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Uropa Lula were a British pop group, consisting of David Lloyd (vocals and guitar), Allan Dias (bass guitar), Pete Fromm (keyboards), Andrew Edge (drums/percussion), Chester Kamen (guitar), and Carol Isaacs (keyboards). The group were managed by Hilde Swendgaard. The group signed a recording contract with Arista Records in 1982.
Uropa Lula | |
|---|---|
 1982: Edge, Fromm, Lloyd, Dias | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | London |
| Genres | Pop, synthpop |
| Years active | 1980–1983 |
| Labels | Arista Records, Canada SPG Music |
| Past members | David Lloyd Allan Dias Pete Fromm Andrew Edge Carol Isaacs Chester Kamen |
History edit
In 1980, Lloyd formed Uropa Lula[1] with Hilde Swendgaard (manager) and Kevin Smith (drums), making two short films, "Here in the Sun" and "At Night Time" with Video Active. They were joined by Colin Prior (bass) and Peter Fromm (keyboards) in 1981 and began performing live in London, opening for John Cale, Alternative TV and Depeche Mode.[2] American bass player Allan Dias[3] replaced Prior in August of the same year. In September, the band recorded three songs, "Here's a Medal",[4] "Timber Fall" I[5] and "My Black Hour" for the Nicky Horne Capital Radio show. Leeds-born drummer Andrew Edge joined the group later that year. Uropa Lula signed to Arista Records in May 1982 and spent the rest of that year recording album tracks and their first two singles, "Our Love Has Just Begun"[6] and "Fell Upon a Jewel"[7] at Trident Studios, The Manor Studio, Townhouse Studios and RAK Studios. To tie in with the release of the first single, the band recorded a live session for the David Jensen show on Radio 1 for the BBC. The session was produced by Dale Griffin, the English drummer and founding member of 1970s rock band Mott the Hoople and featured two songs, "Here's a Medal" and "Timber Fall I". A month later, Uropa Lula returned to London's Capital Radio to record their second live session for the Nicky Horne show playing two songs, "I Am My Older Brother" and "Leather and Metal (Winter's Here)". In the fall of 1982, guitarist Chester Kamen[8] and keyboard player Carol Isaacs joined the group in time for tours of the UK and US in 1983.[9] The group's opening US show was at the Ritz in New York (1 February 1982). This was followed by dates at the Mudd Club (7 February 1982), the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C., the New Jersey City Gardens and a show at the Brooklyn Zoo (26 February 1982) where they shared the bill with Holly and the Italians. Upon their return to the UK, on 2 June 1982 the group played at the Camden Palace (now called Koko) and opened for Big Country at the Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool (19 June 1982) and John Cale at The Venue, Victoria, London (5 July 1982). With some irony, the band had by this point changed their name to Viva Lula and as part of the promotion of their third single, "Dad Sings the Blues";[10] they toured the UK with Big Country in June 1983.[11] Lloyd disbanded the group in October 1983 and embarked on a solo career, albeit continuing to work with Uropa Lula members Kamen, Dias and Smith throughout the 1980s.
Discography edit
Singles edit
Arista Records released three singles by the group:
- "Our Love Has Just Begun" b/w "I've Suddenly Remembered Something" (ARIST476, 1982) as Uropa Lula[12] - also featured on Hardest Hits Volume 1[13] (SPG001), released by SPG Music Productions in 1991
- "Fell Upon a Jewel" b/w "She Appears to Vanish" (ARIST498, 1983) as Uropa Lula[14]
- "Dad Sings the Blues" b/w "Surely There Must Be Some Mistake" (ARIST 540, July 1983) as Viva Lula[15][16]
References edit
- ^ "Uropa Lula music, videos, stats, and photos". Last.fm. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
- ^ "Depeche Mode London, The Pits, 30 Apr 1981 – Songkick". Songkick.com. 30 April 1981. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
- ^ "PiL People Bios | Allan Dias". Fodderstompf.com. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
- ^ "HERE'S A MEDAL (Live Capital Radio Session)". Soundcloud.com.
- ^ "TIMBER FALL I (Live Capital Radio Session)". Soundcloud.com.
- ^ "Uropa Lula". Fade2grey.com. 5 February 2012. Archived from the original on 2 March 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
- ^ "Uropa Lula - Fell Upon A Jewel". Discogs.com.
- ^ "Chester Kamen Music Videos". Archived from the original on 2 October 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
- ^ "BIG COUNTRY'S BBC PERFORMANCES RELEASED ON NEW BOX SET | The Official website of Big Country".
- ^ "Viva Lula". Fade2grey.com. 5 April 2020. Archived from the original on 2 March 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
- ^ Milburn, Trev (14 May 2009). "Official Big Country Forum". Big Country. Retrieved 12 April 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Our Love Has Just Begun". Discogs.com. Retrieved 8 April 2010.
- ^ "Various - Hardest Hits Volume 1". Discogs.com.
- ^ "Uropa Lula Fell Upon a Jewel 12 45 RPM Vinyl Record Etching Id 12498". Archived from the original on 29 August 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
- ^ "Dad Sings the Blues". 45cat.com. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
- ^ "Dad Sings the Blues cover". Vinyltap.co.uk. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 18 May 2008.