Pool Of Sound - Candy Opera

 

In the early days.

 

Formed intially in 1982 on the notorious Phythian Estate, Kensington, Liverpool, 'Candy Opera' was heavily influenced by 'Love's ' seminal 'Forever Changes' album, 'The Beach Boys', 'Aztec Camera' and local neighbours, 'The Pale Fountains'.
They played their first gig later that year with 'The Pale Fountains' loyally in attendance. Their original line-up comprised of chief creative, vocalist and songwriter, Paul Malone along with Ken Moss on guitar, Ian Haskell on drums and Mike Wiggins on bass. Over time they were augmented by Neil Cooper (inspiration), Carl Hodgson on guitar and Colette Foy on backing vocals. Recording a demo tape, 'Honeysuckle Rose', in 1983 with the assistance of Steph Lea on violin and Bryan Evans on clarinet, this has become something of a holy grail for completists and followers of the post-Punk Liverpool scene. Despite several high-profile live appearances – with 'The Pogues', 'The Go-Betweens' and 'The Redskins on Granada TV's Exchange Flags – plus reviews in NME, Sounds and Jamming magazines, the original quartet went their separate ways in 1985, bowing out with a trio of classic 'Candy Opera' recordings; 'Diane', 'Serious' and with 'Second Time Around' as their swansong.
Paul Malone and Ian Haskell however remained the core of the band, recruiting Alan Richardson and Brian Chin Smithers from Wallasey combo, 'Edelweiss', along with three other local lads; Jimmy Cartwright, Markus Mulholland and Dave Murrant. Studio sessions in New Brighton created several new tracks including; 'Happy To Be The Plot But Not The Crime', 'The Gravy Train Run' and 'Left, Right And Centre'. By 1989, after this interim arrangement, only Malone and Chin Smithers remained but the band was made complete once more with the arrival of 'Come In Tokio' drummer, Alan Currie and its bassist, Frank Mahon. Under the management of Neil Mather, this was arguably its purple patch with several high-profile support slots – most notably, with 'The Farm' at Liverpool's Royal Court Theatre and the interest of a number of the majors, amongst them EMI and Go! Discs. In true 'Candies' fashion, though, no deal materialised and mainstream success remained elusive. Although the members stayed together – becoming, for a short time, 'The Wailing Souls', the band ceased to exist in 1993. Fate had decreed that their elegant brand of what some are now calling sophisti-pop somehow fell off the radar, only to be discovered online in 2017 by Uwe Weigmann, co-owner of the Berlin-based Firestation label, ace purveyors of indie obscurities par excellence.

Having heard some of their songs online, the label made it their business to track them down and put together the album, '45 Revolutions Per Minute', the lustrous result of his mining, undusting and polishing. The album resulted from the collection of demo's and recordings that span their entire history. The songs still resonate with their original contexts and nuances, writ large with paeans to unrequited love and diaries embossed with friendships long lost. They also speak to a time and a place, amidst the backdrop of an ever-changing landscape of the city that Jung described as 'The Pool of Life'. Compiling the album was a labour of love, given that some former members had disappeared over the intervening 35 years along with various artefacts and recordings. Following its release the album sold out straight away and due to overwhelming demand from fans, they took to the stage on Saturday the 18th of August for a homecoming show at Liverpool’s Parr Street, Studio 2, supported on the night by fellow Liverpool legend Edgar Jones and Mel Bowen, frontman of 'Mercury 13'.

 
Two more albums followed, 'Rarities' and their latest release 'Patron Saint of Heartache', with a few changes to the band. In 2019 keyboard player Gary 'Goddo' O'Donnell joined and in 2021 Brian Chin Smithers left, and the band gained a new guitarist, John O'Neil. The new band formation of John O'Neil on guitar and vocals, Alan Currie on drums, Frank Mahon on bass, Paul Malone on vocals and guitar, Ken Moss on guitar and Gary O’Donnell on keyboards, vocals and percussion, will see the release of a fourth album in 2022/23.

see also :- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2022/07/pool-of-sound-nutribe.html