Broken English (band)
| Broken English | |
|---|---|
| Origin | United Kingdom |
| Genres | Rock |
| Years active | 1987 - 1991 |
| Labels | EMI |
| Associated acts | The Counterfeit Stones |
| Past members | Steve Elson Jamie Moses Alan Coates Paul Fenton Zak Starkey Geoff Cooper |
Broken English was a British band formed in 1987 by Steve Elson (singer and guitarist), who at the time performed in a Rolling Stones tribute band. He wrote a song called "Comin' On Strong", which had a Stones sound to it. A friend, Oliver Smallman, heard the song and thought it was too good to be a one-off novelty song and encouraged Elson to put together a band and record more material. The first single did reasonably well, however the two follow-up singles did not fare so well as this is highlighted and detailed in the sleeve notes of their only album which was released in 2007 several years after the band stopped performing. There is also a Cumbrian band named Broken English, famed for playing at the Maryport Blues festival.
According to the sleeve notes included with the album The Rough and the Smooth, it was suggested that Bruno Brookes' brother wrote a track for the band, which was included on the b-Side of "Love on the Side". When word got around this had happened, and as Bruno Brookes was a DJ at Radio 1 at the time, the recording disappeared from the playlist.
Broken English recorded one album which was not released until 2007, nearly 20 years after it was first recorded. It's called Platinum. The sleeve notes of the album give a detailed history of the band and reasons for them slipping into obscurity.
Track listing
Bonus Tracks
Broken English were one of the opening acts on the ITV programme The Roxy, which was set up as opposition to BBC Television's Top of the Pops.
Comin on Strong features a full-length music video of the band in their Ghostbusters look, playing the song in a run down work yard. Due to the visible steam of their breath, the video gives the impression that the band is in the cold outdoors.
Love on the Side Has a desert/cowboy theme with the band performing with their guitars. The closing shot shows the band departing up hill into the sunset, where they cross paths with 3 others dressed in the bands Ghostbusters uniforms.
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