Undercover (dance group)
Undercover is an English dance music group which was formed in 1991 and had three UK top-30 hits, two of them top-five, in 1992. The group's vocalist, John Matthews, continues to perform solo as Undercover across the UK, Europe and South America. The keyboard player, Steve Mac, went on to become a successful songwriter and music producer for many other artists.[1] Bass guitarist 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 the DAB soul internet radio station, Mi-Soul Radio.
Undercover | |
|---|---|
| Origin | London, United Kingdom |
| Genres | Electronic, dance |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Labels | PWL International |
| Members |
|
Overview
The group's first single, a cover version of Gerry Rafferty's 1978 UK/US chart success "Baker Street", was 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 had 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 |
|
— | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "—" 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
- "Steve Mac: 'There are no rules to pop music now. It just has to be of great quality.'". Music Business Worldwide. 20 April 2017.
- Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 575. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- UK chart peaks:
- "UK chart peaks". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
- Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. ISBN 9781904994107.
- "Chart Log UK 1994–2010". zobbel - Dipl.-Bibl.(FH) Tobias Zywietz. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
- "Austrian chart peaks". Austrian Charts. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- European albums chart peaks:
- "Check Out the Groove" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- German albums chart peaks:
- "Check Out the Groove". Offizielle Charts. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- "Dutch chart peaks". Dutch Charts. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- "Belgian (Flanders) chart peaks". Ultratop. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- Danish singles chart peaks:
- "Baker Street" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- "Never Let Her Slip Away" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- European singles chart peaks:
- "Baker Street" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- "Never Let Her Slip Away" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- "I Wanna Stay with You" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- German singles chart peaks:
- "Baker Street". Offizielle Charts. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- "Never Let Her Slip Away". Offizielle Charts. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- "Best Friend". Offizielle Charts. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- Note: User needs to click on the "Search Charts" tab. Then enter Undercover into the "Search Artists" field and press "Search". "Irish chart peaks". Irish Charts. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- "Swedish chart peaks". Swedish Charts. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- "Swiss chart peaks". Hit Parade. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- Note: User needs to enter "Undercover" in the "Interpret" field and press Enter "German Certification (Baker Street)". Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 18 October 2020.