Colourbox-missing in action?

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Anyone know what happened to Colourbox, One great album in '85, a handful of great singles, the MARRS project then nothing. Lorita Grahame must be one of the great lost singers.

Billy Dods, Monday, 21 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

The only thing since Colourbox was the collaboration with arkane - in 1987 pump up the voulume, the b side of the single Anitina (version) is one of the most startling tracks ever to get to number one - very dubby and electronic.

So far there have been two Colourbox albums - the original self titled 1985 album that so ahead of time, along with Yello, Scritti Politti, New Order and Cabaret Voltaire - 1985 electronic music that was futuristic and fresh.

Also a remix album that includes the 1986 England Unofficial world cup theme - that is dancefloor brilliance.

That Colourbox indeed did not record after this was a great loss to music, and their music has been marginalized to oscurity.

Check Beg gars Banquet USA a best of Colourbox CD is coming in August. Hopefully that will create interest in this fine band.

DJ Martian, Monday, 21 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Am I the only one who thinks that "frontier psychiatrist" is an up-to- date version of "just give'em whiskey"?

fernando, Wednesday, 23 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Bloody Hell, Fernando - you're so on the money you should be the fucking Queen!

Tom, Wednesday, 23 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Check Beg gars Banquet USA a best of Colourbox CD is coming in August

Ah! Great news. Now if only Beggars will re-issue the A.R. Kane records...

scott p., Wednesday, 23 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

The AR Kane albums were re-released by One Little Indian in 1999. All available via Amazon and others.

STILL waiting for 23 Skidoo, though.

Dr. C, Thursday, 24 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I knew I was the one! :)

fernando, Thursday, 24 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

The AR Kane albums were re-released by One Little Indian in 1999. All available via Amazon and others.

Uh-oh, I'm guilty of Americentrism. Seriously though, thanks.

scott p., Thursday, 24 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

six months pass...
fernando: "Am I the only one who thinks that "frontier psychiatrist" is an up-to- date version of "just give'em whiskey"?"

Heh! This was independently discovered (as they say in academia) by me just a few days ago! Nice.

OleM, Saturday, 8 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

four years pass...
It's not as if time's real y'know!

A Viking of Some Note (Andrew Thames), Wednesday, 16 August 2006 07:31 (seventeen years ago) link

Last story I heard was that Colourbox used the money from "volume" to get off 4AD label.

Guess they succeeded.

mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 16 August 2006 07:34 (seventeen years ago) link

Crikey, 21 one years on from their debut and I'm still hoping that they'll release a follow up sometime soon. If I were a very rich man I'd get Lorita Grahame back in the studio again, still one of the great 'lost' singers.

This was my first post on ILM, I'll look forward to the next revive in 2011.

Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Wednesday, 16 August 2006 07:50 (seventeen years ago) link

five years pass...

Er, revive.

I'd pay a good amount of money for a complete Colourbox box.

A Chuck Person's Guide to Mark Aguirre (Andy K), Thursday, 3 November 2011 21:19 (twelve years ago) link

i think i own everything they ever did on vinyl, but i would buy it again in box-set form. cuz i'm like that.

scott seward, Thursday, 3 November 2011 23:22 (twelve years ago) link

I'll look forward to the next revive in 2011

Can't wait for the 2016 revive.

Still clinging on to the hope that they're working on a follow up.

The multi-talented F.R. David (Billy Dods), Friday, 4 November 2011 18:05 (twelve years ago) link

I sold the singles comp aka "Horses F*cking" mainly because the cover put me off so much!

Gerald McBoing-Boing, Friday, 4 November 2011 20:00 (twelve years ago) link

three months pass...

I'd pay a good amount of money for a complete Colourbox box.

oh hi

http://archive.beggars.com/releases/163/colourbox-box-set

are you ready for a little spittle? (electricsound), Wednesday, 15 February 2012 23:26 (twelve years ago) link

$30 not obscene at all imo

are you ready for a little spittle? (electricsound), Wednesday, 15 February 2012 23:27 (twelve years ago) link

splitting Philip Glass off from World Cup Theme 12"

Θ ̨Θƪ (sic), Wednesday, 15 February 2012 23:58 (twelve years ago) link

A.R. Kane are supposed to be releasing a singles comp this Spring as well... 2012 will be the year of Pump Up the Volume!

the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Thursday, 16 February 2012 01:08 (twelve years ago) link

(pre-ordered this immediately)

the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Thursday, 16 February 2012 01:08 (twelve years ago) link

HELLO

Andy K, Thursday, 16 February 2012 02:08 (twelve years ago) link

I am a happy soul.

Ned Raggett, Thursday, 16 February 2012 02:13 (twelve years ago) link

i own most of this on vinyl but would still buy this. cuz thats who i am.

scott seward, Thursday, 16 February 2012 02:16 (twelve years ago) link

three months pass...

Got mine in the mail today. It got destroyed in transit, but the CDs are still ripable, so I get to listen! It's a pretty little box, too.

the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Wednesday, 16 May 2012 05:02 (eleven years ago) link

Maaaan, I'm all over this. "Tarantula" is one of my all-time favorite singles, no joke.

Bob Bop Perano (Deric W. Haircare), Wednesday, 16 May 2012 05:31 (eleven years ago) link

yeah i love tarantula, so nice to have a proper reissue of it (both versions!)

'real danger' of Abbott ovenmitt (electricsound), Wednesday, 16 May 2012 05:35 (eleven years ago) link

Also, 4AD, what is with charging me $11 for UPS delivery and then sending it in a cheapo padded mailer via parcel post for $2.50? Come on.

the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Wednesday, 16 May 2012 06:28 (eleven years ago) link

eight years pass...

Really loving "Arena II" and "Manic II" from the MAD 509 bonus album tonight... nothing like them before or since

avellano medio inglés (f. hazel), Friday, 11 September 2020 06:05 (three years ago) link

Last time I looked, the box set was big money

Mark G, Friday, 11 September 2020 06:10 (three years ago) link

wow you ain't kidding

avellano medio inglés (f. hazel), Friday, 11 September 2020 06:16 (three years ago) link

yeah, i know.
i missed out and have regretted it ever since.
they do love their very limited runs of boxsets at 4ad.

mark e, Friday, 11 September 2020 08:29 (three years ago) link

yeah the Lush box set/book also goes for mad money looks like

avellano medio inglés (f. hazel), Friday, 11 September 2020 16:35 (three years ago) link

I think the Colourbox set was a better way to go: keep it simple

avellano medio inglés (f. hazel), Friday, 11 September 2020 16:36 (three years ago) link

two years pass...

just casually reading this.
then ... ooh hello ..

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/jul/14/mahalia-irl-interview

mark e, Friday, 14 July 2023 16:52 (nine months ago) link

An unexpected connection! But very cool, and I always did wonder a bit what her mom did in later years.

Ned Raggett, Friday, 14 July 2023 17:03 (nine months ago) link

is that lorita grahame's daughter??

i can't read this thread. i love colourbox too much. something would probably make me mad. i think i'm the only person who never stopped listening to them. they are always current in my world.

scott seward, Friday, 14 July 2023 17:03 (nine months ago) link

She had been playing open mics, “in old man pubs” at home in Leicester before her mum, a former musician with the 80s band Colourbox, started sending her demos out. Meanwhile, her dad – a songwriter and session guitarist – came up with a tagline for his daughter’s music: “He called it psycho-acoustic-soul”.

as you can see it's kinda vague re details.
i guess it has to be lorita given that colourbox was her and the the blokes, however, it says 'musician' as opposed to vocalist, so could be an uncredited sessioner ?

mark e, Friday, 14 July 2023 17:08 (nine months ago) link

breakdown/tarantula 12-inch had a different singer. more of a 4AD vibe.

scott seward, Friday, 14 July 2023 17:11 (nine months ago) link

breakdown singer was Debian Curry. doesn't look like they did much else on record.

scott seward, Friday, 14 July 2023 17:12 (nine months ago) link

good point, forgot about that.
been a long time since i listened to them.

mark e, Friday, 14 July 2023 17:13 (nine months ago) link

Wow, thanks for that!

I was down on the LP for a while but listening to the box set totally recovered my love for this band. All the extra tracks and mixes are a vital part of the story.

Gerald McBoing-Boing, Friday, 14 July 2023 17:17 (nine months ago) link

yeah, rub it in re the boxset whydontcha ..

(see upthread)

mark e, Friday, 14 July 2023 17:20 (nine months ago) link

Oh, I had to pay a pretty penny but it's worth it.

Gerald McBoing-Boing, Friday, 14 July 2023 17:23 (nine months ago) link

the u.k. breakdown 12-inch and the baby i love you so 12-inch should be owned on vinyl. the sound is amazing. huge huge sound. that you won't hear on cd. or on other comp versions of those songs. the u.s. breakdown single doesn't sound as good. world cup theme on 12-inch sounds nice too.

scott seward, Friday, 14 July 2023 17:27 (nine months ago) link


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