Artist:Scritti Politti
Song:Perfect Way
Album:Absolute: The Best of Scritti Politti
Though they were more popular in their native England, Scritti Politti scored a top 20 hit in the US with the 1985 single Perfect Way. The song was very popular in clubs. It is an early example of Electronic Dance Music (EDM). Scritti Politti was formed in 1977 by Green Garside. He was a student at Leeds Polytechnic. When The Sex Pistols launched their 1976 tour there, it inspired Garside to start a punk band. They moved to London and lived in a squat. The name Scritti Politti is a tribute to Italian Marxist writer and political theorist Antonio Gramsci whose writing was called Scritti Politici. Garside changed it to Scritti Politti as a tribute to Little Richard's Tutti Frutti. They self released a single that landed on BBC DJ John Peel's radio show and it got them a record deal with Rough Trade. They released two EPs and Garside scaled the band back to three members. At first they were a punk band but Garside thought he could do everything himself with electronics. Scritti Politti's debut album Songs to Remember was released in 1982. Garside's music had become more commercial and he didn't like being on a small label like Rough Trade. So for the 1985 album Cupid & Psyche 85, he signed with Virgin in England and Warner Bros in the US. He went to New York to work with legendary producer Arif Mardin. He met session keyboard player David Garrison. They decided to work together. Garrison brought in drummer Fred Maher. So Scritti Politti is not really a band anymore and Garside is making the kind of commercial music he would have scoffed at in 1977. Perfect Way reached #11 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified Gold. Garside recorded with Chaka Khan and Al Jarreau and contributed a song to the 1987 film Who's That Girl. But the 1988 album Provision did not sell. Though he did release two singles in 1991, Garside retired from music until he released the album Anomie and Bonhomie in 1999. Since then he has made guest appearances on albums and a Scritti Politti album in 2006. He is currently working with Rough Trade to reissue the Scritti Politti catalog. This comp is a good intro to their music. Here's the video for Perfect Way by Scritti Politti.
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