Slight Seconds

Formed out of the remnants of The Elite by Kevin Eden (vocals, guitar) and Peter Hibbert (drums, vocals). After recruiting a replacement bass player, Mike Shaw, the central duo decided a name change would be appropriate and became Slight Seconds. Eden: “Around this time the Spherical Object leader and Object Music label founder, Steve Solomar, had contacted the Manchester Music Collective about recording a compilation of some of the groups in the collective. Slight Seconds were chosen to record two tracks.” The recording was done at Revolution Studio in Cheadle Hulme. Eden: “We were not happy with the way our two tracks were mixed and disowned them immediately.” Object Music subsequently offered the band a chance to record one side of a three-group project entitled Waiting Room. So Slight Seconds convened in Cargo Studios in Rochdale in June 1979 and over two days cut their side of the record. Eden co-wrote ‘Building Bridges’ with former Magazine keyboard player Bob Dickinson and attempted to get him to join the band, but he’d already committed to continue his studies at Keele University. The album was well reviewed and Slight Seconds continued to play around the north west and Lancashire, as well as further Manchester Music Collective-organised shows at the Band On The Wall. However, enthusiasm dipped towards the end of 1980 and plans to record a self-financed mini-album were aborted. The group was falling apart, but before Eden had the chance to announce his departure, Hibbert took his own life. Eden continued to record in the ‘open-ended’ musical project 41 Degrees, who also cut a track for Object Music (‘Just My Crazy Mind’ on Do The Maru) as well as their own full-length album, Open Heart, on the 41 label. Eden published the biography of Wire, Everybody Loves A History, through SAF in 1991. (Submitted 10/03/08 by Kevin Eden)