The Chameleons Songs, Albums, Pictures, Photos and Artwork
Who are they?
The Chameleons were a four piece from a somewhat manky northern town somewhere in the midst of Manchester and Rochdale.. Consisting of Mark "Birdy" Burgess on vocals and bass, John "Spare Hairpiece" Lever on drums, Reg "Anyone got a light" Smithies on rhythm guitar and Dave "Scoob-scoob" Fielding they formed in the early eighties from the fall-out of a number of local bands
Released three critically acclaimed albums throughout the course of the 80's which received little/no attention from the public.
Just as the band were beginning to attract serious interest in both the UK and the US they folded due to in-fighting. Burgess went on to work with drummer John Lever in 'The Sun and the Moon' and is scheduled to go on tour with the band in late 2005 as a support act for New Model Army
What are they most famous for?
Aside from sporting bad hair-cuts, the Chameleons were most famous for their spell on the Geffen Record label on which they released the classic album Strange Times. Legend has it that a Geffen A&R man was sent out to Manchester to sign a hot and up-coming band from the local area. Little did he know that he was meant to be signing the Stone Roses rather than the Chams!
The single 'Swamp Thing' off Strange Times made it into the very bottom end of the UK Top 100 singles (#92) to be exact. To this day it remains on heavy rotation with a number of 80's radio stations.
The popularity of the band has soared in recent years due to the advent of such young whippersnappers as Interpol and the Editors. In fact when the band reformed in 2000 for a UK tour they were overwhelmed by the reception they got at most concerts stating it to be better than anything they had experienced whilst they were still active in the 80's!
Why aren't they famous?
The band did not fit in with the 80's fashion aesthetic. Rather, they looked like something out of a 50's B-movie. Artistic integrity was another major stumbling block. The Chams did not concede to banal, glitzy stadium rock. They did their own thing and paid the price for it with obscurity.
Where to start?
1983's 'Script of the Bridge' LP is a stunner containing the marvellously under-rated tracks "Second Skin", "Up the Down Escalator" and "View From A Hill". It really is a must buy along with their final album 'Strange Times'. Look out in particular for the tracks 'Swamp Thing' and 'Soul In Isolation. I'd also recommend 'The Fan and The Bellows' which is a selection of the band's earliest cuts. The title track is worth the admission price alone!
Links
The Chameleons Offical Site
Strange Times
Wishville - Chameleons Forums