Aztec Camera
 Formed
by 15 year old Roddy Frame in East Kilbride in Scotland in 1980, Aztec
Camera hit the top of the Independent Charts in the UK in 1983 with
their debut album High Land, Hard Rain. The album was a largely
acoustic affair, combining folk, Latin/jazz rhythms and an incisive
lyrical flair with stunning results.
The records breezy lead track, Oblivious, was re-issued by
their new label, Warners, later that year on the back of the albums
success and became one of the few Aztec Camera singles to break the
Top 20. While supporting Elvis Costello in the USA later that year,
the young Roddy had to lie about his age to get into the country.
He brought in a
new cast of musicians for the 1984 album Knife (produced by
Mark Knopfler), including seasoned Scottish musicians Craig Gannon
(from The Bluebells) and Malcolm Ross (ex-Orange
Juice). A more
commercial offering, the album featured All I Need Is Everything.
After a world
tour, Frame laid low for over two years, penning material for Love
(1987), the most successful album of his career, featuring the
brilliant tracks Deep And Wide And Tall and Killermont
Street. Initially something of a non-starter, this over-produced
but lovely album eventually made the Top 10 almost a year after its
release, following the massive Top 5 success of the plaintive
Somewhere In My Heart single.
Despite skirting
the pop mainstream, Roddy's subsequent effort Stray (1990)
veered off into more eclectic territory. The Top 20 hit, Good
Morning Britain, featured a duet with Mick Jones from The Clash
and Big Audio Dynamite. Frame then delivered the albums that fans and
critics had waited for.
Dreamland , recorded with composer
Ryuichi Sakamoto, and
Frestonia proved to be strong
collections of emotionally direct, honest songs that rivaled Aztec
Camera's sparkling debut a decade earlier.
The band
disintegrated in 1996 as Frame worked on a solo project, The North
Star, which was eventually released in late 1998 on the
Independiente label.
| The
Band |
Roddy Frame
Vocals, guitar
Dave Mulholland
Bass
Campbell Owens
Drums
Alan Welsh
Drums
Bernie Clark
Keyboards
Dave Ruffy
Drums |
Craig Gannon
Bass
Malcolm Ross
Guitar
Guy Fletcher
Keyboards
Marcus Miller
Bass
David Frank
Keyboards
Steve Jordan
Guitar
|
Eddie Kulak
Keyboards
Gary Sanford
Guitar
Paul Powell
Bass
Gary Sanctuary
Keyboards
Frank Tontoh
Drums |
|
|
