Splash/WAVE Productions. The Spoons Promo Video Directed/Edited/Graphics by Stephen Sweeney. Spoons were formed in Burlington, Ontario in 1979. The band initially consisted of Gordon Deppe (lead vocals and guitar), Sandy Horne (vocals and bass), Brett Wickens (keyboards, synths) and Peter Shepherd (drums). All four attended Aldershot High School, and Deppe and Horne (the only constant members of the band) were high school sweethearts.
In late 1979, Shepherd left the band and was replaced by Derrick Ross on drums. Spoons then released an independent single, "After the Institution", in 1980. Shortly thereafter, Wickens left the band, to pursue a career as a graphic artist. He was replaced by keyboardist Rob Preuss, who was only fifteen when he joined Spoons.
The band's first album, Stick Figure Neighbourhood, was released in 1981, and is notable for being one of the earliest New Wave albums engineered by Daniel Lanois.
The following year, Spoons released their breakthrough album Arias & Symphonies. This album spawned three Top 40 hits in Canada: "Nova Heart", "Arias & Symphonies", and "Smiling in Winter". All were dance-oriented New Wave hits.
Around this time, Spoons' higher profile allowed them to become the opening act for bands such as Culture Club, Simple Minds, and The Police.
Spoons' 1983 album, Talkback was produced by Nile Rodgers and included the hit "Old Emotions". Following that, the band expanded their sound somewhat, releasing a two-sided hit in 1984 with "Tell No Lies" b/w "Romantic Traffic". The upbeat "Tell No Lies" featured a more mainstream pop sound than was customary for Spoons, while "Romantic Traffic" was a downtempo song with adult contemporary leanings that would become the group's most enduring hit.
Both "Tell No Lies" and "Romantic Traffic" later found their way onto the soundtrack for the film Listen to the City, in which Horne was featured in a supporting role. However, Listen to the City was not an official Spoons album, as it consisted largely of instrumental music and was credited solely to Gordon Deppe.
In 1985 both Preuss and Ross left Spoons, and were replaced by Scott MacDonald (keyboards) and Steve Kendry (drums), respectively. The band also switched from New Wave imprint Ready Records, which had folded after the release of Listen to the City, to the more rock-oriented Anthem Records label. Accordingly, Spoons' 1986 single "Bridges Over Borders" marked a departure from their characteristic sound and showcased a harder rock orientation, as did later single "Rodeo".
The new Spoons line-up released the album Bridges Over Borders in 1986, but it did not chart in the Canadian Top 100, nor did any of the three singles pulled from the LP. The follow-up LP Vertigo Tango reunited the band with Arias & Symphonies producer John Punter, and was a partial return to the band's New Wave roots. The album featured the band's final hit single, "Waterline" (1989), a languid, introspective ballad.
Spoons broke up at the end of the 1980s, but Deppe and Horne, along with various other players, got back together for several Spoons reunion gigs in the 1990s and into the next decade. In 2007, Spoons released Unexpected Guest at a Cancelled Party, a collection of previously unreleased material recorded between 1982 and 1985 by the Deppe, Horne, Preuss, Ross line-up.
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THE SPOONS "Arias & Symphonies" Live@The Mod Club.by MCReFresh0819,615 views
Beautiful! One of the greatest bands of the 80s who still haven't received a Canada's Walk Of Fame. Very glad to see them play SW Ontario venues. The songs are timeless.
lakesidepark2112 2 years ago