Aztec Camera

Aztec Camera was a Scottish pop rock band formed by Roddy Frame in 1980. Both songs from the band’s first single found success when “We Could Send Letters” appeared on an NME sampler and “Just Like Gold” had an NME reviewer calling Frame a prodigy. The latter got two spins by reknown BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel in March 1981, helping to push the single into the UK Indie top 10. Peel later ranked the group’s next single “Pillar To Post” as one of the best songs of 1982.

The band signed with Rough Trade Records and released “Oblivious” in early 1983 to moderate UK chart success before their debut album High Land, Hard Rain surfaced that April. However, a re-release of “Oblivious” later in the year gave the band their first of three UK top 20 appearances and first chart success in Ireland. The album was mildly successful in the US, reaching #129 on the Billboard 200. During this time, the band experienced what would become a long-running revolving door of members.

Moving to Warner Brothers Records, “All I Need Is Everything”, backed with an acoustic rendition of the recent Van Halen chart-topper “Jump”, was a top 40 hit in the UK & Ireland. It preceded the band’s 1984 sophomore effort Knife which was produced by Dire Straits guitarist Mark Knopfler. By the end of touring for the album, Frame was the group’s sole member. In 1985, the EP Backwards And Forwards was released including “Jump” and three live tracks.

Love was recorded with various session musicians and spawned five charting singles in the UK from 1987 – 1988, including “Somewhere In My Heart” which hit #3 and also did well in Ireland, Germany & Australia. The album was top 10 in the UK, but barely impacted the US Billboard 200 – and would be the last to chart there.

In 1990, Stray spawned a top 20 hit in the UK with its second single “Good Morning Britain”, featuring Mick Jones (Clash, Big Audio Dynamite). Both singles were the band’s only to appear on the recently-created US Alternative Songs Chart.

1993’s Dreamland, created with keyboardist/producer Ryuichi Sakamoto, was a departure in sound that initially charted well in only the UK, but ultimately offered only two minor hits there. Frestonia fared much worse, prompting Frame to retire Aztec Camera and release the moderately successful North Star under his own name in 1998, followed by the less successful Surf in 2002.

Occasional compilations and reissues of Aztec Camera albums have followed. To support the 30th Anniversary Edition of High Land, Hard Rain, Frame played all of its thirteen songs at a number of performances, coinciding with the release of his third solo album Seven Dials in 2014.