This site is a
Psychedelic Furs tribute,
and not an official Furs' site.
a short bio
Coming together in 1977, The Furs came out of the emerging Punk Scene in the U.K. Initially going by "RKO", and then "Radio" for a short time, they eventually settled on their signiture name, The Psychedelic Furs.
The original line-up of the band consisted of, Richard Butler on vocals, Tim Butler on bass guitar, Duncan Kilburn on saxophone, Paul Wilson on drums, and Roger Morris also on guitar. By 1979 the band expanded with Vince Ely replacing Paul on the drums and John Aston being added on guitar.
The band released their first self-titled album in 1980, and it quickly established the band on radio and was a top 20 hit in the UK. It also found success in Germany, Italy, France, Spain, and Austrailia. And even tho the US version of the album was resequenced, it failed to have as strong a commercial impact.
They found success in 1981 when their album, "Talk Talk Talk" made an impact on the US album charts. In the UK the album was a solid hit and spun off two charting singles, "Dumb Waiters" and the original version of "Pretty In Pink".
In 1982 the band reduced to four members with the departures of Morris and Kilburn. Around this time Ex-Birthday Party drummer Phil Calvert would briefly join the band.
The bands remaining members moved to New York, where they recorded their next album, "Forever Now" with producer Todd Rundgren. The record contained the song, "Love My Way" which was a Top 40 Hit both in the US and the UK. Vince Ely left the band after it's release but would return for the 1988 single "All That Money Wants" and the 1989 album, "Book of Days".
In 1984 the Furs released the album, "Mirror Moves" that featured the songs, "The Ghost In You" and "Heaven" - both charting in the UK. 'Heaven' became the band's highest charting UK hit at the time but was never released as a single in America. Instead their record label opted for the song, "Here Come Cowboys" despite both international success and heavy MTV airplay on 'Heaven'.
"Here Come Cowboys" failed to chart but, the "The Ghost In You" was a hit on the US pop charts. The Furs had also become popular in Canada, having "Mirror Moves" named as the 1 LP of 1984 on the CFNY Toronto New Wave station.
By this time the band had become a staple on US college and modern rock stations. They were also building mainstream success, though they would have more impact on future musicians than they ever did in the marketplace.
In 1986 the band re-recorded a new version of "Pretty In Pink" which became their biggest hit to that time in the US, and their biggest-ever UK hit. It was also used as the title track for the 1986 John Huges movie of the same title. Richard Butler claimed that the success of 'Pretty In Pink' caused the band to be pressured into entering the studio to record a follow-up released before they were ready.
The result was, "Midnight to Midnight" an album which Butler described as "hollow, vapid, and weak". A more overtly commercial effort than the Furrs had ever recorded beofre, the album also featured the single, "Heartbreak Beat", which was their biggest charting top 40 US hit.
The band was unhappy with their new commercial direction and returned to a rawer sound with the song, "All That Money Wants", a 1988 track especially recorded for the 'Best-of' collection. 1989's 'Book of Days' saw a return to the old-school style and the temporary return of Vince Ely. The 1991 album, "World Outside" was similarly more of a 'back to basics' approach.
From 1988 on The Furs' chart success continued with three number 1 hits on the US Modern Rock chart between 1988 and 1991.
The band split in the early 90's with the Butler brothers going on to found the band, "Love Spit Love". And after spending most of the decade apart, Richard, Tim, and John Ashton re-formed The Psychedelic Furs in 2000, and released a live album called, "Beautiful Chaos: Greatest Hits Live", which also featured a new studio recorded, "Alive (For Once In My Lifetime)". A DVD version of the performance included live versions ofthat song and three other previously unreleased tracks, "Anodyne (Better Days", "Cigarette" and "Wrong Train".
Since then the Furs continue to tour the world along with former Love Spit Love drummer, Frank Ferrer, an ex-Information Society and World Party keyboardist Amanda Kramer and saxophonist Mars Williams who returned to the band after a stint in the late 1980's.
Love My Way (Acoustic)
Sister Europe (youtube link)
Dumb Waiters (youtube link)
Pretty In Pink (youtube link)
Love My Way (youtube link)
Heaven (youtube link)
The Ghost In You (youtube link)
Heartbreak Beat (youtube link)
