'I hang on to my vertigo' was released as a single in 1981. Like all of his solo work, it failed to reach the singles chart in any territory.
When I bought this single, I suddenly realised that I didn't have any UK pressed 7" singles by Rupert Hine until now. 'Surface tension' was released in 1981 as a single from his third album 'Immunity'. The B-side, 'House arrest', would reappear as a track on his 1982 album 'Waving not drowning'.
Attentive listeners will recognise the voice of Robert Palmer on backing vocals on this single. 'Living in sin' was released as a single from Rupert Hine's 1983 album 'The wildest wish to fly'. Although very successful as a producer, none of his single releases have actually charted.
Since Rupert Hine has never had a hit, it isn't easy to be aware of the singles he's released. Every time I see one, I am pleasantly surprised. 'The set up' is the second single from his 1982 album 'Waving not drowning'. It includes a non-album track on the B-side, 'Kwok's quease', a quirky song in the best of Hine's traditions.
In 1981, Rupert Hine released the album 'Immunity'. This single, 'Misplaced love' was taken from that album. It featured guest vocals by Marianne Faithfull and became Rupert's best known single, mainly because of the fact that it peaked at number 22 in Australia. In Europe, the single started a tradition, because it was the first of many singles that would not chart in any country.
Rupert Hine released 'Blue flame (Melt the ice)' as a single in 1985. It was in the year that he was also involved in the soundtrack of the movie 'Better off dead'. This single was never included on any album, although the 2001 cd release of his 1983 album 'The wildest wish to fly' includes this single as a bonus track.
I don't know what caused my sister to buy this single, but it was through her that I got to know the phenomenon that is Rupert Hine. He is famous as a producer of artists like Howard Jones, Tina Turner, The Fixx and Noa, but as a solo artist, he's never been able to make the charts.
