Candy Flip were an English electronic music duo from Stoke-on-Trent, who were associated with the indie dance music scene in the early 1990s (a scene more commonly known as Madchester or baggy). They are best remembered for their cover version of the Beatles song "Strawberry Fields Forever", which was a No. 3 hit on the UK Singles Chart in 1990.

Origins of name and formation

Candy Flip were named after "candyflipping", the slang term for the practice of taking ecstasy and LSD at the same time. The band was formed in 1990 by Danny Spencer (vocals, keyboards) and Ric Peet (keyboards), and was originally called Yin Yang.

"Strawberry Fields Forever" and chart success

The duo had a top 10 UK hit single with an electronic cover of the Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever" in 1990. overdubbing a hi hat and heavy reverb. Candy Flip's track was initially a club hit on the rave scene before crossing over into the pop chart. The duo's remixes of the Sister Sledge back catalogue, scored the 1970s disco group a couple of UK top 20 chart hits in 1993, including a number 5 position for an updated version of "We Are Family". Sure Is Pure also had a label called Pharm, which scored a UK number 8 hit in 1997 with Blue Boy's "Remember Me" after it was licensed to Jive Records.

In the late 1990s, Spencer and Andrews went on to form Sound 5, releasing the album No Illicit Dancing in 2000 on Gut Records, before the duo became Soul Mekanik. In 2006, the duo (as Soul Mekanik) produced four songs on the Robbie Williams album Rudebox and, under the name Central Midfield, co-wrote ten of the tracks on Williams' 2009 album Reality Killed the Video Star.

By 2021, Andrews was presenting a radio show Down to the Sea & Back on Brighton and Hove-based community radio station 1 BTN 101.4FM (1 Brighton FM).

Discography

Albums

  • Madstock... (1990)

Singles

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1"

! rowspan="2"| Year

! rowspan="2" | Title

! colspan="7"| Chart Position

! rowspan="2"| Album

|-

! width="40"| <small>UK</small>

! width="40"| <small>IRE</small>

! width="40"| <small>BEL<br />(FLA)</small>

! width="40"| <small>AUS</small>

! width="40"| <small>NZ</small>

! width="40"| <small>US Modern Rock</small>

! width="40"| <small>US Dance</small>

|-

|1989

! scope="row" | "Love Is Life"

| 144 || — || — || — || — || — || —

|rowspan="5"| Madstock...

|-

|rowspan="3"|1990

! scope="row" | "Strawberry Fields Forever"

| 3 || 7 || 47 || 29 || 20 || 11 || 9

|-

! scope="row" | "This Can Be Real"

| 60 || — || — || — || — || — || —

|-

! scope="row" | "Space"

| 98 || — || — || — || — || — || —

|-

| 1991

! scope="row" | "Redhills Road"

| 86 || — || — || — || — || 19 || 10

|}

References

  • Candy Flip performing "Strawberry Fields Forever" on Top of the Pops, 29/03/1990