Don't You 12 inch

Mark Fisher (1959 - 2016)

This septet of musicians included drummer and vocalist Weston Foster, saxophonist Lloyd Dwyer, keyboardist Mark Fisher, bassist Junior Bromfield, guitarist Simon Eyre, percussionist George Bromfield, and trumpeter cum vocalist Frank Burke. Their name bore a striking resemblence, to a chain of clothing stores that were situated in the London area. As is the norm with most bands, for years they honed their craft through the gigs that they performed, and eventually issued a number of singles such as Fall In Love and Dance Dance Dance.

They entered the Freddie Starr Showcase talent competition, which like New Faces and Opportunity Knocks was one of the many predecessors to Fame Academy and X Factor to appear on British television. They surprised all concerned by reaching the show’s final, and eventually went on to win the contest in 1983. The pioneering radio DJ Robbie Vincent became their manager, and they joined Polydor's roster which at the time included Level 42. That same year saw the release of their Better Take Time LP, which included the singles Special Lady, Can’t Keep Holding On written by David Grant, What's Happening, the very vibrant Star, the truly sublime Love Turns Me Upside Down, and the titular track. They were produced by Roy Carter and then Pete Wingfield, both of whom were members of Olympic Runners.

Their next LP Strange Reflections came two years hence, after they moved onto the MCA record label, and featured Don’t You, Sing And Shout, and Lights Out a track written by former Heatwave member Rod Temperton, who also wrote hits for Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson. Although their singles received good airplay especially on pirate stations, unfortunately the group did not attain the commercial success in the charts that they so readily deserved, and were unable to fulfil their potential. Their fragmentation was inevitable, and among the first signs was Mark Fisher’s departure to a solo deal with DJ Steve Walsh’s Total Control label, which was distributed through EMI. Fisher went on to join the latin influenced band Matt Bianco.

In recent years, Junior Bromfield has co-created a house and garage production team, under the studio moniker of Ruff & Tumble, whilst his brother has carved out quite a careera for himself, as solo artist Georgie B.

*Updated 19 December, 2016

Better Take Time LP