M People
Encyclopedia
M People are a British
house music
act from Manchester
, who formed in 1990 and achieved success throughout most of the 1990s. The name M People is from the initials of Mike Pickering
, who formed the group.
dance act Quando Quango
, but became more noted as one of the original DJ
s at The Haçienda
. Paul Heard was a member of acid jazz
band
, Ace of Clubs and Shovell had previously been in the collective Natural Life
. The original plan had been to have a roster of different singers for different songs but having been spotted by Pickering and Heard, Heather Small
became the distinctive vocalist of the group. She had been in the British soul
band Hot House
, who had released a number of critically acclaimed records
without scoring any major success.
", a limited white label
pressing which got them some recognition, but it was the first official single "How Can I Love You More?
" that gave them their first Top 30 hit and a following in and around the Manchester club
scene, where Pickering was still DJ-ing. Their first album
, Northern Soul, provided other singles, including a full release of "Colour My Life
", "Someday
" and "Excited
", followed by a re-release and repackaging of the album.
ed single
from 1991's "How Can I Love You More?
" which was released at the end of January and provided the band with their first Top 10 single, peaking at number 8. While this single was in the chart
the band were working on new material for the second album to be released that autumn; a preliminary single, "One Night in Heaven
" was released in the summer and peaked at number 6. It provided them with a dance
/pop
success that set up a bigger worldwide hit with the second single, "Moving on Up". The album Elegant Slumming
went into the Top 5 on release and peaked at #2, remaining on the chart until the following summer and later winning the band a Mercury Music Prize. A further two Top 10 singles followed: "Don't Look Any Further" (a cover
of the Dennis Edwards
song) in December, and "Renaissance" which was used as the theme tune to the BBC 2 show
, The Living Soap
, sending the single to number 5 in the UK Singles Chart
.
for Best British Dance Act, the latter as a result of the release of Bizarre Fruit
. The first single from that album was "Sight for Sore Eyes
" which climbed to number 6, helping the album to enter the UK Albums Chart
and peak at #4 and stay in the Top 10 for four months into the following year. The second single from the album was "Open Your Heart
", which became their seventh consecutive Top Ten hit in two years and at the Brit Awards
'95 they collaborated with Sting on his track "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free
". Their third single "Search for the Hero
" was later used in the TV advertising campaign for the Peugeot 406
. The song got to #9 in the charts
.
In 1995, the band embarked on a world tour and two more singles were lifted from a re-issued album: Bizarre Fruit II which charted and peaked one place higher at number 3; these singles were a remixed "Love Rendezvous
" and "Itchycoo Park
". The former was the least successful single from the album charting at number 32, and the latter was a cover of The Small Faces
1967 single, charting at number 11.
In the United States
, their biggest success was on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, where they achieved five Top 5 singles, four of which hit number one.
After touring and promotion of "Bizarre Fruit II" for 18 months the band took a break in 1996. The album, having been released in November 1995, did not leave the chart until April 1997, becoming one of the biggest selling albums of the decade. They made some outdoor live UK performances called the Summer M Parties in June 1996, at Crystal Palace
, Alton Towers
plus a televised performance on BBC 1 on 29 June 1996 from Old Trafford
, Manchester
for The Crowd are on the Pitch: The Euro '96 Extravanganza, where they performed along with bands Dodgy
, Madness
and fellow Mancunians Simply Red
and comedians Nick Hancock and Jo Brand
to a crowd of 60,000 at party celebrating the Euro 1996 football championships.
gave birth to her son. With the closure by BMG
of the deConstruction
label in 1996, the band founded their own record label
, M People Records, to release the forthcoming album. In September they released the lead single "Just for You" which peaked at number 8 on the charts and two weeks later, their album Fresco was released and went in the UK Albums Chart
at number two, going on to sell 1.1 million copies and certified platinum. The band achieved their third multi-platinum selling album and this time appeared on Jools Holland's BBC 2 show, performing album tracks "Never Mind Love", "Angel St
" and Small also performed, solo, the million-selling charity single that she appeared on, "Perfect Day".
Fresco also bore the hit single, "Fantasy Island
" (number 33) and went on a fifteen-date UK Tour supporting the album to rave reviews. The final single lifted off the album was Angel St
which got to number 8 and earned them their tenth Top 10 chart hit in March 1998, making the band one of the most consistent hit-makers of the 1990s on both sales and airplay.
entitled The Best of M People
which also contained three new tracks: "Testify
", "Dreaming" and a cover of the Doobie Brothers classic: "What a Fool Believes
". The album went on to sell 1.75 million, peaked at number 2 and was certified 3x platinum. Of the three new tracks, "Testify
" and "Dreaming" were released as singles. "Testify
" got to number 12 in October 1998 and "Dreaming" got to number 13 in February 1999, their eighteenth and final single to date.
, the band took an extended hiatus. Heather Small recorded a solo
album
: Proud, and it seemed that the band had split. However, a re-packaged Greatest Hits album was called Ultimate Collection
released in 2005, and the band also embarked on a short tour of the UK
. Small continued to pursue a solo career, as her song "Proud", was the soundtrack
to the successful London 2012 Olympic bid
.
M People toured once again in 2007 as part of the Forestry Commission
’s 2007 Forest Tours at Delamere Forest
, Cheshire
; Dalby Forest
, North Yorkshire Moors; Thetford Forest
, Suffolk
and Westonbirt Arboretum
, Wiltshire
to support The F
estry Commission’s social and environmental programmes. Small said: "We have played in many different locations but never in forests so we’re really looking forward to doing these gigs". In addition to these gigs M People performed at the Hampton Court Festival in Surrey
, London
on the 12 June 2007, and the Chichester
Real Ale and Jazz festival on 4 July 2007. Elsewhere, they played a concert
in Warsaw
, Poland
on 7 September 2007. The band also played some festival
dates in 2008 before Small starred as a contestant in that year's BBC1's Strictly Come Dancing
in the UK.
Compilations and other albums
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...
house music
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
act from Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, who formed in 1990 and achieved success throughout most of the 1990s. The name M People is from the initials of Mike Pickering
Mike Pickering
Michael "Duncan" Pickering has DJed at The Haçienda's infamous "Nude" and "Hot" nights and later "Shine". He worked for Factory Records where he signed Happy Mondays, To Hell With Burgundy and James amongst others...
, who formed the group.
Career
Pickering had been a member of Factory RecordsFactory Records
Factory Records was a Manchester based British independent record label, started in 1978 by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus, which featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Joy Division, New Order, A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column, Happy Mondays, Northside and James and...
dance act Quando Quango
Quando Quango
Quando Quango was a British, Manchester based new wave and dance project, formed by The Haçienda DJ and Factory Records A&R man Mike Pickering, Hillegonda Rietveld and Reinier Rietveld. Their unique sound influenced the underground dance music scenes in New York and Chicago in the 1980s...
, but became more noted as one of the original DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
s at The Haçienda
The Haçienda
Fac 51 Haçienda was a nightclub and music venue in Manchester, England. It became most famous during the "Madchester" years of the late 1980s and early 1990s, during the 1990s it was labelled the most famous club in the world by Newsweek magazine...
. Paul Heard was a member of acid jazz
Acid jazz
Acid jazz is a musical genre that combines elements of jazz, funk and hip-hop, particularly looped beats. It developed in the UK over the 1980s and 1990s and could be seen as tacking the sound of jazz-funk onto electronic dance: jazz-funk musicians such as Roy Ayers, Donald Byrd and Grant Green are...
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...
, Ace of Clubs and Shovell had previously been in the collective Natural Life
Natural Life
Natural Life were an English band of the early 1990s that are best described as a 'bohemian rock collective', their music being a combination of rock influences and dancefloor beats....
. The original plan had been to have a roster of different singers for different songs but having been spotted by Pickering and Heard, Heather Small
Heather Small
Heather Small is a British soul singer, best known for being the lead singer in the Manchester based band M People. Her debut solo album was Proud in 2000...
became the distinctive vocalist of the group. She had been in the British soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
band Hot House
Hot House (Heather Small)
Hot House were a British soul band featuring Heather Small, Martin Colyer and Mark Pringle, who first came to the attention of the British Music Press in January 1987...
, who had released a number of critically acclaimed records
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...
without scoring any major success.
"Northern Soul" and Breakthrough
Their first release came in the form of "Colour My LifeColour My Life
"Colour My Life" is the second single from British band M People from their first album Northern Soul. It was written by Mike Pickering and Paul Heard. The single was originally released in May 1991 as a vinyl only release and was given a full release on 24th February 1992...
", a limited 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...
pressing which got them some recognition, but it was the first official single "How Can I Love You More?
How Can I Love You More?
"How Can I Love You More" is the debut single from British band M People taken from their debut album Northern Soul. It was written by Mike Pickering and Paul Heard, and produced by M People. The single was first released in 1991 peaking at number 29 and then re-released on 25 January 1993 with...
" that gave them their first Top 30 hit and a following in and around the Manchester club
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
scene, where Pickering was still DJ-ing. Their first 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...
, Northern Soul, provided other singles, including a full release of "Colour My Life
Colour My Life
"Colour My Life" is the second single from British band M People from their first album Northern Soul. It was written by Mike Pickering and Paul Heard. The single was originally released in May 1991 as a vinyl only release and was given a full release on 24th February 1992...
", "Someday
Someday (M People song)
"Someday" is the third single from British band M People from their first album Northern Soul. It was written by Marshall Jefferson. The single was a cover version of the original song of the same name sung by CeCe Rogers in 1987...
" and "Excited
Excited (M People song)
"Excited" is the fourth and final single to be lifted from M People’s first album Northern Soul. It was written by Mike Pickering and Paul Heard. The song peaked at number twenty nine on the UK Singles Chart.-Background:...
", followed by a re-release and repackaging of the album.
"Elegant Slumming" and Major success
1993 started with the re-released and remixRemix
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 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...
from 1991's "How Can I Love You More?
How Can I Love You More?
"How Can I Love You More" is the debut single from British band M People taken from their debut album Northern Soul. It was written by Mike Pickering and Paul Heard, and produced by M People. The single was first released in 1991 peaking at number 29 and then re-released on 25 January 1993 with...
" which was released at the end of January and provided the band with their first Top 10 single, peaking at number 8. While this single was in the 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....
the band were working on new material for the second album to be released that autumn; a preliminary single, "One Night in Heaven
One Night in Heaven
One Night in Heaven is the sixth overall single from British band M People and the first single from their second album Elegant Slumming . Written by Mike Pickering and Paul Heard. Produced by M People. It was released on 14 June 1993. The song peaked at number six on the UK Singles...
" was released in the summer and peaked at number 6. It provided them with a 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...
/pop
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...
success that set up a bigger worldwide hit with the second single, "Moving on Up". The album Elegant Slumming
Elegant Slumming
Elegant Slumming is the second album by British house music band M People. It was released on 4 October 1993 charting and peaking at number 2 on the UK Album Chart and spent 87 weeks in the Top 75...
went into the Top 5 on release and peaked at #2, remaining on the chart until the following summer and later winning the band a Mercury Music Prize. A further two Top 10 singles followed: "Don't Look Any Further" (a cover
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 Dennis Edwards
Dennis Edwards
Dennis Edwards is a soul and R&B singer, most noted for being one of Motown act The Temptations' lead singers replacing David Ruffin. He is the father of Issa Pointer, whose mother is Ruth Pointer of The Pointer Sisters.-Career:...
song) in December, and "Renaissance" which was used as the theme tune to the BBC 2 show
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
, The Living Soap
The Living Soap
The Living Soap was a BBC North fly on the wall documentary series broadcast in 1993, which set out to show the everyday lives of six students sharing a house in Manchester. The six chosen students gave up their privacy for one year in return for free rent and the chance to be on television...
, sending the single to number 5 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 ...
.
"Bizarre Fruit" and Awards
In 1994 and 1995 M People won the BRIT AwardBrit Awards
The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
for Best British Dance Act, the latter as a result of the release of Bizarre Fruit
Bizarre Fruit
- Release history :...
. The first single from that album was "Sight for Sore Eyes
Sight for Sore Eyes
"Sight For Sore Eyes" is the tenth overall single from the British band M People released as the lead single from multi-platinum album Bizarre Fruit.Written by Mike Pickering, Paul Heard and Heather Small and Produced by M People. It was released on 5 November 1994...
" which climbed to number 6, helping the album to enter the 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...
and peak at #4 and stay in the Top 10 for four months into the following year. The second single from the album was "Open Your Heart
Open Your Heart (M People song)
"Open Your Heart" is the eleventh overall single from British band M People. It is the second single from their third album Bizarre Fruit . Written by Mike Pickering, Paul Heard and Heather Small. Produced by M People. It was released on 23 January 1995...
", which became their seventh consecutive Top Ten hit in two years and at the Brit Awards
Brit Awards
The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
'95 they collaborated with Sting on his track "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free
If You Love Somebody Set Them Free
"If You Love Somebody Set Them Free" is the first single released from Sting's solo debut album The Dream of the Blue Turtles. It is also the opening track of the album, and is featured on Fields of Gold: The Best of Sting 1984-1994 as well as The Very Best of Sting & The Police...
". Their third single "Search for the Hero
Search for the Hero
Search for the Hero is the third single from Bizarre Fruit , the multi-platinum selling album from M People Written by Mike Pickering and Paul Heard. Produced by M People. It was released on 12th June 1995...
" was later used in the TV advertising campaign for the Peugeot 406
Peugeot 406
The Peugeot 406 was a large family car made by the French automaker Peugeot from 1995 to 2004. Available in saloon, estate and coupé bodystyles with a choice of petrol or turbodiesel engines, the 406 replaced the Peugeot 405 in Peugeot's lineup, and was itself replaced by the Peugeot 407...
. The song got to #9 in the charts
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....
.
In 1995, the band embarked on a world tour and two more singles were lifted from a re-issued album: Bizarre Fruit II which charted and peaked one place higher at number 3; these singles were a remixed "Love Rendezvous
Love Rendezvous
Love Rendezvous is the fourth single from the album Bizarre Fruit/Bizarre Fruit II by British band M People. Written by Mike Pickering and Paul Heard and Heather Small. Produced by M People. It was released on 14 October 1995, after the band’s World Tour...
" and "Itchycoo Park
Itchycoo Park (M People song)
Itchycoo Park is the fifth and final single from the re-released Bizarre Fruit: Bizarre Fruit II album by M People. It is a cover version of the 1967 classic song of the same name by The Small Faces and is M People's fourteenth single overall, released on 13 November 1995...
". The former was the least successful single from the album charting at number 32, and the latter was a cover of The Small Faces
The Small Faces
The Small Faces were an English rock and roll band from East London, heavily influenced by American rhythm and blues. The group was founded in 1965 by members Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones, and Jimmy Winston, although by 1966 Winston was replaced by Ian McLagan as the band's...
1967 single, charting at number 11.
In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, their biggest success was on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, where they achieved five Top 5 singles, four of which hit number one.
After touring and promotion of "Bizarre Fruit II" for 18 months the band took a break in 1996. The album, having been released in November 1995, did not leave the chart until April 1997, becoming one of the biggest selling albums of the decade. They made some outdoor live UK performances called the Summer M Parties in June 1996, at Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace, London
Crystal Palace is a residential area in south London, England named from the former local landmark, The Crystal Palace, which occupied the area from 1854 to 1936. The area is located approximately 8 miles south east of Charing Cross, and offers impressive views over the capital...
, Alton Towers
Alton Towers
Alton Towers is a theme park and resort located in Staffordshire, England. It attracts around 2.7 million visitors per year making it the most visited theme park in the United Kingdom. Alton Towers is also the 9th most visited theme park in Europe...
plus a televised performance on BBC 1 on 29 June 1996 from Old Trafford
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
for The Crowd are on the Pitch: The Euro '96 Extravanganza, where they performed along with bands Dodgy
Dodgy
Dodgy are an English power pop rock trio, that rose to prominence during the Britpop era of the 1990s, who are best known for their hits "Staying Out for the Summer", "If You're Thinking of Me", and "Good Enough"...
, Madness
Madness (band)
In 1979, the band recorded the Lee Thompson composition "The Prince". The song, like the band's name, paid homage to their idol, Prince Buster. The song was released through 2 Tone Records, the label of The Specials founder Jerry Dammers. The song was a surprise hit, peaking in the UK music charts...
and fellow Mancunians Simply Red
Simply Red
Simply Red were a British soul band that sold more than 50 million albums over a 25-year career. Their style drew influences from blue-eyed soul, new romantic, rock, reggae and jazz...
and comedians Nick Hancock and Jo Brand
Jo Brand
Josephine Grace "Jo" Brand is a BAFTA winning British comedian, writer, and actor.- Early life :Jo Brand was born 23 July 1957 in Wandsworth, London. Her mother was a social worker. Brand is the middle of three children, with two brothers...
to a crowd of 60,000 at party celebrating the Euro 1996 football championships.
Triumphant return of "Fresco"
In March 1997, lead singer Heather SmallHeather Small
Heather Small is a British soul singer, best known for being the lead singer in the Manchester based band M People. Her debut solo album was Proud in 2000...
gave birth to her son. With the closure by BMG
BMG
Bertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann...
of the deConstruction
Deconstruction Records
Deconstruction Records is a record label founded in 1987 by Pete Hadfield and Keith Blackhurst in the United Kingdom. Distribution was via label deals with Parlophone Records, for acts such as K-Klass and Bassheads), and RCA Records for everybody else....
label in 1996, the band founded their own record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, M People Records, to release the forthcoming album. In September they released the lead single "Just for You" which peaked at number 8 on the charts and two weeks later, their album Fresco was released and went in the 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...
at number two, going on to sell 1.1 million copies and certified platinum. The band achieved their third multi-platinum selling album and this time appeared on Jools Holland's BBC 2 show, performing album tracks "Never Mind Love", "Angel St
Angel St
"Angel St" is the thirteenth single by British band M People, released on 16 March 1998. "Angel St" is the third and final single from M People's 1997 album Fresco. The song was written by Mike Pickering, Paul Heard and Heather Small and produced by M People and Chris Lord-Alge...
" and Small also performed, solo, the million-selling charity single that she appeared on, "Perfect Day".
Fresco also bore the hit single, "Fantasy Island
Fantasy Island (song)
Fantasy Island is the second single from British band M People from their fourth album Fresco . Written by Mike Pickering, Paul Heard and Heather Small. Produced by M People. It was released on 24 November 1997...
" (number 33) and went on a fifteen-date UK Tour supporting the album to rave reviews. The final single lifted off the album was Angel St
Angel St
"Angel St" is the thirteenth single by British band M People, released on 16 March 1998. "Angel St" is the third and final single from M People's 1997 album Fresco. The song was written by Mike Pickering, Paul Heard and Heather Small and produced by M People and Chris Lord-Alge...
which got to number 8 and earned them their tenth Top 10 chart hit in March 1998, making the band one of the most consistent hit-makers of the 1990s on both sales and airplay.
Greatest Hits
During the summer of 1998, the band prepared for their fifth album, a compilationCompilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
entitled The Best of M People
The Best of M People
- Classic version :...
which also contained three new tracks: "Testify
Testify (M People song)
Testify is the eighteenth overall single from British band M People. It is the lead single from their greatest hits albums The Best of M People and, in North America, Testify. It was written by Mike Pickering, Paul Heard and Heather Small, and roduced by M People...
", "Dreaming" and a cover of the Doobie Brothers classic: "What a Fool Believes
What a Fool Believes
"What a Fool Believes" is a song written by Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins. The best-known version was recorded by The Doobie Brothers for their 1978 album Minute by Minute. The single reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 14, 1979, remaining in that position for one week...
". The album went on to sell 1.75 million, peaked at number 2 and was certified 3x platinum. Of the three new tracks, "Testify
Testify (M People song)
Testify is the eighteenth overall single from British band M People. It is the lead single from their greatest hits albums The Best of M People and, in North America, Testify. It was written by Mike Pickering, Paul Heard and Heather Small, and roduced by M People...
" and "Dreaming" were released as singles. "Testify
Testify (M People song)
Testify is the eighteenth overall single from British band M People. It is the lead single from their greatest hits albums The Best of M People and, in North America, Testify. It was written by Mike Pickering, Paul Heard and Heather Small, and roduced by M People...
" got to number 12 in October 1998 and "Dreaming" got to number 13 in February 1999, their eighteenth and final single to date.
Recent history
After the release of The Best of M PeopleThe Best of M People
- Classic version :...
, the band took an extended hiatus. Heather Small recorded a solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
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...
: Proud, and it seemed that the band had split. However, a re-packaged Greatest Hits album was called Ultimate Collection
Ultimate Collection (M People album)
Ultimate Collection is a 2005 release from British pop group M People featuring Heather Small. It includes two of their tracks that weren't featured on the previous The Best of M People album...
released in 2005, and the band also embarked on a short tour of the UK
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...
. Small continued to pursue a solo career, as her song "Proud", was the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
to the successful London 2012 Olympic bid
London 2012 Olympic bid
London 2012 was the successful bid for the 2012 Summer Games, to be held in London with most events taking place in Stratford, Newham. The British Olympic Association had been working on the bid since 1997...
.
M People toured once again in 2007 as part of the Forestry Commission
Forestry Commission
The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for forestry in Great Britain. Its mission is to protect and expand Britain's forests and woodlands and increase their value to society and the environment....
’s 2007 Forest Tours at Delamere Forest
Delamere Forest
Delamere Forest or Delamere Forest Park is a wood in the Cheshire West and Chester area of Cheshire, England, near the town of Frodsham. It includes of mixed deciduous and evergreen woodland, centred at around , making it the largest area of woodland in Cheshire...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire 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...
; Dalby Forest
Dalby Forest
Dalby Forest is a forest located on the southern slopes of the North York Moors National Park in North Yorkshire, England. It is maintained by the UK Forestry Commission...
, North Yorkshire Moors; Thetford Forest
Thetford Forest
Thetford Forest is the largest lowland pine forest in Britain, Thetford Forest Park is located in a region straddling the north of Suffolk and the south of Norfolk in England...
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
and Westonbirt Arboretum
Westonbirt Arboretum
Westonbirt, The National Arboretum is managed by the Forestry Commission. Westonbirt Arboretum is located near the historic market town of Tetbury in Gloucestershire, England, and is perhaps the most important and widely known arboretum in the United Kingdom.Planted in the heyday of Victorian plant...
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
to support The F
estry Commission’s social and environmental programmes. Small said: "We have played in many different locations but never in forests so we’re really looking forward to doing these gigs". In addition to these gigs M People performed at the Hampton Court Festival in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, 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...
on the 12 June 2007, and the Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
Real Ale and Jazz festival on 4 July 2007. Elsewhere, they played a concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
on 7 September 2007. The band also played some festival
Music festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
dates in 2008 before Small starred as a contestant in that year's BBC1's Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing is a British television show, featuring celebrities with professional dance partners competing in Ballroom and Latin dances. The title of the show suggests a continuation of the long-running series Come Dancing, with an allusion to the film Strictly Ballroom...
in the UK.
Line-up
- Heather SmallHeather SmallHeather Small is a British soul singer, best known for being the lead singer in the Manchester based band M People. Her debut solo album was Proud in 2000...
- vocals (born 20 January 1965, LondonLondonLondon 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...
) - Mike PickeringMike PickeringMichael "Duncan" Pickering has DJed at The Haçienda's infamous "Nude" and "Hot" nights and later "Shine". He worked for Factory Records where he signed Happy Mondays, To Hell With Burgundy and James amongst others...
- keyboards/programming (born 21 February 1954, ManchesterManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
) - Paul Heard - keyboards/programming (born 5 October 1960, London)
- Shovell - percussion (born Andrew Lovell, 11 February 1969, JamaicaJamaicaJamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
)
Discography
Studio albums- Northern Soul (1991)
- Elegant SlummingElegant SlummingElegant Slumming is the second album by British house music band M People. It was released on 4 October 1993 charting and peaking at number 2 on the UK Album Chart and spent 87 weeks in the Top 75...
(1993) - Bizarre FruitBizarre Fruit- Release history :...
(1994) - Bizarre Fruit II (1995)
- Fresco (1997)
Compilations and other albums
- The Best of M PeopleThe Best of M People- Classic version :...
(1998) - TestifyTestify (M People album)Testify is a compilation album released only in North America by British house music band M People. It contains the three new tracks that the band recorded for their British compilation album The Best of M People the previous year, and the artwork is taken from the photographs used for that album...
(1999) - Ultimate CollectionUltimate Collection (M People album)Ultimate Collection is a 2005 release from British pop group M People featuring Heather Small. It includes two of their tracks that weren't featured on the previous The Best of M People album...
(2005) - Ultimate Collection: The Remixes (2005)
- One Night in Heaven: The Best of M PeopleOne Night in Heaven: The Best of M PeopleOne Night in Heaven: The Best of M People is a compilation album by British band M People. It contains their greatest hit singles as well as selected album tracks and remixes...
(2007)
See also
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
External links
- [ M People at Allmusic]
- M People Fansite
- M People's Elegant Sofa (Wayback Machine archived version retrieved 23 January 2010.)
- Discography & History