The Associates

Singer Billy Mackenzie and musician Alan Rankine formed The Associates in Dundee, Scotland in 1979. They won critical acclaim for a sound that was called 'new pop' with a mix of psychedelia, glam rock, post-punk, and electronic pop typified by their debut single, a cover of David Bowie’s “Boys Keep Swinging.” The single attracted interest from labels and The Associates signed with Fiction Records. Their debut album, The Affectionate Punch, was released in 1980 and received positive press but did not sell as well as expected. They achieved their commercial breakthrough with the release of their 1982 sophomore album Sulk and the singles “Club Country” and “Party Fears Two.” The Guardian newspaper said that Sulk "has a fair claim to the title of the most extraordinary album of the 1980s" and peaked at Number 10. Alan Rankine left The Associates and Billy Mackenzie continued to release albums under the band name. The album Perhaps was released in 1985 and went to Number 23 in the UK. Their fourth album, The Glamour Chase, was recorded for release in 1988 but was rejected by the label and remained unreleased until 2002. The final studio album by The Associates was 1990’s Wild and Lonely. While Billy Mackenzie continued to make music as a solo artist, a brief reunion with Alan Rankine led to hopes of a full-fledged Associates reunion. However, the project came to an end before any music was released. Mackenzie, who had suffered from depression most of his life, committed suicide in 1997 at the age of 39. Renewed interest in the group’s music inspired a series of reissues and compilations over the years including a 40th Anniversary edition of Sulk in 2022. Alan Rankine died on January 3, 2023, at the age of 64.