Мне кажется это возрожденный старый коллектив...Так ли это?
Коллектив действительно старый, только состав на 50% обновлённый.
Вот информация с сайта Coconut Records (на английском):
The Album:
Back in the Hi-Life
The single
Where Are U
Whatever happened to LondonBeat? That´s a question lots of people must have asked lately. The answer? … LONDONBEAT IS STILL HERE! And now they are back with the new upbeat single "Where Are U". The new album, their first in the new millennium, carries the perfect programmable title "Back in the Hi-Life". "That was the very first song that we wrote after we had decided "We will do it again!" says Jimmy Helms, lead vocalist of the quartet. "It´s about reaching for that Higher Love, that illusive muse again. It´s about LONDONBEAT."
Reaching! Perhaps that's why they haven't disappeared into oblivion, like so many other bands of their era. Reaching for the stars, but with their feet planted firmly on the ground. These days they find themselves doing concerts in far-flung places like Volgograd, Russia, for 250,000 fans, not to mention more luxurious locations. "We've just come back from a weekend trip to Nice. Last year we gave a concert there on the Yacht "Christina" of the Onassis family. The organizers asked us back again this year because they know: the people like our sound. In territory after territory we are happy to learn that our fans have never forgotten us."
"I´ve been thinking about you" was their big hit - THE world-wide smash hit. At the beginning of the 90's it was No. 1 in Germany, No. 1 in the U.S.( No. 2 in Great Britain) … In fact, No. 1 in 27 countries. One of those magical songs that makes the sun rise on your face. You listen to it just once and you never forget it. 'It is wonderful a song can keep you in the mind of so many millions of people,", says Helms, 'I think that a lot of people connect the memory of their lives at that time with "Thinking About You". They still remember where they were and what they were doing when they heard it for the first time. You can never plan something like this. It just happens or not.' More than 5 million copies were sold of the single and suddenly the guys of Londonbeat were gobal pop-superstars. Their videos were on high rotation all around the world.
After their very first album, "Speak", they recorded the "In The Blood" LP which spawned "I've Been Thinking About You" and "A Better Love". Then came a third album with "You bring on the sun" and they had another Top Ten hit. After a fourth LP the original line-up split.
Prior to forming LONDONBEAT, original members Jimmy Chambers and George Chandler had done backing vocals for Paul Young, helping him to achieve hits like "Come back and stay".
Later, Jimmy Helms made the backing unit a three-some and together they helped make hits for most of the major artists of the late-80's and early 90's. Their own first chart success came with the late 80's ballad "9 a.m. (The Comfort Zone)" from their debut album "Speak." Then, after an impressive list of hits, they all went separate ways. Helms co-wrote a few songs and devoted himself again to his lifework - writing a trilogy - "a myth-historical novel about the conquest of America by the Europeans." He has worked on it for more than 10 years now. But now the book will have to wait a little longer. Because together with another original band member Jimmy Chambers, as well as new members Myles Kayne and Marc Goldschmitz, Helms is now doing what he does best: LONDONBEAT.
"The fans never forgot us. They still asked about the group, concert promoters and record companies still wanted to know " Where is LONDONBEAT? Come and play another concert. Do another record. And finally about a year ago we gave in. When music is in your blood, it's never out. So we decided to give song-writing and recording just one more try. The challenge was to bring LONDONBEAT to the point where it belongs in 2003."
Chambers, who was born in Trinidad spontaneously decided to do it again. Kayne, who has a significant influence on the new Londonbeat sound as an exceptionally gifted guitarist, was introduced to Chambers by Chambers´ ex-wife and is now a new member of the band. Finally, there is guitarist Marc Goldschmitz from Düsseldorf, Germany. The youngest band-member and the only white guy, Marc earned his keep as a studio and live musician, backing artists such as Jennifer Paige and Ricky Martin.
"With those two we are musically stronger and more sophisticated than we have ever been before," LONDONBEAT agrees, "Just as important, we click. We get on really well".
Chambers is Trinidad-born and the only member who holds a British passport. But they all - except for Goldschmitz - now live in England. Helms was born in Florida but lived most of his adult life in Boston, before settling in the UK. Kayne is also from Florida, and lived for a time in Boston before coming to England. "When the band started, the U K was coming up with an unmistakeably London sound, Soul II Soul, Fine Young Cannibals, Neneh Cherry.. That was the sound that we picked up on back then. That's why we named ourselves LONDONBEAT. Our first album "Speak" points up the influences and direction we wanted to take.
Since fall of last year the quartet has been working on the songs for the varied album at Coconut Studios in Hennef, Germany. Together with the "Coconut Crew" Tony Hendrik (aka D. Lynstedt) and Karin Hartmann (aka K.S. Haardt) as well songwriters/producers like Charles Pierre, Sylvester Simmons and Henning Schmitz (Member of the band "Kraftwerk") LONDONBEAT are truly "Back In The Hi-Life in spiritual terms. Of course their unique sound has never stood still, as their first sweeping single "Where Are U" proudly proves. Myles Kayne says:" The song is 100 % recognizable as a LONDONBEAT song. But in the way we'd like LONDONBEAT to sound today. Timely, modern and classic."
But no need to worry: "Back In The Hi-Life" is good for more than just one highlight. "J-Lo" is a happy-funky homage to the Latino-Queen. "A merry fun-song! Show me a red-blooded male who doesn't like J-Lo and I'll show you a man who is numb from the waist down!" says Helms. The title song offers the finest of power soul, whereas the song "Spirit of A Child" is rather sad and poignant. "A serious song about a very serious subject - Child Abuse! It is about 2 young school girls who were abused and killed in England last summer, " Chambers says, "This crime touched us all and left us with a deep feeling of helplessness. Maybe we can comfort someone who has faced a crime like that, and ease the desperation we felt. That's why we felt compelled to write this song."
Anyway: The spirit of LONDONBEAT's brilliant comeback album - which contains 3 newly recorded and freshly re-arranged versions of "I´ve been thinking about you",
"A better love" and "You bring on the sun" - is a very positive one. "We are proud of the uplifting nature of our music." Says Jimmy Helms "We are proud - not ashamed! - of the fact that we are an older, experienced band. We are completely aware of the "nostalgia factor" and we are thrilled at this opportunity to reach the people again who are still LONDONBEAT fans after more than 10 years. But we also wanted to send out this message: We are stronger. We have progressed with the combination of our old elements such as harmonies, strong melodies and uplifting moods, together with fresh new ideas. We are a New Improved LONDONBEAT who haven't forgotten where we came from."