Fabrique
	Produced by Zeus B Held
	Released on April? 1982
	no chart information
	Find it at GEMM
SPART 1185 cover [high resolution photo]

F abrique brings new meaning to the word “poseurs.” The album featured a special promotion from Olympus with a chance to photograph Fashion (plus lots of nice Olympus equipment) as first prize. If PiL gave lip service to the idea of band as business, Fashion slipped it some tongue with this sell-out. Two of the tracks even dovetail conveniently with the camera theme: “You Only Left Your Picture” and “Something In Your Picture.” Coincidence? I shutter to think otherwise. Not that Fabrique makes any pretense to principles. The music is blatant product, designed for the dancefloors of dissatisfied urbanites who sought the illusion of substance when their bodies stopped long enough to listen. On that front, Fabrique delivers: the opening “Move On,” “Love Shadow” and “Streetplayer - Mechanik” all found their way into the fashionable discotheques. Fashion ultimately fell shy of the new wave/club crossover stars (Culture Club, The Human League, ABC), relegated to a minor role in the movement and set to the sound of “I’m a bit player.” Whatever Fabrique’s shortcomings, producer Zeus B Held can’t be held responsible for them. His production is right at the cutting edge of clean and atmospheric club music, which allows Fabrique to age better than it might otherwise (noting that club music from the ‘80s generally doesn’t age well at all). There’s a chance that some musical sensibilities awakened in the care of Fashion, and no doubt a small cadre of fans exist who remember them fondly (presumably the same people who can name more than one Haysi Fantayzee song). For them, Cherry Red released an expanded version of Fabrique as The Height of Fashion, including 12-inch mixes like the inconceivable reggae reprise of the subdued “You Only Left Your Picture.” Connoisseurs of the early ‘80s new wave/club sound have been inclined to make more of Fabrique than me, and perhaps it is a minor classic among its kind. But big fish or not, it’s a very shallow pond.

SPART 1185 back cover	SPART 1185 picture sleeve

TRACK LISTING

1. MOVE ON
2. LOVE SHADOW
3. STREETPLAYER - MECHANIK
4. DRESSED TO KILL
5. YOU ONLY LEFT YOUR PICTURE
6. SOMETHING IN YOUR PICTURE    (De Harriss/Zeus B Held)
7. IT'S ALRIGHT
8. WHITESTUFF (SHORT CUT)    (De Harriss/Zeus B Held)
9. DO YOU WANNA MAKE LOVE
10. SLOW BLUE
    
    "The Hieght of Fashion" reissue bonus tracks
    
11. MUTANT LOVE
12. LOVE SHADOW SMOKEY DIALGUE
13. STREET MECHANIK
14. DO YOU WANNA MAKE LOVE (AT 5:00 AM?)
15. YOU ONLY LEFT YOUR PICTURE (REGGAE REPRISE)
    
    All songs written by De Harriss unless noted

CREDITS

DIK DAVISS -- non acoustic/acoustic percussion, vox
DE HARRISS -- electronic/acoustic guitars, main vox
MULLIGAN -- synthetique program, vox
MARTIN RECCHI -- base, vox
Zeus B Held -- additional keyboards, engineer
Gina Kikoine -- vox (2)
Pete Willman -- base clavinet (2)
Nick Froome -- mixing engineer
Christian Gence -- engineer
Chris Lester -- engineer
Jean-Pierre Massiera -- engineer
Jean-Marc Meredith -- engineer
Steve Robert -- engineer
Martin Homberg -- engineer
Paddy Eckersley -- front foto
David Bailey -- back foto
David Shortt -- design control
Thomi Wroblewski -- front foto tinting

return to FASHION discography

For more discographies visit...

© 2004 Connolly & Company. All rights reserved.