Capella 'U Got 2 Know'

Chart Peak: 6
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Cappella is actually Ettore Foresti... He is Italian and had a hit in Britain a few years ago with 'Helyom Halib'... 'U Got 2 Know' charted instantly at No. 22 after just one week of release.

Although Foresti was fronting the act at the time of their late-80s hits, he doesn't seem to have anything to do with this track. He's obviously not really on it, as all the vocals are sampled and he's not in the video either. After this single, a British duo were brought in to work as the public face of the act, though understandably they weren't allowed into the studio. If Cappella was really anyone it was producer Gianfranco Bortolotti who is the one constant through the history of the name.

'U Got 2 Know' borrows heavily from John McGeoch's guitar riff on 'Happy House' by Siouxsie & The Banshees (apparently they later successfully sued for a writing credit, although since McGeoch isn't a credited writer on the original I'm not sure whether he benefitted). It's not the most obvious basis for a house track, to be sure, but it does have a persistent quality about it right enough and this is a record that seems to do what it's aimed at.

Also appearing on: Now 26, 27, 28
Available on: U got 2 know album

Capalla 'U Got 2 Let The Music'

Chart Peak: 2
YouTube

Cappella is the creation of Italian Gianfranco Bortolotti... 'U Got 2 Let The Music', which rocketed on the chart at No. 7 on 17th October 93, is the group's 4th UK Top 30 hit and follows 'U Got 2 Know' which made No. 6 in April.

As you've probably noticed, imaginative song titles weren't a strong point of Cappella, and neither indeed were creative lyrics. The biggest of their many hits has little actual content beyond informing us that we must let the music control our feet, although it's unclear what fate might befall us should we fail to heed this advice.

It's a perfectly serviceable bit of dance music, not the sort of thing that appeals much to me but I can see that whoever actually made this record knew what they were doing, though any connection to the people in the video is coincidental.

Also appearing on: Now 24, 27, 28
Available on: Pump Up The Jam

Cappella 'Move On Baby'

Chart Peak: 7

YouTube

Cappella is the creation of Italian Gianfranco Bortolotti... 'Move On Baby' is the group's 3rd smash hit in the last year and has followed 'U Got 2 Know' and 'U Got 2 Let The Music' into the British Top 10.

Not the biggest of the act's many Top 20 hits, 'Move On Baby' is remembered now if at all for the notorious Top Of The Pops performance on which the public face of the group, Kelly Overett, made it clear that she hadn't contributed the vocal on this track, which was instead the work of an unidentified session singer. I don't know whether Rodney Bishop was really the rapper on this track either but he just about gets away with his vocal. )You can, incidentally, see the full episode from which that clip is taken in higher quality at Pop Unlimited 1994, also featuring people who could sing or at least had the sense to mime.

In truth, Cappella was more of a franchise than a band, with Bortolotti calling in assorted sessioneers and producers to work on tracks and hiring others to represent them on stage. I'm not sure whether this makes it ironic that the name is Italian for church. Whoever put it together, 'Move On Baby' is formulaic but proficient and it is at least catchy. Well, perhaps "unforgettable" is a better word if you've seen TotP.

Also appearing on: Now 24, 26, 28
Available on: U got 2 know album