"Name and Number" by Big Noise

Song#:  4090

Date:  11/04/1989

Debut:  98

Peak:  97

Weeks:  3

Genre:  Pop

Pop Bits:  This band from Birmingham, England, initially formed in the early 80s under the name Mr. President. They eventually got the attention of Atlantic Records in the US who signed them to their subsidiary label ATCO. The band would change their name to Big Noise and start work on a debut album with songwriter/producer Elliot Wolff (of Paula Abdul fame). Three of the band's members would co-write all the songs with Wolff chiming in on a few. Once the album, titled Bang!, was completed, this first single was issued out. It would be a minor blip on the Pop chart spending a few short weeks near the bottom. With that result, the album failed to chart. The band would eventually split up soon after.

ReduxReview:  This song runs in the same company as tracks by Go West. It was a good, slickly produced tune that was right for the time period. It sounded great, but the memorability factor wasn't quite there. It needed more intense hooks to really break through on the Pop chart. This was one of those tracks that was capably done and a good listen, but it didn't do much to make Big Noise stand out as an artist. It could have been recorded by anyone - in other words, it was kind of faceless.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  Big Noise's lead vocalist was Tony Fennell (or Fenelle as printed on the Bang! album). Following the band breakup, Fennell mainly worked as a songwriter. Then a chance meeting in a recording studio led him to fronting a famous 80s new wave band. Ultravox member Billy Currie was looking to restart the band. They had more or less broken up in '87 after lead singer Midge Ure took off to go solo. Currie happened to be in the same studio building where Fennell was doing some work. The two had previously known each other and upon running into each other at the studio, Currie invited Fennell to join him in a reformed Ultravox. Fennell did and over the next year the pair toured and recorded an EP and the '93 LP Revelation. Unfortunately, Fennell and Currie didn't quite mesh and it led to Fennell leaving the band. He would then continue on as a songwriter mainly providing material for films and TV shows. Then in 2016, Fennell would get the opportunity to return to the stage. The alt rock/power pop band Enuff Z'Nuff, who had been Big Noise's labelmate back in the day, was looking for a guitarist and hooked up with Fennell. He would join the band in 2016 and co-write songs and perform on the band's 2018 album Diamond Boy (#33 US Indie). Fennell would leave the band the following year, but would rejoin them in 2021.

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