Nick van Eede ~ I Only Want To Be Number One (Single) ~ 1980 ~ Barn Records
Ironically prophetic/pathetic title from Nick when signed to Chas Chandler as Manager / Publisher / Record Company boss. This song did not enter the top 100, let alone become a number one! The third single of five released by Chas from an unforthcoming album where Nick, at least, finally got to cut his teeth in a major London studio. Other rarities on Barn by Nick include 'Rock and Roll Fool' & 'All or Nothing' Nick toured relentlessly throughout UK and Europe, including pre-Lech Walesa's Poland with label mates, SLADE....constantly followed by Communist 'behaviour police' All kicked off when roadies deposited 5 packs of washing powder in ornamental fountains at Katowice gig...entire front 3 rows were wiped out by a mountain of soap suds.
The Drivers ~ Short Cuts ~ 1982 ~ Greyhound Records UK / Dallcorte Records Canada
Three piece band from Sussex which reached mini cult-like status on the new wave pub / club circuit. Sold out Marquee club three times before leaving for Toronto to sign with Bernard Solomon’s gravy train label. Never been available in CD format YET..but negotiations are under way for all you die hard Drivers fanzzz!!!! Produced by Terry Brown and mixed at Morin Heights' Le Studio in Quebec's Laurentian mountains pretty soon after the Police had cut latest album there. Featured tongue-in cheek Canadian hit 'Tears on your Anorak'.....ironically not many Canadians knew what an anorak was even though the word is from indiginous Inuit culture!! Shot 4 very rare videos, soon to be posted on this site including Mak and Steve as Keystone Cop characters in Stolen Treasure clip!!!
Cutting Crew ~ Broadcast ~ 1986 - Siren Records
Featured the massively successful tracks [I Just] Died in Your Arms, which was a Number 1 in seventeen countries, and I’ve Been in Love Before, a top 10 hit worldwide. The album gained universal recognition and the band was nominated for a Grammy award as best new act. The band co-produced the album with Terry Brown (Rush, Blue Rodeo, Moist, Klaatu, The Tiles etc.) Look out for DIYA on soundtracks for new movies....'Reeker'/'Death of a Supermodel' & '40 Year Old Virgin'...intrigued??? DID YOU KNOW>>>Both DIYA and 'I'veBeen in Love before' have racked up close to 2 million plays each on US airways alone.
Cutting Crew ~ Broadcast ~ 1987 ~ Virgin Records (USA Release)
Some re-mixes included here of existing European/Japanese release above. Skelley Yakus and Jimmy Iovine at the helm in A&M studios Los Angeles. The band practically moved to LA for 87/88 (staying at the historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel for months...what a drag??) as they toured as headliners and on packages with The Bangles, Huey Lewis and Starship. Highlight was Grammy awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York and picking up Best Act in Tokyo and prestigious Diamond Award in Antwerp for European band!! Appearance playing live on Johnny Carson show had Canadian guitarist Kevin MacMichael throwing-up in washrooms as it was Johnny's birthday and viewer figures were predicted to be over 40 million!!!
Cutting Crew ~ One For The Mocking Bird (Single) ~ 1987 ~ Siren Records
Worldwide hit....not top 20 but kept the ball rolling for CC. Video for this shot in LA was severely hampered by MTV not showing it due to too many fast cuts and fearing for epilepsy sufferers!! This song was always a live crowd pleaser and is captured brilliantly on live cocert footage at Town and Country club birthday celebration gig (ITV). The band were super tight having returned from US tour and they showcased 6 tracks from recently released Scattering album. We truly hope to be able to post CC vids and concert footage here of this fab gig as time goes on. Original album cut was recorded at Chipping Norton Studios UK and overdubs done at Comforts Place studios owned by Andy Hill (Celine Dion writer)
Cutting Crew ~ The Scattering ~ 1989 ~ Siren Records
Tricky sophomore release that took far too long and lost the band momentum but, although not as big a seller as Broadcast, recognised by fans and press as their finest hour and still sold over a million. Title track was song written by Nick/Kevin based around the Irish expression meaning the exodus of all the youth/lifeblood of the villages to the lure of jobs and fun in the bigger Irish and British cities..leaving their birthplaces desolate of youngsters and family ties. This track had the immaculate Whistle Binkies (Scots folk band) accompanying. Album was recorded entirely at Curtis Schwartz's studio in deepest rural Sussex & the band dug deep to fight off US demands for bland radio-hit album....easily achieved.
Cutting Crew ~ The Scattering (U.S. Release) ~ 1989 ~ Siren Records
No US remixes this time. The record company had moved on to new champions like Janet Jackson and the Rolling Stones..the times they were a changin'.....new sleeve design but not much else. Get the jacket sleeve release for colector's item!!!!
Cutting Crew ~ (Between a) Rock And A Hard Place (Single) ~ 1989 ~ Siren Records
This was the opening single release and did OK but nothing like the previous album's cuts. Current music had galloped on to fresh new sounds like Neneh Cherry and Soul to Soul and although their fan base remained solid, interest wained at HQ. This song was a poke of fun at the record company who were screaming for a follow-up to 'Arms'..so Kevin wrote a guitar riff which is almost DIYA cello part back to front and Nick sang...'I got a brick but I can't find a window'. They were literally between a rock and a hard place. Managers left & managers arrived..but the band always played great live and toured Europe one last time.
Cutting Crew ~ The Scattering (Mini CD Single) ~ 1989 ~ Siren Records
A typical 80’s desperate attempt at a new format, the Mini CD was designed to bolster sales. Good collectors item..seen it on E-Bay a few times....very very good price mister!!! By the way...the most brilliant drums and bass parts here from Frosty and Colin.....at their super best on this album.
Videos for featured singles The Scattering/Everything But my Pride were shot in Australia and New Zealand directed by Alex Proyas. Again we hope to post them in time. See what the feckin' lawyers say!!
Cutting Crew ~ Everything But My Pride (Mini CD Single) ~ 1990 Siren Records
Top10 AC radio hit in U.S. CC was still adored by US radio but not transferring to sales. This gorgeous ballad was based on Kevin's recounting of a story once to Nick about his return to home one day to find his girl had left him taking every possesion from his apartment. Features Jackie Rawe delivering diva vocals on play-out. Peter Vetesse arranged all keys on this and it truly stands the test of time..Peter went on to work with Annie Lennox and if you listen hard you can hear Cutting Crew resonance throughout her work on their collaboration.
Cutting Crew ~ Compus Mentus ~ 1992 ~ Virgin International
…and then there were two! Frosty and Colin moved on, leaving Nick and Kevin to steer the Crew’s final album home. Recorded at Mill Studios in Maidenhead UK (previously owned by Jimmy Page). Superbly produced by Chris Neil and featured, possibly the band’s most overlooked gem, Frigid As England (a rework of a Geoff Lowe anthem supplied to Chris). Utter travesty as EMI bought Virgin in the same month of the album’s completion and Compus Mentus was never given a proper release. Listen out for brief appearances by John Lydon and Robert Plant and, of course, the blackbird in Nick's garden on final track EGO.
Cutting Crew ~ If That’s The Way You Want It (Single) ~ 1992 ~ Virgin International
The band’s swansong with a bitter lyric from Nick that sums up the last few months of the band's story so far. Within the year, Kevin was learning the chords to Whole Lotta Love as he took stage right, alongside R. Plant Esq. On a promo trip to good old faithful Germany they met their Virgin Queen, Sylvia Bell who had given so much support to CC over the years. It was a live TV performance of this single. Kevin and Nick were slotted to appear just before a huge German lady with her performing pink poodles!! They looked at each other, pissing with laughter, had a big hug and decided that was the end of CC.
Cutting Crew ~ The Best Of Cutting Crew ~ 1993 ~ Virgin Records
All the usual suspects. Typically no liaison with band on song choice or photo/artwork but album does contain some oddities....Contact High..live jam in studio cobbled together with Nick completely making up the lyrics from crib sheet. Who could forget...' and Manolito's boots wre lying on the floor'
Also the 80's techno-groove shuffle called 'Christians'. The album claims to include an extended version of DIYA....wow..its about 15 seconds longer. What Virgin or whoever should do is dig out the 12" version produced by Tim Palmer. It's brilliant and a great slice of 80's rock re-mixing.
Swamp ~ In Our Time ~ 1997 ~ Shag Talent Productions
All vocals by Nick, an album put together by his old mate Mak (The Drivers) and Steve Morley on Nick's Shag Talent label.....which featured seven fresh and esoteric tracks that should have made HMV’s front rack!
Songs include.....Cast of Thousands/Thinking About you/Set in Stone/Pulling Back my Soul
Not sure if it's still available anywhere???
Brett Ryan ~ Escaping Gravity ~ 1998 ~ Bratt Productions
Roped in by Canadian hit songster Brett Ryan for backing vocals / narration / carnival sounds (according to the sleeve notes!) on tracks with delicious titles like Michelangelo Mona Lisa & Me, Newton’s Law and A Place In The Universe. Old mucker Terry Brown produced and too many Bloody Caesars were drunk! Still available I think.
Nicholson ~ Under The Influence ~ 1998 ~ Loggerhead Records
Halifax, Nova Scotia has spawned many great voices. This list includes Wayne Nicholson’s fab R&B vocal cords. Kevin MacMichael produced this album and he managed to sneak in a Nick and Kev co-write called Can We Go Now? Big singalong chorus with happy-sad lyrics… “Can we go now, is it over, if you look back over your shoulder, you’ll hear every single word that I said…” Nobody knew at that time that it would be the closing song of Kevin’s benefit night, having been diagnosed with cancer.
Desire ~ Shine ~ 2000 ~ desirerocks.com
Take four Barbados beach bums??? (Brian, JJ, Adam and Lance) oozing with musical talent. Fly them to Washington DC and the album Shine is born. Nick co-wrote Not The One and oversaw all vocal recording and production. Band split up a few years later but Brian Marshall and JJ Poulter have collaborated to record a fab new album under the name KITE. Look out for new songs like Firefly and Nice to Finally meet you...buy this!!!!
Sugarland ~ Sugarland ~ 2001
Formed by and featuring Nick’s super talented mate, David Brooks. David is a long time writing collaborator who has been part of the Gary Numan band/Alphaville and finally put this scintillating collection of songs together. Nick sang all over it and co-wrote Coming Down. Not sure if it's still available...look hard it's worth every moment.
Marillion ~ Between You And Me / Map Of The World (Single) ~ 2001 ~ Intact Records
Nick has long been a new Marillion fan and invited frontman Steve Hogarth to join him for rum and sunsets at his home in Barbados. H arrived with ulterior motives and within the week Map Of The World was written, leaving another full week for sunshine and scuba.
Song is available on Marillion's 'Anoraknaphobia' album. Check out Marillion site links for Steve's hilarious recounting of story with Nick on catamaran and getting poisoned by deadly Manchineel apples..he lived and so does the yarn forever.
Resource ~ [I Just] Died In Your Arms (Dance Mixes) ~ 2002 ~ Urban Records
Nick cannot count the number of times permission has been asked for a re-work of Died In Your Arms, rejecting anything from a Finnish Death Metal version to countless awful dance versions! This one came out of the blue and out of the Ministry Of Sound stable and was delicious. Nick offered to sing backing vocals, he was that impressed, but eventually had to go through the surreal experience of discussing with a London session vocalist the tricks of how to impersonate Nick van Eede singing the anthem (as Resource, a beautiful teenaged boy singer front man, was merely a cosmetic veneer!)
Cutting Crew ~ The Best Of Cutting Crew ~ 2003 ~ EMI Records
Yet another compilation of the band’s greatest songs. Better packaging and some very 80's haircuts...but sadly same songs as last compilation..a little liason with the band and there could have been a much stronger collection assembled!!!....as so many rarities are apparently sitting around..unreleased trax and great demos. Get on to Virgin!!!!!!!!!!!
There are so many other projects Nick has been involved with like TJ Davis, Cathy Burton, Kadmon & fab producer, Mark Scott......but unfortunately we ran out of space (for now!)