ELEANOR RIGBY
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Described as a cross between The Kinks, Blondie and The Jam at their best on her arrival on the pop scene in 1985, she influenced many of female singers of the next generation. When Britpop appeared in the mid 90's she was regularly name checked by many of the major Britpop artists of the time. She was ahead of the game, but if you want to catch up with her career and to find out the full story then read on...
Eleanor's career was short yet controversial and mysterious and this, along with the quality and limited quantity of her releases has led to her becoming a cult figure on the collector's market. Her total original output was only 4 singles and the album Censorship, which now changes hands for big money.
Eleanor's career was short yet controversial and mysterious and this, along with the quality and limited quantity of her releases has led to her becoming a cult figure on the collector's market. Her total original output was only 4 singles and the album Censorship, which now changes hands for big money.
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Her legendary debut single I Want To Sleep With You was released in 1985 and came complete with free condom. This caused quite a stir and although the record was subsequently banned (for the title and the free condom), it went on to become a single that every Mod had to have in their collection. With the video and concerts also banned shortly afterwards it was like the Sex Pistols all over again. More singles followed -Take Another Shot Of My Heart, Mad Xmas and the classic 60s style Over and Over which one journalist described as the best single Ray Davies never wrote.
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i want to sleep with you
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take another shot of my heart
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mad xmas/kiss me quickly it's xmas
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over & over/last night in soho
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After further controversial press where Eleanor turned down half a million pounds to pose nude for a Japanese porn magazine, she released her one and only album Censorship which came complete with a very tasteful nude poster, more reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe's calendar shots than Madonna's full frontals. The Censorship vinyl album has changed hands for up to £100 on the collectors market and is often described as a Mod classic that sits nicely next to classic '60s releases or '90s Britpop albums.
censorship front cover
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censorship rear cover
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censorship poster
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Three years after her splash onto the world of pop she was selling out 3,000 capacity venues and being courted by a number of major record companies, some offering serious money. But with the world at her feet she suddenly resigned and disappeared. Nobody really knows why or where she went.
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Due to a mini Mod revival and the Britpop scene that came later Eleanor started to get the recognition she deserved, which led to FLR releasing two albums containing all of her previous work. Just prior to this, You Only Live Twice, a track that she'd recorded in advance for a planned Themes from the 60's Vol 1 album, was brought out as a single. It was a beautiful cover of this classy Bond theme. Even though she was no longer around to promote it, the single went to Number One in the charts in Italy and gained lots of airplay in the UK. A little later The Best of Eleanor Rigby was released on CD format and the The Best of Eleanor Rigby Vol 2 was released on CD and vinyl picture disc.
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the best of eleanor rigby vol. 1, cd booklet front cover
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the best of eleanor rigby Vol 2, cd booklet front cover
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The best of eleanor rigby Vol 2 vinyl picture disc front
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the best of eleanor rigby Vol 2 vinyl picture disc rear
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A special limited edition CD album Eleanor Rigby Live (below left) has more recently been released containing recordings of selected tracks from her live performances. She was a huge live draw - even outselling big artists like James Brown and Joe Cocker who on one occasion played dates before and after of one of her concerts in Hamburg.
As a mod singer of some repute she was asked to be one of the lead vocalists on Spectrum's Mod Aid single All Or Nothing. This single also featured mod legends Steve Marriott of the Small Faces, Chris Farlow & P.P. Arnold. Below (centre) is a rare photo of her in the studio recording the song. The Mod Aid single is very rare and when we last looked only used copies could be found online (below right).
eleanor rigby live ep
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eleanor singing on mod aid single All or nothing
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spectrum's all or nothing single sleeve
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Eleanor left the music scene and has, not, to our knowledge, recorded anything since. When an artist dies or disappears this is one reason they reach cult status and this seems to be where Eleanor is currently lodged in the scheme of things. She could have been the Queen of Britpop had she only stuck it out. Why she disappeared is still a mystery, but despite that her independent and gutsy attitude went on to influence a host of Britpop acts including Blur, Oasis, St Etienne, Garbage, Sleeper and many more.
The Best Of Eleanor Rigby album sold consistently well. It was eventually deleted when the last pressing ran out. 20 years later a new limited edition entitled The Best of Eleanor Rigby Vol. 1 was released to mark the 20th anniversary of the original album. If you want to get hold of a copy, please use the Paypal button just below, select your location (UK or Outside UK) from the dropdown list and click Add To Cart.
The Best of Eleanor Rigby Vol 1
20th Anniversary Limited Edition
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1. I Want to Sleep With You
2. Take Another Shot of My Heart 3. 1995 4. Mad Xmas 5. Kiss Me Quickly It's Christmas 6. Over and Over 7. Last Night In Soho 8. See My Friends (edited version) 9. Love on The Phone 10. You Only Live Twice 11. Think For Yourself 12. Up The Junction |
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What Eleanor Rigby vinyl and CD singles are still available?
Only two 7" vinyl Eleanor Rigby singles remain available: Take Another Shot Of My Heart on the original Waterloo Sunset Label (this single is very collectable) and Love on the Phone/Play with Fire, her last ever 7" single, which also has a CD version with a slightly different cover (far right). The CD version has two bonus tracks of Wallpaper Man and Mod Boy by Misty Woods.
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take another shot of my heart 7" vinyl
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love on the phone/play with fire 7" vinyl
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love on the phone/play with fire cd single
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If you want to get any of the Eleanor Rigby releases mentioned above please select from the dropdown list below
and click the Add to Cart button.
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ELEANOR RIGBY DISCOGRAPHY
Below is a discography of all the different releases Eleanor has been on, including those on other record labels. It tells you the title, what label it is on and whether or not the release is still available. In most cases, where the physical format has sold out, the music is still available on download. The only time this may not be the case is if the tracks were licenced for use on a compilation by another record label. (FLR almost always has an option for fans to purchase those tracks by download though).
Key: WS = Waterloo Sunset Records, FLR = Future Legend Records, DO = Download only
Key: WS = Waterloo Sunset Records, FLR = Future Legend Records, DO = Download only
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1. The Best of Eleanor Rigby Vol 1 original version (DO) FLR
2. The Best Of Eleanor Rigby Vol 1 20th Anniversary Ltd Edition (CD Available) FLR 3. The Best of Eleanor Rigby Vol 2 (DO) FLR 4. The Best of Eleanor Rigby Vol 2 Vinyl Picture Disc (Sold Out) FLR 5. The Waterloo Sunset Story (All her singles plus a rare acoustic Censorship) (DO) FLR 6. Generation to Generation: Over and Over (Sold Out) Doc Martens Records 7. 39 Memorable Love Songs: You Only Live Twice (Sold Out) EMG records 8. Censorship: Anniversary Ltd Edition (CD & Download available) FLR 9. Eleanor Rigby Live (DO or CD-on-demand) FLR 10. Millions Like Us - The Story of The Mod Revival: I Want to Sleep With You (Sold Out) Cherry Red Records 11. Themes From The 60’s Vol. 1: Up the Junction/You Only Live Twice (DO) FLR 12. I Want to Sleep With You/Till the End of the Day (DO) WS 13. Take Another Shot of my Heart/1995 (7" Vinyl available) WS 14. Kiss Me Quickly it's Christmas/Mad Xmas (DO) WS 15. Over and Over/Last Night in Soho (DO) WS 16. Over and Over/Last Night in Soho/See my Friend 12” (DO) WS 17. Love on the Phone/Play With Fire (Vinyl & Download available) WS 18. I'm Not Like Everybody Else /Up the Junction (DO) FLR 19. Think For Yourself (DO) FLR 20. Mod Girls (DO) FLR 21. You Only Live Twice (DO) FLR 22. Love On The Phone/Play with Fire (Eleanor Rigby), Mod Boy/Wallpaper Man (Misty Woods) (CD available) FLR 23. See My Friend 12" (DO) FLR 24. Where Have All the Good Times Gone? (DO) FLR 25. Five Live EP limited edition (DO) FLR 26. Censorship acoustic version (DO) FLR |
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