Line up: John Squire (guitar), Chris Helme
(vocals and guitar), Stuart Fletcher (bass), Andy Watts replaced
by Mark Heany (drums)
After
bitterly leaving the Stone
Roses
in 1996, guitar legend John Squire quickly announced his desire
to form a new band and after recruiting Stuart (bass), Chris (vocals),
and Andy (drums) in York, The Seahorses were born.
In
April 1997, The Seahorses debuted with their glorious UK Number
3 single, "Love Is The Law", which chronicled John's upbringing
in Sylyvan Street in Sale, Manchester (incidentally the same street
that the Bee
Gees
used to live on!). Lyrics like "Oasis
was a shop with shoes so hot, They were sure to blow your minds"
and "Running so fast
I can taste the past, Oh take me home!" were suddenly on
the lips of almost every youngster in the city. Just
as the Stone Roses had departed, The Seahorses had arrived in
spectacular fashion.
The
debut album, "Do It Yourself", followed in May 1997, charting
at UK Number 2 (it was actually beaten to Number 1 by fellow Mancunian,
Gary
Barlow).
It spawned the hit singles "Blinded By The Sun" (UK no.7),
and "Love Me and Leave Me", which was co-written with Liam
Gallagher
of fellow Manc rockers, Oasis.
Andy
left The Seahorses in September 1997 as a result of what he described
as musical differences, something John knew all about with the
Stone
Roses.
Ex-Roses
frontman Ian
Brown,
still bitter, claims to never have heard The Seahorses material
and has no intention of ever listening to it either!
However,
in November 1997, The Seahorses bounced back, releasing the new
single, "You Can Talk to Me", which charted at a relatively
disappointing Number 15 in the UK before Mark Heaney was announced
as the new drummer.
The
Seahorses were an overnight sensation, mixing classic rock and
90's indie pop. John's guitar work received favourable comparism
with Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix and Brian May, however in February
1999, The Seahorses split after arguments over the musical direction
of the second album (which although completed, has never been
released).
John
is currently assembling another group in Manchester with ex-Verve
bassist Simon Jones. The World awaits the next sensation.
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