Though remembered more for the lead singer’s outrageous hair than their music, new wavers A Flock of Seagulls enjoyed a brief moment of commercial success in early 1980s. Formed in Liverpool, England, in 1980 by hairdressers Mike Score and Frank Maudsley, along with Score’s brother Ali on drums and guitarist Paul Reynolds, the Seagulls released their self-titled debut album appeared in 1982, and the single "I Ran (So Far Away)" quickly rocketed up the American Top 10, thanks to heavy video rotation from MTV. A second single, "Wishing (I Had a Photograph of You)," from the band’s tepidly received follow-up album, 1983’s Listen, hit the U.K. Top 10 and the U.S. Top 40 chart. These successes, however, were not enough to protect the band from critical disdain. Their third album, The Story of a Young Heart (1984), sold poorly, and Reynolds left the band shortly thereafter. He was replaced by Gary Steadnin and Chris Chryssaphis for their 1986 release, Dream Come True. After the album failed to make the charts, A Flock of Seagulls broke up. Score corralled a new lineup in 1989, and they toured under the Flock of Seagulls name. The band released The Light at the End of the World in 1996 and toured with yet another lineup.

Reviews

• Platinum and Gold Collection

Features

• Life After Rock: Mike Score of Flock of Seagulls