Originally a pair of guitarists and vocalists shaped by the Byrds, Ross McGeeney and Tony Poole formed the nucleus of Starry Eyed and Laughing and immediately invited comparison with an early R.E.M. The band counted among the most distinctive outfits drawn to the London pub rock circuit near the midpoint of the 1970s. Northampton hosted the group’s formation in 1973. Within twelve months bassist Steve Hall and drummer Nick Brown completed the quartet, and the lineup began filling venues across the capital. Although the configuration lasted only months, it attracted the notice of CBS. Iain Whitmore and Mick Wackford supplied a new rhythm section while guests including Russ Ballard, Lindisfarne’s Ray Jackson, and BJ Cole helped record the self-titled debut album in mid-1974, which appeared alongside the single “Money Is No Friend of Mine.”
Thought Talk arrived the next year together with the singles “Nobody Home” and “Good Love.” In the autumn of 1975 the band undertook a brief yet warmly received U.S. tour. McGeeney departed after the return home and was replaced by Roger Kelly for the 1976 single “Don’t Give Me a Hard Time,” after which bassist Whitmore also left. The remaining musicians reduced the name to Starry Eyed and continued as a trio, yet they never regained the vitality of their earlier years and disbanded soon afterward.
