311 Hello Billy Joel - Just The Way You Are

Chart  entered  : 11  February  1978

Chart  peak  : 19

Number  of  hits  : 20

A  funny  one  this.  I  really  like  some  of  this  guy's  songs  but  I  loathed  everything  from  his  most  successful  album - in  the  UK - and  would  put  its  title  track  on  the  shortlist  for  worst  single  of  all  time.

William  Joel  was  born  in  The  Bronx  in  1949  to  Jewish  parents, his  father  a  German  refugee  and  classical  pianist. Young  Billy  accordingly  took  piano  lessons  from  an  early  age  and  while  still  at  school  played  in  bars  to  help  his  mother  make  ends  meet  after  his  parents'  divorce  in  1957. He  failed  to  graduate   as  a  result  but  eventually  rectified  this  in  1992 !  He  took  up  boxing  for  a  while  with  some  success  on  the  amateur  circuit  but  decided  to  quit  after  his  first  broken  nose.

Billy's  yet  another  who  credits  The  Beatles  on  Ed  Sullivan  as  the  starting  point for  his  pop  career. He  was  in  a  number  of  bands  in  the  mid-sixties  as  well  as  doing  session  work; he  played  on  a  demo  of  Leader  of  the  Pack.  In  1967  he  joined  the  band  The  Hassles  a  Psychedelic / R  &B  band  who  already  had  a  contract  lined  up  with  United  Artists. They  released  their  eponymous  debut  LP  later  that  year. Though  mostly  comprised  of  soul  covers  it  is  worth  checking  out  although  you  could  be  forgiven  for  thinking  you're   listening  to   a  Small  Faces  tribute  band ;  singer  John  Dizek  has  Steve  Marriott  off  to  a  T  and  Billy  matches  Mac's  prowess  on  the  Hammond. The  first  single  was  a  cover  of  Sam  and  Dave's  "You've  Got  Me  Hummin"  which  huffs  and  puffs  without  going  anywhere  exciting. The  follow-up  "Every Step I  Take" is  credited  to  Billy  and  their  two  producers  and  is  a  better  attempt  at  a  pop  single  with  a  rousing  chorus  and  a  distinctive  violin  part . Billy  wrote  two  other  tracks  on  the  album, the  opening   instrumental  "Warming  Up"  and   the  lively   "I  Can  Tell"  with  its  Rod  Argent-esque  jazzy  organ  break.

Billy  was  sole  composer  of  their  next  single  "Four  O  Clock  in  the  Morning"  in  August  1968,  an  ambitious  attempt  at   fractured  Beatles/ Bee  Gees  pop  melodrama  that  probably  deserved  a  bit  more  attention.  Dizek  quit  the  band  shortly  afterwards  leaving  Billy  the  undisputed  main  man. He  took  over  as  lead  vocalist  and  wrote  or  co-wrote  all  the  songs   on  their  second  album "Hour  of  the  Wolf ". "Night  After  Day",  the  second  single,  was  one  of  the  solo  efforts  and  it's  another  heavily  Beatles-influenced number  ,  a self-pitying  ballad  with  Billy  sounding  like  George . It's  good  but  elsewhere  on  the  album  they  fall  prey  to  prog  tendencies  with  drum  solos, pseudo-classical  sections  and  jazz  passages. The  12  minute  title  track   with  its  animal  noises  is  particularly  testing.

After  one  more, standalone,  single  "Travellin'  Band"   in  September  1969   which  sounds  like  an   early  Deep  Purple  rocker , The  Hassles  slimmed down  to  a  duo  of  Billy  and  drummer  John  Small, calling themselves  Attila.  They  produced  one  eponymous  LP,   of  noisy  prog  metal  in  the  vein  of  Uriah  Heep,  in  1970  which  was  absolutely  excoriated  by  the  critics. No  singles  were  forthcoming  and  the  band  broke  up  abruptly  when  Billy  eloped  with  Small's  wife  Elizabeth. Shortly  after  this  Billy  claims  to  have  tried  to  commit  suicide  by  drinking  furniture  polish.

Nevertheless  he  soon  got  a  solo  deal  with  Artie  Ripp's  Family  Productions  label  and  released  his  first  album  "Cold  Spring  Harbor"  an  excellent  collection  of  songs  with  "Why  Judy  Why"  and  the  suicide-referencing  "Tomorrow Is  Today"  as  good  as  anything   as  he's  ever  written.  Famously  however  Ripp  as  producer  got  the  mastering  wrong  and  released  it  at  slightly  too  fast  a  speed  making  Billy  sound  like  a  chipmunk. Billy  was  furious  and  spent  the  next  couple  of years  trying  to  get  out  of  his  contract  which  he  eventually  managed  with  a  proviso  giving  Ripp  a  slice  from  all  his  recordings  up  to  1986.  The  album  was eventually  a  small  hit  in  1983  when  the  pitch  was  corrected. The  singles  were  the  bare  piano  ballads "She's  Got  A  Way"  in  November  1971  and    the  ultra -bleak  "Tomorrow Is  Today".  Neither  made  the  charts.

Billy  went  on  tour  and  was  clocked  by  a  Philadelphian  radio  executive. He  booked  Billy  to  do  an  exclusive  concert  for  the  radio  station. Billy  included  five  new  songs  in  the  set  including  the  anti-heroin  tale  "Captain  Jack"  which  drew  an  enormous  response  from  listeners. This  helped  clinch  the  deal  with  Columbia  Records  for  his  second  album  "Piano  Man" in  1973  which  reached  27  in  the  US. Despite  the  big  production  from  Michael  Stewart  I  find  it  less  appealing  than  his  debut  with  too  many  third  person  narratives  and  a  heavy  Elton  John  influence  on  many  of  the  tracks.

The  first  single  in  October  1973   was  the  title  track  ( shortened  to  Billy's  disgust  ) which  has  become  his  signature  song. A  bittersweet  account  of  his  recent  stint  at  a  supper  club  in  Los  Angeles  it  reached  number  25  in  the  US  but  doesn't  appear  to  have  been  released  here. The  chorus  has  the  same  melody  as  the  verses  and  Billy  himself  has  said  the  song  "doesn't  go  anywhere ( musically)". The  second  was  "Worse  Comes  To  Worst"  ,  a  repudiation   of  the  sentiments  of  "Tomorrow  Came  Today" in   favour  of  "I'll  Get  By"  stoicism  set  to  a  a  light  reggae  rhythm. It  got  to  number  80.  The  third  single  was  the  banjo-driven  country  tune  "Travellin  Prayer"  which  earned  Dolly  Parton  a  Grammy  when  she  covered  it  in  true  bluegrass  style  in  1999 . Billy's  original  reached  number  77. A  fourth  track  , "The  Ballad  of  Billy  The  Kid"  a  Wild  West  narrative  in  the  style  of  Carole  King's  Smackwater  Jack  was  released  as  a  single  to  test  the  UK  market  but  didn't  do  anything.

Billy  trod  water  commercially  with  his  next  LP  "Streetlife  Serenader"   which  reached  number  35  in  1974.  A  shortage  of  material  meant  there  were  two  instrumental  tracks  but  elsewhere  the  album  is  notable  for   the  cynicism  creeping  into  his  lyrics. "Roberta"  is  addressed  to  a  prostitute  while  "Weekend  Song"  proves  he  could  do  blue  collar  Everyman  grumbles  as  well  as  Mr  Springsteen. The  only  single  was  "The  Entertainer",  four   minutes  of   industrial  strength  bile  set  to   Pinball  Wizard   acoustic  arpeggios  and  synth  splashes.  It  reached  number  35   despite  the  line  " I've  laid  all  kinds  of  girls  "  ( go  Billy ! )

The  next  one  "Turnstiles"  took  a  couple  of  years  to  come  out  because  Billy  scrapped  the  original  recording  sessions  in  Nevada  and  re-located  to  New  York. This  in  turn  inspired  some  new  songs  for  the  album  which  was  eventually  released  in  May  1976.  It  was  a  big  disappointment  commercially  failing  to  reach  the  Top  100. It  wasn't  helped  by  the  choice  of  the  downbeat  chorus-free  "James"  ( Elton  John's  Daniel  without  the  tune )  as  first  single  which  missed  the  charts  completely.  The  error  was  compounded  by  sticking  the  album's  best  track, the  Spector  tribute  "Say  Goodbye  To  Hollywood"  on  the  B-side  to  the  next  single  behind  the  less  immediate  hymn  to  decadence  "I've  Loved  These  Days".

All  that  would  change  with  his  next  album "The  Stranger"  released  in  September  1977.  The  lead  single  was  possibly  my  favourite  of  all  his  songs,  "Movin'  Out  ( Anthony's  Song )"  a  proto-slacker  anthem  from  the  point  of  view  of  a  young  man  who  rejects  the  upwardly  mobile  immigrant  dreams  of  his  community. The  jabbing  guitars  underline  the  dissension  in  the  verses  then  a  lovely  sax  line  accompanies  Anthony's   bitersweet  decision  to  leave  home  in  the  chorus. Inexplicably  it  wasn't  a  hit  the  first  time  round  but  got  to  number  17  when  re-released  six  months  later.

"Just  The  Way  You  Are "  was  the  second  single,  released  in  November  1977.  This  supper  club  classic  is  a  bit  too  laid  back  for  my  tastes. The  song  is  mostly  unashamedly  romantic  though  there's  a confession  of  laziness  in  the  second  verse  that  raises  the  suspicion  that  Billy  doesn't  want  his  partner  to  develop  and  mature. Musically  it  owes  a  lot  to  I'm  Not  In  Love  with  that  woozy  electric  piano  sound  and  the  choral  synths  just  the  way  they  were. It  reached  number  3  in  the  US. Here  it  did  better  for  Barry  White  at  the  other  end  of  the  year.

310 Goodbye Sweet - Love Is Like Oxygen

Chart  entered  :  28  January  1978

Chart  peak  : 9

I'm  probably  biased  here  because  they  were  my  musical  first  love  but  I  think  that  if  Sweet's  music  was  held  in  a  higher  regard  the  tale  of  their  decline  and  disintegration  would  be  recognised  as  the  saddest  in  pop.

I  thought  they  were  shot  in  1976  when  their  single  "Lies  In  Your  Eyes"  failed  to  crack  the  Top  30  despite  an  appearance on  Top  of  the  Pops, but  after  three  flops and  a  change  of  label  from  RCA  to  Polydor,  they  pulled  this  last  Top  Tenner  out  of  the  bag. "Love  Is  Like  Oxygen"  was  written  by  Andy  Scott  and  someone  called  Trevor  Griffin  and  showcases  a  fuller  AOR  sound  with  more  keyboards,  not  a  million  miles  away  from  ELO  as  many  have  commented. After  a  long  two  part  intro  those  familiar  high  harmonies  kick  in  with  the  chorus. Then  all  but  tip-toeing  hi-hats  and  twinkly  keyboards  drop  out  and  you  have  Brian  Connolly , quiet  and  fragile  on  the  verses. These  sections  are  beautiful  and  with  the  benefit  of  hindsight  unbearably  poignant. "Time  on  my  side"  he  begins,  just  three  years away  from  the  multiple  heart  attacks  that  would  wreck  his  life.  This  might  be  the  best  example  of  going  out  on  a  high  in  the  whole  story.  They  appeared  on  Top  of  the  Pops  de-glammed  with  a  couple  of  extra  musicians  and  Andy  sporting  both  face  fuzz  and  a  makeshift  rosette  for  Wrexham  FC  who  were  enjoying  a  good  Cup  run  at  the  time ). It  was  nominated  for  an  Ivor  Novello  award but  lost  out  to  Baker  Street.

What  followed  is  hard  to  recount  because  not  only  is  it  painful  there  are  multiple versions  of  every  incident ,  sometimes  from  the  same  person  in  different  interviews. I  tend  to  regard  Steve  Priest  as  the  most  reliable  witness  because  until  relatively  recently  he  had  no  iron  in  the  fire. ( Drummer  Mick  Tucker  appears  to  have  been  a  more  private  person  and  his  version  of  events  has  largely  gone  unrecorded ). The  first  seed  of  their  decline  was  sown  nearly  four  years  prior  to  this  single  when  Brian's  throat  was  damaged  in  a  scuffle  outside  a  night  club  in  Hayes. This  incident  is  still  shrouded  in  conjecture. Steve  recounts  that  Brian  told  him  he  heard  someone  say  "Stamp  on  his  throat  , that  should  do  the  trick "  and  it  was  a  contract  job. Andy  on  the  other  hand  has  said  it  was   somebody  else's  quarrel  and  Brian  needn't  have  got  involved  though  it  has  to  be  said  it's  a  bit  unusual  for  a  fight  to  result  in  a  throat  injury. The  upshot  was  that  the  band  had  to  pull  out  of  a  support  slot  to  The  Who's  concert  at  Charlton  Athletic's  The  Valley.  It's  been  suggested  that  the  rest  of  the band  resented  missing  out  on  the  opportunity  to  establish  some  credibility  though  it's  hard  to  believe  they  thought  one  prestigious  gig  would  erase  memories  of  "Co  Co  "  and  "Poppa  Joe".

When  Brian  recovered  they  broke  away  from  Chinn  and  Chapman , a  decision  vindicated  when  their  self-written  "Fox  on  the  Run"  became  a  huge  worldwide  hit  although  it  was  noticed  that  Brian's  voice  was  raspier  and  less  mellifluous  than  before. That  was  particularly  notable  on  the  heavy  follow-up  "Action"  ( the  hit   I  found  hardest   to  love )  where  he's  shouting  rather  than  singing.  The  problem  was  exacerbated  by  heavy  drinking  and  smoking  and  he  only  sang  lead  on  five  of  the  tracks  on  the  "Level  Headed"  album.

After  this  the  band  started  an  American  tour  which  hit  the  rocks  when  Brian  was  drunk  and  incapable  at  a  couple  of  gigs  attended  by  record  company  executives. Possibly  as  a  result  of  this,  the  UK  release  of   the  follow-up  single  "California  Nights"  was  shelved  although  the  record  was  a  Top  30 hit  in  Germany  and  their  last  minor  US hit  ( number  76 ).  It's  a  semi-acoustic  number  similar  to  their  1974  hit  "The  Six  Teens"  with  Steve  Priest  on  serviceable  lead  vocals  and  nicks  its  cautionary  theme  and  the  California/ warn  ya  rhyme  from  the  Albert  Hammond  classic  It  Never  Rains  In  Southern  California . It  probably  would  have  been  a  minor  hit  here  if  released.  The  video, as  usual  a  straight  performance  clip  has  Brian  off  right  in  the  shadows  playing  an  acoustic; whether  that  was  to  help  phase  him  out  or  merely  to  disguise  his  lack  of  prowess  on  the  instrument  I  don't  know  but  it  seems  indicative  of  where  things  were  going  in  the  band. It  is  probably  the  last  footage  of  the  quartet  performing  together.

Andy  wanted  Brian  out  after  the  American  disasters  but  the  other  two  weren't  convinced  that  was  the  right  move. Relations  between  Andy  and  Brian  got  so  bad  that  it  was  agreed  that  Brian  would  put  down  his  vocals  for  the  next  LP  "Cut  Above  The  Rest"  in  a  separate   session  with  just  Mick  handling  the  production  duties. Brian  laid  down  a  couple  of  tracks, the  quality  of  which  brought  Steve  and  Mick  round  to  Andy's  point  of  view  and  in  March  1979  it  was  announced  that  Brian  was  leaving  the  band,  apparently  of  his  own  volition. Brian  later  accused  the  others  of  deliberately  writing  songs  in  a  key  that  made  it  difficult  for  him  to  sing  to  justify  sacking  him  but  it  should  be  noted  that  at  the  time  Brian  said  he  was  going  in  a  country  rock  direction  because  it  made  less  demands  on  his  voice.

Whatever  the  truth  the  die  was  cast  and  the  split  didn't  benefit  either  party. The  band  decided  to carry  on  as  a  trio , split  lead  duties  between  them  and  completed  the  album  without  using  the  vocals  Brian  had  already  recorded. The  first  release  in  March  1979   was  the  single  "Call  Me"  , a  reggae-flavoured  pop  number  with  a  classy  lyric  about  ringing  for  a  prostitute. Steve  sings  it  in  a  cod-Jamaican  accent   and  it  gets  worse  as  it  goes  along. It  reached  number  29  in  Germany, their  last  hit  single  anywhere.In  August  they  tried  again  with  "Big  Apple  Waltz"  , Steve's  ode  to  New  York  which  sounds  as  much  a  tribute  to  Queen  as  the  chorus  filches  from  We  Are  The  Champions  and  the  guitar  solo  is  classic  Brian  May. Two  flops  didn't  augur  well  for  the  album  when  it  was  released  in  October. It  was  a  very  minor  hit  in  the  U.S.  and  Australia  and  scraped  into  the  Top  50  in  Germany. It  is  listenable  though  the  soft  rock  tracks  on  the  second  side  go  on  too  long  and  it  does  include  the  execrable  "Discophony"  which  attempts  to  get  on  the  "Disco  sucks"  bandwagon  - sample  lyric : "Disco  ain't  worth  your  masturbating, rock  and  roll  will  still  keep  accelerating" -  and  wastes  some  of  Mick's  best  drumming. He  had  a  tragedy  to  deal  with  that  year  when  his  wife  Pauline  drowned  in  the  bath.

By  1980's  "Waters  Edge" , they  seem  to  have  lost  confidence  in  their  own  abilities  and  called  on  the  services  of  producer  Pip  Williams, an  associate  of  their  first  producer  Phil  Wainman  and  a  session  guitarist  who  had  played  on  their  early  hits. In  an  ironic  return  to  previous  practice  both  singles  were  written  by  outsiders. Williams  was  also  working  with  folk  rockers  Bardot  and  their  guitarist  Ray  McRiner  wrote  first  single  "Give  The  Lady  Some  Respect"  which  is  a  passable  power  pop  effort  with  Steve  now  sounding  like  a  cross  between  Jon  Anderson  and  Ozzy  Osborne . The  album  was  released  in  April  1980  to  complete  disinterest. The  follow-up  single "Sixties  Man"  (  written  by  Williams  and  Peter  Hutchins  ) saw  them  try  out  Buggles-style  synth  pop  to  no  avail. The  whole  album  sounds  like  they're  trying  on  different  hats  to  find  one  that  fits -  the  title  track  apes  Rainbow's  pop  metal  sound  and  is  actually  very  good  - but  you  suspect  that  nothing  under  the  Sweet  name  without  Brian  was  going  to  sell.

Williams  was  actually  working  with  Brian  at  the  same  time  and  produced  his  first  solo  single  "Take  Away  The  Music".  By  this  time  Polydor  were  wary  of  releasing  anything  Sweet-related  and  it  was  only  released  in  Germany  and  the  Netherlands. It's  a good-natured  country  rock  jaunt  with  Brian  in  good  voice  and  it  was  a  minor  hit  in  Germany. That  was  therefore  the  only  country  where  the  follow  up  "Don't  You  Know  A  Lady"  was  released.  Written  by  Roger  Greenaway  and  Mike  Leander  it's  an  intriguing  mix  of  seventies  bubblegum  and  Giorgio  Moroder  electro-disco  with  plenty  of  hooks  and  you  feel  Polydor  should  have  had  a  bit  more  faith  in  it. Again  it  was  a  hit  in  Germany.

Sweet  went  back  in  the  studio  to  record  another  album  without  Williams  but  it  was  pretty  clear  the  game  was  almost  up  for  them. They  toured  at  the  beginning  of  1981  but  effectively  split  up  after  a  gig  in  Glasgow  in  March. Steve  took  himself  off   to  Los  Angeles  for  a  twilight  career  in  low-key  session  work  while  Andy  fought  to  get  their  final  album , self-consciously  titled  "Identity  Crisis" , released. Eventually  it  was , towards  the  end  of  1982  , but  only  in  Germany  and  Mexico. It  veers  between  generic  pop  metal  and  U.S.  power  pop  with  only   the  Devo-ish  "Two  In  One"  another  sensitive  song  about  schizophrenia, standing  out  and  not  in  a  good  way. To  make  matters  worse  glam  contemporaries  Gary  Glitter, Alvin  Stardust  and  Slade  all  made  successful  returns  to  chart  action  in  1981

Brian  could  have  been  forgiven  a  chortle  at  his  ex-bandmates  abject  failure  to  thrive  without  him  but  he  had  other   things  on  his  mind  at  the  time. In  1981  he  was  admitted  to  hospital  with  bloating  and  suffered  the  first  in  a  series  of  heart  attacks  - not  all  in  one  night  as  is  sometimes  fancifully  reported  - but  serious  enough  for  him  to  have  the  last  rites  and  use  the  power  of  speech. When  it  was  recovered  through  therapy  his  Scottish  accent  had  gone. Brian  later  claimed  that  he  gave  up  alcohol  after  that  but  this  was  effectively  debunked  by  his  ex-wife  and  there's  no  consensus  on  when, if  ever, he  gave  up  the  booze.

By 1982  he  had  recovered  enough  to  put  out  a  final  solo  single on  Carrere, "Hypnotised"  a  pop  metal  song  written  by  Rainbow  singer   Joe  Lynn  Turner,  with  Brian  looking  very  different  with  shortish  dark  hair  on  the  sleeve.  He  sounds  a  little  ragged  in  places  but  certainly  still  capable  enough  to  record.  It's  a  decent  single  but  he'd  been  away  too  long  and  it  attracted  little  attention; it  certainly  wasn't  reviewed  in  either  Smash  Hits  or  Record  Mirror.  In  1983  he  put  together  a  band,  Connolly's  Encore  to  support   up  and  coming  US  rocker  Pat  Benatar  on  three  British  dates  but  couldn't  find  a  record  deal. Later  that  year  Andy  re-emerged  with  "Kruggerands"  on  the  tiny  Statik  label . It's   an  ugly  piece  of  synth  rock  bombast  that  became  a  Top  10  hit  in  South  Africa   but  nowhere  else  despite  a  big  budget  video  with  Andy  doing  his  best  to  look  like  Bowie. 

In  1984  the  group  started  to  enjoy  a  reappraisal  with  artists  such  as  George  Michael  declaring  themselves  as  fans. A  clever  little  label  Anagram  acquired  the  rights  to  their  back  catalogue  and  scored  a  minor  hit  with  a   remixed  medley  of  their  biggest  tunes. Brian  and  Andy  sought  to  capitalise  on  this. Brian  formed  the  New  Sweet  with  some  mates  and  put  a  tour  together  for  the  autumn .  One  guy  at  my  hall  of  residence  suggested  we  go  and  see  the  Leeds  gig  but  Brian  collapsed  at  an  earlier  date  and  the  rest  of  the  tour  got  cancelled. Andy's  subsequent   singles  "Let  Her  Dance"  from  September   and  "Invisible "  from  November  are  both  over-produced  Euro - pop   monstrosities  that  deserve  to  be  forgotten.

Brian's  troubles  multiplied  in  1985. His  wife  Marion  left  him  and  they  got  divorced  the  following  year. On  top  of  this  he  ( and  the  others  )  got  hit  with  a  massive  tax  bill. Brian  had  to  sell  his  home   to  pay  it   and  move  into  a  council  flat.

In  1985  Andy  and  Mick  got  a new  line  up  of  Sweet  together  ( Steve  pulled  out  at  the  last  minute ) and  became  a  successful  touring  band  in  their  old  markets  although  they  didn't  find  much  interest  when  attempting  to  record  new  material.

Brian  was  hospitalised  again  in  1987  but   came  out  looking  for  a  German  record  deal.  That  didn't  materialise  but  he  did  record  a  vocal  for  original  Sweet  member  Frank  Torpey  on  a  song  called  "Sharontina"  eventually  released  in  1998. Unfortunately  it's  even worse  than  the title  suggests  and  Brian  sounds  like  he  was  heavily  medicated  at  the  time.

Still  he  got  back  on  the  road  and  the  following  year  the  whole  band  responded  to  an  invite  from  Mike  Chapman  to  re-record  some  of  their  hits  in  LA  at  his expense. Chapman  hadn't  kept  in  touch  and  was  horrified  at  his  physical  deterioration. Brian  was  shaking, limping  and  looked  prematurely  aged. After  recording  a  couple  of  numbers  it  was  clear that  his voice  had  deteriorated  too  much  to  continue  and   the reunion  was  aborted.

Two  years  later  the  band  reunited  for  the  last  time  to  do  a  promotional  interview  and  signing  session  for  a  video  release  featuring  the  band's  story  at  Tower  Records. It  wasn't  a  comfortable  experience. Andy  starts  the  interview  by  asking  the  poor  girl  conducting  it  "Do  you  know  what our  names  are  ?"  and  Brian's  condition  is  the  elephant  in  the  room  though  he's  doing  his  best  to  keep  up  with  the  others  who  all  look  at  least  20  years  younger  than  him. Brian  went  off  to  Australia  with  his  own  band  but  was  hospitalised  on  arrival. They  managed to  play  a  few  dates  when  he  was  discharged. He  formed  a  loose  partnership  with  Mud's  Les Gray  in  the  UK.

In  1991  Mick  departed  from  Andy's  Sweet  in  acrimonious  circumstances  as  his  own  health  began  to  fail. He  was  later  diagnosed  with  leukaemia. Andy  carried  on  and  began  a  legal  tussle  with  Brian  over  the  name  eventually  reaching  a  compromise  where  their  respective  bands  became  Andy  Scott's  Sweet  and  Brian  Connolly's  Sweet. The  band's  rehabilitation  continued  apace  with  hit  covers  of  "Ballroom  Blitz"  by  actress Tia  Carrere  and  more  significantly  "Action"  by  Def  Leppard  which   was  a  band  composition  bringing  in  considerable  royalties.

This  allowed  Brian  to  move  back  up  in  the  world  and  buy  a  house  for  himself  and  new  partner  Jean  in  suburbia. Then  another  revenue  stream  materialised, Someone  came  up  with  the  story  that  Brian  was  the  brother  of  Mark  McManus  the  star  of  Taggart . Brian  was  the  illegitimate  son  of  a  waitress  who  had  been  adopted  from  birth  by  a  couple  called  McManus  who  were  aunt  and  uncle  to  the  actor. Whether  Brian  instigated  the tale  isn't  known  but  he  certainly  milked  it  giving  interviews  to  the press  about  "big  brother  Mark"  and  introduced  the  idea  that  McManus's  father  was  his  own  which  the  family  insist  is a  complete  fabrication. You  could  smile  at  the  idea  of  Brian  making  a  few  bob  out  of  tabloid  guillibility  were  it  not  for the  fact  that  he  had  snubbed  his  foster  family  for  decades, attending  neither  of  his  foster  parents'  funerals,  and  now  suddenly  he  was  slandering  them  for  cash.

In  1994  Brian  attended  Steve's  daughter's  wedding  and  they  did  a  couple  of  numbers,which  is to  date , the  last  time  two  members  performed  together

His  improved  financial  fortunes  could  do  nothing  to  repair  his  constantly  deteriorating  health  with  a  wasting  disease  causing  him  constant  pain.  By  some  miracle  he  was  able  to  father  a  son  Brian  in  1995. The  Glam  Rock  Top  10  filmed  him  from  a  respectful  distance  though  it  was  clear  he  was  in  a  bad  way  but  the  following  year's  documentary  Don't  Leave  Me  This  Way, to which  all  four  members  contributed,  included  harrowing  close-ups  which made  it  difficult  to  watch.  Just  a  few  months  later  in  February  1997  he  was  dead  of  liver  failure. Jean  claimed  that  he  felt  the  programme  was  unfair  and  that  had  finished  him  off. Having  watched it  a  few  times  I  can't  really  agree  that  it  was  unjust  to  him; more  likely  it  brought  home  how  far  he'd  fallen  shuffling  his  way  into  holiday  camps  to  shout  his  way  through  the  hits.

Andy  wasn't  happy  with  the  programme  either  and  claimed  that  shared  anger  had  effected a  reconciliation  between  him  and  Brian  with  tentative   plans  to  go  on the  road  together  but there's  been  no corroboration  of  that  from  Brian's   family. He  and  Steve  attended the  funeral  but  Mick was  too ill  to  go. He   was  able  to  appear on  This  Is  Your  Life  for  Suzi  Quatro in 1999  looking  rather  frail  and  died  three  years  later.

In  2008  Steve  finally  succumbed  to  the  temptation  to  get  back  on  the  road  but  not  with  Andy  so  there  are  two  versions  of  the  band  once  again. However  as  Steve  stays  in  North  America and  Andy  in  Europe  there  isn't  really  a  need  for  any  legal  tussle. In 2009  Andy  was  diagnosed  with prostate  cancer  but is  currently  in  remission,

So  that's  how  my  first  favourites  ended  up. The  band  that  replaced  them  ( briefly )  will  be  along  shortly.













  



  

309 Hello Elvis Costello - Watching The Detectives

Chart  entered  : 5  November  1977

Chart  peak : 15

Number  of  hits : 36  ( including  2  as  "The  Impostor" )

If  Stiff  had  got  their  distribution  act  together  and  adequately  stocked  the  York  branch  of  W.H.  Smith's  over  the  Christmas  period , this  would  have  been  the  first  single  to  feature  here  that  I  actually  bought. It  wasn't  in  stock  on  30.12.77  so  I  made  do  with  Jonathan  Richman's  Egyptian  Reggae  instead.

It's  an  inescapable  part  of  pop  that  most  artists  end  up  disappointing  you  whether  there's  a  sudden  unwelcome  change  of  direction  ( e.g. Spandau  Ballet, Paul  Weller )  or  just  a  moment  when  you  realise  that  you  don't  need  another  of  their  LPs  ( Erasure ). In  my  case  I  don't  think  there's  any  other  artist  where  it's  harder  to  recall  my  initial  enthusiasm  than  Elvis  Costello . He dropped  nearly  everything  that  appealed  to  me  and  now I  see  him  as completely  redundant, his  latest  "unlikely  collaboration" one  of  the  most  predictable  events  in  the  pop  calendar.

EC  was  born  Declan  Patrick  McManus  in  London  in  1954  to  Scouse  Irish  parents.  His  father  Ross  was  a  noted  bandleader  and  trumpeter  who'd  cut  a  few  singles  himself, the  last  under  the  pseudonym  Day  Costello  in  1970,  but  whose  most  lasting  recorded  work  was  the  "Secret  Lemonade  Drinker"  jingle  for  R  White's  in  the  mid-seventies. Declan  moved  with  his  mother  to  Birkenhead  in  1971. He  returned  to  London  after  finishing  school  and  played  the  pub  scene  with  a  band  called  Flip  City   (  his  stage  name  was  D.P. Costello  )  for  a  couple  of  years  before  returning  to  Bootle  to  work  as  a  computer  operator  for  Midland  Bank. He  sent  out  demo  tapes  and  was  picked  up  by  Stiff's  Jake  Riviera  who  suggested  he  purloin  his  first  name  from  the  not-yet-dead  Mr  Presley  to  grab  attention. They  initially  wanted  him  to  write  songs  for  Dave  Edmunds  but  the  demoes  he  recorded  with  musicians  from  the  second  rate U.S. country  rock   outfit  Clover  who  were  in  town  were  deemed  good  enough  for  release.

His  debut  single  was  "Less  Than  Zero"  released  in  March  1977. It  was  inspired  by  a  recent  TV  interview  with  the  veteran  fascist  leader  Sir  Oswald  Mosley  where  he  tried  to  smooth  over  his  history  of  anti-semitism  detailed  in  a  recent  book  about  his  sister-in-law  Unity  Mitford. The  song  seems  to  be  a  "come  and  sue  me"  challenge  to  Mosley,  equating  his  political  passion  with  sexual  deviancy. Radio  unsurprisingly  avoided  it,  aided  in  their  decision   by  the  jagged  bumpiness  of  the  music  with  its  overlong  pauses. It  did  get  him  some  column  inches  in  a  year  not  short  of  pop  controversies.      

His  follow up  single   in  May  1977   was  "Alison", one  of  the  best-known  non-hits  of  the  decade. Though  Linda  Ronstadt  interpreted  it  as  a  straight  ballad , it's  nothing  of  the  sort.  A  spurned  lover  sees  his  ex   trapped  in  an  unhappy  marriage  and  pretends  to  offer  sympathy  but  really  just  pours  salt  in  the  wound. It's  a  great  tune  but  somewhat  let  down  by  the  guitar  playing  of  John  McFee  whose  woozy  little  riffs  don't  match  the  intensity  of  words  and  vocal.

In  July  his  debut  album  "My  Aim  Is  True" was  released  and  Elvis  was  persuaded  to  jack  in  his  day  job  with  Stiff  promising  to  make  up  his  lost  wages. I  know  some  herald  it  as  a  classic; I  feel  it  falls  a  bit  short  of  that  with  too  much  genre-hopping  and  a  general  airlessness  in  Nick  Lowe's  budget  production  but  certainly  it  heralded  a  new  voice  in  pop. Several  of  the  songs  are  told  from  the  point  of  view  of  the  scowling  vengeful  nerd  suggested  by  Elvis's  appearance  on  the  cover  with  a  side  salad  of  self-loathing  as  in  the  Dr  Feelgood -influenced  tale  of  sexual  incompetence  "Mystery  Dance". There's  evidence  of  pop  nous  in  the  sprightly  "Red  Shoes"  which  was  duly  released  as  his  third  single  a  week  later. Although  it  didn't  break  his  singles  chart  duck  the  album  got  to  number  14  helped  by  some  extra  publicity  when  Elvis  got  himself  arrested  for  a  one-man  protest  outside  the  London  offices  of  CBS  , the  cause  being  a  delay  in  getting  an  American  distribution  deal.

"Watching  The  Detectives"  was  recorded  in  May  1977  with  the  rhythm  section   from  The  Rumour. Steve Nieve  overdubbed  some  keyboards  at  a  later  session. By  the  time  it  was  chosen  as  the  next  single  Elvis  had  formed  his  own  band  including  Nieve  who  played  and  were  credited  as  artists  on  the  live  tracks  on  the  B-side  but  you'll  have  to wait  a  few  posts  before  we  consider  them.

It's  a  wonderful  complex  song,  again  told  from  the  point  of  view  of  someone  who's  so  sexually  inadequate  his  girlfriend  prefers to  watch  cop  shows  ( or  50s  detective movies )  to  getting  it  on. Elvis  miserably  runs  through  the  tropes  before  his  desperate  pass  ends  the  liaison- "It  only  took  my  little  fingers  to blow  you  away". The  song  uses  a  hypnotic  reggae  rhythm  to  carry  the  knife-edge  tension  in  the  song  and  Elvis  manages  to  find  enough  space  for  all  his  clever  lines  , each  one  of  which  is  eminently  quotable.  It's  one  of  his  better  vocal  performances  as  well  , capturing  the  narrator's  desperation  without  resorting  to  his  trademark  sneer.

I'd  never  heard  of  him  before  Noel  Edmunds  introduced  him  on  Top  of  the  Pops  and  it  seemed  thrillingly  sacrilegious  to  pair  the  name  of  the  lately  dead  King  of  Rock  with  that  of  a  chubby  comedian. Then  there  was  his  appearance. I  don't  think  I  knew  what  Buddy  Holly  had  looked  like  at  the  time  so  Elvis  looked  startlingly  out  of  place  to  begin  with  then  there  was  the  Ron  Mael  malevolence  of  his  glare  to  camera  and  the  angry vein-popping  delivery  of  the  sinister  song. I  was  hooked  immediately ; it's  a  pity  I  couldn't  actually  buy  it  when  the  opportunity  arose.

308 Hello Darts - Daddy Cool / The Girl Can't Help It

Chart  entered :  5th  November  1977

Chart  peak  : 6

Number  of  hits : 12

This  lot  provided  some  welcome  competition  for  Showaddywaddy  in  the  rock  and  roll  revivalist  market.  They   were  mainly  formed  out   of  refugees  from  two  separate  bands  so  we'll  start  with  the  strand  that  goes  back  the  furthest.

Drummer  John  Dummer  was  born  in  Surbiton  in  1944. In  1963  he  formed  the  band  Lester  Square  and  the  GTs  who  played  the  German  club  scene  for  a  couple  of  years. Returning  to  London  in  1965  he  formed  the  John  Dummer  Blues  Band  with  another  drummer  so  he  could  be  the  lead  vocalist  and  harmonica  player  though  he  soon  realised  his  talents  in  this  direction  were  limited  and  retreated  back  to  his  kit. The  band  had  a  residency  at  the  Studio  51  Club   and  had  the  respect  of  visitors  such  as  John  Mayall  and  Alexis  Korner. Bassist  Iain  "Thump"  Thompson  ( born  1946  in  Aberdeen )  had  joined  by  the  time  they  got  a  record  contract  with  Mercury  in  1968. I  haven't  heard  their  first  single  "Travelling  Man"  which  wasn't  included  on  their  debut  LP  "Cabal"  which  is  half  covers  and  half  originals  written  by  guitarist  Dave  Kelly  whose  sister  Jo  Anne  handled  some  of  the  vocals. It's  a  competent  enough  approximation  of  the  music  they  loved  but  like  the  Bluesbreakers  they  lacked  that  commercial  spark  to  attract  a  wider  audience. Their  second , self-titled  album  let  in  some  country  influences  as  on  the  single  , Kelly's  "Try  Me  One  More  Time"  which  is  a  decent  country  rock  number  although  Kelly  doesn't  have  the  strongest  of  voices. For  the  third  album "John  Dummer's  Famous  Music  Band " in  1970  he'd  gone  to  be  replaced  by  Nick  Pickett  whose  violin  helped  them  break  out  of  the  blues  straitjacket. He  wrote  the  opening  track  "Nine  By  Nine"  a  moody  jazz  instrumental  which  , when  released  as  a  single  went  all  the  way  to  number  one  in  France  early  in  1971  though  it  was  ignored  over  here. The  band  had  actually  split  up  but  John, Iain , Pickett  and  a  guitarist  quickly  got  together  again. The  trailer  single  for  the  fourth  album  "Blue ",   the  near-instrumental  "Medicine  Weasel" sounds  more  like  Jethro  Tull  than  Fleetwood  Mac  and  was  credited  to  The  John  Dummer  Band  featuring  Nick  Pickett.   Pickett  left  before  the  next  album  and  Kelly  returned. The  band's  name  was  changed  to  "The  John  Dummer  Oobeedoobee  Band"   for  the  1973  album  "Oobleedooblee  Jubilee". The  title  track  was  the  single  and  sounds  like  Mike  Oldfield  jamming  with  Matchbox  and  elsewhere  country  influences  temper  the  workmanlike  blues  numbers.  John  got  together  a  final  line  up  which  featured  future  Dire  Straits  man  Pick  Withers  for  another  album but  it  wouldn't  be  released  until  2008.  John  packed  up  his  drum  kit  and  went  into  A &  R  work  with  MCA, Elektra  and  A & M  although  he  didn't  mind  a  new  line  up  of  The  John  Dummer  Band  forming  to  play  the  London  pub  scene  without  him. This  involved  Kelly, Iain  and  a  new  guitarist  George  Currie  ( born  1950 in  Dundee ) .

In  the  meantime  down  in  Brighton  in  1974  a  guy  named  Robert  Podsiadly  re-christened  himself  Rocky  Sharpe  and  put  together  a  doo  wop  revival  group  to  back  him  called  the  Razors. The  line  up   included  three  other vocalists  Den  Hegarty  ( born  1954  in  Dublin ) , Rita  Ray  (  born  Lydia   Sowa  in  Ghana  in  1954 ) and   Griff  Fender  ( born  Ian  Collier  in  1954)   and  a  saxophonist    Horatio  Hornblower  ( born  Nigel  Trubridge  in  1957 )  . They  became  a  popular  live  act  and  got  to  do  a  couple  of  numbers  on  Janet  Street-Porter's  show  on  LWT  but  record  companies  weren't  very  interested. The  band  played  their  last  concert  in  May  1976. Almost  immediately  Rocky  got  a  deal  with  Chiswick  for  his  new  outfit  the  Replays  but  persuaded  them  to  put  out  a  four  track  EP  of  Razors  material ; actually  it's  all  covers , competently  executed  but  nothing  to  get  excited  about.

Den    was  the  main  instigator  in  getting  Darts  together  in  August  1976. He  kept  Rita, Griff  and  Horatio   on  board  then  recruited  Iain  and  George  and  persuaded  John  to  pick  his  sticks  up  again. The  line  up  was  completed  by  another  singer  Bob  Fish  ( born  1949 )  who'd  been  working  with  Southend  pub  rocker  Mickey  Jupp  and  piano  prodigy  William  "Hammy"  Howell  ( born  1954 ).   After  appearing  on  BBC  Radio  London  they  were  signed  up  by  Magnet  and  this  was  their  first  single.

It's  actually  a  medley  of  two  songs , "Daddy  Cool"  originally  a  B-side  for  US  doo-wop  outfit  The  Rays  in  1957  but  a  big  Australian  hit  for  the  band  Drummond  in  1971  and  Little  Richard's  "The  Girl  Can't  Help  It". Griff  does  the  lead  vocal  for  the  former  then  Den  takes  over  for  the  latter. Both  parts  - and  the  changeover  is  a  bit  clunky  -  are  performed  with  enough  energy  for  Darts  to  be  , at  least  initially, taken  under  the  "New  Wave"  umbrella  and  receive  favourable  reviews  despite  their  obviously  retro  stance . When  they  appeared  on  Top  of  the  Pops  , bonkers  bass  vocalist  Den  did  a  typically  manic  turn  which  involved  taking  out  Hammy  as  he  "played"   and  the  record  was  a  big  hit. It's  telling  that  all  subsequent  Showaddywaddy  singles  featured  a  prominent  bass  vocal  part  from  Romeo  Challenger.      

307 Hello Rainbow - Live (EP)

First  charted : 17  September  1977

Chart  peak : 44

Number  of  hits  : 10

These  guys  are  certainly  the  first  to  announce  themselves  with  an  EP  and  a  live  one  to  boot.

Here's  our  chance  to  update  the  Deep  Purple  saga. In  1973  the  classic  line  up  was  broken  up  by  Ian  Gillan  quitting  after  a  long  feud  with  Ritchie  Blackmore.  Ritchie  took  the  opportunity  to  push  Roger  Glover  out  as  well. However  their  replacements  David  Coverdale  and  Glen  Hughes  brought  in  new  influences  ( blues, R &  B )  that  Ritchie  found  unpalatable; according  to  Jon  Lord  he  referred  to  their  new  sound  as  ( ahem ) "shoeshine  music". He  by  contrast  was  having  cello  lessons  to  explore  new  chord  progressions  and  medieval  scales. When  the  other  members  declined  his  suggestion  to  cover  "Black  Sheep  of  the  Family"  a 1970  song  by  prog  rockers  Quatermass  he  turned  to  Ronnie  James  Dio , singer  with  a  band  called  Elf  who  had  recently  been  working  with  Roger  Glover  on  his  solo  album.

Ronnie  was  originally  Ronnie  Padovana    from  New  Hampshire born  in  1942  who  formed  his  first  band  when  he  was  15 .By  1958  they  were  Ronnie  and  the  Red  Caps  and  recorded  a  single  "Conquest" a  surprisingly  heavy  Link  Wray-type  instrumental  on  which  Ronnie  played  both  bass  guitar  and  trumpet. By  the  time  of  their  second  single  in  1961,  "An  Angel  Is  Missing"  he  was  a  Bobby  Vee  impersonator  on  lead  vocals. By  1963  they  were  Ronnie  Dio  and  the  Prophets  and  a  busy  touring  band  in  New  York  State  who  occasionally  got  into  a  recording  studio  although  some  of  their  output  was  credited  to  Ronnie  alone.

In  July  1963  they  credibly  covered  Dion's  "Gonna  Make  It  Alone" on  Lawn. At  the  end  of  the  year  "Mr  Misery"  was  released  on  Swan  as  a  Ronnie  solo  single.  Ronnie  wrote  the  song  and  it's  a  well  crafted  piece  of  echo-laden  teen  pop  that  could  easily  pass  for  a  Joe  Meek  production. The  last  single  credited  to  the  Prophets  was  a  version  of  "Love  Potion  Number  9" on  Valex  in  1964  which  as  you'd  expect  is  a  Merseybeat  facsimile  with  Ronnie  puffing  on  a   harmonica  and  no  better  than  routine. A  year  later  they  were  on  Swan  with  a  version  of  Mann  and  Weil's  "Where  You  Gonna  Run  To  Girl ?" which  is  ruined  by  a  hamfisted  production  by  Laurence  Weiss  with  the  drums  far  too  loud  n  the  mix. "Dear  Darlin" , recorded  for  the  Christmas  market  in  1965  is  a  maudlin  country ballad  sung  from  the  point  of  view  of  a  slain  soldier  where  he  proves  what  a  versatile  singer  he  was  with  a  credible  Hank  Williams  impersonation.

In  1967  the  group  had  another  make  over  and  became  The  Electric  Elves.  They  released  just  one  single  under  that  name  "Hey  Look  Me  Over"  which  sounds  like  The  Monkees  trying  to  rewrite  The  Who's  Substitute.  In  Februrary  1968  the  band  were  involved  in  a  serious  car   crash; Ronnie  himself  was  injured  but  long time  musical  partner  Nick  Pantas  the  only  other  survivor  from  the  Red  Cap  era  was  killed. They re-emerged  as  The  Elves  on  Decca   in  January  1969  with  "Walking  In  Different Circles"  a  decent  sunshine  pop  effort  and  "Amber  Velvet "  which  is  a  good  attempt  at  sounding  like  The  Turtles.

By  1972  they  were  abbreviated  to  Elf  and  pursuing  a  heavier  direction  with  Roger  Glover  and  Ian  Paice  on  board  as  producers  for  their  eponymous  album.  The  singles  "Sit  Down  Honey" ,  and   "Hoochie  Coochie  Lady"  are  hard-rocking  boogie  tunes  somewhere  between  Free  and  The  Faces. Roger  stayed  on  board  for  their  second  album  "Carolina  County  Ball"  in  1974  as  producer  and  string  arranger. The  single  "LA 59"  sounds  more  like  seventies  Stones. They  were  working  on  a  third  album  when  Ritchie  came  calling.

Ritchie  and  Ronnie  hit  it  off  so  well  that  the  single  project  became  an  album  project  and  the  other  members  of  Elf  were  drawn  in  to  record  the  album  "Ritchie  Blackmore's  Rainbow". The  album  was  completed  in  March  1975  and  Ritchie  played  his  last  Purple  show  in  April. His  departure  was  publicly  announced  in  June  and  the  album  was  released  in  August. Apart  from  the  Quatermass  track  and  an  instrumental  cover  of  the  Yardbirds'  Still  I'm  Sad   it  was  all  written  by  Ritchie  and  Ronnie  working  collaboratively  with  the  latter  writing  all   the  unfashionably  romantic  and  mystical  though  not  pretentious  lyrics  and  also  bringing  his  melodic  sense  to  the  music. The  result  is  a  strong  album  of  accessible  old  school  metal  which  sold  well  although  the  sole  single  "Man  On  The  Silver  Mountain"  wasn't  a  hit, possibly  because  Ritchie  was  too  busy  sacking  the  band  to  promote  it  effectively.

The  members  of  Elf  may  have  thought  that  they  were  now  part  of  Ritchie's  new  band  but  he  only  wanted  Ronnie  and  lost  no  time  in  sacking  them  and  bringing  in  new  musicians  of  his  own  choosing.

The  most  high  profile  of  these  was  drummer  Cozy  Powell. Born  Colin  Flooks  in  Cirencester  in  1947  he  learned  the  drums  at  school.  He  picked  up  "Cozy"  from  the  jazz  drummer  Cozy  Cole. He  started  playing  in  bands  from  15  and  played  in  Germany  with  The  Sorcerers  in  the  mid-sixties. In  1968  they  changed  their  name  to  Young  Blood  and  got  a  deal  with  Pye. They  made  three  singles  while  Cozy  was  with  them; I've  only  heard  the  first  of  them  "Green  Light"  which  sounds  anachronistic  for  1968  with  its  frenetic  R  &  B  sound  suggesting  the  mod  rather  than  pyschedelic  era.  Cozy  was  then  lured  away  by  troubled  ex-Move  man  Ace  Kefford  but  the  five  tracks  recorded  with  him  didn't  see  the  light  of  day  until  2003.

After  playing  with  Tony  Joe  White  at  the  Isle  of  Wight  festival  in  1970  Cozy  was  invited  to  take  his  distinctive  double  bass  drum  kit  into  the  resurrected  Jeff  Beck  Group   and  he  played  on  their  latter  two  albums  "Rough  and  Ready"  and  "Jeff  Beck  Group". The  former  produced  a  single  "Got  The  Feeling"  showcasing  an  uneasy  blend  of  heavy  drumming, Bobby  Tench's  routine  R &  B  vocals  and  Jeff  switching  between  wah-wah  funk  and  metal  theatrics  in  the  same  song. The  critics  didn't  like  this  incarnation  and  despite  extensive  touring  in  the  UK  and  US  sales  were  sluggish. The  band  dissolved  at  the  end  of  1972.

Cozy  immediately  reunited  with  the Ball  brothers  from  The  Sorcerers  and  singer  Frank  Aiello  to  form  Bedlam  who  released  one  eponymous  album  in  1973.  It's  competent   hard  rock  with  a  fashionably  funky  edge  but  doesn't  have  a  stand  out  track   to  break  them  out  of  support  slots. The  single  "I  Believe  In  You"  is  energetic  but  routine.  In  the  meantime  Cozy  was  quietly  amassing  a  tidy  sum  doing  session  work  for  Mickie  Most.

Most  then  offered  him  the  chance  to  record  as  a  solo  artist.  The  three  singles  he  recorded  for  RAK  were  all  hits. "Dance  With  The  Devil"  was  based  on  Hendrix's  Third  Stone  From  The  Sun  although  Most  and  Phil  Dennys  somehow  claimed  the  writing  credit. Cozy  became  the  first  artist  since  Sandy  Nelson  in  the  early  sixties  to  chart  with  a  drum-led  instrumental  and  it  eventually  peaked  at  number  3  early  in  1974.  The  rather  similar  " The  Man  In  Black"  got  to  number  18  in  May. Cozy  put  together  a  band, Cozy  Powell's  Hammer  with  Aiello  on  vocals   who  recorded  his  third  single  - though  it  was  credited  to  Cozy  alone - "Na  Na  Na",  a  drummer's  manifesto  with   brutally  uncompromising  breaks  and  an  intro  that  was  shall  we  say  an  influence  on  the Pistols'  Holiday  In  The  Sun.  It   reached  number  10,   then  answering  Ritchie's  call  put  his  solo  career  on  hold.

Bassist  Jimmy  Bain  was  a  Scot  born  in  1947. He  had  experience  playing  in  the  bands  Street  Noise  and  Harlot  but  they  went  unrecorded. Keyboards   player  Tony  Carey  was  a  much  younger  Californian  who  did  get  a  deal  for  his  band  Blessings  in  1972  but  owing  to  various  distractions  their  first  album  was  never  released. He  was  still  working  on  it  when  Ritchie  came  across  him  in  a  Hollywood  studio  and  invited  him  to  audition.

With  the  line  up  now  complete  Rainbow  went  out  on  tour  in  October  1975  and  recorded  the  album  Rising  in  February  1976. It's  harder  and  noisier  than  their  debut  with  Side  Two  containing  just   two  long  tracks  and  Tony  introducing  prog-y  synth  textures  to  the  sound. It's  more  difficult  for  a  non-metal  fan  to  get  into  although  when  the  Munich  Philharmonic  Orchestra  come  in  on  the  epic  "Stargazer"  the  scale  of  their  ambition  becomes  impressive. No  singles  were  released  from  it  but  the  LP  still  got  to  number  eleven.

The  bad  went  back  out  on  tour  in  the  summer  of  1976  and  their  concerts  in  Germany  and  Japan  were  recorded  for  a  live  album "On  Stage"  to  come  out  in  the  summer  of  1977. By  that  time  first  Jimmy  and  then  Tony  had  both  been  fired  despite  their  appearance  on  the  single  sleeve. The  album  featured  some  new  songs  that  hadn't  yet  been  recorded  in  the  studio. Chief  among  these  was  "Kill  The  King"  for  which  Cozy's  contribution  earned  him  a  writing  credit. Ronnie's  violent  lyric  was  actually  inspired  by  chess. Apart  from  the  organ  washes  it  sounds  like  the  soon-to-emerge  Iron  Maiden , with  the  band  playing  at  100 mph  and  Ronnie  bellowing  out  the  lyric  without  anything  like  a  melody  to  constrain  him. It  was  the  lead  track  on  the  EP; Guinness  just  lists  this  as  an  ordinary  single  under  that  title. "Man  On  the  Silver  Mountain"  is  an  extract  from  the  LP  where  it  was  combined  in  a  medley  with  two  other  tracks.  It  remains  a  much  better  song,  played  at  a  faster  tempo  than  the  original  version. "Mistreated"  is  another  extract  , this  time  from  a 13 minute version  of  a  Deep  Purple song  co-written  with  Coverdale  that  took  up  the  whole  of  Side  Three  of  the  LP.  The  bluesy  elements  are  still  there  and  the  band  do  it  justice. It  was  a  good  value  package  for  fans  but  with  its  lead  track  not  radio-friendly  they  can't  have  been  too  disappointed  with  its  placing.





        

306 Hello Billy Idol, Tony James and Bob Andrews* - Your Generation

(* as  part  of  Generation  X )

Chart  entered  : 17  September  1977

Chart  peak : 36

Number  of  hits :  Billy  20  ( 6  with  Generation  X, 14  solo ), Tony 14  ( 6  with  Generation X, 5 with  Sigue  Sigue  Sputnik, 2 with  Sisters  of  Mercy, 1  with  Carbon/Silicon ) Bob 10  ( 5  with  Generation X, 5  with Westworld  )

Tough  luck  on  drummer  Mark  Laff   on  the  left  who  was  the  only  one  in  this  line  up  not  to  have  subsequent  success on  leaving  the  band.

Like  The  Clash  Generation  X  had  its  roots  in  London  SS. Bassist  Tony  James  ( born  1953 ) was  a  maths  student  at  Brunel  University  when  he  joined  the  band  in  1975. The  following  year  he  and  drummer  John  Towe  quit  to  join  another  early  punk  band  Chelsea  with  singer  Gene  October  and  20  year  old  guitarist  and  pretty  boy  William  Broad  a  former  English  student   at  Sussex  University. He  was  a  prominent  member  of  the  so-called  "Bromley  Contingent"  of  Pistols  fans.

After  just  a  handful  of  gigs  the  other  three  decided  to  desert  October  and  form  their  own  band  naming  themelves  Generation  X   after  a  sociology  textbook  ( ironically  a  study  of  mods  in  the  60s )  owned  by  William's  mum.  William  changed  his  name  to  Billy  Idol  and  decided  to  be  the  singer. He  was  replaced  on  guitar  by  17  year  old  guitarist  Bob  "Derwood"  Andrews  who moved  over  from  a  band  called  Paradox. They  were  the  first  band  to  play  at  The  Roxy  ( ironically  set  up  as  a  punk  venue  by  October  )  in  December  1976. Towe  was  replaced  by  Mark  Laff  before  they  got  their  record  deal  with  Chrysalis  in  the  summer  of  1977.

" Your  Generation"  was  their  first  single. I  never  thought  much  of  them; they  had  the  sound  and  look  but  not  the  songs  and  hearing  "Your  Generation "  again  does  nothing  to  change  my  opinion. Written  by  Billy  and  Tony  it's  all  posture  and  no  substance, the  lyrics  a  disconnected  set  of  vaguely  threatening  slogans  couched  in  tell-tale  middle  class  politeness - "Might  take  a  bit  of  violence", "Actions  are  rather  hard  to  place" . They  run  out  of  ideas  half  way  through  and  repeat   the  whole  lyric  a  second  time. Billy  does  a  passable  Joe  Strummer  impersonation  and  Bob  runs  through  the  requisite  punk  shapes  until  he  forgets  where  he  is  and  starts  playing  a  few  bars  of  Paranoid  in  the  middle  eight   and  coda. There's  no  real  tune  to  be  found . I  don't  know  if  it  was  directly  aimed  at  Townsend  but  I  doubt  he'd  have  lost  any  sleep  if  it  were.

305 Hello The Boomtown Rats - Looking After Number One

Chart  entered : 27  August  1977

Chart  peak : 11

Number  of  hits : 14

Despite  the  lead  singer  being  rather  obviously  a  decent  bloke  this  lot  seem  to  be  the  least -loved  of  1977's  newcomers. Both  their  number  ones  got  a  rough  ride  on  Popular, Tony Wilson  liked  to  slag  them  off   and  Bob  Stanley  describes  them  as  "resolutely  unlovable".

They  were  formed  in  the  Dun  Laoghaire   suburb  of  Dublin  ( where  the  boats  from  Holyhead  come  in )  in  1975. The  original  impetus  came  from  talented  pianist  Johnnie  Moylett  ( later  "Fingers" ) and  guitarist  Gary  Roberts .  They  recruited  John's  diminutive  cousin  Pat  Cusack  ( soon  to  be  re-christened   Pete  Briquette,  a  joke  I  didn't  get  until  years  later ) , guitarist  Gerry  Cott , drummer  Simon  Crowe  and  the  flamboyant , opinionated  and  slightly  older, Bob  Geldof  to  be  frontman. Geldof's  grandparents  were  Belgian  and  Anglo-Jewish  and  he'd  recently  returned  from  Vancouver  where  he'd  briefly  worked  as  a  music  journalist   ( something  that , with  Steve  Harley's  example  before  him,  he'd  have  been  better  off  keeping  quiet  about  ) and  childrens' TV  presenter.

They  started  playing  their  energetic  brand  of  R  &  B  in  the  Dublin  pubs  but  Bob  quickly  discerned  that  now  might  be  a  good  time  to  move  to  England. His  instinct  was  right  and  they  were  soon  signed  up  to  the  newly-formed  Ensign  label  in  1976.

"Looking  After  No  1"  was  their  first  release, regarded  on  all  sides  with  great  suspicion. Its  proto-Thatcherite  championship  of   individualism  , whether  sincere  or  just  provocative  , hit  a  raw  nerve  with  Sir  Keith  Joseph  touring  the  country  preaching  the  gospel  according  to  Hayek  and  the  Left  increasingly  aware  that  the  initiative  had  been  taken  out  of  their  hands. Add  to  that  the  jealousy  previously  aimed  at  Harley  for  crossing  the  line  from  print  to  disc  and  it's  not  surprising  the  Rats  weren't  welcomed  with  open  arms. Were  they  punk  or  pub ?
You  could  jump  either  way ;  they  had  energy - Simon's  introductory  drum  roll  sets  a  furious  pace  - and  snotty  attitude  to  spare  and  in  Johnnie,  a  Sid Vicious  lookalike  but  they  could  clearly  play  a  bit. The  middle  eight  section  seems  to  tease  on  this  point  with  Gary  playing  a  few  power  chords  before  Gerry  takes  over  with  a  brief  Steve  Gibbons-ish  solo. Bob's  snarly  vocal  has  a  lot  of  Mick  Jagger  but  a  punk-ish  disregard  for  intelligibility  and  scansion.

The  lyric  of  course  is  beyond-ironic  in  the  light  of  subsequent  events - " Don't  give  me  love    thy  neighbour , don't  give  me  charity"  can  only  be  heard  now  with  a  wry  grin. The  Paul  Simon  paraphrase   and  direct  lift  from  Help  in  the  final  verse  perhaps  do  betray  the  ex-journos  self-conscious  awareness  of  pop  history  a  little.

It's  not  my  favourite  record  of  theirs; you're  exhausted  by  the  end  of  it  but  as  an  effective  opening  statement  for  a  band  who  thrived  on  confrontation  it's  right  on  the  money.