The River Detectives were a folk rock duo from Craigneuk in Wishaw, Scotland.[1] The duo, formed in 1985, comprised Sam Corry (vocals, guitar, harmonica) and Dan O'Neill (vocals, guitar, drums).[1] The River Detectives have released three albums to date and had a UK top 75 hit with their song, "Chains".[2]
History
The band played their first show at Jack Daniel's Pub in Motherwell on 18 August 1986.[3] In 1988 the band toured extensively in Scotland and attracted the interest of the Warner Bros. Records label, becoming the first Scottish band to sign for them in over a decade.[3] Shortly afterwards, the duo moved to Glasgow to pen the songs for their debut album, Saturday Night Sunday Morning. The album spawned the UK top 75 hit "Chains".[1][2]
The band recruited Van Morrison's backing group for the follow-up album, Elvis Has Left the Building, released in 1992.[3] The album's title is a reference to the state of music at the time of the record's release when computer technology and the rise of the DJ were rampant and conventional performers were becoming peripheral.[3] After the album's release, the band relocated to Ireland,[4] where they wrote and toured extensively and guested on a number of records. By 1996, after playing the Splashy Fen festival in the Natal Province, the band received further invitations to tour in the country and relocated to Durban for a year before returning to the UK in 2000 to take a break.
The duo reunited when Corry asked O'Neil for assistance in finishing lyrics to a new song, "Capetown to Glasgow". This song featured on their third release, King of the Ghost Train Ride, which was released on Neontetra Records in 2005.[4]
The duo played a full band set at the O2 ABC in Glasgow on 28 September 2009, which they announced during the show was their farewell gig.
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album | UK [2] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Saturday Night Sunday Morning | 51 | |
| 1992 | Elvis Has Left the Building | — | |
| 2005 | King of the Ghost Train Ride | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||
Singles
| Year | Song | UK [2] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | "Chains" | 51 | |
| "You Don't Know a Thing About Her" | 86 | ||
| "Saturday Night, Sunday Morning" | — | ||
| 1990 | "Will You Spin Me Round" | — | |
| 2006 | "Blue Collar Love Song" (download only single) |
— | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||
References
- ^ a b c Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 464. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ a b c d "RIVER DETECTIVES - full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
- ^ a b c d "River Detectives Biography". Archived from the original on 5 March 2007. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
- ^ a b "The River Detectives - King of The Ghost Train Ride". Neon Tetra Records. Archived from the original on 7 September 2006. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
External links
- The River Detectives discography at Discogs
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This page was last edited on 26 January 2023, at 20:16