Ph.D. (band)
Encyclopedia
Ph.D. is a British
group
that managed a UK
Top 10 hit
with "I Won't Let You Down
" in April 1982, although the song had been a hit the previous year throughout Europe. The band took its name from the initial letters of its three members' surname
s; Phillips, Hymas and Diamond.
and Simon Phillips
in the early 1980s. Their self-titled début album
, originally released in 1981, spawned a hit with their ballad
"I Won't Let You Down" which peaked at number three in the UK Singles Chart
in 1982, and number five in Australia. Following the single
's success the album was re-issued and finally entered the UK Albums Chart
.
Their video
for "Little Suzi's on the Up" was notable for being the fifth video shown on MTV
's first broadcasting
day, being 1 August 1981 in parts of the U.S.
The song is about a young woman who will strive to be a winner no matter how much she gets put down. The music video for the song is quite comical and features fast motion at times.
They came out with their second album Is It Safe?
in 1983. The first single, "I Didn't Know," failed to make the UK Top 40, but did well in Europe
. The albums have not been released officially on CD
until recently, except for the first one in Japan
in 1997.
A short time later Diamond contracted hepatitis
. Prevented from touring, by Diamond's illness, the group disbanded. Diamond returned some time later as a solo
artist
and score a UK #1 single in November 1984 with "I Should Have Known Better
".
Hard rock
band Tesla
's cover version
of "Little Suzi's On The Up" (as "Little Suzi") was an American radio hit in 1986.
Hymas appeared on Diamond's 1988 album
.
Diamond confirmed that the two studio
albums could be added to iTunes
. Reissues of the first two albums were released by Voiceprint Records. The label also released Three
on 2 February 2009.
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
group
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...
that managed a 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...
Top 10 hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
with "I Won't Let You Down
I Won't Let You Down
I Won't Let You Down is a 1982 single by British band Ph.D.. It reached number 3 on the UK charts in April 1982. The band consisted of Jim Diamond who was the lead vocalist, Tony Hymas on keyboards and Simon Phillips on drums...
" in April 1982, although the song had been a hit the previous year throughout Europe. The band took its name from the initial letters of its three members' surname
Family name
A family name is a type of surname and part of a person's name indicating the family to which the person belongs. The use of family names is widespread in cultures around the world...
s; Phillips, Hymas and Diamond.
Band history
Singer Jim Diamond formed the group with former Jeff Beck Group members Tony HymasTony Hymas
Anthony 'Tony' Hymas is an English keyboard player, pianist, composer and is well known for being a founding member of Ph.D. He is a very versatile musician and contributes in different styles of music....
and Simon Phillips
Simon Phillips
Simon Phillips is an English jazz, pop and rock drummer.-Career:Phillips began to play professionally at the age of twelve in his father's Dixieland band for four years. He was then offered the chance to play in the musical Jesus Christ Superstar...
in the early 1980s. Their self-titled début album
Ph.D. (album)
Ph.D. is the 1981 début album by the band of the same name. It was later reissued with a different cover when "I Won't Let You down" became a hit in several countries in early 1982.The album was reissued 3 November 2008 by Ph.D./Voiceprint Records....
, originally released in 1981, spawned a hit with their ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
"I Won't Let You Down" which peaked at number three 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 1982, and number five in Australia. Following the single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
's success the album was re-issued and finally entered 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...
.
Their video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "Little Suzi's on the Up" was notable for being the fifth video shown on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's first broadcasting
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
day, being 1 August 1981 in parts of the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
The song is about a young woman who will strive to be a winner no matter how much she gets put down. The music video for the song is quite comical and features fast motion at times.
They came out with their second album Is It Safe?
Is It Safe?
Is It Safe? is the 1983 second album from Ph.D. It would be their last album until 2009's comeback Three.Is It Safe? will be reissued shortly by Voiceprint Records in 2010."Fifth of May" was re-recorded for Three.-Track listing:...
in 1983. The first single, "I Didn't Know," failed to make the UK Top 40, but did well in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. The albums have not been released officially on 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 ,...
until recently, except for the first one in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in 1997.
A short time later Diamond contracted hepatitis
Hepatitis
Hepatitis is a medical condition defined by the inflammation of the liver and characterized by the presence of inflammatory cells in the tissue of the organ. The name is from the Greek hepar , the root being hepat- , meaning liver, and suffix -itis, meaning "inflammation"...
. Prevented from touring, by Diamond's illness, the group disbanded. Diamond returned some time later as a solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
artist
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....
and score a UK #1 single in November 1984 with "I Should Have Known Better
I Should Have Known Better (Jim Diamond song)
"I Should Have Known Better" was a UK number one single for one week in December 1984 for Jim Diamond. The song was displaced after one week by Frankie Goes to Hollywood's song "The Power of Love"...
".
Hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
band Tesla
Tesla (band)
Tesla is an American hard rock band formed in Sacramento, California in 1984. They have sold 14 million albums in the United States.-Formation and Mechanical Resonance :...
's cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of "Little Suzi's On The Up" (as "Little Suzi") was an American radio hit in 1986.
Hymas appeared on Diamond's 1988 album
Jim Diamond (1988 album)
Singer/Songwriter Jim Diamond's self-titled and third studio album. Diamond was assisted by old friends Graham Lyle and Chris Parren, who had worked with him on previous albums....
.
Diamond confirmed that the two studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
albums could be added to iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
. Reissues of the first two albums were released by Voiceprint Records. The label also released Three
Three (Ph.D. album)
Three is the 2009 comeback album from Ph.D. It is their first album since 1983's Is It Safe?. Hymas's site states the album would be released in the Autumn of 2008 , though the label's site says February.-Track listing:...
on 2 February 2009.
Band members
- Jim Diamond - vocals, guitar (1981–1983, 2006–present)
- Tony Hymas - keyboards (1981–1983, 2006–present)
Albums
| Year | Album | UK 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... |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Ph.D. Ph.D. (album) Ph.D. is the 1981 début album by the band of the same name. It was later reissued with a different cover when "I Won't Let You down" became a hit in several countries in early 1982.The album was reissued 3 November 2008 by Ph.D./Voiceprint Records.... |
33 | - |
| 1983 | Is It Safe? Is It Safe? Is It Safe? is the 1983 second album from Ph.D. It would be their last album until 2009's comeback Three.Is It Safe? will be reissued shortly by Voiceprint Records in 2010."Fifth of May" was re-recorded for Three.-Track listing:... |
- | 4 |
| 2009 | Three Three (Ph.D. album) Three is the 2009 comeback album from Ph.D. It is their first album since 1983's Is It Safe?. Hymas's site states the album would be released in the Autumn of 2008 , though the label's site says February.-Track listing:... |
- | - |
Singles
| Year | Song | UK 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 ... |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | "Little Suzi's on the Up" | - | Ph.D. |
| 1982 | "I Won't Let You Down I Won't Let You Down I Won't Let You Down is a 1982 single by British band Ph.D.. It reached number 3 on the UK charts in April 1982. The band consisted of Jim Diamond who was the lead vocalist, Tony Hymas on keyboards and Simon Phillips on drums... " |
3 | Ph.D. |
| 1982 | "There's No Answer To It" | - | Ph.D. |
| 1983 | "I Didn't Know" | - | Is It Safe? |
| 1983 | "Fifth Of May" | - | Is It Safe? |
| 2009 | "Drive Time" | - | Three |
External links
- Jim Diamond Biography
- Jim Diamond official website
- Tony Hymas official website
- Little Suzi's on the Up Music Video on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....