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Strawberry Switchblade

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Strawberry Switchblade
Strawberry Switchblade: Rose McDowall (left) and Jill Bryson (right).
Strawberry Switchblade:
Rose McDowall (left) and Jill Bryson (right).
Background information
OriginGlasgow, Scotland
Genres
Years active1981–1986
LabelsWEA, Korova
Past membersRose McDowall
Jill Bryson
Janice Goodlett
Carole McGowan

Strawberry Switchblade were a Scottish pop duo formed in Glasgow in 1981 by Jill Bryson and Rose McDowall, best known for their song "Since Yesterday" from 1985, and their flamboyant clothing with bows and polka-dots.[3]

History

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Before being signed

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The punk movement expanded rapidly in the United Kingdom in 1976. At the time, Rose McDowall and Jill Bryson were part of the bohemian art scene who adored the New York Dolls and who followed Scottish punk band Nu-Sonics (later Orange Juice) during their career, with McDowall playing and recording with Paisley punk band The Poems.[4] The group took their name from a proposed Orange Juice zine.

The band's very first incarnation, an all-female 4 piece, recorded one demo at Glasgow's Hellfire Club and played a handful of gigs. Friends Janis Goodlet and Carole McGowan completed the line up on bass and drums respectively.[5]

Strawberry Switchblade played at a John Peel gig in Scotland, and he invited them to record a session for his BBC Radio 1 show in October 1982.[6] They also recorded a session for David Jensen's Radio 1 show three days later. On both sessions the band were augmented by James Kirk from Orange Juice on bass and Shahid Sarwar from The Recognitions on drums.

Early days making records

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The sessions were heard by Bill Drummond (a Scottish musician who went on to form The KLF) and David Balfe, manager and keyboard player with the recently defunct The Teardrop Explodes. They signed the band to their publishing label, Zoo Music (in partnership with Warner Bros Music). David Balfe then went on to become the group's manager.[7]

The band's first single, "Trees and Flowers", was released in July 1983 through 92 Happy Customers, an independent record label run by Will Sergeant from Echo & The Bunnymen,[7] and sold over 10,000 copies. Critically acclaimed, Smash Hits reviewer Peter Martin praised the "deliciously sad and reflective vocals over some luxuriantly delicate music" and deemed it an "immediate classic".[8] It was featured at number 47 in John Peel's 1983 Festive 50.[6] "Trees and Flowers" was written by Jill Bryson about her anxiety disorder, agoraphobia.[4] It featured Roddy Frame of Aztec Camera on guitar and was produced by Bill Drummond.[9]

Drummond, who'd begun to work as A&R for WEA, signed the band to Warner Music Group subsidiary Korova in 1983. They got a full backing band with whom they toured and began recording an album with producer Robin Millar. However, at the record company's behest, they reverted to the duo of Bryson and McDowall and for production duties they hired David Motion, who would soon go on to produce hits for Red Box.[10]

"Since Yesterday"

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In late 1984 their second single, "Since Yesterday", was released. Having been given a large marketing push over the festive period, it became a UK top ten hit in early 1985, peaking at number 5, and also met with success in Europe and Japan.

Their cover version of "Sunday Morning" (originally by Velvet Underground) was released as an extra track on the 12" of "Since Yesterday". It was not included on any of the Strawberry Switchblade albums.

The track's opening fanfare came from the third movement of Sibelius's Symphony No. 5.

Later records

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Jill Bryson in 2012

In March 1985 they released their next single, "Let Her Go".

Following the release of their eponymous album in April, in May 1985 they released a further single, the ballad "Who Knows What Love Is",[11] one of two tracks on the album produced by Phil Thornalley of The Cure.[12]

Their fifth single, an electro-pop cover of Dolly Parton's "Jolene", was issued in September 1985 in the UK and Japan.[11]

In 1985, they also provided vocals for an "alien funeral preocession" in Rigel 9, a "space opera" project by David Bedford (music) and Ursula K. Le Guin (lyrics).[13][14]

Although their commercial success had waned in the UK they remained popular in Japan and two later singles, "Ecstasy (Apple of My Eye)" and "I Can Feel", were only issued in that country.[11] The second of these only featured McDowall as by this time the partnership had irreparably fractured. By early 1986, the group had disbanded.

In December 2005, Warner Bros. Platinum Records released a career retrospective of the band, made up of sixteen different tracks from various recordings on one compact disc. It included one previously unreleased track, a demo version of "I Can Feel".[15]

The band's earliest studio recordings, three songs recorded in 1982 when they were still a quartet was released as a limited edition 7" EP in January 2017.[16] The version of "Trees and Flowers" on the EP proved very popular on TikTok and it has become the band's most popular track on music on Spotify.[17]

Solo work

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McDowall continued in music, playing with many neofolk bands and performing in and around Glasgow, alongside old and new friends associated with her current representation, Night School Records, including Michael Kasparis, cellist Jo Quail, and McDowall’s son Bobi Lee. In 2018-2019, Rose McDowall and Shawn Pinchbeck provided the soundtrack for the film “Far From the Apple Tree”.

In July 2013, after a break of almost 30 years from music, Jill Bryson returned to songwriting in a new band called The Shapists (named after the fictitious art movement in the film The Rebel), that includes her daughter Jessie Frost.[18][19]

Band members

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Former members

  • Rose McDowall – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1981–1986)
  • Jill Bryson – backing vocals, lead guitar (1981–1986)
  • Janis Goodlet – bass (1981–1982)
  • Carole McGowan – drums (1981–1982)[20]

Discography

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Strawberry Switchblade discography
Studio albums1
EPs1
Compilation albums2
Singles7
B-sides13
Music videos4

The discography of Strawberry Switchblade consists of one studio album, two compilation albums, one extended play, seven singles, thirteen b-sides and four music videos.

Studio album

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Year Album details Chart positions
UK[21][22] JP
1985 Strawberry Switchblade
  • Released: April 1985 (expanded edition released in Japan, 1997)
  • Label: Korova / WEA
 25 39

Compilation albums

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Year Album details
1985 The 12" Album
  • Released: 28 November 1985 (originally Japan only, issued on CD in Canada, 1995)
  • Label: Warner-Pioneer Corporation
2005 The Platinum Collection
  • Released: 12 December 2005
  • Label: Warner Platinum

Extended plays

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  • 1982 4-Piece Demo (2017), Night School

Singles

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Year Title Album Chart positions
UK
[21][22] 		UK Indie
[23] 		IE
[24] 		JP NL
[25]
1983 "Trees and Flowers" — – 3 – – –
1984 "Since Yesterday" Strawberry Switchblade 5 – 6 – 24
1985 "Let Her Go" 59 – – – –
"Who Knows What Love Is?" 84 – – – –
"Ecstasy (Apple of My Eye)" (released in Japan only) The 12" Album – – – 71 –
"Jolene" — 53 – – 90 –
1986 "I Can Feel" (released in Japan only) – – – – –
"–" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

B-sides

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  • "Go Away" (1983) (B-side of "Trees and Flowers")
  • "Trees and Flowers (Just Music)" (1983) (B-side of "Trees and Flowers")
  • "By the Sea" (1984) (B-side of "Since Yesterday")
  • "Sunday Morning" (1984) (B-side of "Since Yesterday")
  • "Beautiful End" (1985) (B-side of "Let Her Go")
  • "Michael Who Walks by Night" (1985) (B-side of "Let Her Go")
  • "Poor Hearts" (1985) (B-side of "Who Knows What Love Is?")
  • "Let Her Go (Kitchensynch Mix-Up)" (1985) (B-side of "Who Knows What Love Is?")
  • "Being Cold" (1985) (B-side of "Jolene" and "Ecstasy (Apple of My Eye)")
  • "Black Taxi" (1985) (B-side of "Jolene")
  • "Jolene (Extended Mix)" (1985) (B-side of "Jolene")
  • "Since Yesterday (Extended Mix)" (1986) (B-side of "I Can Feel")

Music videos

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Year Title Director
1984 "Since Yesterday" Tim Pope
1985 "Let Her Go"
"Who Knows What Love Is?"
"Jolene"

Compilation appearance

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References

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  1. ^ "Strawberry Switchblade's Rose McDowall Unveils Long-Lost New Wave Gem". The FADER.
  2. ^ Strawberry Switchblade at AllMusic Strawberry Switchblade Album review AllMusic.
  3. ^ Paul Lester, "Cult heroes: Strawberry Switchblade – the clue was in the name". The Guardian, Tuesday 14 April 2015 [1]
  4. ^ a b "Strawberry Switchblade A Personal History by Alistair Fitchett, 1994". Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  5. ^ "1982 4 Piece Demo". Rough Trade. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  6. ^ a b "BBC – Radio 1 – Keeping It Peel – Strawberry Switchblade". BBC. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
  7. ^ a b "Bill Drummond (manager / A&R) interview 26 April 2003". StrawberrySwitchblade.net. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  8. ^ Martin, Peter. "Singles". Smash Hits 4-17 August 1983. p. 21.
  9. ^ "45 at 33: Strawberry Switchblade's Since Yesterday + the time they giggled about Prince to a Pet Shop Boy". Steve Pafford. 27 October 2017. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  10. ^ "Strawberry Switchblade – Interviews by topic 13 - Recording the album". StrawberrySwitchblade.net. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  11. ^ a b c "Strawberry Switchblade – singles". StrawberrySwitchblade.net. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  12. ^ "Strawberry Switchblade - Interviews by topic 16 - Recording the album iv". StrawberrySwitchblade.net. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  13. ^ Jones, Josh (24 January 2018). "Hear Ursula K. Le Guin's Space Rock Opera Rigel 9: A Rare Recording from 1985". Open Culture. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  14. ^ Giaimo, Cara (24 January 2018). "Listen to Ursula K. Le Guin's Little-Known Space Opera". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  15. ^ "Strawberry Switchblade Albums". StrawberrySwitchblade.net. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  16. ^ "1982 4-Piece Demo Strawberry Switchblade". Night School Records. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  17. ^ "Strawberry Switchblade". Spotify. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  18. ^ "New music - Jill Bryson's blog and news". Jillbryson.com. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  19. ^ "THE SHAPISTS HOME". Theshapists.co.uk. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  20. ^ "1982 4 Piece Demo". Rough Trade. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  21. ^ a b "The Official Charts Company – Strawberry Switchblade". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
  22. ^ a b Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 535. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  23. ^ "Indie Hits "S"". Cherry Red Records. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
  24. ^ "The Irish Charts – All there is to know". IRMA 2006 – 2008. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
  25. ^ "dutchcharts.nl – Strawberry Switchblade – Since Yesterday". 2006-2009 Hung Medien / hitparade.ch. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
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