The Waltones
Encyclopedia
The Waltones were an indie
band from Manchester
, England
, who formed in September 1984.
(guitar), James Knox (vocals, harmonica) and Manny Lee (bass, backing vocals). Their debut release was the "Downhill" single, released by Medium Cool Records
in April 1987, which, like the follow-up, "She Looks Right Through Me", placed on the UK Independent Chart. Third single "Spell It Out" gave them their biggest success, peaking at number 20 on the Indie Singles Chart. Debut album Deepest eventually saw a release in 1989, by which time they had lost momentum. The band also recorded a session for BBC Radio 1
's John Peel
Show in August 1988.
In 1990 the band moved to the Midnight Music label, and recorded a second album Re-invent The Wheel co-produced by Kevin Harris. After recording was completed, Fyans left the group to be replaced by Adrian Donohue. The band relaunched themselves as Candlestick Park. One single - "All The Time In The World" - was issued from the album sessions, and a collaboration with Manchester based House producers K-Klass
was mooted. However the album was never issued and the band split, as Collins went on to greater success with The Charlatans (aka Charlatans UK).
A CD retrospective of The Waltones' Medium Cool output was issued by Cherry Red
in 2007.
Split releases:
Indie (music)
In music, independent music, often shortened to indie music or "indie" is a term used to describe independence from major commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, and an autonomous, Do-It-Yourself approach to recording and publishing....
band 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...
, England
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...
, who formed in September 1984.
History
The band consisted of Alex Fyans (drums), Mark CollinsMark Collins (musician)
Mark Collins is an English guitarist best known as a member of the British indie/rock band The Charlatans.-Career:...
(guitar), James Knox (vocals, harmonica) and Manny Lee (bass, backing vocals). Their debut release was the "Downhill" single, released by Medium Cool Records
Medium Cool Records
Medium Cool was a United Kingdom independent record label that existed between 1986 and 1989. Specializing in jangly guitar-pop, it released records by bands such as The Raw Herbs, The Siddeleys, The Rain, The Waltones, The Popguns, and The Corn Dollies....
in April 1987, which, like the follow-up, "She Looks Right Through Me", placed on the UK Independent Chart. Third single "Spell It Out" gave them their biggest success, peaking at number 20 on the Indie Singles Chart. Debut album Deepest eventually saw a release in 1989, by which time they had lost momentum. The band also recorded a session for BBC 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...
's 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...
Show in August 1988.
In 1990 the band moved to the Midnight Music label, and recorded a second album Re-invent The Wheel co-produced by Kevin Harris. After recording was completed, Fyans left the group to be replaced by Adrian Donohue. The band relaunched themselves as Candlestick Park. One single - "All The Time In The World" - was issued from the album sessions, and a collaboration with Manchester based House producers K-Klass
K-Klass
K-Klass are a house music group from Wrexham, North Wales. The members are Andy Williams, Carl Thomas, Russ Morgan, and Paul Roberts. K-Klass signed with Deconstruction Records, and later to Parlophone.-Career:...
was mooted. However the album was never issued and the band split, as Collins went on to greater success with The Charlatans (aka Charlatans UK).
A CD retrospective of The Waltones' Medium Cool output was issued by Cherry Red
Cherry Red
Cherry Red is a London-based independent record label formed in 1978.-History:Cherry Red grew from the rock promotion company founded in 1971 to promote rock concerts at the Malvern Winter Gardens...
in 2007.
Albums
- Deepest (1989), Medium Cool - MC 018
- The Very Best of The Waltones: You've Gotta Hand It to 'em (2007), Cherry RedCherry RedCherry Red is a London-based independent record label formed in 1978.-History:Cherry Red grew from the rock promotion company founded in 1971 to promote rock concerts at the Malvern Winter Gardens...
Singles
- "Downhill" (7") (April 1987), Medium CoolMedium Cool RecordsMedium Cool was a United Kingdom independent record label that existed between 1986 and 1989. Specializing in jangly guitar-pop, it released records by bands such as The Raw Herbs, The Siddeleys, The Rain, The Waltones, The Popguns, and The Corn Dollies....
- MC 004, UK Indie #40 - "She Looks Right Through Me" (12") (October 1987), Medium Cool - MC 007, UK Indie #49
- "Spell It Out" (7"+12") (July 1988), Medium Cool - MC 011, UK Indie #20
- "The Deepest" (7"+12") (October 1988), Medium Cool - MC 016
- "Listen to Your Heart" (1989), Medium Cool - withdrawn 12" single, MC 022T
- "All the Time In the World" (1990), Midnight Music - DING 67 (as Candlestick Park)
Split releases:
- "Bold" (1987) - flexi disc that came free with Irresponsible Spirit fanzine, other track "All of Nothing" by Pigbros
Compilation appearances
- "The British Disease" and "Bold" on Edge of the Road (1988), Medium Cool
- "She Looks Right Through Me" on Bananas! (1989), Rodney
- "She Looks Right Through Me" (demo) on Zine magazine Zine Sexy Flexi flexi-disc (1989)
- "As Tears Go ByAs Tears Go By (song)"As Tears Go By" is a song written by The Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, guitarist Keith Richards, and their manager Andrew Loog Oldham, and was a popular hit for both British singer Marianne Faithfull in 1964 and The Rolling Stones in 1965.-History:...
" on Stoned Again - A Tribute To The Stones (1990), ImaginaryImaginary RecordsImaginary Records was an independent record label based in Heywood, Lancashire, England, which specialised mainly in indie rock and post-punk. It was created and owned by Alan Duffy, known for his lyrical contributions to Porcupine Tree's first two albums, On the Sunday of Life and Up the...
Further reading
- More Rock Family Trees, by Pete FramePete FramePeter 'Pete' Frame is a music journalist, who produced outlines of the history of rock bands for various magazines . He founded the English Alternative rock magazine ZigZag in April 1969 and acted as its editor, from its beginning until February 1973, and again from March 1976 until July 1977...
published by Ominbus Press; - The Stone RosesThe Stone RosesThe Stone Roses are an English alternative rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. They were one of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement that was active during the late 1980s and early 1990s...
and the Resurrection of British Pop, by John Robb; - The Charlatans: We Are Rock, by John Robb;
- And God Created MadchesterMadchesterMadchester was a music scene that developed in Manchester, England, towards the end of the 1980s and into the early 1990s. The music that emerged from the scene mixed alternative rock, psychedelic rock and dance music...
, by Sarah Champion;