Girls at Our Best!
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1979 in Leeds, England |
| Defunct | 1982 |
| Headquarters | Leeds , England |
| Products | Music albums and singles |
Girls at Our Best! was a post-punk group originating from Leeds, England, formed in 1979 initially under the name The Butterflies. Throughout their brief existence of three years, they secured multiple hits on the UK Indie Chart.
History
The band’s founding members included lead singer Judy "Jo" Evans, guitarist James "Jez" Alan, bassist Gerard "Terry" Swift, and drummer Chris Oldroyd.[1]
Their name was inspired by a lyric from "Warm Girls," which appeared as the B-side of their self-produced debut single "Getting Nowhere Fast" released in 1980 on their own Record Records label. This debut single climbed to No. 9 on the UK Indie Chart.
Following Oldroyd's departure to join Music for Pleasure, he was succeeded by Paul Simon[2], who had previously played with Limmie Funk Limited, Neo, among others.
In November 1980, they issued their second single, "Politics," backed with "It's Fashion!", through Record Records with distribution by Rough Trade, which reached No. 12 on the Indie Chart.[3]
Before recording their John Peel session on 17 February 1981,[4] Paul Simon was replaced by Darren Carl Harper, formerly of the Expelaires.
Their June 1981 release, "Go for Gold," issued through Happy Birthday Records, became their highest-charting single on the Indie Chart, reaching No. 4.[3]
The band’s sole album, Pleasure, was released on 20 October 1981. Drumming duties during the recording were shared between Rod Johnson and Darren Harper, who left midway through the sessions. As Happy Birthday Records' first release, the album came with a "Pleasure Bag" containing stickers and postcards. It attained No. 2 on the UK Indie Chart and No. 60 on the UK Albums Chart.[1][3] Their fourth single, "Fast Boyfriends," featuring the B-side "This Train," followed shortly after in October 1981.
Girls at Our Best! dissolved in 1982.[1]
Produced by Dale Griffin, their 1981 John Peel session was released as a 12" EP by Strange Fruit Records in 1987. This release included tracks such as "China Blue" and a medley entitled "Getting Beautiful Warm Gold Fast from Nowhere."
The album Pleasure saw re-releases with bonus material—singles, session recordings, and demos—by Vinyl Japan in 1994 and later by Cherry Red Records in 2009. In 2014, Optic Nerve Recordings issued a double vinyl edition featuring the original album alongside all four singles.[5]
Other projects
Evans made a guest contribution to Thomas Dolby's 1982 release The Golden Age of Wireless, where Dolby himself played synthesizer on the track "Pleasure". Alan went on to join Sexbeat and subsequently Tall Boys, and he now heads the FD Music Production program at Leeds College of Music. After departing from Girls at Our Best!, Simon collaborated with Dolby to create the Fallout Club, and later worked alongside Ken Lockie and Glen Matlock. During the 1990s, he partnered with his brother Robin Simon, known for his guitar work with Ultravox and Magazine, to establish Ajanta Music.
Legacy
The song "Getting Nowhere Fast" was interpreted by The Wedding Present as a B-side on their 1987 release "Anyone Can Make a Mistake". This track was also featured in the 2023 Netflix miniseries Who Is Erin Carter?. Moreover, "Politics" was included in the Netflix show 'Ripper', highlighting the transformation of late 1970s women's fashion within the post-punk era alongside the context of the Yorkshire Ripper investigation.
Members
- Judy "Jo" Evans – lead vocals (1979–1982)
- James "Jez" Alan – guitarist (1979–1982)
- Gerard "Terry" Swift – bassist (1979–1982)
- Chris Oldroyd – drummer (1979–1980)
- Paul Simon – drums (1980)
- Darren Carl Harper – drummer (1980–1981)
- Rod Johnson – drums (1981–1982)
Studio albums
- Pleasure (1981, Happy Birthday Records) Reached No. 2 on UK Indie Albums, No. 60 on UK Albums Chart
Singles and EPs
- "Getting Nowhere Fast" (1980, Record Records) Peaked at No. 9 on UK Indie Singles
- "Politics" (1980, Record Records) Reached No. 12 on UK Indie Singles
- "Go for Gold" (1981, Happy Birthday Records) Hit No. 4 on UK Indie Singles
- "Fast Boyfriends" (1981, Happy Birthday Records) Charted at No. 19 on UK Indie Singles
- The Peel Sessions EP (1987, Strange Fruit Records) Attained No. 27 on UK Indie Singles
External links
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Strong, Martin C. (2003) "Girls at Our Best", in The Great Indie Discography, Canongate, ISBN 1-84195-335-0
- ↑ Paul Simon biography at Ajanta Music
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Lazell, Barry (1997) Indie Hits 1980–1989, Cherry Red Books, ISBN 0-9517206-9-4
- ↑ Girls at Our Best at BBC's Keeping It Peel site
- ↑ "Girls At Our Best!* - Pleasure | Releases". Discogs.com. 2017-09-16. Retrieved 2020-05-25.