Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

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PSYCHEDELIC FURS, The

UK new wave group formed in London '77 by Richard 'Butler Rep' Butler, vocals; brother Tim Butler, bass; Duncan Kilburn, sax; Roger 'Dog' Morris, guitar: name inspired by Velvet Underground's 'Venus In Furs'; the wilfully unfashionable adjective cost the drummerless band lots of gigs. Picked up ex-Photons John Ashton, guitar, and Vince Ely, drums, '79; by then a session for John Peel's BBC show had brought notoriety and a deal with CBS. Steve Lillywhite-produced Psychedelic Furs '80 and more melodic Talk Talk Talk '81 were top 30 LPs; Butler's monotone aligned him with John Rotten/Lydon, the music owed debts to Velvets, other '60s sources. Singles like their first 'We Love You' were entertaining but flopped. Butler streamlined band, shedding Kilburn and Morris: Forever Now '82 produced by Todd Rundgren in USA spawned the near-hit 'Love My Way' which together with (temporary) name-change to Furs suggested commercialization, with overdubbed brass and strings. Ex-Birthday Party drummer Phil Calvert joined on Mirror Moves '84, produced by Keith Forsey, included long-awaited top 30 (UK) hit 'Heaven', with Euro-disco influence suggested new horizons for band; Midnight To Midnight '87 incl.uded a re-recording of hit film theme 'Pretty In Pink'. The Butlers, Ashton and session players carried on stylized in Bowie mould with Book Of Days '89, World Outside '91. Compilation All Of This And Nothing '88, others on Columbia and Relativity in USA.