Hot Gossip

More skilled at being a dance troupe than a pop group, Hot Gossip is actually more known for being the latter thanks to their 1978 U.K. Top Ten single "I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper." Prior to their chart stardom, the dance troupe/pop group (which was started by choreographer Arlene Phillips) had made frequent appearances on a comedy show hosted by Kenny Everett. "I Lost My Heart" featured the vocals of a young Sarah Brightman, who at the time was still in her teens. Despite the success of the single, Brightman opted to sever her ties with the troupe and attempted something of a cash-in with a single called "The Adventures of a Love Crusader," which was credited to Sarah Brightman & the Starship Troopers. Later on, in 1981, Hot Gossip started work on a full album of covers. Producer Richard Burgess left the project before completion and Ian Marsh and Martyn Ware (the minds behind the Human League, Heaven 17, and B.E.F.) were drafted in to finish things off. Covers of songs by Adam & the Ants, the Psychedelic Furs, and the Rolling Stones were binned in favor of versions of songs originally recorded by the Human League, Heaven 17, and the Men (the last of which technically originated from the Human League themselves, who were using a one-off pseudonym). With versions of the Talking Heads' "Houses in Motion" and the Police's "Burn for You" retained, Geisha Boys & Temple Girls became fully realized and was released before the end of 1981. The troupe apparently left music after the album and a single released in support of it failed to do well. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide