Editing A Flock of Seagulls (section)

==History==
=== 1979–1982: Formation and debut album ===
The band A Flock of Seagulls was formed in [[Liverpool]], England, in 1979 by Mike Score, Frank Maudsley and Ali Score. Mike was a hairdresser when he bought a second-hand [[Korg MS-10]] [[analogue synthesizer|synthesizer]] and invited his friends to form the band. Frank played bass and Ali drums, even without prior experience. After testing six guitarists, Willie Woo joined the band and brought in Mark Edmondson to replace Ali on drums. Later, the Score brothers had a falling out, and Mark Edmondson left. Ali returned to the band and shortly afterwards Woo left, being replaced by Paul Reynolds, a 17-year-old friend of Mark Edmondson. Initially, the band did not have a vocalist. Mike, who was the composer of the songs, sang just to show how he thought the song should sound. However, Frank suggested that he be the band's official lead singer. Mike was reluctant at first, but ended up accepting the suggestion.

The band began playing local clubs and eventually got a record deal with Jive Records. In 1981, they released their first single, "Talking", which was produced by Bill Nelson. The single was a moderate success in the United Kingdom. In 1982, the band released their second single, "Telecommunication", which was also produced by Bill Nelson. The single was an even bigger success than the first and became a club hit. The band's third release was the [[extended play|EP]] ''Modern Love is Automatic''. Released in the US, it included the single "Telecommunication" as well as "I Ran (So Far Away)" — which became the band's biggest hit and was in [[heavy rotation]] on the new cable channel, [[MTV]].<ref>{{cite web| url= https://www.paradiseartists.com/artist/a-flock-of-seagulls/| title= A Flock of Seagulls| website= paradiseartists.com| publisher= Paradise Artists| date= 2016 | access-date= November 27, 2023}}</ref> The video for "[[I Ran]]" was low budget (even for the time), but it provided enormous exposure for the band, and it is well-remembered in part because MTV played it frequently.<ref>{{cite book| first= MaryAnn |last= Janosik |year= 2006 |title= The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Rock History: The video generation, 1981–1990 |publisher= [[Greenwood Publishing Group|Greenwood Press]] |isbn= 978-0-3133-2943-2 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=eSIKAQAAMAAJ| page=11}}</ref>

The band's debut album, ''A Flock of Seagulls'', was released in 1982. The album was a commercial and critical success, reaching number 1 in Australia and the Top 10 in the US and New Zealand. The album was praised for its new wave songs, which were influenced by styles such as synthpop, post-punk and new romantic. The band was also praised for their image, which was characterized by slicked-back hair and colorful clothing. The album was influential in pop music in the 1980s.{{citation needed|date= November 2023}} The band was one of the pioneers of synthpop and helped popularize the style.{{citation needed|date= November 2023}}

=== 1983: ''Listen'' and the peak of popularity ===
In late 1982, A Flock of Seagulls finally achieved commercial success in their home country with the single "Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)", which reached the top 10. The song was inspired by a short romance that vocalist Mike Score had with a girl on tour in the United States. The girl had a [[Polaroid camera]], and Score asked her to take a picture with it. She said if he had the photo, he would leave and the romance would be forgotten. They broke up soon after, and Score wrote the song about how he wished he had a photo of her to remember her by.

The band began 1983 at the [[Palladium (New York City)|Palladium]] in New York playing the [[MTV's Second Annual New Year's Eve Rock 'n' Roll Ball|MTV New Year's Eve Rock n' Roll Ball]]<ref>[https://www.concertarchives.org/concerts/mtv-2nd-annual-new-year-s-eve-rock-n-roll-ball MTV 2nd Annual New Year's Eve Rock n' Roll Ball] at Concert Archives. Retrieved 25 July 2024.</ref> with "Space Age Love Song" still climbing the charts in the U.S. following the top ten success of "I Ran".

''Listen'', the follow-up to band's debut album, was released at the end of April 1983 and also received positive reviews. ''AllMusic'' critic Tom Demalon praises the single "Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)" as "multilayered and hypnotic" and also has written favorably about the songs "Nightmares" and "Transfer Affection".

The band continued to enjoy commercial and critical success in 1983. They performed at the [[US Festival]] (in [[San Bernardino, California]]) in May<ref>{{cite news|first= Ben |last= Wener |title= The Forgotten Festival: Remembering US '82 and '83 as Steve Wozniak's dream bash turns 30 |newspaper= [[Orange County Register]] |date= 31 August 2012 |access-date= 7 June 2018 |url= https://www.ocregister.com/2012/08/31/the-forgotten-festival-remembering-us-82-and-83-as-steve-wozniaks-dream-bash-turns-30/}}</ref> and at Holleder Memorial Stadium (in [[Rochester, New York]]) in July. They also began touring with the band [[The Police]].

Three more singles were released for ''Listen'' in 1983, but they were only moderately successful. The band began to lose popularity in the late 1980s, but they continue to perform and record.

=== 1984: ''The Story of a Young Heart'' and Reynolds' departure ===
Following the commercial success of their debut album, A Flock of Seagulls decided to change direction on their third album, ''The Story of a Young Heart''. The band ventured into a new style, wanting to make a [[concept album]] based on themes such as [[suicide]] and [[heartbreak]]. The album was produced by Steve Lovell and featured more accentuated guitars and a more polished sound. The song's lyrics were written by Mike Score, who had lost a close friend to suicide. The song "Remember David" was written in honour of his deceased friend.

Despite the band's efforts, ''The Story of a Young Heart'' was not as commercially successful as their debut album. The singles "The More You Live, The More You Love" and "Never Again (The Dancer)" reached the top 40 on the US and UK charts, but "Remember David" was not as popular and had moderate success.

During the album's tour, the band's guitarist Paul Reynolds became involved with [[drug abuse]]. His drug problems worsened, resulting in his exit from the band mid-tour. The tour ended early. The band was without a guitarist. Reynolds' departure was a blow to A Flock of Seagulls. The band never again managed to achieve the same success as their early years.

=== 1985–1986: New lineup, ''Dream Come True'' and hiatus ===
After Paul Reynolds' departure, A Flock of Seagulls underwent a revamp. Gary Steadman, former Classix Nouveaux guitarist, was hired to replace Reynolds. Chris Chryssaphis, keyboardist, also joined the band. With the new lineup, the band recorded their fourth album, ''Dream Come True''. The album was released in 1985 in the UK and in 1986 in the US.

''Dream Come True'' was a commercial failure. Reviews were negative, with some critics calling the songs "lifeless" and "ineffective". The band dissolved in 1986 after the album's failure.

=== 1988–1998: Various formations and ''The Light at the End of the World'' ===
In 1988, Mike Score formed a new band with local Philadelphia musicians. This lineup released the single "Magic" in 1989.

In 1994, Score formed a new band with Ed Berner, A.J. Mazzetti and Dean Pichette. This lineup recorded the album ''The Light at the End of the World'', released only in the US in 1995. The album was a commercial and critical failure. Critics called it "tedious" and "embarrassing", while fans claimed it was "misinterpreted". Score said the album was an unsuccessful attempt to bring the band into the [[grunge]] era, which dominated popular music at the time.

=== 1998–2018: Touring and ''Ascension'' years ===
In 1998, Mike Score formed a new band with Joe Rodriguez, Darryl Sons and Rob Wright. The band re-recorded Madonna's song "This Used to Be My Playground" in 1999 for Madonna's 2000 tribute album, ''The World's Greatest 80s Tribute''.
[[File:A Flock of Seagulls in 2012.jpg|left|thumb|A Flock Of Seagulls live, 2012.]]
In November 2003, the band's original lineup reunited for a one-off performance on the VH1 series Bands Reunited. In September 2004, they reformed again and went on a brief tour of the United States.

In 2013, Mike Score launched a solo career. He released the singles "All I Wanna Do" and "Somebody Like You".

In 2016, Kevin Rankin replaced Michael Brahm on drums. In December 2017, Gordon Deppe (from the Canadian band [[Spoons (band)|Spoons]] replaced Joe Rodriguez.[[File:A Flock of Seagulls in 2024.jpg|thumb|A Flock of Seagulls performing in [[Columbia, South Carolina]] in 2024]]In 2018, the band's four original members reunited to record a new album, ''Ascension''. The album was released in July 2018 and received positive reviews. Since the album's release, Mike Score expressed a desire to reunite the original lineup for a tour.

=== 2019—: Inflight and String Theory ===
In 2019, the original members of A Flock of Seagulls reunited to record a new album, ''Inflight (The Extended Essentials)''. The album was released on 12 July 2019 and featured extended versions of some of the band's biggest hits, such as "I Ran (So Far Away)", "Space Age Love Song" and "Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)".

In the same year, Mike Score revealed in an interview with ''[[Classic Pop]]'' magazine that he was working on a new solo album, ''Space Boy''. However, the album has yet to be released.

In 2021, the band announced that they would release a new orchestral album, ''String Theory''. Scheduled for release on 20 August 2021, the album features orchestral versions of some of the band's hits, such as "Messages", "Remember David" and "Say You Love Me". The album's first single, "Say You Love Me", was released on 23 July 2021. The single was released in seven different versions and featured a music video released on YouTube.

On 9 August 2024 the band announced their first album of new songs since The Light At The End Of The World, releasing the single titled Some Dreams. The sixth album of new songs will be released in December 2024 and will be called Some Dreams. The band's current lineup features Mike Score on vocals, Pando on bass, Gordon Deppe (The Spoons) on guitar and Kevin Rankin on drums.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cashmere |first=Paul |date=2024-08-12 |title=A Flock of Seagulls Release First New Song Since 1995 'Some Dreams' |url=https://www.noise11.com/news/a-flock-of-seagulls-release-first-new-song-since-1995-some-dreams-20240812 |access-date=2024-08-15 |website=Noise11.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=End |first=Lucas Tavares-Front End / Adriano Franco- Back |date=2024-08-13 |title=A Flock of Seagulls lança sua primeira música inédita em 29 anos |url=https://www.radiorock.com.br/2024/08/13/flock-seagulls-lanca-sua-primeira-musica-inedita-em-29-anos/ |access-date=2024-08-15 |website=A Rádio Rock - 89,1 FM - SP |language=pt-br}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=A Flock Of Seagulls |url=https://www.aflockofseagulls.org |access-date=2024-12-04 |website=www.aflockofseagulls.org}}</ref>