The Weather Prophets

Guitarist/vocalist Peter Astor and drummer Dave Morgan formed the jangly Weather Prophets directly after their previous band, the Loft, split in 1985. Astor had been planning his defection from the Loft for some time and was anxious to start anew with more control. The duo had Alan McGee, a friend and major backer of Astor's and the head of their label, Creation, play bass for the first two songs. After that, Astor made a point to find other members for the band who had no role in the indie scene (the singer often slagged the scene in interviews, claiming it had a false sense of superiority due to lack of success). He called in David Greenwood Goulding to play bass, a friend who was clueless about the Loft, let alone the current music scene. Morgan brought in Oisin Little to play rhythm guitar, rounding out the lineup. McGee ended up managing, and an instant interest in the group was apparent, thanks in no small part that the Loft appeared to be on the brink of greater things when they imploded. However, the Creation stable began to receive a fair amount of negative criticism around this time for their outward ambitions and a sense of direction (or lack thereof) that aimed toward drugginess and traditional rocker attitudes (and, well, the donning of leather pants). Regardless of its reception, the Weather Prophets' debut single, "Almost Prayed," was an instant classic for the label, a song that married the Velvet Underground with Creedence Clearwater Revival. Going with the American slant, the band had Lenny Kaye produce the follow-up single, "Naked as the Day You Were Born." Most fans of the debut soured on it. McGee signed a deal with WEA to begin Elevation, a subsidiary for which he would act as the only employee, delivering bands and doing the A&R work. This fit...