Centred around the late and much-missed songwriter Colin Vearncombe (vocals/guitars/keyboards), BLACK came together in Liverpool in 1980 with the singer joined by bassist Dane Goulding and drummer Greg Leyland.
The band’s debut single HUMAN FEATURES was released in 1981. Selling out its initial pressing, the record did well enough to bring Black to the attention of Wah! manager Pete Fulwell.
The band were soon joined by Dave 'Dix' Dickie on keyboards and guitar, and a follow-up single MORE THAN THE SUN was issued on ‘The Wonderful World of ...’ label.
With positive press response to the single, plus glowing reviews of shows with The Thompson Twins and Wah!, Black signed to WEA in 1984 and issued their next single HEY PRESTO and its follow-up, a re-recording of ‘More than the Sun’.
Unfortunately, WEA lost interest after disappointing sales of the single and the band were dropped, Vearncombe and Dix going their separate ways.
Black would have to wait until August 1986 before success came its way.
Following just over a year of writing and rehearsing, WONDERFUL LIFE was released on local label, Ugly Man Records. The song was a minor hit in September ’86 but achieved far greater success when re-released by A&M Records in August ’87 going on to become a worldwide hit.
“By the end of 1985 I had been in a couple of car crashes, my mother had a serious illness, I had been dropped by a record company, my first marriage went belly-up and I was homeless,” recalled Colin after the song reached number eight in the UK singles chart.
“Then I sat down and wrote this song called Wonderful Life. I was being sarcastic.”
“Once you have had a hit, it's hard to write another song without having that in the back of your mind. For a long time, I would find myself hearing, 'I like it but it's not Wonderful Life'”
Frustratingly, Colin found it difficult to repeat the commercial success of Wonderful Life viewing the single as somewhat of a poisoned chalice, one that he constantly compared all his subsequent song-writing attempts to.
Though the songs that folllowed 'Wonderful Life' were not as commercially successful they were nevertheless beautifully constructed and sublime pieces, from EVERYTHING'S COMING UP ROSES to SWEETEST SMILE to PARADISE.
Vearncombe would release eight albums as Black and six under his own name, the final 'Black' album being Blind Faith in 2015.
Here I go out to sea again
The sunshine fills my hair
And dreams hang in the air
Gulls in the sky and in my blue eyes
You know it feels unfair
There's magic everywhere
[CHORUS:]
Look at me standing
Here on my own again
Up straight in the sunshine
No need to run and hide
It's a wonderful wonderful life
No need to laugh and cry
It's a wonderful wonderful life
The sun's in your eyes
The heat is in your hair
They seem to hate you because you're there
And I need a friend
Oh I need a friend to make me happy
Not stand here on my own
[CHORUS]
I need a friend
Oh I need a friend
To make me happy
Not so alone
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