Wonderland Burlesque's Down The Rabbit Hole: Tight Fit

Wonderland Burlesque's

Down The Rabbit Hole

Tight Fit

I must confess, I'm rather fascinated by anything pop music has to offer. There's almost nothing musically too tacky or manufactured as far as I'm concerned. No, I don't like all of it, but I do think it is all deserving of a listen and I appreciate the marketing savvy and determination of those involved. 

Studio-created groups have been around since the Archies and in 1981, medley singles were all the rage, thanks to faceless groups like Stars On 45/Starsound. Combine the two? And you have... Tight Fit.

Back To The 60's - Tight Fit

Enter producer Ken Gold. He wanted to create a medley single of songs from the 1960's, so he cobbled together a group of session singers, recorded and released Back To The 60's under the group name Tight Fit. Featuring voice over work by DJ Emperor Rosko, the song quickly became a summer hit in the UK, reaching #4 on the charts.

Back To The 60's, Part 2 - Tight Fit

In order to promote the single and it's follow-up, Back To The 60's, Part 2, Gold hired the photogenic faces of actor/singers  Lowri-Ann Richards and Robert Pereno to make appearances on programs, such as BBC TV's popular Top Of The Pops. It worked like a charm. Back To The 60's, Part 2 managed to snag the #33 spot.

That fall, another producer, Tim Friese-Greene, utilized session musicians and singers to record a version of the perennial favorite, A Lion Sleeps Tonight, releasing it under the Tight Fit banner. Singing lead was Roy Ward, a former drummer for the 70's band, City Boy. Early interest in the single was strong, so a different group of actors/models/singers - Steve Grant, Denise Gyngell and Julie Harris - were drafted for promotional purposes. This one, released in early 1982, went all the way to #1 in the UK, where it stayed for three weeks in March of that year. 

The Lion Sleeps Tonight - Tight Fit

Suddenly, Tight Fit was a hot property, with the trio in great demand. 

Fortunately, the trio was up to the task; turns out? They could actually sing. Friese-Greene returned to the studio with Grant, Gyngell and Harris in tow. He selected a song by The Millionaires which had first appeared as part of the Dutch Eurovision Song Contest. Fantasy Island proved to be another winner, climbing all the way to #5 in May of 1982. 

Fantasy Island - Tight Fit

It was decided that a full album was now in order. The threesome worked overtime, completing new material while rehearsing for their first tour. Their new single, an original, Secret Heart hit the airwaves, but didn't meet with the same success as the previous singles released, stalling out at #41

Secret Heart - Tight Fit

And as the full album hit store shelves, all was not happy in Tight Fit. 

Seems the ladies felt they weren't getting their fair share, especially when it came to royalties. When their demand for better wages fell on deaf ears, Harris and Gyngell left the group. They were quickly replaced with two new faces, Vicky Pemberton and Carol Stevens, as a new single, featuring new vocals was released. However, the public had soured on the whole concept, and the song, I'm Undecided, failed to chart at all. 

I'm Undecided - Tight Fit

And that was the beginning of the end for Tight Fit. One more single, a cover of the old Stephen Still chestnut, Love The One You're With, credited as Steve Grant with Tight Fit, hit the market and landed with a thud. After that? All parties went their separate ways. 

Love The One You're With - Steve Grant with Tight Fit

Harris, Gyngell and Grant all tried to launch solo careers, with varying success. 

But, turns out Harris and Gyngell weren't done with the group. In 2008, the pair began making appearances as Tight Fit, eventually joining a touring show called Back To The 80's. Grant, who had been busy doing musical theatre, soon joined them and by 2010, the threesome was back in the studio re-recording old hits and releasing new material.

Fallout - Tight Fit

In 2021, a preview single, Fallout was released, with the promise of a new album to follow in 2022.