Electric Guitars
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1980 |
| Founder | Neil Davenport, Richard Hall |
| Defunct | 1983 |
| Headquarters | Bristol , United Kingdom |
| Products | Music recordings, singles, albums |
Electric Guitars was a British group established in early 1980 by Neil Davenport (vocals, lyricist) and Richard Hall (bass, vocals), both of whom were English students at Bristol University. The band later grew to include Andy Sanders (guitar, vocals), Matt Salt (drums), Dick Truscott (keyboards), along with backing vocalists Sarah and Wendy Partridge. Their initial single, "Health" / "Continental Shelf," was launched in 1980 through the local Fried Egg Records label.
In 1980, they provided four live recordings for the inaugural issue of The Bristol Recorder. The following year, their second single "Work" / "Don’t Wake the Baby" was released on Recreational Records, achieving a peak position of No. 45 on the UK Indie Chart. Supporting The Thompson Twins on tour secured them a deal with Stiff Records. Their debut Stiff release, "Language Problems," came out in 1982, followed by an EP that included "Beat Me Hollow," later covered by Toni Basil for her television special. In his 1982 publication about Stiff Records, Bert Muirhead forecasted considerable success for Electric Guitars, citing the combined backing from Stiff, producer Martin Rushent, and Worldchief Management (OMD). Despite this, after issuing the "Wolfman Tap" single via Naive Records, the band dissolved in August 1983.
Trivia
Electric Guitars featured in a Japanese commercial for Royal Dutch Shell entitled Shell, We Shall.
Following their time with Electric Guitars, Sarah and Wendy Partridge contributed vocals to Shriekback. Additionally, Electric Guitars served as an opening act for Peter Gabriel during his Security tour.
Albums
- Jolts (2008, Bristol Archive Records, UK, Digital Release, ARC026)
- Electric Guitars – The Stiff Recordings (?, Stiff Records, UK, Digital Release)
Singles
- "Health" / "Continental Shelf" (1980, Fried Egg Records, UK, 7", EGG 012)
- "Work" / "Don't Wake the Baby" (1981, Recreational Records, UK, 7", SPORT 4)
- "Language Problems" / "Night Bears" (1982, Stiff Records, UK, 7", BUY 148)
- "Language Problems" / "Night Bears" / "Ex-US Presidents" (1982, Stiff Records, UK, 12", BUYIT 148)
- "Language Problems" / "Night Bears" / "Ex-US Presidents" (1982, Victoria Records, Spain, 12", VIC-052)
- "Beat Me Hollow" / "Genghis Khan" / "My Big Surprise" / "The Cupboard" EP (1982, Stiff Records, UK, 12", BUYIT 161)
- "Wolfman Tap" / "Stamp Out The Termites" (1983, Naive Records, UK, 7", NAV 5)
- "Wolfman Tap" / "Stamp Out The Termites" (1983, Naive Records, UK, 12", 12 NAV 5)
Compilation Appearances
- Fried Alive 1980 World Tour EP (1980, Fried Egg Records)
- The Bristol Recorder (1980, Wavelength Records, UK, LP/Magazine)
- E(gg)clectic 1 (1980, Fried Egg Records, UK, LP)
- Volume 6 Program 2 (1983, Disconet Program Service, USA, Double 12")
- The Stiff Records Box Set (1992, Demon Records, UK, Four-CD Set)
- Western Stars – The Bands That Built Bristol Vol. 1 (2001, Bristol Archive Records, UK, CD)
- The Big Stiff Box Set (2007, Salvo Records, UK, Four-CD Set)
- E(gg)clectic 1 [Reissue] (2008, Bristol Archive Records, UK, Digital Download)