M (band)
Encyclopedia
M was English
musician
Robin Scott
's brief but very successful new wave
/synthpop
project in the late 1970s and early 1980s. M is most known for the 1979 hit "Pop Muzik
", which reached #2 in the UK Singles Chart
in May 1979, and #1 in the U.S.
Billboard Hot 100
chart
on 3 November 1979. Musicians who contributed to M at one time or another included Wally Badarou
, Mark King, and Phil Gould
, of Level 42
.
bassist
Julian Scott (Robin's brother), keyboardist
Wally Badarou, programmer John Lewis, and backing vocalist
, Brigit Novik (Scott's wife). Demand for an album
was met by New York • London • Paris • Munich, which added woodwind
player Gary Barnacle
and drummer Phil Gould to M's backing band.
M had three other singles that achieved a chart entry in the UK, "Moonlight and Muzak" (#33 in December 1979), "That's the Way the Money Goes" (#45 in March 1980) and "Official Secrets" (#64 in November 1980). M released three studio albums throughout their career: New York • London • Paris • Munich in 1979, The Official Secrets Act
in 1980, and Famous Last Words in 1981 which was never released in the UK. A fourth album, Robin Scott with Shikisha, was recorded in 1984 but was not released until 1998.
M's first single "Moderne Man" was later remix
ed with "Satisfy Your Lust", the B-side
of "That's the Way the Money Goes", and appeared as a medley
on their album New York • London • Paris • Munich. The original single releases appeared on the 1997 CD
re-release. A remixed version of "Pop Muzik" was played before each concert of U2
's PopMart Tour
.
Only a 1989 remix of "Pop Muzik" returned M to the charts. Meanwhile, Scott worked with Ryûichi Sakamoto
on two albums and recorded an album with African artists.
† Recorded in 1984 - not released until 1998 and credited to Robin Scott & Shikisha.
Pop Muzik (1997, Collectables Records
) Reissue of the US version of New York • London • Paris • Munich. M' The History - Pop Muzik The 25th Anniversary (2004, Union Square Music)
Pop Muzik - 30th Anniversary Remixes (2009, Echo Beach) Remix album featuring 13 remixes of "Pop Muzik
".
‡ - billed as Robin Scott
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...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
Robin Scott
Robin Scott
Robin Scott , lead singer and founder of a music project he called M, is a singer originally from the United Kingdom. His career encompasses four decades.-Early life:...
's brief but very successful new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
/synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
project in the late 1970s and early 1980s. M is most known for the 1979 hit "Pop Muzik
Pop Muzik
"Pop Muzik" is a 1979 hit song by M, a project by Robin Scott.-Concept and chart performance:Robin Scott describes the genesis of "Pop Muzik" this way:...
", which reached #2 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 ...
in May 1979, and #1 in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
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....
on 3 November 1979. Musicians who contributed to M at one time or another included Wally Badarou
Wally Badarou
Wally Badarou is a musician from Benin.-Biography:A synthesiser specialist, Badarou was the longtime associate of the British band Level 42, known for its blend of funk, pop, soul and rock...
, Mark King, and Phil Gould
Phil Gould (musician)
Philip Gabriel Gould, also known as Phil Gould is a British professional drummer, song writer, and singer from the Isle of Wight in southern England...
, of Level 42
Level 42
Level 42 are an English pop rock and jazz-funk band who had a number of worldwide and UK hits during the 1980s and 1990s.The band gained fame for their high-calibre musicianship—in particular that of Mark King, whose percussive slap-bass guitar technique provided the driving groove of many of the...
.
Career
In 1978, Scott re-christened himself 'M' and recorded the single "Moderne Man," which flopped. However, M's next release, "Pop Muzik," was an instant hit; it featured support from RoogalatorRoogalator (band)
Roogalator was a pub rock band formed in London in 1972, by the US born guitarist, Danny Adler.That same year, Adler had recorded demos with 10cc's Graham Gouldman at Strawberry Studios. Prior to Roogalator, Adler had also played with Smooth Loser, a band formed with BBC DJ Emperor Rosko's brother,...
bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Julian Scott (Robin's brother), keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
Wally Badarou, programmer John Lewis, and 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...
, Brigit Novik (Scott's wife). Demand for an 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...
was met by New York • London • Paris • Munich, which added woodwind
Woodwind instrument
A woodwind instrument is a musical instrument which produces sound when the player blows air against a sharp edge or through a reed, causing the air within its resonator to vibrate...
player Gary Barnacle
Gary Barnacle
Gary Barnacle is a saxophonist/flautist, brass instrument arranger, composer and producer, primarily noted for session work, live work Gary Barnacle (born 1959, Dover, England) is a saxophonist/flautist, brass instrument arranger, composer and producer, primarily noted for session work, live work...
and drummer Phil Gould to M's backing band.
M had three other singles that achieved a chart entry in the UK, "Moonlight and Muzak" (#33 in December 1979), "That's the Way the Money Goes" (#45 in March 1980) and "Official Secrets" (#64 in November 1980). M released three studio albums throughout their career: New York • London • Paris • Munich in 1979, The Official Secrets Act
The Official Secrets Act (album)
The Official Secrets Act is M's second album, released in 1980 on MCA Records.. The track "Official Secrets" was released as a single and charted in the UK at No. 64 in November 1980. The follow-up single was "Keep It To Yourself". The track "Maniac" featured Phil Gould on drums and Mark King on bass...
in 1980, and Famous Last Words in 1981 which was never released in the UK. A fourth album, Robin Scott with Shikisha, was recorded in 1984 but was not released until 1998.
M's first single "Moderne Man" was later 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 with "Satisfy Your Lust", the B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
of "That's the Way the Money Goes", and appeared as a medley
Medley (music)
In music, a medley is a piece composed from parts of existing pieces, usually three, played one after another, sometimes overlapping. They are common in popular music, and most medleys are songs rather than instrumental. A medley which is a remixed series is called a megamix, often done with tracks...
on their album New York • London • Paris • Munich. The original single releases appeared on the 1997 CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
re-release. A remixed version of "Pop Muzik" was played before each concert of U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
's PopMart Tour
Popmart Tour
The PopMart Tour was a worldwide concert tour by rock band U2. Launched in support of the group's 1997 album, Pop, the tour's concerts were performed in stadiums and parks from 1997 through 1998...
.
Only a 1989 remix of "Pop Muzik" returned M to the charts. Meanwhile, Scott worked with Ryûichi Sakamoto
Ryuichi Sakamoto
After working as a session musician with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi in 1977, the trio formed the internationally successful electronic music band Yellow Magic Orchestra in 1978. Known for their seminal influence on electronic music, the group helped pioneer electronic genres such as...
on two albums and recorded an album with African artists.
Studio albums
| Year | Album | UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The 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... |
U.S. Billboard 200 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... |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | New York • London • Paris • Munich | |
|
| 1980 | The Official Secrets Act The Official Secrets Act (album) The Official Secrets Act is M's second album, released in 1980 on MCA Records.. The track "Official Secrets" was released as a single and charted in the UK at No. 64 in November 1980. The follow-up single was "Keep It To Yourself". The track "Maniac" featured Phil Gould on drums and Mark King on bass... |
|
|
| 1981 | Famous Last Words | |
|
| 1984 | Jive Shikisha! † | |
|
† Recorded in 1984 - not released until 1998 and credited to Robin Scott & Shikisha.
Compilation albums
Collectables Records
Collectables is a reissue record label founded in 1980 by Jerry Greene. Greene was previously associated with New York City's Times Square Record Shop, Philadelphia's Record Museum retail chain, and the Lost Nite and Crimson record labels....
) Reissue of the US version of New York • London • Paris • Munich.
Pop Muzik
"Pop Muzik" is a 1979 hit song by M, a project by Robin Scott.-Concept and chart performance:Robin Scott describes the genesis of "Pop Muzik" this way:...
".
Singles
| Year | Title | 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 ... |
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Chart 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... |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | "Moderne Man" | |
|
| 1979 | "Pop Muzik Pop Muzik "Pop Muzik" is a 1979 hit song by M, a project by Robin Scott.-Concept and chart performance:Robin Scott describes the genesis of "Pop Muzik" this way:... " |
|
|
| 1979 | "Moonlight and Muzak" | |
|
| 1980 | "That's the Way the Money Goes" | |
|
| 1980 | "Official Secrets" | |
|
| 1981 | "Keep It to Yourself" | |
|
| 1982 | "Danube" | |
|
| 1983 | "Eureka" ‡ | |
|
| 1984 | "Crazy Zulu" ‡ | |
|
| 1989 | "Pop Muzik" (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 .... ) |
|
|
‡ - billed as Robin Scott
See also
- List of New Wave bands and artists
- List of artists who reached number one in the United States
- List of artists who reached number one on the Australian singles chart
- List of synthpop artists
- List of 1970s one-hit wonders in the United States