ASSOCIATES
RECORDS
Independent label: The Associates
Having signed to Warners, the first three Associates singles and their parent
album Sulk, were put out by WEA in the UK via the Associates label, created
specifically so the group should not lose any credibility. Manufactured And
Distributed By WEA Records. The Associates were a Scottish post-punk and pop
band, formed in Dundee in 1979 by singer Billy Mackenzie and guitarist Alan
Rankine. The group first gained recognition after releasing an unauthorized
cover of David Bowie's "Boys Keep Swinging" as their debut single in 1979, which
landed them a contract with Fiction Records. They followed with their debut
album The Affectionate Punch in 1980 and the singles collection Fourth Drawer
Down in 1981, both to critical praise. They achieved commercial success in 1982
with the UK Top 10 album Sulk and UK Top 20 singles "Party Fears Two" and "Club
Country", during which time they were associated with the New Pop movement.
Rankine left the group that year, leaving MacKenzie to record under the
Associates name until 1990. They briefly reunited in 1993. MacKenzie died by
suicide in 1997.
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Associates
Party Fears
Two
ASSOCIATES
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1
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Club Country
ASSOCIATES
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2
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Associates
18 Carat Love
Affair
ASSOCIATES
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3