The Assembly
The Assembly | |
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| Origin | Basildon, Essex, England |
| Genres | Synth-pop |
| Years active | 1983 |
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| Past members | |
The Assembly were a British synth-pop project formed in 1983 in Basildon, England, by Vince Clarke (songwriting, keyboards, backing vocals) and Eric Radcliffe (songwriting, production).
Feargal Sharkey was hired as a guest vocalist for the A-side of the duo's only single, "Never Never". Clarke and Radcliffe had planned to use a different singer on each track the duo recorded,[1] but the duo disbanded after the release of "Never Never".
Band history[edit]
Clarke founded the Assembly shortly after disbanding Yazoo (featuring vocalist Alison Moyet), upon completion and distribution of Yazoo's 1983 album, You and Me Both.[2]
The Assembly marked the most involved phase of Clarke's long-term professional relationship with sound engineer Radcliffe, who had contributed significant influences to the recordings of Clarke's previous bands, Depeche Mode and Yazoo. However, the Assembly project never became a full-fledged band and resulted in only one single release, the UK hit "Never Never".[2] It featured a sampled guitar track triggered note for note on a Fairlight CMI. The sound was augmented by session musician Clem Clempson on electric guitar.[1]
Former Undertones frontman Feargal Sharkey was hired to sing on this track. Clarke and Radcliffe had planned to use a different singer on each track the group recorded,[1] but none were released after "Never Never".[2]
The other track on the single, "Stop/Start", was an instrumental, featuring Clarke's signature songwriting style with syncopation that gradually became the downbeat of the musical phrase.[citation needed]
Despite the commercial success of the single, the Assembly was no longer a functioning entity by the end of 1984. Clarke went on to form Erasure with vocalist and co-songwriter Andy Bell in 1985.[2] Although Erasure worked with Radcliffe on some of their early work, they eventually began working with other producers and engineers, including Flood. Sharkey, for his part, began a successful solo career in 1984,[2] and achieved his only UK number one single in 1985 with "A Good Heart".
"Never Never" was re-released on CD single in 1996 with four tracks, containing both the normal and extended versions of both the title song, and "Stop/Start".[1] The music video for "Never Never", filmed at Upminster Windmill in the London Borough of Havering, was featured on the first Now That's What I Call Music! video in 1983, though it did not feature on the corresponding compilation album.
Reunion[edit]
In May 2011, Sharkey appeared on stage during the Erasure set at Mute Records' Short Circuit music festival for a one-off performance of "Never, Never" with Clarke.
Discography[edit]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d "The Assembly | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Colin Larkin, ed. (2003). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music (Third ed.). Virgin Books. pp. 32/3. ISBN 1-85227-969-9.
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 31. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ "Assembly - Never Never". bpi.co.uk. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
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