As a co-founder of the ’90s dance band Opus 3, Ian Munro (pic. on right) had a big hit in 1992 with ‘It’s a Fine Day’. But the song had an earlier beginning…

‘In the ’80s Manchester musician Edward Barton wrote and recorded ‘It’s a Fine Day’. I first saw him playing on live TV programme The Tube. The song was also played on Radio 1 but didn’t chart.

One Sunday evening at our studio in Sunderland I remembered that ‘Fine Day’ was acapella, so we sampled it and in about three hours it was basically done. We had no doubt it was going to be a hit !

The song reached number 5 in the UK and number 1 in the US dance charts with appearences on Top of the Pops, The Word, Jonathan Ross show, and performed live in Paris and Japan.

‘From ‘It’s Crucial’ a band I joined in 1984, to A.S.K. and Opus 3 my constant musical partners were Nigel Walton and Kevin Dodds.

We needed new vocals on ‘It’s a Fine Day’ so we recruited Kirsty Hawkshaw who was Kevin’s ex-girlfriend. We met Kirsty during our first stint in London.

Opus 3 was me on keyboards, Kevin was keyboards engineer, Nigel was the drum programmer, and our vocalist Kirsty was from Hertfordshire. We were signed to PWL records and Warner Brothers.

Kirsty had a good musical background. Her father Alan Hawkshaw had a long and distinguished music career. Playing with The Shadows, co-writing for Elvis, Streisand and popular TV theme tunes.

Her Mum used to run the UK Osmonds Fan Club and Alison Moyet lived next door.

During the ’90s we were in London when it was amazing. Living in the coolest city on earth heading towards a new millennium. It was a blur of musicians, clubs and parties’.

‘Our house parties at 131 Queenstown Road in Battersea had a balcony that overlooked the famous Power Station that Pink Floyd used on an album sleeve.

One very long night saw some excellent DJ’s grace the long counter in the kitchen. Those nights were magical even the police were okay with us.

The extreme was hiring a 2.5 k PA rig for a birthday party. Afterwards the system was cabbed back to my mates flat and along with a few DJs, went on till 10am when the hire company came to collect the PA.

But back then our music management were crap and contributed nothing to help our success. One was a real gangster and threatened to damage my fingers. They had offices in Soho and as their first group we were zero priority.

In a vicious meeting one of the managers who was semi-employed by PWL, sided with them and not us. After the disappointing performances of the singles and second album we were dropped.

Orbital sampled ‘It’s a Fine Day’. They spun it backwards and got co-writing credits. We only got 5k out of this. It was a bad deal.

British businessman and polo player Bryan Morrison became our publisher. He had worked with T.Rex, The Pretty Things, Pink Floyd and George Michael.

Morrison was the most arrogant man I’ve met. Part barrow boy and part Dracula actor Christopher Lee. He was financially drunk on George Michael’s huge success’.

When did you start playing gigs and what venues did you play ? 

‘Watching The Tube TV show coming from my home area made anything seem possible. At 15 I played my first gig at The Dovecot Arts Centre.

In South Shields we played at The Marsden Inn supporting a band managed by Chas Chandler.

As A.S.K we played at the South Shields nightclub Banwells. At large events we were billed with a wide range of bands like Blur, D-Ream, Ramones, dance/techno band 2Unlimited, Ace of Bass, the lovely girl group Eternal and rapper from the States – LL Cool J.

Then at a gig in the USA we were playing in a venue off Broadway in New York, where Moby was our warm up DJ !

What were your experiences of recording ?

‘1984 to 1985 we recorded in Desert Sounds in Felling near Gateshead and then went into Prism studio in Newcastle. We also had some home studio equipment.

By 87-90 we used various studios in London including Rooster 2, Pye studios, Matrix Maison Rouge and Mayfair. Then we built a mega home studio at The Elms, West Ashbrooke in Sunderland. Then back in London again we had our own studio in Brixton.

In 1989 ASK released ‘Kiss and Tell’ on EMI. We were signed to Capitol and MCA where we recorded Freedom We Cry in 1990. As Ashbrooke Allstars we released ‘Dubbin`up the Pieces’ in 1991 on East West records.

Opus 3 released ‘It’s a Fine Day’ and ‘I Talk to the Wind’ in 92. ‘Hand in Hand’ and ’When You Made the Mountain’ was ’94. These two from the second album were co-writes with Sunderland lad Martin Brammer of the Kane Gang.

Opus 3 released two albums. Mind Fruit in 1992 and Guru Mother 1994. In 1998 DJ Paul Oakenfolds Grace covered the Opus 3 record ’Hand in Hand’. That charted at 38 in 1997 so we weren’t a one hit wonder !

Have you any stories when you were in the band? 

‘Seeing Joey Ramone whilst in a health spa in a Finnish hotel or at breakfast after an all-night partying session in Pete Waterman’s studio there was a decommissioned missile in the TV room. Countless moments.

After a few early drinks in Clapham my friends and I returned to my flat before going to The West End to be met by a distressed Terrier dog. I took him home and rang the number on his collar to no avail and headed out to a club.

The next morning, I got a call from a woman with a Northern accent. She said ‘I am Vivienne Westwood (fashion designer) thanks for rescuing my dog’.

Opus 3 played The Supper Club off Times Square in 1994. Moby had remixed the second disastrous single and we all loved his single ‘Go’.

That night we got out of the limo and our singer Kirsty was dressed as a cyber Statue of Liberty. She looked amazing and upstaged onlookers the B52s and Miss Keir from Dee Lite. Madonna was invited but didn`t show’.

What does music mean to you ?

‘Everything, it’s my love and my torment ! I still play and write. Music to me isn’t work just complicated demanding fun that takes a while.

Would I like to change any mistakes made…Yes …Do I regret leaving a boring job as a Clerk ? No. Failing a dream is better than succeeding in a nightmare’.

Interview by Gary Alikivi November  2018.

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