Post-punk/new wave band The Opposition was founded in early 1979 in London, England, by Mark Long (vocals, guitar), Ralph Hall (drums), Chris Thompson (bass, vocals), and Dave Woolfson (keyboards, saxophone). Their early sound was characterized by a mix of new wave and reggae. Signed by Hansa/Ariola in September 1979, the band recorded several tracks in November and December 1979 in preparation for an album and a single (“This Year” B/w “Punishment of Luxury,” released in February 1980). In January 1980, Chris Thompson left and was replaced by Jim Rose, who continued to record with the band for the album, but Ariola refused to release it (until 2005 when Right Back Records finally released it). Meanwhile, the band undertook a short tour, but without record label support, the quartet broke up in September 1980. They quickly reformed as a trio with Mark Long, Ralph Hall, and Marcus Bell (bass, keyboards, bass pedals) and formed a long-term partnership with producer Kenny Jones, releasing the single “Very Little Glory” in November 1980 on their newly formed label, Double Vision Records (featuring two tracks by the band Victims of Circumstance on the B-side). Their stylistic approach became more nuanced, alternating between dark, atmospheric moods and sharp, edgy ones. The trio followed up with the albums Breaking the Silence (1981) and Intimacy (1982) on Double Vision Records, as well as Promises (1984) and Empire Days (1985) on Virgin, Charisma. After the Empire Days promotional tour in November 1985, the trio disbanded. Mark Long and Marcus Bell formed the short-lived duo So, releasing the album Horseshoe in the Glove (1988), but The Opposition eventually returned with various lineups (with Mark Long as a permanent member, Marcus Bell remained with the band until the release of the album Blinder. Ralph Hall returned for The Class of ‘66 up to and including Somewhere in Between), releasing the albums Blue Alice Blue (1990), War Begins at Home (1994), Blinder (2003), The Class Of 66 (2009), Love and Betrayal (2011), Somewhere in Between (2017), Hope (2021), as well as various studio and live archive albums such as New York, Paris, Peckham (2004), Lost Album (2005), Hive: EPs, B-Sides, Remixes (2006), If She’d Only Heard Of Ray Charles: A Broader View (2006)….
Marcus Bell died from cancer in December 2014. The Opposition came to an end with the passing of Mark Long from cancer in 2022.