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Frazier Chorus

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Frazier Chorus
Background information
OriginBrighton, England
GenresPop, dream pop
Years active1986–1996
Labels4AD
Virgin
Pinkerton
Past membersTim Freeman
Kate Holmes
Chris Taplin
Michéle Allardyce
Websitehttp://frazierchorus.co.uk

Frazier Chorus were an English pop group from Brighton, England.[1] They were known for their unconventional instrumentation, including synthesizers, trumpets, flutes and clarinets, as well as frontman Tim Freeman's "soft, heavily accented ... talk-singing" and sarcastically witty lyrics.[2]

History

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Frazier Chorus was formed in Brighton, England, by Tim Freeman (the brother of actors Martin Freeman and Jamie Freeman,[3][4] on vocals and keyboards), Michéle Allardyce (percussion), Kate Holmes (flute) and Chris Taplin (clarinet, programming).[5] Original names for the band included both Fishing For Clouds and Plop!,[5] but the band eventually settled on Frazier Chorus, a phrase they'd seen on a jacket for the Frazier College football team's cheerleaders in the United States.[6]

The band first signed to British indie record label 4AD[7] and released the single "Sloppy Heart" in 1987.[8] Shortly afterwards, they moved to Virgin Records and achieved chart success with a string of melodic pop songs taken from their 1989 debut album, Sue.[7] Allardyce was eventually dismissed from the band.[5]

Their second album, Ray, followed in 1991, and its singles were remixed by a number of top remixers, including Paul Oakenfold,[7] Chad Jackson and Youth. Following the album's release, the band was let go from Virgin after the label was purchased by EMI and began purging a number of its artists; subsequently, Holmes and Taplin fired Freeman before ultimately disbanding entirely.[6] Holmes later moved into electronica via the bands Sirenes, Technique, and Client.

Freeman took several years off and re-emerged in the mid-1990s, resurrecting the band name with permission from Holmes and Taplin.[6] In 1995, Freeman released a mini-album as Frazier Chorus, Wide Awake, which did not reach the UK Albums Chart. He later released Monkey Spunk, a collection of five demos recorded prior to the sessions for Wide Awake, available exclusively via the band's website.[9]

After leaving the band, Holmes became a member of the synthpop band Technique, before joining Dubstar's Sarah Blackwood in the electronic band CLIEͶT in the 2000s.[10][11]

Discography

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Studio albums

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Year Album UK Albums
Chart[12]		 Label
1989 Sue 56 Virgin
1991 Ray 66 Virgin
1995 Wide Awake - Pinkerton
"-" denotes releases that did not chart.

Singles

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Year Song Peak chart positions Album Label
UK Singles Chart[12] US Alternative Songs[13] US Dance/Club Play Songs[14]
1987 "Sloppy Heart" - - - Non-album release 4AD
1988 "Dream Kitchen" 57 - - Sue Virgin
1989 "Typical!" 53 - -
"Sloppy Heart" 73 - -
1990 "Cloud 8" 52 17 14 Ray
"Nothing" 51 - 28
1991 "Walking on Air" 60 - -
1996 "Driving" - - - Wide Awake Pure
"Wide Awake" - - - Seedy Singles
"-" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that country.

Compilations

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Year Album
1998 Monkey Spunk

References

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  1. ^ "Frazier Chorus - Sue". Cherry Red Records. Archived from the original on 21 January 2011. Retrieved 17 January 2011.
  2. ^ Sutton, Michael. "Frazier Chorus - Sue Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  3. ^ "Frazier Chorus". 16 March 2010.
  4. ^ "Sue".
  5. ^ a b c Ankeny, Jason. "Frazier Chorus Biography, Songs & Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  6. ^ a b c Gourley, Bob (1996). "1996 Interview with Frazier Chorus". Chaos Control Digizine. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  7. ^ a b c Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 913. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
  8. ^ "Frazier Chorus". 4AD. Archived from the original on 16 November 2010. Retrieved 17 January 2011.
  9. ^ "New release from Frazier Chorus...Monkey Spunk!". Frazier Chorus. Archived from the original on 13 December 2003. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  10. ^ "Kate Holmes - Read Her Story".
  11. ^ "Kate Holmes starts her own fashion revolution". 16 July 2011.
  12. ^ a b "The Official Charts Company: Frazier Chorus". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
  13. ^ "Frazier Chorus: Billboard Chart History - Alternative Songs". Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
  14. ^ "Frazier Chorus: Billboard Chart History - Dance/Club Play Songs". Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
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