History
In September 1981 Peter Coyle (born 25 October 1962) and Jeremy "Jem" Kelly (born in 1962) met for the first time. Jem had been guitarist in The Systems and co-founded The Wild Swans in 1981. Coyle had previously been in the Jass Babies, who had recorded a session for John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show in 1981.
After an invitation to record a Peel session, a number of new songs were created. Joined on keyboards by Kelly's fellow ex-Wild Swan Ged Quinn, and by drummer Alan Wills and bassist Phil (surname unknown), the session was recorded in October 1982 and included "The First Picture of You". This led to the band being signed by Arista Records. Produced by Nigel Gray, "The First Picture of You" became an iconic song for The Lotus Eaters in 1983, giving them a UK hit single before the band had even played a live gig. The band recorded a second session for Peel in October 1983.
Quinn left and Coyle and Kelly recruited bassist, Michael Dempsey (The Cure/Associates), keyboard player Stephen Emmer, and drummer Steve Crease. The Lotus Eaters toured extensively in the UK, France, and Italy, before going on hiatus in 1985 when they were dropped by Arista. "It Hurts", their final single, charted in the Italian top 5 that year, but the band had already split up, leaving a promotional video to represent them.
Coyle recorded as a solo artist, releasing the albums A Slap in the Face for Public Taste and I'd Sacrifice Eight Orgasms With Shirley MacLaine Just to Be There, went on to found dance company 8 Productions and the G-Love nightclub. As a songwriter / producer, he had success with Marina Van Rooy’s, Sly One, and worked with a host of emerging artists on Liverpool's dance scene. Meanwhile, Kelly reformed The Wild Swans, releasing an album, Bringing Home the Ashes, on Sire in 1988, before leaving to study for a PhD in Multimedia Theatre. Coyle later pursued his academic interests at the University of Edinburgh, where he read Psychology.
In 1998, The First Picture of You, a compilation of the Lotus Eaters' BBC Radio 1 sessions, was released, and the No Sense of Sin album was reissued on CD with bonus tracks.
Read more about this topic: The Lotus Eaters (band)
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