27-416: Floy Joy may refer to: Floy Joy (band) , a 1980s Synthpop band "Floy Joy" (song) , a 1971 song by The Supremes Floy Joy (album) , a 1972 album by The Supremes Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Floy Joy . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
54-416: A balance between stand-off chic and espresso-warm emotions. And if Raindancing is outstanding for other reasons, they are simple: It has nothing to do with 'Only You'." Billboard stated: "New disk, laced with a high-gloss sheen by Iovine, may produce the knockout for her. Silken single, 'Is This Love?' shows off her robust pipes well, but radio should also pounce on 'When I Say (No Giveaway)' and 'Weak in
81-548: A coppery glow. But it's easy to question some of her career choices. On both her solo records, her producers have dragged her out of her element and into the treacherous waters of corny pop sentiment. They mismatch her with too-fast beats that make Moyet sound frowsy and pedestrian." Bombay: The City Magazine stated: " Alf saw the last trace of Vince Clarke influence as ex-Yazoo vocalist Alison Moyet set out on her own. Raindancing turns to others like Paul Young and Pet Shop Boys, to provide some breath-taking moments as Moyet strikes
108-604: A year and suggested she relocate there too. Once settled in Los Angeles, Moyet's manager enlisted Jimmy Iovine to produce the majority of the Raindancing album. The majority of songs that would appear on the album had already been written back in England. For some of these songs, Moyet teamed up with guitarist Rick Driscoll and keyboardist Jess Bailey. " Is This Love? " was co-written with David A. Stewart of Eurythmics while Moyet
135-495: Is in the same chug-along vein as the two singles, but it'd be nice if it didn't all sound so safe and predictable. The best songs, 'Ordinary Girl' and 'Stay', are, oddly enough, the two which sound rather like Yazoo." American magazine Cashbox commented: "Moyet's disarmingly plaintive vocals haunt this inviting Jimmy Iovine production." Barry Walters of Spin wrote: "Enter the American mega-mainstream FM guru Jimmy Iovine to tip
162-611: The UK Albums Chart and features the singles " Is This Love? ", " Weak in the Presence of Beauty ", " Ordinary Girl " and " Sleep Like Breathing ". In the United States, Raindancing was released by Columbia Records with a different cover art and a reordered track listing. Largely produced by Jimmy Iovine , the album includes contributions from various session musicians such as T. M. Stevens , Omar Hakim and Herb Alpert . The album
189-596: The Hot were carried out over the course of around nine weeks. After the backing tracks were recorded and the Wards returned to England, they set about looking for a new vocalist and Carroll Thompson joined the band after she was introduced to the brothers through Virgin's A&R department. Was then came to London to record Thompson's vocals. Shortly after this, Floy Joy recruited Desy Campbell on percussion and backing vocals after seeing him perform with another Sheffield band. Into
216-684: The Hot was released by Virgin in September 1984, but it was not a commercial success. It was preceded in July 1984 by the single "Burn Down a Rhythm", which also failed to chart. The second single, " Until You Come Back to Me ", was released in October 1984 and reached No. 91 in the UK Singles Chart . The third and final single, " Operator ", was released in January 1985 and reached No. 86. In 1985, Thompson departed
243-413: The Presence of Beauty.'" In a review of the 2016 deluxe edition of Raindancing , Helena Adams of the music website Reflections of Darkness commented: "The purpose of Raindancing was clear: to establish Alison Moyet as the pop star across the big pond. Raindancing is a continuation of the 80s dance-disco beats that indeed, parades much more production that parlays with the synthetic. Raindancing fits
270-497: The UK and No. 22 in Ireland. The final single was Sleep Like Breathing", a duet with David Freeman . It peaked at No. 80 in the UK after being released in September 1987. To promote the album, Moyet embarked on her only world tour. Although successful, Moyet would later describe the tour as "lack-lustre", while noting that it signalled her breakdown with her label CBS. In 1988, the success of
297-614: The UK and No. 29 in Australia. The song became a big hit in Europe and Australasia in 1987 when covered by Alison Moyet and released as the second single from her album Raindancing . Floy Joy's second album, Weak in the Presence of Beauty , also produced by Don Was, did not achieve commercial success, and neither did its second single " Friday Night in This Cold City ". Floy Joy disbanded soon after. In 1990, Campbell and Shaun Ward formed
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#1732844904426324-412: The album contributed to Moyet receiving her second Brit Award for Best British Female Solo Artist. Despite the success of Raindancing , Moyet later revealed she was not happy with the album's American sound. Later recalling the album's period in 2007, Moyet felt that using an American producer and giving much control to engineers was a "bad move". Writing for her website, Moyet recalled: "I do like some of
351-534: The album. " Weak in the Presence of Beauty " was written by Michael Ward and Rob Clarke, and originally recorded by their band Floy Joy in 1986. Moyet chose to record her own version of the song for the album, but would later reveal that she only recorded it because she knew it would be a hit. Raindancing was released in April 1987. Continuing her success in the United Kingdom, the album reached No. 2 and remained on
378-432: The band Everyday People with Lloyd T. Richards. They worked with producer Stewart Levine on their album You Wash... I'll Dry , which spawned five singles, including " Headline News " and " I Guess It Doesn't Matter ". 1983 1984–85 1985–86 Raindancing Raindancing is the second solo studio album by English singer Alison Moyet , released on 6 April 1987 by CBS Records . It reached No. 2 on
405-415: The band and embarked on a solo career under Virgin. She felt she had no input in the band's decisions and became disillusioned with Floy Joy. Shaun Ward also left to pursue other musical projects. Campbell then became Floy Joy's lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Rob Clarke joined the group. In January 1986, the new line-up released the single " Weak in the Presence of Beauty ", which reached No. 85 in
432-404: The bar of commercial albums back then, the overproduction provides it with a poppy freshness that Alf lacked." Josh Lee of Attitude stated: "Big choruses that demand to be sung along to don't come more insistent than "Is This Love?" and "Weak in the Presence of Beauty but their singer wasn't as enthralled by the album as her fans." Gay Times writer Darren Howard wrote: "It's not that it's
459-464: The chart for 53 weeks. In America, the album peaked at No. 94, faring less well commercially than Alf . Across Europe and elsewhere, the album was a commercial success. It topped the charts in both New Zealand and Norway. The album also spawned four singles. The lead single "Is This Love?" was released in November 1986 and reached No. 3 in the UK, while becoming a hit across Europe and beyond. However,
486-558: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Floy_Joy&oldid=447348555 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Floy Joy (band) Floy Joy was an English group formed in Sheffield , England, who recorded two albums and had minor success with several singles. Floy Joy
513-505: The originals triumph through Moyet's intimate presence, both as an intelligent songwriter and an anguised voice one never tires of." Musician stated: "Unlike its synth-smart predecessor, Raindancing lacks the instant appeal of Swain & Jolley's intellectualized dance music. But though the performances here take a bit more patience to appreciate, they're no less rewarding; if anything, Moyet's interpretive gifts have grown, and Jimmy Iovine's understated production takes pains not to get in
540-573: The output was shelved as they were not satisfied with their working relationships with the producers. The Wards admired the work of American musician and producer Don Was and were interested in working with him. They travelled to America to find the producer and, after tracking him down to a hotel in New York, played their demo tape to him. He responded favourably to the material and agreed to produce them at his studio in Detroit. The recording sessions for Into
567-479: The scales on her new Raindancing . Gone for most part are the R&;B grooves. Although synths still rule, there's nothing remotely Yaz-tech about them. Even when funk occasionally surfaces, as on 'You Got Me Wrong,' it's hammered out with an American rock drum sound that's pure MTV. There's a tangible effort to push Moyet into the 'til Tuesday camp of semisweet pop, especially on 'Weak in the Presence of Beauty'. But most of
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#1732844904426594-718: The single failed to chart in the US where it was released in March 1987. "Weak in the Presence of Beauty" was the album's second single, released in February 1987. It reached No. 6 in the UK and was also another hit elsewhere. It was released as a single in America in August 1987 but failed to chart. "Ordinary Girl", the album's third single, was less successful commercially when released in May 1987, peaking at No. 43 in
621-642: The songs but the conception of them was all wrong... what was written as jangly, English irony got the American session, pop treatment. I didn't involve myself in the 'sound'. I was driving on cruise control. It was made and not felt." Upon release, Smash Hits said: "Ever since she made her first solo LP, Alf , Alison Moyet has been slagging it off for being a bit of a middle-of-the-road coffee table record, so it's surprising that Raindancing isn't really that different. There's less roaring singing and less emphasis on being intensely 'soulful' but these are still 10 fairly polite pop songs. Not that it's bad – most of it
648-470: The way. Which is why the likes of 'Sleep Like Breathing' or 'Weak in the Presence of Beauty' hold such lasting allure." Jonathan Butler of People said: "Moyet's solo career has been like one of those baffling marriages in which you adore the wife but can't figure out what she sees in her oafish husband. It's hard to resist the British singer, who has a captivating voice, gracious, full-bodied and colored with
675-456: Was formed in Sheffield in 1982 by brothers Michael (horns) and Shaun Ward (keyboards, bass and guitar). With Elana Harris as the vocalist, the band's debut single, "Answer Through Me", was released in May 1983 through Virgin . It was produced by Andy Hernandez . Harris left the band in 1983 and the Wards continued working on material together. Although they recorded with a few English producers,
702-476: Was living in Los Angeles. As a friend of Iovine's, Stewart had called into the studio to see Iovine, who suggested he and Moyet write a song together. To avoid problems with his publishers, Stewart's contribution was disguised under the pseudonym Jean Guiot. " Sleep Like Breathing " was written by David Freeman and Joseph Hughes of The Lover Speaks . The duo contributed three songs to the Raindancing sessions, though only "Sleep Like Breathing" would be included on
729-418: Was originally going to be titled Chasing Rain , taken from a line in "Sleep Like Breathing". A deluxe edition of Raindancing was released on 25 November 2016 by BMG . Following the release of her successful debut album Alf , Moyet decided to move to Los Angeles, where she stayed for nearly a year. The move to the United States had been prompted by Moyet's manager, who himself had found work there for
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