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Originating at the turn of the 1980s as a leader of the lite-jazz movement,
Everything but the Girl became an unlikely success story more than a decade later, emerging at the vanguard of the fusion between pop and electronica. Founded in 1982 by Hull University students
Tracey Thorn and
Ben Watt, the duo took their name from a sign placed in the window of a local furniture shop, which claimed "for your bedroom needs, we sell everything but the girl." At the time of their formation, both vocalist
Thorn and songwriter/multi-instrumentalist
Watt were already signed independently to the Cherry Red label;
Thorn was a member of the sublime
Marine Girls, while
Watt had issued several solo singles and also collaborated with
Robert Wyatt.
Everything but the Girl debuted in 1982 with a samba interpretation of
Cole Porter's "Night and Day"; the single was a success on the U.K. independent charts, but the duo nonetheless went on hiatus as
Thorn recorded a solo EP,
A Distant Shore, while
Watt checked in with the full-length
North Marine Drive in 1983.
EBTG soon reunited to record a cover of
the Jam's "English Rose" for an NME sampler; the track so impressed former
Jam frontman
Paul Weller that he invited the duo to contribute to the 1984 LP
Cafe Bleu, the debut from his new project,
the Style Council.
Everything but the Girl's own beguiling 1984 debut,
Eden, followed on the heels of the single "Each and Every One," a U.K. Top 40 hit. The jazz-pop confections of the group's early work gave way to shimmering jangle rock by the time of 1985's
Love Not Money, while a subtle country influence crept into the mix for 1986's lush, orchestral
Baby, the Stars Shine Bright. The beautifully spare
Idlewild followed in 1988, spawning the single "I Don't Want to Talk About It," a poignant cover of a song by the late
Crazy Horse guitarist
Danny Whitten which became
EBTG's biggest hit to date, landing at the number three spot on the British charts.
Watt and
Thorn traveled to Los Angeles to record 1990's slick, commercial
The Language of Life, produced by
Tommy LiPuma and featuring a guest appearance by jazz great
Stan Getz. After a return to pop textures with 1991's
Worldwide,
Everything but the Girl mounted a series of club performances which resulted in 1992's
Acoustic, a spartan set of covers (including
Elvis Costello's "Alison,"
Bruce Springsteen's "Tougher Than the Rest," and Mickey & Sylvia's "Love Is Strange") which presaged the coming ascendancy of the "Unplugged" concept. In the wake of the record's release,
Watt fell prey to Churg-Strauss Syndrome, a rare auto-immune system disease which brought him to the brink of death; after a year in recovery, he wrote several new songs which the duo recorded for inclusion on Home Movies, a 1993 hits collection.
In 1994,
EBTG collaborated with trip-hop innovators
Massive Attack on their LP
Protection;
Thorn's vocal turn highlighted the hit title track, and the cinematic
Massive Attack sound clearly informed
Everything but the Girl's own 1994 effort,
Amplified Heart, another strong and eclectic outing featuring an appearance by guitar great
Richard Thompson. In 1995 the soulful single "Missing" was innovatively remixed by
Todd Terry, and after first becoming a club sensation the track blossomed as a major international hit, reaching the number two position on the U.S. pop charts. More importantly,
Terry's remix, combined with the lessons of the
Massive Attack sessions, launched the duo into an entirely new -- and equally satisfying -- musical direction: with 1996's brilliant
Walking Wounded,
Everything but the Girl dove headfirst into electronica, crafting sophisticated, assured excursions into trip-hop and drum'n'bass. In 1999, the duo reappeared with
Temperamental. Back to Mine was issued by Ultra in spring 2001. ~ Jason Ankeny