| A Flock of Seagulls | |
|---|---|
 A Flock of Seagulls, 1983. L-R: Ali Score, Paul Reynolds, Mike Score, and Frank Maudsley.
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Liverpool, England |
| Genres | New wave, synthpop, electropop |
| Years active | 1979–1986 1989–present |
| Labels | Cocteau, Jive, Arista (US), Quality (Canada), RCA |
| Members | |
| Mike Score Joe Rodríguez Pando Michael Brahm[1][2] |
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| Former members | |
| Ali Score Frank Maudsley Paul Reynolds Shavin "Pepper" Duffy |
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A Flock of Seagulls (also known as Flock of Seagulls) are a British Grammy Award-winning band originally formed by brothers Mike Score (keyboards, vocals) and Ali Score (drums), with Frank Maudsley (bass) and Paul Reynolds (guitar).
The group had a string of international hit singles including "I Ran (So Far Away)", "Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)" and "The More You Live, The More You Love", and became notable in the 1980s for their MTV video for the song "I Ran (So Far Away)".
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A Flock of Seagulls was started by Mike Score and his brother Ali in 1979 in Liverpool. Mike, who was previously a hairdresser, played keyboards, guitar, and vocals, Ali played drums and their friend Frank Maudsley played bass. The band took their name from a line in the song "Toiler on the Sea" by The Stranglers, which appears on their album Black and White.[3] The band added guitarist Willie Woo, and Mark Edmondson joined briefly when Ali and Mike had a falling out; however, Ali re-joined when Mark took ill. They then began writing songs. Soon after, Willie left, allowing Paul Reynolds to join. They then started playing clubs, and soon enough, they got a contract.
Eventually, under the management of Tommy Crossan and Mick Rossi (Checkmount Limited), they began to release singles through Jive Records. The group released an EP and a couple of singles, 'Its Not Me Talking' and 'Telecommunication' on Bill Nelson's 'Cocteau' label; both tracks produced by Nelson. In 1982 the group's third single "I Ran (So Far Away)" became a worldwide hit, most notably reaching number 1 in Australia and the top 10 in the US and New Zealand (where the band became popular). The parent album A Flock of Seagulls and another single "Space Age Love Song" were also successful. In late 1982 the band found major success in their home country with "Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)" (first single from their next album) which reached the top 10[4]. As it turned out, 1982 would prove to be the peak year of their commercial and critical success.
1983 saw the release of three singles to back their second album Listen. Each was only a minor success in the UK and abroad. The album bore a heavily processed electronic sound that was a break from the Duran Duran guitar and bass driven sound of their début. Faced with disappointment the group produced a third album in 1984 that leant closer to a guitar sound. "The More You Live, The More You Love" was The Story of a Young Heart's lead single. It was moderately successful, despite having production that recalled their breakout hit "I Ran". The album's other two singles - "Never Again (The Dancer)" and "Remember David" - didn't make any headway.
Faced with sliding sales and a loss of direction following the third album the group relocated to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania minus Paul Reynolds. Eventually in 1985 the group released a new album; Dream Come True. Despite having a new sound based around the Fairlight Synthesizer the album was critically panned and a commercial failure. The remaining members fell out and A Flock Of Seagulls in its original incarnation disbanded. In promotion of Dream Come True, two videos - "Who's That Girl" and "Heartbeat Like a Drum" - were filmed in quick succession. These two videos were the last time the three remaining members were together in a recording or performance capacity until 2004.
In November 2003, the original line-up (Mike and Ali Score, Paul Reynolds and Frank Maudsley) reunited for a one-off performance on the VH1 series, Bands Reunited. In September 2004, they reformed again and played a small number of live shows in the United States, but broke up immediately afterward.
Maudsley returned to Liverpool and is now the owner of a newsagent in the City Centre, while Mike and Ali Score stayed in Philadelphia. The brothers then had a falling out that resulted in Mike Score remaining as the sole original member of the band and Ali going to Boston, where he played in a hard rock band and then worked for a computer company in Cambridge.
Following the dissolution of the band in the wake of Dream Come True, Mike Score resurfaced in a series of new bands with changing line-ups. The band released two singles ("Magic" and "Burnin' Up") and one album (The Light at the End of the World) which achieved some success. The group made a cameo appearance in the 1999 movie The Suburbans, starring Jennifer Love Hewitt and Will Ferrell.
In 2003, A Flock of Seagulls performed for the unveiling of the Syracuse A-league football logo and team's name, Syracuse Salty Dogs, in Syracuse, New York. The band returned later that year for a performance at one of the Salty Dogs' games at Syracuse's P&C Stadium.
In November 2003, the original line-up (Mike and Ali Score, Paul Reynolds and Frank Maudsley) reunited for a one-off performance on the VH1 series Bands Reunited. In September 2004, they reformed again and played a small number of live shows in the United States, but broke up immediately afterward. The reunion included performances at Nike Run Hit Wonder (L.A., not NYC), a series of 5000 and 10,000-metre road races, featuring popular bands that are frequently classified as one hit wonders (including Devo, General Public, and Tommy Tutone) who performed along the race course.
Mike Score continues to tour under the band's name with a new line-up, but the other original members have retired from music. The band played a show at Classic Bowl in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
The band's 2005 lineup was Mike Score, lead singer, keyboards; Joe Rodriguez, lead guitarist; Pando bassist; and Michael Brahm, drums. In June 2005, the current line-up appeared on the debut episode of the American edition of NBC's Hit Me Baby One More Time. Besides performing their hit song "I Ran (So Far Away)", they also performed a cover of Ryan Cabrera's "On the Way Down".
In an interview on the VH1 special 100 Greatest Songs of the '80s, Mike Score said "Every time he performs live... Everyone just wants to hear 'I Ran'", and goes on to say "...and I'm sick of it!". Also that he resents the song, but plays it live because people enjoy it. "I Ran" was listed at #55 on the countdown. He said the same thing in VH1's 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the 80s, and was listed at #2 on this countdown. The interview on 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the 80s was the exact same one that was shown on 100 Greatest Songs of the 80s.
A Flock of Seagulls performed at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, Philippines on April 19, 2008 as part of "The Lost 80s Live in Manila" tour along with Gene Loves Jezebel and Real Life.
On February 4, 2010 Flock of Seagulls played at the Ghostbar at the Palms in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mike Score was the only original band member, They were the only band that played that night starting at 12:30 am.
Classic line-up (1979–1984)
| Year | Album | Chart Positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.K[5] | DEU[6] | SE | U.S[7] | AUS[8] | ||
| 1981 | Modern Love Is Automatic EP
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– | – | – | – | – |
| 1982 | A Flock of Seagulls
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32 | 26 | 32 | 10 | 19 |
| 1983 | Listen
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16 | 14 | 44 | 16 | 90 |
| 1984 | The Story of a Young Heart
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30 | 31 | – | 67 | – |
| 1985 | Dream Come True
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– | – | – | – | – |
| 1995 | The Light at the End of the World
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– | – | – | – | – |
| Year | Title | Album | Chart Positions | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.K.[5] | U.K. Indie[9] | AUS[8] | DEU[6] | IRL[10] | U.S[11] | ||||||
| Hot 100 | MSR | Dance Club Play | |||||||||
| 1981 | "(It's Not Me) Talking" | — | – | 45 | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| "Telecommunication" | A Flock of Seagulls | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 19 | ||
| 1982 | "I Ran (So Far Away)" | 43 | – | 1 | 31 | – | 9 | 3 | 8 | ||
| "Space Age Love Song" | 34 | – | 68 | – | – | 30 | 59 | – | |||
| "Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)" | Listen | 10 | – | 46 | 37 | 6 | 26 | 3 | 62 | ||
| 1983 | "(It's Not Me) Talking" (Cocteau Records re-issue) | — | – | 22 | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| "Nightmares" | Listen | 53 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| "Transfer Affection" | 38 | – | – | – | 22 | – | – | – | |||
| "(It's Not Me) Talking" (Rerecording) | 78 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||
| 1984 | "The More You Live, The More You Love" | The Story of a Young Heart | 26 | – | – | 37 | – | 56 | 10 | – | |
| "Never Again (The Dancer)" | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||
| "Remember David" | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||
| 1985 | "Who's That Girl (She's Got It)" | Dream Come True | 66 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 1986 | "Heartbeat Like a Drum" | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| 1989 | "Magic" | — | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 1995 | "Magic" (Re-issue) | The Light at the End of the World | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| "Burnin' Up" | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||
| 1996 | "Rainfall" | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| 2000 | "Rainfall" (Re-issue) | — | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 2007 | "I Ran (So Far Away)" (A Flock Of Seagulls vs. The Angry Kids) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| Year | Title | Format |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Through the Looking Glass
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VHS |
Mike Score's distinctive hairstyle has been mentioned, copied, and parodied many times in the media:
The album track, "D.N.A.", from A Flock of Seagulls, won a Grammy Award in 1983 for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.
   | The Airborne Division - The Airborne Division - Home |
| | www.myspace.com/aflockofseagulls - A Flock Of Seagulls on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads |
| | Official website - A Flock of Seagulls |
| | Boys Will Be Girls - Boys Will Be Girls |
| | Paul Reynolds - Reno’s World : paul-reynolds.net |
| | here - Boys Will Be Girls |
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