Ph.D. -

Ph.D. was the English rock duo of singer Jim Diamond and keyboardist Tony Hymas. They made the 1981–83 albums Ph.D. and Is It Safe? on WEA Records. Their first contains “Little Suzi’s on the Up” and the European hit “I Won’t Let You Down,” both first-day videos on MTV.

Members: Jim Diamond (vocals), Tony Hymas (keyboards, piano), Simon Phillips (drums)

Background

Ph.D. formed in 1980 when Scottish singer Jim Diamond teamed with two recent Jeff Beck sidemen: keyboardist Tony Hymas and drummer Simon Phillips.

Diamond (born James Aaron Diamond; Sept. 28, 1951; Bridgetown, Glasgow) cut a 1974 solo single and formed Bandit, a hard rock super-group with Colosseum and Home alumni. In 1976, they cut an album for Arista but disbanded after the ensuing tour (guitarist Danny McIntosh cut a second album with a revised Bandit). Diamond sung recently with Bacco, a Japanese jazz-funk spinoff of the Sadistic Mika Band.

Hymas (born Anthony James Keith Hymas; September 23, 1943) worked as a mid-period Hollies arranger with keyboard and orchestral credits in pop (Albert Hammond, Cleo Laine, Lynsey De Paul) and folk (Prelude, Rogue). In 1973, he conducted strings on the RCB release One by symphonic-rockers Cirkus. He earned subsequent instrumental credits with Chris De Burgh, Gilbert O’Sullivan, Graham Bonnet, Jack Bruce, Paul Ryan, Peter Doyle, and (with the Gurvitz Brothers) the Graeme Edge Band.

Hymas interacted with drummer Simon Phillips on Ready or Not, the 1977 solo album by jazz-rock guitarist Ray Russell, Phillips’ prior bandmate in Chopyn. The pair also backed Metro co-founder Duncan Browne on his 1978/79 solo albums The Wild Places and Streets of Fire. Most recently, they juggled roles with Jan Hammer on There and Back, Beck’s 1980 comeback album.

Ph.D. derived its name from the initials of its principle participants: Phillips, Hymas, and Diamond. Despite this, the group presented publicly as the duo of Diamond and Hymas. Phillips balanced his third-wheel role with session work for 10cc, Pete Townshend, Toyah, and Our Daughter’s Wedding.

Ph.D.

Ph.D. released their self-titled debut album on July 10, 1981, on WEA (UK) and Atlantic (US). It features ten compositions by Tony Hymas with lyrics by Jim Diamond, including “War Years,” “Up Down,” “Oh Maria,” and the singles “Little Suzi’s on the Up,” “I Won’t Let You Down,” and “There’s No Answer To It.”

Simon Phillips played drums on all but two songs (“Oo Sha Sha,” “Poor City”), which feature Mark Craney, a recent drummer for Gino Vannelli, Jethro Tull (A), and Jean-Luc Ponty. “Poor City” also features guitarist Phil Palmer, an alumnus of Dragonfly and Bliss Band. “Radio to On” features soprano vocalist Jane Manning and tenor saxophonist Stan Sulzmann, a prolific jazz vet (John Surman, Michael Gibbs, Neil Ardley).

Diamond co-produced Ph.D. with Who soundman Dave “Cyrano” Langston, an engineering vet (Baker Gurvitz Army, Fabulous Poodles, Moon) who worked concurrently on Too Late the Hero, the 1981 fifth and final solo album by John Entwistle. Meanwhile, Hymas and Phillips also played on Picasso Portraits, the 1981 Polydor release by Spanish flamenco guitarist Juan Martín.

On first-issued copies, Ph.D. sports a blue-framed electrograph image by Mike Payne. In 1982, WEA reissued the album with an image of the duo inside a three-colored room with a waist-down poster of a stocking-clad model.

“I Won’t Let You Down”

On April 17, 1981, WEA lifted “I Won’t Let You Down” as an advance single backed with “Hideaway,” an exclusive Hymas/Diamond original. In the video, Diamond portrays the love-sick pursuer of an indifferent “hottie” played by Nina Carter, a Page 3 model who sang in the disco duo Blonde on Blonde (not the folk act) and later entered a 20-year marriage with Rick Wakeman. As he trails her through West London, Hymas makes repeated attempts to thwart Jim’s efforts and finally lures him into a crane-lifted car.

“I Won’t Let You Down” reached No. 2 in Switzerland and Italy and No. 1 in Belgium and the Netherlands. It also went Top 10 in Australia (No. 5), Ireland (No. 3), and South Africa (No. 6).

In the UK, the single didn’t chart until April 1982 when Ph.D. mimed on the 4/22 broadcast of the BBC music program Top of the Pops,^> which also featured in-studio appearances by Elton John (“Blue Eyes”), Pigbag (“Papa’s Got a Brand New Pigbag”), Kim Wilde (“View From a Bridge”), and videos by Haircut One Hundred (“Fantastic Day”), Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder (“Ebony and Ivory”), and Bananarama with Fun Boy Three (“Really Saying Something”). In May 1982, “I Won’t Let You Down” reached No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart.

In 1985, “I Won’t Let You Down” was used as a jingle in a Mink Hairspray commercial.

“Little Suzi’s on the Up”

On July 24, Ph.D. lifted “Little Suzi’s on the Up” as their second single; backed with “I’m Gonna Take You to the Top,” a non-album original. In the video, Hymas portrays a cheating pianist who unrolls a silicone “keyboard” across a closed Baby Grand. Meanwhile, butcher-by-day Diamond sings on the job and later over-irons his tuxedo pants in preparation for Suzi, his petticoated date for a ballroom dance at Hammersmith Palais. Suzi’s duff, Ruby, appears as a ballroom saxist with an instrument clogged with pickled eggs: Suzi’s first-place prize at the event.

“Little Suzi’s on the Up” became the fifth-aired video on MTV on August 1, 1981; the American cable music channel’s first day of broadcast; preceded (1–4) by clips from The Buggles (“Video Killed the Radio Star”), Pat Benetar (“You Better Run”), Rod Stewart (“She Won’t Dance With Me”), and The Who (“You Better You Bet”); followed (6–10) by Cliff Richard (“We Don’t Talk Anymore”), The Pretenders (“Brass in Pocket”), Todd Rundgren (“Time Heals”), REO Speedwagon (“Take It on the Run”), and Styx (“Rockin’ the Paradise”). “I Won’t Let You Down” was the 139th video aired that day, followed by Nazareth (“Holiday”).

In 1986, American hard rockers Tesla covered “Little Suzi’s on the Up” as the second single from their debut album, Mechanical Resonance.