The Members are a British punk band that originated in Camberley, England. The Members were formed by lyricist Nicky Tesco (Nick Lightowlers) in 1976, through an invited audition at a recording studio at Tooley Street, London.
Uprhythm, Downbeat is their third album. It includes one of the band's most successful singles in the U.S., "Working Girl", and the single "Radio", which was a major chart hit in Australia. Although it was released in 1982 in the United States, the record was unavailable in the bands' native Britain until 1983, when it was released as Going West by Albion Records.
The punk-orthodoxy view of the Members is that after a string of promising reggae-tinged singles, the septet released one fine album in 1979's At the Chelsea Nightclub, then lost the plot completely with the follow-up, 1980: The Choice Is Yours, after which they're ignored with an embarrassed throat-clearing. In point of fact, however, the Members rebounded after their second album (which itself is actually not nearly as bad as many would have you believe, sort of the Members' own version of Sandinista! in its appealing looseness and lack of consistent focus) by ridding themselves of any lingering punk associations and going for a complete sonic makeover. The band joined up with producer Martin Rushent (Human League, Altered Images, the Go-Go's), who was a master of making unpromisingly non-commercial bands have big shiny hit records without losing their souls in the process. Rushent nailed it immediately with the Members, concocting the utterly delightful "Working Girl." A mixture of snarky lyrics about the joys of freeloading and a genuinely transcendent chorus, "Working Girl" is a classic '80s pop single and -- despite the protestations of the punker than thou -- easily the best thing the Members ever did. Yes, including "Solitary Confinement." Sadly, the rest of Uprhythm Downbeat doesn't reach the same heights, but the good outweighs the bad, including an inspired reggae version of Kraftwerk's "The Model," the self-celebrating "The Family" and "Boys Like Us," and another minor hit, "Going West."
A1. Working Girl - 4:09
A2. The Family - 4:11
A3. The Model - 5:10
Written-By – Schult, Bartoff, Hatter
A4. Chairman Of The Board - 4:05
A5. Boys Like Us - 4:11
B1. Going West - 4:10
B2. Radiodub - 5:52
B3. Fire (In My Heart) - 4:19
B4. You And Me Against The World - 4:22
B5. We, The People - 5:10
Personnel
Companies, etc.
Pressed By – Hauppauge Record Manufacturing Ltd.
Mastered At – Sterling Sound
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Arista Records, Inc.
Copyright (c) – Arista Records, Inc.
Credits
Vocals [Singing] – Nicky Tesco
Bass, Backing Vocals – Chris Payne
Design [Logo Design] – James Lebbad
Design, Art Direction – Howard Fritzon
Drums, Percussion – Adrian Lillywhite
Guitar, Backing Vocals, Keyboards – J.C., Nigel Bennett
Photography By [Cover] – David Stetson
Photography By [Inner Sleeve] – Monica Dee Lenrow
Programmed By [Fairlight Programming] – Martin Rushent
Programmed By [Roland Mc-8 Microcomposer], Programmed By [Roland Mc-4 Microcomposer], Programmed By [Fairlight Programming] – Dave Allen*
Saxophone [Alto], Saxophone [Tenor], Trumpet, Programmed By [Fairlight Programming], Keyboards – Simon Lloyd
Saxophone [Tenor] – Steve (Rudi) Thompson
Written-By – Lillywhite (tracks: A5, B3, B4), Payne (tracks: A4 to B1, B3 to B5), Carroll (tracks: A1, A2, A4, A5, B3, B4), Tesco (tracks: A1, A4, A5, B3 to B5), Bennett (tracks: A5, B3, B4), Thompson (tracks: A5, B3, B4)
Producer - Martin Rushent, The Members, Dave Allen
Notes
Released: 1982
Genre: Punk rock
Style: New Wave
Length: 46:33
Label - Arista Records
The punk-orthodoxy view of the Members is that after a string of promising reggae-tinged singles, the septet released one fine album in 1979's At the Chelsea Nightclub, then lost the plot completely with the follow-up, 1980: The Choice Is Yours, after which they're ignored with an embarrassed throat-clearing. In point of fact, however, the Members rebounded after their second album (which itself is actually not nearly as bad as many would have you believe, sort of the Members' own version of Sandinista! in its appealing looseness and lack of consistent focus) by ridding themselves of any lingering punk associations and going for a complete sonic makeover. The band joined up with producer Martin Rushent (Human League, Altered Images, the Go-Go's), who was a master of making unpromisingly non-commercial bands have big shiny hit records without losing their souls in the process. Rushent nailed it immediately with the Members, concocting the utterly delightful "Working Girl." A mixture of snarky lyrics about the joys of freeloading and a genuinely transcendent chorus, "Working Girl" is a classic '80s pop single and -- despite the protestations of the punker than thou -- easily the best thing the Members ever did. Yes, including "Solitary Confinement." Sadly, the rest of Uprhythm Downbeat doesn't reach the same heights, but the good outweighs the bad, including an inspired reggae version of Kraftwerk's "The Model," the self-celebrating "The Family" and "Boys Like Us," and another minor hit, "Going West."
A1. Working Girl - 4:09
A2. The Family - 4:11
A3. The Model - 5:10
Written-By – Schult, Bartoff, Hatter
A4. Chairman Of The Board - 4:05
A5. Boys Like Us - 4:11
B1. Going West - 4:10
B2. Radiodub - 5:52
B3. Fire (In My Heart) - 4:19
B4. You And Me Against The World - 4:22
B5. We, The People - 5:10
Personnel
- Nicky Tesco - vocals
- Jean-Marie Carroll - guitar, keyboards, background vocals
- Nigel Bennett - guitar, keyboards, background vocals
- Chris Payne - bass, background vocals
- Adrian Lillywhite - drums, percussion
- Steve "Rudi" Thompson - saxophone
- Dave Allen - programming
- Simon Lloyd - keyboards, programming, trumpet, saxophone
Companies, etc.
Pressed By – Hauppauge Record Manufacturing Ltd.
Mastered At – Sterling Sound
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Arista Records, Inc.
Copyright (c) – Arista Records, Inc.
Credits
Vocals [Singing] – Nicky Tesco
Bass, Backing Vocals – Chris Payne
Design [Logo Design] – James Lebbad
Design, Art Direction – Howard Fritzon
Drums, Percussion – Adrian Lillywhite
Guitar, Backing Vocals, Keyboards – J.C., Nigel Bennett
Photography By [Cover] – David Stetson
Photography By [Inner Sleeve] – Monica Dee Lenrow
Programmed By [Fairlight Programming] – Martin Rushent
Programmed By [Roland Mc-8 Microcomposer], Programmed By [Roland Mc-4 Microcomposer], Programmed By [Fairlight Programming] – Dave Allen*
Saxophone [Alto], Saxophone [Tenor], Trumpet, Programmed By [Fairlight Programming], Keyboards – Simon Lloyd
Saxophone [Tenor] – Steve (Rudi) Thompson
Written-By – Lillywhite (tracks: A5, B3, B4), Payne (tracks: A4 to B1, B3 to B5), Carroll (tracks: A1, A2, A4, A5, B3, B4), Tesco (tracks: A1, A4, A5, B3 to B5), Bennett (tracks: A5, B3, B4), Thompson (tracks: A5, B3, B4)
Producer - Martin Rushent, The Members, Dave Allen
Notes
Released: 1982
Genre: Punk rock
Style: New Wave
Length: 46:33
Label - Arista Records
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