Edwyn Collins
By All Music Guide
By All Music Guide
A solo career seemed imminent, but the singer struggled; dogged by a reputation as a stubborn, difficult perfectionist unmoved by prevailing commercial attitudes, Collins found no one willing to offer him a contract, and only after a pair of sold-out London performances did Creations Alan McGee sign him to the labels Elevation subsidiary in 1986. The singles Dont Shilly Shally (produced by Cocteau Twin Robin Guthrie) and My Beloved Girl followed, but both failed to chart; in 1987, Elevation folded, and after Collins and McGee had a falling out, the singer was again left without a contract.
Some months later, Collins accepted the opportunity to record at a small German studio run by a group of devoted Orange Juice fans; cut with the aid of producer Dennis Bovell as well as Aztec Camera frontman Roddy Frame, the resulting LP Hope and Despair -- a brooding, ambitious collection spotlighting Collins smooth, soulful baritone -- was eventually picked up by the Demon label, and issued in 1989. The album proved quite successful on the independent charts, and soon Collins returned to the studio to record 1990s spartan Hellbent on Compromise; when the LP failed to repeat its predecessors good fortune, Demon dropped him from their ranks, and another long sabbatical followed.
After spending much of the decades first half in the producers seat, overseeing sessions from artists including longtime pal Paul Quinn, the Rockingbirds, A House and the Frank & Walters, Collins finally earned another shot as a performer: after signing with the tiny U.K. indie Setanta, he recorded 1994s Gorgeous George, a scathing, shimmering set of retro-pop highlighted by the single A Girl Like You. Slowly, the song became a massive hit throughout Europe as well as the U.S. and returned Collins to the charts for the first time since the 1983 Orange Juice smash Rip It Up, finally establishing the long-standing cult hero as something of a household name.
