Hollywood Beyond

Essentially the creation of Mark Rogers, this English artist made an immediate impression in 1986 with the release of the superior pop single, ‘What’s The Colour Of Money’. In the UK it reached number 7 in July and established Hollywood Beyond as one of the year’s top newcomers. He was bullish about its charms. ‘It’s modern, it’s 86, it’s challenging. It’s ‘pop’ but not ‘pap’. It’s artistic without being intellectual. It’s vibrant without being blasé, it’s unique without being original.’ The song actually reflected Rogers’ background, being brought up on his parents’ reggae and jazz records before he became aware of rock music as a schoolboy. This musicality was reflected in his ability to play classical piano and guitar by the time he was a teenager. However, ‘What’s The Colour Of Money’ proved hard to follow-up. Only one further single, ‘No More Tears’, reached the Top 50 in September 1986. A debut album followed, but neither If nor the singles ‘After Midnight’ and ‘Save Me’ secured any further chart reward.