East 17
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East 17 were an English based boy band, from the 1990s. The band name came from the postcode for Walthamstow, which is in the area of London, between the old East End, and the Essex commuter belt. They charted 18 top 20 singles and four top 10 albums.
Band members
Biography
The band began after Tony Mortimer was given the promise of a record deal, when he showcased his own material. It was under the condition of forming a group, as this was the format London Records were pushing.The original roles in the band soon altered when Brian Harvey, who was intended as a backup singer and dancer, was heard singing along during a recording session, and duly promoted to lead vocalist. The vast majority of the songs were written by Mortimer, and often contained rap verses vocalised by him, to compliment Harvey's more smooth R&B style vocals.
The band was seen as a Pop group due to the marketing hype by London Records, but their lyrics and non single tracks showed otherwise. For example, the Ivor Novello award winning song - 'Stay Another Day' - was thought to be a simple love song, but was in fact a response from Tony to his elder brother, who committed suicide. Other titles were written about life after death, and one track even incorporated a part of The Book of Revelations into a futuristic rap song.
Seen as a harsher, and more hip-hop oriented alternative to rival boy band Take That, they scored twelve top 10 hits in the UK singles chart, between 1992 and 1998. Their debut album Walthamstow, again named after the area of East London where they were based, shot to number one in the UK album chart. It featured a strong string of top twenty singles, their most key songs being 'House Of Love', and 'Deep'.
In 1994 upon the release of their second album 'Steam', they scored their only UK number one single, the 1994 Christmas chart topper 'Stay Another Day', which remained at the top for five weeks. In 1996 they hit number two in a duet with Gabrielle, 'If You Ever'.
Following the somewhat low key release of the album 'Up All Night', the drop in appeal in comparison to previous albums, was attributed to the fact that Mortimer stepped down as the only songwriter. It allowed songwriting duties to be split between the four members of East 17, although all of the singles released from the album were the tracks Mortimer had penned.
In 1997, Harvey was engulfed in a drug controversy, when he claimed he took twelve Ecstasy pills in one night, stating "it's cool to take drugs". This went against their 'boy band' image. He also claimed that ecstasy "can make you a better person". There was a huge media uproar, with questions being asked in the House of Commons, and the career of the band was tarnished. Harvey was sacked as a result of this, but then Mortimer decided to leave as well.
However, Harvey, Coldwell and Hendy all attempted a comeback in 1998 under the name of E-17, and got off to a good start with 'Each Time', which reached number two in the UK. But, being without Mortimer's songwriting influence, the band struggled, and after rather disappointing sales of the following single 'Betcha Can't Wait', and its album 'Resurrection', the band eventually decided to call it quits in 1999.
Tony Mortimer has since attempted to create two bands, but each time opted to return to production work for other artists from his Essex studio, as well as recording his own solo material, which was released in January, 2006 on [his official website]
On 4 February 2006, Brian Harvey appeared on the UK television music show CD:UK, where he announced that East 17 may soon be making a comeback as the original four-piece.
In mid-February 2006, East 17 reformed. The band played its first concert since reformation on 30 May 2006 at the Shepherd's Bush Empire in London.
Albums
- (1993) Walthamstow #1 UK
- (1994) Steam #3 UK
- (1995) Up All Night #7 UK
- (1996) Around The World Hit Singles: The Journey So Far #3 UK
- (1998) Resurrection (as E-17) #43 UK
- (2005) The Very Best Of East Seventeen
Singles
Walthamstow (1993)
- (1992) House Of Love #10 UK
- (1992) Gold #28 UK
- (1993) Deep #5 UK
- (1993) Slow It Down #13 UK
- (1993) West End Girls #11 UK
- (1993) It's Alright #3 UK, #1 Latvia (1 week)
Steam (1994)
- (1994) Around The World #3 UK, #10 Latvia
- (1994) Steam #7 UK
- (1994) Stay Another Day #1 UK, #1 Latvia (7 weeks)
- (1995) Let It Rain #10 UK, #5 Latvia
- (1995) Hold My Body Tight #12 UK, #9 Latvia
Up All Night (1995)
- (1995) Thunder #4 UK, #2 Latvia
- (1996) Do U Still? #7 UK, #6 Latvia
- (1996) Someone To Love #16 UK, #10 Latvia
Around The World (The Journey So Far) (1996)
- (1996) If You Ever (featuring Gabrielle) #2 UK, #4 Latvia
- (1997) Hey Child #3 UK
Resurrection (As E-17) (1998)
- (1998) Each Time #2 UK
- (1999) Betcha Can't Wait #12 UK
Trivia
- Brian Harvey and Tony Mortimer have a dislike for girls with big feet.
- The band logo features a cartoon "Bob Dog" based on Levy, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Levy was the band's official mascot and she was frequently referred to as the "fifth official member of East 17".
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External links
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