steve nichol, carl mcintosh and jane eugene
Loose Ends comprise of:
Jane Eugene
Steve Nichol
and
Carl McIntosh
later
Laurnea Wilkerson
Linda Carriere
Sunay Suleyman
Loose Ends were, probably, during the 1980’s, the premier U.K. Soul Group.
The three member group comprised of Carl MacIntosh, Jane Eugene and Steve Nichol.
Loose Ends were one of the few U.K. groups to take on the American R&B Charts, taking their single ‘Hangin’ On A String’ to the top of those charts in 1985.
Originally, the group recorded under the name Loose End, after signing with Virgin Records in 1981.
in the sky / we've arrived - 1982 twelves
Their debut 12” ‘In The Sky’ b/w ‘Only A Day Away’ (penned by the Real Thing brothers, Chris and Eddie Amoo) immediately established the group on the U.K. Soul Scene.
Loose End became ‘Loose Ends’ in 1983.
The group were formed by Steve Nichol (a student at the the London Guildhall School of Music and Drama).
Steve had toured with the Mod group, the Jam in 1982, as a trumpet, trombone and keyboard player.
He was an established songwriter (penning material for Phyllis Hyman amongst others).
Steve auditioned Carl McIntosh in London and discovered Jane Eugene through a college fashion show.
a little spice - 1984 / so where are you - 1985 / zagora - 1986 / the real cuckeboo - 1988
Their first album, ‘A Little Spice’ was massively popular on the U.K. Soul Scene, seeing several single releases, including ‘Choose Me’ and ’Tell Me What You Want’.
It was the follow up album, 1985’s ‘So Where Are You’, where the group made the transatlantic migration with the single ‘Hangin’ On A String’, which charted in the U.K. at number 13, and number one on the U.S. R&B Billboard chart.
They reached number 16 with the single ‘Magic Touch’ later that year.
’So Where Are You’ also featured the group’s reading of the Dexter Wansel evergreen ‘The Sweetest Pain’.
During this period, the group worked with another U.K. group, Five Star.
In 1986, the group released the album ‘Zagora’, which featured the singles ‘Stay A While Child’ and ’Slowdown’.
The fourth album, entitled ‘The Real Chuckeboo’ was released in 1988, and featured
‘What Goes Around’.Following the albums release, Steve Nichol and Jane Eugene departed the group to pursue solo careers.
look how long - 1990
Carl McIntosh continued the group under the same name, releasing ‘Look How Long’ in 1990, which featured a grittier street sound.
The replacement singers in Loose Ends were Linda Carriere and Sunay Suleyman.
‘Look How Long’ became Loose Ends final studio album and featured the hit single, ‘Don't Be A Fool’.
Following the demise of the group Carl MacIntosh went on to produce several artists songs, including material on Caron Wheeler and Ruth Joy.
Carl McIntosh later appeared at Club1 In Ascot in the U.K. performing a live PA and announced that a new album was to be released in 2010.
All three original members of Loose Ends, reunited in Los Angeles and Atlanta in 2006.
Jane Eugene and Steve Nichols performed together as Loose Ends at the 2006 Essence Music Festival in Houston and 2011 Essence Music Festival in New Orleans.
Jane and Steve perform at times in the States under the Loose Ends featuring Jane Eugene name, whilst Carl McIntosh performs at times in the U.K. under the name ‘Loose Ends featuring Carl McIntosh.
Carl’s most recent U.K. appearance was at the Happy Days open air gig in Esher in the U.K. during June 2013.
Albums:
A Little Spice (Virgin Records 1984)
So Where Are You (Virgin Records 1985)
Zagora (Virgin Records 1986)
The Real Chuckeeboo (Virgin Records 1988)
Look How Long (Ten Records 1990)
