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Johnny Hates Jazz

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"JHJ" redirects here. For the journal formerly known as The Journal of Human Justice, see Critical Criminology: An International Journal.

Johnny Hates Jazz
Johnny Hates Jazz performing in 2014
Johnny Hates Jazz performing in 2014
Background information
OriginLondon, England
Genres
Years active
  • 1985–1992
  • 2009–present
Labels
Members
Past members
Websitewww.johnnyhatesjazz.com

Johnny Hates Jazz are a British pop[5] band, currently consisting of Clark Datchler (songwriter, vocalist, keyboards) and Mike Nocito (guitarist, bassist, producer, engineer). In April 1987, they achieved international success with their single "Shattered Dreams".[6]

Early career

[edit]

Both Datchler and Nocito were born into musical families. Datchler's father, Fred, was a member of two chart-topping bands from the 1950s. The Stargazers had the distinction of being the first British band to reach No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart.[7] As part of the Polkadots, Fred Datchler sang backing vocals for Frank Sinatra and Petula Clark. Nocito hails from an American family based in Europe with the U.S. armed forces. His mother was a singer in a close-harmony group called the Cactus Kids, which performed for troops throughout northern Europe.[citation needed]

Having been a singer, guitarist, and keyboard player in numerous bands as a teenager, Datchler at the age of 17 released his first single on the London independent record label Bluebird Records, backed by members of reggae band Aswad. He went on to work with Rusty Egan of Visage, fusing electronic music with soul, and performed often on the London club scene. He was subsequently signed to Warner Brothers Music as a songwriter, and moved to Los Angeles.[8]

Nocito[9] was a guitarist in school bands, having grown up alongside friend and fellow record producer Phil Thornalley, as well as members of Katrina and the Waves. He became a recording engineer and worked with Pink Floyd, the Police, the Cure, Duran Duran, and the Thompson Twins.[citation needed]

The two met in 1982 at RAK Studios in London. Datchler had just become lead singer in the band Hot Club, alongside the third and final original JHJ member Calvin Hayes. The line-up also included bass player Glen Matlock and guitarist James Stevenson. In 1983, Hot Club released a single on RAK Records and performed at London's Marquee Club, a performance that impressed RAK head (and Hayes' father),[10] Mickie Most. He decided to sign Datchler to the label as a solo artist. It was Most who suggested that Datchler work with Nocito, who was an engineer at RAK Studios at the time. Over the next four years, the two worked together on Datchler's solo recordings. Most also guided Datchler, producing several of his recordings in the mid-1980s.[citation needed]

Original tenure

[edit]

In April 1986, Datchler, Nocito and Hayes released the first Johnny Hates Jazz single, "Me and My Foolish Heart", on RAK Records.[11] It was not a commercial success, but gained substantial airplay and was Sounds magazine's record of the week.[citation needed]

Datchler began writing new songs which included "Shattered Dreams". JHJ then performed a showcase at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, and were subsequently signed to Virgin Records. "Shattered Dreams" was released in March 1987 and became a top 5 hit in the UK,[11] throughout mainland Europe and Asia, and reached No. 2 in Japan. It was followed by three other worldwide hits, "I Don't Want to Be a Hero", "Turn Back the Clock" (featuring Kim Wilde on backing vocals) and "Heart of Gold".[11] In 1988, "Shattered Dreams" reached No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100, No. 1 on the US Adult Contemporary chart, and climbed to No. 4 in Canada. That same year, their album Turn Back the Clock entered the UK Albums Chart at No. 1, selling four million copies.[11]

At the end of 1987, JHJ made two music videos with director David Fincher. The videos were for the US releases of "Shattered Dreams" and "Heart of Gold". Datchler left the band at the end of 1988.

Hayes and Nocito continued the band, and replaced Datchler with their friend Phil Thornalley, a Grammy Award-nominated engineer and record producer, and a former bass player for The Cure. The new line-up released a second album, Tall Stories, in 1991. However, the album was unsuccessful, and the band dissolved the following year due to a car accident in which Hayes was badly injured and in hospital for 2 years.[11]

After the break-up

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Datchler moved to Amsterdam at the end of the 1980s and focused on his solo work, recording the albums Raindance and Fishing for Souls.[12] Returning to the UK, he based himself at Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios near Bath throughout the 1990s. In 2000, he moved to the US and created a solar-powered home and studio, where he recorded much of his most recent album, Tomorrow. Throughout this time, he studied the philosophy of indigenous people and became environmentally active. In 2008, he received a GreenTec Award (formerly the Clean Tech Media Awards) in Berlin.[13][14]

Following the dissolution of Johnny Hates Jazz, Nocito based himself in Cambridge, England, and produced the Katrina and the Waves single "Love Shine a Light", a top 10 hit throughout Europe and winner of the 1997 Eurovision Song Contest.[15] He also produced and wrote for Hepburn, Gina G, and Orson, and continued to work extensively with Katrina and the Waves.[citation needed]

New era

[edit]

Datchler and Nocito met again in 2009 after Datchler wrote a song called "Magnetized", which he felt would be ideal for Johnny Hates Jazz. Soon after, they decided to record a new album. Datchler moved back to the UK and wrote the rest of the songs for the project. At the same time, the original line-up of Datchler, Nocito, and Hayes performed live at various international festivals. However, after several shows in 2010, Hayes left the band before recording of the new album commenced.[12]

That same year, Datchler received a BMI award for "Shattered Dreams" in recognition of receiving over three million broadcast performances of the song in the US alone.[16]

The subsequent album was titled Magnetized.[17] Recording spanned much of 2011 and 2012, and took place at Real World Studios near Bath, Hamp Sound near Cambridge, and Angel Recording Studios in London. It featured Datchler as songwriter, vocalist, and keyboard player, and Nocito as producer and engineer.[17] There were also string arrangements and additional keyboards from The Art of Noise's Anne Dudley, who had arranged the strings on "Turn Back The Clock". Other contributors included drummer Alex Reeves, guitarists David Rhodes and Marcus Bonfanti, synthesizer player Pete Watson, and mix engineer Stephen W. Tayler.[18]

The first single, "Magnetized", was released in the UK on 28 April 2013, and received widespread airplay, being A-listed for several weeks on BBC Radio 2. It was also released in Germany and achieved similar success on radio there. The album was subsequently released on 5 May in the UK.[19] However, Datchler collapsed in London shortly after this, and was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. As a result, all promotion came to halt. It was not until the following year that he made a full recovery, but by that time the album had lost momentum, and the band decided to focus on live work instead.

After this, the band performed extensively in the UK at festivals, as well as in Germany and Asia. In 2017, they released a remixed version of "Magnetized" in China, as well as performing live. Subsequently, they began writing and recording material for a new album. In addition, Datchler co-wrote 11 songs with Mike Rutherford for the UK top 10 Mike + the Mechanics albums Let Me Fly and Out of the Blue.

The band released a new single, titled "Spirit Of Love", on 29 May 2020. It has a few inspirations and musical roots from the 1970s during which Datchler and Nocito grew up.[20][21] Also on 29 May, it was announced in a trailer that a new album, Wide Awake, would be released on 14 August 2020. This was said to have been "two years in the making", and to contain "... a mixture of soulful melodies, uplifting lyrics, and a positive energy that is present from start to finish." On 4 June 2020, a music video was released that featured fan pictures and videos of what they loved most and the band members walking around and visiting different spots in Japan.[22][23][24][20]

In October 2021, the band toured the UK, supporting Level 42.

Band personnel

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Current members
  • Clark Datchler (born 27 March 1964, Surrey, England) – vocals, keyboards, guitar (1986–1988; 2009–present)
  • Mike Nocito (born 5 August 1963, Wiesbaden, West Germany) – guitar, bass, synthesizers, backing vocals (1986–1992, 2009–present)
Former members
  • Calvin Hayes (born 23 November 1962, London) – keyboards, drums, bass, backing vocals (1986–1992, 2009–2010)
  • Phil Thornalley (born 5 January 1960, Suffolk, England) – vocals, instruments (1988–1992)

Discography

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Studio albums

[edit]
Title Details Peak chart positions Certifications
UK
[25] 		UK Sales
[26] 		UK Indie
[27] 		AUS
[28] 		AUT
[29] 		CAN
[30] 		GER
[31] 		NLD
[32] 		NOR
[33] 		NZ
[34] 		SWE
[35] 		SWI
[36] 		US
[37]
Turn Back the Clock 1 1 — 72 20 40 5 3 1 3 1 4 56
Tall Stories
  • Released: June 1991
  • Label: Virgin
  • Formats: CD, LP, cassette
 — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Magnetized 102 102 23 — — — — — — — — — —
Wide Awake
  • Released: 14 August 2020
  • Label: Absolute Label Services
  • Formats: CD, digital download
 — 92 31 — — — — — — — — — —
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Compilation albums

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  • The Very Best of Johnny Hates Jazz (Disky Records, 1993)
  • Best of the '80s (Disky Records, 2000)

Singles

[edit]
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
UK
 UK Network
[39] 		UK Indie
 UK Heritage
[40] 		AUS
 BEL
(FL)
[41] 		GER
 IRE
[42] 		NLD
 NZ
 SWE
 SWI
 US
[43]
"Me and My Foolish Heart" 1986 112[44] — — — — — — — — — — — — Turn Back the Clock
"Shattered Dreams" 1987 5 3 — — 22 36 7 3 26 — 7 5 2
"I Don't Want to Be a Hero" 11 11 — — 76 16 17 13 25 — 10 12 31
"Turn Back the Clock" 12 14 — — — 9 19 17 6 3 20 — —
"Heart of Gold" 1988 19 18 — — 87 30 55 19 27 18 — — —
"Don't Say It's Love" 48 40 — — — — — — — — — — —
"Turn the Tide" 1989 84 — — — — — — — — — — — — Non-album single
"Let Me Change Your Mind Tonight" 1991 101[45] — — — — — — — — — — — — Tall Stories
"The Last to Know" 78 — — — — — 57 — — — — — —
"Magnetized" 2013 — — 32 — — — — — — — — — — Magnetized
"Spirit of Love"[46] 2020 — — — 11 — — — — — — — — — Wide Awake
"New Day Ahead" — — — 1 — — — — — — — — —
"Greater Good" — — — 4 — — — — — — — — —
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Bradwell, David (April 1988). "Johnny Hates Jazz". Music Technology. United Kingdom: Music Maker Publications (UK), Future Publishing. pp. 86–89. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  2. ^ Sutton, Michael. "Johnny Hates Jazz – Best of Johnny Hates Jazz". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  3. ^ March, Nick (15 May 2013). "The 1980s synth-poppers Johnny Hates Jazz return – minus the suits". The National. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  4. ^ Inskeep, Thomas; Soto, Alfred. "The Bluffer's Guide – Sophisti-Pop". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on 4 September 2011. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  5. ^ Hunt, Dennis (19 June 1988). "Johnny Doesn't Hate Jazz". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  6. ^ "Official Website". Johnny Hates Jazz. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
  7. ^ "The Stargazers". Biography. Oldies.com. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  8. ^ "Clark Datchler". Official website. Kathy M. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  9. ^ "Mike Nocito". Discography. AllMusic. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  10. ^ Kuttner, Julia (13 October 2013). "The man who inspired Simon Cowell to be Most successful". Daily Express. Express. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  11. ^ a b c d e Sutton, Michael (6 May 2013). "Johnny Hates Jazz – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
  12. ^ a b Johnny Hates Jazz / Interview BY PAUL SINCLAIR
  13. ^ "Bio | Johnny Hates Jazz". johnnyhatesjazz.com. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  14. ^ Limited, Alamy. "Stock Photo - The band Johnny Hates Jazz arrives at the Green Tec Award ceremony in Berlin, Germany, 12 May 2017. Photo: Jörg Carstensen/dpa". Alamy. Retrieved 30 June 2018. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  15. ^ "Katrina and the Waves". Eurovision Winner. BBC. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  16. ^ "BMI Awards". Winners Announced. BMI. 5 October 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  17. ^ a b Collar, Matt (6 May 2013). "Magnetized – Johnny Hates Jazz: Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
  18. ^ "Magnetized – Johnny Hates Jazz: Credits". AllMusic. 6 May 2013. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
  19. ^ "London ITV News". ITV News. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  20. ^ a b "Johnny Hates Jazz". Johnnyhatesjazz.com.
  21. ^ "Spirit of Love - YouTube". YouTube. Archived from the original on 27 May 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  22. ^ "Johnny Hates Jazz - be part of our music video. - YouTube". YouTube. Archived from the original on 19 January 2022. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  23. ^ "JOHNNY HATES JAZZ on Twitter: "Hello again We are excited to share more details about our brand new single 'Spirit of Love' and invite you all to be a part of the music video. Watch below for more of an explanation, and click the link in the bio to upload your contribution... https://T.co/V9yDaeRTm2 #newmusic"". twitter.com. Archived from the original on 14 May 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2022. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  24. ^ "Johnny Hates Jazz - Wide Awake (Album Trailer 2020) - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 30 September 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  25. ^ Peak chart positions in the United Kingdom:
  26. ^ Peak chart positions in the United Kingdom:
  27. ^ Peak chart positions in the United Kingdom:
  28. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 159. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  29. ^ "Discographie Johnny Hates Jazz". austriancharts.at (in German). Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  30. ^ "RPM 100 Albums". RPM. Vol. 48, no. 9. 18 June 1988. p. 11. ISSN 0315-5994. Retrieved 9 March 2020 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  31. ^ "Discographie von Johnny Hates Jazz" (in German). Offizielle Deutsche Charts. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  32. ^ "Discographie Johnny Hates Jazz". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  33. ^ "Discography Johnny Hates Jazz". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  34. ^ "Discography Johnny Hates Jazz". charts.nz. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  35. ^ "Discography Johnny Hates Jazz". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  36. ^ "Johnny Hates Jazz". swisscharts.com. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  37. ^ "Johnny Hates Jazz Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  38. ^ "British certifications – Johnny Hates Jazz". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 9 March 2020. Type Johnny Hates Jazz in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  39. ^ "Number One magazine 1987, 1988". {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  40. ^ "Heritage Chart". Heritage Chart. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  41. ^ "Discografie Johnny Hates Jazz" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  42. ^ "Search the charts". The Irish Charts. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  43. ^ "Johnny Hates Jazz Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  44. ^ "Gallup Top 200 Singles". Gallup. 3 May 1986. Retrieved 11 November 2022 – via ukmix.org.
  45. ^ "Singles - Positions 76 to 200". Charts Plus. Spotlight Publications. 22 June 1991. p. 2.
  46. ^ "JOHNNY HATES JAZZ (@JHJ_Official) | Twitter". Archived from the original on 27 May 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
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