A much more complete treatment can be seen in the Kajagoogoo article at Wikipedia.
| Kajagoogoo | |
| |
| Background information | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Kaja, Art Nouveau |
| Origin | Bedfordshire, England |
| Genre | New Wave, Synthpop, Pop, Rock |
| Years active | 1979–1986 |
| Asociated acts | Limahl Duran Duran Nick Rhodes |
| Members | Limahl Nick Beggs Steve Askew Stewart Croxford Neale Jez Strode |
| Nick Rhodes related | |
Kajagoogoo were a British pop band best known for their first single, "Too Shy", which reached number one in the UK Singles Chart and number five in the U.S Billboard Hot 100 in 1983. The single was produced by keyboardist Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran and Colin Thurston who was, at the time, Duran Duran's in-house producer.
History[]
The band was founded in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, in 1979 as Art Nouveau, with Nick Beggs on bass guitar, Steve Askew on lead guitar, Stuart Croxford Neale on keyboards and Jez Strode on drums. In 1981, they advertised for and auditioned lead singers, and finally chose Christopher Hamill, who used an anagram of his surname for his stage name, becoming Limahl.
The band attracted the interest of three record labels (and Duran Duran's Nick Rhodes) while performing at the Embassy Club in London. The band was signed to EMI in July of 1982, and Rhodes was signed to produce their first album, White Feathers. The debut single "Too Shy" was released in January of 1983 and went to the top of the charts (before any of Duran Duran's singles had done so, Rhodes noted ruefully). Follow-up releases "Ooh to Be Aah" and "Hang on Now" both reached the UK top twenty as well.
The band fired Limahl in 1983, with Beggs taking over as singer for two more albums before the band broke up completely in 1986. Limahl had a solo hit single with "Neverending Story" in 1984. He, Beggs, and the other band members have continued to make music in solo ventures and as contributors to other groups and projects.
The band reunited briefly for the VH1 show Bands Reunited. Nick Beggs worked extensively with Warren Cuccurullo on much of the solo material the guitarist worked on during breaks in Duran Duran's schedule.
Discography[]
Studio albums
- 1983 White Feathers - #5 UK, #38 U.S.
- 1984 Islands - #35 UK (U.S. title Extra Play, as Kaja) - #185 U.S.
- 1985 Crazy People's Right to Speak (released as Kaja)
Compilations
- 1993 Too Shy: The Singles and More
- 1996 The Best of Kajagoogoo & Limahl
- 1996 The Very Best of Kajagoogoo
- 2003 Very Best of Kajagoogoo
Singles
- 1983 "Too Shy" - #1 UK, #5 U.S.
- 1983 "Ooh to Be Ah" - #7 UK
- 1983 "Hang on Now" - #13 UK, #78 U.S.
- 1983 "Big Apple" #8 UK
- 1984 "The Lion's Mouth" - #25 UK
- 1984 "Turn Your Back On Me" - #47 UK
- 1985 "Shouldn't Do That" (as Kaja)- #63 UK
External links[]
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