If you sit and talk to many of the alternative rock artists dominating today’s music, you’ll find that many of them pay homage to the The Psychedelic Furs. Artists as diverse as The Rapture, Annie Lennox and Buffalo Tom have all released cover versions of the band’s singles.
Led by front man and songwriter Richard Butler, the Furs won over fans and critics alike by combining poetic lyrics, innovative rhythms and melodies driven by an aggressive, punk desperation. Through it all, the band released seven studio albums to great commercial success and critical acclaim.
The band are back playing sold out shows in the UK and return this summer for a series of gigs and festival appearances, notably as part of Meltdown on London’s South Bank, curated by Robert Smith of The Cure, which has already sold out.
By way of celebration, Sony are re-issuing all 7 of their studio albums on heavyweight 180gsm vinyl in original, replica packaging. The eponymous debut album was a Top 20 hit on release in 1980 and was followed a year later by Talk Talk Talk, home to the original version of arguably their most recognisable song,
Pretty In Pink, which was an inspiration for the 1986 John Hughes film. Both albums were produced by Steve Lilywhite in between his duties for U2 (Boy and October) and they still attract praise today.
For Forever Now, the band had slimmed down to a four-piece and drafted in Todd
Rundgren to produce the album. It was recorded in Woodstock, New York and includes
“Love My Way”, which became yet another UK and US chart hit.
The Furs’ 1984 release Mirror Moves was produced by Keith Forsey, and featured the hits “The Ghost in You” and “Heaven”, their biggest UK hit and was accompanied by their best charting album (No.15) at the time.
Midnight to Midnight, their biggest Top 40 success to date and a more overtly commercial effort than the Furs had ever recorded before. The album also featured the single “Heartbreak Beat”, which became the Psychedelic Furs biggest hit yet on the U.S. Top 40. Released in 1987 it built on the huge success of the Pretty In Pink film and their re-recorded single from the soundtrack. The album remains their biggest hit to date, peaking at No.12.
The band returned to a rawer sound with 1989’s Book Of Days as they sought to reclaim their earlier, grittier sound with the help of returning original drummer Vince Ely. The album fared less well than previous releases as the public expected more of their polished pop hits but nevertheless, the album is still highly regarded and remains an integral part of their canon today.
The band’s final studio album (so far!) was 1991’s World Outside. It followed a similar path to World Outside though under Stephen Street’s production gave it a little more light than Book Of Days.