Biff Bang Pow!

Biff Bang Pow!
Origin London, England
Genres Indie pop
Years active 1983 – 1991
Labels Creation Records
Associated acts The Laughing Apple
Members Alan McGee
Dick Green
Joe Foster
Ken Popple
Dave Evans
Andrew Innes

Biff Bang Pow! were an indie pop band from London, England, active between 1983 and 1991, centering on Creation Records boss Alan McGee.

History

Glaswegian Alan McGee had previously been in the band The Laughing Apple, who released three singles in 1981/82.[1] After moving to London, McGee formed a new band, Biff Bang Pow!, taking their name from a song by one of his favourite bands, The Creation.[1][2] The first release on Creation records, "'73 in '83" by The Legend! came with a flexi-disc featuring Laughing Apple's "Wouldn't You", a song that would later appear on the first Biff Bang Pow! album.[1]

The initial Biff Bang Pow! line-up was McGee on guitar and vocals, with Dick Green on guitar, Joe Foster on bass, and Ken Popple on drums, these recording the first 2 singles "50 Years of Fun" and "There Must Be A Better Life".[1]

Dave Evans then replaced Foster (who went solo as Slaughter Joe), and guitarist/organist Andrew Innes (later to join Primal Scream) joined on a part-time basis.[1] Debut album Pass The Paintbrush...Honey was released in early 1985, displaying a mixture of mod, psychedelia and new wave influences. 1986 saw arguably the band's strongest album The Girl Who Runs The Beat Hotel, which expanded on the first album's psychedelic and sixties pop influences, and featured collaborations with artist/painter JC Brouchard. This album coincided with the peak of the first wave of indie pop and as this gave way to shoegazing and grunge, Creation Records also moved in that direction, with the label increasingly being associated with artists such as My Bloody Valentine and Ride. With Biff Bang Pow!, however, McGee continued with guitar pop, becoming increasingly melancholy with releases such as Oblivion (1987), Love Is Forever (1988), Songs For The Sad Eyed Girl (1990), and Me (1991), which proved to be the last album proper by the band.[3] Two compilations, L'Amour, Demure, Stenhousemuir and Debasement Tapes were subsequently released on Creation, with Bertula Bop released in 1994 on the Tristar label.[1] A further collection, Waterbomb, compiled by Joe Foster, was released on Rev-Ola in 2003.[4]

Discography

All on Creation Records except where stated. Chart placings shown are from the UK Independent Chart.[5]

Singles

Studio Albums

Compilations

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Strong, Martin C. (2003) The Great Indie Discography, Canongate, ISBN 1-84195-335-0, p. 409
  2. ↑ Larkin, Colin (1998) The Virgin Encyclopedia of Indie & New Wave, Virgin Books, ISBN 0-7535-0231-3, p. 43-44
  3. ↑ Robbins, Ira & Anderson, Lydia "Biff Bang Pow!", Trouser Press, retrieved 2010-12-29
  4. ↑ Sendra, Tim "Waterbomb Review", Allmusic, retrieved 2010-12-29
  5. ↑ Lazell, Barry:"Indie Hits 1980-1989", 1997, Cherry Red Books, ISBN 0-9517206-9-4
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