Clare Grogan on Altered Images' first album in nearly 40 years and still being embarrassed Spandau Ballet's True was written about her
05.08.2022 - 20:57
/ dailyrecord.co.uk
Usually it’s the parents telling their kids to turn the music down. But when Clare Grogan and husband, Stephen Lironi, were writing Altered Images’ first album in 39 years in their north London house during lockdown, their teenage daughter Ellie, 17, would burst in and shout “would you turn it down please”.
It’s no reflection on the music – songs such as Your Life is Mine and Double Reflection match 80s band’s classics like Happy Birthday and Pinky Blue. And it did end up a family affair with Ellie singing on some of the songs.
Clare, 60, from Glasgow said: “She’s not going to express too much praise or appreciation because she is a teenager. Because of lockdown we were stuck at home and recorded a lot of this album in Stephen’s studio, which is next door to Ellie’s bedroom.
“We drove her completely nuts and quite often she’d storm into the studio and shout ‘would you turn it down please’? But I did twist her arm and get her to sing on a couple of the tracks because she’s got a beautiful voice.
“I don’t want to sound like the Partridge Family because we are anything but, but it was nice to get her involved. It was important to me because she inspired quite a lot of the songs.”
Clare’s new album is called Mascara Streakz and is Altered Images’ first new music in 39 years – since 1983, when they released third album Bite. Ellie did backing vocals on the title track, The Flame and Red Startles The Sky.
Despite getting a two-album deal, Clare said they’d “had their moment” and Ellie won’t join her for a duet next time. But Clare is happy as she “wanted to create a memory for us”. Not that Ellie doesn’t like her mum’s music. When she has friends round they often end up listening to 80s classics and, at an Altered Images show last
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