M was the brainchild of former art school student and folk singer Robin Scott. He started
out as manager of the R&B band Roogalator and formed the Do It label to release an album
by them. Do It later found critical success with the band Adam And The Ants. Scott moved to
Paris in 1978, where he produced the Slits and several French bands. It was here that he
got the idea for the band M, whose name was taken from the signs for the Pariss Metro. Their
debut single 'Moderne Man' was not successful and was released at the same time as a single
by Comic Romance in which Scott also featured. However M's quirky and hook-laden second
single 'Pop Musik' was a massive hit both in the UK and the USA as well as across Europe.
As a gimmick, some copies of the single featured both a and b-sides on the one playing
surface with the Listener taking pot luck as to which groove the needle dropped on to. An
album was released to capitalize on the hit and, as well as the singles, also featured a
re-recording of the track 'Cowboys And Indians' - previously the b-side of the 'Comic Romance'
single. The album was recorded using session musicians- Wally Badarov (keyboards), Gary
Barnacles (saxophone/flute), Philip Gould (drums), Julian Scott of Roogalator (bass), and
Betty Vinchon (vocals). Among the musicians on the second album were Level 42's Mark King.
After a couple of minor hit follow-ups M's career slipped into rapid decline with subsequent
singles (including a release on Stiff Records) failing to chart. Only a 1989 remix of
'Pop Musik' returned the name of M to the charts. Meanwhile, Scott worked with Ryuichi
Sakamoto on two albums and put out his own solo album - The Kiss Of Life -in 1985.
Albums: New York - London - Paris - Munich (1979), The Official Secrets Act (1980)
