The Hit Parade

Background

The Hit Parade first recorded in Watt's Building Site Studio in the 1980s working alongside experimental groups Psychic TV and Einstürzende Neubauten. The Hit Parade's early singles "My Favourite Girl" and "The Sun Shines In Gerrards Cross" were played on BBC Radio 1 by DJs John Peel, David "Kid" Jensen and Janice Long.

The Hit Parade has never been commercially successful in part because the three members have pursued other careers. Watts moved to Berlin in 1989 to work with KMFDM, Henry developed a business in marketing and journalism, while Moffatt founded his own film lighting company. But they have continued to release records to the current day. They proclaim the Latin motto "Semper Eadem" ("alvvays the same") on their records.

Recordings

The Hit Parade records for JSH UK record label producing 7" vinyl singles in limited editions, each self-financed with artwork designed by the band. The first Hit Parade single 'Forever' was released in 1984 with a mock-vorticist manifesto, making claims "No song shall last for more than 3 minutes" and "facial hair including moustaches will not be tolerated". It was ignored by the music press but played on BBC Radio 1 by John Peel. A sequence of more 3 minute pop songs followed each with a garage sound influenced by 60s artists The Monkees, The Byrds, Phil Spector and others.

In 1985, The Hit Parade signed to Stiff Records but the label went out of business before anything (other than a track on a compilation album) was released. The first pressing of the band's 1985 single 'See You In Havana' JSH5 with Stiff Records logo is now collectible. The first Hit Parade LP "With Love From The Hit Parade" was released in 1988 to unfavourable reviews: 'mire of cheesy mundane tunes' 'oblivious to musical developments of the last 24 years' (Q Magazine) 'twee like you wouldn't believe' (MM), apart from NME which declared the Hit Parade to be the 'perfect pop machine'. The band's diy approach was lauded by fanzines (Caff, Are You Scared To Get Happy, Especially Yellow) and the album sleeve was self-taken 'selfie album cover'. Later that year Henry was approached by Cherry Red Records and arranged nine songs on the first Would-be-goods album.

In the 1990s, The Hit Parade signed to the Sarah Records label and recorded "In Gunnersbury Park" b/w "Harvey". Henry and Harvey Williams from Another Sunny Day, performed at the Sarah Records farewell concert on board the Thekla Boat Bristol, in 1995.

By 1994, The Hit Parade had developed a cult following in Japan, as a part of the Shibuya-kei movement with groups The Pastels, Orange Juice and Flipper's Guitar. The Hit Parade signed to Vinyl Japan and later Polystar Records. They had a Top 20 hit with "Hello Hannah Hello". They toured Japan several times, and performed live at stores in Shibuya, at the opening of the Virgin Megastore in Shinjuku, Tokyo, on MTV Japan and other TV shows. They signed to Minty Fresh Records, Chicago, in the United States and released their first US single, "Hello Hannah Hello".

The Hit Parade released their fifth album in 2006 The Return Of The Hit Parade, and 9th single "My Stupid Band", the story of a failed pop group doomed to a life of obscurity. It was published with a Manifesto that called for Food Lovers Fairs to be banned and for JG Ballard to be knighted.

In 2007 the Hit Parade single "You Didn't Love Me Then", appeared on Sanctuary Records C86 double album Cd86: The Birth Of Indie Pop.

The 10th Hit Parade 7" single was a tribute to Le Corbusier's 'Unite D'Habitation' and features Cath Carroll. "I Like Bubblegum" b/w "Zennor Mermaid" raised funds for the Porthmeor Studio in St Ives Cornwall restoration fund and was voted one of the best singles of 2010 by Drowned In Sound.

The 11th Hit Parade single 'There's Something About Mary' was described as as 'a bona fide pop smash' by Drowned In Sound, the B-side was a tribute to 90s Sarah Records signing Brighter 'The Boy Who Loves Brighter'. The single raised funds for the Fisherman's Mission in Newlyn.

In September 2012 the band released 'Pick Of The Pops Volume 1' and a promotional film shot in Tokyo in 1993.

In 2014 the Hit Parade released "Cornish Pop Songs" to glowing reviews. A CD collection of new songs set in South West England. The Cornishman called the release 'the best album made about Cornwall this century" and "a glorious collection of melodic, memorable guitar-based tunes". The album was re-issued on vinyl in 2016.

Songs

A Hit Parade song is derivative, referential, quickly recorded and usually set in a suburban location in England or Japan such as "Road To Beaconsfield" (Beaconsfield, Bull Lane Tennis Club Gerrards Cross), "So This Is London" (London, Regent's Street), "Born In St Ives" (St Ives, Cornwall), "The Queen Of Mousehole" (Mousehole, Cornwall), "Westbourne Terrace W2", "Autobiography" (Goodwin Sands, Kent), "Gunnersbury Park", West London, "So Said Kayo" (Nagoya TV Tower, Mr Donut, Tokyo Hands Dept Store). The Hit Parade song, "Grace Darling", tells her heroic story, and appeared on their fourth album, The Sound of The Hit Parade.

Several Hit Parade songs refer to dead writers or poets including "The Road To Beaconsfield" (George Orwell, Enid Blyton), "As I Lay Dying" (William Faulkner), "House Of Sarah" Evelyn Waugh Brideshead Revisited), "Huebos Mexicana" (Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs, Ernest Hemingway, Malcolm Lowry, Ken Kesey), "See You In Havana" (Hemingway), "To The Lighthouse" (Woolf), "Paddington To Penzance" (Larkin) and others. The artwork refer to literary locations including Eric Blair (George Orwell), Wordsworth (Grasmere, Cumbria), Derek Jarman (Dungeness), Colerige (Alfoxden Park), Ian Fleming & Noël Coward (St Margarets Bay). Several of the Hit Parade's songs reference other indie pop landmarks including "Harvey", "House Of Sarah", "Are You Scared To Be Happy?", "Boy Who Loves Brighter" and others. Julian Henry discusses this in The Guardian in June 2011.

Concerts

The Hit Parade first played live as a 3 piece in 1990 when they undertook a month-long Sunday night residency at The Mean Fiddler in North London before embarking on a UK Tour. In 1992 they toured Japan playing concerts in Shinjuku, Tokyo; they returned for four other Japan tours playing concerts in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Sendai, appearing with Billy Childish and his group the Milkshakes, and Edwyn Collins. Their line up during these tours included Mike Watts (keyboards), Harvey Williams (guitar) and Cath Carroll (vocals). The last time The Hit Parade played live as a three piece with Henry, Moffatt and Watts, was in 2006 in London at Moffatt's son's birthday party. Julian Henry and Harvey Williams played concerts in London and Oxford in 2009, including at the London Indiepop Festival where they played a set of combined Another Sunny Day and Hit Parade songs.

In May 2014 The Hit Parade performed as Sarah 058 at the Arnolfini Bristol 'Between Hello & Goodbye The Secret Life of Sarah Records' exhibition.

Line up

The Hit Parade bass guitarist, Raymond Watts, is known for his industrial group PIG, releasing seventeen albums. As well as touring North America, Japan and Europe, Watts has recorded many albums with KMFDM as Raymondo Scaballero, including writing credits on the platinum selling video game and movie Mortal Kombat. Since 2009, Watts has co-produced the music for [[Alexander McQueen]]'s Fashion shows. The Hit Parade's drummer, Matthew Moffatt, runs a London-based film lighting company, working with directors Mike Leigh, Kathryn Bigelow and Paul Greengrass. Moffatt is credited on several Hollywood and British produced films including the Oscar-winning Hurt Locker, and the Oscar nominated Vera Drake and United 93. The Hit Parade's guitarist, Julian Henry, founded the public relations agency Henry's House, is a trustee of The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA, London), is advisor to Simon Fuller, and has written for periodicals including NME, Music Week and The Guardian on music and marketing. Other members included Cath Carroll, Harvey Williams and Mike Watts.