The Flaming Mussolinis

The Flaming Mussolinis were a 1980s pop/rock band from Teesside who released two albums, and had a minor UK hit with "My Cleopatra".

The Flaming Mussolinis
OriginTeesside, England
GenresAlternative rock, indie rock, pop rock
Years active1984 (1984)–1988 (1988)
LabelsPortrait, Epic
Past members

History

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The band formed in 1984 in Middlesbrough, United Kingdom, although various members had been in local Teesside (North-east England) bands since the late 1970s. The most notable of these bands was Basczax. They signed to CBS in-house label Portrait Records in 1985 and were tipped for big things. The band released five singles: "Swallow Glass", "My Cleopatra" (a minor UK hit at #79), "Masuka Dan", "Girl on a Train" and "Different Kind of Love". They also released two albums: Watching the Film (1986) and Charmed Life (1987). The band's song "Angels Fall Down" was a finalist in the World Popular Song Festival in 1986.[1]

Critical coverage was mixed. Billboard touted them in 1986 as "a band with something new to say",[2] and Fanfare described Watching the Film as "good noise of the post-'87 boomlet: laid back, languid, and cleaner than most",[3]

The band split up in 1988. Alan Savage later became a school teacher.

Members

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  • Alan Savage - vocals/guitar
  • Kit Haigh - guitar
  • Jeff Fogarty - saxophone and keyboards
  • Doug Maloney - bass guitar, keyboard programming, backing vocals
  • Craig McClune - drums

Discography

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Albums

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  • Watching the Film (1986), Portrait
  • Charmed Life (1987), Epic

Singles

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  • "Swallow Glass" (1985), Portrait
  • "My Cleopatra" (1985), Portrait - UK No. 79[4]
  • "Masuka Dan" (1986), Portrait
  • "Different Kind of Love" (1987), Epic
  • "Girl on a Train" (1987), Epic

References

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  1. ^ "Song Fest Finalists Named", Billboard, 13 September 1986, p. 78
  2. ^ Davis, Caris & Jones, Peter (1986) "New Artists: A Non-stop Parade of Ground-breaking Talent", Billboard, 28 June 1986, p. 16
  3. ^ Fanfare, vol. 12, Issues 1-2, p. 369
  4. ^ "The Flaming Mussolinis", Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 March 2016