Talk:Original Mirrors

Original Mirrors

Original Mirrors are mainly remembered for future Lightning Seed Ian Broudie's involvement in the band. Original Mirrors formed in Liverpool, England, in 1979/80 after the collapse of vocalist Steve Allen's seminal art school rock band Deaf School["Before Deaf school there was nothing in Liverpool" - Ian Broudie]in 1978. (Prior to the Original Mirrors, Broudie had been a member of Big in Japan alongside Steve Allen's brother Phil Allen, Frankie Goes to Hollywood frontman Holly Johnson, Bill Drummond, Souxie & The Banshee's drummer Budgie and Jayne Casey.) Including Broudie on guitar, the band also featured Peter Kircher (drums), Jonathan Perkins (keyboards), and Phil Spalding (bass).

Recalling Glam and power pop they were at the edge of the New Romantic sound and did it very well with big bold danceable rhythms, almost disco at times underscored by Spaldings great basslines and Kirchers powerful drums (Kircher joined Status Quo when the Mirrors split). Pre U2 jangling chorus effected guitar and electro keyboards featured prominently filling out the sound nicely without ever becoming too guitar or synth oriented the focal point being frontman Allen's powerful and emotive vocals. The Mirrors were a powerful live band and draw that didn't resemble Broudie's later '60s influenced work. The group's self-titled first album was released in 1980 by Mercury in the UK and Clive Davis's Arista in the US, Davis having signed the band himself after seeing them live at The Marquee London. The debut album met with no great commercial success except in France where the band created something of a following touring France and the rest of europe as support to Roxy Music's 'Flesh & Blood' tour; a similar fate met their next full-length, 'Heart Twango & Raw Beat' in 1981. The band then split up Broudie working as a producer with Echo & The Bunnymen before forming Care with Paul Simpsonh bands like The Colourfield, The Pale Fountains, Shack, The Icicle Works, Ellery Bop and The Fall under the name 'Kingbird' before putting together the Lightning Seeds at the end of the 1980s, scoring a debut hit with the song "Pure". To begin with, for all the identity of The Lightning Seeds was created, the 'group' had just one member - Ian himself. This was an experiment of his "to see if I could cut it as a muso".

Allen went on to form 'Hot Club' with ex Sex Pistol Glen Matlock (signed briefly to Mickie Most's Rak label releasing one single) before formingThe Perils of Plastic with Elvis Costello & The Attractions keyboard wizard Steve Nieve (releasing 3 singles on Warner Bros UK). In the mid to late '80's Allen spent more time in europe than the UK promoting various Italo-disco pan european hits under his own name including 'Letter From My Heart', 'Love Is In The Air' and 'Message of Love' before returning to the UK as manager of Heavenly Records artist 'Espiritu' and taking up an A&R post with Warner Bros Records from '93 to 2004 scoring many number 1 dance pop hits including 'Missing' by EBTG, Corona's 'Rhythm Of The Night', Eiffel 65's 'Blue Da Ba Dee', gina G's 'Ooh Ah Just A Little Bit' and others from The Outhere Bros, Black Legend, Danni Minogue, Tin Tin Out ft Espiritu and Katrina & The Waves.

From 2006 on Allen has been performing with the reformed Deaf School alongside original members Clive Langer and Bette Bright. In September 2009 Broudie guested on several songs and supported Deaf School over 2 shows at the Everyman Theatre Liverpool, onstage with his son Riley for a short unplugged set and in April 2010 Allen and Broudie appeared on the same stage once more at the Deaf School tribute to the late Eric Shark, 2 shows also at the Liverpool Everyman Theatre, Broudie performing one song alongside other guests such as Kevin Rowland, Pete Wylie and Suggs from Madness.

Singles:

Boys Cry - UK - 7" VINYL, 1980 b/w Chains Of Love, picture sleeve Record Label: Mercury Catalogue No: MER5

Boys Cry / Sharp Words (live) France, 1980 Mercury 7inch (sp) - Ref : 6059294

Boys Cry (France) Could This Be Heaven? - UK - 7" VINYL, 1979 b/w Night Of The Angels, picture sleeve Record Label: Mercury Catalogue No: 6007245

20,000 Dreamers Label: mercury DREAM 12 Item Number: 651267 Release Country: UK Release Date: 1981 UK 3-Track Maxi, ex/ex. Inc. Time Has Come and Dancing With The Rebels (Remix). Audio on youtube

Dancing With The Rebels b/w Sure Yeah 1981 UK 7" vinyl Record Label: Mercury Catalogue No: MER65