I did a few last year. It is a story within a story, be careful what you wish for in case you get it. I didnt think more about it until we were in America recording our debut album, Bridge of Spies. In 2011 she felt insulted when Gary Barlow, then a judge on X-Factor, made a derogatory comment about China In Your Hand and Carol took to Twitter to vent her spleen. After the split, Carol admits she lost her way and it would be almost a decade before she released a new TPau album, Red. "We're Part Of The 80s Fabric": Carol Decker And Ronnie Rogers Talk T'Pau Carol Decker and Ronnie Rogers of T'Pau talk about career highs, overlooked songs, and the eclecticism at the. Our producer, Roy Thomas Baker, went: Well, what else have you got? Id brought my cassette of China and played it to him very unsurely, and that was that. Hearing China In Your Hands with real strings was emotional. Im not an ber-cool person and was always up for that stuff, she says. [4], In a 2011 interview with Old School - Back to the 80s, Decker spoke of the album, "I would've loved to have gotten the same level of success again [with Red]. He said the gaps needed filling, so I started these syncopated sort of nonsense noises. We put the band together around us, says Carol. Subscribe to our newsletter to get the day's top stories sent directly to you. Its part of the fabric of the 80s and you have to respect that.. That meant she would be unable to make a living without her normal fees for performing. 1988 saw the release of their second album Rage which produced the hit single "Secret Garden". Drink, laughed Carol at the time. Our management was clear that we had to keep the ball rolling, says Carol. They get really sniffy when we suggested something. T'Pau: 04:15 : Amazon: 2 : I Will Be With You. Id only seen the clonky Hammer horror Frankenstein film all that bolt-in-the neck business but Id always been fascinated by how prophetic Shelleys story was, that idea of man playing God. The song would peak at No.4 and, on the back of being picked for a jeans commercial, finally made the same position back home in September 1987. After touring with Bryan Adams and Nik Kershaw, the band added another guitarist, Dean Howard, and recorded their second album, Rage. After meeting guitarist Ronnie on the gigging circuit, the early 80s would see the pair battle to capitalize on a series of promising leads that withered into nothing. But playing the shows isnt just about having fun. Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article. "Ive always had a great association with Shropshire, particularly Shrewsbury and Bridgnorth, which were both home, and weve played lots of gigs in the West Midlands, from Bilston to Birmingham. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1987. The record was not a commercial success, but T'Pau have continued to perform live on a semi-regular basis. The final eight shows on the Pleasure & Pain Tour had to be cancelled in early March after Decker suffered damage to her voice while suffering from bronchitis. She sang a version of China In Your Hands rewording it Wash Your Hands and has kept fans updated about forthcoming concerts. We were treated like children by our management wed even left our stuff out there, expecting to return! Ronnie doesnt know why they werent involved in the decision, but believes it was just how new bands climbing up the ladder were treated back then. TPau was a manufactured band in one sense, says Carol. Ronnie Rogers (I) Actor Composer Soundtrack IMDbPro Starmeter See rank Ronnie Rogers is known for Laura Bell Bundy: Drop on By (2010), Brooks & Dunn: Only in America (2009) and T'Pau: Bridge of Spies (1987). Carol Decker / Ronnie Rogers. I guess subconsciously thats how I got the title.. I sulked my way across Germany it was just awful. September 10, 1957), guitarist Ronnie Rogers (b. T'Pau: Bridge of Spies: Directed by Jay Brown. Thered be ice on the inside of the windows. Instead, Decker often performs what she calls a "basic" version,[4] explaining to Songfacts: "I rap the first two verses then cut to the melody for the verse before the chorus. Ronnie Rogers, guitarist, songwriter Although we'd been signed, I was still working as a telephone engineer. We had to watch telly in sleeping bags. . I had made some money but not tons. Later the same year she appeared in the film Nine Dead Gay Guys as the wife of Stephen Berkoff. It was my song, its all Ive got left. No one really notices or minds as I cover the essential dynamics of the song. It was a bit out on a limb from everything else too, but, picking a song on its merit, it was the obvious one to choose. Radio stations in the States now struggled to categorize the group, who refused to slot neatly into segregated playlist policies. Further promotional activities included a live session for Virgin Radio and an appearance on VH1, which Decker also filmed material for in New York. Following its inclusion in a Pepe Jeans advert, the single reached No. Another greatest hits release appeared in 1997, and Decker reformed the band with a new line-up in 1998, for the release of a new studio album, Red. TPaus new single will be released on May 8 and the band are hoping to contact people who run 1980s websites and blogs so that they can promote it. Weve definitely recovered from something.. Carol Decker / Ronnie Rogers. The album produced a total of five hit singles including "Valentine", "Sex Talk" (a live recording of an early flop single, "Intimate Strangers"), and "I Will Be with You". We also had a bit of a comedy element to it because people are going stir crazy. The band T'Pau formed in 1986 in Shropshire, taking their name from a Vulcan priestess by the same name in the Star Trek films. This was in part why the bands third set, The Promise, was recorded with each member playing a greater part, and a new producer was hired. "[5] Speaking to Super Deluxe Edition in 2013, she added, "I recorded Red when I was pregnant with my daughter. Heart and Soul is the debut single by British pop rock ensemble T'Pau, released in 1987 from their debut album Bridge of Spies. I was beside myself with joy when we flew out, recalls Carol. I was nervous about Amelia singing it because I didnt want her to do better than me. Ronnie Rogers. In 1988 they released their second album Rage, which peaked at No. It was a quiet piano song and he turned it into something else, with that big crashing chorus. 8 August 1961, Telford) Bassist, Taj Wyzgowski (b. I got home one day and Carol had this quiet sketch she'd written on the piano. But I have to keep away from social media when I have had a few glasses of wine. "It reminded me of when I was a young musician and the A&R guy would want to bring a song down and Id say How dare you, thats my art. To mark the 25th anniversary of the formation of the band, Decker and Rogers embarked on a 28-date UK tour during the spring of 2013 without the original band members. In November 1987, when TPaus China In Your Hand became the 600th single to peak at No.1 in Britain, it seemed the bands passport to world domination was stamped and little would stand in their way. Impressum Required fields are marked *. Then, towards the end, it got even worse when we would get feedback with a multiple-choice table, and the responses ranged from Not quite what we are looking for, to Dont give up your day job. I imagine those punky little A&R guys thought it was funny, but it really wasnt., The band found a mentor in David Massey, who managed Wang Chung a group that scored big hits with Dance Hall Days and Everybody Have Fun Tonight. He picked up on the hit potential of one of TPaus songs, Valentine, and urged them to write more like that, but still declined to take them on himself. A year later, in October 1987, we were at No 1. Carol Decker back in Shrewsbury for anniversary gig", "Carol Decker facts: Songs, husband and what the T'Pau singer is doing now", "6959.jpg (JPEG Image, 645 753 pixels)", "The Official Charts Company China in Your Hand by T'Pau Search", Illogical captainT'Pau star Carol hits out at band's radio blackout, "The Official Charts Company T'Pau (band)", "Item Display RPM Library and Archives Canada", "Bundesverband Musikindustrie: Gold-/Platin-Datenbank", "Results RPM Library and Archives Canada", "The Irish Charts All there is to know", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=T%27Pau_(band)&oldid=1135874975, Ronnie Rogers rhythm guitars, songwriter (19861991, 2007, 2013present), Tim Burgess drums, percussion (19861991), This page was last edited on 27 January 2023, at 11:35. Find album reviews, track lists, credits, awards and more at AllMusic. Heart and Soul: The Very Best of T'Pau is a compilation album by British pop group T'Pau, which was released by Virgin Records in 1993. I wanted her to give a good performance but not eclipse me. It was re-recorded for the single version and Carol explained to me why: We recorded the song in one passionate take and we were happy with it for the album. As the only original member, Decker originally considered touring under her own name, but was advised that using the T'Pau name would generate more recognition. The single artwork was designed by graphic designer Adrian Fry. Now we both feel in perfect health. In 1997, after finding new management, she formed a new line-up of T'Pau in order to begin touring again. [9] T'Pau's lead singer, Liverpool-born Carol Decker began as a member of a ska band, The Lazers at Shrewsbury Art College. Find album reviews, track lists, credits, awards and more at AllMusic. Their 1987 album, Bridge of Spies (the album was called T'Pau in the U.S.)[T'Pau (band) at All Music Guide] was a best seller and won several British music industry awards. But as Decker herself recalls, it was never that simple for TPau. Written by MD Brown/AJ Sansone/RJCalilliVocals Ronnie RogersFrom the T'Pau CD Single I Will Be With You T'Pau: Sex Talk: Directed by Brian Grant. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. I remember holding this cup up to the light, and seeing this Japanese ladys face in the bottom. I knew following up Bridge Of Spies was going to be hard, but I am proud of Rage and, certainly initially, wasnt particularly worried by it not doing as well. In fact, the classic 80s power ballad was to mark a commercial peak, and the groups US career was already starting to unravel. He said I had just walked away from debts of 800,000. We appeared in the serious music press at first, but then they started to get increasingly snooty about TPau.. | When it gets past 8pm, Richard wrestles my phone out of my hand.. It was so beautiful and fragile, so it gave me the idea for that line about what dreams are like: Dont push too far / Your dreams are china in your hand.. We flew back to London to appear on it and were never told we werent going back to the States, she says. Carol Decker / Ronnie Rogers. The short set was a make-or-break moment. Discover The Virgin Anthology by T'Pau released in 2017. Their debut album, Bridge Of Spies, was released in September of 1987 and the first single from it was Heart and Soul which reached number four in both the UK and the US. 4 in both the US and UK charts. Their debut album, Bridge of Spies (simply called T'Pau in the US), also reached number 1 and went quadruple platinum in the UK. 4 in both the US and UK charts. After a farewell tour, T'Pau broke up, and Decker began a solo career soon after. . Billboard Hot 100 chart, reaching #4 after being featured on a Pepe Jeans advertisement; it repeated the feat in the UK Singles Chart some months later. Scarlett was seven and Dylan was three and I just didnt fancy city life anymore, but how I missed the bars and all the parties, she admitted. "The creative side is wonderful but the promotion is harder.. That one has really, really hurt.. In 1982 Carol attended a Katz gig where Ronnie threw his guitar into the audience, which hit Carol and cut her finger. I hadn't been a mum before. T'Pau: 03:58 . Ronnie Rogers. Then I met Ronnie. Background [ edit] Singer Carol Decker said of the authorship and composition of the selection: Carol Decker / Ronnie Rogers. I think its a much better album than Rage, but the bubble had burst, adds Ronnie. I then turned those noises into words which took about a week to get right. The actual China line this sounds terrible but I had this flimsy tea set from Ronnies mum, whod always give us crockery and duvets. We had five arena shows lined up with the London Philharmonic. Now you can create a record in your own bedroom, but it just wasnt like that back then., The investment paid off with the 10-song set, which was given a deluxe edition reissue in 2015, proving to be a multi-platinum smash and containing the song Carol is most proud of: Heart And Soul, which was picked as TPaus first single. Their debut single and first hit was the 1987 release "Heart and Soul". As the first T'Pau album since 1991's The Promise, Red features singer Carol Decker as the only member from the original line-up. "But it was quite funny. All the press was slanted towards a Smash Hits audience and, with hindsight, that didnt help. It started OK, but tensions started to build with the others as time went on., Siren Records sent the newly formed six-piece stateside to a studio near Chicago to record their first album, Bridge Of Spies. T'Pau: 04:27 . To me, it was just another song it didnt sound like it had a chorus either. So I started it: It was a theme she had / On a scheme he had / Told in a foreign land. The message, basically, is be careful what you wish for. I need to work as much as anything to put my kids through university so that they can make more films.. Decker still performs under the name T'Pau at solo shows and 1980s nostalgia concerts, and in 2013 she reunited with original band member and co-songwriter Ronnie Rogers for a 25th-anniversary UK tour.[5]. Then one day I saw this documentary about Mary Shelley. You must be logged in to comment. All tracks are written by Carol Decker and Ronnie Rogers, except "This Girl" written by T'Pau. 6 October 1961, Macclesfield) Percussionist/Drummer, Michael Chetwood (b. As Carol admits, if being an eclectic songwriter is a sin, then she and Ronnie are guilty as charged. Decker re-formed the band with a new line-up in 1998, and T'Pau have in recent years continued to work live regularly. The band formed in 1986, taking their name from a Vulcan elder of the same name in the sci-fi series Star Trek. Eight years ago they left the bright lights of London Carol moved to Henley with her husband Richard who is an executive chef for the restaurant chain Bodeans, and their children Scarlett, 15, and Dylan, 11. I wont plead poverty but financially its as good as the deal you sign and we didnt sign a very good deal. Ronnie Rogers [T'Pau] Top Songs as Writer #1: "Heart and Soul" by T'Pau #2: "China in Your Hand" by T'Pau #3: "Valentine" by T'Pau #4: "I Will Be with You" by T'Pau #5: "Whenever You Need Me" by T'Pau #6: "Secret Garden" by T'Pau #7: "Sex Talk" by T'Pau #8: "Only the Lonely" by T'Pau #9: "Road to Our Dream" by T'Pau #10: "Valentine" by T'Pau. Tim Burgess. Scarlett is doing animation production at university in Bournemouth so she created a shooting schedule before we started. I did London Coliseum last autumn and Leeds Millennium Square with a 75-piece orchestra. I put things up things that make me laugh on Twitter. It included one Top 20 hit, "Whenever You Need Me", but the band's commercial peak had now passed and they split up after its release. 13 March 1959, Shrewsbury) Rhythm Guitarist/Songwriter, Tim Burgess (b. In time, they would fill venues like Londons Wembley Arena by themselves: the perfect platform to showcase Carols powerful voice. I was watching a documentary on the whole Mary Shelley and Byron and Keats gang and was enthralled by how, at 19, she outsold both noted poets, revealed Carol. That year, the band undertook a 25-date UK tour and also released a new version of the band's 1986 hit "Heart and Soul" as "Heart and Soul '97". I still cant believe how huge China got. Our manager came backstage and told me I was a very lucky girl, recalls Carol. Carol and Ronnie put together a new band and won a couple of support slots at Londons Marquee Club with a repertoire that included cover versions of Save Your Kisses for Me and Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da. Carol has kept in touch with her 50,000 Twitter followers most days, offering plenty of laughter along the way. Find album reviews, track lists, credits, awards and more at AllMusic. Listen to The Virgin Anthology right now. Speaking to uDiscover, Carol admits she was starting to get rattled by the relentless round of rejection. T'Pau: China in Your Hand: Directed by Brian Grant. Tim Burgess / Michael Chetwood / Carol Decker / Dean Howard / Paul Jackson / Ronnie Rogers. Could have lived without the Big Country flavoured 'Do the Right Dance'; and surely Paul McCartney will be suing Decker for re-writing Wings' 'With a Little Luck' and re-titling it 'Wing and a Prayer'? In 2008, T'Pau were part of the Here and Now 1980s nostalgia tour.[8]. China In Your Hand was the bands second single. It was a similar story elsewhere too, but the strength of the bands songs cut through in Europe, where programmers had less influence on the charts. We burst out laughing. [3], The song is notable for its usage of various vocal overdubs, causing Decker, essentially, to be duetting with herself on the original studio recording. I find it funny that nowadays everyone takes big crashing songs and makes them quiet. I toured it up and down the UK, and then I went across Europe with Status Quo and I left her behind when she was six months old. In 1998, Decker revived T'Pau with a new lineup and released the album Red. We couldnt smell, we had no sense of taste and we had sore throats. They absolutely had to stop for lunch. They have had a string of Top 40 hits in the UK, and several hits in the United States and Europe. Find album reviews, track lists, credits, awards and more at AllMusic. As the The Virgin Anthology attests, however, Decker and Rogers assurance was well-founded. We had nothing left to give each other, Carol said. "Carol takes to the road but without her old china", "#TPau25 - 25 Years Of TPau and Carol Decker: 1997", "#TPau25 - 25 Years Of TPau and Carol Decker: 1998", "T'Pau Giving Up The Ghost UK CD single (CD5 / 5") (217750)", "Back to the 80s: Interview with Carol Decker from T'Pau - Kickin' it Old School | tBlog.com", "Red - T'Pau | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards", "Classic Rock The Archive January 1999 Page 74 T'Pau", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Red_(T%27Pau_album)&oldid=1091433331, Short description is different from Wikidata, Album articles lacking alt text for covers, Track listings that use the collapsed parameter, Articles with MusicBrainz release group identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Decker, Rogers, J. Dunkley, G. Clayton, S. Boorer, Jez Ashurst electric guitar, acoustic guitar, Spencer Cozens keyboards (tracks 2, 4-7, 10), Dave Hattee drums, programming on "Love Song", Rafe McKenna - producer (tracks 1, 3, 8-9), mixing, engineer, Marco Sabiu - producer (track 1), programming (track 1), Simon Dawson, Feddy de Faye, Alan Jenkins, Roberto Pieroni engineers, Jeremy Gill, Simon Morris, Peter Sberi assistant engineers, This page was last edited on 4 June 2022, at 08:47. The knock-backs from the labels were never constructive, she says. Despite this, the 11-song collection went platinum, and features in its entirety on Disc Three of The Virgin Anthology. But when we were making The Promise, we didnt realize how much had changed, says Carol. Discover Red by T'Pau released in 1998. Decker still makes appearances on TV shows, including Hit Me, Baby, One More Time; Just the Two of Us; Never Mind the Buzzcocks and The Weakest Link. Ronnie and I had got the vocals finished in February and we thought wed start putting the music out as download-only singles. The audience reaction is irreplaceable but putting it bluntly, thats how I earn my money. "Those have been pulled and the arenas are hard to book in advance so we dont know if theyll go ahead. In 2015, freshly reunited professionally with Ronnie, TPau released Pleasure And Pain, which received a strong critical response and solid sales, sparking a ferocious touring schedule that the band maintains to this day. He was right about Valentine. Initially a flop in the UK, it first became a hit in the U.S. Contact, 2023Schweizerische Radio- und Fernsehgesellschaft, This page was last modified 28.03.2011 00:31:55, Dean Howard (b. We didnt know any better then and were very in awe of everything, so we just agreed. Carol said her band was able to operate in the digital world by sending files to each other via email. Ronnie. "Fortunately, we got it wrapped up just in time. Ronnies mum died of cancer while we were away followed by my dad, who died of a heart attack in 1990 so the band split in 1991 with Ron returning to production. Paul Jackson. Following its inclusion in a Pepe Jeans advert, the single reached No. I would actually pick Only A Heartbeat from The Promise as my favourite TPau song ever.. Dean Howard, Carol Decker and Ronnie Rogers on stage at the Montreux rock festival, 1988. Its still a little poignant for me even today to discuss all the potential that was in front of us, says Carol Decker, who fronted TPau with her boyfriend, Ronnie Rogers. [1][2] Decker recorded Red between December 1997 to July 1998 at Roundhouse Studios in London. It feels different now, says Carol. Discover Sex Talk by T'Pau released in 2007. T'Pau also recorded rock versions of The Monkees' "I'm a Believer", Petula Clark's "Downtown" and The Left Banke's "Walk Away Rene", all with lead vocals by rhythm guitarist Ron Rogers. T'Pau is a late 1980s pop group led by singer Carol Decker. It produced the UK Top 20 single "Secret Garden", though chart returns were diminishing by this point, and two following singles earned very modest success. The compilation's title was based on the band's successful debut single "Heart and Soul". "[4], Upon its initial release in the UK in February 1987, the song was not well received, entering the bottom of the chart and falling out immediately after. Things started getting very difficult, says Carol. We found out while we were on tour with Bryan Adams in Germany. Ronnies mother gave us a china tea-set and if you lifted the cups up to the light you can see a womans face in the bottom. Carol Decker and Ronnie Rogers of TPau talk about career highs, overlooked songs, and the eclecticism at the heart of the band. I didnt even present the idea to the band, says Carol. Read Full Biography. We could tell there was something about it too, even as a four-track demo., In 1986, the pair was invited to perform a three-song showcase at Nomis Rehearsal Studios, in front of Siren Records bosses, after the duos new manager, Chris Cook, had secured a hearing. Ronnie Rogers was a guitarist with a band called The Katz. Guitarist Dean Howard has toured and recorded with Deep Purple vocalist Ian Gillan. The record sales started to slump and the band began bickering. After the song was used in a Ppe jeans commercial, however, it became a Top Five hit on both sides of the Atlantic. Ronnie and I are no longer together were both happily married to other people, with kids but I still perform, and when I get back into that past, its like Im another Carol. Sites: Wikipedia, web.archive.org, secondhandsongs.com, repertoire.bmi.com Aliases: Randall Rogers Variations: Viewing All | Ronnie Rogers R. Rogers, R.Rogers, Rodgers, Rogers, Rogers Ronnie, Ron Rogers Artist [a357974] He was grumpy because he was getting into his zone before the gig or shagging his girlfriend but he bought us lots of champagne afterwards, bless him. The band was earning a strong reputation as a live act and was soon on tour with Nik Kershaw. Table 19: Oberhofer's Ultimate Wedding Mixtape, Put Your Hands Up, Vol. The cups were paper thin and so fragile when you held it in your hand. They recruited guitarist Taj Wyzgowski, bass player Paul Jackson, keyboard player Michael Chetwood and London-born drummer, Tim Burgess to form TPau. In 2007, marking the 20th anniversary of T'Pau's initial success, Ron Rogers and Carol Decker released the new single, "Just Dream", exclusively as an internet download. Rogers, R.Rodgers, R.Rogers, Rodgers, Roger, Rogers, Rogers, R., Rogers, Ronald, Roland Rogers, Ron Rodgers, Ronald Phillip Rogers, Ronald Rogers, Ronnie Rodgers, Ronnie Rogers [a271215] T'Pau: I Will Be with You: Directed by Brian Grant. [6] Due to the exposure, the song was re-released in the UK that same month; this time it became a hit, equaling the US peak of No. Heart and Soul: The Very Best of T'Pau is a compilation album by British pop group T'Pau, which was released by Virgin Records in 1993. "We had to do a download video and my two kids have both done creative media courses at college so we asked them to make it.. T'Pau: Composer : 2017 : Table 19: Oberhofer's Ultimate Wedding Mixtape: Oberhofer: Composer : 2017 . By then, I felt so assured and assumed that people got us and we were going to be able to do what we thought was right. Quickly signed to Virgin's Siren subsidiary, the group released their debut single, "Heart and Soul," in early 1987 with little fanfare. The third album The Promise followed in 1991: it peaked at No. Decker still performs under the name T'Pau at solo shows and 1980s nostalgia concerts. [3] To promote the album, a radio promo single, "With a Little Luck", was released.
