Altered Images was a British new wave band from the 1980s, which scored some great cult hits. Their most famous song is Happy Birthday.
The band was founded in 1980 in the Scottish Glasgow. The lead singer was Clare Grogan; the other members were Michael ' Tich ' Anderson on the drum, Tony McDaid on the guitar and Johnny McElhone on bass guitar. Already in the same year they were allowed to act for Siouxsie and the Banshees, who then gave their Kaleidoscopetour.
Altered Images was quickly discovered by radio dj John Peel; the Group dragged a contract with Epic Records on hold. They failed, however, not yet in the charts the halen; their first single Dead Pop Stars, with an ironic text about out-of-action star, appeared shortly after the murder of John Lennon, which unwittingly controversial made the plate.
In 1981 took a first album, titled Altered Images Happy Birthday; some songs on this record, including the title song, by Steve Severin of the Banshees were produced. Guitarist Jim McKinven joined them. The songHappy Birthday became a great success: it eventually ended up at number two on the British charts from 1981. Singer Clare Grogan was also a celebrity. They had previously in the film Gregory's Girl acted; She sings with a very recognizable, high ringing voice. Altered Images is largely remembered as a whipped-Merry, intentionally kitschy band with whimsical tunes, Sung in a highly unusual voice register. The band was on the NME Awards for ' best new group ' elected.
After the success of the band slowly Happy Birthday something more ' main-stream '. Their next album, Pinky Blue, yielded two more top 20 hits in 1982 on: I Could Be Happy and See Those Eyes. Band members McKinven and Anderson left the Group and were replaced by Steve Lambert, who played multiple instruments. They worked then with producers Mike Chapman and Tony Visconti together: Altered Images scored one last hit, Don't Talk to me about Love, but their Bite from 1983 album was already so strong in the direction of the conventional pop music evolved, that the original fans, with plenty of it. The whimsical, plastic sound from the early days was gone, and the more commercial version of Altered Images knew only a brief existence. After a farewell tour in 1983 held the band with it on.
Clare Grogan undertook a number of fruitless attempts at a solo career. In 1987, she worked on an album that has never been released, and in cooperation with Lamin she founded the band Universal Love School , which neither ever has finished a plate. Johnny McElhone was still active as bass player for Texas and Hipsway.
In 2002 Clare Grogan as Altered Images during the Here and Now Tour in England, in the wave of new wave revivals from those years. In 2004 she again gave some concerts.
In contrast to the lack of success in her music career, garnered Claire Grogan since then much success as an actress. She starred in the comedy series Red Dwarf and Father Ted, as well as in the popular soap opera EastEnders. She is also active as a presenter.
Discography[Edit][]
Albums[Edit][]
- 1981 Happy Birthday
- 1982 Pinky Blue
- 1983 Bite
- 1984 Collected Images
- 1992 The Best of Altered Images
- 1996 Reflected Images
Singles[Edit][]
- 1981 Dead Pop Stars
- 1981 A day's Wait
- 1981 Happy Birthday
- 1981 I Could Be Happy
- 1982 See Those Eyes
- 1982 Pinky Blue
- 1983 Don't Talk To Me About Love
- 1983 Bring Me Closer
- 1983 Love To Stay
- 1983 Change of Heart