Discogs
Heidi Berry Biography
by Jason Ankeny
Heidi Berry cut a stark contrast to the prevailing
musical mentality of the early '90s -- despite releasing records on both
Creation and 4AD, together the leading lights of the shoegazing and
dream pop movements, her haunting, luminous folk-inspired sound instead
harked back to the work of Sandy Denny and Nick Drake,
complete with an earnestness and raw honesty far removed from her irony
drenched times. Berry was born in 1958 and raised in Boston, MA, the
child of an American actor father and a French-Canadian jazz-singing
mother. In 1973, her mother remarried and the family relocated to
London, where Berry began writing songs in the mold of heroines like Marianne Faithfull and Chrissie Hynde;
in 1985, while studying painting and printmaking at Middlesex
Polytechnic, she recorded a private demo tape that then-boyfriend Pete Astor (later of the Loft, Weather Prophets, and Wisdom of Harry fame) suggested she shop around. Berry declined the offer, but a copy of the tape still made its way to Creation honcho Alan McGee, who tracked her down and offered a record deal. She accepted, and issued her six-song debut Fireflyin 1987; owing far more to Linda Thompson than Creation labelmates like the Jesus & Mary Chain, it was followed two years later by Below the Waves,
a stark, poignant effort highlighted by the fan favorite "North Shore
Train." Berry's relationship with Creation grew strained, however, and
while opening for Felt and Lush, she was spotted by 4AD founder Ivo Watts-Russell, who asked her to record a cover of Emmylou Harris' "'Til I Gain Control Again" for 1991's Blood, the third LP by his rotating musical collective This Mortal Coil. Berry signed to 4AD to release her next solo effort, 1991's Love, recorded with producer Pete Walsh and an ace backing group including Levitation guitarist Terry Bickers and bassist Laurence O'Keefe, in addition to avant-garde saxophonist Lol Coxhill.
Her self-titled masterpiece followed in 1993, notching a minor hit with
the lovely "The Sun and the Moon" and yielding an American tour
alongside fellow 4AD act Red House Painters. However, despite continued critical acclaim, 1995's Miracle
failed to make waves behind Berry's cult audience and she was released
from her contract. With the exception of the 1999 single "Needle's Eye"
-- recorded with former Kitchens of Distinction frontman Patrick Fitzgerald under the name Lost Girls -- she remained silent in the years to follow. The compilation Pomegranate appeared on 4AD in 2000.
Tracklist
1. Washington Square
2. Up In The Air
3. Gloria
4. Great Big Silver Key
5. Wake
6. Cradle
7. Hand Over Head
8. Silver Buttons
9. Lonely Heart
10. Bright As Day
11. Lily
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