The Fixx

The Fixx Artistfacts

  • 1979-
    Cy CurninVocals
    Jamie West-OramGuitar
    Rupert GreenallKeyboards
    Adam WoodsDrums
    Dan BrownBass
  • About the band name: They were originally known as The Portraits, which they thought was hopelessly old fashioned. In thinking of new names, one idea they threw out was "The Fix," which their producer Rupert Hine liked because he was an amateur pilot, and in the world of aviation, "getting a fix" on something is a good thing. The band liked it too, and added the X-tra letter in an effort to avoid the drug connotations and to make it stand out a bit. They still had to deal with inevitable rumors that the name meant getting a dose of drugs.
  • They formed in London, but had far more success in America, where they had 6 Top-40 hits, including the #4 "One Thing Leads to Another." They never had a UK Top-40.
  • Fans of The Fixx are still scratching their heads as to why they weren't more successful once the '80s ended. When we spoke with their producer Rupert Hine, he explained: "They were stuck between pop and rock music, by the time the '80s ended, it became very difficult for that non-genre to exist. There were other bands in the '80s - bands like Simple Minds - that hovered between those same schools as well, and all those bands' days became quickly numbered, partly because the record companies insisted that they became either definitely pop or definitely rock. They were no longer happy to have this sort of no man's land in between. And that, to me, was a problem. That's when they fell from the top end of the charts."
  • Talking about coming up with a unique sound for the band, Rupert Hine said: "I wanted them to have was for us to find, with the production side of it, a way of keeping the sound itself feeling aggressive. Finding new ways of doing an aggressive guitar sound without the guitar being in any way distorted or classically old school rock. And we came up with this very aggressive bitey but sort of shiny guitar, which was very different than any other bands at that time. And that certainly was a huge part of the band's success."

Comments: 1

  • Spike R. from ThailandIve always loved the Fixx since I lived in Japan from 1982. As a fan of prog rock (Rush, Yes, King Crimson, and several others) The Fixx always seemed to me to have a prog-pop style, which was really palatable to me.
    One of my favorite tracks is Outside, with Jamie’s twist on prog guitar style- really unusual for that time in music when so many other bands were so bland. So thanks for that, and for all the rest!
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Harold Brown of War

Harold Brown of WarSongwriter Interviews

A founding member of the band War, Harold gives a first-person account of one of the most important periods in music history.

Howard Jones

Howard JonesSongwriter Interviews

Howard explains his positive songwriting method and how uplifting songs can carry a deeper message.

Tim McIlrath of Rise Against

Tim McIlrath of Rise AgainstSongwriter Interviews

Rise Against frontman Tim McIlrath explains the meanings behind some of their biggest songs and names the sci-fi books that have influenced him.

Tom Waits Lyrics Quiz

Tom Waits Lyrics QuizMusic Quiz

Pool balls, magpies and thorns without roses - how well do you know your Tom Waits lyrics?

Graduation Songs

Graduation SongsFact or Fiction

Have you got the smarts to know which of these graduation song stories are real?

Michelle Branch

Michelle BranchSongwriter Interviews

Michelle Branch talks about "Everywhere," "The Game Of Love," and her run-in with a Christian broadcasting network.