Talulah Gosh
Encyclopedia
Talulah Gosh were a guitar-pop group from Oxford, England and one of the leading bands of the twee pop movement, taking their name from the headline of an NME
interview with Clare Grogan
. They supposedly formed when Amelia Fletcher
and Elizabeth Price, both wearing Pastels
badges, met at a club in Oxford
. Formed in 1986, their original line-up comprised Amelia Fletcher
(vocals, guitar, principal songwriter), her younger brother Mathew Fletcher (drums), Peter Momtchiloff
(lead guitar), Rob Pursey (bass) and Elizabeth Price (vocals). Pursey left early on, to be replaced by Chris Scott.
-based label 53rd & 3rd
, "Beatnik Boy" and "Steaming Train". These singles, especially the former, were unashamedly cutesy, something also reflected in the names the group had adopted for themselves: leader Amelia was "Marigold", while Elizabeth became "Pebbles". Mathew Fletcher was rather less flatteringly nicknamed "Fat Mat". Their appearance led to them being labelled as an "anorak indie" band.
For their third single, the group returned to a song they had first recorded in session for Janice Long
's show on Radio 1
in August 1986, "Talulah Gosh". Elizabeth Price left toward the end of the year to form The Carousel with Razorcuts
frontman Gregory Webster
, and so the single, released on May 30, 1987, was the first to feature replacement Eithne Farry
(vocals, tambourine). The single was less shambolic than their earlier offerings, and a video was made for it which was played on The Chart Show
(then shown on Channel 4
), giving the band some mainstream exposure. The single was produced (some critics suggested it was over-produced) by John Rivers, as was the follow-up "Bringing Up Baby", a sophisticated pop song that reduced the band's "shambling" element to the point where mainstream success seemed a possibility. Indeed, The Primitives
would later take precisely this route to success — but Talulah Gosh never made the national charts. The ironically-titled debut album Rock Legends : Volume 69
was released in October 1987, collecting tracks from the earlier singles and radio sessions.
January 1988 saw not only the release of "Bringing Up Baby" but also the broadcast of a second Radio 1
session, this time for DJ John Peel
. What was to be Talulah Gosh's last single, a Ramones
-like punk thrash titled "Testcard Girl" (very loosely based on an old Heinz
advertising jingle), was released in May. The group split later that year. A posthumous collection of BBC
radio sessions was issued by Sarah Records
in 1991, and a more comprehensive retrospective was released on K Records
in 1996.
After the split, Peter joined The Razorcuts
, while Amelia issued a one-off solo single, "Can you keep a secret?". Amelia and Mathew Fletcher and Peter Momtchiloff regrouped as Heavenly
in late 1989 with Talulah Gosh co-founder Rob Pursey also returning to the fold. Following the breakup of the Razorcuts, Chris and Eithne formed Saturn V with Gregory Webster
.
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
interview with Clare Grogan
Clare Grogan
Clare Grogan is a Scottish actress and singer. She is sometimes credited as C. P. Grogan.-Early life:...
. They supposedly formed when Amelia Fletcher
Amelia Fletcher
Amelia Fletcher is a British singer, songwriter, guitarist, and economist. She has been the frontwoman of an evolving series of pop groups from the 1980s to the present...
and Elizabeth Price, both wearing Pastels
The Pastels
The Pastels are a group from Glasgow, Scotland, UK.Their early records for labels like Whaam!, Creation, Rough Trade, and Glass Records, had a raw and immediate sound, melodic and amateur, which seemed at odds with the time...
badges, met at a club in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
. Formed in 1986, their original line-up comprised Amelia Fletcher
Amelia Fletcher
Amelia Fletcher is a British singer, songwriter, guitarist, and economist. She has been the frontwoman of an evolving series of pop groups from the 1980s to the present...
(vocals, guitar, principal songwriter), her younger brother Mathew Fletcher (drums), Peter Momtchiloff
Peter Momtchiloff
Peter Momtchiloff is a British guitarist and bassist. He was educated at Winchester College and Worcester College, Oxford....
(lead guitar), Rob Pursey (bass) and Elizabeth Price (vocals). Pursey left early on, to be replaced by Chris Scott.
History
The group made their live debut on March 7, 1986, and later the same year released a flexidisc on Sha La La flexilabel and two singles simultaneously on the EdinburghEdinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
-based label 53rd & 3rd
53rd & 3rd
"53rd & 3rd" is a song by the American punk rock band the Ramones. It was released as the band's second single and the final released from their debut album, Ramones.-Lyrics:...
, "Beatnik Boy" and "Steaming Train". These singles, especially the former, were unashamedly cutesy, something also reflected in the names the group had adopted for themselves: leader Amelia was "Marigold", while Elizabeth became "Pebbles". Mathew Fletcher was rather less flatteringly nicknamed "Fat Mat". Their appearance led to them being labelled as an "anorak indie" band.
For their third single, the group returned to a song they had first recorded in session for Janice Long
Janice Long
Janice Long is an English radio broadcaster currently working on BBC Radio 2. Her show is on Sunday to Thursday nights from midnight to 02:00. She is the older sister of TV and radio personality Keith Chegwin.-Early career:...
's show on Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
in August 1986, "Talulah Gosh". Elizabeth Price left toward the end of the year to form The Carousel with Razorcuts
Razorcuts
Razorcuts were an indie pop band formed in 1984 in London. The group centred around Gregory Webster and Tim Vass , with various musicians including Peter Momtchiloff of Heavenly. Early releases on the Subway Organisation label, including the debut Big Pink Cake led to a deal with Creation Records...
frontman Gregory Webster
Gregory Webster
Gregory Webster is a British musician. In 1985 he founded the Razorcuts with Tim Vass. He then played in The Carousel with Elizabeth Price from 1989 to 1994. Soon after he was the main protagonist in Saturn V. In 1997 he founded Sportique, his present band, with Mark Flunder and Rob Pursey...
, and so the single, released on May 30, 1987, was the first to feature replacement Eithne Farry
Eithne Farry
Eithne Farry is British book reviewer and the former literary editor of ELLE, she is the author of "Yeah, I Made it Myself" subtitled "DIY fashion for the not very domestic goddess"...
(vocals, tambourine). The single was less shambolic than their earlier offerings, and a video was made for it which was played on The Chart Show
The Chart Show
The Chart Show is a music video programme which ran in the UK on Channel 4 between 1986 and 1988, then on ITV between 1989 and 1998. The production company was Video Visuals, and was credited as "A Yorkshire Television Presentation" from 1993 and 1998...
(then shown on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
), giving the band some mainstream exposure. The single was produced (some critics suggested it was over-produced) by John Rivers, as was the follow-up "Bringing Up Baby", a sophisticated pop song that reduced the band's "shambling" element to the point where mainstream success seemed a possibility. Indeed, The Primitives
The Primitives
The Primitives are a British indie pop band from Coventry, best known for their 1988 international hit single "Crash".-Biography:The Primitives were part of the indie music scene of the mid-1980s alongside bands like The Jesus and Mary Chain, Primal Scream, My Bloody Valentine, the Soup...
would later take precisely this route to success — but Talulah Gosh never made the national charts. The ironically-titled debut album Rock Legends : Volume 69
Rock Legends : Volume 69
Rock Legends : Volume 69 is a compilation of single tracks by the twee pop band Talulah Gosh.-Releases:It was first issued in October 1987 by Constrictor Records in Germany, then in mid-1988 by 53rd & 3rd in Britain...
was released in October 1987, collecting tracks from the earlier singles and radio sessions.
January 1988 saw not only the release of "Bringing Up Baby" but also the broadcast of a second Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
session, this time for DJ 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...
. What was to be Talulah Gosh's last single, a Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
-like punk thrash titled "Testcard Girl" (very loosely based on an old Heinz
H. J. Heinz Company
The H. J. Heinz Company , commonly known as Heinz and famous for its "57 Varieties" slogan and its ketchup, is an American food company with world headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Perhaps best known for its ketchup, the H.J...
advertising jingle), was released in May. The group split later that year. A posthumous collection of BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
radio sessions was issued by Sarah Records
Sarah Records
Sarah Records was a UK independent record label active between 1987 and 1995, best known for its recordings of indie pop.The label was formed in Bristol in 1987 by Clare Wadd and Matt Haynes, and grew out of the fanzine scene at the time, Haynes having previously edited Are You Scared To Get...
in 1991, and a more comprehensive retrospective was released on K Records
K Records
K Records is an independent record label in Olympia, Washington, co-founded, owned, and operated by Calvin Johnson, formerly of the bands Cool Rays, Beat Happening, The Go Team, The Halo Benders and presently in the bands Dub Narcotic Sound System and The Hive Dwellers...
in 1996.
After the split, Peter joined The Razorcuts
Razorcuts
Razorcuts were an indie pop band formed in 1984 in London. The group centred around Gregory Webster and Tim Vass , with various musicians including Peter Momtchiloff of Heavenly. Early releases on the Subway Organisation label, including the debut Big Pink Cake led to a deal with Creation Records...
, while Amelia issued a one-off solo single, "Can you keep a secret?". Amelia and Mathew Fletcher and Peter Momtchiloff regrouped as Heavenly
Heavenly (British band)
Heavenly were a 1990s twee pop band, originally forming in Oxford, England in 1989. Amelia Fletcher , Mathew Fletcher , Peter Momtchiloff and Robert Pursey had all been members of Talulah Gosh, a key member of the C86 scene.-History:Heavenly debuted with the 7" single "I Fell in Love Last...
in late 1989 with Talulah Gosh co-founder Rob Pursey also returning to the fold. Following the breakup of the Razorcuts, Chris and Eithne formed Saturn V with Gregory Webster
Gregory Webster
Gregory Webster is a British musician. In 1985 he founded the Razorcuts with Tim Vass. He then played in The Carousel with Elizabeth Price from 1989 to 1994. Soon after he was the main protagonist in Saturn V. In 1997 he founded Sportique, his present band, with Mark Flunder and Rob Pursey...
.
Discography
- "I Told You So" (flexi disc, 19861986 in musicThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1986.-January-June:*January 23 – The first induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame takes place...
) (given away with fanzines Are You Scared To Get Happy?Are You Scared To Get Happy?Are You Scared To Get Happy? was an influential music fanzine published from Bristol, United Kingdom between 1985 and 1987 by Matt Haynes, later the co-founder of Sarah Records...
#3 and Trout Fishing In Leytonstone #3) - "Beatnik Boy" (single, 19861986 in musicThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1986.-January-June:*January 23 – The first induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame takes place...
) - "Steaming Train" (single, 19861986 in musicThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1986.-January-June:*January 23 – The first induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame takes place...
) - "Talulah Gosh" (single, 19871987 in musicThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1987.See also:Record labels established in 1987-January-February:*January 3 – Aretha Franklin becomes the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...
) - "Bringing Up Baby" (single, 19871987 in musicThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1987.See also:Record labels established in 1987-January-February:*January 3 – Aretha Franklin becomes the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...
) - "Testcard Girl" (single, 19881988 in musicThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1988.-January-March:* January 1 – André Rieu's Johann Strauss Orchestra plays its first concert....
) - Rock Legends : Volume 69Rock Legends : Volume 69Rock Legends : Volume 69 is a compilation of single tracks by the twee pop band Talulah Gosh.-Releases:It was first issued in October 1987 by Constrictor Records in Germany, then in mid-1988 by 53rd & 3rd in Britain...
(singles compilation, 19871987 in musicThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1987.See also:Record labels established in 1987-January-February:*January 3 – Aretha Franklin becomes the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...
/81988 in musicThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1988.-January-March:* January 1 – André Rieu's Johann Strauss Orchestra plays its first concert....
) - They've Scoffed the LotThey've Scoffed the LotThey've Scoffed the Lot is a compilation of radio session recordings by the indie pop band Talulah Gosh.-Release:Scoffed was issued in 1991 by the independent label Sarah Records, which at the time had recently signed Heavenly, a band formed from four of the five members of Talulah Gosh. The...
(radio sessions, 19911991 in musicSee also:* 1991 in music Record labels established in 1991-Summary:The year 1991 is the year that grunge music made its popular breakthrough. Nirvana's Nevermind, led by the surprise hit single "Smells Like Teen Spirit", becomes the most popular U.S. album of the year...
) - Talulah Mania (reissue of Rock Legends, 19911991 in musicSee also:* 1991 in music Record labels established in 1991-Summary:The year 1991 is the year that grunge music made its popular breakthrough. Nirvana's Nevermind, led by the surprise hit single "Smells Like Teen Spirit", becomes the most popular U.S. album of the year...
) - BackwashBackwash (album)Backwash is a retrospective compilation of music by the group Talulah Gosh.-The album:Released on LP and CD by K Records in 1996 , it contains all of their single and radio session tracks, plus live versions of two songs of which no studio recordings exist and a flexi-disc track...
(complete recordings plus live tracks, 19961996 in musicThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1996.-January:* January – At the trial of two American teenagers, Nicholaus McDonald and Brian Bassett, for the murder of Bassett's parents and young brother, defense lawyers attempt to lay the blame for the murders on the fact...
)
See also
- Twee pop
- HeavenlyHeavenly (British band)Heavenly were a 1990s twee pop band, originally forming in Oxford, England in 1989. Amelia Fletcher , Mathew Fletcher , Peter Momtchiloff and Robert Pursey had all been members of Talulah Gosh, a key member of the C86 scene.-History:Heavenly debuted with the 7" single "I Fell in Love Last...
- Marine ResearchMarine ResearchMarine Research was an indie rock/twee pop band, based in Oxford/London , formed in 1997 by four of the five members of Heavenly , following the suicide of Heavenly drummer Mathew Fletcher...
- Tender TrapTender TrapTender Trap is an indie rock/twee pop band, based in London , formed in 2001 by three of the five members of Marine Research - Amelia Fletcher, Rob Pursey, and John Downfall....
- C86C86 (music)C86 is a cassette compilation released by the British music magazine NME in 1986, featuring new bands licensed from independent labels of the time. As a phrase, C86 quickly evolved into shorthand for a guitar-based musical genre characterised by "jangly" guitars and fey melodies, although other...
- You LiedYou Lied"You Lied" is a track originally performed by British progressive rock band Peach. It was notably covered live by Tool and released on their Salival live DVD/CD box set...
- SportiqueSportiqueSportique is a British indiepop band formed in 1997 by Gregory Webster, formerly of the Razorcuts, with Mark Flunder of the Television Personalities and Rob Pursey of Heavenly...