Hello Angel - Album Background

Album Background

Shaw had released a couple of non-commercial singles in the late 1970s on the CBS label but did not show a serious interest in making anymore material until the early 1980s when new husband Nik Powell (co-founder of the Virgin Group) introduced her to the B.E.F. (British Electric Foundation) and she ended up recording an updated version of the 1960s song "Anyone Who Had a Heart" for their "Music of Quality and Distinction" album and subsequently releasing it as a single. Shaw learned around this time that many famous musicians, such as Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders, had been influenced by her, and she was invited to join Hynde on stage during one of their concerts to perform one of their songs with them. She and Hynde also sang a duet of Shaw's Top 3 hit from 1964, "Girl Don't Come." An album was discussed with Virgin Records, who had released the B.E.F.'s album, but Shaw fell pregnant with her daughter Amie and the project was put off.

In 1983 Shaw wrote and recorded a new original album entitled "Choose Life", 1,000 promotional copies of which were released in support of the World Peace Exposition. However demand by fans led to the album being officially released on the Palace label. Around this time, Shaw received a letter signed "Two incurable Sandie Shaw fans" telling her that "The Sandie Shaw legacy is not over yet - there is more to be done." It was in fact from Steven Morrissey and Johnny Marr of The Smiths. They also informed her that they had written a song that they would be delighted if she would record. Though wary at first, Shaw agreed to meet Morrissey and continued to receive letters from him via Geoff Travis of Rough Trade Records (the label to which the band was signed), a personal friend of Powell's. Eventually she went into the studio to record the aforementioned song, "I Don't Owe You Anything" as well as a couple of their other songs including "Hand in Glove," which had been their first single. Shaw's version of the song was subsequently released as a single and reached the UK Top 30. It was accompanied by a legendary performance on Top Of The Pops which involved Shaw writhing on the floor kicking her feet in the air backed by The Smiths all in bare feet (as a tribute to her quirk of performing barefoot during the 1960s). An album with Rough Trade was discussed, but once again Shaw fell pregnant, this time with her son Jack.

Two years later Shaw was signed to Polydor Records and released two singles with them. She also embarked on her first University tour in over twenty years. Again an album was discussed, but was cancelled due to a change in management and the feeling that the two singles had not done well enough for an album to be made. In the end, Shaw secured a deal with Rough Trade to make the "Hello Angel" album (the title of which was inspired by a postcard from Morrissey), and it was released in 1988.