The Psychedelic Furs, referred to as “The Furs” by 80’s music fans, is an English band founded in 1977 with roots in the British post funk scene. The “Furs” gained international attention when they provided the title song for the 1988 John Hughes directed film “Pretty in Pink” starring Molly Ringwald, James Spader, and Andrew McCarthy. The film also starred the young Jon Cryer, from todays Two And A Half Men, cast as Duckie. The song Pretty In Pink was actually re-recorded from an original Furs album called “Talk, Talk, Talk” produced in 1981. Rumor has it that the original meaning behind The Furs “Pretty In Pink” was referring to the attractive skin tone of a naked female and not the puffy pink prom dress Molly wore in the movie. To view video of The Furs with scenes from the movie access this link…. PrettyInPink
Prior to calling themselves the Pyschedelic Furs, they called themselves RKO which consisted of brothers Richard (vocals) and Tim Butler (bass), Duncan Kilburn (sax), Roger Morris (guitar) and Paul Wilson (drums). Some of the band members left over time, some new ones joined, but the Butler brothers stuck with The Furs and still headline the band today. I had the opportunity recently to see the Furs at the House of Blues in Houston. I was unsure of what to expect. Sometimes you see bands that have been around a long time or are trying to make a comeback, and you sort of feel sorry for them. Not the case with The Furs. Frontman Richard Butler still has the unique vocal talent and was a powerful presence on the stage, and the joy he was feeling was written all over his face. The band sounded great as well. The crowd was really into the show and sang many of the songs played, especially Heartbreak (HeartbreakVideo) and Love My Way (LoveMyWay Soundtrack). My favorite Furs song is Ghost in You (ghostinyouSoundtrack) . Butler sang it with the soft tone the song deserves and did not “over sing” the vocals, but rather told a story. Overall it was a great experience, shared with the Wifee and a dear friend, Chris. If you have the opportunity to see The Furs, I highly recommend it.
The following is a listing of albums released by The Furs:
- The Psychedelic Furs – 1980
- Talk, Talk, Talk – 1981 (contains the original version of Pretty In Pink)
- Forever Now – 1982 (contains the hit Love My Way which was produced tby Todd Rundgren in Woodstock N.Y.)
- Mirror Moves – 1984 (contains my favorite “Ghost In You”)
- Midnight To Midnight – 1987 (contains “Heartbreak Beat”)
- Book Of Days – 1989
- World Outside – 1991
Recent photo of The Furs. (Blog-002)