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We jumped into EDEN from Everything But the Girl in Part I of our series on the band. In Part II we explored the period in the late 1990s when Everything But The Girl stopped being slightly electronic and very jazz-folky, and switched to being very electronic and only slightly jazz-folky, seems a very long time ago now.
If you are not familiar with EBTG, then consider their vibe-cousin bands: Massive Attack, Tricky, The Style Council, Aztec Camera, I’ve even read that Swing Out Sister might find their way into that club… maybe.
This is Part III – called Inspirations – and it’s the complement to our Part I & Part II. We’ve got more EBTG music and some music that I’ll call “in the sonic family” of the band.
Everything But the Girl
Everything But the Girl are an English musical duo formed in Kingston upon Hull in 1982, consisting of lead singer, songwriter, composer and occasional guitarist Tracey Thorn and guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, composer, producer and singer Ben Watt. The group’s early works have been categorized as sophisti-pop with jazz influences before undergoing an electronic turn following the worldwide success of the 1994 hit single “Missing”, remixed by Todd Terry.
In the early years (1980s): Everything But the Girl initially started as a folk and jazzy pop duo. Their early music was characterized by Tracey Thorn’s distinctive smoky vocals and Ben Watt’s intricate acoustic guitar work. Albums like “Eden” (1984) and “Love Not Money” (1985) featured folk and jazz influences with emotionally charged lyrics.
Everything But the Girl’s music is often described as a fusion of different genres, blending pop, folk, jazz, and electronic elements over the years. What remains constant throughout their discography is the emotional depth in their lyrics and the distinctive voice of Tracey Thorn. Their ability to evolve and adapt their style while maintaining their core identity is a testament to their versatility and musical creativity.
From 1982, Thorn concentrated on her studies and her growing personal and professional relationship with fellow Hull student Ben Watt (who had contributed the photograph for the front cover of Lazy Ways). They formed their own musical project, Everything But The Girl, and their first single included a re-recording of the Marine Girls song, “On My Mind”. We include some Marine Girls to start our set this week.
Below pix of some of these incredible DJ’s: DJ Jazzy Jeff, Dave Wallace, Ben Watt, John Ciafone, & Todd Terry.
EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL – PART THREE
| Track | Artist | Album | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bittersweet | Everything But the Girl | EDEN | 1984 |
| The Dustbowl | Everything But the Girl | EDEN | 1985 |
| The Spice of Life | Everything But the Girl | EDEN | 1985 |
| Use a Sua Cabeca | Money Mark | Red, Hot & Rio | 1996 |
| Corcovado | Everything But the Girl | Red, Hot & Rio | 1996 |
| Desafinado | George Michael | Red, Hot & Rio | 1996 |
| Toxic Girl – Monte Carlo 1963 Version | Kings of Convenience | Versus | 2001 |
| Watch Fire (feat. Sufjan Stevens) | Laura Veirs | The Lookout | 2018 |
| Everybody Needs You | Laura Veirs | The Lookout | 2018 |
| On Box Hill | Ben Watt | North Marine Drive | 1983 |
| Cross My Heart | Everything But the Girl | Baby, the Stars Shine Bright | 1986 |
| Come on Home | Everything But the Girl | Baby, the Stars Shine Bright | 1986 |
| Dark Dancing | Feivel is Glaque | I’m Scanning Things I Can’t See / Dark Dancing | 2023 |
| Decoy | Feivel is Glaque | God’s Trashmen Sent to Right the Mess | 2021 |
| White Blue and Red | Kathryn Williams | Selections of Tracks from the Anthology | 2019 |
| A Piece of My Mind | Everything But the Girl | I Didn’t Know I Was Looking for Love | 1993 |
| The Heart Remains a Child | Everything But the Girl | Walking Wounded | 1996 |
| Easy as Sin | Everything But the Girl | EDEN | 1984 |
| Lost | Everything But the Girl | FUSE | 2023 |
You lucky radio stations – for finding LTNF you get this fabulous show on your air! Well done!
Everything But the Girl Inspirations (S3 | E148)
