How I Became a Fixx fan.

[Steve Pariseau]

I was just typin' an e'mail reply to a new-found friend that shares the same profession as myself and he had asked how long I have been a Fixx fan. Boy, that really jogged my memory to dig up and sort out the timeline. Just thought I'd share it here, perhaps start a new topic... here goes...

I had heard the Fixx on the radio and saw the Stand Or Fall music video many
a time prior to becoming a Fixx fan. I liked the music, I just didn't do
anything about it. I saw them open for A Flock Of Seagulls in 1983 during
their Reach The Beach tour and was quite impressed with the performance.
After seeing them with AFOS I eventually picked up Shuttered Room but didn't
play it much. I didn't really explode into Fixxdom though until about 1984
after Phantoms had been out for a while. I think the biggest break was being
at a buddy's house in Sacramento and he popped on Phantoms and was drowning me with enthusiasm over how great these guys are. After that, it
was all over. I went and picked up Reach The Beach and Phantoms and played
the heck out of them. I remember actually thinking, boy am I glad I was
exposed to this supreme music. I wish I new where my old friend is now, lost contact with him.

At the time the Fixx had just toured through the area so I missed them. But
I did get to see them twice when they opened for the Moody Blues during the
Walkabout tour. That was great because I am a huge Moody Blues fan too. So
there I am with my two favorite bands at the same gig. I couldn't believe
it.

That's my story, how about you?

Steve

[jeff]

My memory is a bit faulty here. I have two memories of first discovering them - one was on television (Don Kirshner's Rock Concert? Heck, were they ever on that?) and the other is a bit more odd:

There was this little store by our house that tried this grand experiment: they were an LP rental store. (-: You first joined their club for $20, and you got 5 free LP rentals. Then, any album you wanted to rent was a buck for a week.

Anyways, I picked out as my five free rentals:

Shuttered Room - The Fixx
Moving Pictures - Rush
Toto 4 - Toto
Night Moves - Bob Seger
Aja - Steely Dan

I'm pretty sure that I first saw the live video on tv - that would have prompted me to rent the album. Anyways, the store was shut down less than 3 months after it started: someone must have come down on them hard -- obviously this was bootleg heaven.

Anyways, I became a fan off that album alone. I was smitten.



[This message has been edited by jeff (edited 03-29-2000).]

[Bill Osborne]

The Fixx were one of those bands I enjoyed hearing on the radio, but didn't bother buying any of their records. That changed in 1986 when I heard Secret Separation. I can't really pinpoint the reason, but the song floored me. I went right out and bought Walkabout, and then bought the remaining Fixx albums the next day. The attraction for me was that they didn't sound like other artists on the radio, which to me is a Good Thing (TM). Ironically, I've not been able to see them in concert, as something has always come up and I couldn't make it. I enjoy each Fixx album, and I think they are like a fine wine: they get better and better with age. I can't wait for the new album.

[jeff]

Hey Bill! In case you haven't done so already, I HIGHLY recommend getting the live video of the Phantoms Tour. You can get it at Amazon for $11.99

<A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/6300184153/thefixx" TARGET=_blank> </A>

[This message has been edited by jeff (edited 03-31-2000).]

[ember]

Bill - I would have to agree with Jeff about picking up the Phantoms tour vid. It is an exceptional substitute until you get the oportunity to see the guys live. I know because that is what sustained me for about ten years before I finally saw the Fixx on the Happy Landings tour. It is not the same but it helps.

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peace,
ember

[PhxLinda]

I heard The FIXX on the radio when Stand or Fall first came out. It was played quite often and soon became one of my favorite radio songs of that time.

When my employer decided to allow us 'working stiffs' to listen to personal radios while working our fingers to the bone, I quickly grew weary of listening to radio all day long and decided to look for cassettes to soothe the 'savage and bored beast within'. I also found that I greatly prefer listening to music through headphones.
Shut out all the rest of the world and sink into the comforting sounds of my favorite music and life doesn't get too much better.

The FIXX were one of the first groups whose material I looked for. Reach the Beach was my first purchase, and as soon as I heard it I was 'fast and hard in love' with their sound. Unfortunately, my tape player ate the tape and for a long time I was not able to hear the entire second side of RtB and I stubbornly refused to buy a replacement. I exployed the other option at the time, which was Shuttered Room, and fell even deeper into the music. Thereafter, I browsed the section for The FIXX every time I went into any store and that's how I managed to stay on top of most of the music that came after. I've spent a huge chunk of change on music since then.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to see them in concert until the Elemental tour. The one chance I did have of seeing them was when they opened for the Moody Blues way back when. I didn't buy tickets, but to my luck, the Moody Blues had to cancel due to an illness, I believe, and my one and only chance was lost.

I don't really like the venues the band chooses to play in, so I've never gone to any other concerts, besides Elemental, which further increased my disliking for small venues. I'd really like to hear them play in an outdoor setting. In all my concert experiences, which include Pink Floyd, INXS, Cranes, Deff Leppard, and a couple of others, the outside venues are the best for me. I hate being in an enclosed area with really loud music and too many sweaty bodies all over the place. There's something about the open air atmosphere in the dark of night that really appeals to me.

Anyways, that's my story and I'm stickin' with it...

[MK]

Actually, I find Reach the Beach the best music to work to - it has the perfect rhythm for typing. I got through building a database recently by playing certain CDs, and both Reach the Beach and Elemental got spun often.

As to how I became a fan, I really don't remember. I've just always been. Isn't that awful?

[romenhal]

I really enjoyed reading everyone's stories. I would also like to tell you mine. This is long, so you might want to pull up a chair, sit back, and enjoy my life story(well, part of it at least ...

In 1982 I was living in Upper Lake, Ca. I was 12 then, 31 now =P. Me and my friend, Dale I think his name was(its been awhile, hehe), were rocking out to some tunes at his parents house. We were making some disco lights with christmas tree lights(yep, christmas lights). We would cut the speaker wires and tie in the lights to each wire going to the speakers, and viola, they illuminated to the beat of the music =). It was fun! We were just setting there looking at the lights as they danced to the beat of the music. Then, all of a sudden, Stand Or Fall played. Boy, did those lights dance!!! That was the first song I ever heard by theFIXX. I thought kewl, nice song. I never realized that someday I was going to become a big fan of that band when I got a little older. Then another day, me and my friend were rocking out again, and Red Skies came on. I never even knew it was the same band, until they starting saying the name as time went on. One thing I really liked about that song was the guitar solo, in fact I loved it! Talk about some lights beating now. Still, I only listened to the songs when they played on the radio, I never bought any albums. Didn't know I was a huge fan yet. Then I moved to Santa Maria, Ca, in 1983/84 and became a hard rocker. Heavy Metal was in! I was at home one day watching Heavy Metal songs on MTV. Then, the video to OWO came on. I thought, oh yea, I remember them, theFIXX. I can only remember parts of it now, them running through a field =). I also remember seeing OTLTA. Were Cy was in the sewer tunnle. If I'd only known, I'd have it on VCR tape today! Time went on, then my parents moved to Oroville, Ca, to buy a house. I remember hearing Secret Separation in 1986(loved it), but still, not a big fan yet! I also heard Built For The Future once in awhile. Then, in 1988, I was thinking to myself, I'd like to hear that Guitar solo again from Red Skies. The radio stations didn't play it much anymore, and I couldn't remember the last time I heard it. So I went to the UnderGround store and asked the guy working there if they had any Fixx tapes. They had one left, it was React. I looked at the songs and found the song I was looking for! I wouldn't have bought the tape if Red Skies wasn't even on it! From that moment on, the rest was history! My band was theFIXX!!!

Thanks for reading my book. =)

Romenhal...

[jeff]

Cool story, Romenhal!

And now.. through the magic of mp3.com, you can listen to Red Skies by clicking here

[STUART]

I remember buying Saved by zero in the bargain bin of my local W.H. Smiths, for 5p, back in 83 or was it 84. (yes 5p, about 2 cents US), I've been hooked ever since. Unfortunately, work, marriage and children got in the way of my dedication between 89 and 95, but now that the kids are growing up, it has freed my extra time somewhat and I have returned to the fold so to speak.

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Stuart Howells

[Bill Osborne]

Thanks for the info on the Phantoms tour video. I plan to get it when I have the spare cash (new baby on the way in june, so the family bank account already has a big priority! ). Is this the same concert that was shot in the Rainbow Music Hall here in Denver (now a Walgreens drug store) ?

[miked26]

I started listening to the Fixx when I was 8 years old and asked for Reach the Beach on cassette for Christmas. I loved opening my presents and seeing this tape because it was the beginning of my Fixx musical journey and was my first music tape ever. I had to have it after seeing the boys on MTV doing "SBZ" and "OTLTA". Of course, being only 8 years old, I didn't understand why Red Skies and Stand or Fall were not on the tape as well but I soon figured it out when I got older. Anyway, I'm glad to be a big Fixx fan and even though MTV has been dissing the 80's music, I am glad that it was around for the Fixx in the early days or else I might have never got into there music. Those videos are almost as classic as the songs that went with them.

[BFK]

My story is also taking us back to 1982 and
Red Skies. At that point i didn't know the
bands name, and I think it was the second single from a New Wave album. At the time
I played a lot of Heavy music , but I also was a big fan of Saga. There I found the
name Rupert Hine.
That was the name pointing out music for
a lifetime. Because it led me to the Reach
The Beach album. That is still my favourite.
But I love all the others too.

I hope to find Happy Landings somewhere,...

Bjørn

[Simkin]

I don't post things much but I thought I'd share my experiences with you guys.
I think I must have been about ten when I discovered the band.
I had just bought a record player from the thrift store but I had no records so I "borrowed" some of my mom's records and in them was an album called Reach the beach.
I took that one and a few others but little did I know that I never would listen to any of them except the fixx.
I played the album a few times and there was something about it I just liked I listened to it every night as I went to sleep( I have fell in love with several albums that way hehe).
The first songs I remember liking were otlta running and liner.After awhile I purchased either phantoms or shuttered room (i can't recall) but from then I have been a stead fast fan and I can't imagine music without them I feel they have shaped me a bit.
I looked over the discography in this site and was surprised to see I own everyone of them..wow ( the full size albums that is , I only own some of the others, in america sometimes it is hard to get imports...I know I know the internet but I only have been online for about 5 months).
The Happy landings album I bought at their concert at the odeon in cleveland in '97 ( cy came across the stage full of peoples hands reaching for him and I one of the few who werent and he shook my hand--truthfully I think it was because I was the only one my age in there I was 20 everyone looked in their 30's somewhere )needless to say I have been a fan since the first time I heard the reach the beach lp and I think I'll continue to be a fan as long as they make music.
Thanks for readin..

[EightiesChild]

THIS IS GREAT!!! I'm so happy I found this site. I was feeling like a lost Fixx fan until now (sort of falls in the line of feeling "re-born" right about now).

I can remember really cranking up the Fixx when their hit, "One Thing..." came out. I associate a lot of great memories with this song in particular because I played it over and over! Sadly, I thought it was all over and the band just "disappeared" like so many have. A friend told me awhile back that he saw or read where Cy (I believe) went on to be a hat-maker in a London shop and the rest of the band--who knows!! I felt a huge loss considering all the wonderful talent they each had.

When I was younger, I had one of those over-protective Moms as well who wouldn't let me see many concerts (plus I was an only child to boot). Now I may just get my chance to see them!!!!! I would also like to meet some "80's Kids" (especially Fixxtures) in the DC area. Thanks for such a wonderful site!

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