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| Vitamin Z's vocalist Geoff Barradale was inspired to be a singer after attending a Paul Young concert; ironically, like Paul Young, Vitamin Z became recognized in the U.S. for one lovelorn ballad in the '80s and really nothing else. The song was "Burning Flame" and it represented Vitamin Z's creative peak, encapsulating the mid-'80s pop scene in England when British artists such as Young, the Style Council, and Spandau Ballet took stabs at blue-eyed soul. Barradale and Nick Lockwood (guitar, bass, keyboards) formed Vitamin Z in Sheffield, England, in 1982. The group immediately received an offer from CBS Records; however, they didn't feel they were ready yet and turned it down. The band continued to polish their sound and eventually signed with Phonogram in the U.K. and Geffen Records in America. Vitamin Z's debut album, Rites of Passage, was released in 1985. The LP featured guest musicians such as Peter Gabriel, percussionist Jerry Marotta, drummer Chris Merrick Hughes, guitarists Neil Hubbard and David Rhodes, and violinist Simon House; Rhodes later joined the group. The band became the opening act for Tears for Fears in England, and "Burning Flame" scorched the dance charts. Vitamin Z revisited "Burning Flame" on their next album, Sharp Stone Rain, its title a reference to the bombing of a Northern Ireland church wherein 11 people were killed. But the LP was not successful and the group split up. Barradale started the Wild Orchids and then began recording with Seafruit in 1998. ~ Michael Sutton, All Music Guide |
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