Urgent - Hearts Of Stone (1987) [2025]

Formed in the early Eighties, URGENT hailed from the suburban coastal town of Dun Laoghaire in Dublin. Dealing in atmospheric AOR / melodic Rock, they first appeared on the compilation album ‘Owl the Album’, which in turn lead to performances on the “RTE” television show ‘Borderline’.
Chris de Burgh offered them a support slot in front of 6.000 people in Dublin; they also played many more gigs in their home country and then released their first single called “Hearts of Stone” (with B-side ‘Live My Life’) on Debut Records in early 1987. ‘Hearts of Stone’ is quite possibly one of the greatest independent AOR singles ever released.
The atmospheric and poignant second 7” single, ‘Goodbye’, saw URGENT signed to a division of Polygram and charting in the Irish top 50. With many more amazing songs written in the following two years, the band undertook a fifteen-
date tour of Ireland, which resulted in them playing sold-out shows in Dublin, and undertook support slots with top Irish bands that resulted in them playing in several of Ireland’s more prestigious venues.
But regardless of all this exposure, that elusive record contract never progressed any further and sadly, due to internal issues, URGENT called it quits in early 1989.



Tracks:

7” single 1987:
01 – Hearts Of Stone
02 – Live My Life
7” single 1987:
03 – Goodbye
04 – If I Had You
Unreleased recordings 86 / 88:
05 – Step In Out Of The Rain
06 – Heaven
07 – To Be Wise
08 – Steal Your Heart Away
09 – Trapped
10 – Too Late

Personnel:

Arthur Whelan – Lead Vocals & Keyboards
Robert Young – Guitar & Keyboards
Howard Dunne – Lead Guitar & Backing Vocals
Bernard Molloy – Drums
Declan Caulfield – Bass