The Flaming Mussolinis

The Flaming Mussolinis were a 1980s pop/rock band from Teesside who released two albums, and had a minor UK hit with "My Cleopatra".

History

The band formed in 1984 in Middlesbrough, United Kingdom, although various members had been in local Teesside (North-east England) bands since the late 1970s. The most notable of these bands was Basczax. They signed to CBS in-house label Portrait Records in 1985 and were tipped for big things. The band released five singles: "Swallow Glass", "My Cleopatra" (a minor UK hit), "Masuka Dan", "Girl On A Train" and "Different Kind Of Love". They also released two albums: Watching The Film (1986) and Charmed Life (1987). The band's "Angels Fall Down" was a finalist in the World Popular Song Festival in 1986.^[1]

A compilation of material from 1983, recorded during the band's earlier incarnation as Jank Mamba was released in 1986 as Jank Mamba A.K.A. ...The Flaming Mussolinis by Dojo Records.

Critical coverage was mixed. Billboard touted them in 1986 as "a band with something new to say",^[2] and Fanfare described Watching the Film as "good noise of the post-'87 boomlet: laid back, languid, and cleaner than most",^[3] They were compared to bands such as U2, Simple Minds, and Cactus World News.^[4]

The band split up in 1988, with Savage and Haigh continuing as Zoom and later forming Disraeli Gears.

Members

• Alan Savage - vocals/guitar
• Kit Haigh - guitar
• Jeff Fogarty - saxophone and keyboards
• Doug Maloney - bass guitar, keyboard programming, backing vocals
• Craig McClune - drums (later joined David Gray and co-produced many of his most famous songs)

Discography

Albums

• Watching the Film (1986), Portrait
• Charmed Life (1987), Epic

Singles

• "Swallow Glass" (1985), Portrait
• "My Cleopatra" (1985), Portrait - UK No. 79^[5]
• "Masuka Dan" (1986), Portrait
• "Different Kind of Love" (1987), Epic
• "Girl on a Train" (1987), Epic

References