What a superb piece of work—wide-ranging, deeply informed, and genuinely enjoyable to follow. I’ve always had a soft spot for Wax, but I never appreciated just how layered their story was until reading this. You’ve pulled together the American and European threads with real clarity, showing not only the chemistry between Gold and Gouldman but also the strange industry currents that kept them from the audience they deserved.
I especially enjoyed the way you frame their catalogue as a gateway into the mid-’80s 12-inch culture. That’s a perspective I hadn’t considered before, and it opens up their work in a completely fresh way. And while I knew the singles well, I had no idea how turbulent the naming and early identity of the duo actually was—so thank you for filling in those gaps.
It’s a pleasure to read work with this level of scope and care. Looking forward to part two.
Really interesting post, Pe and Brad. Such an interesting combination of these two backgrounds, 10cc and an LA music progeny/prodigy.
Imho, the US was so AM mass market radio hook-driven, and I don't hear the catchy earworm hooks in these tunes. And have to agree, there's that later 80s over-production as well that made everything sound like Miami Vice.
I'm personally relieved that the mullets went out of fashion!
Thanks, Ellen! I'm glad Pe reeled me in for this one, with my collective and singular love for each of Andrew and Graham and their duo! Building on your accurate assessment of the U.S. AM radio scene, per '80s, I agree that the market was hook-driven, but I'd add that Wax's songs were hook-laden, but their settings, generally, were just a tad more sophisticated than radio, bless their hearts, could comfortably handle and embrace!
I think if one approached (then) Wax with no inkling of who they were (and their hit-songwriting pedigrees), one might hear their end-product with "a different ear" than if you knew the duo was made up of 20-year veteran hit songwriters! That latter description was how I approached them, so expecting "thickly"-written melodies with harmonies was easy to hear and accept! But, like all music, it's all subjective, and we're both right when the needle makes its inevitable rendezvous with the paper label!
Thanks again, Ellen....and yes, good riddance to mullets!!😁👍
Forgotten what a catchy radio-friendly track Right Between The Eyes is. I think the key to understanding the pop of the mid-eighties is that it was the first time since the birth of rock 'n' roll in the fifties that pop was being made primarily for adults; it's a market that Wax fitted into perfectly. As the comments of Allmusic's Dave Thompson suggest, it's still a period which is much maligned, despite the invention of the retrospective genre "sophisti pop" to reclaim the music of the era. It's certainly a time that gave birth to some of the most memorable output from great acts like Prefab Sprout and Danny Wilson. One of my all time favourites is the album Strange Kind of Love by Love and Money, where the grandiose over-production by Steely Dan producer Gary Katz makes the wonderful melancholy songs of vocalist James Grant even more moving to my ears. Having been uncharacteristically positive to this point, I can't end without pointing out that the cover art for American English is absolutely dreadful!
The fact that it didn’t make the UK Top 40 is probably even stranger than the U.S. result, especially since they were signed to RCA UK, as far as I know. I love Prefab Sprout. I’m not really familiar with Danny Wilson, and I used to have a Love and Money CD but lost it during a move somewhere along the way.
And I completely agree with you about the artwork (and some of the videos too 😁).
Thanks for all this, Paul! And, you're not wrong about the AE artwork! And, you're spot on about all the rest, too! Andrew & Graham were, on one hand, so in the perfect '80s position to join the more mature (than the Duran/Adam Ant/Clearasil crowd) MTV landscape, and to join (I'll add a couple of my '80s faves which fit this description) your perfect hits on Prefab and Danny Wilson (loved their debut!), ABC, Spandau, and Scritti Politti....all of whom fit neatly under that sophisti-pop tent!
Not familiar with Love and Money, Paul, but with your mention of them here, I'm looking forward to discovering them! A couple years ago, I did a rather deep dive into the pre-Steely Dan lives of Becker and Fagen, and how they got into songwriting, and who (of several) was a key cog in helping the duo to become the Dan we came to know and love (including just how Gary Katz played his role in getting them off the ground)!
I remember Andrew Gold and 10cc very well but have no memory of Wax or any of its songs! Listening to it right now, the sound of "Right Between the Eyes" seems right in line with mid to late 80s pop. I'm actually hearing a production that sounds like the band Go West.
Not sure if you meant to include the videos for the other songs but they come up as stills rather than links for me.
I'll ask Pe about the vid links....I get stills, too. And, if you have no memory of Wax, that's MY eager reasoning for us Statesiders to get exposed to them now, when we weren't given the chance (by radio and/or clubs) to hear them back then! From what little I know about Go West, I think I can hear a production similarity, too!
What stands out to me, though, Dan, is the finely-tuned songwriting prowess, and how they were able to use their considerable solo talents, and merge them with "the sound of the day"....successfully, I'd add full-throatedly, despite the lack of airplay and sales success! That kind of duo success calls to mind such talented twosomes as Hall & Oates, and other singer/songwriting ones who recorded. But, strict songwriting duos (who may not have recorded) some to mind, too....like Bacharach/David, Melissa and CB Sager....it's truly a magical moment when two individual songwriters (especially established ones like Andrew and Graham) can put their egos aside and create!
Fantastic deep dive into a duo that was completely unknown to me. Cool tracks, both Eyes... and Bridge.... I can imagine these two songs sounding spectacular on 12". I also love seeing you two, Pe and Brad, join forces, with your unique perspectives and record industry experience, transatlantically so!
A propos of everything and nothing, this reminded me a bit of Two Another, a duo formed in Australia by an American (lead singer) and a Brit (main instrumentalist). Not sure if I talked about them before, but I have a couple of their records, and they do a nice mix of chilled electronic vibes with some seriously funky dance jams. In case anyone is interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQ88eiiJoV4&list=RDbQ88eiiJoV4&start_radio=1
Thanks, Andy! It WAS a blast joining Pe on this one! I've wanted to pair up with him on a collab for a while, but, if I don't have a 💖in the music or the artist, I'd rather just sit back, and watch Pe weave his considerable magic! When I heard he was gonna do a Wax piece, I couldn't write him fast enough to relay my desires to add my 2c!
As I've said before, Andrew and Graham are like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups: Two great tastes that taste great together!🎶
And, look at you playing Tune Tag "off the clock"!!😉👍💖You sly devil, you! Nice play, I must say!
Haven't heard of Two Another (and, I don't recall you mentioning them before), though, but I liked that "One I Need" track you sent! I noticed their second, '22's "Back to Us," from whence your track comes, was released in the U.S. I wonder how "we" received them 3 years ago!
Thanks again, Andy....for the wonderful words and cool new (and very on-point!) new song'n'artist!
Thanks, Andy.....I think what's so endearing about your Two Another song add is that it came from the 💖. You tagged the tune without even thinking about doing that! But, their multi-international duo angle is tres bitchin'!💿👍
Wow this was fantastic!! I’d been a fan of both Andrew Gold and 10cc — their bigger hits anyway — but had never heard of Wax. I loved all the songs in this post and it’s surprising that they didn’t see more success in N America. Could it be as simple as the lack of promotion by RCA? It certainly seems like they should’ve been bigger than they were.
I know.....you get it, Mark! On paper, the merging of these two proven, veteran songwriters should've led to multiple hits on a multi-international level! They did their part....crafted and performed sparklingly unique melodic and driving songs! Here's the good news (beyond the fact we can still access this music either online or on our shelves): Who needs domestic RCA (I'll speak stateside, 'cause that's all I have experience with!)?
Pe has skillfully outlined the various countries who embraced some of the duo's music, but your supposition that RCA failed to meet the moment regarding promotion can't be discounted, and that's usually a good place to start! I think it was Graham's quote I saw along the way, that he felt that they just couldn't hide the fact they didn't look all young'n'squeaky like their contemporaries also taking up CD shelf space!
To RCA's credit, they avoided putting the lads' mugs on the front covers...that seemed to be a good start, but, there were always the videos....oy vey! Plus, their debut album, "Magnetic Heaven," didn't show their real faces, but the rather hideous smear/painting the RCA art department landed on wasn't going to attract the younger audience that woulda/shoulda helped pitch them to the younger audience Gold'n'Gouldman was aiming toward!
Back to the good news: You can now make 'em a hit on NASH-FM (Fun Music) Home Radio!!💿🎶💖✔
What a superb piece of work—wide-ranging, deeply informed, and genuinely enjoyable to follow. I’ve always had a soft spot for Wax, but I never appreciated just how layered their story was until reading this. You’ve pulled together the American and European threads with real clarity, showing not only the chemistry between Gold and Gouldman but also the strange industry currents that kept them from the audience they deserved.
I especially enjoyed the way you frame their catalogue as a gateway into the mid-’80s 12-inch culture. That’s a perspective I hadn’t considered before, and it opens up their work in a completely fresh way. And while I knew the singles well, I had no idea how turbulent the naming and early identity of the duo actually was—so thank you for filling in those gaps.
It’s a pleasure to read work with this level of scope and care. Looking forward to part two.
Thanks so much, Howard, really appreciated. Part 2 is now live : https://www.thetwelveinch.be/p/pop-goes-12-inch-why-wax-extended
yes, thank you, I’m actually reading it right now.
Really interesting post, Pe and Brad. Such an interesting combination of these two backgrounds, 10cc and an LA music progeny/prodigy.
Imho, the US was so AM mass market radio hook-driven, and I don't hear the catchy earworm hooks in these tunes. And have to agree, there's that later 80s over-production as well that made everything sound like Miami Vice.
I'm personally relieved that the mullets went out of fashion!
Thanks, Ellen! I'm glad Pe reeled me in for this one, with my collective and singular love for each of Andrew and Graham and their duo! Building on your accurate assessment of the U.S. AM radio scene, per '80s, I agree that the market was hook-driven, but I'd add that Wax's songs were hook-laden, but their settings, generally, were just a tad more sophisticated than radio, bless their hearts, could comfortably handle and embrace!
I think if one approached (then) Wax with no inkling of who they were (and their hit-songwriting pedigrees), one might hear their end-product with "a different ear" than if you knew the duo was made up of 20-year veteran hit songwriters! That latter description was how I approached them, so expecting "thickly"-written melodies with harmonies was easy to hear and accept! But, like all music, it's all subjective, and we're both right when the needle makes its inevitable rendezvous with the paper label!
Thanks again, Ellen....and yes, good riddance to mullets!!😁👍
I can see your point about the mullets 😂 Thanks for reading and reacting, Ellen!
Forgotten what a catchy radio-friendly track Right Between The Eyes is. I think the key to understanding the pop of the mid-eighties is that it was the first time since the birth of rock 'n' roll in the fifties that pop was being made primarily for adults; it's a market that Wax fitted into perfectly. As the comments of Allmusic's Dave Thompson suggest, it's still a period which is much maligned, despite the invention of the retrospective genre "sophisti pop" to reclaim the music of the era. It's certainly a time that gave birth to some of the most memorable output from great acts like Prefab Sprout and Danny Wilson. One of my all time favourites is the album Strange Kind of Love by Love and Money, where the grandiose over-production by Steely Dan producer Gary Katz makes the wonderful melancholy songs of vocalist James Grant even more moving to my ears. Having been uncharacteristically positive to this point, I can't end without pointing out that the cover art for American English is absolutely dreadful!
The fact that it didn’t make the UK Top 40 is probably even stranger than the U.S. result, especially since they were signed to RCA UK, as far as I know. I love Prefab Sprout. I’m not really familiar with Danny Wilson, and I used to have a Love and Money CD but lost it during a move somewhere along the way.
And I completely agree with you about the artwork (and some of the videos too 😁).
Thanks for reading, Paul!
Thanks for all this, Paul! And, you're not wrong about the AE artwork! And, you're spot on about all the rest, too! Andrew & Graham were, on one hand, so in the perfect '80s position to join the more mature (than the Duran/Adam Ant/Clearasil crowd) MTV landscape, and to join (I'll add a couple of my '80s faves which fit this description) your perfect hits on Prefab and Danny Wilson (loved their debut!), ABC, Spandau, and Scritti Politti....all of whom fit neatly under that sophisti-pop tent!
Not familiar with Love and Money, Paul, but with your mention of them here, I'm looking forward to discovering them! A couple years ago, I did a rather deep dive into the pre-Steely Dan lives of Becker and Fagen, and how they got into songwriting, and who (of several) was a key cog in helping the duo to become the Dan we came to know and love (including just how Gary Katz played his role in getting them off the ground)!
It's behind a paywall, but it has a rather sumptuous portion before the paywall emerges....and, the piece begins, bizarrely enough, with Barbra Streisand! 👉 https://bradkyle.substack.com/p/audio-archaeology-1971-barbra-streisand
Thanks again, Paul!
I remember Andrew Gold and 10cc very well but have no memory of Wax or any of its songs! Listening to it right now, the sound of "Right Between the Eyes" seems right in line with mid to late 80s pop. I'm actually hearing a production that sounds like the band Go West.
Not sure if you meant to include the videos for the other songs but they come up as stills rather than links for me.
I'll ask Pe about the vid links....I get stills, too. And, if you have no memory of Wax, that's MY eager reasoning for us Statesiders to get exposed to them now, when we weren't given the chance (by radio and/or clubs) to hear them back then! From what little I know about Go West, I think I can hear a production similarity, too!
What stands out to me, though, Dan, is the finely-tuned songwriting prowess, and how they were able to use their considerable solo talents, and merge them with "the sound of the day"....successfully, I'd add full-throatedly, despite the lack of airplay and sales success! That kind of duo success calls to mind such talented twosomes as Hall & Oates, and other singer/songwriting ones who recorded. But, strict songwriting duos (who may not have recorded) some to mind, too....like Bacharach/David, Melissa and CB Sager....it's truly a magical moment when two individual songwriters (especially established ones like Andrew and Graham) can put their egos aside and create!
The video issue should be fixed now, Dan! Thanks for pointing it out.
Fantastic deep dive into a duo that was completely unknown to me. Cool tracks, both Eyes... and Bridge.... I can imagine these two songs sounding spectacular on 12". I also love seeing you two, Pe and Brad, join forces, with your unique perspectives and record industry experience, transatlantically so!
A propos of everything and nothing, this reminded me a bit of Two Another, a duo formed in Australia by an American (lead singer) and a Brit (main instrumentalist). Not sure if I talked about them before, but I have a couple of their records, and they do a nice mix of chilled electronic vibes with some seriously funky dance jams. In case anyone is interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQ88eiiJoV4&list=RDbQ88eiiJoV4&start_radio=1
Thanks Andy! Collabs are always fun and, like Brad, I'm quite pleased with the result. Didn't know Two Another. Sounds great!
And you two together are da bomb! Yes, Two Another are great. Their uptempo repertoire is something I think you’d enjoy 🤗
Must check them out. Thanks for the tip!
Thanks, Andy! It WAS a blast joining Pe on this one! I've wanted to pair up with him on a collab for a while, but, if I don't have a 💖in the music or the artist, I'd rather just sit back, and watch Pe weave his considerable magic! When I heard he was gonna do a Wax piece, I couldn't write him fast enough to relay my desires to add my 2c!
As I've said before, Andrew and Graham are like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups: Two great tastes that taste great together!🎶
And, look at you playing Tune Tag "off the clock"!!😉👍💖You sly devil, you! Nice play, I must say!
Haven't heard of Two Another (and, I don't recall you mentioning them before), though, but I liked that "One I Need" track you sent! I noticed their second, '22's "Back to Us," from whence your track comes, was released in the U.S. I wonder how "we" received them 3 years ago!
Thanks again, Andy....for the wonderful words and cool new (and very on-point!) new song'n'artist!
I learned from the best… what can I say? 😉 Always a pleasure to read you two, together and individually!
Thanks, Andy.....I think what's so endearing about your Two Another song add is that it came from the 💖. You tagged the tune without even thinking about doing that! But, their multi-international duo angle is tres bitchin'!💿👍
Absolutely! I’m still waaay behind you in terms of “doing Tune Tag in my sleep”, but slowly following the maestro’s footsteps!
Wow this was fantastic!! I’d been a fan of both Andrew Gold and 10cc — their bigger hits anyway — but had never heard of Wax. I loved all the songs in this post and it’s surprising that they didn’t see more success in N America. Could it be as simple as the lack of promotion by RCA? It certainly seems like they should’ve been bigger than they were.
I know.....you get it, Mark! On paper, the merging of these two proven, veteran songwriters should've led to multiple hits on a multi-international level! They did their part....crafted and performed sparklingly unique melodic and driving songs! Here's the good news (beyond the fact we can still access this music either online or on our shelves): Who needs domestic RCA (I'll speak stateside, 'cause that's all I have experience with!)?
Pe has skillfully outlined the various countries who embraced some of the duo's music, but your supposition that RCA failed to meet the moment regarding promotion can't be discounted, and that's usually a good place to start! I think it was Graham's quote I saw along the way, that he felt that they just couldn't hide the fact they didn't look all young'n'squeaky like their contemporaries also taking up CD shelf space!
To RCA's credit, they avoided putting the lads' mugs on the front covers...that seemed to be a good start, but, there were always the videos....oy vey! Plus, their debut album, "Magnetic Heaven," didn't show their real faces, but the rather hideous smear/painting the RCA art department landed on wasn't going to attract the younger audience that woulda/shoulda helped pitch them to the younger audience Gold'n'Gouldman was aiming toward!
Back to the good news: You can now make 'em a hit on NASH-FM (Fun Music) Home Radio!!💿🎶💖✔