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Undercover (dance group)

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Undercover
OriginLondon, United Kingdom
GenresElectronic, dance
Years active1991–present
LabelsPWL International
Members

Undercover are an English dance music group which formed in 1991 and had three UK top-30 hits, two of them top-five hits, in 1992. The group's vocalist, John Matthews, continues to perform solo as Undercover across the UK/Europe and South America. Keyboardist Steve Mac went on to become a successful songwriter and music producer for many other artists.[1] Bassist Jon Jules went on to success in the UK soul music scene as a DJ, radio presenter and event organiser. He achieved many accolades, including best radio programme (Soul Survivors Awards), and is a seasoned presenter on DAB soul internet radio station Mi-Soul Radio.

Overview

The group's first single, a cover version of Gerry Rafferty's 1978 UK/US chart success "Baker Street", became their biggest hit, reaching No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart in September 1992,[2] held off from the top by another dance track, "Rhythm Is a Dancer" by Snap!. It was the 11th-biggest-selling single of 1992 in the United Kingdom, and also attained major chart success across Europe, selling over a quarter of a million units in Germany alone.

Undercover released five more chart singles. The group's second single, a cover of Andrew Gold's "Never Let Her Slip Away", also originally a 1978 track, reached No. 5 and stayed in the charts in the United Kingdom for 11 weeks.[2] After the success of these two singles, an album, Check Out the Groove, was released, reaching No. 26 in the UK Albums Chart.[2] "I Wanna Stay with You" (a cover of the Gallagher and Lyle song) and "Lovesick", both from 1993, managed No. 28 and No. 62 respectively.

In 1994, Undercover released a new single, "Best Friend", and their second album, Ain't No Stopping Us.[2] The musical style of Undercover's interpretations is cheerful and upbeat, incorporating electronic drums and short piano or organ harmonies with repetitive and layered vocal phrases, typical for club songs of the 1990s.

Discography

Studio albums

Title Album details Peak chart positions
UK
[3] 		AUT
[4] 		EUR
[5] 		GER
[6] 		NED
[7]
Check Out the Groove 26 29 73 56 34
Ain't No Stopping Us
  • Released: 1994
  • Label: PWL International
  • Formats: LP, CS, CD
 — — — — —
"—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Singles

Year Title Peak chart positions Certifications Album
UK
[3] 		AUT
[4] 		BEL
[8] 		DEN
[9] 		EUR
[10] 		GER
[11] 		IRE
[12] 		NED
[7] 		SWE
[13] 		SWI
[14]
1992 "Baker Street" 2 3 2 4 4 3 2 3 7 2 Check Out the Groove
"Never Let Her Slip Away" 5 23 3 8 11 16 2 8 23 —
1993 "I Wanna Stay with You" 28 — 14 — 66 — 8 43 — —
"The Way It Is" — — 32 — — — — — — —
"Lovesick" (featuring John Matthews) 62 — — — — — — — — — Ain't No Stoppin' Us
1994 "Best Friend" 79 — — — — 67 — — — —
1995 "Every Breath You Take" — — — — — — — — — — Non-album singles
1996 "Bring Back Your Love" — — — — — — — — — —
2000 "If You Leave Me Now" — — — — — — — — — —
2004 "Viva England" 49 — — — — — — — — —
"—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Members

  • John Matthews – vocals
  • Jon Jules – bass guitar
  • Steve Mac – keyboards

References

  1. ^ "Steve Mac: 'There are no rules to pop music now. It just has to be of great quality.'". Music Business Worldwide. 20 April 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 575. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  3. ^ a b UK chart peaks:
  4. ^ a b "Austrian chart peaks". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  5. ^ European albums chart peaks:
  6. ^ German albums chart peaks:
  7. ^ a b "Dutch chart peaks". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  8. ^ "Belgian (Flanders) chart peaks". ultratop.be.nl. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  9. ^ Danish singles chart peaks:
  10. ^ European singles chart peaks:
  11. ^ German singles chart peaks:
  12. ^ Note: User needs to click on the "Search Charts" tab. Then enter Undercover into the "Search Artists" field and press "Search". "Irish chart peaks". irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  13. ^ "Swedish chart peaks". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  14. ^ "Swiss chart peaks". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  15. ^ Note: User needs to enter "Undercover" in the "Interpret" field and press Enter "German Certification (Baker Street)". Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
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