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IN THIS PHOTO: Alison Goldfrapp shot for Vogue in 2006/PHOTO CREDIT: Mario Testino
Alison Goldfrapp at Fifty-Five
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I am keen to get to the music…
PHOTO CREDIT: Alison Goldfrapp
but, as Goldfrapp’s Alison Goldfrapp is fifty-five on 13th May, I feel it is important to know a bit about the incredible musician and producer. I am going to end with an essential selection of Goldfrapp (the duo consists of Alison Goldfrapp on vocals and synthesisers and Will Gregory on synthesiser) tunes – where we will hear and experience the beauty, power and breadth of Alison Goldfrapp’s voice. Before that, and bringing in some Wikipedia, a little bit about her career development and trajectory:
“In 1994, she featured on the Orbital album Snivilisation and recorded songs "The Good" and "The Bad" with trip reggae outfit Dreadzone, for their 'best of' album The Best of Dreadzone – The Good The Bad and the Dread. Performing with them live resulted in two songs on the limited edition Performance album released in 1994. In the same year Goldfrapp featured on trip hop artist Tricky's 1995 song "Pumpkin" and collaborated with Stefan Girardet on two songs on the soundtrack to the 1995 film The Confessional.
Goldfrapp was introduced to composer Will Gregory in 1999 after he had listened to her vocal contribution for "Pumpkin", they then formed Goldfrapp and signed to Mute Records.
In 2000 she was a featured vocalist on the songs "The Time Of The Turning" and "The Time of the Turning (Reprise)/The Weaver's Reel" from the release OVO, Peter Gabriel's soundtrack album to the London Millennium Dome Show.
The pair began recording their debut album over a six-month period, beginning in September 1999, in a rented bungalow in the Wiltshire countryside. The band's debut album Felt Mountain was released in 2000 and featured Goldfrapp's synthesized vocals over cinematic soundscapes. Goldfrapp released their second album Black Cherry in 2003. The band recorded the album in Bath, England. This album focused more heavily on dance music and glam rock-inspired synths than its predecessor. Black Cherry peaked at number nineteen on the UK Albums Chart and sold 52,000 copies in the US. Supernature, Goldfrapp's third album, was released in 2005. The album comprises pop and electronic dance music prominently featured on Black Cherry, but focuses more on subtle hooks instead of the large choruses that made up its predecessor. It has sold one million copies worldwide and earned the duo two nominations at the 2007 Grammy Awards for Best Electronic/Dance Album and Best Dance Recording for the song "Ooh La La". Seventh Tree, Goldfrapp's fourth album, was released in 2008 and debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart. The album is a departure from the pop and electronic dance music featured on Supernature, featuring ambient and downtempo music. The band were inspired by an acoustic radio session they had performed, which led the duo to incorporate acoustic guitars into their music to create "warm" and "delicate" sounds.
In 2009, she was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Music degree by the University of Portsmouth.
Goldfrapp have released seven albums, most recently Silver Eye in 2017. Hits include "Strict Machine", "Ooh La La", "Lovely Head" and "A&E". The multi-platinum selling band have been nominated for the Mercury Prize, multiple Grammy Awards and won an Ivor Novello for "Strict Machine”.
Ahead of the fifty-fifth birthday of the iconic Alison Goldfrapp, below are a selection of tracks from the amazing duo (their latest album, Silver Eye, was released in 2017). In my mind, there are few vocalists who have the same pull and potency as…
THE amazing Alison Goldfrapp.