Slik

Not to be confused with Silk.

Slik
File:Slik.jpg
Background information
Also known as	PVC2 (only 1977)
Origin	Glasgow, Scotland
Genres	Pop, rock, glam rock, bubblegum pop, punk rock (as PVC2)
Years active	1974–1977
Labels	Polydor, Bell, Arista, Epic, Zoom Records (PVC2)
Associated acts	Midge Ure, The Zones, Rich Kids, The Skids, Visage, Thin Lizzy, Ultravox, Simple Minds, The Armoury Show, Public Image Ltd., Set The Tone
Past members	Jim McGinlay Kevin McGinlay Mario Tortolano Nod Kerr Ian Kenny Brian Deniston Matt Cairns Robin Birrel Kenny Hyslop Billy McIsaac Midge Ure Russell Webb

Slik were a Scottish pop group of the mid-1970s, most notable for their UK no. 1 hit "Forever and Ever" in 1976. Initially glam rock, the band later changed their style to soft rock/bubblegum. It was the first band with whom singer and guitarist Midge Ure began to experience musical success, before joining new wave band Ultravox.

History

Slik were formed as the Glasgow based band 'Salvation' in June 1970, comprising Kevin and Jim McGinlay, Nod Kerr, Mario Tortolano, Mick Miller and Ian Kenny. Brian Deniston replaced Ian Kenny in December 1970 and Nod Kerr departed in May 1971, followed by Tortolano and they were replaced by Matt Cairns on drums and Robin Birrel on keyboards. Deniston left shortly after this change and they were forced to continue as a four piece outfit for almost a yeapr. Birrel and Cairns then left and they recruited Kenny Hyslop on drums, Billy McIsaac on keyboards and Jim "Midge" Ure on guitar. They reverted to a four-piece band when Kevin McGinlay left in April 1974 to pursue a solo career.

They changed their name to Slik in November 1974, and linked up with the pop songwriters Bill Martin and Phil Coulter, who were also writing for the Bay City Rollers who were teen favourites at the time. Now signed to Polydor, the band members all adopted pseudonyms - Midge, Oil Slik (Kenny Hyslop), Jim Slik (Jim McGinlay) and Lord Slik (Billy McIsaac). These were dropped after the failure of "Boogiest Band in Town", their debut single (which was also on the soundtrack of the film Never Too Young To Rock), and their suits were exchanged for 1950s style baseball outfits. A change of record label also saw them signing with Bell Records.

This was followed by their greatest success when their single "Forever And Ever" reached number one in the UK Singles Chart in February 1976. As a result of the single, readers of The Sun newspaper voted Slik the best new band of the year. The song formula was repeated with their next single, "Requiem", which made the UK top 30 but failed to repeat the success of "Forever and Ever". Ure was injured in a car accident shortly after the release of the single, resulting in the cancellation of television appearances and a planned UK tour. "Requiem" opens with the first accordes of Joaquín Rodrigo's "Concierto de Aranjuez", which had been a number 3 hit just two months before in the UK for Geoff Love's orchestra, billed as 'Manuel & the Music of the Mountains'. Following the "Requiem" single, the band's self-titled album was released but this was a commercial failure, peaking only at no.58 in the UK. Subsequent Slik singles failed to chart.

In March 1977 Jim McGinlay left the group and was replaced by Russell Webb, a university drop-out, who continued for the final Slik gigs.

PVC2

Shortly after Webb joined and a last tour, the band decided to change both genre and name. They chose to call themselves PVC2, and play punk music which was growing in popularity at that time. In the latter half of 1977, PVC2 released "Put You in the Picture", on Zoom Records, whose eponymous song joined the repertoire of The Rich Kids, Ure's next band. Slik/PVC2 disbanded in September 1977, when Ure departed and moved to London to join The Rich Kids.

Following Ure's departure, Webb, Hyslop and McIsaac added Alex Harvey's cousin Willie Gardner to their next band, called Zones; they released some singles and an album, Under Influence (1979) (which credited Midge Ure among the collaborators), but went their separate ways shortly afterwards. Webb and Hyslop joined The Skids, and McIsaac retired from the pop music scene. In the 1990s he formed the Billy McIsaac Band.

Discography

Singles

• "Boogiest Band in Town" (1975)
• "Forever and Ever" (1975) — UK number 1
• "Requiem" (1976) — UK number 24
• "Don't Take Your Love Away" (1976)
• "The Kid's a Punk" (1976)
• "Dancerama" (1977)
• "It's Only a Matter of Time" (1977)
• "Put You in the Picture" (as PVC2) (1977)

Albums

• Slik (1976) — UK number 58

External links

• Slik biography at Allmusic website