Editing Colourbox

{{Short description|UK musical group}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2015}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name            = Colourbox
| image           =
| caption         =
| image_size      =
| alias           =
| origin          = [[London]], England
| instrument      =
| genre           = [[Electronic music|Electronic]], [[soul music|soul]], [[reggae]]
| occupation      =
| years_active    = 1982–1987
| label           = [[4AD]]
| website         = [http://www.4ad.com/artists/colourbox Colourbox at 4AD.com]
| current_members =
| past_members    = Martyn Young<br />Steven Young<br />Debbion Currie<br />Ian Robbins<br />Lorita Grahame
}}

'''Colourbox''' were an English [[electronic music|electronic]] musical group on the [[4AD]] label, releasing a number of records between 1982 and 1987.<ref name="Larkin80"/> The band was formed by brothers Martyn and Steve Young, Ian Robbins, and vocalist Debbion Currie. Currie and Robbins left the band in 1983, and Lorita Grahame joined as singer.

Colourbox stood apart from their then-4AD labelmates&nbsp;– bands such as [[Dead Can Dance]], [[Cocteau Twins]], and [[This Mortal Coil]] (although the Young brothers contributed to tracks on the latter project's first two albums ''[[It'll End in Tears]]'' and ''[[Filigree & Shadow]]'').<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/This-Mortal-Coil-Itll-End-In-Tears/release/194107 |title=This Mortal Coil - It'll End In Tears (Vinyl, LP, Album) |website=Discogs.com |date=2012-03-16 |accessdate=2016-07-19}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/This-Mortal-Coil-Filigree-Shadow/release/74421 |title=This Mortal Coil - Filigree & Shadow (Vinyl, LP, Album) |website=Discogs.com |date=1986-09-22 |accessdate=2016-07-19}}</ref> Their sound was eclectic, drawing from reggae and soul influences (with covers of tracks by [[U-Roy]] and [[Augustus Pablo]] released as singles), beat-box driven hip-hop rhythms, blue-eyed soul, as well as a fusion of far-ranging influences spanning from classic R&B, to dub and industrial.<ref>{{cite web|author=Jason Ankeny |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/colourbox-mn0000107863/biography |title=Colourbox {{pipe}} Biography & History |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |date= |accessdate=2016-07-19}}</ref>

==Career==
Following their debut single "Breakdown" / "Tarantula" in late 1982 (and a 1983 reworking of the tracks by new producer Mick Glossop, still featuring Currie on vocals), Currie was replaced by Lorita Grahame.<ref name="Larkin80">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music]]|editor=Colin Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=2003|edition=Third|isbn=1-85227-969-9|page=123}}</ref> A four-track [[mini-album]] simply titled ''[[Colourbox (1983 album)|Colourbox]]'' was released in November 1983, displaying the band's fledgling experimental sound.<ref name="Larkin80"/> After a handful of singles, Colourbox's first [[Colourbox (1985 album)|full-length studio album]] — also self-titled — followed in August 1985, which further refined the band's diverse palette, mixing sample-splattered power-punk instrumentals with elegiac piano pieces ("Just Give 'em Whiskey" and "Sleepwalker" respectively), commercial pop ("The Moon Is Blue" and "Suspicion") and more reggae and soul covers ([[U-Roy]]'s "Say You" and [[The Supremes]]' "[[You Keep Me Hangin' On|You Keep Me Hanging On]]").<ref>{{AllMusic |class=album |id=r4343 |last=Raggett |first=Ned |title=Colourbox (1985) – Colourbox}}.</ref> It was to remain the band's only full-length album.<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Colourbox |magazine=[[Trouser Press]] |last=Gethers |first=Altricia |url=https://trouserpress.com/reviews/colourbox/}}</ref>

In 1986, the band issued two completely different singles simultaneously on the same day. One was an [[instrumental]] initially intended as a [[FIFA World Cup]] anthem of that year ("The Official Colourbox World Cup Theme").<ref name="Larkin80"/><ref name="Pitchfork"/> The other, a cover of [[Jacob Miller (musician)|Jacob Miller]]'s "[[King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown (song)#"Baby I Love You So"|Baby I Love You So]]", featured Lorita Grahame on vocals.<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=772AV6upth4C&pg=PA36 |title=Singles – Stealing the show |magazine=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]] |date=September 1986 |last=Leland |first=John |page=36}}</ref> The same year, 4AD issued the 1983 mini-LP on CD for the first time, with the 12" versions of both of these singles added, along with the B-side "Looks Like We're Shy One Horse / Shoot Out" and the previous non-album single "Breakdown".

"Baby I Love You So" was ranked number 12 by ''[[NME|New Musical Express]]'' on [[NME Single of the Year|their critics' list of the best singles]] of 1986.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 1986 |title=NME's best albums and tracks of 1986 |url=https://www.nme.com/features/1986-2-1045387 |access-date=2024-09-30 |website=New Musical Express}}</ref>

The band had an international [[hit record|hit]] in 1987 with "[[Pump Up the Volume (song)|Pump Up the Volume]]", a collaboration with [[A.R. Kane]] under the name [[MARRS]].<ref name="Larkin80"/> The song was notable for being constructed almost entirely from [[sampling (music)|samples]] of other records, a novelty for a popular record at that time, though Colourbox themselves had been using sampling extensively since their 1983 mini-album. The pressures of sudden success and the long-running litigation caused by the use of samples resulted in the band never recording as Colourbox again.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wink |first=Roger |date=2016-07-15 |title=R.I.P. Steve Young of Colourbox and M/A/R/R/S |url=https://www.noise11.com/news/r-i-p-steve-young-of-colourbox-and-marrs-20160715 |access-date=2024-09-30 |website=Noise11.com}}</ref>

==Post-breakup==
For a brief time following Colourbox's dissolution, Martyn Young served as a producer on records by acts as diverse as [[The Christians (band)|The Christians]] and fellow labelmates [[The Wolfgang Press]], whilst former singer Lorita Grahame lent her vocals to a record released by short-lived [[One Little Indian Records|One Little Indian]] act Hit the Roof (on a cover of [[Edwin Starr]]'s "Contact"). Since then, little has been heard from any of the group members, save for a brief return to promotional duties for Martyn Young in 2001, to oversee the release of the Colourbox compilation ''Best of Colourbox 82/87''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.4ad.com/colourbox/profile/ |title=4AD - Colourbox |accessdate=2008-02-10 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509140430/http://4ad.com/colourbox/profile/ |archivedate=9 May 2008 |df=dmy }}</ref>

4AD released a self-titled box set of four compact discs, compiling all of their catalogue (the full-length album with its companion remix album in full, a 7" mix CD, a 12" mix CD, and the first EP with two BBC Radio sessions and a previously unreleased mix of "Arena") on 21 May 2012.  The collection, marking the 30th anniversary of the group, was sequenced by Martyn Young.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://4ad.com/news/14/2/2012/4adtorelease4cdcolourboxbestofcompilation |title=4AD |website=4AD.com |date=2012-02-14 |accessdate=2016-07-19}}</ref>

In 2014, Colourbox were the subject of an exhibition, ''Music of the Band (1982 - 1987)'', curated by [[Wolfgang Tillmans]] at his Between Bridges gallery in Berlin. A CD compilation of 16 tracks selected by Tillmans was released by 4AD to tie in with the exhibition.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Alex |last=Needham |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/sep/12/wolfgang-tillmans-music-playback-room-berlin-gallery |title=Wolfgang Tillmans to open music 'playback room' in Berlin gallery |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=12 September 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.4ad.com/news/item/12/9/2014/wolfgangtillmanscuratedexhibitionexclusivecompilation |title=4AD - Wolfgang Tillmans Curated Exhibition, Exclusive Compilation |accessdate=2014-12-13 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141213175009/http://www.4ad.com/news/item/12/9/2014/wolfgangtillmanscuratedexhibitionexclusivecompilation |archivedate=13 December 2014 |df=dmy }}</ref>  The collection was reissued in 2017, with the addition of a double LP edition, in conjunction with Tillmans' exhibit at the Tate Modern in London.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Roberts |first=Chris |date=2017-06-23 |title=Colourbox - Music Of The Band (1982 – 1987) album review |url=https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/colourbox-music-of-the-band-1982-1987-album-review |access-date=2024-09-30 |website=Louder |language=}}</ref>

Martyn Young has been playing additional keyboards, recording, producing and mixing the new [[Modern English (band)|Modern English]] album, which was originally due for release in March 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://imeltwithyou.proboards.com/thread/250/new-modern-english-album-update |title=New Modern English Album - Update {{pipe}} Forum on the band 'Modern English' |website=Imeltwithyou.proboards.com |date= |accessdate=2016-07-19}}</ref> Ian Robbins died in 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.funeralzone.co.uk/obituaries/1192 |title=Ian Robbins, Obituary |publisher=Funeral Zone |date= |accessdate=2016-07-19}}</ref> Steven Young died on 13 July 2016.<ref name="Pitchfork">{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/news/66780-steven-young-of-colourbox-and-marrs-is-dead/ |title=Steven Young of Colourbox and M/A/R/R/S Is Dead |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |date=2016-07-13 |accessdate=2016-07-19 |last=Strauss |first=Matthew}}</ref>

==Discography==
All released on the 4AD label. Chart placings shown are from the [[UK Indie Chart]].<ref name="Lazell">{{cite book |last=Lazell |first=Barry |title=Indie Hits 1980-1989 |year= 1997 |publisher=Cherry Red Books |isbn=0-9517206-9-4 }}</ref>

===Albums===
* ''[[Colourbox (1983 album)|Colourbox (mini-album)]]'' (7 November 1983), No.&nbsp;8
** Vinyl (MAD315); CD (MAD315CD – released in 1986)
* ''[[Colourbox (1985 album)|Colourbox (album)]]'' (12 August 1985), No.&nbsp;1
** Vinyl LP (CAD508); CD (CAD508CD); cassette (CADC508)
* ''[[Colourbox MAD 509 (album)|Colourbox]]'' (12 August 1985) – free mini-album included with first 10,000 copies of CAD508
** Vinyl LP (MAD509)

===Singles===
* "Breakdown" / "Tarantula" (November 1982) – featuring Debian Curry
** 7" (AD215); 12" (BAD215)
* "Breakdown" / "Tarantula" (second version) (May 1983)
** 7" (AD304); 12" (BAD304)
* "Say You" / "Fast Dump" (March 1984), No.&nbsp;7
** 7" (AD403); 12" (BAD403)
* "Punch" / "Keep on Pushing" (June 1984), No.&nbsp;15
** 7" (AD406); 12" (BAD406)
* "The Moon Is Blue" / "You Keep Me Hanging On" (15 July 1985), No.&nbsp;3
** 7" (AD507); 12" (BAD507)
* "[[King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown (song)#"Baby I Love You So"|Baby I Love You So]]" / "Looks Like We're Shy One Horse" / "Shoot Out" (14 April 1986), No.&nbsp;4
** 7" (AD604); 12" (BAD604)
* "The Official Colourbox World Cup Theme" / "Philip Glass" (14 April 1986), No.&nbsp;6
** 7" (AD605); 12" (BAD605)

===Compilations===
* ''[[Lonely Is an Eyesore]]'' (15 June 1987)
** Vinyl (CAD703); CD 9CAD703CD) - 4AD label sampler included the exclusive track "Hot Doggie"
* ''Best of Colourbox 82/87'' (15 October 2001)
** CD (GAD2107CD)
* ''Colourbox'' (14 May 2012)
** 4-CD box set (CAD 3204 CD)
* ''Music of the Band (1982 - 1987)'' (2014)
** CD (TAD 3443)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://4ad.com/artists/colourbox Colourbox: 4AD official discography and profile] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130116035153/http://www.4ad.com/artists/colourbox |date=2013-01-16}}
* [http://eyesore.no/html/group/colourbox.html Full discography including compilations and some promos]
* [http://www.fedge.net/colourbox/ A fan site with discography]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070627073023/http://www.imasy.or.jp/~mtoyokaw/4ad-faq/artists/colourbox/m-a-r-r-s.txt MARRS FAQ - archive.org copy]

{{Colourbox (band)}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:English electronic music groups]]
[[Category:English synth-pop groups]]
[[Category:4AD artists]]
[[Category:Electronic music groups from London]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1982]]
[[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1987]]
[[Category:1982 establishments in England]]