1991

The Promise

The track listing is as follows :

1. Soul Destruction
2. Whenever You Need Me
3. Walk On Air
4. Made Of Money
5. Hold On To Love
6. Strange Place
7. One Direction
8. Only A Heartbeat
9. The Promise
10. A Place In My Heart
11. Man And Woman
12. Purity

The Promise, the band's 3rd album entered the charts on 22nd June 1991 and stayed there until 3rd August.  It was in the charts for 7 weeks and peaked at number 10.  This was their 3rd top ten album, and it achieved 'gold' status.

Carol was being interviewed on TVAM/GMTV and said what I had already mentioned, they would only release an album they thought was to the best of their capabilities, and what the fans would expect from them, and that their record label totally agreed and backed them up on this.

Before the album was released, Carol was on the Simon Bates' radio show promoting the album.  Potential hit after hit kept being played; Whenever You Need Me, Soul Destruction, Only A Heartbeat, to name a few.

When I heard it in it's entirety when it was released, I thought, 'Wow!'  I loved it.  It had the diversity of the first two albums, but it was 'polished' if that makes sense.

The record label came up with a genius plan to promote the album;  the person who did the best window display in any Our Price record stores would win a trip to America!!  I remember seeing quite a few displays locally!! 

A bit of trivia for you all!!  Andy Richards, who produced this 'fantastic' album, produced the soundtrack for 'Slumdog Millionaire' and won an oscar for it!! Only the best for Carol and co!!

The Promise is just as good as any previous T'Pau album.  It might not have sold as many copies as the previous two, but if you listen to the tracks I have posted on here, you will see how great those tracks are.

The following I have found on You Tube.  It is a preview of all the tracks on the album.  If this doesn't influence you to click on the 'buy now on i-tunes' button, well I don't know what will!!

Wikipedia to The Promise

Whenever You Need Me

This was the first single to be released from the album, and was one of my favourite tracks from the album.  It got great reviews, and on the Radio 1 'new releases' show, everybody loved it and said how catchy it was.  It was definitely a hit to them!!

It entered the charts 18/05/1991 until 22/06/1991, and was in the charts for 6 weeks.  It peaked at number 16, and this was the groups' highest chart position since Bridge Of Spies!!  Although I did think it deserved to get higher than it actually did.  It is a beautiful song and so catchy with the 'drum-chorus'.  

Here is the video to it.  By the way, the record label definitely 'glammed' Carol up for the release of this song, she looks stunning in the video.

A very rarely seen 1991 promo photo

Wikipedia to Whenever You Need Me

Unfortunately, it turned out that this was to be their last performance on Top Of The Pops.  Carol looked great though.

The above is a performance of the single on the childrens' Saturday morning programme Gimme 5.

The above is an extremely rare German TV performance of the single.  The person who uploaded it to You Tube apologises for the quality, and said they uploaded it for prosperity.

Whenever You Need Me 12" Remix

Here is the 12" remix version of "Whenever You Need Me".  It is only available on vinyl and so many of you probably have never heard it.  It is a beafutiful version.  The first 'vocal-free' chorus with just the power of the drums is fantastic!!  Must be listened to loud though.  My all time favourite T'Pau remix.

The CD single to Whenever You Need Me was like a 'mini' greatest hits, including "China In Your Hand", "Heart And Soul" and "I Will Be With You".

The 12" had a limited edition of an orange box with the T'Pau logo on, a sleeve around it (above) and a life-size picture of carol, same as above!!  I remember buying a couple so I could frame one of the posters I had.  I needed two large frames though!!  It's such a lovely picture of Carol.

Walk On Air

A rare photo taken with the "Walk On Air" promo photos.

The bands' second single from The Promise entered the charts on 27/07/1991 until 03/08/1991.  It was in the charts for 2 weeks and peaked at number 62.

A beautiful song with such meaningful lyrics, but I had trouble locating it in the shops, and it didn't appear to be on any play list.  So all I will say to this is that it had nothing to do with the song.  How could people buy it if they couldn't find it!!!!

There were some lovely promo photos taken in 1991

Wikipedia to Walk On Air

Here is the video which is awesome.  Carol looks great.  Love the hair!!

Here is a rarely seen performance of the track on a German television programme.

Soul Destruction

The above link is to the album version of the song.

Soul Destruction was released in September of 1991 and was to be the last single release of The Promise.  I had to order my copy of this as I couldn't find it anywhere!!  The single version was different to that of the album version, it had been remixed.  It was more rocky and had more of an influence of Dean's guitar 'skills'!  Also, it was more 'dancy' and very catchy.

Here is the video to it.

The above was live in Cardiff 4th October 1991.

The above was the album version performed on the childrens' Saturday morning programme Gimme 5.

 Heavy Bliss Mix from the CD single.

Photos from the limited edition gatefold 12" of "Soul Destruction"

Only A Heartbeat

There was another single which was released, but not in this country.   It was called "Only A Heartbeat".   It was released in Japan.  It was a great 'anthem' type song.  A rocky ballad, catchy drum beats and stunning vocals.  The record company should have released it in this country.  It was talking about a 'new decade'.  We were only in 1991 then, so the timing would have fitted so appropriately.  

The Cassingle (Cassette Single) to Only A Heartbeat

The Cassingle was a bigger picture of Carol, still from the "Whenever You Need Me" shoot, and the lettering was different to what we were used to in the UK.

Only A Heartbeat Album Version

I had to post the album version of "Only A Heartbeat".  It is the full-length version.  You get the full 'build-up' to a great climax at the end of the song, and also the lyrics haven't been chopped, which have such meaning and a bearing on the 'whole' songs 'story'.  So much better than the single edit.

I have used another tour patch as the picture in the video.  This time it was from the Cassingle (Cassette Single) of a release from "Bridge Of Spies".  I couldn't tell you which one as I found it loose recently!!

Here is the link to download this fantastic full length version.  The single version was never available to download, and isn't on any albums.

Tour Badge from "Bridge Of Spies".

Here is the video to it :

Here is another one of those 'big ballads' I was talking about when discussing "Rage" that always appears on a T'Pau studio album.  This one is called "Purity".  It is beautiful, has such powerful and meangingful lyrics and Carol's vocals are second to none.  And as for the piano climax at the end, well you take a listen!!

Purity

Finally, I couldn't finish with "The Promise" without posting one of my all time favourite T'Pau songs.  The song is called "Strange Place".  It is sung beautifully by Carol and is a lovely ballad.  Towards the end of the song, there is a little bit of 'rapping' by carol and what turns out to be Dean Howard's best ever guitar solo, in my opinion.  You need to hear it all to appreciate it in its full entirety.   Goodness me "The Promise" was so under-rated and needs a whole new lease of life!!

Strange Place

In 1991, Virgin released 10 limited edition 3" CD singles, each having 4 tracks on by various artists all signed to Virgin.  Number 4 included T'Pau :

This item is extremely rare now.  Occasionally you can find it on EBay or Amazon.  The full track listings are as follows :

• It Bites "Calling All The Heroes"
• Gary Moore "Thunder Rising"
• Mike Rutherford "Moonshine"
• T'Pau "Road To Our Dream"

I found this on You Tube.  A 'singles mega-mix'.  Basically all of the T'Pau singles mixed into one!

The following link is where I got all of my UK chart dates/positions from T'Pau from :

T'Pau Chart Archive

Here is a list of the Promise tour dates.  (He says looking at the reverse of a very faded T'Pau T-Shirt!!)  They did start off doing some gigs at some Universities before the actual tour

• October   9th 1991    Ipswich Regent Theatre
• October 11th 1991    Glasgow Barrowland
• October 12th 1991    Manchester Apollo Theatre
• October 13th 1991    Newcastle City Hall
• October 14th 1991    Aston Villa Leisure Centre
• October 16th 1991    Hammersmith Odeon Theatre
• October 19th 1991    Plymouth Pavilions
• October 20th 1991    Gloucester Leisure Centre

The gig I was due to see was October 16th at Hammersmith Odeon.  I went up to London with my mum and some friends.  We all had a lovely day in London.  We got to the venue.  I must have spent £100-00 on merchandise!!  Then a man came on stage saying I've got some good news and some bad news.  The bad news is that carol can't perform, she has laryngitis, but if you come back on the 1st of November with your tickets, the show would go ahead then.

This was the first time I was to see T'Pau in concert, and, sadly, it was to be the last time.

I love this photo.  Carol had a photo-shoot around the same time as The Promise in 1991.  Here is one of the pictures.  It was featured in the Clothes Show magazine.

Here is another photo from the same shoot.  All I can say is that Carol looks stunning.  The following night Carol wore the same dress on Top Of The Pops to promote "Whenever You Need Me".  Her hair looked similar on the show as well.

This Is...Nothin' But T'Pau

This was released in Japan when 'The Promise' was released.  It was purely for promotional use only to promote 'The Promise'  and not for sale.

It was like a greatest hits.  The track listing is as follows :

1. Only A Heartbeat
2. China In Your Hand
3. Arms Of Love
4. Sex Talk
5. Walk On Air
6. Valentine
7. Soul Destruction
8. Secret Garden
9. Heart And Soul
10. Whenever You Need Me

It came with a lovely booklet, full of pictures.  The writing was in Japanese though!

The 'Promise' 'face' logo, like in the 'T'Pau' logo and the 'Rage' logo, had more emphasis in this album.

There were four tracks from The Promise on the album.  Three of those were the tracks released as singles over here and the fourth was 'Only A Heartbeat' released as a single in Japan.

The booklet that comes with the CD is very nice from a fans point of view, it has quite a lot of pictures, a biography, although the writing is in Japanese!!

A very 'proud' T'Pau and Co. with their gold discs!!

A slightly different version of the 'Bridge Of Spies' album cover.

Going back to what I was saying earlier, when the 16th October 'Promise Tour' gig was re-scheduled to 1st November 1991, this was to be their last ever UK gig with this line-up, as they still had some German gigs to do.  Shortly after these gigs, their record label went 'under', and a few of the band had musical differences in the type of music they wanted to record.  Carol was interviewed on Sky in January of 1992 and they showed a clip of 'Soul Destruction', and she said she would like to do more music similar to that.  The band split not long after the last gig, but it wasn't announced until January of 1992.

If any of you had the privilege of seeing them live then you experienced how great they were on tour.  Carol's sheer presence on the stage left the fans wanting more.  She prooved how she could sing such a beautiful song like 'I Will Be With You' with such harmonies and emotion, to 'rocking the place out with songs like 'Monkey House' and 'Sex Talk'.

I thought the Hammersmith gig was spectacular!! Carol's attire for this tour was like a leotard with sequins on.  I've still got a T-Shirt somewhere with a picture of her on wearing this.

It was a sad day when it was announced T'Pau had split, but that wasn't the end of Ms Decker....

T'Pau did have a lot to be proud of in the 5 years they were together :

• Three top 10 albums
• A quadruple selling album
• The 600th number one
• Stopping a Beatle (George Harrison) from getting to number one in the singles chart!!
• Stopping another Beatle (Sir Paul McCartney) from getting to number one in the albums chart!!
• 8 top 40 singles
• Huge success in America with Heart And Soul
• Generated 20% of Virgin profits worldwide in 1988 (as quoted by Carol)
• Selling over 5 million records worldwide
• Simultaneous number 1 single and album at the same time, which was not very common 25 years ago.
• 164 weeks of weekly-chart appearances in the UK alone
• A number 1 in Canada with Heart And Soul
• having the 23rd best selling UK album of the 1980's!!

Concert photos from 1987 to 1991

T'Pau ready to take a bow after a gig

When Carol was singing live, she had a knack of automatically gaining the full attention of the audience.  It was her presence, her sheer ability to leave the fans wanting more!  To this day, Carol still has this ability.  Her stage presence is just electric.

Created by Deano Hollett 2012