Associates (duo)
| Associates | |
|---|---|
Mackenzie (left) and Rankine in a Sire promotional image, c. 1981.
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Dundee, Scotland |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1979–1990, 1993 (reunion) |
| Labels |
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| Associated acts | The Ascorbic Ones, Mental Torture, Yello, British Electric Foundation, Malice, Easy Cure, The Cure, the Lotus Eaters, Presence, Levinhurst, Shelleyan Orphan, the Rumour, Poi Dog Pondering, the Waco Brothers, the Mekons, Martha & the Muffins, the Books, Howard Hughes and the Western Approaches, Vachement Bath, Palais Schaumburg, Basic Channel |
| Past members |
Billy Mackenzie Alan Rankine John Sweeney John Murphy Michael Dempsey Steve Goulding Martha Ladly Martin Lowe Ian McIntosh Steve Reid Roberto Soave Jim Russell Howard Hughes Moritz Von Oswald |
Associates were a Scottish rock act, formed in Dundee in 1979 by singer Billy Mackenzie and guitarist Alan Rankine. The group first gained recognition after releasing an unauthorized cover of David Bowie's "Boys Keep Swinging" in 1979, which landed them a contract with Fiction Records. They followed with their debut album The Affectionate Punch in 1980 and the singles collection Fourth Drawer Down in 1981, both to critical praise.
They achieved commercial success in 1982 with the UK Top 10 album Sulk and UK Top 20 singles "Party Fears Two" and "Club Country", during which time they were associated with New Romanticism. Rankine left the group that year, leaving Mackenzie to record under the Associates name until 1990. They briefly reunited in 1993. Mackenzie died in 1997.
Billy Mackenzie and guitarist Alan Rankine met in Dundee, Scotland in 1976 and formed the cabaret duo the Ascorbic Ones. In 1979, they recorded songs as Mental Torture before changing the name again to Associates. Their debut single, a cover of David Bowie's "Boys Keep Swinging", was released June 1979, just six weeks after Bowie's version hit the UK Top 10 in April. This earned them a contract with Fiction Records, and was followed by their debut album, The Affectionate Punch in 1980.
A string of 1981 non-album singles on the label Situation Two were compiled as Fourth Drawer Down that year. These releases saw the band develop an interest in experimenting with unorthodox instrumentation and recording techniques, including sounds being amplified through the tube of a vacuum cleaner on the track "Kitchen Person". Also in 1981, Rankine and MacKenzie released a version of "Kites" under the name 39 Lyon Street, with Christine Beveridge on lead vocals. The B-side, "A Girl Named Property", was credited to the Associates.
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