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Bagatelle

- under construction-

From: Dublin

Active: 1978-

Style:

Lineup: Lineup [1988-90]:

Bio:

Bagatelle are a good example of the kind of American sounding band that seems to come more naturally to Irish musicians compared to the UK. They sound like they could have come from New Jersey.

See the Boulder Band entry for more details of the bands formation. Liam Reilly was the last of the best-known line-up to join, and his presence was crucial to the development of the Bagatelle sound. The bands heyday was in the early eighties. They split for the first time circa 1983 but were back on the road again by 1985, touring in support of Polydor's "Gold" best of collection. They've reformed sporadically ever since.

Main songwriter Liam Reilly launched a solo career which never achieved the same kind of success as Bagatelle, and arguably reached a particular sort of nadir with a Eurovision Song Contest appearance in 1990, when "Somewhere in Europe" finished in joint second place. He later returned to Bagatelle

For a period of a little over two years during 1988-90, while Liam O'Reilly was concentrating on his solo career and Ken Doyle had also temporarily left the band, Bagatelle was a quintet fronted by singer Derek Jordan from Ballyfermot, with Martin Byrne from Arklow on bass, and Dubliner Paul Finlay on piano. This lineup played on the Just Another Lover single recorded live at the Mean Fiddler in 1989.

Guitarist John O'Brien had previously been with Cork Pop/Showband the New Blues (1972-75). Margaret Coady of Dublin band Freebird sang with the band in late 1979.



Discography:

• Trump Card / Can't Get Over Losing You
7" - Polydor Records - 2078 108 - 1979 - PS?


• Trump Card / Turn The Heat On
7" - Polydor Records - POSP 213 - UK - 1980 - PS
7" - Polydor Records - 2121 436 - Germany - 1981 - PS



• Summer in Dublin / Highway Blues
7" - Polydor Records - 2078 111 - IRL - 1980 - PS
7" - Polydor Records - 2121 434 - France - 1980 - PS



• Bagatelle (1st) (boat PS)
LP - Polydor Records - 2904 015 - IRL - 1980
K7 - Polydor Records - 3163 115 - IRL - 1980




• Second Violin / Getting Whats Mine
7" - Polydor Records - 2078 126 - IRL - 1981
7" - Polydor Records - POSP 271 - UK - 1981
7" - Polydor Records - 2121 442 - Germany - 1981 - PS



• Love is the Reason / Always On My Mind
7" - Polydor Records - 2078 131 - IRL - 1981
7" - Polydor Records - POPS 331 - UK - 1981 - PS
7" - Polydor Records - 2121 451 - Germany - 1981 - PS



• Old Soldiers / Overture
7" - Polydor Records - 2078 145 - IRL - 1982-83? - PS



• Outrageous / Going Back To Ireland
7" - Polydor Records - 2078 138 - IRL - 1981 - PS?
7" - Polydor Records - POSP 389 - UK - 1981 - PS


• Bagatelle (2nd) (waterfall PS)
LP - Polydor Records - 2904 023 - IRL - 1981 - with insert
K7 - Polydor Records - ???? ??? - IRL - 1981 - black/monochrome sleeve
LP - Polydor Records - POLS 1047 - UK - 1981 - with inner
LP - Polydor Records - 2480 621 - France - 1980 - unconfirmed
Produced By Gus Dudgeon



• Are We Keeping You Up?
LP - Polydor Records - 2904 024 - IRL - 1982 - with insert



• Summer in Dublin / Rough Flight
7" - Polydor Records - POSP 445 - UK - 1982 - PS



• Jersey Girl / I Know I Threw It All Away
7" - Polydor Records - 810 732-7 - 1982 - no PS


• s/t EP
7" - Polydor Records - BAG 001 - IRL - 1982 - no PS, promo only
Promotional EP spanning 1980-82