Names FARRINGTON+MANN (Clive Farrington and Drew Mann, original members of When In Rome)
Best known for
Really wanting to be a drummer in a rock/pop band and only reaching high school orchestra status! — Clive
Being a poet and being in a few dodgy films and commercials. — Drew
Current city
Placentia, CA — Clive
Henley on Thames, UK — Drew
Really want to be in
Boracay, Philippines. Relaxing, swimming and singing with the house band at Nigi Nigi Nu Noos! — Clive
In Devon with my dogs, Chillidog and Devodog, and anywhere without drama and stress. — Drew
Excited about
Our new song “To Fix Us” releasing with video (filmed on location in Manila and Boracay) and vinyl picture disc in 2023. —Clive & Drew
My current music collection has a lot of
Dance music, retro wave, The Killers. — Clive
Chill-out music. Scott Walker. And looking for new artists that have that vibe. — Drew
And a little bit of
Retro electro (YMO, Kraftwerk), new retro (The Midnight, FM-84). — Clive
Movie soundtracks, Rat Pack (Frank Sinatra/Dean Martin/Sammy Davis Jr.). — Drew
Preferred format
Vinyl all day! We were very spoiled and grew up at a time when vinyl records and sleeve design were respected for their ingenuity.
See Peter Saville (Factory Records) and Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here(the diving shot with no ripples is a story in itself). Every aspect of any release has to have a story behind it. Also, see the cover to “The Promise: 30th Anniversary 12” vinyl with cover shot by Howard Greenhalgh.
To be born in the late-‘50s is truly a gift. We had that great period leading up to the ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s and early-’90s. All great periods of music! —Clive & Drew
5 Albums I Can’t Live Without:
1
Roxy Music, Roxy Music
This was the first vinyl pop/rock record that I bought and I still play it today from start-to-finish. “Ladytron” is so good that the British electronic band named themselves after the song. Paul Thompson’s drumming on this album is unique and fabulous, as is Phil Manzanera’s guitar, Brian Eno’s FX and Andy Mackay’s haunting and pumping sax. Not to mention Bryan Ferry’s unique lyrical and vocal approach. — Clive
Roxy Music’s influence on many bands is much understated, and When In Rome is one of those bands. The cover picture by James Martin on our self-titled album is much influenced by Roxy Music’s lush and classy covers. — Drew
2
Swan Lake, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
When I was in high school, our music teacher decided to take us to see Manchester’s Halle Orchestra at the city’s Free Trade Hall. Four years later the punk phenomenon The Sex Pistols would play at [their] sister property, The Lesser Free Trade Hall, to 100 people including Mister Manchester and Factory Records founder/FAC 51 The Haçienda owner. And Mick Hucknall of Simply Red. If you went to this gig, you were the coolest of the cool.
Anyhow, the orchestra played without the physical ballet, just the music, so the focus was all there, on the music. For some reason or by chance the teacher chose a seat for me that meant that I was about 10 feet or even closer to the bass section. I could feel the whole orchestra vibrating underneath me as they played this masterpiece by the Russian master, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, especially the “Hungarian Dance.” Of course, I bought the first copy that I found. —Clive
Of course, I was not there, but classical and film score is always on my mind, so I know that the live orchestra experience is mind-blowing. — Drew
3
Scott 4, Scott Walker
A moving album, Scott Walker separates himself from the Walker Brothers to take on a third dimension with killer tracks such as “Boy Child” and “The Old Man’s Back Again.” A big sounding album! — Drew
Scott has that voice that you immediately know. Class. — Clive
4
Francis Lai & Burt Bacharach, Francis Lai & Burt Bacharach
This movie-themed album is a classic coming together of two great composers/musicians from a certain time, with Francis Lai’s classical approach blending beautifully with Bacharach’s mesmerizing lyrics. — Drew
Two great composers come together to create the magic! Check the movie Love Story for Francis Lai and check Dionne Warwick for classic Bacharach. — Clive
5
Parallel Lines, Blondie
Listening to [DJ] John Peel one night, he played a new track by a new American band called Blondie. The track was “Heart of Glass.” Every part of this track is uplifting and I ordered a copy from my uncle’s shop, White & Swales Records in Altrincham, Cheshire. Of course, they’d not heard of the record and so I ordered Billboardmagazine and checked its chart position in the USA. I showed the shop manager the info and he ordered it through them.
The 12” vinyl record arrived two weeks later and the record had not even scratched the surface of the UK Charts. I took it to Chequers nightclub, which was attached to the side of Altrincham Football Club, where my uncle was club chairman. It was a Saturday and packed. I approached the DJ to ask him to give it a spin. He said, “I’ll have to listen on the headphones beforehand.” While he was playing his current selection, he put on the headphones and played “Heart of Glass.” His eyes immediately lit up. He faded the current selection and pumped in “Heart of Glass.” The crowd actually cheered at the end and the dance floor was packed! It is quite possible that this was the first play in the UK of this fantastic song. — Clive
