relaunched as Kaja in the UK in 1985. Following the name change, the band released the single "Shouldn't Do That" (UK #63) in mid-1985. The song was featured on their third album, Crazy People's Right to Speak, but this too was unsuccessful. In 1986, the band split up.
's Bands Reunited
in 2003. Following the much publicized VH-1 reunion, the original group received many offers and incentives to continue to play together, but disagreements continued between the band members and the reunion was short-lived. The group felt that the VH-1 feature was unfairly edited to portray simplified reasons as to why Strode and Limahl had left the band in the 1980s. All was not lost however, and in 2007, Nick Beggs, Steve Askew and Stuart Neale decided to continue the Kajagoogoo reunion, releasing the single "Rocket Boy" on 24 June 2007. The single received airplay on Steve Wright's BBC Radio 2
show in the UK, and a new album, Gone to the Moon
, was scheduled for release on the Spectra Records label later on that year. However, the album was postponed and in February 2008, the three Kajagoogoo members announced plans to reunite with original members singer Limahl and drummer
Jez Strode. This was due in part to Bradley Snelling, the organiser of the Retrofest event and the band's new manager. Snelling had succeeded in reuniting the band, arranging their first photo shoot
together in 25 years. The band wrote on their official site that "The atmosphere was relaxed, jovial and, after 25 years, Kajagoogoo, in their original five-piece line-up are back". Since reforming, the band have written new material, released an EP, and have extensively toured throughout Europe (with the first date taking place in Denmark on 14 June 2008, at Esbjerg
Rock Festival
., where they performed the 16 tracks off the remastered edition of Islands, including encores and B-sides, such as "Monochromatic" or "The Garden"). Their Gone to the Moon album, recorded as a three piece outfit prior to the full reunion, was made available via the live shows and "Kajashop", the band's online store.
In August 2009 and in addition to the reunion tour commitments, Kajagoogoo again took to the stage to headline the 'Hobble on The Cobbles' all day music event in Aylesbury
in Buckinghamshire
. This was followed in September by a new compilation CD/DVD, released by the band's original label EMI Records, called Too Shy - The Best Of Kajagoogoo & Limahl. It featured two newly recorded tracks, plus a brand new promotional video for "Space Cadet", one of the new recordings. Quick to capitalize on the renewed interest in the band, EMI (UK) released the "White Feathers (Manhattan Clique Remixes) E.P." in December 2009.
In December 2009, Kajagoogoo performed their last remaining UK concert with a return to The Stables venue in Wavendon, Milton Keynes. In March 2010, dPulse Recordings released the Kajagoogoo track "First Girl on Mars" as a part of the Who Made Your Music? benefit CD, released to raise funds and bring awareness to the rights of marginalized women. On Saturday 17 July 2010, Kajagoogoo performed at the Midland Music Festival in Tamworth, and later performed at the Rewind Festival in Henley-on-Thames in August. Continuing their renewed interest in the Kajagoogoo back catalogue, EMI Records released So80s Presents Kajagoogoo as a part of the So Eighties series curated by Blank & Jones. The album contains extended mixes of classic Kajagoogoo tracks and was released on CD and digital download format. Also made available digitally in April 2011, Kajagoogoo's Gone to the Moon album was given a digital release via iTunes.
In June 2011, Kajagoogoo released their first single as a five piece outfit in almost 28 years. The track 'Death Defying Headlines' was released as a digital single as both a single edit and an extended dance remix. This was effectively the group's first single as a five-piece band since 1983.
Responding to fan demand, and co-ordinated by the administrators of website ‘KajaFax’, 'Death Defying Headlines’ was released as a result of the incessant demands of fans worldwide for the band to return to the singles market, and signalled a return to form for the group from Leighton Buzzard. The release, billed as “promoted by the fans for the fans”, aimed to hit the UK singles chart, marking a return to the mainstream for the pop outfit.
The single, extensively promoted by ‘KajaFax’, received significant UK radio airplay as well as national media coverage, but narrowly missed the UK Top 100 Singles Chart.
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...
, "Too Shy
Too Shy
Too Shy is a song written and recorded by English New Wave/pop music band Kajagoogoo, released in 1983. The first single from their debut album White Feathers, the song was an immediate hit and reached no.1 on the UK Singles Chart...
", which reached No. 1 in the 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 ...
and No. 5 on the U.S. 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...
in 1983.
Beginnings
The band was originally founded in Leighton BuzzardLeighton Buzzard
-Lower schools:*Beaudesert Lower School - Apennine Way*Clipstone Brook Lower School - Brooklands Drive*Greenleas Lower School - Derwent Road*Dovery Down Lower School - Heath Road*Heathwood Lower School - Heath Road*Leedon Lower School - Highfield Road...
, Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
, in 1979, as a four-piece avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
group, called Art Nouveau, with Nick Beggs
Nick Beggs
Nick Beggs is a British musician, noted for playing the bass guitar and the Chapman Stick; he is a member of Kajagoogoo and formerly Iona and Ellis, Beggs, & Howard.-Personal life:...
on bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, Steve Askew
Steve Askew
Steve Askew was born on December 9, 1957 in Middlesex.Later he moved with his family to Leighton Buzzard in 1962/63 and attended Beaudesert primary school, Pulford junior school and Brooklands School....
on lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, Stuart Croxford Neale on keyboards
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...
, and Jeremy "Jez" Strode
Jez Strode
Jeremy "Jez" Strode is best known as the drummer for the British pop band, Kajagoogoo.Strode began his musical career in a band called Art Nouveau, with future Kajagoogoo bandmates Nick Beggs, Steve Askew and Stuart Croxford Neale....
on drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
. Art Nouveau released a track called "The Fear Machine". The single sold a few hundred copies, and was played on the John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
show, but the band were unable to get a record deal.
In 1981, they advertised for a lead singer, ultimately auditioning and choosing Christopher Hamill
Limahl
Christopher Hamill better known by his stage name Limahl is an English pop singer. He rose to fame as the lead singer of the 1980s pop group Kajagoogoo, before embarking on a briefly successful solo career, which reached its peak with the 1984 hit "The NeverEnding Story", taken from the film of...
, who then went under the stage name Limahl (an anagram of his surname). The name of the group was then changed to Kajagoogoo, coined by phonetically writing out a baby's first sounds, which gave them 'GagaGooGoo' - and with a minor alteration, it became 'Kajagoogoo'.
Success and decline
The band signed with EMI RecordsEMI Records
EMI Records is the flagship record label founded by the EMI company in 1972 and launched in January 1973 as the successor to its Columbia label. The EMI label was launched worldwide...
in July 1982, after Limahl had met Nick Rhodes
Nick Rhodes
Nick Rhodes is an English musician, is best known as the keyboardist of the pop rock band Duran Duran...
(of the group Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
) while Limahl was working as a waiter at the Embassy Club in London. Rhodes proceeded to co-produce the band's first single, "Too Shy
Too Shy
Too Shy is a song written and recorded by English New Wave/pop music band Kajagoogoo, released in 1983. The first single from their debut album White Feathers, the song was an immediate hit and reached no.1 on the UK Singles Chart...
" with Duran Duran's EMI producer Colin Thurston
Colin Thurston
Colin Thurston was a British recording engineer and producer.Born in Singapore, Thurston played in bands in London before he "bluffed his way" into audio engineering...
. The single was released in January 1983 and went to the top of the UK singles chart (before any of Duran Duran's singles had done so, Rhodes ruefully noted). Follow-up singles "Ooh to Be Aah" and "Hang on Now" also both reached the UK Top 20, and the group's debut album White Feathers reached no.5 in the UK album chart. After being the support act for the Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
band Fashion
Fashion (band)
Fashion were a British New Wave band consisting of Dee Harris, Al 'Luke Sky' James, Alan Darby, John Mulligan, Marlon Recchi, and Dik Davis.The band had two or three eras...
, Kajagoogoo embarked on their own headlining "White Feathers" tour in Spring 1983 (with the May 31st show at the London Hammersmith Odeon being filmed and released on home video).
As success came, tensions began to rise in the band, which eventually culminated in Limahl being fired by the other bandmembers in mid-1983 and Beggs then taking over as lead singer. The first single by the new four-piece Kajagoogoo was "Big Apple
Big Apple (song)
"Big Apple" is a song written and performed by the British band Kajagoogoo. Released in September 1983, it was the first single to be taken from the band's second album Islands , and their first song without lead singer Limahl, who had been fired from the band earlier that year...
", which made the UK Top Ten in late 1983. Their next single, "The Lion's Mouth", made the Top 30 but after that public interest waned and the hits dried up. The subsequent new album, Islands
Islands (Kajagoogoo album)
Islands is the second album by the British pop band Kajagoogoo, released in May 1984 on the EMI label. It was recorded without singer Limahl, who had been fired by the band in mid-1983 and went on to pursue a solo career. Bass player Nick Beggs, already the group's main backing singer, took over...
, was less successful, peaking at only no.35 in the UK. In the U.S., the band renamed themselves as Kaja, and a different edition of the Islands album was released there as Extra Play
Islands (Kajagoogoo album)
Islands is the second album by the British pop band Kajagoogoo, released in May 1984 on the EMI label. It was recorded without singer Limahl, who had been fired by the band in mid-1983 and went on to pursue a solo career. Bass player Nick Beggs, already the group's main backing singer, took over...
, peaking at no.185 on the Billboard charts. The single "Turn Your Back On Me" did well on the US Dance Charts peaking at no.2 for two weeks. Limahl, meanwhile, went on to equally brief success as a solo artist.
Strode then left the band and, in an attempt to gain some credibility and to lose their bubblegum image, the remaining three members relaunched as Kaja in the UK in 1985. Following the name change, the band released the single "Shouldn't Do That" (UK #63) in mid-1985. The song was featured on their third album, Crazy People's Right to Speak, but this too was unsuccessful. In 1986, the band split up.
Reunion Era 2003 -
The original five-piece line-up of the band briefly joined forces again on VH1VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's Bands Reunited
Bands Reunited
Bands Reunited is a television program produced by VH1 in 2004. Hosted by Aamer Haleem, the show documented the attempted reuniting of a formerly popular musical ensemble for a special concert in either London or Los Angeles....
in 2003. Following the much publicized VH-1 reunion, the original group received many offers and incentives to continue to play together, but disagreements continued between the band members and the reunion was short-lived. The group felt that the VH-1 feature was unfairly edited to portray simplified reasons as to why Strode and Limahl had left the band in the 1980s. All was not lost however, and in 2007, Nick Beggs, Steve Askew and Stuart Neale decided to continue the Kajagoogoo reunion, releasing the single "Rocket Boy" on 24 June 2007. The single received airplay on Steve Wright's BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
show in the UK, and a new album, Gone to the Moon
Gone to the Moon
Gone to the Moon is an album by British pop rock / new wave band Kajagoogoo. It was recorded in 2007 and early 2008, by the Kaja trio shortly before the original band was officially reunited. The tour for the album featured the entire original band...
, was scheduled for release on the Spectra Records label later on that year. However, the album was postponed and in February 2008, the three Kajagoogoo members announced plans to reunite with original members singer Limahl and drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Jez Strode. This was due in part to Bradley Snelling, the organiser of the Retrofest event and the band's new manager. Snelling had succeeded in reuniting the band, arranging their first photo shoot
Photo shoot
A photo shoot is generally used in the fashion industry, whereby a model poses for a photographer at a studio where multiple photos are taken to find the best ones for the required brief...
together in 25 years. The band wrote on their official site that "The atmosphere was relaxed, jovial and, after 25 years, Kajagoogoo, in their original five-piece line-up are back". Since reforming, the band have written new material, released an EP, and have extensively toured throughout Europe (with the first date taking place in Denmark on 14 June 2008, at Esbjerg
Esbjerg
Esbjerg Municipality is a municipality in Region of Southern Denmark on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. Its mayor is Johnny Søtrup, from the Venstre political party...
Rock Festival
Rock festival
A rock festival, or a rock fest, is a large-scale rock music concert, featuring multiple acts.The first rock festivals were put on in the late 1960s and were important socio-cultural milestones. In the 1980s a minor resurgence of festivals occurred with charity as the goal.Today, they are often...
., where they performed the 16 tracks off the remastered edition of Islands, including encores and B-sides, such as "Monochromatic" or "The Garden"). Their Gone to the Moon album, recorded as a three piece outfit prior to the full reunion, was made available via the live shows and "Kajashop", the band's online store.
In August 2009 and in addition to the reunion tour commitments, Kajagoogoo again took to the stage to headline the 'Hobble on The Cobbles' all day music event in Aylesbury
Aylesbury
Aylesbury is the county town of Buckinghamshire in South East England. However the town also falls into a geographical region known as the South Midlands an area that ecompasses the north of the South East, and the southern extremities of the East Midlands...
in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
. This was followed in September by a new compilation CD/DVD, released by the band's original label EMI Records, called Too Shy - The Best Of Kajagoogoo & Limahl. It featured two newly recorded tracks, plus a brand new promotional video for "Space Cadet", one of the new recordings. Quick to capitalize on the renewed interest in the band, EMI (UK) released the "White Feathers (Manhattan Clique Remixes) E.P." in December 2009.
In December 2009, Kajagoogoo performed their last remaining UK concert with a return to The Stables venue in Wavendon, Milton Keynes. In March 2010, dPulse Recordings released the Kajagoogoo track "First Girl on Mars" as a part of the Who Made Your Music? benefit CD, released to raise funds and bring awareness to the rights of marginalized women. On Saturday 17 July 2010, Kajagoogoo performed at the Midland Music Festival in Tamworth, and later performed at the Rewind Festival in Henley-on-Thames in August. Continuing their renewed interest in the Kajagoogoo back catalogue, EMI Records released So80s Presents Kajagoogoo as a part of the So Eighties series curated by Blank & Jones. The album contains extended mixes of classic Kajagoogoo tracks and was released on CD and digital download format. Also made available digitally in April 2011, Kajagoogoo's Gone to the Moon album was given a digital release via iTunes.
In June 2011, Kajagoogoo released their first single as a five piece outfit in almost 28 years. The track 'Death Defying Headlines' was released as a digital single as both a single edit and an extended dance remix. This was effectively the group's first single as a five-piece band since 1983.
Responding to fan demand, and co-ordinated by the administrators of website ‘KajaFax’, 'Death Defying Headlines’ was released as a result of the incessant demands of fans worldwide for the band to return to the singles market, and signalled a return to form for the group from Leighton Buzzard. The release, billed as “promoted by the fans for the fans”, aimed to hit the UK singles chart, marking a return to the mainstream for the pop outfit.
The single, extensively promoted by ‘KajaFax’, received significant UK radio airplay as well as national media coverage, but narrowly missed the UK Top 100 Singles Chart.
Studio albums
- 1983 - White FeathersWhite FeathersWhite Feathers is the debut album by British New Romantic band Kajagoogoo, released in spring 1983. It was produced by Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran and Colin Thurston, who was Duran Duran's producer at the time, except for track #5, the self-titled "Kajagoogoo", an instrumental , which was produced...
- 1984 - IslandsIslands (Kajagoogoo album)Islands is the second album by the British pop band Kajagoogoo, released in May 1984 on the EMI label. It was recorded without singer Limahl, who had been fired by the band in mid-1983 and went on to pursue a solo career. Bass player Nick Beggs, already the group's main backing singer, took over...
- 1985 - Crazy Peoples Right to SpeakCrazy Peoples Right to SpeakCrazy Peoples Right to Speak was released in 1985 and was the third album by new wave/pop rock band Kajagoogoo. For this release, the band had shortened its name to Kaja, a name the band used earlier for the U.S. release of their second album, Islands...
(as Kaja) - 2008 - Gone to the MoonGone to the MoonGone to the Moon is an album by British pop rock / new wave band Kajagoogoo. It was recorded in 2007 and early 2008, by the Kaja trio shortly before the original band was officially reunited. The tour for the album featured the entire original band...
Videography
- 1983 - Kajagoogoo: White Feathers Tour (Picture Music International: VHS/Beta/Laserdisc/CED)[Picture Music International]
- 1983 - Too Shy - The Video E.P. (Picture Music International: VHS/Beta/Laserdisc [PMI/Pioneer Artists])
- 2009 - Too Shy: the Best of Kajagoogoo & Limahl (CD & DVD) [EMI]