Everything But The Girl, also known by the acronym EBTG, is an English duo formed in Hull in 1982 and originally composed of Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt. Group which can boast of having classified in the English Charts no less than 4 singles in the Top10 and 12 singles in the Top40.
Duo which operates solo under the Cherry Red Records label before meeting, Thorn releasing an album "A distant shore" in 1982 and Watt releasing the album "North marine drive" in 1983. Two solo achievements which will unfortunately go somewhat unnoticed. ...
A year 1983 which is the official starting point of the group with the release of a first track "Night and day", single which will go somewhat under the radar in turn ...
They will have to wait another year and the year 1984 to finally see their efforts rewarded when the single "Each and every one" was released, single which finally allowed them to obtain their first ranked single. Single taken from the album "Eden", album released the same year and which is also popular with the public.
Another album "Everything but the girl" in 1984, album which will not really know the same level of success as its predecessor and which will painfully produce 2 singles of low caliber which are "Mine" and "Native land".
The business resumed in 1985 with the release of the album "Love not money", album which increases their fame on the Old Continent but which will also struggle to produce any single of planetary class.
New album "Baby, the stars shine bright" in 1986, album with average success but which this time produced a high-class single with the title "Come on home".
The year 1988 saw the release of the album "Idlewild", an album with modest success but which saved the furniture thanks to the revisited version of the title "I don't want to talk about it", flagship title of Crazy Horse Paris dating from 1971.
The 1980s saw them flourish and gain momentum, but it was the 1990s that would consecrate them. Starting with the album "The language of life" which came out in 1990 and which was the band's first album to be classified in the USA. Paradoxically, even if the album is a success, it will struggle to once again produce a single worthy of the name except "Driving" which will be the only title to perform well.
The years 1991 and 1992 saw the release of part of the album "Worlwide" and "Acoustic", two albums with very modest success.
We thought they were lost and here they are reborn in spectacular fashion in 1994 with the release of the album "Amplified Heart", the band's first album to achieve a level of global success worthy of the name. Album that will produce quite simply the biggest success of all their single-side discography with the enormous "Missing". Single which will finish at the top of most Charts on the planet and consecrate them definitively.
A success that is not denied 2 years later with the release in 1996 of the album "Walking wounded", album which remains to this day their biggest record success on the album side. Flagship album from which will be extracted 2 enormous singles which are "Walking wounded" and "Wrong".
A great adventure that ended in 1999 with the release of a last album "Temperamental", an album which was also very successful but which did not produce any high-class single ...
To discover or rediscover.
Discography (among others ...) :
Night and day 1983
Each and every one 1984
Mine 1984
Native land 1984
When all’s well 1985
Angel 1985
Come on home 1986
Don't leave me behind 1986
These early days 1988
I always was your girl 1988
I don’t want to talk about it 1989
Driving 1990
Old friends 1991
Talk to me like the sea 1992
The only living boy in New York 1993
I didn't know I was looking for love 1993
Rollercoaster 1994
Missing 1995
Walking wounded 1996
Wrong 1996
Single 1996
Before today 1997
The future of the future 1998
Five fathoms (Love more) 1999
Temperamental 2000
Lullaby of Clubland 2000
Tracey in my room 2001
Clips :
1983 ... the group made easy for its very beginnings and is content to resume here a title of Cole Porter dating from 1932. Nice cover but nothing more ...
1984 ... the real start. This time, the title is from them and it works very well. Race results : first classified title !
1984 ... a new title which confirms all the good that one could think of them. Afterwards, not sure that their current style takes them to the top of the Charts ...
1984 ... three titles just for this year 1984 and three classified titles. A career start that is going ideally. What more !
1985 ... the year 1985 started again on roughly the same bases as the year 1984. Unfortunately, with a lower level of success ...
1985 ... a title of obvious quality but which will not find its audience. The adventure was off to a good start. It gets complicated as they say ...
1986 ... luckily business resumed in 1986. And still this unique style of its kind which clearly sets them apart from the rest of the competition. Good and bad ...
1986 ... a beautiful year 1986 which saw them return to the race in a spectacular way. Still no top hit on the clock but a good job, that's already it !
1988 ... after a year 1987 where not much will happen, the group returns in a certain form in this year 1988. We still suspect that at some point, something big will happen...
1988 ... the big take off will not take place during this year 1988 but we are approaching it slowly but surely. So let's be patient a little longer ...
1989 ... and the big take off here it is ! All thanks to this luxury cover of the Crazy Horse title dating from 1971. A title which has inspired an impressive number of covers, one of the most famous of which will be Rod Stewart dating from 1977
1990 ... a big takeoff followed by an almost immediate landing. The group does not manage to surf on the success met on the previous title and relapses rather heavily in the Charts ...
1991 ... a particularly sluggish transition to the 90s despite this kind of title with more than certain quality. The group will have to reinvent himself and quickly if he does not want to disappear altogether ...
1992 ... something is happening, that's clear. The style, like the sound, has evolved in an obvious way. So there is something to hope for the future ...
1993 ... when EBTG covers Simon & Garfunkel dating from 1970. A nice revisited version which literally floats in the air and which simply feels good ...
1993 ... a title which will only know a fairly limited level of success in its original version. On the other hand, the version of Karen Ramirez which will be released in 1998 will have a very different fate !
1994 ... totally outside the standards of the moment, the group continues its adventure for whatever reason. Daring bet or suicidal bet. Good question....
1995 ... one could legitimately ask the question of their possible disappearance but it was very bad to know them. They simply deliver the biggest success of their entire career here and make a resounding return to the musical Pantheon of the 80s with this title which will remain as one of the biggest hits of the 90s. MO-NU-MEN-TAL !
1996 ... the group finally knew how to position himself in its time. It took them a while but nothing is ever lost as they say. Better late than never...
1996 ... their second biggest hit. Everything now unrolls with ease to say the least disconcerting and the mega hits follow one another at the speed of light. Hope it lasts !
1996 ... the upturn was sumptuous but short-lived. The group fell back into the Charts as quickly as he had gone up there. Hard law of the trade ...
1997 ... after a plethora of 1996 in terms of titles, 1997 will seem somewhat palichonne. The group is lagging behind and seems to no longer believe it ...
1998 ... an association with Deep Dish which temporarily puts them back in the race. They just need to stick to the latest trends and everything starts up again as if by a miracle !
1999 ... an excellent title which unfortunately will not pay more than that. The younger generations have already moved on and the group is no longer successful whatever he does ...
2000 ... they will even attempt the transition to the 2000s. A daring bet but a bet more or less won on this one. Not sure it works every time ...
2000 ... this one will go completely unnoticed as it is not necessary to rejoice too quickly. It smacks of the end all that, no need to hide your face ...
2001 ... their last hit. And almost their last title anyway. The end of an adventure which will nevertheless have consecrated them as one of the best groups of its generation across the Channel. As they say, respect !
1998 ... Top Bonus : the remixed version of their title dating from 1993. And this remixed version will meet a much more flattering fate than their original version. Like what, sometimes, not much is enough to change the fate of a title ...
Wiki :
Official Website :
Greatest Hits :
Discography :