53-526: Love is the third studio album by Scottish pop group Aztec Camera , released in November 1987 on Sire . While it was released under the Aztec Camera name, Roddy Frame was the only remaining permanent member of the group and he recorded the album alongside a group of session musicians. Departing from the indie and folk-rock approach of earlier records, Love incorporated R&B influences, seemingly to break
106-467: A 1 August 2012 post on his Twitter profile, Frame explained that he was not involved with the Edsel Records reissue and was negotiating with a "supercool US label about releasing the definitive set (w/ rarities, home demos etc.)" in 2013. Domino Recording Company is the label that Frame referred to, but only High Land, Hard Rain was reissued, rather than the entire Aztec Camera catalog. In August 2013,
159-455: A B-side. Frame concluded, "I can't pick them [the successful songs]." Frame was asked during a television interview, following the release of Love , about the new sound of the album, and he referenced artists like Anita Baker and Luther Vandross . When asked if the album could be labelled " Middle of the road (MOR) ", Frame replied: "Call it what you like. I don't really mind." For the band's fourth album, Stray , Frame collaborated with
212-447: A comeback for Frame, as the preceding single "The Crying Scene" had only reached No. 70 in the UK. Roddy Frame – guitar, harmonica, vocals (1981–1995) Bass Guitar Keyboards Drums Frame changed the band's line-up numerous times over the course of its existence and, in a 1988 interview, Frame explained that the changes were underpinned by a desire to continually improve
265-709: A division of the Warner corporation that specialised in compilations; in 2005, Deep and Wide and Tall was released by the Warner Strategic Marketing United Kingdom label as part of the Warner Platinum series; and Walk Out To Winter: The Best of Aztec Camera , a two-disc collection that was released by the Music Club Deluxe label in 2011. Since the Stray Tour in 1990, Frame has merged a segment of
318-694: A lengthy period of time to work with Sakamoto, due to the latter's busy schedule. Frame finally met with Sakamoto in Ibiza and both eventually recorded the album in New York City, US over a four-week period. Frame's interest in Sakamoto was elaborated upon in the same interview: I liked what he did when he was in the Yellow Magic Orchestra, and I also liked that album where he plays the music from Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence on piano. That's where you realise that
371-575: A stand-alone label. But in 2000, Sire and the US division of London Records were merged to become one label, London-Sire Records . This partnership, however, was dissolved in April 2003, at which point the company went back to being called Sire Records, and it returned to distribution with Warner Bros. Records once again. In 1998, Sire signed a deal with the band The Tragically Hip to distribute their music outside of Canada. In 2009, official music videos displayed on
424-637: A strong impression in the marketplace. The Love album produced the popular song " Somewhere in My Heart ", recorded by Frame with dance, R&B and pop producer Michael Jonzun in Boston. Frame said in 2014 that the song has been "great" for him, but at the time of creating the album, the song was not "in keeping" with the rest of Love . Frame revealed in a radio interview with the "Soho Social" program, presented by Dan Gray, that he considered "Somewhere in My Heart" an odd song and initially thought it would be best as
477-509: A total of six studio albums: High Land, Hard Rain (1983), Knife (1984), Love (1987), Stray (1990), Dreamland (1993) and Frestonia (1995). The band garnered popular success for the songs " Oblivious ", " Somewhere in My Heart " and " Good Morning Britain " (a duet with former Clash guitarist Mick Jones ). Aztec Camera were formed in East Kilbride in 1980 by Roddy Frame and drummer David Mulholland after they had left
530-447: A very moving thing ... It [30th anniversary tour] was a very moving experience. It was like we were all revisiting our teenage years together, and it was nostalgic, but in a nice, happy, positive way. Frame explained in May 2014 that the tour was arranged after he had reconnected with his former Aztec Camera manager, Johnson, who received a call from a prominent UK promoter who asked Frame if he
583-409: Is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by Warner Records . The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer , each investing ten thousand dollars into the new company. Its early releases, in 1968, were distributed in the US by London Records . From the beginning, Sire introduced underground, progressive British bands to
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#1733085385104636-539: The Billboard 200 . Frame later revealed that the song " Oblivious " was consciously written as a Top of the Pops -type pop song and received a corresponding degree of popularity. During the recording process for the album, Frame used a different guitar for every song. For the song "Orchid Girl", Frame explained in 2013—during the 30th anniversary tour—that he was attempting to merge the influences of his favorite guitarist at
689-505: The Clyde 2 radio station that Owens thanked him backstage after the show and the gesture made the experience worthwhile. At the Glasgow show, Frame and his band also played songs, such as "Green Jacket Grey", that were recorded for High Land, Hard Rain , but did not appear on the final track listing. When asked in April 2014 about reconnecting with a record that he wrote as a teenager while around
742-577: The Red Hot Organization . The proceeds from the album benefited HIV/AIDS research. The band's album Love was among the nominations for "Best British Album" at the 1989 Brit Awards . "Somewhere in My Heart", the third single from Love , was the band's biggest hit, reaching No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart . Following the release of the Stray album, "Good Morning Britain" was considered to be
795-607: The Small Faces , and Del Shannon . Sire had one of its biggest successes when Climax Blues Band reached number 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1977 with " Couldn't Get It Right ". Also in 1977, Stein, who had previously worked with the Shangri-Las in the 1960s, convinced the group to reform and return to the studio. But the trio working together again proved to be short-lived and they asked to be let out of their contract;
848-526: The American market. Early releases included the Climax Blues Band , Barclay James Harvest , Tomorrow , Matthews Southern Comfort and proto-punks The Deviants . When distribution by London ended after two years, US distribution was handled by various companies: Polydor Records in 1970 and 1971, during which time Sire's famous logo was introduced; by Famous Music from 1972 to 1974, during which time
901-418: The American market. It failed to do so but did achieve commercial success in the UK, reaching No. 10 on the albums chart , following the success of its third single " Somewhere in My Heart ", which reached No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart . As a result, it became the band's most commercially successful album. The Backwards and Forwards (1985) live EP was released, reaching number 181 on the Billboard 200 in
954-634: The Bob Dylan song "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" into "Down the Dip", from High Land, Hard Rain , and this version of the song was played by Frame at subsequent shows, up until October 2012. Around 2012, Frame included a segment of the Curtis Mayfield song "People Get Ready" in live solo versions of the song "How Men Are", from the Love album. In October 2013, a book entitled The Lyrics: Roddy Frame —containing
1007-555: The British "indie ethic" and was listening to the "pop end of hip hop", including artists such as Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Cherrelle , the Force MDs and Alexander O'Neal . Frame wanted to make a record based on such influences and "Working in a Goldmine" was the first song to achieve this aspiration. Frame relocated to the US to record the album—"pretty much against the wishes of Warner Brothers", who were unsure of his decision-making at
1060-566: The Clash 's Mick Jones on the song " Good Morning Britain ", and Jones also toured with the band following the album's release. Jones performed with Aztec Camera at the Glasgow Barrowlands and the Ibiza Festival in 1990. In a 1990 interview, recorded during a tour of Japan, Frame explained that he wrote "Good Morning Britain" in 45 minutes after a two- to three-hour conversation with Jones in
1113-644: The Domino reissue of High Land, Hard Rain was released in Europe to commemorate the album's 30th anniversary. The reissue was remastered from the original analogue tapes and was physically produced only as a vinyl pressing, but was sold with a digital download of the album. Domino released an expanded second version of the 30th anniversary reissue of High Land, Hard Rain in 2014 for North America that consisted of two compact discs, 16 additional rarities and liner notes from American music journalist David Fricke (a vinyl version
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#17330853851041166-596: The Sire Records website were taken down because of a copyright claim by parent Warner Music Group, after royalty negotiations between WMG and YouTube (which Sire had been using to host the videos) broke down in December 2008. In September 2009, both parties came to terms, with Warner Music restoring its music onto YouTube. In July 2017, Rani Hancock was named the new president of Sire Records. Label co-founder Seymour Stein remained on as chairman. Hancock had previously been
1219-539: The United States. After this, the band went through a line-up shift, retaining frontman Roddy Frame and drummer David Ruffy, and adding guitarist Steve Jordan, bassist Marcus Miller and keyboardist David Frank of the System . Author Dave Thompson wrote in his book Alternative Rock (2000) that the album was a "backward step into pop cliché, an attempt to make a record which would work on American radio." Upon release,
1272-417: The age of 50 years, Frame replied: The songs that you write when you're young are just a part of you—they stay with you. The interesting thing was how far I kind of strayed from the original versions over the years—I mean acoustically and everything. So, coming back and stripping them down and trying to revisit them in a kind of honest, genuine fashion was actually—even for an old cynic like me—it turned to be
1325-477: The album was played in its entirety with a full band. The December 2013 shows occurred in London, Manchester and Glasgow, UK. To replicate the sound of the original recording, Frame switched guitars at the start of each song during the anniversary shows, to match the instrument used in the studio. Original Aztec Camera bassist Campbell Owens attended the Glasgow performance as an audience member—Frame later explained on
1378-536: The album. Prior to the album's release, the band previewed a selection of songs as part of a performance for the BBC television show Rock Around the Clock and the song "All I Need is Everything" received radio airplay subsequent to release. In a 2007 interview alongside Collins, Frame explained further: He's [Knopfler] a great guitarist. Mark Knopfler's recording techniques were great—you [Collins] would have liked him, 'cos that
1431-489: The atmosphere around his compositions is actually in the writing – it's got nothing to do with synthesisers. Frame's decision to ask Sakamoto was finalised after he saw his performance at the Japan Festival that was held in London, UK. During the recording process, Frame's routine consisted of: working in the studio from the early afternoon until around 2 am; a turkey sandwich at a deli off Times Square ("because it
1484-498: The band to the WEA record label—at the time his manager was Rob Johnson —and secured Knopfler as the producer for Aztec Camera's second album, Knife , which was released in 1984; Frame explained in 1988 that Knopfler was "professional" and efficient during the recording process. Frame's experimental mindset in relation to music emerged on Knife , as the duration of the titular song is nearly nine minutes and synthesizers appear throughout
1537-513: The band were invited to perform at a benefit concert for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) organisation in the late 1980s. Frame explained in a television interview prior to the concert that he was merely the entertainment and would not deliver any speeches. In 1990, Aztec Camera contributed the song " Do I Love You? " to the Cole Porter tribute album Red Hot + Blue that was produced by
1590-408: The band, and was replaced by Malcolm Ross on second guitar and backing vocals. Aztec Camera changed record labels once again for the release of their second album, Knife , which was released through WEA (Warner Music Group). Frame revealed in a May 2014 BBC radio interview that he was not informed of the ownership arrangements of the record deal, stating that he was unaware as an 18-year-old that
1643-399: The canteen of a London rehearsal studio that both Big Audio Dynamite and Aztec Camera were using. In an August 2014 radio interview, Frame elaborated further, stating that at the time he wrote the song, Jones lived near his London home; Frame visited Jones after recording the song and said to the Clash guitarist, "You'll either sing on it, or you'll want to sue me", as Frame believed the song
Love (Aztec Camera album) - Misplaced Pages Continue
1696-554: The entirety of Frame's lyrical work with Aztec Camera—and a High Land, Hard Rain T-shirt were released as part of a "Roddy Frame" collection. All six Aztec Camera studio albums were reissued in August 2012 by the Edsel Records label, which had previously completed the same process for the studio albums of Everything but the Girl . The reissued editions included bonus tracks and live recordings. In
1749-518: The initially peaked at number 49 on the UK Albums Chart . After the success of its singles, it rose to number 10. All songs written by Roddy Frame . Personnel per booklet. Musicians Production and artwork Citations Sources Aztec Camera Aztec Camera were a Scottish pop / new wave band founded by Roddy Frame , the group's singer, songwriter and only consistent member. Established in 1980, Aztec Camera released
1802-741: The new songs they had recorded were not released by the label. In the mid-1970s, Sire transformed itself into a successful independent record label and went on to sign artists from the burgeoning punk rock and new wave scenes, including the Ramones , the Dead Boys , the Undertones , and Talking Heads . Sire returned to major label distribution in 1977 with a new deal with Warner Bros. Records. The following year Warner Bros. and Sire entered negotiations whereby Warner Bros. would purchase Sire Records outright, making Sire one of Warner Bros. subsidiary labels. Over
1855-967: The next several years, Sire saw success in the US and Canada with acts such as the Pretenders , Madonna (their biggest act), Soft Cell , the Cure , Depeche Mode , The Smiths , Martini Ranch and Echo & the Bunnymen . During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the label had continued success with a roster that included Ministry , k.d. lang , Ice-T , Seal , and Tommy Page . In 1994, Sire switched distribution from Warner Bros. Records to sister label Elektra Records , also part of parent company Warner Music Group (WMG). Stein had been appointed president of Elektra Records under Elektra's newly appointed CEO Sylvia Rhone , so Stein would also be overseeing distribution of Sire releases by Elektra as well as running Elektra day-to-day. Sire left Elektra distribution in 1997 as it became
1908-495: The progressive rock band Focus charted with their 1972 hit " Hocus Pocus "; and by ABC Records , which inherited Sire's distribution deal when it acquired Famous Music. Sire was distributed by Phonogram Inc. in Europe from 1974 to 1977. In the 70s, Sire released a number of compilation albums, including the 3 volume "History Of British Rock" series, and acts such as The Flamin Groovies , Renaissance , The Turtles , Duane Eddy ,
1961-561: The punk-inspired band Neutral Blue. Aztec Camera first appeared on a Glasgow cassette-only compilation of local unsigned bands on the Pungent Records label, affiliated with the Fumes fanzine run by Danny Easson and John Gilhooly. The band's first United Kingdom (UK) single release was sold in a 7" format by Postcard Records —a Glasgow-based independent record label cofounded by Edwyn Collins and Alan Horne—in 1981. The single featured
2014-576: The quality of their music; however, he differentiated this desire from "blind ambition", whereby popular success is constantly sought after. Early members included Owens ( bass ) and Mulholland ( drums ). Gannon was a member from 1983 to 1984 before joining the Smiths , while guitarist Malcolm Ross (formerly of Josef K and Orange Juice ) joined the band in 1984 and played on the Knife album. Sire Records Sire Records (formerly Sire Records Company )
2067-488: The record company would own the rights to all of his corresponding recordings. After High Land, Hard Rain , Frame spent a significant amount of time living in New Orleans , United States (US), listening to Bob Dylan 's album Infidels . Upon reading that Dire Straits ' guitarist and singer Mark Knopfler produced the album, Frame began writing songs based on a sound that he thought Knopfler could work with. Frame signed
2120-495: The song "Just Like Gold" and a B-side entitled "We Could Send Letters"; an acoustic version of the latter song appeared on a compilation album , entitled C81 , that was released on cassette in 1981 through a partnership between NME magazine and Rough Trade Records . Frame, aged 16 years, met Collins for the first time during the Postcard period when the latter was 21 years old. A second single, also released in 1981, featured
2173-575: The song came first and he tried to complement that". On 21 January 1985, alongside Orange Juice , the Woodentops and Everything but the Girl , Aztec Camera raised an estimated £ 18,000 for the striking miners of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) through a fundraising event at the Brixton Academy —the year-long strike concluded six weeks later. Following the release of the Love album,
Love (Aztec Camera album) - Misplaced Pages Continue
2226-507: The songs "Mattress of Wire" and "Lost Outside the Tunnel". Following the two 7" releases with Postcard, the group signed with Rough Trade Records in the UK and Sire Records in the United States (US) for their debut album. At this point, the band were officially a quartet: Roddy Frame (vocals, guitar, harmonica), Bernie Clark (piano, organ), Campbell Owens (bass) and Dave Ruffy (drums, percussion). Aztec Camera's debut album, High Land, Hard Rain
2279-566: The third album, Love , a dance-pop outing that proved less popular. This development was throttled back for the group's fourth album Stray , which featured more streamlined rock singles and was described by AllMusic as a "loosely connected cycle mingling folk, soul, and pop in varying proportions". Over the group's career, their music has been described as new wave , sophisti-pop , jangle pop , indie pop , and post-punk . Frame cited guitarist John McGeoch as influential. "He chose very simple lines over anything bombastic [...]
2332-442: The time, Wes Montgomery , and punk rock icon Joe Strummer . In a late 1990s television interview, Frame explained that a "boy" image was associated with him during this era, and that he was annoyed by it at the time. He was taking his music very seriously—"you don't want to be called 'boy'; especially when you're listening to Joy Division "—but he eventually stopped caring about it. After High Land Hard Rain , Bernie Clarke left
2385-424: The time—and was primarily based in Boston, Massachusetts, and New York. Frame recorded with American session musicians, like Marcus Miller and David Franke, and explained that his audience was "mystified" by the transformation of the band, but he was "too far gone" to care and just wanted to do his "own thing" by that stage. Due to the significant change of musical direction, the album's first three singles did not make
2438-437: Was ... then, it was quite a thing. 'Cos everyone was going digital, and going MIDI and all that, and his thing was all about using the right microphone. If you use the right microphone, then you don't have to use too much EQ and all that stuff, and it was all about that. Yeah, I kinda liked that—the right mic[rophone], the right amp[lifier], the right kind of board and stuff. At the time that the band's third album Love (1987)
2491-509: Was also released and was sold with a digital download card that provided the additional songs). To accompany the North American version, AED (Analogue Enhanced Digital) Records—a label cofounded by Collins and James Endeacott, the latter a former employee of Rough Trade —also offered a 7" EP to the first 400 buyers. Following the August 2013 reissue of High Land, Hard Rain , Frame announced three corresponding live performances, at which
2544-451: Was created, Frame was the only original member of the band involved with the project; Love and future Aztec Camera albums were written and recorded by Frame under the "Aztec Camera" moniker, and session musicians recorded with Frame on a track-by-track basis. Frame explained in August 2014 that he contemplated the conception of Love during a three-year hiatus following the release of Knife . Frame said that he moved even further away from
2597-453: Was interested in the concept—Frame agreed to the tour at the time he was first asked. Aztec Camera were primarily a pop group centred on Frame's acoustic guitar work, which featured prominently on their first album High Land, High Rain . Their folk- and jazz -inflected style of pop became more polished on their second album, Knife , with the introduction of electronic synthesizers and R&B elements. R&B grew more prominent on
2650-553: Was possible to get one at two in the morning, and for no other reason"); a cab-ride back to the Mayflower Hotel , where he was staying; an hour of listening to Shabba Ranks ; and then bed. For Frame's final album under the Aztec Camera moniker, and the last original studio recording for the WEA label, Frame worked with renowned production team Langer - Winstanley , who had previously worked with Madness and Elvis Costello . Frestonia
2703-713: Was produced by John Brand and Bernie Clarke for the Rough Trade record label. The album was released in April 1983 and was distributed in different formats on Domino Recording Co. Ltd. in the US (in addition to Sire); WEA and Celluloid in France; Nuevos Medios in Spain; Powderworks in Australia ; MVM Records in Portugal ; and WEA for a general European release. The album was successful, garnering significant critical acclaim, and peaked at number 129 on
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#17330853851042756-467: Was released in 1995 and the Reprise Records label issued it in the US. "Sun" (1996) was the only one song from the album that was released as a single. After the release of Frestonia , Frame finally decided to record under his own name and was no longer a Warner artist. Three Aztec Camera " Best of " compilations were eventually released: The Best of Aztec Camera was released in 1999 by Warner.ESP,
2809-497: Was so similar to Jones' previous work. Frame then recorded the next Aztec Camera album, Dreamland , with Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto . Released in 1993, the album was mixed by Julian Mendelsohn , who had previously worked with the band. While mixing the album at Hook End Manor, an 18th-century red-brick building that had been converted into a studio in the Berkshire countryside of England, UK, Frame explained that he waited for
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