Orange Juice
Background information
Origin	Glasgow, Scotland
Genres	Post-punk, New Wave
Years active	1979-1985, 2008
Former members
Edwyn Collins James Kirk David McClymont Steven Daly Malcolm Ross Zeke Manyika

Orange Juice were a Scottish post-punk band founded in the middle class Glasgow suburb of Bearsden as the Nu-Sonics in 1976. Edwyn Collins formed the Nu-Sonics (named after a cheap brand of guitar) with his school-mate Alan Duncan and was subsequently by James Kirk and Steven Daly, who left a band called The Machetes.^[1] The band became Orange Juice in 1979. They are best known for the hit "Rip It Up", which reached number 8 on the UK Singles Chart in February 1983, the band's only UK Top 40 hit.^[2]

[edit] Career

The original Orange Juice line-up was:

• Edwyn Collins (born 23 August 1959, Edinburgh) – guitar / vocals / songwriting
• James Kirk – guitar / vocals / songwriting
• David McClymont – bass guitar
• Steven Daly – drums / percussion

The band's first official concert was on 20 April 1979 at the Victoria Cafe in the Glasgow School of Art. The band released their first singles on Postcard Records. Music critic Simon Reynolds ascribed their status as music media darlings, as being due to the depression following the suicide of Ian Curtis of Joy Division - music critics and indie music fans were looking for something "life-affirming" with a sense of humour.^[3]

The original line-up signed to Polydor Records and recorded their first album, You Can't Hide Your Love Forever. However, internal tensions led to Kirk and Daly leaving in early 1982, and for the next two album releases the core line-up was:

• Edwyn Collins – guitar / vocals / violin / songwriting
• Malcolm Ross – guitar / vocals / keyboards / songwriting (formerly of Josef K, latterly with Paul Haig, Aztec Camera and Blancmange)
• David McClymont – bass guitar / keyboards
• Zeke Manyika (born 23 February 1955) – drums / vocals / percussion / songwriting

Musically the band attempted to fuse post-punk guitars with disco and funk rhythms, rather in the manner of the Gang of Four.^{[citation needed]} Lyrically, however, Orange Juice were always far more commercially minded; Collins adopting a fey, camp vocal style.^{[citation needed]} In general, the band was known for their love of kitsch, irony, and literate optimism.^{[citation needed]} Despite this their only Top 40 hit, "Rip It Up" was achieved with the aid of the synthesizer - it was the first hit to use the Roland TB-303, years later an essential component in Acid house music.^[4]

By early 1984, Ross and McClymont had left the band leaving a core line-up of Collins and Manyika. Together the duo recorded Orange Juice's final album, The Orange Juice. They also enlisted several musical friends to help them out on the recording, including Clare Kenny and Johnny Britten. It was produced by Dennis Bovell.

While the group has long dispersed, members remain active in their separate and diverse fields (including travel writing). At least two greatest hits albums are available.

Domino Records have recently gained the rights to the group's catalogue and will reissue it in 2010.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Studio albums

• You Can't Hide Your Love Forever (UK No.21) - March 1982
• Rip It Up (UK No.39) - November 1982
• Texas Fever (UK No.34) - March 1984
• The Orange Juice - November 1984

^[2]

[edit] Singles

• 1980 - "Falling and Laughing"
• 1980 - "Blue Boy"
• 1980 - "Simply Thrilled Honey"
• 1981 - "Poor Old Soul"
• 1981 - "Wan Light" (scheduled on Postcard Records but never released)
• 1981 - "L.O.V.E. Love" (UK No.65)
• 1982 - "Felicity" (UK No.63)
• 1982 - "Two Hearts Together" (UK No.60)
• 1982 - "I Can't Help Myself" (UK No.42)
• 1983 - "Rip It Up" (UK No.8)
• 1983 - "Flesh of My Flesh" (UK No.41)
• 1984 - "Bridge" (UK No.67)
• 1984 - "What Presence" (UK No.47)
• 1984 - "Lean Period" (UK No.74)

^[2]

[edit] Compilations

• 1984 - In a Nutshell
• 1992 - The Esteemed - The Very Best of Orange Juice
• 1992 - Ostrich Churchyard - the CD release of the previously unreleased debut Orange Juice album for Postcard Records ('The Sound of Young Scotland'), along with a John Peel Session, and, on the Japanese issue, a bonus BBC Radio 1 session track, "Wan Light".
• 1993 - The Heather's on Fire - the other CD release by Orange Juice on Postcard Records, this collection brings the first four singles together with some more radio sessions and, on the Scottish version, a NuSonics (pre-Orange Juice) cover of the New York Dolls song "Who Are The Mystery Girls?".
• 2005 - The Glasgow School - a compilation of Postcard-era tracks - named "Reissue of the Year" for 2005 by Britain's Uncut magazine.^[5]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Orange Juice at Allmusic