UB Soul Friday: Celebrating the R&B/UK Collective Loose Ends

This weeks “UB Soul Friday” celebrates a band who had a “string” of hits and cemented their spot in R&B history, Loose Ends.

This year the UK band celebrates the 40th Anniversary of their sophomore album “So Where Are You?,” which features the classic “Hangin’ on a String (Contemplating).”

That achievement, made Loose Ends the first British band ever to Top the Billboard R&B chart.

“UB Soul Friday,” spotlighting artists, albums, singles and videos that left a mark in R&B and Soul music!

Loose Ends is a British R&B band that was formed in London in 1980.

The group became prominent during the 1980s and early 1990s, known for their soulful sound and hit songs that blended elements of funk, soul, and dance music.

Loose Ends was formed by Carl McIntosh, Jane Eugene, and Steve Nichol in 1980.

For Loose Ends founder Steve Nichol, it all came much too easy.

He majored in music, earned his degree, put a band together, and within one year of graduation, not only had a record deal, but was sitting comfortably on Top of the Billboard charts.

The trio quickly gained attention in the London music scene for their distinctive sound, which combined soulful vocals with funky rhythms and electronic instrumentation.

At times the trio conveyed a Minneapolis flair, that was evident on some songs and performances.

Which made Loose Ends even more of a draw for R&B/soul lovers. Nobody was doing it like them.

In 1984, Loose Ends released their debut album, “A Little Spice,” which featured the hit singles “Hangin’ on a String (Contemplating)” and “Choose Me (Rescue Me).”

These songs became international hits and helped propel Loose Ends to mainstream success.

Loose Ends found the reception to its music much more positive here, than in its own country and probably for good reason. “Most of our influences come from America,” stated Eugene. “Soul and R&B started in your country, and that has been the music that we listen to — the first record I ever purchased was ’Shame’ by Evelyn King.”

That musical oasis was enhanced by Nichol’s exposure music school to classical music and its arrangement as well as McIntosh’s familiarity with jazz as a session bass player.

It was the introduction of American producer Nick Martinelli to the band which consolidated sound and solidified its disparate parts.

“Steve and I studied different kinds of music, but we both had a love for jazz, and together with Jane we already had feelings for American soul music. Right around 1979 and ’80 there was a big wave of American soul music injected into the British music scene, artists like the S.O.S. Band, Bobby Womack, Shalamar, Change, George Benson and a lot of the Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis stuff. We were able to put a lot of that together when we started the band, but the first couple of producers we worked with brought out what they thought best for themselves, not for the band. Nick came in and really brought out the best in our sound, he made the chemistry happen.”

With a production history which includes projects with Evelyn King, Bootsy Collins and many others, Martinelli brought with him in to provide knowledge and a sense of the sound, Loose Ends was aiming for. “We had written ‘Hangin’ On A String’ about two years ago,” stated McIntosh, “We had done a demo of it, but Nick took it all apart and put it back together like a jigsaw puzzle.”

The single immediately was one to be reckoned with in the U.S.; “We feel that our sound is just more familiar to the American people than it is to people over here” explained Eugene, “We only have the one National Radio station run by the BBC. The pirate stations really helped us to break here after we signed with Virgin, so the first LP it did cross over, but our goal is to tour and be successful in America. After that, everywhere else is easy!”

“So Where Are You” was released in 1985, which featured “Magic Touch,” David Bowie‘s “Golden Years” and “Hangin’ on a String” was also featured again on the release.

Steve stated; “We’ve had to work hard at developing our sound. It didn’t come as easy as our first recording deal, which we got after only being together for two months! But we’re working hard, producing other acts, and touring in America — which we’re very happy about.”

“Zagora” came in 1986, which showcased their talent for crafting infectious grooves and memorable melodies.

Featuring the song, that went platinum in every Black household in the 80s, “Stay a Little While, Child.”

Plus “Slow Down,” which made UB’s 25 of The Best R&B Songs from The 80s list.

“Jazz is really our background,” Keyboardist Steve Nichol stated at the time. “It’s a lot of influences from when we started and all the people we listened to were sort of jazz oriented; Joe Sample, Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis…everyone in that era, really.”

Jane Eugene’s slow-burn vocals provide a counter balance to the obligatory hooks and chants.

Surprisingly, until she auditioned for Loose Ends, Eugene had never given professional singing any consideration. “She had a different voice,” Nichol recalled of the audition. “Extremely fresh, speaking from a musician’s point of view.”

According to Eugene, Loose Ends looked to America for inspiration with the “Zagora” album. “At the time we started, there were a lot of other bands around that, when their records were played side by side with an American song, you could hear that it wasn’t as polished, it wasn’t as good. We had decided by then that we wanted to have that same slick sound that was coming from the States.”

In 1988, the last album featuring the original line-up “The Real Chuckeeboo” was released.

The lead single “Watching You,” reached #2 on the R&B Billboard singles chart.

Jane Eugene, Steve Nichol and Carl McIntosh spoke to an industry trade about their American acceptance.

On U.S. success; “It doesn’t really sink in because whenever we’re in the States, we just wiz in and out so we can’t really sit back and enjoy it. If we were here for six months, we’d realize the impact of having two No. 1 hits! When we appeared in New York during the New Music Seminar, we began to get some idea of how much people appreciate our music from just seeing how many folks turned out for the show.”

On ‘Preparing “The Real Chuokeboo;” “We were even more involved with The Real C.huckeeboo than our previous LPs. We began working on it about a year ago in London. Our approach was to come up with stronger songs rather than just melodic grooves. We did basic rhythm tracks in London and vocals in Philadelphia and Nick Martinelli, who has worked on our previous albums, really supported us on this LP. Why not continue a formula that works?”

“Most people in the U.K. don’t realize how well our records have done here. Naturally, it’s frustrating not to be successful in your home territory but we haven’t given up. Our LPs have done well, but we haven’t had a big hit single and in the British market, that’s important. We hope when we start performing ‘live’, that’ll change.”

“The Real Chuokeboo” “It’s a West Indian phrase that means, ‘the real deal.’ Carl’s mom used it a lot and we decided it would make a neat phrase for the medley of three songs we did. Naturally, everyone asks, ‘what does that mean?’— which is just what we wanted!”

In 1990, “Look How Long” was released.

Loose Ends presented a revised line-up consisting of founding member/vocalist Carl McIntosh; new members Linda Carriere, Sunay Suleyman and Trish Lewin; and a group of musicians known as The Buzz Crew.

Carrier‘s vocals can be heard on the lead single “Don’t Be A Fool.”

“The new group’s perspective was different,” Carl explained, “but we’ve also kept a recognizable Loose Ends sound. My feeling is that regardless of what you call the group and regardless of how long you’ve been off the scene, if the songs are good enough, then people will like it and dance to it. So the songs are the main priority.”

Mecca was the surviving member of the group Loose Ends following the departure of vocalist Jane Eugene and keyboardist Steve Nichol For Macca, the group’s previous album “The Real Chukaboo,” was further confirmation of how entrenched they were in an American sound.

They lived and recorded in America, so their writing was inevitably geared toward that market.

Despite the hits “Hangin’ On A String” and “Slow Down,” Macca wanted to produce something much fresher, more English; “It’s discouraging for me to put an album together and the kids in my flats listen to it but can’t relate to it. That was getting me down I wanted to make an English album Jane wanted to do more American music and Steve was in between. So we just grew in different directions.”

“That’s why we split,” Macca revealed. After locking himself in his studio for 18 months, Macca wrote that “English album, “Look How Long.”

The efforts of Loose Ends was noted by the Jungle Brothers on their hit “Dom’ Our Own Dang“: “My family set all the trends/From Soul II Soul onto Loose Ends.” “Jazzie listened to Loose Ends and when he came out with his stuff it had our kind of vibe along with his own. He harnessed the light vocal over the hard groove. It’s the kind of vibe Loose Ends had and one which the Americans like.”

Loose Ends’ music is characterized by its smooth vocals, lush production, and danceable rhythms.

The group’s songs often explored themes of love, relationships, and social commentary, resonating with audiences around the world.

Loose Ends’ contributions to R&B and soul music have left a lasting impact on the genre.

Loose Ends is led by Carl McIngtosh and still touring and making great music!

Jane Eugene is still singing and performing.

Steve Nichol is a successful Producer, Writer, and multi-instrumentalist.

Their music continues to be celebrated by fans of 1980s and 1990s R&B, and their songs remain popular on radio stations and streaming platforms.

Overall, Loose Ends is recognized as one of the most influential R&B bands of their time, known for their timeless music and innovative approach to contemporary soul and funk.

Take A Trip Down Memory Lane with Loose Ends!