Pool Of Sound - The Lotus Eaters

Peter Coyle and 'Jem' Kelly

It was in September 1982 that Peter Coyle and Jeremy 'Jem' Kelly met for the first time. Kelly had been a guitarist in the 'Dance Party' with Micheal Head and had co-founded 'The Wild Swans'. Coyle had previously been in the little known band 'Jass Babies', who had recorded a session for John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show in 1981, as had 'The Wild Swans' in 1982.
After an invitation in October 1982 to record their own John Peel session, a number of new songs were created. They were joined by Kelly's fellow ex-'Wild Swans' members Ged Quinn on keyboards and drummer Alan Wills together with bassist Phil Lucking. The session included 'The First Picture of You' which led to the band being signed by Arista Records.

Produced by Nigel Gray, 'The First Picture of You' became an iconic song for the 'Lotus Eaters' in 1983, giving them a UK hit single before the band had even played a live gig. The band then recorded a second session for John Peel in October 1983.
The band's debut studio album, 'No Sense Of Sin', a glossy slice of melancholy filled with heart, soul, love, fear, hope, purity, longing and a sense of wonder, was released in 1984 on the Arista subsidiary 'Sylvan Records'. This had been preceded by two further singles, 'You Don't Need Someone New' and 'Out On Your Own'. Both of these songs had made the top 100 in the UK Singles charts but owing to difficulties with producers and marketing, the impact of  'The First Picture of You' was not repeated in the UK.

Although their elegant attire and fashionable haircuts were similar to the new romantic bands, their music was more understated and folksy than the synthesized Euro-disco of 'Japan', 'Visage' and 'Duran Duran'. 'The Lotus Eaters' broke up after releasing the album 'No Sense of Sin'. Quinn had left earlier, so Coyle and Kelly had recruited bassist Michael Dempsey ( ex 'The Cure' and 'Associates' ), keyboard player Stephen Emmer ( ex 'Minny Pops' and 'Associates' )  and drummer Steve Crease. They had toured extensively in the UK, France and Italy before going on hiatus in 1985 after parting ways with Arista. 'It Hurts', their final single, charted in the Italian Top 5 that year but by then the band had already split up, leaving a promotional video, featuring footage of Louise Brooks, to represent them.

Jem Kelly reformed 'The Wild Swans' in 1988 to record two more albums 'Bring Home the Ashes' in 1988 and 'Space Flower' in 1990 before breaking up again. After this, 'Jem' reappeared in 1998 as a member of former 'Inspiral Carpets' frontman Tom Hingley's group 'The Lovers'. He co-wrote half the songs and played the guitar on Tom's album 'Soulfly'.
As 'The Lotus Eaters', Peter and 'Jem' reformed in the late 1990s as well as recording for Vinyl Japan, with whom they released a second album in 2001, 'Silentspace', proving that they were still a highly unique musical force, mixing gorgeous melodies with Coyle's emotive voice. On the 13th of March 2009, the band announced a one-off concert to be held at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall on the 25th of July. The gig, a performance of the album 'No Sense of Sin', featured Coyle, Kelly and Emmer accompanied by a string quartet from the University of Huddersfield. Peter said, "Liverpool is a real home to music. You can almost touch it. It is that tangible. And the Liverpool spirit is one of warmth, kindness and friendship. Oh, and it is one of the best places to be if you want to have a party."

Peter Coyle is considered to be one of the most under-rated singer/songwriters in the UK.

see also :- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2019/10/pool-of-sound-farm.html