The Fatima Mansions
| Fatima Mansions | |
|---|---|
|
The Fatima Mansions (1991) | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Cork, Ireland |
| Genres | Alternative rock |
| Years active | 1988-1995 |
| Labels | Radioactive Records |
| Associated acts | Microdisney, Bubonique |
| Past members |
Cathal Coughlan Andrias O'Gruama Zak Woolhouse Hugh Bunker Nick Allum Duke O Malaithe Nick Bunker Howard Hughes Jonathan Fell Paul Murphy |
The Fatima Mansions were an art rock group formed in 1988 by Cork singer/keyboardist Cathal Coughlan, formerly of Microdisney. The original line-up consisted of Coughlan, along with Nick Allum, Jonathan Fell, Zac Woolhouse and Aindrias O'Gruama. They took their name from the Fatima Mansions corporation flats in Rialto, Dublin where John Roberts lived.[1][2]
The Fatima Mansions had some indie chart success with albums such as Against Nature, Viva Dead Ponies, Bertie's Brochures, Valhalla Avenue and Lost in the Former West.
They entered the Top 10 of the UK Singles Chart in 1992[3] with a heavily reworked version of Bryan Adams' song "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You", taken from an NME tribute album in aid of the charity, the Spastics Society. The single was a double A-side; the flip-track, Manic Street Preachers' version of "Suicide Is Painless" received most of the radio airplay. They also gained mainstream exposure by opening a European leg of U2's Zoo TV Tour in 1992, although they were nearly booed off the stage and almost started a riot when front man Coughlan swore at a Milan audience and insulted the Pope.[4] The band often courted controversy with religion, dictators, empires and general authority being targets for Coughlan's vitriol. Despite this, The Guardian newspaper described him as "the most underrated lyricist in pop today", and DJ John Peel said he could "listen to Cathal Coughlan sing the phone book".
The album and singles campaign for 1995's Lost in the Former West was styled on the glamour of Liberace, and featured a cover version of The Walker Brothers's "Nite Flights".
Discography
Singles
- "Only Losers Take the Bus" (1989) Kitchenware
- "Blues for Ceausescu" (1990) Kitchenware
- "Hive" E.P. (1991) Kitchenware
- "The Only Solution: Another Revolution" (1991) Radioactive
- "You're a Rose" (1991) Kitchenware/Radioactive
- "Everything I Do (I Do It For You)" (1992) Columbia - IRE #12[5]
- "Evil Man" (1992) Kitchenware/Radioactive - UK #59[2]
- "1000%" (1992) Kitchenware/Radioactive - UK #61[2]
- "Tíma Mansió Dumps the Dead" (1992) Radioactive
- "The Loyaliser" (1994) Kitchenware/Radioactive - UK #58[2]
- "Nite Flights" (1994) Kitchenware/Radioactive
Albums
- Against Nature - (1989) - UK Indie #12[6]
- Viva Dead Ponies - (1990)
- Bertie's Brochures - (1991)
- Valhalla Avenue - (1992) - UK #52[2]
- Come Back My Children - (1992)
- Lost in the Former West - (1994)
- Western Union Steakout - (1994)
References
- ↑ "History of Fatima Mansions", Fatima Groups Unlimited, retrieved 10 January 2010
- 1 2 3 4 5 Strong, Martin C. (2003) The Great Indie Discography, Canongate, ISBN 1-84195-335-0, p. 281-282
- ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 196. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ↑ Stephenson, Campbell (2004) "The 10: Campbell Stevenson on stage disasters", The Observer, 15 August 2004, retrieved 10 January 2010
- ↑ http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement
- ↑ Lazell, Barry (1998) Indie Hits 1980-1989, Cherry Red Books, ISBN 0-9517206-9-4, p. 85
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