U R the Best Thing

Biography

Irish/Scottish pop rock/synthpop and dance band. Between 1992 and 1997, the period during which they were first active, the band released two studio albums (D:Ream On Volume 1 and World), ten different singles (some of them re-released twice or three times, until totally reaching 14 singles - but two tracks were featured together on a double A-side single), and an official greatest hits album (The Best of D:Ream). In 2006, a second collection was out, for the well known series entitled The Plati...

Irish/Scottish pop rock/synthpop and dance band. Between 1992 and 1997, the period during which they were first active, the band released two studio albums (D:Ream On Volume 1 and World), ten different singles (some of them re-released twice or three times, until totally reaching 14 singles - but two tracks were featured together on a double A-side single), and an official greatest hits album (The Best of D:Ream). In 2006, a second collection was out, for the well known series entitled The Platinum Collection (with many artists and groups in the catalogue), without the band's permission. Reformed in 2008, releasing album In Memory Of... in March 2011.

When D:Ream got famous, its main members were Peter Cunnah (vocalist and songwriter) and Al Mackenzie (musician and producer), though, afterwards, the group would in fact become a one man band, exclusively centred upon the singer.

Another member, Brian Cox played keyboards for several years in D:Ream, while studying for his PhD. There were a number of vocalists who changed over time - a popular one was T.J. Davis, who is featured as co-lead vocalist on The Power (Of All the Love in the World), one of the singles taken from their second album, World, in 1995, as well as performing backing vocals on many other songs.

The band's first album, D:Ream On Volume 1, which was promoted for almost two years, since its date of release, in 1993, until a short time before the first single taken from the second album, Shoot Me with Your Love, was out, in 1995, has produced some 7 singles (in fact, 'only' six, since Star and I Like It came on a joint release as a double A-side single), but it was the track called Things Can Only Get Better - an original song by the group, not to be confused with the single of the same name by Howard Jones - that gave them UK success and international fame.

After supporting Take That on their tour, their song Things Can Only Get Better topped the UK Charts, in early 1994. Already released in late 1993, when the track did not get higher than Number 24, it was later adopted by the UK Labour Party as their theme for the 1997 UK General Election, and consequently released for the third time, this time getting to Number 19. Though this respectable chart position, the group's record company chose to release their first compilation, The Best of D:Ream, in 1997, instead of their third studio album, which was never out so far.

D:Ream can claim as part of the achievements in their musical career:
* 1 Number 1 hit: the re-release of Things Can Only Get Better;
2 Top 10 hits: the second re-release of U R The Best Thing, and Shoot Me with Your Love;
* 4 Top 20 hits: the re-release of U R The Best Thing, Take Me Away, Party Up the World, and the second re-release of Things Can Only Get Better;
* 4 Top 30 hits: the first release of Things Can Only Get Better, Unforgiven, Blame It on Me, and the double A-side Star / I Like It;
* 1 Top 40 hit: The Power (Of All the Love in the World);
* 1 Top 75 hit: the first release of U R The Best Thing.

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