3D (A Fish in Sea), later shortened to just 3D, is a Liverpudlian New Wave band best known for their song “Some Die For Money”, which gained popularity under the name “For My Murder”, and their accompanying sessions with radio DJ John Peel.
History[]
3D were born out of earlier carnations of Liverpool bands such as Snapshots and Sneax. Riff and Fred both played in Snapshots. When their bass player, Ian Barry, left to join Sneax (Jon's band), one of their guitarists (Roy Campbell) moved to bass and Steve joined on keyboards. Other members were Richie Holmes (vocals & percussion) & Phil Martin on Sax.
The band's name was changed to "3D A Fish In Sea" taken from the title of a photograph in a magazine seen by Richie. This 6 piece line-up became very popular on the Liverpool circuit and were successful in getting 2 John Peel sessions on BBC Radio One.
Later, during a recording session at Strawberry Studios in Manchester (10CC), the band decided to shorten the name to 3D.
With a third Peel session looming (a record for an unsigned band), there was a rift in the band and three members left (Richie, Roy & Phil). They went on to form a new band called "A Box of Toys" with drummer Andy Redhead (who joins 3D later). Riff, Fred and Steve decided to continue with the John Peel session and recruited Jon Corner (vocals) and Dave Edwards (bass) for the event.
Jon was asked to join 3D permanently after the session. In one person the band had replaced the 3 who left as Jon not only sang but played bass and sax as well.
3D continued to write songs and rehearse in a room above their manager's business (Paul Cliff - ex A&M Records). Eventually a decision was made to part with their drummer (Fred). This was one of the hardest decisions the band ever made but was necessary in order for them to move on and secure a recording contract.
A visit from RAK Records A&R man, Calvin Hayes, was looming and a drummer was needed fast. Jon called his old friend Roy Martin who was about to emigrate to USA. He agreed to play for the record company and also took part in the first recording session at RAK's headquarters in St. John's Wood, London.
The band were signed to a 3 year Contract and Roy was replaced by a new permanent drummer (Brian Rawling).
RAK Records was the brainchild of Micky Most, famous for producing scores of hits in the 60's and 70's with bands such as Suzie Quattro, Mud, Hot Chocolate. His first notable success was with The Animals when they recorded "The House of the Rising Sun".
RAK took the unprecedented decision to record a full album with 3D before releasing any singles. Calvin produced the album. He was Micky Most's Son and later keyboard player in Johnny Hates Jazz Along with Mike Nocito (recording engineer on the 3D album). Unfortunately the album was never released although 3 singles were cut.
The first single called "Break The Fix" was a joint writing collaboration between Jon, Riff and Steve penned during a visit to Micky Most's villa in Cannes, Southern France. The vinyl master was cut at Abbey Road Studios and the song was available in both 7" and 12" versions.
The second single was "Nearer", the bands biggest success. A special version of the single was cut with a hologram replacing the B side. Nearer reached 102 in the BBC Charts and then the record label decided not to promote it any more. The band were livid as one week more would have got them into the Top 75 which would have brought TV appearances with it and then it probably would have made the Top 40.
The main reason for pulling the promo was because the band had a separate publishing deal with Neptune (Buzz Carter) and RAK felt that Neptune should contribute equally to the promotion of the band. This rift eventually ended up in the record company letting the band go.
The third single was "Dance To Believe", previously recorded as "Houdini" with the original version of 3D A Fish In Sea. After this, the band went into serious writing mode to try and come up with more potentially hit songs. It was during this period that Brian Rawling left the band and Andy Redhead was recruited. Several recording sessions later, 7 potential hits were demo'd and ready for mastering. But RAK decided to call it a day.
At that point, Steve decided to pack it all in and get a 'proper job'. 3D carried on for a while but with no new record deals in the pipeline, they eventually split up.
Some Die For Money in Lostwave[]
See For My Murder
Discography[]
As 3D (A Fish in Sea)[]
As 3D[]
| Year | Title | UK | B-Side |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Break the Fix(Ation) | - | 7” - I Hear the Rhythm
12” - Centre 70 (I’ll Never Let You Go) |
| 1984 | Nearer | 102 | 7” - The Club
Version with holographic vinyl produced |
| 1985 | Dance to Believe | - | 7” - The Club
12” - The Club/Nearer (Extended) |
Band Members[]
Andy Redhead, Brian Rawling, John Reynolds, Jon Corner, Roy Martin, Steve Spurgin