Living in a Box
Encyclopedia
Living in a Box were a British
band
from the 1980s and early 1990s. They are best known for their eponym
ous debut single
, produced
by Richard James Burgess
.
, rising from the ashes of Typhoon Saturday. Their most commercially successful single, "Living in a Box", peaked at number 5 on the UK Singles Chart
, and was the band's only single to chart in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100
in the U.S. They enjoyed more success in their home country, releasing their self-titled debut album
in 1987 and a follow-up album, Gatecrashing, in 1989, which went on to generate two further UK Top Ten hits, "Blow the House Down" (which featured Queen's
Brian May
on guitar)) and "Room in Your Heart". Artistic differences, as well as changes to their record label Chrysalis
, caused the band to break up in 1990 before a third album could be released.
, as well as releasing two solo albums. These were How Many Angels (1994) and Love Will Provide (1999), which came as a reissue of How Many Angels, and included several new and unreleased tracks.
The band's drummer, Anthony Critchlow nicknamed 'Tich' and keyboardist and synthesizer player, Marcus Charles Vere both retired from the music industry after the band split. Tich now runs his own company providing bespoke illumination and lighting installations. Vere now produces award-winning DVDs called Here Comes A ...! for pre-school aged children. Topics include live action films about tractors, diggers, trains and fire engines.
The song "Living in a Box" was later covered
by Bobby Womack
, who had also worked with Living in a Box on their debut album.
Compilations:
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...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
from the 1980s and early 1990s. They are best known for their eponym
Eponym
An eponym is the name of a person or thing, whether real or fictitious, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named...
ous debut 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...
, produced
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...
by Richard James Burgess
Richard James Burgess
Richard James Burgess is a studio drummer, music-computer programmer, recording artist, record producer, composer, author, manager, marketer and inventor. He was the producer for Spandau Ballet's first two albums.-Education:...
.
Formation and split up
Living in a Box were formed in 1985 in SheffieldSheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, rising from the ashes of Typhoon Saturday. Their most commercially successful single, "Living in a Box", peaked at number 5 on 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 was the band's only single to chart in the Top 40 of the 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 the U.S. They enjoyed more success in their home country, releasing their self-titled debut 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...
in 1987 and a follow-up album, Gatecrashing, in 1989, which went on to generate two further UK Top Ten hits, "Blow the House Down" (which featured Queen's
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
Brian May
Brian May
Brian Harold May, CBE is an English musician and astrophysicist most widely known as the guitarist and a songwriter of the rock band Queen...
on guitar)) and "Room in Your Heart". Artistic differences, as well as changes to their record label Chrysalis
Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records was a British record label that was created in 1969. The name was both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis...
, caused the band to break up in 1990 before a third album could be released.
After Living In a Box
Lead vocalist Richard Darbyshire continued his long-standing music career, and went on to enjoy modest success as a solo artist, writing songs for artists such as Lisa StansfieldLisa Stansfield
Lisa Stansfield is an English singer and songwriter.-Early years:Stansfield was born to Marion and Keith Stansfield in Heywood, Lancashire, in England, where she attended Redbrook School, Rochdale. Her first television appearance was on a talent programme in the Granada TV area in 1982...
, as well as releasing two solo albums. These were How Many Angels (1994) and Love Will Provide (1999), which came as a reissue of How Many Angels, and included several new and unreleased tracks.
The band's drummer, Anthony Critchlow nicknamed 'Tich' and keyboardist and synthesizer player, Marcus Charles Vere both retired from the music industry after the band split. Tich now runs his own company providing bespoke illumination and lighting installations. Vere now produces award-winning DVDs called Here Comes A ...! for pre-school aged children. Topics include live action films about tractors, diggers, trains and fire engines.
The song "Living in a Box" was later covered
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...
by Bobby Womack
Bobby Womack
Robert Dwayne "Bobby" Womack is an American singer-songwriter and musician. An active recording artist since the early 1960s where he started his career as the lead singer of his family musical group The Valentinos and as Sam Cooke's backing guitarist, Womack's career has spanned more than 40...
, who had also worked with Living in a Box on their debut album.
Group members
- Richard Darbyshire (born 8 March 1960, StockportStockportStockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
, CheshireCheshireCheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, EnglandEnglandEngland 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...
) - Vocals, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Marcus Charles Vere (born 29 January 1962) - SynthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s - Anthony "Tich" Critchlow (born 15 December 1960) - DrumsDrum kitA 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 ....
Singles
| Year | Song | UK Singles 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 ... |
US 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... |
US R&B | US Dance | Canada Singles Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | "Living in a Box Living In A Box (song) "Living in a Box" is a song by Living in a Box released in 1987 as their debut single and the first single from their self-titled debut album of the same name.... " |
5 | 17 | 74 | 6 | 18 | Living in a Box |
| "Scales of Justice" | 30 | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1988 | "So the Story Goes" | 34 | 81 | - | - | - | |
| "Love Is the Art" | 45 | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1989 | "Blow the House Down" | 10 | - | - | - | - | Gatecrashing |
| "Gatecrashing" | 36 | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1990 | "Room in Your Heart" | 5 | - | - | - | - | |
| "Different Air" | 37 | - | - | - | - |
Albums
Studio:- Living In A BoxLiving in a Box (album)Living in a Box is the eponymous debut album from British pop group Living in a Box. It was released on Chrysalis Records in 1987, and features their biggest U.S. hit, the self-titled single, which reached a peak of number 17 that year....
(1987) 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...
#25, US #89 - GatecrashingGatecrashing (album)"Gatecrashing" is the second album by British group Living in a Box. The single Room in Your Heart peaked at #5 on the UK singles chart.-Track Listing:...
(1989) UK #21
Compilations:
- The Best of Living in a Box (1999)
- The Very Best of Living in a Box (2003)
External links
- Living In A Box official website
- Richard Darbyshire official website
- Discogs.com entry
- [ Living in a Box biography and discography] at Allmusic websiteWebsiteA website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...