Morgan McVey - Looking Good Diving

BRILLIANT PWL classic from MORGAN McVEY with "Looking Good Diving"circa 1986.
Very reminiscent of Scritti Poilitti in my opinion, have loved this track since I heard it many, many, many years ago!
The version on the B-Side 12"... features the wife of McVey (half of the duo) Neneh Cherry, who also appears in this video. The B-Side has the back beat of "Looking Good Diving" mixed with Neneh's "Buffalo Stance" rap. Yes!.... "Buffalo Stance" was originally recorded in the PWL studio's!!!
Jamie J. Morgan of course went on to make quite a popular cover version of "Walk On The Wild Side" in 1990 and also appearances on Neneh Cherry's "Raw Like Sushi" CLASSIC album...

[@mconstant007]

Thank god they took the scrap from this and got Buffalo Stance out of it.

[@TheUnfinishedSynth]

"What'll really sell this record, lads, is if you spend the whole video staring right into the lens, trying to creep everybody out. Yeah, that's right, somewhere between smarmy and serial killer should do it."

[@nasirabdullatif]

Hilarious sarcasm 😂

[@saltyspaceman5697]

I didn't know that Sacha Baron Cohen was trolling people as early as the 80's!

[@bridgettholman4950]

That was great!

[@krunchie2024]

01:25 The other one looks like Max Headroom!

[@chrissharp6733]

Surely this is the inspiration for Zoolander, there's so much

[@Dr-Stu]

No, that'd be Glamorama by Bret Easton Ellis.

[@zeddeka]

Naomi Campbell on keyboards and Neneh Cherry on guitar. Also worth noting that Nick Kamen did a cover version of this song. They were all connected because they'd all worked for Buffalo fashion house (hence Buffalo stance).

[@sonjaortiz6857]

Amazing! For years I've wondered what Buffalo stance meant. Lol, just thought it was British slang. Thanks for the info.

[@mesolithicman164]

Barry Kamen is one of the dudes in sunglasses behind the pop duo.

[@ajs41]

Both Mabel McVey's parents feature in this video. Neneh and Cameron McVey.

[@zeddeka]

​@@sonjaortiz6857no problem! "Buffalo" was basically a kind of fashion house, largely created by stylist and photographer Ray Petri in the 1980s, together with a couple of others. He created a very specific style and his photos appeared in a lot of magazines.

[@BananaCologne]

Thank you for helping to bring this song to life - you have no idea how much this song meant to me as a closeted 16 year old gay kid!

[@JHollowayNetwork]

Yeah, that's Neneh Cherry on guitar she can briefly been seen on the video. The B-side is "Looking Good Diving with the Wild Bunch" which it's an early version of Buffalo Stance.

[@ajs41]

Also Naomi Campbell.

[@Handlemcdaniel]

Surely these guys were the inspiration for Hugh Grant's band in Music and Lyrics.

[@johnnybowe]

It's like a Scritti Politti song with a Neneh Cherry sample.

[@mickeyjohnson5247]

Yes! I can see that.... 🎶 music

[@maccagrabme]

Nowhere near as nice or as clever as SP but a good attempt at capturing the sound.

[@jamesfoust6764]

That's cause it was used by Neneh Cherry for Buffalo Stance

[@ajs41]

@@jamesfoust6764 I never guessed that Stock Aitken Waterman had anything to do with Buffalo Stance until now.

[@JRLOC]

So 80’s London Ray Petri Buffalo era! Great to see Cameron & Neneh. I expected to see the Kamen brothers pop up (RIP Barry) at any moment. Loved this era so much. Take me back!

[@JRLOC]

Omg and Naomi! lol LOVE!!!

[@mesolithicman164]

Barry Kamen is one of the guys in shades behind the pop boys about 1/2 way through.

[@richardmazda8474]

Sorry but that's completely wrong. Looking Good Diving the demo was worked on by Phil Ramacon and myself along with Cameron and Jamie obviously. Its a bit of a stretch to say that SAW started the Neneh thing. What actually happened is that Tim from Bomb the Bass was working on a mix of LGD with a Neneh rap on it and as far as I am aware the decision to write Buffalo Stance based on it came from him working on the track.

[@bridgettholman4074]

I remember seeing credits on Raw Like Sushi like Phil Ramacon and Bomb The Base ect..thank you for helping clarify certain things for us!.

[@ajs41]

Fascinating to hear even a slight resemblance/connection between Stock Aitken Waterman and Scritti Politti on this track.

[@erpy83]

​@@ajs41oh yes, you can hear them

[@mickfizz1]

Thanks for sharing this great song mixed by Phil Harding, which was done in February 1987 according to his book Phil Harding - PWL from the Factory Floor!

[@WidgerCentral]

there are 151 comments on here, over 14 years, and no one has mentioned the graphic says Looking Good DRIVING?! Lol. With an "r". But, I'm also hearing this song for the first time in 2024. So there's that. 😅

[@flyingking5556]

wow, i am so amazed. i found this on accident while researching bomb the base on wikipedia. even more suprised seeing nenah cherry in the video

[@andyk210]

+flyingking me too

[@djhatstand7312]

Bomb the "Bass"

[@droach75]

i might be wrong,,but i think Neneh Cherry is joined in the background with her buddy Andrea Oliver. They would later do a Carribean themed cooking show on BBC2 in 2007 called Neneh and Andi - Dish it Up.

[@lance8874]

yes its neneh cherry BEFORE buffalo stance which was 1988 1989

[@butchstevenson7029]

And a young Naomi Campbell on the keyboards!!! Most people don’t know that she was part of the Buffalo clan

[@robertsmithshair4199]

They were in a group called rip pig and panic here

[@uniqoEnEsp]

"We do the dive every time we dance!!!"

[@RobertoArtaldi]

Bellissima canzone 😍

[@Carloshache]

The remix of the B-side of this actually turned into Neneh Cherry - Buffalo Stance. You can actually hear some traces of "Looking Good Diving" on that song.

[@Utahsaint]

Neneh Cherry on guitar, just before she became a mega-star, probably wondering what the hell she's doing on this bad-ass track.

[@80ssynthfan48]

She developed it into Buffalo Stance.

[@ajs41]

One of the singers is Neneh Cherry's husband, Cameron McVey. Mabel is their daughter.

[@bjorkissimo]

I love this song..

[@gllad31]

They look like Estate Agents!

[@ajs41]

They also look like 1987 pop stars.

neneh 🧡

[@lolaandjessy]

I love this track.....such history with buffalo fashion and pre-nenah cherry stardom....

[@magnolerriccardo6840]

I never knew Neneh was a guitarist...

[@magnolerriccardo6840]

@jsindoneae1550 classic of the 80s

[@chrissharp6733]

Neither did she

[@igorzyazin5012]

classic of the 80's

[@TheNouveauxdecadence]

You are absolutely 101% right :-) I have the 12"...

[@ajs41]

Both Mabel McVey's parents feature in this video.

[@Patrick3183]

So 80s.

[@mickfizz1]

Mixed by mix master Phil Harding for PWL in February 1987

[@martymcfly5434]

I've wondered why Phil Harding hasn't continued to remix these days much like Pete Hammond has?

[@mickfizz1]

@@martymcfly5434 .. good question indeed

[@astonvillahutchence]

Yes, very Scritti Politti-esque... Also a bit like When In Rome, Living In a Box and the australien act Real Life.

[@teckzilla108]

That is Neneh Cherry !!!

[@ajs41]

Amazing to hear a song produced by Stock Aitken Waterman that sounds rather like Scritti Politti.

[@LibraJohnny]

It was released some time before "Never Gonna Give You Up", the moment when SAW started to standardize their singles.

[@chrissolbe5752]

Just as punk instantly killed indulgent 70s rock, rave was soon to make a night at the Wag in your MA-1 jacket and Moschino with hair product and Grolsch bottle tops in your shoes as relevant as steam locomotion. The West End didn't see it coming.

[@KENNYPAUL2]

Are you talking about LOVE at the wag? I remember Dave Dorrell djed there

[@gllad31]

@SilverShamrokkk Yes it is Nenah as she is married to Cameron McVey

[@janusz74ful]

super

[@hermanmunster3358]

Well not surprisingly, I have never ever heard of this outfit, or this song.

[@ajs41]

Have you heard of Mabel? Both her parents feature in this video.

[@hermanmunster3358]

@@ajs41 Nope!

[@ajs41]

@@hermanmunster3358 I hadn't either because I'm not interested in pop music since about 1997, but I found out when I was reading about Neneh Cherry and Cameron McVey. It's interesting that both Mabel's parents are in this music video.

[@hermanmunster3358]

@@ajs41 I haven't a clue who Mabel is either, so I'm hardly likely to know, or even care who her parents are.

[@TheNouveauxdecadence]

Pleasure hunny

[@cantforgetyou]

I believe you completely. I just write what I read. And for me it's not that important to sort it out if that's a lie or not.

[@cantforgetyou]

A very good Stock Aitken Waterman production. They started with the sound for Buffalo Stance. And When Neneh made her record she did put on her record that this bit was from S.A.W.

[@SunOnMyStubble]

@cantforgetyou Is this still your opinion 12 years later? 🤔

[@cantforgetyou]

@@SunOnMyStubble I think so.

[@SunOnMyStubble]

@@cantforgetyou Nice. 👍🏼

[@TheNouveauxdecadence]

@fanguk2 TANX! You a *STAR* tooooo

[@PrinceFluffy]

Mabel's mum and dad...

[@donedeal5394]

So, this song, after getting the SAW treatment, totally bombed. Also, Morgan distanced himself from (esp) the videoclip. Then, some time later, a guy turned the B side to this flop into a smash hit! which shows how "good" producers stock aitken & waterman really were...very interesting story

[@anamericanman]

I wonder how Neneh can appear in this 1986 video when the Wikipedia says they met in 1987 at Heathrow on their way to Japan.

[@kutmusic]

Wikipedia is written by ordinary people and it's very common to find this kind of mistakes... :)

[@jamesdavidkmoss]

Her book is out soon,so we will know the truth.❤

[@chrisduncan85]

It was 1984 when they met

[@djhatstand7312]

Nick Kamen is in the video, the left most of the background guys in sunglasses 1:54

[@vicentdream1177]

He seems Barry Kamen

[@mesolithicman164]

Pretty sure it's Barry K.

[@jamesdavidkmoss]

It's Barry

[@AGPHFOC]

And Naomi Campbell on the keyboard

[@Micho55]

holy shit, it is her!

[@RedSimba88]

0:41 Neneh! :D

[@taiwanknox6391]

Basically the male version of Buffalo Stance

[@therange4033]

Hee Hee! We have dead straight noses!

[@Utahsaint]

hillarious that the caption on the video actually says Looking Good Driving, not Diving...

[@mesolithicman164]

The styling is circa The Face, the music, sadly, is circa Record Mirror. Lightweight would be an understatement.

[@ajs41]

The music is in the same style as Cupid and Psyche 85 by Scritti Politti, particularly The Word Girl.

[@MiniFlowerDrumSong]

Learned about this from Buffalo Stance. Was this released in America? If so, I am not surprised it wasn't a hit just from the video. I like the song but white Americans would be put off by this video. America is very race obsessed. Seeing a video with pretty much just white men and black women without a single white woman wouldn't go unnoticed. To top it off a white man kissed a black woman-- technically Neneh is biracial, but here in America she would be considered black--spells trouble for the single.

[@paulosmeek6286]

God America is fucked up...

[@paulosmeek6286]

She's a human - kissing a frog, a dog whatever maybe raise a few eyebrows over that but not another HUMAN being

[@JeuneFilleaCarnival]

@Nouveauxdecadence do you have the bside to upload? I never ever knew about this!!! I LIVE!! Did they have an album? xoxo

[@TheNouveauxdecadence]

@SilverShamrokkk IT IS

[@bigpoppaz380]

It's hard to think that Neneh Cherry's international hit was a B-side of this absolute trash 😂

[@mesolithicman164]

Absolute pop rubbish.

[@TheFpCassini]

What does the expression "looking good diving" mean? I'm not a Brit.

[@christeuma]

"We always stand with a Buffalo Stance, Do the dive every time we dance" kzbin.info/www/bejne/gIjWg61pia93e7s And I'm pretty sure its the shoulder swinging thing they're looking good doing.

[@ajs41]

I don't think it means anything. It's a bit like a nonsense phrase. I'm British.

[@ERROL007]

That's is PROPER SHIT.

[@annalisamulasso7777]

Perfavore mi potresti spiegare perché Morgan canta una canzone di Nick Kamen? Erano per caso amici? Grazie

[@giuseppepace116]

Questa è originale , quella di Nick Kamen è una cover

[@annalisamulasso7777]

Buon pomeriggio Giuseppe..... ah ok grazie per la spiegazione sei stato molto gentile ! Comunque a me piace in tutti e due i modi 🙋‍♀️😉👋

[@RichardTheBigBunny]

I wish to time travel and make out with Cameron McVey. Kplsthx!

[@bluedragon4]

I didn't know Nick Kamen's version was a cover. His version is way better. Now I know why I always heard buffalo stance in the song. These guys are really creepy.

[@joaniec6178]

KG2018 McVey is Neneh Cherry's husband 😎

[@RolandsHornaFilm]

It's actually Naomi Campbell there on the keyboard - only 15 years old. Cool huh :)

[@DD-cq2tk]

Hmmmm. I’ve only met Naomi the once professionally as I used to swerve her if I came across her at a party. I did a Native American themed photo shoot with her back in the day. I used to have a thing with Ray until we had a disagreement over my age. Wikipedia needs to stop referring to him as a designer. He wasn’t. He was a stylist. A brilliant one who created a street style called Buffalo. It was about merging Americana with the immigrant culture of British inner city kids. A mixture of Caribbean, Indian, Chinese and French/Italian. He used his encyclopaedic fashion brain to create it and formalise it for people like ID and Vogue. Weirdly it was more of a thing in Italy than here in London. But it gave birth to the post New Romantic era. All went tits up when race and house music kicked down the door and tore up the rule book in 88. Anyway. Trust me Naomi was an absolute moose even back then. Her mother Valerie was equally awful. There was an American girl called Tali who was around who was gorgeous and lovely. All the Kamen brothers adored her. Naomi absolutely loathed her because she wasn’t the centre of attention. She wasn’t one for hiding how she felt. Tali ended up being a Bond girl I think. Naomi is still Naomi. She’ll never change.

[@grandmathesatanicidiot1731]

Terry Hall and Ali Campbell?

[@trollface1994]

is this reggae?

[@christeuma]

Let the music play, count the beats, 1-2-3-4, if there's an emphasis on the 3rd beat, its Reggae.

[@trollface1994]

@@christeuma duh r/whoosh. Let me spell it out for your thick skull to digest: I A M T A K I N G T H E P I S S !

[@bloochoob]

They both look so uncomfortable and I’m sure they cringe like mad now, but this gang were some of the cooler folk of the 80s, that period just before acid house took over . I used to buy ID and The Face and Blitz mag all the time

[@mesolithicman164]

These guys were meant to be the cutting edge of London fashion in the 80s but they're working with the biggest purveyors of bland pop at the time. The stable that bought us Sonia and little Rick Astley. This must have been very embarrassing for them. Didn't Sigue Sigue Sputnik do the same for the ironically single 'Success'?

[@katethuhmac]

hahah aw goofs

[@duhnewme93]

Naomi Campbell is in this video!

[@twinpeaksmania]

Nick kamen has a single better than this the same song in better version, you can look the video on you tube

[@EcoworksFL]

Bluebn I agree.. Nick's version is much better in my opinion..

[@bridgettholman4074]

Booga Bear!

[@guillermorossitube]

yeh yeh..very cute, neneh cherry is on the video, bla bla... but the song is HORRIBLE

[@icingup4796]

Honestly one of the worst songs I’ve ever heard but I love it. It’s fucking terrible though

[@Novacoma]

The video is ironic, right? right? Im surprised one of them married neneh cherry. I'd have assumed flamingly gay judging by this.

[@ajs41]

Of course, it's 1987. All 1987 videos are ironic. Both of Mabel's parents are on this video.

[@nickmichael5494]

This song is hideous!!! But honestly no worse than most of the drivel that made the charts at this time. The only good thing about this video (apart from Neneh cherry. On Guitar) is that Cameron Mcvey was super cute..

[@ajs41]

Of course Mabel McVey's parents are Neneh and Cameron. This was about 9 years before she was born.

[@mesolithicman164]

He has a weird mouth.

[@michaelthorn3496]

What the fuck?

[@ryanstirfrywilson]

It’s a great song and far more genuine than Buffalo Stance. A lot of privilege people going on here. No working class made good. But a good song is a good song regardless.

[@ajs41]

Neneh Cherry wasn't exactly privileged at the time.

[@TheNouveauxdecadence]

@dabrod Me jealous :-(

[@georgesonm1774]

wow this sounds pretty bad... The backing track which ended up on a Neneh Cherry song is badass, and it does have that Scritti Politti vibe, but the vocal melody and delivery on the verse is just so bad... like the most vanilla 60s vocal pop group singing the most simplistic type of tune - a far cry from Green Gartside's superbly crafted melody lines. The chorus is a little better. But why the weird faces in the video? Was this a comedy project?

[@ajs41]

It sounds like a classic 80s song to me, in an amusing sort of way. One of the singers married Neneh Cherry, and Mabel is their daughter.

[@80ssynthfan48]

The vocal melody on the verse is all over the place, and not in a good way.

[@littlenige]

Make it stop!!!! Bad in every way.

[@loonyboyx]

Zoolander 😆

[@fmbighair]

This is horrible….I’m only here because of Neneh….to think she married this square 🤦‍♂️

[@Mike-l7k7e]

Live from England... it's The World's Gayest Band!

[@knabzco]

This is so so bad

[@christeuma]

I need you to understand two things - 1. Music is subjective - 2. You are wrong

[@twatmunro9563]

Phew! I thought it was just me who thought it sucked.

[@jlouis4407]

This is odd

[@wavelengthrecords-1]

This song is fucking terrible.

[@sirpercivalsmallcock-jones9585]

Not brilliant, is it? They could have at least put a little more imagination into the chorus, rather than just repeat the song's title over and over again.

[@samuelh.invisible6677]

Lol these two guys come across as severely dodgy

[@80ssynthfan48]

McVey married Neneh. Lucky fellow.