Breathe (British band)
| Company type | Pop ensemble / Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1984 in London, England |
| Headquarters | London , England |
| Products | Music recordings, singles, albums |
Breathe was a British pop ensemble established in London in 1984, gaining commercial recognition during the late 1980s and early 1990s with tracks such as "Don't Tell Me Lies", "How Can I Fall?", and "Say a Prayer". Their most prominent single, "Hands to Heaven", reached number two on the US charts in August 1988.
Early years
The band members of Breathe were childhood acquaintances who attended Yateley School in north-east Hampshire. In 1982, they created a five-member jazz-inspired group named Catch 22, performing both cover versions and original compositions. This lineup consisted of David Glasper (lead vocals), Marcus Lillington (guitar and keyboards), Phill Harrison (bass), Michael Delahunty (bass guitar), and Ian Spice (drums). Glasper reflected on their wide-ranging musical influences—from Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd to soul and rock—which initially resulted in an eclectic sound that developed through local gigs.
After Phill Harrison departed to pursue a career with the Fire Brigade, the band adopted the name Breathe.
1984–89
Breathe started producing demo recordings in 1984, which secured them a deal with Siren Records, a subsidiary of Virgin Records, in 1985.
By May 1985, the band was recording in the studio and released their debut single "Don't Tell Me Lies" in January 1986, which peaked at number 77 on the UK Singles Chart. Their follow-up single, "In All Honesty", released in May 1986, did not chart.
Following common industry practice, an up-tempo version of "Jonah" was released as their third UK single in May 1987. In the US, A&M Records issued their album All That Jazz on 24 August 1987, with "Jonah" as the lead American single; however, it failed to enter the charts. Siren Records launched "All That Jazz" in the UK in August 1987 ahead of the album's October release. Although the title track did not chart, the album later yielded hit singles "Hands to Heaven" and "How Can I Fall?".
In September 1987, Breathe embarked on their inaugural national tour titled The Big Blow Tour, comprising 17 performances. After four singles that did not achieve success, Siren released "Hands To Heaven" in October 1987; A&M followed with its US release in January 1988. A remixed version of "Any Trick" was issued in March 1988.
In the United States, "Hands To Heaven" entered Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart in February 1988 and debuted on the Hot 100 at number 90 by April. It ultimately reached number two on the US charts and number four in the UK within that year.
Midway through 1988, changes occurred within management and band personnel, including the dismissal of bassist Michael Delahunty for musical reasons. Subsequently, A&M released "How Can I Fall?", which charted on both Adult Contemporary and Hot 100 charts by September. Responding to the success of "Hands to Heaven," Siren Records reissued All That Jazz for the UK market featuring updated cover art and a revised tracklist that included a remix of "Don't Tell Me Lies".
In September 1988, Breathe supported Belinda Carlisle as her opening act during the Good Heavens Tour. The reissued version of All That Jazz entered the UK album charts in October 1988. That same month, the remixed single "Jonah" reached number 60 on UK charts.
By late 1988, work commenced on their sophomore album Peace of Mind. In the US market, "How Can I Fall?" held the top position on Adult Contemporary charts for two weeks and peaked at number three on the Hot 100.
Billboard ranked "Hands To Heaven" ninth for 1988 and placed "How Can I Fall?" twenty-seventh for 1989 on their year-end listings.
On January 3, 1989, A&M issued a remix of "Don't Tell Me Lies," which climbed to number ten on US charts by March. This achievement made Breathe the first act under A&M to have three top ten singles from a debut album. The track also attained number five on Adult Contemporary charts. However, neither "How Can I Fall?" nor "Don't Tell Me Lies" managed to break into the UK Top 40.
In April 1989, A&M released "All This I Should Have Known" as the final single from All That Jazz, reaching number thirty-four on Adult Contemporary charts but failing to enter the Hot 100.
In May 1989, Billboard acknowledged David Glasper (#12) and Marcus Lillington (#13) among leading pop songwriters for their work in 1988. Later that year, they received ASCAP pop awards for their songs "Hands To Heaven" and "How Can I Fall?".
1990-92
David Glasper and Marcus Lillington resumed their songwriting efforts for the band's sophomore album, Peace of Mind, entering the recording studio again in December 1989 with producer Bob Sargeant. Glasper teamed up with songwriter Francis "Eg" White to co-write four tracks on the album.
In 1990, Glasper and Lillington received recognition at the ASCAP Pop Awards for the strong US radio play of their songs "How Can I Fall?" and "Don't Tell Me Lies".
The album Peace of Mind was launched on 20 August 1990 across the UK, Europe, and other international markets, followed by a US release on 4 September.
Three singles were promoted from the album: "Say a Prayer" was released in August 1990 in the US, reaching #21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and climbing to #3 on the Adult Contemporary chart; its UK release in October peaked at #93. "Say Hello", released on 3 September in the UK and Europe, attained a peak position of #88 in the UK charts. The November single "Does She Love That Man?" did not chart in the UK but reached #34 on the US Hot 100 and #17 Adult Contemporary, credited as "Breathe featuring David Glasper".
In early 1991, A&M Records issued "Without Your Love" as a promotional single in the US, again under the name ‘Breathe featuring David Glasper’.
By 1992, Breathe had dissolved, reportedly due to dissatisfaction with insufficient promotional backing from A&M following its acquisition by PolyGram (now part of Universal Music Group) in 1989.
Reflecting in a 2012 interview, Marcus Lillington mentioned that the band "gradually unraveled during the production of Peace of Mind", attributing this to reduced enthusiasm for marketing compared to their debut album and a sense that the new material did not live up to their initial work.
Members
- Final lineup
- David Glasper – lead vocals
- Marcus Lillington – guitar, keyboards
- Ian Spice ("Spike") – drums and percussion
- Former members
- Michael "Mick" Delahunty – bass guitar
- Timeline
Musical roles adapted from album liner notes.
ImageSize = width:600 height:200 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:80 top:10 right:10 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1984 till:01/01/1992 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
Colors =
id:vocals value:red legend:Vocals id:guitar value:green legend:Guitars id:bass value:blue legend:Bass id:keyboards value:purple legend:Keyboards,_Programming id:drums value:orange legend:Drums,_Percussion id:lines1 value:black legend:Studio_Albums
Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:1 ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:2 start:1985 ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:1984
BarData =
bar:David text:David Glasper bar:Marcus text:Marcus Lillington bar:Spike text:Ian Spice bar:Mick text:Michael Delahunty
PlotData=
width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
bar:David from:start till:end color:vocals bar:Marcus from:start till:end color:guitar bar:Marcus from:start till:end color:keyboards width:3 bar:Mick from:start till:01/04/1988 color:bass bar:Spike from:start till:end color:drums
LineData=
at:24/08/1987 color:lines1 layer:back at:20/08/1990 color:lines1 layer:back
</timeline>
Member Profiles
David Glasper: Born on January 4, 1965, in Cardigan, Wales, David John Glasper was the third child of Creswell and Dorothy Glasper. In a November 1988 issue of Smash Hits magazine, he was described as tall with hazel eyes and noted for driving a blue Volkswagen Beetle. Producer Chris Porter characterized him as "a sensitive soul and very earnest".
Marcus Lillington: Marcus Brian John Lillington entered the world on February 28, 1967, in Bideford, Devon. He was the third offspring of Brian and Margaret Lillington. As reported in November 1988, he stood tall with blue eyes.
Ian Spice ("Spike"): Ian Michael Spice was born on September 18, 1966, in Chiswick, West London. He was the eldest child of Michael and Pamela Spice. A feature from 1988 described him as tall with blue eyes, driving an orange Volkswagen Beetle, and having previously worked in a toy factory. Producer Chris Porter remarked that Spike "probably had the toughest job at the time". Ian Spice passed away on September 24, 2000.
Michael Delahunty: Michael Christopher Delahunty was born in 1965.
Studio albums
| Album | Information | Highest chart rankings | Certifications (Sales benchmarks) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | CAN | GER | SWE | US | |||
| All That Jazz |
|
22 | 43 | 50 | 12 | 34 |
|
| Peace of Mind |
|
— | — | — | — | 116 | |
| "—" indicates albums that did not enter the charts | |||||||
Compilation albums
| Album title | Release details | Track information | Production credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best of Breathe Template:Ref |
|
Features seven songs from All That Jazz (1987) alongside five tracks from Peace of Mind (1990). |
|
Template:NoteIssued regionally without participation from original band members; no previously unreleased or exclusive content included.
Box sets
| Title | Release information | Content description |
|---|---|---|
| This Shining Moment. Recordings 1986 to 1990 Template:Ref |
|
Contains vinyl editions of the studio albums All That Jazz (1987) and Peace of Mind (1990), a seven-inch single featuring "In All Honesty," plus a translucent blue twelve-inch vinyl single including the US extended version of "Hands To Heaven," along with B-sides and rare tracks. Total track count is 28.[1] [2] |
Template:NoteProduced without direct involvement from the band members.
Interview cassette
"An Interview and Music with Breathe's David Glasper"
- Year of release: 1990
- Record label: Siren
- Medium: Cassette single
This promotional cassette includes a conversation with Glasper, interwoven with selections from All That Jazz and Peace of Mind. Glasper elaborates on his songwriting process, the themes explored, and the creative influences behind prominent singles like Say Hello, Does She Love That Man, and Say a Prayer.
Singles
| Year | Month | Single | Highest chart rankings | B-Side | Album | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | AUS | CAN | GER | NOR | NZ | SWE | US | US AC | |||||
| 1986 | Jan | "Don't Tell Me Lies" (initial release) | 77 | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | "Moments" | All That Jazz |
| May | "In All Honesty" | — | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | "Take a Little Time" | Non-album single | |
| 1987 | May | "Jonah" (initial release) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | "In All Honesty" | All That Jazz |
| Aug | "All That Jazz" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | x | x | "Stay" | ||
| Oct | "Hands to Heaven" | 4 | 95 | 5 | 29 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 2 | 2 | "Life and Times" | ||
- Note: Although not originally part of the album, "In All Honesty" was included on the 1988 UK/European cassette reissue of All That Jazz.
Home videos
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| All That Jazz: The Video Singles |
|
| All That Jazz: The Videos |
|
| Breathe (David Glasper) Music Video Anthology |
|
Issued without participation from the band
- The collection All That Jazz: The Video Singles features five music videos including "Hands To Heaven," "How Can I Fall?," the original version of "Don't Tell Me Lies," along with two takes of "Jonah."
- All That Jazz: The Videos presents four music videos combined with an interview segment, showcasing "Jonah," "Hands To Heaven," "How Can I Fall?," and the 1989 rendition of "Don't Tell Me Lies."
- The DVD Breathe (David Glasper) Music Video Anthology offers ten music videos, highlighting the third version of Jonah, as well as Say a Prayer, and Does She Love That Man?.
Music videos
| Title | Year | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| "Don't Tell Me Lies" (first version) | 1985 | Simon Milne |
| "In All Honesty" | 1986 | – |
| "Jonah" (initial) | 1987 | Mark Lebon & Nick Jones |
| "Jonah" (second version) | 1987 | Drew Carolan |
| "Hands To Heaven" | 1987 | Eamon McCabe |
| "How Can I Fall?" | 1988 | Greg Gold |
| "Jonah" (third version) | 1988 | Greg Gold |
| "Don't Tell Me Lies" (second version) | 1989 | The Molotov Brothers |
| "All This I Should Have Known" | 1989 | – |
| "Say A Prayer" | 1990 | Mike Rowles |
| "Say A Prayer (Save My Soul)" | 1990 | Mike Rowles |
| "Say Hello" | 1990 | – |
| "Does She Love That Man?" | 1990 | Jesse Dylan |
Management
At the start, Breathe's management was handled by Karl Adams from Spearhead Management, but the band ended their partnership with him in early 1988 following disputes regarding their artistic direction. David Glasper later expressed dissatisfaction with the management's emphasis on image, believing it limited the band's broader appeal. Following Adams' exit, Breathe entered into a contract with Paul King's Outlaw Management.
Paul King
Paul King initiated his career promoting live events at Brunel University beginning in 1970, playing a significant role in establishing the venue as a prominent stop for touring acts such as Elton John and The Kinks. His subsequent endeavors included managing Morrissey's tours, which ultimately concluded with financial difficulties and liquidation. Additionally, King was involved in fashion retail and telecommunications; his company Marlin Telecom was dissolved in 2000. Paul King died in October 2015 at age 63 after battling cancer.
External links
- Breathe biography at AllMusic
- Breathe discography at AllMusic
- Breathe discography at Discogs
- 'Please start from the beginning... with Marcus Lillington', 2009 Interview at Vimeo
- Ian Spice at Findagrave
- ↑ "Breathe. This Shining Moment. Recordings 1986 to 1990. Deluxe Limited Ed". The Flood Gallery. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
- ↑ "This Shining Moment". www.amazon.com. Retrieved 2020-01-19.