Blanket of Secrecy

Blanket of Secrecy
Origin England
Genres New wave, pop rock, synthpop
Years active 1982
Labels F-Beat, Warner Bros.
Past members Pete Marsh, a.k.a. Tinker
Roger Bechirian, a.k.a. Soldier
Andy Howell, a.k.a. Tailor

Blanket of Secrecy (BoS) was a British new wave trio that existed for a short time in the early 1980s. The band is notable for the fact that the band members, true to their band name, were never officially identified, using only the pseudonyms Tinker, Tailor and Soldier. This led to some speculation in the music press regarding their true identity.

Their music was synthpop, similar to their contemporaries A Flock of Seagulls, although comparisons to The Attractions (Elvis Costello's backing band) were also made.

History

Releases and chart history

The band's lone LP was titled Walls Have Ears in the UK, and Ears Have Walls in the US. The group can been seen in shadow on the album's back cover, and more clearly in the video for the associated single "Say You Will". Released in 1982, the album and single received some airplay on both sides of the Atlantic.

At the time Ears Have Walls was recorded, BoS also reportedly recorded an entire second album, which has yet to see the light of day. The band broke up before the record could be released.

Speculation about the band's identity

At the time of the group's one and only LP release, there were three main theories about the identity of the musicians involved with Blanket of Secrecy.

Actual identity

Extensive research by Blanket of Secrecy fan Gary L. Maher[2] eventually identified the participants definitively as:

Additionally, the single "Say You Will" bears a writing credit of Tinker/Spy. ASCAP has identified "Spy" as Phil McWalter. The song "Yo Yo" was credited to Tinker/Sailor, and Maher has identified "Sailor" as artist Ron Chadwick.

The Attractions connection trumpeted by some appears to be entirely incorrect, as no involvement by any of the Attractions in the Blanket of Secrecy project has yet come to light, although Pete Thomas played drums on two songs recorded for the second, never-released album. The song "Lovers", meanwhile, was written by Jack Hues and Nick Feldman (a.k.a. Nick De Spig) of Wang Chung, and arranged by Hues. One-time Wang Chung member "Hogg" (Dave Burnand) also appears on the album. The connection between the two bands is that Bechirian co-produced Wang Chung's first album, back when that group was known as Huang Chung.

Life before and after Blanket of Secrecy

All three BoS members had a hand in Carlene Carter's C'est C Bon record from 1983. Bechirian produced, and all three played on the album, as well as co-writing two of the songs. Bechirian also produced Nick Lowe's 1983 album The Abominable Showman, which featured backing vocals from Marsh and a Marsh–Howell song called "Cool Reaction".

Discography

Walls Have Ears/Ears Have Walls is still waiting for a CD re-issue -- although in 2013 the tracks were digitally remixed by Roger Bechirian and released for digital download on iTunes. Reportedly the unreleased second album, "BOS2" will also be "available soon".[3]

Album credits

Side One:

  1. Say You Will (4:03) (Tinker/Spy) Intersong Music ASCAP
  2. Young Heart (3:42)
  3. Love Me Too (2:46)
  4. Remember Me and You (3:24)
  5. Long Cool Glass (3:35)
  6. Photograph (4:46)

Side Two:

  1. Yo Yo (3:19) (Tinker/Sailor) Intersong Music ASCAP
  2. Close To Me (4:16) (Tinker) Intersong Music ASCAP
  3. Something I Don't Need (3:02)
  4. Tell Me Baby (3:29)
  5. Lovers (4:52) (Hues/De Spig) WB Music Corp. ASCAP
  6. B.O.S. Theme (3:24) (Tinker/Tailor/Soldier)

All songs written by Tinker/Tailor except as indicated
All songs published by Intersong Music/Plangent Visions Music, Inc. ASCAP except as indicated
Copyright 1982 Warner Bros. Records, Inc.

Produced and Directed by Roger Bechirian
Recorded at Ampro Studios and Rockfield Studios
Mixed at Rockfield
Assistant engineers, Rob Keyloch at Ampro and Paul Cobbold at Rockfield
Additional musicians:
Hogg - saxophone
Jack Hues - arrangements on "Lovers"
Originally mastered by Aaron Chakraverty at The Master Room
LP design - Heeps Willard (a pseudonym for Barney Bubbles)
Photography - Brian Griffin

References

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, February 02, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.