About Surface

There are 6 artists with the name Surface: 1) Surface was an American rhythm and blues and pop music group from the mid 1980s to the early 1990s best known for its #1 pop & R&B hit "The First Time." The three piece soul vocal group formed in the mid-80's by songwriter David Townsend (son of singer/songwriter Ed Townsend (Marvin Gaye "Let's Get It On")), multi-instrumentalist David "Pic" Conley and singer/songwriter/lead vocalist Bernard Jackson. The trio called themselves Surface and began recording their own material, releasing several Post-disco/early-80s-style tracks under the Surface name. They would find moderate success in the UK with their singles "Falling in Love" in 1983 and "When Your Ex Wants You Back" in 1984 (according to the Allmusic, "Falling in Love" also cracked the U.S. R&B chart, peaking at #84). With a sound more reminiscent of Kashif and related early 1980s soul groups, these early singles contrast significantly with the smoother, ballad-style material that would later make the group successful in the States. The trio then moved to Los Angeles, California, searching for more mainstream success. Its song "Let's Try Again" came to the attention of Larkin Arnold of Columbia Records, who signed the band and released this track as a single in 1986. Their self-titled debut album followed in 1987, featuring two more hit singles: "Happy," which hit #2 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks, and "Lately," which hit #8. Its follow-up album, 2nd Wave, was released in 1989 and packed some of the group's biggest hits. "I Missed" reached #3 on the R&B charts, "Closer Than Friends" was the group's first #1 hit, topping the R&B charts for two weeks, and "Can We Spend Some Time" which reached #5 on the R&B charts. The album featured two other #1 R&B hits, "You Are My Everything" which topped the charts for two weeks and the album's biggest hit, "Shower Me With Your Love" which went gold, reached #1 on the R&B charts and #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. 2) surface is a Japanese pop/rock band formed by Yoshiharu Shiina (vocals/composition) and Takao Nagatani (guitar/composition). surface debuted at the 1996 AXIA Artist Audition. 3) "During the mid-winter of 1994, in the affluent suburbs of Los Angeles, came the powerful tunes of Surface. Within just three months of birth these four kids caused an earthquake throughout the punk scene of Southern California. It was at this point that the band began to realize that they could progress from tiny house shows to being an influential part of hardcore. They also began to remove themselves from their basic hardcore sound to a more innovative, emotional hardcore style. This was also when they felt that they were ready to record their first seven-inch, which was failed to be released by Watermark Records. Despite the many frustrations caused by this botched record deal, the band piled in their van for a four week tour of the United States. Upon their return home they found themselves at a loss for musical inspiration, but continued to play a number of local shows during the remaining months of 1995. It was almost exactly one year from their beginnings that a fifth, and long-awaited, individual joined the band. They now had the boost of energy that they needed and were back on track. Shows came and went, and the scene gave them more enthusiasm than ever. It now seemed like the perfect opportunity to re-enter the recording studio, this time successfully recording seven songs for the "Seven Times Over Fold" LP, two for the "Posthumous" seven-inch, and a few extra tracks for various compilations. "Seven Times Over Fold" was released by ...and then there were none.records (now Satellite Transmissions) in April of 1996, while "Posthumous" hit the scene a few months later on Catchphraze Records. Surface has exceeded the expectations of its members and continues to dazzle listeners across the globe with their emotional lyrics, serious issues, and, most of all, excellent music." I'm not sure who wrote that, but it definitely comes off like a label promotional blurb. This "discography" cd came out on Status Recordings (anyone else remember that zine/label?), and it combines the Seven Times Over Fold lp, the Posthumous 7", and one comp track. However, I've heard from various people that there are more recorded (unreleased) songs that aren't present on this cd. 4) Surface is the name of a Soca and Calypso Band from Trinidad and Tobago. 5) Surface were a heavy metal band from Birmingham UK, formed in 1980, before any of the others. They released one LP in 1986, 'Race The Night.' 6) Crushing German Vegan Straight Edge Metallic Hardcore (capitalisation necessary!). Draws influence from Earth Crisis, Chokehold and Contempt! Not for the weak!