Curiosity Killed the Cat
Curiosity Killed the Cat was a British pop band that achieved success in the UK in the late 1980s, with hit singles such as "Down to Earth", "Misfit" and "Ordinary Day", from their No. 1 debut album, Keep Your Distance. This was followed by Getahead with the accompanying hit "Name and Number", that was recreated by De La Soul in "Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)". In the early 1990s, the band's bassist left, and billed as 'Curiosity' they collaborated with Simon Cowell recording "Hang On in There Baby" on the album Back to Front.[3]
Curiosity Killed the Cat | |
|---|---|
 Ben Volpeliere-Pierrot of Curiosity Killed the Cat at the Lafayette Parc Hotel, Lafayette, California – 1987 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Curiosity |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | Funk,[1] sophisti-pop[2] |
| Years active | 1984–1994, 2000–2016 |
| Labels | Mercury, RCA, BMG |
| Past members | Ben Volpeliere-Pierrot Julian Brookhouse Nick Thorp Migi Drummond |
Career
The band played soulful, jazzy and funky pop music,[4][5] and was initially signed to Mercury Records. They first came to notice of the UK music press when they worked with Andy Warhol for the video of their 1986 single "Misfit". This featured the band in New York City and at one point featured frontman Ben Volpeliere-Pierrot dancing down a side street whilst Andy Warhol referenced Bob Dylan's 1965 long-form promotional film for "Subterranean Homesick Blues" by dropping pieces of white card in time to the music.
The single was initially unsuccessful but the release of their next single, "Down to Earth", gave the band a Top 3 hit in early 1987. The band's first album, Keep Your Distance, entered the UK Albums Chart at No. 1 in April 1987, and stayed in the Top Ten for 13 weeks. Further singles included "Ordinary Day" (UK No. 11), "Free" (UK No. 56) and a re-release of "Misfit" (UK No. 7).[3] "Misfit" was also their only U.S. charting single, peaking at No. 42.
The band's second album, Getahead, was released in 1989, led by the single "Name and Number" (UK No. 14),[3] and its "hey how you doin'" refrain found itself in the Top 10 two years later as part of the De La Soul song "Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)". The album, however, was not as successful in comparison to their first album, peaking at No. 29.
After the lacklustre performance of Getahead and its second single "First Place", the band shortened their name to 'Curiosity' but were dropped by Mercury Records. Bass player Nick Thorp then left the band. However, in 1992, the band (now a three-piece and signed to RCA Records) returned to the UK Top 3 with a cover of Johnny Bristol's "Hang On in There Baby".[3] Despite this, the band's follow up singles (covers of "I Need Your Lovin'" and "Gimme the Sunshine") were unsuccessful, which resulted in the album Back to Front only being released in Japan and selected overseas markets. The band then split up.
In 2001, the band reformed for an appearance on a National Lottery midweek show on BBC 1, and since then Volpeliere has toured under the name Curiosity Killed the Cat, on a number of 1980s revival packages.
In November 2015, a compilation album, called 80's Recovered featured many groups. Curiosity Killed the Cat did a cover of The Doobie Brothers track "Long Train Runnin'", with a regular version, and a remix.[6]
Band members
- Ben Volpeliere-Pierrot – vocals (born Martin Benedict Volpeliere-Pierrot, 19 May 1965, Earls Court, London)
- Julian Godfrey Brookhouse – guitar (born 15 May 1963, Putney, Surrey)
- Nick Thorp – bass guitar, keyboards (born Nicholas Bernard Thorp, 25 October 1964, Sunbury-on-Thames, Middlesex)
- Migi Drummond – drums (born Miguel John Drummond, 27 January 1964, Strawberry Hill, Middlesex)
Lead singer Ben Volpeliere-Pierrot was best known for wearing a beret in most pictures of the band. He later revealed it was in fact a peaked fisherman's hat, turned round with the peak to the rear so that it resembled a beret. Ben VP (as he was billed on a number of solo singles in the mid-1990s) was frequently referred to as 'Bendy Ben' (or 'Boozy Ben') in Smash Hits magazine. He also appeared as a model on the front of Mike Read's Pop Quiz board game.
In 1995, Migi Drummond and Nick Thorp set up Naked Records which was acquired a year later by software maker Eidos Plc.
Toby Anderson co-wrote all tracks and played keyboards on the album Keep Your Distance. Session guitarist/keyboard player Mike McEvoy (Michael J McEvoy) co-wrote the songs on their Getahead album and Toto drummer Jeff Porcaro played on three tracks ("Cascade", "Can't Grow Trees on Money" and "Who Are You").
Albums
Curiosity Killed the Cat
- 1987 – Keep Your Distance - UK No. 1
- 1989 – Getahead - UK No. 29[3]
- 1996 – The Very Best Of
Curiosity
- 1992 – Back to Front
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [7] |
IRE | NED [8] |
BEL (FLA) |
GER [9] |
AUT | SWI | ITA | SWE | NZ | US [10] | |||
| 1986 | "Misfit" | 76 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | — | Keep Your Distance |
| "Down to Earth" | 3 | 5 | 12 | 24 | 32 | – | – | – | – | 13 | — | ||
| 1987 | "Ordinary Day" | 11 | 13 | – | – | – | – | 24 | 17 | – | 42 | — | |
| "Misfit" (re-release) | 7 | 8 | 35 | – | 53 | – | – | 13 | – | – | 42 | ||
| "Free" | 56 | 26 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | — | ||
| 1989 | "Name and Number" | 14 | 16 | 24 | – | – | – | – | 11 | – | – | — | Getahead |
| "First Place" | 86 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | — | ||
| 1992 | "Hang On in There Baby" | 3 | 10 | – | 38 | 42 | 38 | – | 25 | 31 | 32 | — | Back to Front (as 'Curiosity') |
| "I Need Your Lovin'" | 47 | – | – | – | 55 | – | – | – | – | – | — | ||
| 1993 | "Work It Out" (GER only) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | — | |
| "Gimme the Sunshine" | 73 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | — | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released. | |||||||||||||
References
- Sutton, Michael. "Curiosity Killed the Cat – Artist Biography". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
- Inskeep, Thomas; Soto, Alfred. "The Bluffer's Guide – Sophisti-Pop". Stylus. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
- Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 130. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- Keep Your Distance at AllMusic
- Get Ahead at AllMusic
- "80s Recovered". Archived from the original on 8 December 2015.CS1 maint: unfit url (link)
- "Official Charts Company: Curiosity Killed the Cat". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
- "Curiosity Killed the Cat – Top 40".
- "Curiosity Killed the Cat – German Chart". charts.de. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
- "Curiosity Killed the Cat – US Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
External links
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