Pool Of Sound - Dalek I Love You

Dalek I Love You

In 1976, Alan Gill, who lived in Thingwall on Wirral and David Balfe who lived in the same neighbourhood, and though he couldn't play bass, he did own a car and a PA, plus he wore the right clothes, so they formed a pub band 'Mr McKenzie'. In the November of 1976, influenced by punk, they changed their name to 'Radio Blank' with a line-up of David Balfe on bass and keyboards, Alan Gill on guitar and vocals, Keith Hartley lead vocalist and guitarist and Stephen Brick on drums. As Wirral's only local punk group they achieved local infamy.
Five of their 15 live gigs were at Eric's club where they played their own material and some covers supporting 'The Spitfire Boys'. Balfe and Gill lost interest in punk during 1977, and dissolved the band in October 1977 to form a more experimental project which was to become 'Dalek I Love You'. Balfe had wanted to call the band 'The Daleks', Gill preferred 'Darling I Love You' so a compromise was reached. They were joined by Dave Hughes on keyboards and Chris 'Teepee' Shaw on rhythm unit and tapes, becoming the first local group to use a drum machine. David explains, "When 'Radio Blank' split up, Alan and I wanted to do something more adventurous and when we were unable to find a suitable drummer, we decided to get a drum machine. That was the real turning point: we dropped ideas of trying to copy 'Deaf School' or being commercial and did exactly what we wanted."
As with other bands at the time line ups were fluid and Balfe left the group in 1978 to manage other bands before joining 'Big In Japan' and then 'The Teardrop Explodes'. With neither Hughes nor Gill wishing to be a front man they knew a guy called Andy with charisma. So all of the members of 'The Id', a group formed from the ashes of 'Equinox', were invited in to be a part of the Dalek I Love You collective but only McCluskey accepted the invitation. It has been revealed that Balfe and McCluskey did indeed play together live at Eric's in August 1978.
In August 1978 the band now included Martin Cooper on saxophone, Andy McCluskey on bass and lead vocals, Kenny Peers on drums together with poets Gordon Hon and Max the Actor,
In September, McCluskey quit to rejoin a former 'Id' bandmate Paul Humphreys to form 'Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark', so by October 1978 only Alan Gill and Dave Hughes remained in the band.

Africa Express - Dalek I Love You

As a duo, they signed to Inevitable Records and a demo of "Freedom Fighters" attracted the interest of Phonogram Records, who then signed them but shortened the name of the band to 'Dalek i'.
On the 16th of July 1979, 'Dalek i' released their first single "Freedom Fighters" on Phonogram's subsidiary, Vertigo Records, containing the eponymous song with 'Two Chameleons' as the 'B' side.
It was followed on the 2nd of October 1979 by 'The World' on Vertigo before on the 28th of December 1979 'Dalek i' opened for 'OMD' at the Farewell To Winston tribute concert at Eric's. 'Dalek I Love You (Destiny)' was released on the 1st of May 1980 on the Back Door subsidiary, founded by the Blitz Brothers who were Chris Hughes and 'OMD's' manager Paul Collistery who produced the singles under that name for new signings.

'Dalek i's' debut album, 'Compass Kum'pas' was released on the 24th of May 1980 on Back Door/Phonogram. Critically acclaimed it was however commercially unsuccessful and one reason that might explain its lack of commercial success is that they split up as it was released and so it had to go out into the world without any accompanying gigs, interviews, etc. By the time of the album's release, Gill was the only remaining member, maintaining the 'Dalek I Love You' name. It was an eccentric, unconventional and willfully odd album, but its strange charms and beguiling execution make it one of post-punk's genuine masterpieces. Dave Hughes had left to join 'OMD', and then forming the duo 'Godot' with Keith Hartley. The project soon went on hiatus and Gill joined 'The Teardrop Explodes' in July 1980, replacing Mick Finkler. In February 1981 came the first release under the new 'Dalek I Love You' banner with 'Heartbeat' with a new line-up of Alan Gill on vocals, synthesizer and bass, Chuca Russo on vocal harmonies, Hugh Jones on vocal harmonies and Chris Hughes on drums. After further changes to the band Alan Gill became disillusioned and didn't want to be involved in commercial music again.
Alan Gill contributed two important things to the band: their most successful single, 'Reward', which he co-wrote, and psychedelic drugs which he introduced to frontman Julian Cope, but his stay with the band was short-lived.
Although 'Dalek I Love You' have a small catalogue and only existed for five years, with barely a whisper of commercial success, their name lives on.

see also :- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2019/07/pool-of-sound-id.html