T'Pau (band)
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T'Pau was a late-1980s rock group led by singer Carol Decker. They had a string of Top 40 hits in the UK, and several hits in the United States and Europe.
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[edit] Career
T'Pau formed in 1986 and took their name from a Star Trek character. Their debut single and first hit was the 1987 release Heart and Soul. Initially a flop in the UK, it first became a hit in the U.S. Billboard charts, reaching #4, after being featured on a Levi's jeans advert, it repeated the feat in the UK Singles Chart some months later. The following year, the band had their biggest hit with the ballad, China in Your Hand, which spent five weeks at Number 1 in the UK chart, and also claimed the top slot in several European countries, although oddly the song made little impact on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.
They had a number of smaller hits which made it to at least the UK Top 40, including the singles Valentine, Sex Talk (a new recording of early flop single Intimate Strangers), I Will Be With You, and Secret Garden. Their 1987 album Bridge Of Spies (the album was called T'Pau in the U.S.) was a best seller and won several British record industry awards.
Nevertheless, the band failed to maintain their success and split in 1991. In the 1990s, satirical British comic Viz adopted Decker as a sort of mascot for a while & would regularly include "Carol Decker out of T'Pau" in 'woof or whistle' deciding that she most certainly was still a whistle!
Decker still makes appearances on TV. Including Hit Me Baby One More Time, Just the Two of Us, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, and Weakest Link.
[edit] Band members
Decker reformed the band with a new line-up in 1998, and T'Pau have in recent years continued to work live regulary
- Carol Decker (born 10 September 1957, in Liverpool) — Vocalist / Songwriter
- Dean Howard (b. 7 May 1961 in Greenwich, London) — Lead Guitarist
- Ronnie Rogers (b. 13 March 1959, in Shrewsbury) — Rhythm Guitarist / Songwriter
- Tim Burgess - (b. 6 October 1961 in Macclesfield) — Percussionist
- Michael Chetwood (b. 26 August 1954 in Telford) — Keyboardist
- Paul Jackson (b. 8 August 1961, in Telford) — Bassist
[edit] Discography
Albums
- Bridge Of Spies (1987, UK No. 1)
- Rage (1988, UK No. 4)
- The Promise (1991, UK No. 10)
- Heart And Soul - The Very Best Of T'Pau (1993, UK No. 35)
- The Greatest Hits (1997)
- Red (1998)
- Greatest Hits Live (2003)
- Hits (re-issued, repackaged version of The Greatest Hits) (2005)
Singles
- "Heart And Soul" (1987, US No. 4)
- "Intimate Strangers" (1987)
- "Heart And Soul" (re-issue) (1987, UK No. 4)
- "China in Your Hand" (1987, UK No. 1)
- "Bridge of Spies" (1988, U.S./German release only)
- "Valentine" (1988, UK No. 9)
- "Sex Talk (Live)" (1988, UK No. 23)
- "I Will Be With You" (1988, UK No. 14)
- "Secret Garden" (1988, UK No. 18)
- "Road To Our Dream" (1988, UK No. 42)
- "Only The Lonely" (1989, UK No. 28)
- "Whenever You Need Me" (1991, UK No. 16)
- "Walk On Air" (1991, UK No. 62)
- "Soul Destruction" (1991)
- "Only A Heartbeat" (1991, U.S./Japan release only)
- "Valentine" (re-issue) (1993, UK No. 53)
- "Heart And Soul '97" (1997)
- "With A Little Luck" (1998, Promo release only)
- "Giving Up The Ghost" (1999)
[edit] Other Songs
T'Pau also recorded a rock version of "I'm A Believer". Released on a CD single as an extra track.
[edit] References
- Guinness Book of British Hit Singles - 16th Edition - ISBN 0-85112-190-X
- Guinness Book of British Hit Albums - 7th Edition - ISBN 0-85112-619-7
