The Firm (novelty band)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other uses, including other groups called The Firm, see Firm (disambiguation).

The Firm
OriginLondon, England
GenresNovelty
Years active1982–1987
LabelsBark
Past members

The Firm was a British music act, formed by

music producer John O'Connor, which had hits in the 1980s with novelty songs
.

"Arthur Daley E's Alright"

John O'Connor, primarily an acoustic guitarist, ran his own recording studio (Bark Studios in Walthamstow, London) specialising in songwriters' demos, for some ten years.[1] In the early 1980s, he decided to concentrate more on playing and writing music, working as a session musician with artists in a variety of genres, from Maddy Prior and Isla St Clair to the more commercial pop of Bucks Fizz.

In 1982, he and fellow guitarist Grahame Lister wrote a novelty song, "Arthur Daley 'E's Alright",

Rubettes guitarist Tony Thorpe on lead vocals.[4]

The song also peaked at number 78 in Australia.[5]

"Long Live the National"

In 1983, with the future of the Grand National horse race in doubt, The Firm released the song "Long Live the National" as a single in support of the campaign to keep the race alive. The single did not chart. The following year they released "Superheroes" written by Lister.

"Star Trekkin' "

Main article: Star Trekkin'

In 1987, the group recorded another novelty song, this time based on catchphrases from the

number one in the UK and a total of nine weeks in the UK top 40,[7] and reached No. 3 in Australia,[5] with comparable success in Japan and Europe and worldwide sales of over a million copies.[1]

Though it received substantial airplay on various radio stations throughout the US, the song did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100. (One of the song's phrases, "It's life, Jim, but not as we know it", became so popular that it has often been misattributed to the TV series, but actually originated with "Star Trekkin'".)

On the back of their success with "Star Trekkin'", The Firm released an album, Serious Fun, in 1987, through

K-Tel in the UK and Dino Music in Australia.[8][9] As well as "Star Trekkin'", it included previous singles "Arthur Daley ('E's All Right)", "Superheroes" and "Cash in Hand", plus eight new tracks. In the US, "Star Trekkin'" was released on the Dr. Demento
albums Dr. Demento Presents the Greatest Novelty CD of All Time in 1988, Dr. Demento: 20th Anniversary Collection in 1991, and Dr. Demento: Hits from Outer Space in 2006.

References

  1. ^ a b Tingen, Paul (December 1998). "John O'Connor From 'Star Treking' To King Of The Hill". Sound On Sound. Retrieved 25 April 2007.
  2. ^ "Firm, The - Arthur Daley 'E's Alright". Discogs. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  3. ^ "Arthur Daley (E's Alright)". Official Charts. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  4. ^ "The Minder songs". The unofficial fans of Minder website. Retrieved 25 April 2007.
  5. ^
    ISBN 0-646-11917-6
    .
  6. ^ "Firm, The - Star Trekkin' ". Discogs. Archived from the original on 12 July 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2007.
  7. ^ "Star Trekkin' ". Official Charts. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  8. ^ "Firm, The - Serious Fun". Discogs. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  9. ^ "Firm, The - Serious Fun". Discogs. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
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