The Fixx

The Fixx

The Fixx are a British new wave group from London, formed in 1980. The band begins with college friends Cy Curnin, who sings, and Adam Woods, who plays drums, placing an advert for other musicians. Jamie West-Oram joins on guitar, Rupert Greenall on keyboards and Charlie Barret on bass, with Barret later leaving after the first album and being replaced by Dan K. Brown. The group remains active and its line-up also includes Alfie Agius.

Career and recordings

The Fixx sign to MCA Records in 1981 and release their debut album, Shuttered Room, later that year. It is the first of five MCA albums and includes the singles “Red Skies” and “Stand or Fall”. The album spends a year on the Billboard Hot 100 and earns the band its first gold record.

In 1983 the band releases Reach the Beach, a double-platinum album that includes “One Thing Leads to Another” and “Saved by Zero”. A North American tour opening for The Police helps build the band’s profile. Further releases include Phantoms in 1984, which includes “Are We Ourselves?”, and Walkabout in 1986, which produces “Secret Separation”. “Deeper and Deeper” appears on the soundtrack to Walter Hill’s Streets of Fire and reaches the Billboard Hot Club Play chart.

The band leaves MCA for RCA Records in 1987 and releases Calm Animals, which includes “Driven Out”, a number one rock track that is also Billboard’s fourth most played rock track of the year. At the end of the decade MCA issues the compilation One Thing Leads To Another, which sells more than two million copies.

Later albums and activity

During the 1990s, The Fixx issue Ink on which “How Much is Enough?” reaches No. 10 on the Modern Rock chart. The band later spends time apart while members raise families and pursue other interests, but does not retire. A compilation, The Ultimate Fixx Collection, appears after the hiatus.

The group returns to recording with CMC International Records. Elemental, released in 1998, continues the band’s blend of keyboards, rhythm, vocals and guitar work, and includes “Two Different Views” and “We Once Held Hands”. The sessions produce more material than fits on one disc, leading to Happy Landings and Lost Tracks, which includes “Mayfly” and “Freeman”. In 1999, the acoustic release 1011 Woodland follows and features “Woman on a Train” and “Cameras in Paris”. In 2003 the band issues Want That Life on Rainman Records, their eighth studio album, produced by Martin Rex and featuring bassist Gary Tibbs. The album includes “Touch” and “Are You Satisfied?”.

Recognition and style

The Fixx are known for songs that become staples on classic rock and modern rock radio, including “One Thing Leads to Another” and “Red Skies (at Night)”. The band is also noted for finding substantial success outside the United Kingdom while remaining less widely known at home. Their sound is described through ethereal keyboards, an inventive rhythm section, passionate vocals and guitar work.