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The Flys Biography
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In 1976, Dave Freeman, Joe Hughes, and Neil O'Connor, together with a string of unnamed drummers, were the Coventry-based Midnight Circus, becoming the Flys after Pete King, brother of the band's manager, joined up. An introduction to the Damned (musically) and the Buzzcocks (personally) gave the group a fairly regular opening slot for the latter group and, in April 1977, the Flys' first demos went out. The response was less than deafening -- spring 1977, after all, was a time when everybody was so busy looking for the Next Big Thing that no one actually had time to listen for it and, by early winter, the somewhat disgusted Flys were readying a five-track EP for self-release. Half punk, half pop, a jangling, jarring cross between the Byrds and the Buzzcocks, A Bunch of Five appeared just in time for Christmas 1977 -- at which point EMI offered the Flys a deal. Weeks later, the Flys were in London, opening for labelmates the Rich Kids at the 100 Club (they blew the headliners off the stage) and preparing for their first single, a major-label release for the EP's "Love and a Molotov Cocktail" -- the first undisputed classic 45 of 1978.
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Springtime tours with the Buzzcocks and the magnificent madness of Otway & Barrett followed, together with a new single, "Fun City." Summer then saw the Flys record their debut album, Waikiki Beach Refugees, a power punk tour de force, its title track alone worth the price of entry. The Flys were now headlining their own shows, albeit still confined to the club circuit, but with sufficient sway to organize their own support acts. One of their more inspired choices was Neil O'Connor's sister Hazel, a would-be singer with a nice line in Lene Lovich impersonations; it was chance alone that decreed that sundry associates of would-be movie mogul Dodi Al Fayed should be at the Marquee that particular night. Hazel was scooped off to fame, fortune, and a role in the post-punk apocalypse movie Breaking Glass; her brother's group just carried on scraping round the clubs. The single of "Waikiki Beach Refugees" came close to giving the Flys a hit -- but not close enough. "Beverly" and "Name Dropping" followed it into the dumper and slowly, cruel fate began pulling the legs off the Flys. Pete King was replaced by Graham Deakin (ex-John Entwistle's Ox) shortly before work began on the group's second album, Flys' Own. (King resurfaced in After the Fire and also played with the Electric Light Orchestra. Sadly, he died of cancer at age 26.)
The Flys, meanwhile, buzzed through a competent but none too dramatic new album, highlighted by "Energy Boy" and "Fascinate Me," but never once approaching the exquisite heights of "Molotov Cocktail" or "Waikiki Beach Refugees." Indeed, if there was any unifying feature to the record, it was the gloomy sound of a band crumbling around the edges, the sharpness of earlier work dulled by repeated disappointment. Live, they were still capable of holding their own, as they proved when they toured with the Ruts in the fall of 1979. But "We Are the Lucky Ones," the utterly inappropriately titled new single, failed; an EP, Four from Manchester Square died; and EMI's patience was at an end. For two years, label and group alike had marched along convinced that one more single, one more gig, would be all it would take for a breakthrough. It was time to call a halt to it all. The Flys were finally swatted in early 1980, never re-forming but at least enjoying a revival in their fortunes in the early '90s with the release of a well-received compilation. Neil O'Connor, meanwhile, made a dramatic appearance on Die Toten Hosen's version of "Molotov Cocktail" (from their Learning English punk tribute album). ~ Dave Thompson, Rovi
Source: www.answers.com/topic/flys
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The Flys Discography United Kingdom
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1977
Bunch Of Five (EP)
Label: Zama Records
Catalogue: ZA 10
Date: 2 Dec 1977
Tracklist:
A1 - Saturday Sunrise
A2 - Love And A Molotov Cocktail
B1 - Can I Crash Here ?
B2 - Me And My Buddies
B3 - Just For Your Sex
By the time this indie debut was ready to be released the band had already signed to the major label EMI and this E.P. was therefore limited to just 2,500 copies. This explains it's rarity today.
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1978
Waikiki Beach Refugees (LP)
Label: EMI
Catalog#: EMC 3249
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Tracklist:
A1 - We Don't Mind The Rave
A2 - Beverley
A3 - Looking For New Hearts
A4 - She's The One
A5 - Monsson Sky
A6 - Fun City
B1 - Don't Moonlight Me
B2 - Some Kind Of Girl
B3 - I Don't Know
B4 - Waikiki Beach Refugees
B5 - Saturday Surprise
B6 - Dark Nights
The Flys released their debut album, Waikiki Beach Refugees. It contained the singles, "Fun City", "Beverley" and "Waikiki Beach Refugees". The Coventry, England punk/power pop band disbanded in 1980 after two albums. Guitarist David Freeman appeared later in The Lover Speaks. Drummer Peter King resurfaced in After The Fire.
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1978
Love And A Molotov Cocktail (Single)
Label: EMI
Catalogue: EMI 2747
Date: Jan 1978
Format: 7"
Tracklist:
A1 - Love And A Molotov Cocktail
B1 - Can I Crash Here?
B2 - Civilisation
The Flys released their debut single, "Love And A Molotov Cocktail". It was backed by "Can I Crash Here?" and "Civilization". None of the tracks appeared on their debut album, Waikiki Beach Refugees though the first two appeared on their five song EP, Bunch Of Five. All three tracks were added as bonus tracks to their debut album when it was re-released on CD.
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1978
Waikiki Beach Refugees (Single)
Label: EMI
Catalogue: EMI 2867
Date: Oct 1978
Format: 7"
Tracklist:
A - Waikiki Beach Refugees
Composer: Neil O'Connor, Freeman Producer: M. I. Finesilver Arranger: The Flys
B - We Don't Mind The Rave
Composer: Neil O'Connor Producer: M. I. Finesilver Arranger: The Flys
They also released their third single on this date in 1978, "Waikiki Beach Refugees". It was backed by "We Don't Mind The Rave". Both tracks were on their debut album.
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1978
Fun City (Single)
Label: EMI
Catalogue: EMI 2795
Date: 1978
Format: 7"
Tracklist:
A - Fun City
B - E.C.4
The Flys released their third 7-inch record, a single featuring "Fun City". It was backed by "EC4". The A side wound up on their debut album, Waikiki Beach Refugees. The B side was a non-LP track.
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1979
Own (LP)
The Flys released their second album, Own. The album did not produce any singles.
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1979
We Are The Lucky Ones (Single)
Label: EMI
Catalogue: EMI 2979
Date: Jul 1979
Format: 7"
Tracklist:
A - We Are The Lucky Ones
Composer: Freeman, O'Connor Producer: David Batchelor
B - Living In The Sticks
Composer: Freeman, O'Connor Producer: David Batchelor
The Flys released their eighth 7-inch record, a single fronted by "We Are The Lucky Ones". It was backed by "Living In The Sticks". Both songs appeared on their second and final album, Own. They broke up in 1980.
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1979
Name Dropping (Single)
Label: EMI
Catalogue: EMI 2936
Date: Apr 1979
Format: 7"
Tracklist:
A - Name Dropping
Composer: Freeman Producer: The Flys
B - Fly V. Fly
Composer: Freeman, O'Connor, Hughes, King Producer: The Flys
The Flys released their fifth single, "Name Dropping". It was backed by "Fly Vs. Fly". Neither track appeared on an album but both songs were added as bonus tracks on their debut album, Waikiki Beach Refugees, when re-released on CD.
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1979
Beverley (Single)
Label: EMI
Catalogue: EMI 2907
Date: Feb 1978
Format: 7"
Tracklist:
A - Beverley (Edited Version)
Composer: Neil O'Connor Producer: M. I. Finesilver
B - Don't Moonlight On Me
Composer: Neil O'Connor, Freeman Producer: M. I. Finesilver
The Flys released their fourth single, "Beverly". It was backed by "Don't Moonlight On Me". Both tracks appeared on their debut album, Waikiki Beach Refugees.
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1980
Four From The Square (EP)
The Flys released their second EP, Four From The Square. The four song EP contained "16 Down", "Night Creatures", "Lois Lane" and "Today Belongs To Me". The first two tracks appeared on their second album, Own.
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1991
Love And A Molotov Cocktail (Compilation 1977-1980)
Label: See For Miles Records Ltd.
Catalog#: SEE 304
Format: Vinyl, LP
Tracklist:
A1 - Name Dropping
A2 - Love & A Molotov Cocktail
A3 - Waikiki Beach Refugees
A4 - We Are The Lucky Ones
A5 - Walking The Streets
A6 - Beverly
A7 - Don't Moonlight On Me
A8 - We Don't Mind The Rave
A9 - 16 Down
B1 - What Will Mother Say
B2 - Undercover Agent Zero
B3 - Night Creatures
B4 - Today Belongs To Me
B5 - Let's Drive
B6 - Fascinate Me
B7 - When 2 And 5 Make 9
B8 - Saturday Sunrise
B9 - Fun City
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