Scritti Politti was a British pop group that was founded in 1978 in Leeds. Their greatest popularity they have middle eighties. They are known for hits as Absolute,The word girl and Perfect way. Since 1989 is a solo project of the Scritti Politti singer Green Gartside.
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Biography[Edit][]
Early Years[Edit][]
Scritti Politti was founded after singer Green Gartside and drummer Tom Morley went to live in a squat , because they were tired of the Art Academy. An old school friend of Gartside, Nial Jinks, was asked to be on bass . Matthew Kay, who also lived in the squat became their manager and sometimes played with the Group onkeyboard. The band name was based on a book that Gartside was reading: Selections from political writings. That book consisted of political writings of the Italianmarxist Antonio Gramsci from the years 10 and 20 of the 20th century. The original Italian title of the book was Scritti politicians. This term was changed to Scritti Politti, because that sounded more like tutti frutti according to Gartside.
The Group started as left-wing post punk band. In november 1978 , the group for the first time a new single entitled Skank bloc bologna. About 15000 copies of the single were sold. Around the same time, the Group also gives his first appearance and on 12 december the Group was allowed to record his first Peel Session, which was broadcast a few days later. In 1979 the Group was for program of Gang of Four and Joy Division. It was also in June of that year recorded a second Peel Session, which later that year on a ep was released. At the end of that year however, Gartside pneumonia on ran, then returned to his family home in the South of Wales in order to gain strength. In that period he listened a lot to funk, soul and R & B. When he returned to the Group at the end of 1980 , changed this along with the style of the left-wing ideologies and Gartside were less prominent. Although all members initially agreed, this left Jinks later in the year the group. Kay, who sometimes played keyboard, now went a whole focus on managing the group.
Songs to remember[Edit][]
In 1981 the Group took a demo of their new song The sweetest girl. This demo was released in March of that year on C81, a Compact cassette that free at the NME magazine was given away. This earned the Group much contract deals on, but he remained at the own label Rough Trade. The song was released as a single In november and took it the 64th place in the British singles chart. In May and August of 1982 followed theFaithless singles and Asylums in Jerusalem / Jacques Derrida and the debutalbum Songs to remember. The singles were minor hits, but the album reached the 12th place of the albums chart. Also Tom Morley left the Group In november.
Cupid & Psyche 85[Edit][]
The group, which now only consisted of Green Gartside, in 1984 was supplemented by two New Yorkers: keyboardist David Gamson and drummer Fred Maher. Gartside had Gamson know as technician at Rough Trade and in 1981 made a trip with him to the United States. Gamson had to know, because his girlfriend earlier Maher al at him at school. In this composition the Group was best known for. In addition to the new composition was Gartside also in 1983 by Rough Trade switched to the larger Virgin Records. At Virgin was more money available to realize his musical plans. The first single Wood beez (Pray like Aretha Franklin)took out the tenth place in England. With the Absolute successor, the Group also had a hit in the Benelux to unwind. It came In the Dutch Top 40 number to # 12 and in Flanders even up to # 7. In their own country it came to # 17. Although the song was a modest hit, Hypnotize took out the group with The word girl their biggest hit in their own country. The single reached there the sixth place. Also the album Cupid & Psyche 85was a musical and commercial success. The style was now changed to synthpop. The fifth single was remarkably Perfect way a big hit in the United States where it up to # 11 in the Billboard Top 100 came. The single came In the own country but to # 48. In response to the success also in the United States on the single Wood beez (Pray like Aretha Franklin) released, but who knew the success not to match.
Provision[Edit][]
Scritti Politti In 1986 began working on a third album. Around the same time Madness had a hit with the Sweetest girlcover Scritti Politti. Also Al Jarreau and trumpeter Miles Davis would later record a song by Scritti Politti. It took until 1988 before the first new single appeared. In 1987 the Group had contributed to the soundtrack of the Madonna film who's that girl with the song Best thing ever. The new single was Oh Patti (Don't feel sorry for loverboy) from the album Provision. Both achieved a reasonable success, but the next two singles of the album, First boy in this town (Love sick) and Boom! There she was , not. Oh Patti (Don't feel sorry for loverboy) was the only single that the charts in Netherlands and Flanders and America knew, but also took that single not the success of Cupid & Psyche 85. At the end of 1988 was Green Gartside hit so tired of promoting the album-the group toured no longer-that he is in Wales left in a hospital. David Gamson and Fred Maher also left in that time the group so that Scritti Politti was a solo project of Gartside. Gamson was going to deal with in the following years writing and producing for other artists and also Maher went to focus on production.
Solo[Edit][]
Green Gartside was in 1990 by BEFmember Martyn Ware persuaded to some covers for the album Music Of quality and distinction volume two. Under the name Scritti Politti were I don't know why I love you (but I love you) by Stevie Wonder, she's a woman of The Beatles and Take me in your arms and love me by Gladys Knight & the Pips released. The last two pick up the track. On "she's a woman meegerapt by Gartside, at the request of the Jamaican rapper Shabba Ranks and Take me in your arms and love me was sung by a party Sweetie Irie. After this cover versions disappeared Gartside from the spotlight.
It was not until 1999 there appeared new material of Scritti Politti. These were the album Anomie & Bonhomie and the resulting single Tinseltown to the boogiedown. It was not a great commercial success, but the album received critical acclaim. Besides a lot of hip-hop influences on the album were also rapper Mos Def and singer Me'Shell Ndegeocello to hear. After Anomie & Bonhomie it took until 2005 until something of Scritti Politti appeared. On the album the Group's Early material was to hear from their post punkperiode. The album contained the first singles and EP of the Group and their b-sides. Also, the demo version of The sweetest girl like those on C81 had appeared on the album. A year later the fifth album of Scritti Politti appeared, entitled White bread, black beer. On this album Gartside was assisted by Rhodri Marsden on keyboards and Dicky Moore on guitar. Here, too, remained the commercial success, but the album was still well appreciated. The album was even nominated for the Mercury Music Prize, but who eventually went to the debut album by the Arctic Monkeys. It was released by Rough Trade, to which Gartside was been switched. Since 2006 he is already doing this on again, Gartside under the name Double G & the Traitorous 3, along with Marsden and Moore.