By the summer of 1983, Fun Boy Three were peaking in popularity and Terry Hall disbanded the group. Hooking up with ex-Swinging Cats members Toby Lyons and Karl Shale, Hall moved to Manchester and formed the Colour Field, a lusher and more melodic outfit than Fun Boy Three. In January 1984, the band released their first single, "The Colour Field," which just missed the Top 40. It was followed later that summer by "Take," which didn't even come close to the Top 40. The Colour Field had their first hit in January 1985, when "Thinking of You" reached number 12. It was followed by "Castles in the Air," another failed single that preceded the release of their debut long-player, Virgins and Philistines, by just a few weeks. Like the group's singles, the album failed to gain a large audience for the Colour Field. The band released a second LP, Deception, in the spring of 1987. During the sessions, Lyons left the band, leaving Hall to finish the album by himself; to complete the record, Hall hired Raquel Welch's band. Hall was unhappy with the album, and he disbanded the Colour Field by the end of 1987. Terry Hall died on December 18, 2022, from pancreatic cancer at the age of 63. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine