The Flaming Mussolinis
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The Flaming Mussolinis were a 1980s pop/rock band from Teesside who released two albums, and had a minor UK hit with "My Cleopatra".
The Flaming Mussolinis | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Teesside, England |
| Genres | Alternative rock, indie rock, pop rock |
| Years active | 1984–1988 |
| Labels | Portrait, Epic |
| Past members |
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History
The band formed in 1984 in Middlesbrough, United Kingdom, although various members had been in local Teesside (North-east England) bands since the late 1970s. The most notable of these bands was Basczax. They signed to CBS in-house label Portrait Records in 1985 and were tipped for big things. The band released five singles: "Swallow Glass", "My Cleopatra" (a minor UK hit at #79), "Masuka Dan", "Girl on a Train" and "Different Kind of Love". They also released two albums: Watching the Film (1986) and Charmed Life (1987). The band's song "Angels Fall Down" was a finalist in the World Popular Song Festival in 1986.[1]
Critical coverage was mixed. Billboard touted them in 1986 as "a band with something new to say",[2] and Fanfare described Watching the Film as "good noise of the post-'87 boomlet: laid back, languid, and cleaner than most",[3]
The band split up in 1988. Alan Savage later became a school teacher, while McClune found commercial success as a member of David Gray’s backing band.
Members
- Alan Savage - vocals/guitar
- Kit Haigh - guitar
- Jeff Fogarty - saxophone and keyboards
- Doug Maloney - bass guitar, keyboard programming, backing vocals
- Craig McClune - drums