The Fixx
are an English New Wave band. They are one of the few such bands to have enjoyed significant success outside their country of origin, notably in the United States and Canada, yet remain almost unknown in their home land. The band is best known for their song "One Thing Leads to Another", from their most successful album Reach the Beach
in 1983. Their other hits include "Red Skies", "Stand or Fall", "Saved by Zero", "Sign of Fire", "Are We Ourselves?", "Secret Separation", "Driven Out", "How Much Is Enough?" and "Deeper and Deeper", which was featured on the soundtrack of Streets of Fire
. "A Letter to Both Sides" appears on the Fletch
soundtrack.
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THE FIXX - THE BAND TICKETS
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Biography
The Fixx were formed in 1980 in London by college friends
Cy Curnin on vocals and Adam Woods on drums, originally under the name "The Portraits". The pair placed an ad for additional members. As a result, guitarist Jamie West-Oram, keyboardist Rupert Greenall, and bassist Charlie Barret joined, and the band changed their name to "The Fixx".
[1] Barret left just after the recording of the band's first album,
Shuttered Room
, in 1982. This album featured the band's debut single, "Some People," as well as the more successful follow-up hits, "Stand or Fall" and "
Red Skies (at Night)." Meanwhile, Barret was replaced by Alfie Agius. Agius' stay in the band was short-lived as well, as he left in the middle of sessions for the following album,
Reach the Beach
, in 1983. However, his bass work is featured on two of the album's hits "
Saved By Zero" and "
One Thing Leads to Another."
[2] Replacement bassist Dan K. Brown performed on the third top 40 single from that album, "The Sign of Fire", and filled the bass spot until 1994. He was replaced by
Chris Tait then
Gary Tibbs, formerly of
Roxy Music,
The Vibrators, and
Adam and the Ants, until 2008 when Dan K. Brown rejoined the band.
In 2002, The Fixx performed a cover version of
Nancy Sinatra's 1960s classic "
These Boots are Made for Walking" for a special album called
When Pigs Fly
, which featured unique remakes of songs from the 1960s through the 1990s. The song was also included as a bonus track on the group's Anniversary Anthology CD.
The band regularly tour the U.S., and recently celebrated 25 years of making music together, accompanied by the release of the 2 CD set
Twentyfifth Anniversary Anthology
compilation. Cy Curnin can often be found on stage with a glass of wine in his right hand and an egg shaker in the left.
The Fixx are currently recording their long awaited 9th studio album due for release in 2009.
Discography
Studio Albums
- Shuttered Room
(1982) #106 US, #54 UK, #77 AUS
- Reach the Beach
(1983) #8 US, #91 UK, #9 CAN
- Phantoms
(1984) #19 US, #15 CAN
- Walkabout
(1986) #30 US
- Calm Animals
(1988) #72 US
- Ink
(1991) #111 US
- Elemental
(1998)
- 1011 Woodland
(1999) (re-recordings and new live versions of the band's past hits, somewhat of a compilation)
- Want That Life
(2003)
Live albums
- React
(1987) #110 US (Also includes three original studio songs and a remake of "Red Skies")
- In Concert (King Biscuit Flower Hour)
(1995)
- Real Time Stood Still
(1997)
- Stand or Fall
(2004) (European reissue of 'In Concert (King Biscuit Flower Hour)'
Compilation albums
- Greatest Hits - One Thing Leads To Another
(1989)
- Missing Links
(1994) (Previously unreleased tracks and remixes)
- Ultimate Collection: The Fixx
(1999)
- Elemental + 1011 Woodland
(1999) (German 3CD large jewel-cased reissue of both albums)
- 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of the Fixx
(2000)
- Extended Versions
(2000) (selected tracks from '1011 Woodland' - NOT the original extended versions)
- Happy Landings and Lost Tracks
(2001) (alternate takes from the Elemental
sessions)
- Then And Now: The Fixx
(2002) (selected tracks from 'Elemental' and '1011 Woodland')
- Stage One
(2004) (New versions of hits and album tracks. Exclusively sold at live shows)
- Twentyfifth Anniversary Anthology
(2005)
Singles
YEAR
| TITLE
| CHART PEAK POSITION
| ALBUM
|
UK [3]
| Australia
| Canada
| US
| US MOD
| US MSR
| US Dance
|
1982
| "Stand Or Fall"
| #54
| #33
| #10
| #76
| -
| #7
| -
| Shuttered Room
|
"Red Skies"
| #57
| -
| -
| #101
| -
| #13
| -
|
1983
| "Saved by Zero"
| -
| #98
| #45
| #20
| -
| #9
| -
| Reach the Beach
|
"One Thing Leads to Another"
| -
| #38
| #3
| #4
| -
| #2
| #14
|
"The Sign of Fire"
| -
| -
| -
| #32
| -
| #20
| -
|
1984
| "Deeper And Deeper"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| #3
| #47
| Streets of Fire
Soundtrack
§
|
"Are We Ourselves?"
| -
| -
| #29
| #15
| -
| #1 ‡
| -
| Phantoms
|
"Sunshine in the Shade"
| -
| -
| -
| #69
| -
| #37
| -
|
"Less Cities, More Moving People"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|
1986
| "Secret Separation"
| -
| -
| #39
| #19
| -
| #1
| -
| Walkabout
|
"Built For the Future"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| #13
| -
|
1987
| "Don't Be Scared"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| #32
| -
| React
|
1989
| "Driven Out"
| -
| -
| #49
| #55
| #11
| #1
| -
| Calm Animals
|
"Precious Stone"
| -
| -
| #78
| -
| -
| #23
| -
|
1991
| "How Much Is Enough?"
| -
| -
| #27
| #35
| #10
| #11
| -
| Ink
|
2000
| "One Thing Leads To Another (J. Benitez Remix)"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| #54 O
|
|
- §: Originally appearing on the "Streets of Fire" soundtrack, "Deeper and Deeper" can now also be found on the reissue of "Reach The Beach".
- ‡: The official Billboard web database has some errors in it and differs from the original print issues, including listing "Are We Ourselves?" as having peaked at #2 on the rock chart when in fact it spent two weeks at #1.
- O: The 2000 "One Thing Leads To Another" remix was listed as #4 on the Top 5 Dance/Clubplay Breakouts List. This list features tracks with future potential to hit the Top 50 and can be considered a Bubbling Under chart for the Top 50.
Sources:
- Australian charts at australian-charts.com (see pre 1989 chart thread at )
- Canadian charts archived at [www.collections.gc.ca/rpm]
- US charts: All information taken from Billboard Magazine Archive Print Issues.
In popular culture
- "One Thing Leads To Another" appears in an episode of the TV series Knight Rider
.
- "One Thing Leads To Another" appeared in the popular videogame Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
, playing on Pop radio station Flash FM.
- "One Thing Leads To Another" was featured in an advertisement for the television show Lie to Me
.
- Cy and Jamie both appear in Tina Turner's "Better Be Good to Me" music video, which is produced by Rupert Hine, who worked on early The Fixx albums.
- "Saved By Zero" appears in a national American television commercial for Toyota.
References
- allmusic ((( The Fixx > Biography )))
- Mann, Brent (2005). ''Blinded By the Lyrics''. New York, NY: Citadel Press Books
- British Hit Singles & Albums