The Scottish band
Hipsway scored -- briefly -- in the U.S. with the 1986 Top 20 hit "The Honeythief," a catchy pop nugget that, unfortunately, solidified the band's status as a one-hit wonder. "The Honeythief" was an A-1 single, however, combining R&B influences with a European sensibility in the same manner as
Living in a Box and
Go West. Predictably, the rest of the material on
Hipsway fails to match the quality of its sole hit tune. There are some pleasant moments on
Hipsway -- "Long White Car" and "Ask the Lord" are nice ballads, and "Broken Years" is almost as catchy as "The Honeythief" -- but the album is mostly forgettable pop fluff.
Hipsway released one more album (the 1989 flop
Scratch the Surface) before disbanding. Member
Jon McElhone would later become a member of the decidedly more successful band
Texas.