EIGHTH WONDER
By Mark Nobes, chief editor
Fronted by English actress and model Patsy Kensit, Eighth Wonder achieved major success in Italy and Japan in the mid eighties with several #1 singles from their debut album Brilliant Dreams. However, it wasn't until the release of the single "I'm Not Scared" (which featured on the band's second album Fearless) that they found success in the UK.
Eighth Wonder began life as Spice, with the line-up consisting of Patsy (vocals), her brother Jamie Kensit and Geoff Beauchamp on guitars, Lawrence Lewis (bass), Jake Walters (drums) and Nigel Davis (percussion). They played live gigs during the Autumn and winter of 1983 and into 1984.
Keyboardist Alan Godson joined the band late in '84, replacing Nigel Davis, who left to start his own band Slipstream. The band renamed themselves Eight Wonder, with Kensit taking the role as the main songwriter.
Patsy was offered the role of Crepe Suzette in the 1986 musical film Absolute Beginners, after being talent spotted at one of their 1984 gigs by the film's director Julien Temple. The band also contributed the song "Having It All" (which was released as a single in Japan only), as track 2 on side 2. Other artists included David Bowie, Sade and The Style Council, to name but a few,
Stay With Me (1985)
The band were signed by CBS in April 1985, and the released their debut single "Stay With Me", which reached #65 on the UK singles chart, but was a No.5 hit on Italy's Musica e dischi chart, and reached No.30 in Japan.
During 1985, Kensit was also busy filming for Absolute Beginners. Not long after the release of "Stay With Me", bassist Lawrence Lewis and drummer Jake Walters left the band and were replaced by a synth and a drum machine, giving the band a more electronic sound.
In 1987, Eighth Wonder released two more singles; "When The Phone Stops Ringing", which reached #24 in Italy and #52 in japan, followed by "Will You Remember", which reached #83 in the UK and #10 in Italy.
I'm Not Scared (1988)
Written by Pet Shop Boys (it had that distinctive Lowe/Tennant sound), "I'm Not Scared" reached #7 in the UK, and the synthpop duo's own version featured on their album Introspective. Eight Wonder's version reached #1 in Italy, No.2 in Spain and Switzerland, No.4 in Finland and No.5 in Germany.
The B-side featured the track "J'ai Pas Peur" (5:48), which is basically the French version of the song, and is longer than the A-side. The 12 inch and CD maxi singles both included three tracks, which were the Disco Mix (7:58), the album version (4:30), and "J'ai Pas Peur" (5:48).
Eight Wonder's studio album Fearless reached #47 in the UK, but was much more successful in Japan where it reached #8. The album also climbed to #19 in Switzerland, #31 in Germany and #40 in Sweden. The last four singles released by the band were from this album.
"CROSS MY HEART" (1988)
Featuring 80s production techniques by the bucket load, "Cross My Heart" was the second and last hit single
for Eighth Wonder and reached #13 in the UK, but, ironically, failed to
break into the Top 40 in Japan, peaking at #42. This was also the first song by the band to chart in the U.S., reaching #56 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Baby Baby (1988)
The final single from the Fearless album, and the band's last single "Baby Baby" stalled at #65 in the UK, but reached a respectable #10 in Spain, #20 in Finland and #24 in Italy. The song also reached #84 in the U.S.
The band split-up after this, with Kensit focusing on her acting career. She also got married to Dan Donovan of Big Audio Dynamite, although the marriage was short-lived, and they divorced in 1991.
Singles Discography
- 1985 Stay With Me #65
- 1986 Having It All - (Japan only)
- 1986 When The Phone Stops Ringing -
- 1987 Will You Remember Me? #83
- 1988 I'm Not Scared #7
- 1988 Cross My Heart #13
- 1988 Baby Baby #65
- 1989 Use Me - (Japan only)
Chart Positions are for the UK
Fearless cassette album
The Best Remixes was a Japanese only 6 track CD released in 1990
In the summer of '88, I bought this album on cassette and remember playing this on the car stereo quite a few times while thrashing the living daylights out of my 998cc Austin Metro - teenagers, huh! "I'm Not Scared" was just one of the 33 hit songs on the album.
