The Soup Dragons
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Infobox musical artist
The Soup Dragons are a Scottish alternative rock band of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Named after a character in the 1970s children's television series Clangers, the group is best known for its cover of the Rolling Stones' song "I'm Free", which was a top 5 hit in the United Kingdom in 1990; and "Divine Thing", a top 40 hit in the United States in 1992.
History
The Soup Dragons formed in Bellshill, a town near Motherwell, in 1985.<ref name="Thompson">Thompson, Dave (2000) Alternative Rock, Miller Freeman, San Francisco, Template:ISBN, p. 646-647</ref> The line up was Sean Dickson (vocals, lead guitar, keyboards) (born 1966), Jim McCulloch (guitar, second voice) who replaced Ian Whitehall, and Sushil K. Dade (bass) (born Sushil Kumar Dade, 1966, Glasgow). The original drummer Ross A. Sinclair (born 1966, Bearsden, Glasgow) left the group after the first album This Is Our Art to pursue a career in art, and he was replaced by Paul Quinn (born 9 August 1963). Most of their songs were written by Sean Dickson.
The Soup Dragons recorded their first demo tape You Have Some Too after playing a few local gigs, and this was followed by a flexi disc single "If You Were the Only Girl in the World".Template:R They signed to The Subway Organization in early 1986, and their first EP The Sun in the Sky was Buzzcocks-inspired pop punk. The band's breakthrough came with their second single for Subway, "Whole Wide World",<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> which reached No. 2 on the UK Independent Chart in 1986.<ref name="Lazell">Lazell, Barry (1997) Indie Hits 1980 - 1989, Cherry Red Books, Template:ISBN, p. 213</ref> Dickson and McCulloch also played in BMX Bandits at this time.Template:R The band were signed by former Wham! co-manager Jazz Summers' label Raw TV with further indie hits (and minor UK Singles Chart hits) following during 1987 and 1988.Template:R<ref name="Strong">Strong, Martin C. (2003) The Great Indie Discography, Canongate, Template:ISBN, p. 515-6</ref> Over the course of six singles (the first three collected in 1986 on a US-only compilation, Hang Ten), they gradually developed a complex rock guitar sound, which culminated in their first album This Is Our Art, now signed to major label Sire Records.<ref name="Larkinindie">Template:Cite book</ref> After one single from the album - "Kingdom Chairs" - was released, they then returned to original label Raw TV and Big Life Records.
In the year after This Is Our Art, The Soup Dragons' sound underwent a change from an indie rock sound, to the rock-dance crossover sound; this was mainly due to being without a drummer and buying a sampler and drum machine and experimenting with sound with the release of the album Lovegod. This change can be attributed to the rise of the ecstasy-fueled acid house rave scene in the UK. In 1990, they released "I'm Free", their most successful hit single in the UK and an up-tempo cover of a Rolling Stones song with an added toasting overdub by reggae star Junior Reid, which reached No. 5.Template:R The single later appeared on the soundtrack for the film The World's End (2013).
Subsequent albums continued in the band's own style and in 1992, they enjoyed their biggest US hit with "Divine Thing", which reached No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100.Template:R It also hit No. 3 on the Modern Rock chart and its video was nominated by MTV as one of the year's best,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> though beaten by Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Soup Dragons disbanded in 1995.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Paul Quinn joined Teenage Fanclub. Sushil K. Dade formed the experimental post rock group Future Pilot A.K.A. Sean Dickson formed The High Fidelity and has released many records and albums with other artists like Bootsy Collins, Yoko Ono, Crystal Waters and David McAlmont.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Jim McCulloch joined Superstar, wrote and recorded music with Isobel Campbell, and formed the folk group Snowgoose. Ross A. Sinclair had a successful career in art, winning a number of international awards and becoming a Research Fellow at Glasgow School of Art,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and still makes music to this day.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The story of the Soup Dragons is traced as part of the 2017 documentary Teenage Superstars.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The group announced on 27 March 2023 that the original line-up will play six reunion shows in the UK in October and November 2023. Support acts will be the Vaselines, BMX Bandits and a DJ set from the Pastels.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The band features in the book Postcards from Scotland detailing the 1980s and 1990s independent music scene in Scotland.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Discography
Albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK <ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">Template:Cite book</ref> |
AUS <ref>Template:Cite Ryan</ref><ref name="aus2">Template:Cite web</ref> |
NZ <ref name="New Zealand Charts">Template:Cite web</ref> |
US <ref name="BB200">Template:Cite magazine</ref> | ||||||||||||
| This Is Our Art |
|
60 | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| Lovegod |
|
7 | 54 | 27 | 88 | ||||||||||
| Hotwired |
|
74 | 177 | — | 97 | ||||||||||
| Hydrophonic |
|
— | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||||
Compilations
- Hang Ten! (1987), Sire – compiles the tracks from the singles "Hang-Ten!", "Whole Wide World" and "Head Gone Astray"
- 20 Golden Greats (compilation, 2012)
Extended plays
- The Sun Is in the Sky (1986)
- Hang Ten! (1986)
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK <ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums"/> |
UK Indie | AUS <ref name="Charts">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="aus2"/> |
AUT <ref name="Charts"/> |
BEL (FL) <ref name="Charts"/> |
FRA <ref name="Charts"/> |
IRE <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
NLD <ref name="Charts"/> |
NZ <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
US <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | |||||
| "Whole Wide World" | 1986 | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Hang-Ten! | ||
| "Hang-Ten" | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Head Gone Astray" | 1987 | 82 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Can't Take No More"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 65 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | This Is Our Art | |||
| "Soft as Your Face" | 66 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "The Majestic Head" | 1988 | 77 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Kingdom Chairs" | 82 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Backwards Dog"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 1989 | — | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Lovegod | ||
| "Crotch Deep Trash" | — | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Mother Universe" | 1990 | 94 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "I'm Free" | 5 | 2 | 9 | 26 | 38 | 33 | 15 | 52 | 6 | 79 | ||||
| "Mother Universe" (remixed version) | 26 | — | 67 | — | — | — | — | — | 45 | — | ||||
| "Electric Blues"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 1991 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Template:Non-album single | ||
| "Divine Thing" | 1992 | 53 | — | 133 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 35 | Hotwired | ||
| "Pleasure"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 77 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 69 | ||||
| "One Way Street" | 1994 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Hydrophonic | ||
| "Janice Long Session 01.09.86" | 2022 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | rowspan="5" Template:Non-album singles | ||
| "John Peel Session 06.02.87" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Janice Long Session 30.08.87" | 2023 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "John Peel Session 24.02.86" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Love Is Love" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||