1978: The Korgis – Music AmneZia1978: The Korgis

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Members
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Reference

Cover of Don’t Look Back: Very Best of

The Korgis are a British pop band known mainly for their hit single “Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometime” in 1980. The band was originally composed of singer/guitarist/keyboardist Andy Davis (born Andrew Cresswell-Davis 10 August 1949) and singer/bassist James Warren (born 25 August 1951), both former members of 1970s band Stackridge, along with violinist Stuart Gordon and keyboardist Phil Harrison.

The Korgis released their first single “Young ‘n’ Russian” in early March 1979 on the label Rialto Records, owned by their managers Nick Heath and Tim Heath. Joined by Bill Birks on drums and acoustic guitar, their next single “If I Had You,” was released soon after and moved up to Number 13 on the UK Singles Chart, prompting the release of an eponymous debut album, The Korgis, in July 1979.

Their next single, from their second album Dumb Waiters (1980) was “Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometime” (1980), a hit on both sides of the Atlantic, hitting Number 5 in the UK and 18 in the U.S.. The album reached Number 40 in the UK in 1980 and was followed by the singles “If It’s Alright With You Baby” and “Rovers Return“. The band was alternately marketed as a duo, a trio and a quartet around this time.

The commercial breakthrough that accompanied the release of their second album and the resulting singles was not enough to keep them together, however, and after a third album, Sticky George – and with lead single “That Was My Big Mistake” released under the name ‘James Warren & The Korgis’ marking the fact that the group had now more or less evolved into a one man band; Davis and Warren had gone their separate ways.

By the end of 1980, Warren started to use the likes of John Baker, Maggie Stewart, and Roy Dodds as the band to promote “Everybody’s got to learn” and subsequent singles on European TV and promotional appearances. This line up, along with Steve Buck, was contemplating a Korgis Live show but it never materialised and Warren went solo. The single “Don’t Look Back“, originally a demo from the Sticky George sessions, was however remixed by Trevor Horn, at the time best known for his work with The Buggles, Dollar and Yes, and issued by London Records in the summer of 1982. A follow-up single with Horn, “Endangered Species”, was planned but never materialized. Warren would go on to issue a solo LP entitled Burning Questions in 1986. Some of the singles during this era were released as ‘The Korgis’ and co-produced by Andy Davis.

The band reunited in 1990 to re-record “Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometime“. The re-formed group, consisting of James Warren, Andy Davis and John Baker, released the album This World’s For Everyone in 1992, having some success in Continental Europe and Japan, before breaking up again.

1999 saw the three original Korgis albums being re-issued by Edsel Records, followed by the two disc anthology Don’t Look Back – The Very Best Of The Korgis in 2003, issued by Sanctuary Records/Castle Communications.
In 2005 Warren, Davis and Baker reunited again for a film shoot for DVD/compilation album Kollection and recorded the fourteen-track album Unplugged, which was released on the Angel Air record label the following year.

In 2006 the Korgis released their first single in thirteen years, “Something About The Beatles“, this belatedly acknowledges the influences of John Lennon in particular, which was very strong on “If I Had You” and “Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime” which capture the ethereal sounds of Lennon’s early 1970s output. The band acknowledged John Lennon’s influence in interviews at the time, shortly before his murder.

The re-formed Stackridge usually include some Korgis songs in their live set.

Pop/Rock
Contemporary Pop/Rock
New Wave
Punk/New Wave

1980

1978–1982
1985–1986
1990–1993
2005–present

Andy Davis
Harrison
James Warren
John Baker
Phil Harrison
Stuart Gordon

The Korgis (1979)
Dumb Waiters (1980)
Sticky George (The Korgis/James Warren & The Korgis, 1981)
Burning Questions (released as James Warren solo album, 1986)
This World’s For Everyone (1992)
Kollection (2005)
Unplugged (2006)
Folk & Pop Classics (2007) (READER’S DIGEST MUSIC)

“Young ‘n’ Russian” / “Cold Tea” (1979)
“If I Had You” (Single Version) / “Chinese Girl” (1979) UK No. 13
“Young ‘n’ Russian” / “Mount Everest Sings the Blues” (Re-release, 1980)
“I Just Can’t Help It (Remix)” / “O Maxine” (1980)
“Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometime” / “Dirty Postcards” (1980) UK No. 5, U.S. No. 18, Australia No. 11 France No. 1, Spain No. 1, Netherlands No. 3, Germany No. 3
“If It’s Alright With You Baby” / “Love Ain’t Too Far Away” (1980) UK No. 56
“Dumb Waiters” / “Perfect Hostess” (1980)
“Rover’s Return” / “Wish You A Merry Christmas” (1980)
“That Was My Big Mistake” (Edit) / “Can’t We Be Friends Now” (James Warren & The Korgis, 1981)
“All The Love In The World” (Edit) / “Intimate” (1981)
“Don’t Say That It’s Over” (Single Version) / “Drawn And Quartered” (1981)
“Sticky George” / “Nowhere To Run” (Single Version) (James Warren & The Korgis, 1981)
“Don’t Look Back” /”Xenophobia” (1982)
“Burning Questions” / “Waiting For Godot” (1985)
“Burning Questions” (Extended) / “Waiting For Godot” (12″, 1985)
“True Life Confessions” / “Possessed” (Edit) (1985)
“True Life Confessions” (Extended) / “I Know Something” / “Possessed (edited)” (12″, 1985)
“They Don’t Believe in Magic” / “I’ll Be Here” (James Warren, 1986)
“It Won’t Be the Same Old Place” (Single remix by David Lord) / “Climate of Treason” (James Warren, 1986)
“How Did You Know?” / “Can You Hear the Spirit Dying” (James Warren, 1987)
“True Life Confessions” (’88 Remix by Kenny Denton) / “Possessed” (edit) (‘The Korgis’, 1988)
“Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometime” (1990 re-recording) – 4:09 / “Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometime” (Instrumental) – 4:09 / “This World’s for Everyone” (Home demo version) – 3:07 (CD, 1990)
“One Life” – 3:36 / “Wreckage of a Broken Heart” – 3:12 / “No Love in the World” – 3:39 (CD, 1992)
“Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometime – DNA Remixes” (Slow & Moody 7″) – 3:43 / (Slow & Moody 12″) – 5:24 / (12″ Disco Heaven Mix) – 6:47 /(Housey 7″) – 3:51 (CD, 1993)
“Something About The Beatles” / “It All Comes Down To You” / “Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometime” (2006)