Barbara Gogan
| The Passions | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Shepherds Bush, London, England |
| Genres | Post-punk, new wave |
| Years active | 1978–1983 |
| Labels | Soho, Fiction, Polydor |
| Associated acts | The Derelicts, the 101ers, the Wall, Local Heroes SW9, Tin Machine |
| Past members | Barbara Gogan Claire Bidwell Richard Williams Dack Dyde Mitch Barker Clive Timperley David Agar Kevin Armstrong Jeff Smith Stephen Wright |
The Passions were a British post-punk/new wave band which formed in 1978 and disbanded in 1983. The Passions' music was grounded mainly in Barbara Gogan's voice and Clive Timperley's delicate Echoplex guitar work. They were considered one-hit wonders due to their early 1981 single "I'm in Love with a German Film Star".
Based in Shepherd's Bush in west London, the Passions formed in early 1978 as the Youngsters with a lineup of Gogan (guitar, vocals), Claire Bidwell (bass guitar), Richard Williams (drums), Dack Dyde (guitar) and Mitch Barker (vocals). Williams and Gogan were previously in the punk rock outfit the Derelicts. After a name change to Rivers of Passion, soon shortened to the Passions, Dyde was replaced by Timperley (formerly of the 101ers).
The Passions' first single, issued in March 1979 on the Soho label, was "Needles and Pills" (written by Dyde), which assisted in gaining the band a recording contract with Fiction Records. By the time the band recorded the first of three Peel sessions in November 1979, Barker had departed and Gogan took over as lead vocalist.
Michael & Miranda, the band's debut album, was released 18 April 1980, preceded by second single "Hunted". The album was produced by Fiction head Chris Parry and engineered by Mike Hedges. In May, the Passions embarked on a UK and European tour supporting labelmates the Cure. Bidwell left after the tour (joining the Wall), replaced in July 1980 by David Agar, and the band were dropped by Fiction.
A meeting with Peter Wilson, the in-house producer for Polydor Records, led to the band signing to that label, which released their third single, "The Swimmer", on 1 October 1980.
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