Fashion -

Fashion was an English new wave trio (later quartet) that released three albums and a clutch of singles between 1979 and 1984. Bassist-synthesist John Mulligan and drummer Dik Davis remained through three lineups fronted in succession by Luke James, De Harriss, and Alan Darby.

In the three-year gap between their debut album Product Perfect (released under the name Fàshiön Music) and sophomoric effort Fabrique, they switched from a jagged, sui generis sound to a slicker, dancier style. Fabrique reached No. 10 on the UK Albums Chart and spawned chart hits with “Streetplayer (Mechanik),” “Love Shadow,” and “Eye Talk.”

Members: Dik [Dick Davis] (percussion, vocals), Dave “De” Harris (guitar, lead vocals, 1979-82), Mulligán [John Mulligan] (bass, synthesizers, vocals), Lûke [Luke James] (vocals, guitar, 1977-79), Martin Recchi (bass, vocals, 1980-84), Troy Tate (vocals, guitar, 1982-83), Alan Darby (guitar, vocals, 1983-84)

Background

Fashion formed in Birmingham in 1978 when bassist and keyboardist John Mulligan (born John Joe Salvatore Martinez Marion Mulligan) teamed with drummer Dick Davis and singer–guitarist Al James, who performed under the names Luke Sky, Luke Skyscraper, and Lûke. They first performed as Fàshiön Music and started a namesake label for their own releases.

Fàshiön Music issued the non-album single “Steady Eddie Steady” in November 1978, backed with “Killing Time,” a non-album Miki Cottrell exclusive.

A. “Steady Eddie Steady” (3:28)
B. “Killing Time” (5:13)

“Citinite” followed in June 1979, backed with “Wastelife,” a non-album Cottrell exclusive. The release brought the group to I.R.S., which handled its overseas recordings.

B. “Wastelife” (4:27)

Pröduct Perfect

Fàshiön Music released its debut album, Pröduct Perfect, in July 1979 through its own label. I.R.S. issued the US edition in September.

Singer-guitarist James fronts bassist-synthesist Mulligan; drummer-percussionist Davis completes the original trio. The three musicians share every composition credit with producer Miki Cottrell.

“Red, Green and Gold” quickens through a reggae pulse as harmonica crosses its refrain. “Citinite” darts through skittering electronics while Luke James dislocates stresses across an elusive refrain; a calmer coda breaks from preceding sections. “Bike Boys” runs on upbeat riffing that preserves shape of its 1978 demo.

A1. “Product Perfect” (3:51)
A2. “Die in the West” (4:12)
A3. “Red, Green and Gold” (4:40)
A4. “Burning Down” (3:27)
A5. “Big John/Hanoi Annoys Me/Innocent” (7:24)

B1. “Citinite” (5:18)
B2. “Don’t Touch Me” (3:00)
B3. “Bike Boys” (5:05)
B4. “Fashion” (3:30)
B5. “Technofascist” (3:35)

Sessions occurred in early 1979 at Grosvenor Studios in Birmingham with producer-engineer Miki Cottrell, the trio’s soundman and collaborator on its debut single. Fashion shared production credit with Cottrell and used the Fashion Design name for the sleeve.

Product Perfect carries a collective Fashion cover-art credit, with no separate designer or photographer named on the LP. The front sleeve places a full-length fashion model against a green field within a black border. Bassist–synthesist John Mulligan also served as group designer and used Microgramma Bold Extended for the band and album nameplates.

I.R.S. issued the US-only “The Innocent” in September 1979 with an edited “Red, Green & Gold” and the non-album “Sodium Pentathol Negative.”

B1. “Red, Green & Gold” (3:15)
B2. “Sodium Pentathol Negative” (1:50)

Luke James issued a CD edition in 2008. Easy Action revisited the original lineup with the 2022 archival set Fàshiön Music, which combines the early singles and demos with a January 1979 concert from RAF Brize Norton.

Lineup Changes, 1980–81

Fàshiön Music issued the non-album single “Silver Blades” in March 1980, backed with “Silver Blades (A Deeper Cut),” a non-album Philip Savage exclusive. The single reached No. 29 on the UK Independent Singles Chart.

A. “Silver Blades” (2:46)
B. “Silver Blades (A Deeper Cut)” (3:24)

An otherwise unreleased Fashion cut, “Let Go,” appears on the 1980 EMI/Odeon release Bouncing In The Red – A Birmingham Compilation, which also includes cuts by UB40, Steel Pulse, Steve Gibbons Band, Wide Boys, Dangerous Girls, and Mean Street Dealers.

Luke James left following a June 1980 London performance with U2. Singer-guitarist Tony Dial and bassist Ian Moore joined Mulligan and Davis in a transitional quartet. This lineup recorded sessions for Birmingham station BRMB and supported the Human League before Dial and Moore departed.

Arista signed Fashion in 1981 after singer and multi-instrumentalist De Harriss joined with bassist Martin Recchi. The new quartet introduced its second phase with the November single “Move On.”

Fabrique

Fashion released its second album, Fabrique, on June 25, 1982, through Arista.

Singer and multi-instrumentalist Harriss fronts bassist Recchi and synthesist Mulligan; drummer-percussionist Davis completes the quartet. Singer Gina Kikoine and bass clarinetist Pete Willman join “Love Shadow.” Harriss receives sole credit on eight songs; producer Zeus B. Held shares “Something in Your Picture” and “White Stuff (Short Cut).”

“Move On” launches from an analog loop into a bounding lower-register figure, while vocoded responses and four-square accents tighten each chorus. “Love Shadow” settles into a slow nocturnal sway as Harris delivers breakup lines with cool reserve; a dry female response turns middle section into an interrogation. “Streetplayer–Mechanik” locks sustained tones to offbeat electronic punctuation and a whispered chant before sequenced patterns circle chorus.

“Dressed to Kill” spins interlocking lines over hard four-beat thumps, then skidding-tire effects sharpen final coda. “You Only Left Your Picture” descends through minor-key loops with Harris distant in mix; phased transitions darken middle section before final passage opens into a brighter register. “Something in Your Picture” folds reggae-derived accents into broad harmonies and call-and-response phrases, then breaks into a multipart middle section.

“It’s Alright” struts through syncopated clavinet figures as Harris answers romantic betrayal with terse, confrontational lines. “White Stuff” segues in on ticking accents and descending fills; vocoded repetitions frame Harris’s detached recitation before a howling electronic coda. “Do You Wanna Make Love” rises from a complex slow loop as Harris rejects each proposed diversion, then repeats final word through a prolonged climax. “Slow Blue” settles into reverberant phrases and a droning backdrop as light accents carry memorial text from Harris toward a reflective finish.

A1. “Move On” (3:52)
A2. “Love Shadow” (3:40)
A3. “Streetplayer (Mechanik)” (3:48)
A4. “Dressed to Kill” (4:13)
A5. “You Only Left Your Picture” (4:57)

B1. “Something in Your Picture” (3:36) – Harriss, Held
B2. “It’s Alright” (4:33)
B3. “White Stuff (Short Cut)” (3:06) – Harriss, Held
B4. “Do You Wanna Make Love” (5:54)
B5. “Slow Blue” (4:47)

Sessions spanned September 1981 through January 1982 at Studio Am Dom in Cologne and Studio St-Nom-la-Bretèche near Paris, with further work completed in London. German keyboardist-producer Zeus B. Held produced and engineered the recordings following his 1981 solo album Attack Time and Gina X Performance (Voyeur). Mixing engineer Nick Froome completed the final mixes.

Fabrique appeared in an Arista sleeve under design control by David Shortt, with a Paddy Eckersley front photograph tinted by Thomi Wroblewski. David Bailey supplied the back-cover photograph; the front reduces four band portraits to a narrow horizontal strip against a black field. Shortt also directed 1982/83 packaging for Haircut One Hundred (Pelican West) and Thompson Twins (Quick Step & Side Kick). Wroblewski, an Optic Nerve designer, applied design and photo-illustration to the concurrent Simple Minds compilation Celebration. Earlier sleeve work links Eckersley to Dire Straits (Dire Straits), while Bailey supplied black-and-white inner-sleeve portraits for Elvis Costello (Imperial Bedroom).

Arista issued “Move On” on November 27, 1981, backed with “Mutant Move,” a non-album Harriss exclusive.

B. “Mutant Move” (3:50)

“Streetplayer (Mechanik)” followed on March 5, 1982, backed with “Mutant Mechanik,” a non-album Harriss exclusive. The single reached No. 46 on the UK Singles Chart.

B. “Mutant Mechanik” (4:03)

Arista issued “Something in Your Picture” on May 28, backed with “Alternative Playback (Half-Frame),” a non-album Harriss/Held exclusive.

B. “Alternative Playback (Half-Frame)” (3:06)

“Love Shadow” followed on August 13, backed with “Let’s Play Dirty,” a non-album Harriss exclusive. The single reached No. 51 in the UK.

B. “Let’s Play Dirty” (3:56)

Fabrique peaked at No. 10 on the UK Albums Chart and remained in the Top 100 for 16 weeks.

Arista released further Fabrique-era on the 1990 CD The Height of Fashiøn. Gonzo Multimedia issued the four-disc Fabrique De Luxe in January 2021 with period mixes and session material in a 60-page book.

Darby Lineup

De Harriss left Fashion before a proposed world tour. Singer Troy Tate and guitarist Alan Darby joined synthesist Mulligan and bassist Recchi. Drummer Davis completed the quintet, although Tate made no studio recordings with the group. His live repertoire included the originals “Love Is” and “What You Gonna Do Next.”

Tate then departed, and Darby assumed lead singing. Recchi changed his billing from Martin to Marlon Recchi as Epic/CBS signed the resulting quartet.

Twilight of Idols

Fashion released its third album, Twilight of Idols, in June 1984 through De Stijl/CBS. Epic handled the US edition.

Singer-guitarist Darby fronts synthesist Mulligan and bassist Recchi; drummer-percussionist Davis completes the lineup. Darby receives sole credit on six songs. He shares “Trader” with A. Robertson and “You in the Night” with Francis McPadden. Davis and Mulligan co-wrote “Hit Girl”; Recchi wrote “Delirious.”

“Eye Talk” surges through hard electronic accents as swaggering phrases answer lead lines. “Dreaming” pits a vocoded lead against dark electronic swirls and fierce blues-inflected figures. “Hit Girl” chops through angular electronic figures while Dik delivers a dry spoken interjection. “Trader” and “Delirious” ride throbbing dance patterns with little respite.

“You in the Night” glides over soft electronic undulations as nylon-string guitar crosses sequenced patterns. “Hurricane” unfolds as a slow atmospheric burn beneath a projected lead from Darby. “Twilight of Idols” drifts through a soothing instrumental theme with cinematic overtones.

A1. “Eye Talk” (3:24) – Darby
A2. “Dreaming” (4:12) – Darby
A3. “Hit Girl” (3:49) – Davis, Mulligan
A4. “Trader” (4:29) – Darby, A. Robertson
A5. “You in the Night” (4:49) – Darby, McPadden

B1. “Delirious” (3:36) – Recchi
B2. “Hurricane” (4:47) – Darby
B3. “Too Much Too Soon” (3:41) – Darby
B4. “Slow Down” (4:12) – Darby
B5. “Twilight of Idols” (5:55) – Darby

Fashion recorded Twilight of Idols at Odyssey Studios and Marcus Studios in London, with additional sessions at Trigger Studio in Paris. Producer Zeus B. Held returned following John Foxx (The Golden Section) and concurrent work with Dead or Alive (Sophisticated Boom Boom). Engineers Christian Gence, Femi Jiya, and Kit Woolven handled the sessions.

Designers Bill Smith and Rosław Szaybo prepared the sleeve; photographer Eckersley returned for the portraits. CBS art director Szaybo’s preceding sleeve credits included the 1981 Judas Priest album Point of Entry. Twilight of Idols places a dark red-and-blue portrait behind diagonal light streaks inside a broad white border, beneath a black Fashion nameplate and red handwritten album title.

De Stijl issued “Eye Talk” in January 1984 (b/w “Slow Down”). The single reached No. 69 on the UK Singles Chart.

“Dreaming” followed in April, backed with “White Line Flyer,” a non-album Darby exclusive.

B. “White Line Flyer” (3:20)

De Stijl issued “You in the Night” in June, backed with “You in the Night (Instrumental),” a non-album Darby/McPadden exclusive. The single reached No. 94 in the UK.

B. “You in the Night (Instrumental)” (4:01)

Twilight of Idols peaked at No. 69 on the UK Albums Chart.

Cherry Red issued the first CD edition in March 2009 with extended versions of “Eye Talk,” “Dreaming,” “White Line Flyer,” and “You in the Night.”

Later Activity

Fashion ended following its 1984 live dates. De Harriss resumed his birth name, Dave Harris, and formed Zee with Pink Floyd keyboardist Richard Wright. The duo released Identity through Harvest/EMI in April 1984 with co-producer and engineer Tim Palmer.

Luke James revived Fashion for the 2009 album Stairway to Nowhere. Singer and multi-instrumentalist James handles the album except for three tracks with drummer Vuk Pavlovic.

Discography: