The Soup Dragons
The Soup Dragons emerged from Glasgow, Scotland, as one of a clutch of bands championed by the New Musical Express via their C86 project. The band evolved around Sean Dickson (vocals/guitar/songwriter). In early 1985, he met up with Jim McCulloch (guitar), Ross A. Sinclair (drums) and Sushil K. Dade (b. 15 July 1966, Scotland; bass), the collective taking their name from a character in the cult children's television programme The Clangers. A flexi-disc, "If You Were The Only Girl In The World', emerged at the end of the year, by which time the band were circulating a demonstration tape, You Have Some Too. The Subway Organisation label issued the Soup Dragons" first single, "Whole Wide World" (1986), a tight, exciting slab of Buzzcocks-styled pop, performed at breakneck pace. This attracted ex-Wham! manager Jazz Summers, who set up a new label for them, Raw TV Products, in time for "Hang-Ten!" In the meantime, Dickson and later McCulloch had left another band with whom they were serving time, the BMX Bandits. "Head Gone Astray" in 1987 revealed a marked change away from new wave towards 60s rock. "Can't Take No More" and "Soft As Your Face" fared well commercially but the latter's serene sound was at odds with the band's direction. "The Majestic Head" lured Sire Records into a contract in 1988, but the next single, "Kingdom Chairs", flopped. A subsequent debut album, This Is Our Art, emerged without fanfare. The Stooges-influenced "Backwards Dog" and "Crotch Deep Trash", introduced a rockier feel and this was followed by the dance-orientated "Mother Universe" in 1990. Hinging around a Marc Bolan riff, the single was typical of the tracks on Lovegod, the band's second album. By this time, Sinclair had been replaced by new drummer Paul Quinn. After discovering an obscure Rolling Stones track from their 1965 Out Of Our Heads collection, the Soup Dragons teamed up with reggae singer Junior Reid and DJ/remixer Terry Farley (of Farley And Heller) to create a formidable crossover between white indie rock and dance music. The single "I'm Free" was a UK number 5 hit in summer 1990, something that had previously eluded the band. Lovegod was re-promoted and a remixed "Mother Universe" was reissued, giving them further chart success. They also enjoyed surprising success in America, with Hotwired selling well on the back of a Top 40 single "Divine Thing'. As the 90s progressed, however, diminishing returns became the order of the day, and eventual dissolution with it. Dickson was left to record 1995"s Hydrophonic with hired session musicians. Quinn would go on to replace Brendan O'Hare in Teenage Fanclub, while Jim McCulloch joined Superstar. Sushil played with the BMX Bandits and Telstar Ponies, and later recorded as Future Pilot AKA. Dickson formed the High Fidelity.
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Albums
Top Tracks
- I'm Free(Featuring Junior Reid)
- Divine Thing
- Pleasure
- Lovegod
- Mother Universe
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