For a time in the mid to late 80’s I spent all my miniscule pocket money on 7" singles. Every Friday without fail I could be found flicking through the stacked plastic circles until one caught my eye. I can clearly remember breaking the heart of the kindly record store clerk in my search for Stephen ‘Tintin’ Duffy’s newest single ‘Unkiss That Kiss’. At that point I had found a new hero, his ‘Icing On The Cake’ (and more specifically its 12-inch remix) had me in a swirl (listening now it has a nice chorus but sounds completely of its time) so I was eager to claim the follow up. Whether it was an excuse to deflect my eagerness or just the truth the clerk had fashioned a story about Duffy being sued by a Belgian cartoonist over his use of the name Tintin. No matter, each week without fail my anxious requests were met with a resigned negative. I’d given up hope until one day while in a furious search for A-ha’s latest the precious vinyl was thrust before my very eyes. I looked up and my whoops were greeted with genuinely tearful eyes. It turned out to be a stormer and still sounds multi-layered and ingenious. Before Duffy had gone solo he had formed Duran Duran with Nick Rhodes and John Taylor but left the group before they made any meaningful impact. His band the Lilac Time has released several critically lauded album and he has also written songs for both the Barenaked Ladies and Robbie Williams. Also included here is a fab folk runaway and the title track from the Lilac Time's 2003 album 'Keep Going'. KD

Stephen Tintin Duffy - Unkiss That Kiss

The Lilac Time - Keep Going

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Watch The Video To Icing On The Cake

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Stephen Duffy
Year: 1985