Glasgow band Orange Juice may have had only one proper hit - Rip It Up in 1983 - but they were a primary influence on the post-punk period of British rock known as "neo-pop" and are still regarded with great affection in Scottish musical circles. Their main creative force and front man Edwyn Collins originally formed Orange Juice in 1979 from his previous band Nu-Sonics, which also included guitarist James Kirk and drummer Steven Daly. They released their first singles in 1981 on Alan Horne's independent label Postcard Records - also home to Josef K and Aztec Camera - before joining Polydor to release their acclaimed first album You Can't Hide Your Love Forever. After Daly and Kirk quit to form a new band Memphis, the core Orange Juice line-up featured vocalist Edwyn Collins with David McClymont (bass), Malcolm Ross (guitar, keyboards) and Zeke Manyika (drums) and it was they who recorded the Number 8 hit Rip It Up. Written by Collins, it was a departure from their pure guitar pop style, becoming the first British hit record to showcase a synthesizer. Ross and McClymont left the band the following year but they were replaced by Clare Kenny and Johnny Britten to record their final album The Orange Juice, produced by Denis Bovell. Collins then launched his solo career.
