Jay Aston rejoining Bucks Fizz - guilty pleasure!
Posted by: Jonathan Gorse on 04 May 2009
Well 24 years after she departed Jay Aston is rejoining her old bandmates and hitting the road and the studio. It's not quite like McCartney pulling the Beatles back together I'll grant you, but Bucks Fizz were a guilty pleasure from my youth alongside more credible fare such as Led Zep, Floyd, Mac and ELO.
The surprising thing I have discovered on buying up their remastered albums recently is how good much of their material is, but then many of the songs were written by Andy Hill and performed by a band who can really sing and harmonize.
For me though, Jay Aston was always the standout performer who was robbed of her chance to pursue a lucrative solo career by legal wranglings. I had pictures of her all over my bedroom wall at thirteen, so my fascination wasn't entirely motivated by purely musical considerations, but there's no denying she is a performer of great charisma and ability.
For those of you who don't think Fizz ever did anything decent check out the single 'Heart of Stone' on Youtube which was later covered by Cher in a greatly inferior version or 'Rules of the Game' a fantastic song that still really holds up today. If you want to see Jay in all her glory then I recommend 'When we were young' - which is to Bucks Fizz what Bohemian Rhapsody is to Queen!!
I'm going to see them live alongside Howard Jones and a number of other 80's acts this Summer which I think will also be a great event to take the family. My 4 yr old Daughter has already become a huge BF fan as a result of Dad playing the albums all the time recently (I'm not sure that will enhance her street cred at school though!!)
Jonathan
The surprising thing I have discovered on buying up their remastered albums recently is how good much of their material is, but then many of the songs were written by Andy Hill and performed by a band who can really sing and harmonize.
For me though, Jay Aston was always the standout performer who was robbed of her chance to pursue a lucrative solo career by legal wranglings. I had pictures of her all over my bedroom wall at thirteen, so my fascination wasn't entirely motivated by purely musical considerations, but there's no denying she is a performer of great charisma and ability.
For those of you who don't think Fizz ever did anything decent check out the single 'Heart of Stone' on Youtube which was later covered by Cher in a greatly inferior version or 'Rules of the Game' a fantastic song that still really holds up today. If you want to see Jay in all her glory then I recommend 'When we were young' - which is to Bucks Fizz what Bohemian Rhapsody is to Queen!!
I'm going to see them live alongside Howard Jones and a number of other 80's acts this Summer which I think will also be a great event to take the family. My 4 yr old Daughter has already become a huge BF fan as a result of Dad playing the albums all the time recently (I'm not sure that will enhance her street cred at school though!!)
Jonathan
quote:Originally posted by Jonathan Gorse:
I had pictures of her all over my bedroom wall at thirteen, so my fascination wasn't entirely motivated by purely musical considerations
When I was 13 I had pictures of Leicester City FC all over my bedroom wall ...
I look at that point in time as the start of my mental decline
The gig is West Wycombe Live 26th June with Bucks Fizz, Altered Images, Howard Jones, Nick Kershaw - always loved his 'Wouldn't it be good' single!
Glad I'm not the only one with a soft spot for the Fizz. Their first gig is in fact in a gay club in London called GAY which I suspect will bring the house down because apparently Jay Aston is something of a gay icon in the same way Abba are. I shan't make that though because it's just a few tracks and it's 1.30am.
I'd have loved to have written a review for HFN and made reference to using a Fizz track for reviewing - I expect the Ed of the esteemed journal would have choked on his tea!
Anyway, here's some Jay especially for Mark and I!
Jonathan
Glad I'm not the only one with a soft spot for the Fizz. Their first gig is in fact in a gay club in London called GAY which I suspect will bring the house down because apparently Jay Aston is something of a gay icon in the same way Abba are. I shan't make that though because it's just a few tracks and it's 1.30am.
I'd have loved to have written a review for HFN and made reference to using a Fizz track for reviewing - I expect the Ed of the esteemed journal would have choked on his tea!
Anyway, here's some Jay especially for Mark and I!
Jonathan
Don't people change over the years... 