Finished Symphonies

In the late 80s, Shelleyan Orphan made rarefied, ravishing, precious (both meanings) baroque pop, all chamber quartet accompaniment and literary reference points, like an 18th century Cocteau Twins.

-  Phil Nicholls

Yet, despite some rave notices (and some critical loathing) and a support slot with The Cure, they weren't rewarded with the commercial success they deserved. As one half of SO, Jem Tayle, prepares to release his solo debut album, he recalls the group's journey with Sarah Gregory. Monochrome alone: Phil Nicholls

We all have an artist in our musical vault, one that we cherish but know never got the credit they deserved; washed away, victims of their own progressive thinking. Shelleyan Orphan are one such band. From 1987-92 (and later 2008) Jem Tayle (pictured today, above) and Caroline Crawley created some of the most touching, sumptuous and transcendent chamber pop, and yet throughout their career were consistently judged out of step with their contemporaries and largely dismissed.

It's now 17 years since the band's last album and nine years since Crawley's untimely death. But with Tayle on the verge of a new solo release, Record Collector meets the surviving Orphan.

"We met in Bournemouth round about 1980, Tayle tells RC as he begins Shelleyan's story. "I already had ideas about wanting to get into music, but at that time it was very naïve.

[I'd] done a couple of demos." Crawley had little interest, owning just a handful of records by the likes of Blondie, The Specials, and Joy Division. It wasn't long, however, before Tayle was inadvertently leading Crawley down a particularly un-rocky musical path.

"I had a tape recorder and used to wander along the beach listening to The Chi-Lites," says Tayle of the 70s symphonic soul troupe. "I used to sing along to it and Caroline, once she got to know the songs, started singing along as well and it just sounded nice." No consideration was given to starting a band at this point, but the seeds were sown.