The Likely Lasses
When Bananarama first ambled onto the scene in 1981 with their backcombed hair and second-hand clothes even Nostradamus couldn't have predicted that they'd go on to become one of the most successful British girl groups of all time and have more hits than The Supremes, mostly because that didn't seem to be the sort of ambition that entered their heads. Like Joanne and Susan in The Human League (who were Top Shop to Bananarama's Camden Market), they came across like ordinary girls who were pop stars by accident and thought making records was just a bit of a laugh.
Their first single "Aie A Mwana" was basically just a demo they made for fun with former Sex Pistol Paul Cook (with him producing and playing drums) who they'd met in a club one night and ended up crashing at his flat. It became an underground club hit which got them their picture in The Face where it was seen by Terry Hall who liked the way they looked and asked them to sing backing vocals on Fun Boy Three's "Ain't What You Do (It's The Way That You Do It)". In return they appeared on the girl's next single, a cover of The Velvelettes "Really Saying Something" and it's b-side "Give Us Back Our Cheap Fares" a rather strange instrumental co-written by the girls and Vaughan Toulouse of Department S (in case you didn't know the title is a reference to this.)
Download: Really Saying Something (12" version) - Bananarama & Fun Boy Three (mp3)
Download: Give Us Back Our Cheap Fares (12" version) - Bananarama & Fun Boy Three (mp3)
That was a big hit as was the follow-up "Shy Boy" which even though it was more polished they still managed to sound like the three scatty girls living in the flat above you who were always running out of milk instead of proper pop stars. They didn't lose that easy-going, slightly scruffy charm until they started making glossy Eurodisco with Stock, Aitken & Waterman in 1986 which sold by the ton but could have been sung by anybody really. Shame, but I guess they couldn't stay those three girls forever. The b-side "Don't Call Us" was their own composition and is just as good as the hit side, proof that they weren't quite the amateurs they seemed and were getting the hang of this pop music lark.
Download: Shy Boy (12" version) - Bananarama (mp3)
Download: Don't Call Us (12" version) - Bananarama (mp3)
To their credit they never used their looks or flashed any flesh to sell a few more records even though they were obviously rather fetching young ladies and most right-thinking blokes had a thing for one of other of them. With me it was a toss-up between Siobhan and Keren though if you put a gun to my head I would have gone with the latter. I don't think it's too much of a stretch to say they were sort of girls you could actually imagine going out with either, at least in the early days. I did know a lot of girls who dressed like them back then, pretty indie girls in baggy vintage clothes and deck shoes who were into Orange Juice but also loved dancing. I even went out with one of them — a pretty dancing indie girl that is, not one of Bananarama, though on a good day I reckon I could have been in with a shout with Keren. OK, on a really good day and if she'd had a lot to drink.
9 Comments:
I went to school around the corner from the London College Of Fashion and they were either simply hanging out there or studying. At that point it was the equivalent of going to art school as a musician I guess. We used to see them around and about before they were successful. It was around that time too that they supported The Jam on their rise upwards. I bet they didn't go down too well with the typical Jam fan!
Keren for me too now in hindsight, although Siobhan at the time was my fave. I worked with a girl back in the 80s who was a spit for Keren. I think we all knew someone who could have been a nana!
My vote is for Keren. (She still looks great now. And is still married to Andrew Ridgeley (yes, from Wham!)
I love how your blog goes from discussing the cinematography of Powell and Pressburger movies, to which member of Bananarama you fancy. Perfect.
I went art college with someone who looked exactly like Karen - still does in fact..
I think they did a Pistols cover on the Party Party soundtrack.
Ah yes Simon, the Michael Sobell Sports Centre, Dec 81. Fuck knows how they got on the bill? Although aforementioned Department S were also on - and Weller was a mutual buddy with the late Vaughn Tolouse.
Weller later wrote 'Dr Love' for the Nana's debut LP. Barry Blue and Gary Crowley were also in the mix somewhere.
The gallon of lager tops impinges on any more memories of the night.
Some places online said that their first recorded vocal was singing backing on Department S version of 'Solid Gold Easy Action' but elsewhere it said that was Thunderthighs. Listening to the record I couldn't figure it out either way so I didn't mention it.
Went to the same infants, junior and secondary schools as Keren & Sara. I was 2 (or 3) years above them so never hung around in the same crowd. Sara's brother and I worked in the same office for a couple of years back in the 70s.
Sara's not getting many votes but she gets mine.
I always felt the girls and FB3 came at a good time when things were a wee bit too serious back in 1981. Fun and sunshine as opposed to the bleak Ghosttown imageries...
i had a major girl crush on siobhan -- i thought she was the coolest, maybe not the prettiest but definitely the coolest. keren was always super pretty & sarah always looked like an afghan to me.
but boy did i love them! i even tried (unsuccessfully) to have my hair cut like siobhan in the "venus" video.
then "wow!" came out & boy did kill it for me. oh well, it had to end sometime...
Sad to think that this is the acceptable face of 80s nostalgia. They were, and remain, awful. Thank Gawd I grew up in the 70s where the equivalent wa Sweet and GG.
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