The Pasadenas

Career

The Pasadenas first made waves in 1988 with their debut single "Tribute (Right On)", a nod to Diana Ross & the Supremes and Aretha Franklin that hit number five in the UK and went to number one in the Netherlands. Their second single "Riding on a Train" reached number 13 in the UK. Both tracks came from their debut album To Whom It May Concern, released in October 1988, which peaked at number three in the UK and sold over a million copies. The album also featured "Enchanted Lady", a minor UK top 40 hit, and a cover of the Chi-Lites' "Living in the Footsteps of Another Man".

In 1989, the group joined Band Aid II's version of "Do They Know It's Christmas", alongside Cliff Richard, Jimmy Somerville, Chris Rea, and various S/A/W-produced artists. A change in sound in 1990 brought the UK number 22 hit "Love Thing" (number 13 in the Netherlands) and "Reeling", which just scraped into the UK top 75 in July 1990. Because these singles underperformed, their album Elevate was delayed until 1991 and released only in select territories.

Since Elevate did not chart, the group put out a covers album called Yours Sincerely in 1992. Their biggest UK hit came from a remake of New York City's 1973 song "I'm Doing Fine Now", which sold over 200,000 copies. Produced by Motorcity Records' Ian Levine and Billy Griffin, it reached number four in the UK, beating the original's peak of number 20 by 16 places. Three more singles from Yours Sincerely made the UK top 75, the last being a cover of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together", which charted at number 22 in November 1992.

After the covers album, Columbia/Sony Music dropped the Pasadenas, and they released material independently. In 1994 they put out "Longing For Someone" on the Sounds of London label (Solor). In 1995 they charted at number 96 with "Round & Round", their final single to appear on the Official Charts database.