New Wave Outpost Forum

OK. I am wondering about this album.

Does anyone have it or the track listing from it?
Its a wave/italo hybrid-sounding band.

Anyway- Im just seeking more information on the band?
Anyone have any songs? clips? anything?

There's more than one Shanghai, but the one I'm familiar with is the band who used to be Spider and had a pair of hits with "New Romance (It's a Mystery)" and "It Didn't Take Long" in '80-'81, as well as a stiff single that later became a hit for Tina Turner, "Better Be Good to Me," and an album track that later became a hit for John Waite, "Change". Around '81, their ace-in-the-hole keyboardist, Holly Knight, was "coaxed" into leaving by Mike Chapman, and that was when the name change happened. I can't remember if it was to avoid confusion with another band named Spider or what, although that seems to be the general consensus. Anyway, with the name change came a move from Dreamland (Chapman's label) to Chrysalis. Unfortunately for them, Knight was the only one in the band who could write hits, as exemplified by the fact that the lead single from Shanghai's album was a cover of Moon Martin's "X-Ray Vision." Since Moon was busy flopping with his original version of that song, it wasn't too surprising when Shanghai flopped a second time with it. After the one LP, which did nothing, they called it quits. Apparently, much like Missing Persons and Rubber Rodeo, two of the members were married, and later called it quits, as well.

The band members were...

Amanda Blue - lead vocals
Keith Lentin - guitar
Jimmy Lowell - bass
Beau Hill - keyboards (Knight's replacement)
Anton Fig - drums (You've probably seen him on the David Letterman show without realizing it)

Track listing...

"Shanghai"
(Chrysalis CHR-1389, 1982)

Side 1
1. S.O.S. (Ballard)
2. Always a Rebel (Hill/Blue)
3. X-Ray Vision (Sinfield/Taylor/Martin)*
4. I Need Your Love (Blue/Fig/Lentin)
5. Talk to Me (Hill/Pfeifer)

*Martin was never given songwriting credit on this.

Side 2
6. Born to Rock (Fig/Lentin/Blue)
7. Brand New Boy (Hill/Lentin/Blue)
8. All of My Tears (Fig/Lentin/Blue)
9. On Video (Hill)
10. Girl Who Likes to Cry (Lentin/Blue)

If that's not the right Shanghai, please disregard.

There was an Italo disco cat known as Lee Marrow who had a minor hit with a song called "Shanghai" is that what you are referring to?

Naw- but I do have that song.

I keep trying to find Shanghai material...but on the italo hubs-its hard.
Cause that and some Italo obscurities called "Shanghai" come up.

Plus there are two bands named Shanghai.

The one Im looking for had female vocals.

The Shanghai I know is from Sweden and had hits such as "Ballerina" and "Bang Bang". They worked a lot with the members from the band Style who did the underground hit "Telephone". This Shanghai that I'm referring to has male vocals though and are New Wave/Italo sounding. Great band and I have their first two albums on CD as well as the "Ballerina" video.

Somebodysomewhere... I have a good feeling that this is the one.

Do you have any sound bytes or clips you could email to me?
anything will do...even one song.
Or even half or 30 seconds of a song.

rfrayo@gmail.com

Sorry, no, but you can listen to clips from Spider's two albums at Amazon...

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de ... c&n=507846

...and if it's them, I know you'll recognize Amanda Blue's voice right away.

Swedish disco-new-wave band that had mostly Swedish but also some English songs

Shanghai - Ballerina
http://www.discoland.ru/italo/shanghai.mp3

1.5 min sample in ok quality.....

In a dusty little town not far away
A girl is dancing by the fire every day
It's a secret
She's hiding in the shadows of the night

On the dancefloor like a candle in the dark
She pulled the strings
That caused so many broken hearts Ballerina
You only reach the passion if you fight

Ballerina if you're blinded by the light
Don't never ever cut the line between us
Ballerina you're fire in the night
You're name will shine forever Ballerina

All alone she's making moves by candlelight
To the echoes of a song all dressed in white
She's an angel
Or just another stranger in the night

Ballerina...

[:D]

well here is a video of Swedish boys who look like girls from Shanghai, singing Italo tune Ballerina [:I]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LNdL26I-QQ