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The WEATHER PROPHETS - BIOGRAPHY
 Guitarist/vocalist
Peter Astor and drummer Dave Morgan formed the jangly Weather Prophets
directly after their previous band, the Loft, split in 1985. Astor had
been planning his defection from the Loft for some time and was anxious
to start anew with more control.
The duo had Alan McGee, a friend and major backer of Astor's and
the head of their label, Creation, play bass for the first two songs.
After that, Astor made a point to find other members for the band who
had no role in the indie scene (the singer often slagged the scene in
interviews, claiming it had a false sense of superiority due to lack of
success). He called in David Greenwood Goulding to play bass, a friend
who was clueless about the Loft, let alone the current music scene.
Morgan brought in Oisin Little to play rhythm guitar, rounding out the
lineup. McGee ended up managing, and an instant interest in the group
was apparent, thanks in no small part that the Loft appeared to be on
the brink of greater things when they imploded.
However, the Creation stable began to receive a fair amount of
negative criticism around this time for their outward ambitions and a
sense of direction (or lack thereof) that aimed toward drugginess and
traditional rocker attitudes (and, well, the donning of leather pants).
Regardless of its reception, the Weather Prophets' debut single, "Almost
Prayed," was an instant classic for the label, a song that married the
Velvet Underground with Creedence Clearwater Revival. Going with the
American slant, the band had Lenny Kaye produce the follow-up single,
"Naked as the Day You Were Born." Most fans of the debut soured on it.
McGee signed a deal with WEA to begin Elevation, a subsidiary for
which he would act as the only employee, delivering bands and doing the
A&R work. This fit into the plans of McGee and Astor perfectly; the
Weather Prophets became one of the Elevation bands, and it would help
them attain the stadium gigs and the rapturous sales that were desired.
However, Mayflower was released during a period that wasn't advantageous
for the group; it didn't help that both band and label boss regarded it
as a failure. WEA agreed and dropped the band. McGee shopped them
around to several labels and ultimately the band returned to Creation.
1988's Judges, Juries & Horsemen was completed on a tight budget
(after the departure of Little), a budget that paled in comparison to
the House of Love's debut for the label.
Fed up with being in the wrong musical climate (dance music would
soon engulf the U.K.), fed up with the lack of money involved in keeping
the band operating, and fed up with not achieving their potential, the
Weather Prophets decided to quit after attempting to record a follow-up
single to their final LP. The sock drawer Temperance Hotel compilation
was released later that year (1989). Astor went the solo route and later
formed the Wisdom of Harry. Goulding and Morgan joined the
Rockingbirds. <"http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=SEARCH&sql=B5z5tk6hx9krw%7EC" target="New">Andy Kellman, AMG
Morganised -- Dave Morgan's site
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DISCOGRAPHY |
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"Almost Prayed"
1986, June -- Creation (CRE029)
Double 7-inch single (CRE029D):
Side A: Almost Prayed
Side B: Your Heartbeat Breathes the Life Into Me
Side C: Stones in My Passway
Side D: Downbound Train
12-inch single (CRE029):
Side A:
1. Almost Prayed
2. Your Heartbeat Breathes the Life Into Me
Side B:
1. Like Frankie Lymon
2. Wide Open Arms |
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"Naked as the Day You Were Born"
1986, October -- Creation (CRE031)
Side A:
1. Naked as the Day You Were Born
Side B:
1. In My Room
2. Worst Friend I've Ever Had |
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Diesel River
1988 -- Rough Trade/Creation (RTD/CRE2-40)
Tracklisting:
1. Almost Prayed
2. Worm in My Brain
3. Your Heartbeat Breathes the Life into Me
4. Stones in My Passway
5. Like Frankie Lymon
6. Wide Open Arms
7. Downbound Train
8. Head over Heels
9. In My Room
10. Worst Friend I've Ever Had |
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"She Comes from the Rain"
1987, March -- Elevation (ACID1)
12-inch (ACID1T):
Side A:
1. She Comes from the Rain
Side B:
1. Wide Open Arms
2. Happy
12-inch (ACID1TX):
Side A:
1. She Comes from the Rain
2. Wide Open Arms
Side B:
1. You Upset the Grace of Living When You Lie
2. Who by Fire |
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Mayflower
1987, April -- Elevation (ELV1)
1999, July -- Wea Japan (WPCR-10441)
Tracklisting:
1. Why Does the Rain
2. The Key to My Love Is Green
3. Can't Keep My Eyes off You
4. Mayflower
5. Head over Heels
6. She Comes from the Rain
7. Almost Prayed
8. Faithful
9. Swimming Pool Blue
10. Walking Under a Spell
11. Naked as the Day You Were Born
12. Sleep |
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"Why Does the Rain"
1987, July -- Elevation (ACID2T)
Side A:
1. Why Does The Rain
2. Midnight Mile
Side B:
1. Mayflower (BBC)
2. Annalea |
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"Hollow Heart"
1988, May -- Creation (CRE054)
Side A:
1. Hollow Heart
2. Joe Shmo and the Eskimo
Side B:
1. Sleeping When the Sun Comes Up
2. Chinese Cadillac |
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Judges, Juries and Horsemen
1988, June -- Creation (CRECD033)
1999, June -- Epic Japan (ESCA7773)
Tracklisting:
1. Always the Light
2. Hollow Heart
3. Poison Mind
4. Well Done Sonny
5. Born Inbetween
6. Thursday Seems a Year Ago
7. Bury Them Deep
8. You Bring the Miracles
9. Never Been as Good
10. Ostrich Bed
Bonus tracks on UK and Japanese reissue CDs:
11. Stepping Lightly on the Ancient Path
12. Sleeping When The Sun Comes Up
13. Joe Shmo & the Eskimo
Free 7-inch included with LP:
Side A: Odds & Ends
Side B: Stepping Lightly on the Ancient Path |
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"Always the Light"
1988, August -- Creation (CRE056)
Side A:
1. Always the Light
Side B:
1. Blue Rooftop
2. Hill House
3. Somersaults
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Temperance Hotel
1989 -- Creation (CRELP050)
Tracklisting:
1. The Key to My Love Is Green (BBC)
2. You're My Ambulance (BBC)
3. Mayflower (BBC)
4. Midnight Mile (BBC)
5. Why Does the Rain (BBC)
6. Can't Keep My Mind Off You (BBC)
7. In My Room
8. Odds & Ends
9. Sleep (demo)
10. Chinese Cadillac
11. Blue Rooftop
12. I Saw the Light (demo)
13. Stepping Lightly on the Ancient Path
14. Joe Shmo & the Eskimo
15. Hollow Heart (Live)
16. Chinese Cadillac (Live) |
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'87 Live
1991 -- Creation (CRECD085)
Tracklisting:
1. Why Does the Rain
2. Head over Heels
3. Poison Mind
4. Like Frankie Lymon
5. Worm in My Brain
6. She Comes From the Rain
7. Mayflower
8. Your Heartbeat Breathes the Life Into Me
9. The Key to My Love Is Green
10. Hollow Heart
11. Almost Prayed |
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Blue Skies & Freerides -- The Best of 1986-1989
2004 -- Cherry Red (CDMRED251)
Tracklisting:
1. Worm In My Brain
2. Almost Prayed
3. The Key To My Love Is Green
4. Like Frankie Lymon
5. Mayflower
6. Joe Schamo And The Eskimo
7. Hollow Heart
8. Always The Light
9. Chinese Cadillac
10. Your Heartbeat Breathes The Life Into Me
11. Sleep
12. Can’t Keep My Mind Off You
13. You’re My Ambulance
14. In My Room
15. Stones In My Passway
16. Poison Mind
17. Blue Rooftops
18. Odds And Ends
19. She Comes From The Rain
20. Naked As The Day You Were Born |
Compilation Appearances: |
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It's Different for Domeheads
1984 -- Creation (CRELP005)
"Worm in My Brain"
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Purveyors of Taste
1986 -- Creation (CRELP010)
"Like Frankie Lymon" (3:36)
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I Love the Smell of Napalm (A Creation Compilation)
1986 -- Creation/Rough Trade (CRE/RT 001)
"Worm in My Brain"
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Valium Orgasms (A Creation Compilation)
1986 -- Creation (CRE 1-39)
"Worm in My Brain"
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Doing It for the Kids
1988 -- Creation (CRELP037)
"Well Done Sonny"
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Purple Compilation
1988 -- Creation (CRELP032)
"Hollow Heart"
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Under the Covers -- Other People Sing Other People's Songs
1988 -- WEA (WX146)
"Who By Fire"
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Do You Believe in Love?
1990 -- Creation (CRELP063)
"Always the Light"
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Product 2378
1990 -- Telstar (STAR 2378)
"Almost Prayed"
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Creation Soup, Vol. 3
1991 -- Creation (CRELP101)
"Almost Prayed" (2:42)
"Your Heartbeat Breathes the Life Into Me" (3:52)
"Like Frankie Lymon" (3:38)
"Wide Open Arms" (3:54) |
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Creation Soup, Vol. 4
1991 -- Creation (CRELP104)
"Naked as the Day You Were Born" (4:04)
"In My Room" (4:11) |
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Creation Soup, Vol. 5
1991 -- Creation (CRELP105
"Almost Prayed"
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The Indie Scene 1986 -- The Story of British Independent Music
1992 -- Connoisseur Collection (IBMCD86)
"Almost Prayed"
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Indie Rock -- The Collection
1993 -- TIME LIFE (TL 527 38)
"Always the Light"
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The Patron Saints of Teenage
1994 -- Creation
"Almost Prayed" (2:41)
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Guitar Pop Jamboree: Everyone's in Love With the Sun
1999 -- Sony/Epic/Creation (ESCA 7792)
"Why Does the Rain"
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Guitar Pop Jamboree: Seventen Teardrops Falling
1999 -- Sony/Epic/Creation (ESCA-7779)
"Hollow Heart"
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Guitar Pop Jamboree: Starting (Here)
1999 -- WEA
"Can't Keep My Mind Off You"
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Guitar Pop Jamboree: Stepping (Here)
1999 -- WEA
"Who By Fire"
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Creation Records: International Guardians Of Rock 'n' Roll 1983-1999
2000 -- Sony
"Almost Prayed" |
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The Creation Records Compilation
1990 -- UK Creation/Virgin Music Video (VVD703)
Video compilation featuring two Weather Prophets videos:
"Hollow Heart"
"Naked as the Day You Were Born" |
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The LOFT - BIOGRAPHY
 The
Loft was one of the early bands on Alan McGee's Creation label. The
band started out as the Living Room in 1980, with singer/guitarist Peter
Astor, drummer Dave Morgan, bassist Bill Prince, and lead guitarist
Andy Strickland as members. Upon realizing that they shared their name
with a venue run by McGee, the Television-inspired band changed their
name to the Loft. After meeting up with the club owner, they began
playing there regularly and wound up on his label. The single "Up the
Hill and Down the Slope" won the group and the then-fledgling label a
good amount of attention, winning the group a spot on The Oxford Road
Show, a television program on BBC2; along with the Jesus & Mary
Chain's debut single, it also upped Creation's profile during their
early lean period.
While on a tour opening for the Colour Field, a major rift between
the group grew extremely deep; there was the Morgan/Astor half and the
Prince/Strickland half. Perhaps, not surprisingly, the former half was
the second half to join upon the band's inception. Prior to a major show
opening for the Colour Field at the Hammersmith Palais, Astor informed
Prince over the phone of his wish to sack him and Strickland and
continue with Morgan under the same name. After Prince told Strickland
of the call, Strickland demanded that Astor be present for the gig.
Astor showed; prior to the final song of the band's set, Strickland
foiled the singer and told the packed crowd that the Loft would be no
more after that show.
Almost immediately after the dramatic public split, Astor formed
the Weather Prophets with Morgan (he also released solo records and
formed the Wisdom of Harry later on). Strickland and Prince went on to
play in a couple of minor bands and also continued working sporadically
as music journalists; Strickland also ended up managing the Dotmusic
website. Once Around the Fair, a compilation of the Loft's material, was
issued posthumously by Creation. -- Andy Kellman, AMG
The Loft on MySpace
Morganised -- Dave Morgan's site
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PETER ASTOR - BIOGRAPHY
After
the demise of the Weather Prophets, Peter Astor began releasing records
as a solo artist. He returned to the Creation label to release two
albums--1990's Submarine and 1991's Zoo--as well as a handful of
singles, all of which featured a more mature singer/songwriter approach.
A loyal following in France inspired Astor to leave Creation for the
French label Danceteria, for which he released two albums--1992's
Paradise and 1993's God and Other Stories.
Disillusionment with the music industry and being in a band caused
Astor to disappear from the music scene for a brief period. He reemerged
in the late-'90s, inspired by the burgeoning electronica and
drum'n'bass scenes.
After constructing his own Bigfoot studio, Astor began releasing
vinyl-only, electronically flavoured work as Ellis Island Sound and The
Wisdom Of Harry on obscure labels such as Wurlitzer Jukebox, Lissy’s,
and Motorway. These singles were compiled on the 1999 album Stars of
Super 8.
After signing to Matador, The Wisdom Of Harry released a proper
debut album in 2000 titled House of Binary, which was followed in 2003
by Torch Division. A Japanese compilation titled Providence, which
highlighted Astor's work with the Weather Prophets and as a solo artist,
was released in 1999.
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