Basil Clarke possesses an outstandingly beautiful singing voice; he’s also a very fine songwriter. Why he isn’t a global superstar is a total mystery to me. He started out as lead vocalist in a Manchester-based band called Yargo in the mid-late 1980s, featuring former members of Biting Tongues, with Phil Kirby (drums) and Paddy Steer (bass guitar) together with guitarist Tony Burnside. They mixed jazz, blues, soul, reggae and rock, with Clarke receiving comparisons with Marvin Gaye, and made their debut in 1986 with the Get High EP on the Skysaw label, featuring Andy Diagram on trumpet.
Their profile was raised by a performance on Channel 4 music progamme The Tube. Their debut album, Bodybeat, was released in 1987 on their own label of the same name. In 1988 they were signed by London Records, who reissued their debut album and followed it with Communicate in 1989. Also in '89, they recorded the theme to Tony Wilson's Granada Television show The Other Side of Midnight, which was also released as a single. They reverted to the Bodybeat label for a live album in 1991, which proved to be their final release.
Clarke then recorded as a solo artist, releasing the Out of my Face single in 1991, and made a guest appearance on the Future Sound of London album Accelerator in the same year. He also contributed vocals to The Strange Parcels' album Disconnection album in the mid-1990s.
- FVHK5K
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