When the all girl group, The Bodysnatchers, broke up in 1981, five of the eight members formed The Belle Stars with new member Leslie Shone, Jennie Matthias and Gerald Woodroffe. The band worked hard to become well known around London, and were soon signed by Stiff Records. However, despite their popularity live, their initial singles failed to garner much attention.
Needing new direction, the group switched to releasing a series of covers, which included The Dixie Cups Iko Iko, and Shirley Ellis's The Clapping Song. However, it would be their following single, Sign Of The Times, which would finally give them the breakthrough they were looking for. The song would reach number three in Europe, and the video would see heavy rotation on MTV.
Leading up to this period, the girls would also gain and lose members, with the classic line up ultimately consisting of Jennie McKeown, Sarah-Jane Owen, Stella Barker, Clare Hirst, Miranda Joyce, Lesley Shone, and Judy Parsons. It would be this lineup that would go to work on releasing their debut self titled album, featuring many of the singles above, as well as additional covers and new material. While the album would reach number fifteen in the UK, it would stall on the US Billboard charts at one hundred ninety-one. Their success was brief.
Finding their debut album on CD isn't impossible. However, you won't find it under the self titled name. Instead, turn your attention to Belle-issima! Sweet Memories . . . Though it looks like a compilation album at first glance, it's actually far more. This two disc set is broken up into three sections. The first being the singles. The second being their debut album. The third being the twelve inch singles.
Though on the surface it may seem like a comprehensive release of everything the band ever did, it's not. It doesn't include any of the tracks from the group's shelved follow-up album, nor any of the singles from it which were released. More on this below.
Focusing in on just the twelve tracks which encompass the girls debut album, there's good stuff to be found here. Personal standouts for me were Sign Of The Times, Ci Ya Ya, The Clapping Song, and Iko Iko. However, with that said, the album isn't bad. It just has stronger tracks than others. It has a strong new wave / synth pop sound, and that hits right on my sweet spot of the 80's. If anything, it's kind of a shame that this was all there was from the band.
Despite continuing to struggle, the girls pressed on, touring throughout 1984. However, and unfortunately, this continued disappointment took its toll, leading to Matthis quitting. She was followed by several other members, leaving just three of the members in place, Owen, Joyce, and Shone. Though the group was poised to continue as a trio, financial woes at Stiff Records led to the label being sold to Island Records, and then liquidated through Trevor Horn's ZZT.
Under Horn's supervision, the three remaining members recorded a follow up album. However, when the first single, which featured three new tracks, failed to make any impact, the record was shelved, and the band broke up. Fast forward to 1989, where The Belle Star's cover of Iko Iko would appear on the soundtrack to Rain Main, putting it on the charts where it reached number 14 on the Billboard 100. While Matthis would tour to promote the song, the remaining members wouldn't join her, nor would The Belle Stars ever reunite.
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| THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS April 9, 1983 |
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| THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS April 9, 1988 |
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