The original line-up consisted of Indian born lead singer and principal songwriter Bid (real name Ganesh Seshadri), Canadian guitarist Lester Square (real name Thomas W.B. Hardy), drummer John D. Haney, and bassist Charlie Harper. The band went through several bassists in the next few years, including Jeremy Harrington, and Andy Warren of the Ants, a childhood friend of Bid.
Experimental filmmaker Tony Potts began collaborating with the band in 1979, designing lighting and stage sets with film projections for their live appearances. The band's early persona was defined by the shadowy, uncertain stage images created by the films to such an extent he is often described as being the band's "fifth member."
They released several singles for the Rough Trade label before recording their debut album, "Strange Boutique", produced by Bob Sargeant, for Virgin Records' imprint DinDisc in 1980, as well as their follow-up effort, Love Zombies, produced by Alvin Clark and the band later that same year. John Haney left the band in 1981 and was replaced by Lexington Crane.
In 1982, the band switched labels to Cherry Red to release their third full-length album, Eligible Bachelors, produced by Tim Hart. Lester Square and Lexington Crane left soon afterwards, and were replaced by keyboardist Carrie Booth and drummer Nicholas Weslowski. This line-up recorded 1982 single Cast a Long Shadow, for Cherry Red before Booth was in turn replaced by new lead guitarist James 'Foz' Foster.
In 1983, Cherry Red released Volume, Contrast, Brilliance... sessions & singles vol. 1, a retrospective of the band's early Rough Trade singles, BBC and Capital Radio sessions, and other unreleased early sessions.
In 1985, with the same line-up as on Cast a Long Shadow, The Monochrome Set recorded the relatively mainstream album The Lost Weekend for major label Warner Bros. Records. The Lost Weekend failed commercially, and after a few singles, the band officially broke up, though they served as Jessica Griffin's backing band on the first album by the Would-Be-Goods, The Camera Loves Me.
In early 1990, Bid, Lester Square and Andy Warren reformed the band, with the addition of keyboardist Orson Presence and drummer Mike Slocombe (who was quickly replaced by Trevor Ready). The new band toured extensively--especially in Japan, where Bid had become a major star.
The band released several low-key albums for Cherry Red Records during the 1990s, and went on hiatus from 1998 to 2008 though during that off time Bid recorded a number of albums with another band, Scarlet's Well.
The band reunited on 8 October 2008 for a one-off performance at Cherry Red's 30th Anniversary party at Dingwalls, London. It also marked the 30th year of The Monochrome Set. Bid, Andy Warren and Lester Square were joined by Jennifer Denitto (drums) and Sian Dada (keyboards) of Scarlet's Well, and performed 13 songs.
Band reformed in 2010.
He's Frank
The Monochrome Set Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He's a peculiar boy
But now the lustre has gone
The peculiar boy is no more
Who'll save him from being a man
Not me
But forsaken, forsooth
And now the shine grows dim
Change tradition for whim
Who'll save him from being a man
Not me
He's got clothes all red
All on a purple bed
But now the red's in his eyes
He's no longer a prize
Who'll save him from being a man
Not me
He's a peculiar boy
Yes, he's a peculiar boy
But now his skin is slack
He shows a certain lack
Who'll save him from being a man
Not me
The Monochrome Set's song "He's Frank" is a melancholic portrayal of a once peculiar and unique individual who has lost his shine and identity as he conforms to society's expectations. The lyrics suggest that the character has sacrificed his individuality and passion in favor of societal norms, represented through the phrases "change tradition for whim" and "now the lustre has gone, the peculiar boy is no more". The singer acknowledges their inability to save him from this fate, emphasizing the personal responsibility of the character to reject conformity and remain true to themselves.
The repetition of the phrase "Who'll save him from being a man, not me" highlights the resignation and apathy of the singer towards the character's plight. The character's external appearance and possessions, such as his red clothes on a purple bed, are juxtaposed with his internal deterioration, symbolized by his red eyes and slack skin.
Line by Line Meaning
He's got secular joy
He finds happiness in the temporal world
He's a peculiar boy
He's an odd individual
But now the lustre has gone
But something about him has changed and he's become less interesting
The peculiar boy is no more
The unique qualities that made him stand out are lost
Who'll save him from being a man
Who will help him retain his youth and avoid growing up?
Not me
I won't be the one to intervene
He's got precious youth
He's young and full of potential
But forsaken, forsooth
But his talents have been neglected or overlooked
And now the shine grows dim
And he's losing his energy and vibrancy
Change tradition for whim
He's more interested in novelty than following established norms
He's got clothes all red
He wears flashy clothing
All on a purple bed
In an extravagant setting
But now the red's in his eyes
But now he looks tired or unhealthy
He's no longer a prize
He's lost his status as an impressive or desirable person
He's a peculiar boy
He remains an eccentric individual
Yes, he's a peculiar boy
It's reinforced that he's different from others
But now his skin is slack
But he's starting to show signs of aging or decline
He shows a certain lack
He's lacking in some way or not living up to expectations
Who'll save him from being a man
Who will help him stay youthful and embody his peculiarities?
Not me
I'm not going to be the one to assist him in this endeavor
Contributed by Connor S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@differous01
He’s got secular joy
He’s a peculiar boy
But now the lustre has gone
The peculiar boy is no more
Who’ll save him from being a man
Not me
He’s got precious youth
But forsaken, forsooth
And now the shine grows dim
Change tradition for whim
Who’ll save him from being a man
Not me
He’s got clothes all red
All on a purple bed
But now the red’s in his eyes
He’s no longer a prize
Who’ll save him from being a man
Not me
He’s a peculiar boy
Yes, he’s a peculiar boy
But now his skin is slack
He shows a certain lack
Who’ll save him from being a man
Not me
@simoncroft
Well, the bass player was me and I don't think anything has been altered since 1978. The vocals were manually double tracked on the day, as you'll hear when Bid ad-libs "there he goes" on one take only. A lot of the 'doubling' effect on Lester's guitar is actually an open D string that rings throughout the solo. Bid also adds a second rhythm guitar part at that point. Any change from the original is probably just compression artifacts (ie it's been converted to MP3 then a video codec). Simon
@bgbreakdown
An honor, sir!
@MrSKINFLICK
From Germany: Among my top 50 of the BEST SINGLES EVER !
@ericcrawford9827
See you at Easter.
@borealico
One of the most enigmatic and fantastic singles ever!
@ambhaz8599
What a fantastic song to have been part of. Saw you support The Cure (I Think) @ Northampton County Cricket and tracked the single down the following week. Love this and Strange Boutique to this day. Thanksđź‘Ť
@stevehammersley5655
Simon - This is one of the best singles ever made mate. Just giving it my 1,000 listen (approx) and still find it totally thrilling.
@ThomasJFoley-oc3vu
One of my top 5 Monochrome Set songs.
@billlloyd4029
one of my favorite velvet underground songs
@hootsmon
Pretty much so! This one was written by the bassist this time. He lived around the corner from where I was at the time and the original drummer: J.D. Heaney lived in the same council block. He used to snooze before each gig which allowed him his energy on stage I guess! He went off to become a health worker in the states,by the way.Have a good week,Bill :)