{"id":41867,"date":"2025-04-23T12:15:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-23T16:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=41867"},"modified":"2025-04-02T20:32:58","modified_gmt":"2025-04-03T00:32:58","slug":"hidden-treasures-the-forgotten-journey-of-b-movie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=41867","title":{"rendered":"Hidden Treasures: The Forgotten Journey of B-Movie"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In May 1981, B-Movie and Soft Cell packed their bags and headed to London\u2019s Advision Studios with the renowned producer Mike Thorne\u2014yes, the man who\u2019d worked with Wire, Bronski Beat, China Crisis, and The Communards\u2014to record singles for the label they shared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Phonogram had its sights set on B-Movie, but things got a little tangled when they also signed Soft Cell, thanks to the clever Stev0, who managed both bands and wouldn\u2019t let one have the spotlight without the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While B-Movie was busy laying down the dark, moody, anti-fame vibe of Marilyn Dreams<\/em>, Soft Cell embarked on a cover of a little-known Northern Soul classic. When the singles dropped in July 1981, Soft Cell\u2019s Tainted Love<\/em> exploded onto the scene, turning them into international superstars and the biggest act of the year. Unfortunately for B-Movie, Marilyn Dreams<\/em> resonated with their loyal fans but never cracked the charts, leaving the band to slip quietly back into the shadows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

B-Movie\u2019s journey began in 1979 in Mansfield, a gritty northern town nestled in the heart of Nottinghamshire\u2019s coalfield. Starting out as a trio\u2014vocals\/bass, guitar, and drums\u2014they soon added a keyboardist to expand their post-punk sound. Their early days saw them featured on Dead Good Records\u2019 compilation LP \u2018East,\u2019 followed by the Take 3<\/em> EP and the Nowhere Girl<\/em> 12-inch EP. The Nowhere Girl<\/em> release, with its quirky mix of 45RPM on one side and 33RPM on the other, became a rare gem with only about 900 copies pressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The turning point came when Stev0, spinning records at the iconic Chelsea Drugstore, began playing their tracks at his nights and championed them in his weekly Futurist Chart for the \u2018Sounds\u2019 music paper. His new venture, Some Bizarre, promptly roped B-Movie into its legendary debut compilation alongside acts like Blancmange, Depeche Mode, Soft Cell, and The The\u2014an album often hailed as the \u2018dead sea scrolls\u2019 of the new wave and post-punk scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The buzz from live shows and that compilation soon attracted major label and press attention. This led Phonogram to whisk B-Movie off to Scorpio Sound Studios in London with Mike Thorne to re-record the live favourite Remembrance Da<\/em>y. The single reached No. 61 in the UK and even earned a nod from BBC Radio 1\u2019s John Peel, who featured it in his Festive 50 for two consecutive years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Riding on this momentum, B-Movie\u2019s fanbase grew as they sold out shows and anticipation built for their next move. However, the sensational rise of Soft Cell and the mixed fate of Marilyn Dreams<\/em> put a temporary damper on their trajectory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not one to back down, B-Movie returned to the studio with the late producer Steve Brown (known for his work with The Cult and Manic Street Preachers) to re-record Nowhere Girl<\/em>\u2014a track originally from that Dead Good 12-inch single. Critics dubbed it the perfect 80s anthem, a bona fide smash hit in the making. Yet, despite glowing reviews, steady radio airplay, and a UK tour in March 1982, the single stalled at No. 67 on the charts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This setback signaled the beginning of the end for the original B-Movie. With Soft Cell dominating the charts, Some Bizarre\u2019s roster expanding, and new competitors like The The emerging with their own stellar singles for CBS, the band\u2019s momentum waned. Plans for a debut album were shelved, key members left, and although B-Movie regrouped and later signed with Sire Records\u2014releasing a few more singles and the \u2018Forever Running\u2019 album in 1985\u2014their journey eventually ended in 1986.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Decades later, all the recordings from their Phonogram period, long consigned to the Universal Music vault, were finally returned in 2024 after persistent negotiations. The tapes were digitised and restored, culminating in the creation of a 1982 debut LP that had long been forgotten\u2014a collection of ten tracks featuring the three singles along with seven unreleased gems. The CD version even adds seven more tracks, including 12-inch versions, single B-sides, and \u201cMoles\u201d from the Some Bizarre compilation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, at last, the long-awaited debut album \u2018Hidden Treasures\u2019 by B-Movie is here\u2014four decades overdue but perfectly at home next to the likes of The Chameleons and The Sound. This album is a journey into a darker, brooding, and almost psychedelic realm\u2014more in tune with the gothic vibes of The Bunnymen or Joy Division than the pop star image Phonogram once imagined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As one of the great \u201clost\u201d bands of the early 80s, B-Movie finally steps into the light. \u201cIt\u2019s nice to hear B-Movie are finally getting a chance to release their forgotten gems,\u201d<\/em> says Matt Johnson of The The.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Discover more at www.b-movie.org<\/a>.b<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In May 1981, B-Movie and Soft Cell packed their bags and headed to London\u2019s Advision Studios with the renowned producer Mike Thorne\u2014yes, the man who\u2019d […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":41868,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[22,23,28,30,1907],"tags":[57,12346,12345,1728],"class_list":["post-41867","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guitar-rock","category-indie","category-music","category-new-release","category-news","tag-80s","tag-b-movie","tag-hidden-treasures","tag-soft-cell"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/IMG_4201.jpeg?fit=800%2C573","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2B2TV-aTh","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":36853,"url":"http:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=36853","url_meta":{"origin":41867,"position":0},"title":"Soft Cell announce \u2018Tainted Love\u2019 special collector\u2019s single","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"May 11, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"The year was 1981 and British synth pop duo Soft Cell had just watched their debut single Memorabilia fail to chart. 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