EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL (EBTG)
Everything but the Girl (often shortened EBTG) was an English musical duo, formed in Hull in 1982, consisting of lead singer and occasional guitarist Tracey Thorn and guitarist, keyboardist, and singer Ben Watt. The duo’s most successful single was a Todd Terry remix of “Missing” charting in several countries in 1995. They are currently inactive, although vocalist Tracey Thorn hinted that they may perform again someday. Watt and Thorn are also a couple; they are very private about their relationship and personal life. (More from Wikipedia)
One of the Marine Girls – a British band from the early 1980’s – Tracey Thorn became the female half of one of my very favorite bands, Everything but the Girl; the male half, Ben Watt was the photographer for the cover for their second and last album, Lazy Ways,.
(May 2010)
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Not that all electronica bands live in the shadows as happened with Waterlillies: Largely on the strength of the huge success of remix versions of “Missing”, also originally released in 1994, Everything but the Girl gained considerable mainstream success. I have even seen that band credited with merging electronica with dance music (most of us could be excused for never considering those to be two separate musical styles).
(June 2010)
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By the 1990’s, making new versions of songs had become a true art form, with the creators of the remixes becoming as famous as the original artists. The song “Missing” by Everything but the Girl became an international hit in 1994 after it was remixed by Todd Terry, and numerous other versions of “Missing” followed. Some years later, I purchased a two-album set that consisted entirely of various remixes of just 2 or 3 different songs by Everything but the Girl.
(March 2012)
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The bottom line is that I just never have made enough money to pay full retail for every piece of music that I want to buy. As an example, I have been a big fan of Everything but the Girl basically from the first time that I heard “Missing”; and I can’t tell you how many times I went to the mall CD store in the 1990’s intending to finally get one of their earlier CD’s, only to be stopped short by the prices every time. Paying $14.95 for 10 songs, and I don’t know a single one of them? One day I went to the big semi-annual Record Convention in Hillsborough, NC and found an Everything but the Girl LP for around $4 and also an album by; that was the more obscure band that Tracey Thorn was in before EBTG was formed. The latter album was priced at about $10, and that album was definitely worth the price.
(November 2012)
