Version 3.0: January 2005

History

Records

Personnel

Miscellaneous

History

 Who is Virginia Astley?

Virginia Astley is a UK singer/songwriter who embarked on a solo career in the early 1980's. Her material has often been labelled under classical/ambient, although the unique melodic charm of her music is difficult to really pigeonhole.

Virginia released most of her early material in the UK, notably on labels such as Why-Fi and WEA. She later released work on her own label Happy Valley via Columbia Nippon in Japan.

Is Virginia related to composer Edwin Astley?

Yes, in fact Edwin Astley is Virginia's father. Edwin Astley is probably best known as a TV theme composer responsible for the theme music to shows such as The Saint, Randall And Hopkirk (Deceased) and Dangerman. He was also responsible for the arrangements of several of Virginia's songs, such as A Father, Charm, My Smallest Friend and I Live For The Day. Edwin Astley died in 1998.

Who were the Ravishing Beauties?

Virginia along with her college friends Kate St John and Nicky Holland formed the Ravishing Beauties. The band came together when Virginia was offered a support slot for The Teardrop Explodes. The Ravishing Beauties supported the Teardrops in December 1981 during a residence at Club Zoo in Liverpool. Following this, they then accompanied them on the Teardrops' 1982 UK tour. The Ravishing Beauties also embarked on a few low-key concerts of their own throughout the early part of 1982. The songs were mostly compositions of Virginia's, notably many of the tracks that appeared on her 1982 EP A Bao A Qu. The Ravishing Beauties split in Summer 1982.

Who were Victims Of Pleasure?

The first band Virginia played in was pop/rock outfit Victims Of Pleasure. In 1980 the band placed an ad in the music press looking for a keyboard player, which Virginia answered. Virginia performed with Victims Of Pleasure for a number of live gigs. She also played keyboards on their debut release When You're Young.

What other artists has Virginia worked with?

Inbetween working on her own projects, Virginia has often collaborated with other musicians throughout her career. A complete list would be quite extensive and would read like a Who's Who of the music industry. However, she has worked or performed with artists such as Pete Townshend, Vic Godard, Anne Clark, Anna Domino, Richard Jobson, Dave Ball, Troy Tate, Martin Stephenson and Silent Poets.

Isn't Pete Townshend related to Virginia?

Pete Townshend actually married Virginia's older sister Karen in 1968 which made him her brother-in-law. Pete and Karen have since divorced.

What is the connection between Virginia and Martin Stephenson?

Martin Stephenson is probably best known as being part of The Daintees - a band that came out of Newcastle through Kitchenware records. Martin first met Virginia when she let The Daintees stay in her flat whilst the band were recording locally. They remained in touch and Martin later played as part of Virginia's band when they played in 1985.

A lot of joint projects were discussed such as an EP on Kitchenware (that would feature both Virginia and The Daintees) and also a tour of live performances around London bandstands. Although neither of these projects reached fruition, Martin went on to play guitar on Virginia's recording of I Live In Dreams (later retitled Shadows Will Fall Behind) and they enjoyed a duet on the song Synergy which featured on the Daintees' 1986 EP Inferno.

Martin wrote a song called Rain, which featured on the 1987 album Boat To Bolivia, which he described as "my most favourite song I've ever written and it's especially for Virginia Astley". Virginia also contributed to the songs Even The Night and The Wait which featured on the Martin Stephenson And The Daintees' 1988 album Gladsome Humour And Blue.

Is it true Virginia is writing a book?

Around the time of the reissue of Gardens Where We Feel Secure, Virginia announced that she was also in the process of writing a novel. In an interview for the website, Virginia provided a brief description on the novel: "Well it's got a slightly sinister, eerie side to it. It's set in Dorset but its contemporary, it's not set in the past or anything, but it's got this slightly edgy kind of feel to it."

Virginia has also completed a book of poetry which she is in the process of having published.

Records

 What records did The Ravishing Beauties release?

No records were actually released by The Ravishing Beauties, although the song Futility was featured on a compilation tape credited to the band. A lot of the material the band performed during their live concerts featured on Virginia's solo EP A Bao A Qu. During The Ravishing Beauties' support slot for The Teardrop Explodes, there was talk of an album being released on Zoo Records (the Teardrop's record label) but this never came to anything.

What is She Stood Up And Cried?

This is a title that has courted a fair amount of controversy over the years and there are two differing accounts surrounding it. Operation Twilight - The UK wing of Belgian label Les Disques Du Crépuscule - had drafted up plans to release a solo album by Virginia back in 1982. The album is generally regarded to have had the working title She Sat Down And Cried (sometimes also referred to as She Stood Up And Cried) and was rumoured to feature a series of piano pieces along with "non-human voices". The album was due to have been produced by John Foxx (who was a shareholder in Crépuscule at the time). Although a contract was apparently drawn up between Operation Twilight and Why-Fi (Virginia's record label at the time), it was never signed and the project was shelved. This album also featured on Crépuscule's catalogue under the listing TWI095. It's also been a common belief that this album is merely From Gardens Where We Feel Secure under an earlier guise.

However, Virginia disputes this story and suggests that She Stood Up And Cried only every existed as a title. In an interview on this website, Virginia shed some light on the story:

Can you clarify if there's any truth behind the story that Gardens.. was originally called She Stood Up And Cried? Or was that a completely different project?

VA: "That was just a title I had for something else. It wasn't going to be Gardens.. From Gardens.. was always going to have a name, you know, that was like this."

So what was going to be on She Stood Up And Cried then?

VA: "I think that was probably a song album that I thought of. I seem to remember that that was maybe something to do with Richard Jobson. Yeah, I mean I suspect it was perhaps an album title that I had, provisionally thinking at some point I've got to put together an album and call it that."

What was the first Virginia Astley record released?

Virginia's debut release was the A Bao A Qu 10" EP released on the Why-Fi label in January 1982.

Have any of Virginia's records made a big impact on the charts?

Virginia's highest chart entry was a No. 7 placing in the UK independent charts with Love's A Lonely Place To Be in 1983.

Is Virginia still writing and recording today?

Virginia is indeed still writing and recording today. Her last project was the mini CD The Words Between our Words which features harp and spoken poetry and sees a collaboration between Virginia and her daughter Florence.

Virginia is also working on The Stories of the Fields: A multi-media project which explores the idea of how fields were, at one point, given specific names and the stories behind that naming.

Where can I buy Virginia's records?

The reissue of From Gardens Where We Feel Secure should still be available via some record shops. Some people have found difficulty in obtaining Virginia's earlier releases, especially some of the Japanese releases which are often only available by import and can be quite expensive. However, older records can often be sourced from second hand record shops, specialist record dealers and also via online auction sites such as www.ebay.co.uk.

Here are some contact details that might also be useful:

  • Both Rough Trade Records and Tower Records often stock her records in the UK. The same should apply for Tower Records in the US.
  • Second hand record shops are also a good bet for early releases and you'd be surprised what you can pick up after a bit of browsing. Original copies of From Gardens.. and Melt The Snow turn up on a regular basis.
  • For mail order, the first port of call should be a company called Revolution who specialise in Japanese releases. You can contact them by E Mail at revolution@mcmail.com.

Les Disques Du Crépuscule
The Belgian label still has an extensive catalogue. You're unlikely to get hold of the Crépuscule release of Promise Nothing(!) but a lot of the older compilation albums are available, especially as From Brussels With Love and The Fruit Of The Original Sin are being reissued.

Les Disques Du Crépuscule
15 Galerie Du Roi,
1000 Brussels,
Belgium

Tel: (32) 02-5118424
Fax: (32) 02-5118654

E-mail:joelle.dagry@skynet.be or crepuscule@skynet.be

Website: www.disques-du-crepuscule.com

In all cases please tell them who sent you!

Personnel

 What happened to the rest of The Ravishing Beauties?

Kate St John contributed oboe and cor anglais on some of Julian Cope's early solo albums. She's also performed with Strawberry Switchblade (notably on the stunning Trees And Flowers single). Kate went on to become part of The Dream Academy before embarking on a solo career herself. She's also a member of Channel Light Vessel. Virginia and Kate have worked on and off together on each other's projects up to the present day. Kate is currently working on her third studio album.

Nicky Holland continued working with The Teardrop Explodes, before moving on to work with Fun Boy Three and Tears For Fears. She's since also embarked on a solo career and has released two solo albums. She currently lives in New York.

What happened to the people in Virginia's band from the 1980's?

Virginia worked with a number of people although there was a hardcore line-up of three musicians used for live shows and recordings: Anne Stephenson (violin), Jocelyn Pook (viola) and Audrey Riley (cello).

Jocelyn Pook has, in the past, done various session work, notably for the This Mortal Coil album Blood. She also wrote the music for a series of TV adverts for the Orange telephone company and has also embarked on a solo career - specifically with the release of her album Deluge - and composed music for the soundtrack of the Stanley Kubrick film Eyes Wide Shut.

Jocelyn has continued to write film scores, including The Merchant of Venice and Heidi. More recently she has scored the music for The Government Inspector � a Channel 4 programme that was nominated for the Original Television Music award in this year's British Academy Television Craft Awards.

Audrey Riley has been cellist in the contemporary music outfit Icebreaker and also worked with the likes of Dubstar, Lush, Moloko and more recently Coldplay and Sing-Sing. Audrey was also part of the 4AD project The Hope Blister. She was also first to play the English five string electric cello back in 1993.

In 2002 Audrey also staged a live performance entitled A Change Of Light featuring original compositions commissioned by Audrey from artists including Gavin Bryars, David Lang and Damian LeGassik .

Audrey has a forthcoming website here: www.audreyriley.co.uk

Anne Stephenson has enjoyed a long career working with a wide range of musicians and artists, including the Communards, The Manic Street Preachers, Roxy Music, Billy Cowie and Three Colours Red. Anne was also part of The Venomettes and later Marc & The Mambas � both Marc Almond projects.

Anne currently leads the acoustic outfit Brilliant Strings and they have a website here:www.brilliantstrings.co.uk.

In 1998 she wrote and produced a Christmas CD Dance With Me Christmas Tree released in aid of Tourettes Syndrome and recently composed with Gini Ball the music for the short film Now You Exist, Now You Don't directed by Ekhi Rahmani.

Miscellaneous

 What does A Bao A Qu mean?

The title A Bao A Qu is taken from The Book Of Imaginary Beings by Jorge Luis Borges and refers to a legendary animal taken from Indian folklore. The A Bao A Qu exists in the Tower Of Victory in the city of Chitor. Pilgrims climbing the stairwell bring the A Bao A Qu to life and as they continue their ascent, the A Bao A Qu's shape approaches perfection and the blue colour it radiates becomes more intense. If the climber is a person who "has achieved Nirvana and whose acts cast no shadows" then the A Bao A Qu will achieve perfection. According to legend, the A Bao A Qu has only reached the tower's pinnacle once.

Does Virginia have an official fan club?

There is no official fan club or information service at present.

Has Virginia ever performed on TV or radio?

The Ravishing Beauties have performed on the radio, notably for John Peel. Virginia also performed two songs for Radio 1 in 1983.

Around 1983, Virginia also appeared on TV for a performance of Waiting To Fall for the music programme Riverside and there was also a planned performance for The Tube, which Virginia had to pull out of at the last moment. More recently, Virginia was interviewed for the 2001 programme Astley's Way - a documentary on the work of Virginia's father, composer Edwin Astley. Virginia features throughout the programme with her thoughts on the way her father worked. Jon Astley (Virginia's brother), Hazel Astley (Virginia's mother) and Pete Townshend also featured.

What is The Woodlanders project?

One of Virginia's favourite writers is Thomas Hardy, particularly his 1887 novel The Woodlanders. This influenced an idea for a musical based on the book. However, Virginia was sidetracked during the making of a new album which at one stage was going to be called The Woodlanders but eventually emerged as Had I The Heavens. Some of the songs written, or at least inspired by, The Woodlanders musical appeared on this album such as A Long Long Year.

However, Virginia is still keen to complete the musical project and has also considered releasing an instrumental album using the songs from the musical.

Is Virginia Astley related to Rick Astley?

In a word - No(!).

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