We're Only Human
Encyclopedia
We're Only Human Graham “Kidder” Hammonds , John Rollason , Les Rollason , Graham “Dick” Millington...
and The Kicks) were a British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
powerpop and rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band, formed in 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 1 July 1981, and composed of Alan Hammonds (guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and vocals), John Rollason (guitar and backing vocals
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
), Keith Taylor (bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
) and Mark “Tarky” Bates (drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s and backing vocals).
The band were helped in the recording 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...
by producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Graham "Kidder" Hammonds (percussion
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
and backing vocals).
Career
Having played regularly at The Bridgehouse in Canning TownCanning Town
Canning Town is an area of east London, England. It is part of the London Borough of Newham and is situated in the area of the former London docks on the north side of the River Thames. It is the location of Rathbone Market...
, the band joined Terry Murphy's own Vinyl Cuts 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,...
, in order to release their debut 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...
, "Hold Your Head Up High" and "I Wouldn't Treat a Dog (Like You Treat Me)" in June 1985. Murphy was also manager of Wasted Youth
Wasted Youth (British Band)
Wasted Youth was a punk / post-punk band from London, England, active between 1979 and 1982, which blended early Goth and post-punk with dark acoustic strains of the sort associated with Nick Drake and Syd Barrett. The line-up of the band was Ken Scott , Rocco Barker , Nick Nicole , Darren Murphy ...
and father to the actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, Glen Murphy
Glen Murphy
Glen Murphy MBE is an English actor.He is perhaps best known as George Green between 1988 and 2002 on the television drama London's Burning....
. The single was recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
at Village Recorders on 19 March 1985, with the session being produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by Hammonds and engineered
Audio engineering
An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
by Gary Edwards. Both sides of the single were cut by George Peckham
George Peckham
George "Porky" Peckham is an English record cutting engineer, widely recognised as among the most accomplished in the business. He has been responsible for producing the master discs from which countless vinyl records have been pressed over the last 40 years....
, and the run-out groove on both sides
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 the single bear his motto, 'A Porky Prime Cut'.
In 1987, guitarist John Rollason took time out from the band to record The Dirty Strangers 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...
with the Dirty Strangers.
We're Only Human disbanded in 1989.
In 2000, due to public demand for their back catalogue, the debut 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...
, Too Much Too Little Too Late was released by Detour Records. The double album
Double album
A double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically records and compact discs....
contained twenty nine tracks and featured both 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...
and demo recordings
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
. The album received favorable reviews, particularly edition 254 of Record Collector
Record Collector
Record Collector is the United Kingdom's longest-running monthly music magazine. It distributes both within the UK and worldwide. It started in 1979.-The early years:...
in October that year.
In 2002, the first four singles were repackaged and re-released by the Japanese independent record label, 1977 Records.
On 24 February 2006, Hammonds and Lister were featured on 'Pop Into The Past' with Pete Chambers on BBC Coventry and Warwickshire Radio.
On 28 March 2007, Pop 'Til You Drop, the lyric book to accompany the album Too Much Too Little Too Late was published by Lulu. The album itself was re-released on 20 June 2007, on the band's own Black and Blue Records label, through Detour Records.
In 2007, "Sign on the Dotted Line" was re-recorded by the Teenage Frames. In 2008, "If Looks Could Kill" was re-recorded by the New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
based Baby Shakes
Baby Shakes
Baby Shakes is a music group from New York City. Baby Shakes call their music rock, power-pop and punk, and mentioned also glam and rock'n'roll.- History :...
, and the song continues to be part of their live repertoire. This was followed by The Brothers Gross' covers
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 "I'm Gonna Join the Army" and "We're Gonna Make It". Many other cover versions continue to surface.
A new album of previous recordings is due for release in 2010, on Black and Blue Records. The current working title is 'Black'. Also in the pipeline is a live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
which is due for release in late 2010 or early 2011. The show is believed to be that which was recorded at Avery Hill College in 1982.
Singles
- "Hold Your Head Up High" / "I Wouldn't Treat a Dog (Like You Treat Me)" (1983) - Vinyl Cuts Records VC002
Albums
- Too Much Too Little Too Late (2000) Detour Records DRCD 023
- Too Much Too Little Too Late (Reissue, 2007) Detour Records DRCD 023