570 Hello Aerosmith - Dude ( Looks Like A Lady )

Chart  entered : 17  October  1987

Chart  peak : 45

Number  of  hits : 17

It  took  the  UK  over  a  decade  and  a  half  to  appreciate  this  lot,  with  the  help  of  a  hip  hop trio. The  Official  Charts  Company  errs  in  listing  "Walk  This  Way"  as  their  first  UK  hit  as they  were  not  credited  on  the  single  and  only  Steve  Tyler  and  Joe  Perry  contributed  to  it.

Aerosmith  began  to  form  in  1969  when  guitarist  Joe  Perry  ( born  Anthony  Pereira  1950 )  and  bassist  Tom  Hamilton  ( born  1951 )  formed   The  Jam  Band  to  play  the  blues.  After  basing  themselves  in  Boston  they  acquired  a  new  drummer  in  Joey  Kramer  ( born 1950 )  who  had  been  playing  in  R &  B  bands. In  1970,  they  were  on  the  same  bill  as  a  band  called  Chain  Reaction  with  a  singing  drummer  Stephen  Tyler  ( born  Steven  Tallarico  1948 ) . Steve  loved  them  and  suggested  merging  the band  with  him  vacating  the drum  school  to  Joey    and  concentrating  on  the  vocals. The  latter  came  up  with  the  name  Aerosmith.  They  recruited  a  rhythm  guitarist  called  Ray  Tabano   but  he  was  soon  replaced  by  Bradley  Whitford  ( born  1952 ).

Steve  and  Joe  were  big  Stones  fans  and  bore  a  passing  resemblance  to  Jagger  and  Richards  respectively. The  band  soon  developed  a  following  in  Boston  and  signed  a  deal  with  Columbia  in  1972. Their  eponymous  debut  album  was  released  at  the  beginning  of  1973. It's  derivative  and  unexceptional  but  decent  enough  for  a  debut.  The  lead  single  "Mama  Kin " is  a  no  nonsense  boogie  tune  about  keeping  in  touch  with  your  roots.  At  this  point  Steve  was  reluctant  to  display  his  full  vocal  range  and  sounds  more  like  Ian  Astbury  than  Robert  Plant.  It  wasn't  a  hit.  The  album  does  have  Stones  influences  but  owes  just  as  much  to  Free  and  Led  Zeppelin. The  follow-up  single  "Dream  On"  is  clearly  in  thrall   to  Stairway  To  Heaven   but  was  a  US   hit  nevertheless  reaching  number  59   ( 6  on  reissue  in   1976 ) .  The  album  wouldn't  make  the  chart  until  1976  when  it  reached  number  21.

The  next  album,  "Get  Your  Wings ",  in  1974  trod  much  the  same  ground  although  Steve  is  in  much  more  confident  form  as  a  singer  and  the  album  marked  the  beginning  of  a  long  partnership  with  producer  Jack  Douglas. Although  none  of  the  three  singles  were  U.S. hits , the  album  itself  got  to  number  74.

Their  real  breakthrough  came  with  "Toys  In  The  Attic"  in  1975. The  band  had  found  a  confidence  and  swagger  ( as  well  as  a  prodigious  intake  of  hard  drugs ) that  actually  makes  it  less  appealing  to  me  than  its  predecessors  but  I  can  understand  its  force  in  a  year  that's  become  a  byword  for  musical  torpor. The  album  came  out  in  April. The  lead  single  "Sweet  Emotion"  came  out  in  May  and  reached  number  36. The  follow-up  the  original  version  of   "Walk  This  Way"  a  tale  of  lost  virginity  set  to  a  Faces -style  bar-room  boogie   cracked  the  Top  10  and  helped  the  LP  to  number  11. A third  single  pairing  the  energetic  title  track  ( later  covered  by  REM )  with  a  shortened  version  of  the  impressive  piano  ballad  that  closes  the  LP , "You  See  Me  Crying"  didn't  chart.

The  band  followed  it  up  with  "Rocks"  in  1976   which  has  a  rawer,  more  metallic  sound. It  spawned   three  US  hit  singles, "Last  Child " ( number  21 ), "Home  Tonight  ( number  71 )  and  "Back  In  The  Saddle  ( number  38 )  which  helped  raise  it  to  number  3  in  the  US. The  UK  remained  resolutely  uninterested  in  the band.

Having  just  established  themselves  as  a  top  drawer  act  the  band  proceeded  to  lose  the  plot  through  heavy  drug  use  and  the  sessions  for  1977's  "Draw  The  Line"  were  difficult  and  protracted. Although  second  single  "Kings  and  Queens"  is  a  refreshing  break  from  their  cock  rock  with  some  dense  keyboard  work, the  other  songs   sound  both  over-worked  and   under-nourished  at  the  same  time. It  peaked  at  number  11  and  the  first  two  singles  were  hits  but  the  third, "Get  It  Up"  failed  to , ahem, rise  to  the  occasion  and  didn't  chart.

Their  problems  mounted  as  wives  and  girlfriends  became  enmeshed  in  the  intra-band  feuding  and  drug  use  escalated. Joe  quit  the  band  halfway  through  the  sessions  for  1979's  "Night  In  The  Ruts"  and  the  band  also  fell  out  with  Douglas, the  final  mix  being  supervised  by  Gary  Lyons. There's  an  air  of  "will  this  do ?"  throughout  the  album  with  the  three  covers  only  highlighting  how  uninspired  the  other  songs  are. Mary  Weiss  contributed  some  backing  vocals  to  the  poor  cover  of   "Remember  ( Walking  In  The  Sand ) ", the  only  single  taken  from  the  album  and  a  number  67  hit. The  album  reached  number  14  but  quickly  dropped  out  of  sight.

Joe  was  replaced  by  Jimmy  Crespo  but  things  got  worse  for  the  band. Steve  collapsed  on  stage  in  Portland, Maine  and  couldn't  complete  the  set  then  he  fell  off  his  motorbike  and  was  hospitalised  for  two  months. A  "Greatest  Hits"  album  was  released  as  a  stopgap  but,  with  the  band  unable  to  promote it,  only  got  as  far  as  number  53.

It  was  midway  through  1981  before  Steve  was  fit  to  go  into  the  studio  to  record  1982's  "Rock  In  A  Hard  Place"  though  you  wouldn't  think  it. His  voice  sounds  ragged  throughout  and  you  don't  think  it's  going  to  make  it  to  the  final  track. To  make  matters  worse  Bradley  quit  the  band  with  only  one  track  in  the  can. The  end  result  was  awful; only  the  cover  of  "Cry  Me  A  River"  stands  out  for  its  sheer  wretchedness. Some  desultory  synthesiser  work  on  a  couple  of  tracks  doesn't  mask  the  sheer  lack  of  ideas  as  one  vapid, tuneless  track  follows  another. None  of  them  were  fit  for  single  release  and  neither  of  those  chosen  ( "Lightning  Strikes"  and  "Bitch's  Brew"  made  the  charts. Before  the  album  was  released,  Rick  Dufay  joined  in  place  of  Bradley  but  he  didn't  play  on  it. It  peaked  at  number  32  emphasising  their  commercial  decline.  Columbia  decided  they  were  finished  and  let  them  go.

Fortunately  Joe  and  Bradley's  solo  efforts  were  not  successful  and  after  they  attended  an  Aerosmith  gig  in  Boston  in  February  1984  negotiations  led  to  them  returning  to  the  band  with  Crespo  and  Dufay  being  unceremoniously  dumped.  Later  they  year  they  embarked  on  the  Back  In  The  Saddle  Tour   to  announce  their  return. It  did  well  enough  to  get  them  a  new  contract  from  Geffen  and  in  1985  they  released  the  album  "Done  With  Mirrors".  It's  an  improvement  on  its  immediate  predecessors   with   Steve's  voice  back  in  form    and  second  single  "Shela"  is  a  decent  song  but  it was  short  at  32  minutes  and  peaked  at  number  36. Neither  single  made  the  charts.

1986  was  the  pivotal  year  for  the  band. Rick  Rubin  had  introduced  Run - D.M.C.  to  his  albums  collection  and  suggested  they  cover  "Walk  This  Way". They'd  never  heard  of  Aerosmith  and  two-thirds  of  the  trio  didn't  fancy  the  idea  but  Rubin  prevailed. It  was  an  apt  choice  since  Steve's  verses  already  had  a  percussive  element  through  his  origins  as  a  drummer. Joe  and  Steve  were  then  invited  to  participate  in  the  recording. The  genre-busting  single  reached  number  4  in  the  US  and  number  8  in  the  UK   and  is  regarded  as  a  major  milestone  in  hip  hop's  crossover  to  a  white  audience. It  also  revived  interest  in  a  band  hitherto  regarded  as  washed-up  renegades  from  the  previous  decade.

Aerosmith's  manager  Tim  Collins  then  impressed  upon  the  band  that  they  would  have  to  clean  up  if  they  were  to  take  advantage  of  this  new  interest. He  started  with  Steve  who  was  packed  off  to  a  drug  rehabilitation  program  at  the  Caron  Foundation, Pennsylvania. When  that  proved  successful  the  other  band  members  followed  suit.  Collins  also  persuaded  them  that  they  needed  some  outside  help  with  the  songwriting  on  their  next  LP.

Hence  the  promotional single  from  the  forthcoming  LP  "Permanent  Vacation "  saw  Joe  and  Steve  collaborating  with   Bryan  Adams's  songwriting  partner   Jim  Vallance.  It's  a  rather  strange  choice, a  re-working  of  an  old  blues  song  about  a  man  awaiting  punishment  for  shooting  his  wife  which  Steve  wrongly  assumed  was  in  the public  domain.

The  first  real  single  from  the  album  was  this  one. Joe  and  Steve  this  time  collaborated  with  Bon  Jovi  associate  Desmond  Child. "Dude ( Looks  Like  A  Lady ) "  derived  from  an  incident  when  Steve  and  young  pretender  Vince  Neil  of  Motley  Crue  were  served  by  transvestite  staff  in  a  New  York  bar. It's  basically  a  bawdy  re-telling  of  the  story  in  Lola.  Producer  Bruce  Fairbairn  polishes  it  up  till  they  sound  like  Bon  Jovi  with  bass  and  rhythm  guitar meshed  into  a  melodic  growl  and  Joe's  solo-ing  kept  in  check. I  had  assumed  the  brass  interjections  were   courtesy  of  a  Fairlight  but  Tom  Keenlyside  used  actual  players  for   the  arrangement.  It  did  its  job  in  getting  the  album  off  to  a  flyer  by  reaching  number  14  in  the  US  and   finally   getting  them  off   the  mark  here  but  one  could  wish  for  a  stronger  chorus.

Phew, I  feel  like  we've  turned  a  corner  here. I  can't  think  of  anyone  else  to  come  who  has  such  a  lengthy  back  catalogue  to  track, certainly  not  one  going  back  into  the  pre-punk  era.

569 Hello Guns N' Roses - Welcome To The Jungle

Constituency  :  3  October  1987

Chart  peak  :  67  ( 24  on  reissue  in  1988 )

Number  of  hits  : 17

I  think  you'd  have  to  classify  Guns N' Roses  as  a  hair  metal  act  but   if  we use  a  glam  analogy  they  were  Roxy  Music  to  Poison's  Mud.

Guns N' Roses  were  formed  by  members  from  a  number  of   L.A.  rock  bands. In  1983  a  band called  L.A.  Guns  were   briefly   joined  by  a  singer   Bill  Rose  ( born  1962 )  who  had  moved  to  L.A.  to  start  again  after  acquiring an  unenviable  record  in  juvenile  delinquency  in  his  home  town  of  Lafayette, Indiana. He quickly  moved  on  to  form  his  own  band  Rapidfire  who  managed  to  record  an  EP "Reafy  To  Rumble"  just before  they  broke  up.

Bill  went  to  great  lengths  to  prevent  the  EP  being  released   by  guitarist  Kevin  Lawrence  in  later  years  but  it  finally  came  out  in  2014. It  has  five  tracks  , four  gonzoid  rockers  and  an  early  clumsy   attempt  at  a  rock  ballad  in  "Closure " . "On  The  Run" references   Bill's  troubled  past. It's  average   energetic  metal, nothing  embarrassing  so  Bill's  attempts  to  deny  Lawrence  a pay-day  seem  a  little  churlish.

Bill's  was  then  invited  to  join  a  new  band   by  a  childhood  friend  Jeff  Isbell  , now  calling  himself  Izzy  Stradlin  ( born  1962 )  who  had  moved  to  LA  a  couple  of  years  earlier. He  had  started  out  as  a  drummer  in  punk  bands  called  Naughty  Women  and  The  Atoms  but  switched  to  rhythm  guitar  in  a  metal  band  called  Shire. The  new  band  was  originally  called  AXL  ( hence  Bill's  stage  name )  but  soon  became  Hollywood  Rose.

They  recorded  a five  song  demo  with  original  guitarist  Chris  Weber. The  material  was  eventually  released  in  2004  as  "The  Roots  of  Guns N' Roses"  although  two  of  the  songs  had  been  re-recorded   by  Guns N'Roses. The  five  songs  are  fast  and  hard  and  very  indebted  to  the  New  Wave  of  British  Heavy  Metal  bands. The  chief  thing  to  note  is  that  Axl  had  already  found  that  high  -pitched  wail  of  a  voice.

The  band  only  played  a  few  shows  before  Axl  fell  out  with  Weber  over  an  onstage  accident
and  unilaterally  fired  him.  His  replacement  was  Saul  Hudson  known  as  Slash . He  was  born  in  London  in  1965  but  brought  up  in  Stoke-on-Trent. The  family  moved  to  LA  when  he  was  five. A  skilled  BMX  rider  he  blew  that  off  to  play  guitar. He  joined  a  band  called  Tidus  Sloan  in  1981  then  formed  his  own  band  Road  Crew , named  after  a  Motorhead  song, in  1983. His  first  recruit  was  a  childhood  friend  Steven  Adler  ( born  Michael  Coletti  in  1965 )  who  played  drums. They  placed  an  ad  for  a  bassist  and  the  only  serious  reply  came  from  Michael  "Duff"   McKagan.

Duff  was  born  in  Seattle  in  1964  and  started  out  in  punk  bands. He  made  his  first  single  at  16   with  The  Vains  in  1980 . "School  Jerks"  is  a  fair  impersonation  of  the  Angelic  Upstarts, an  anti-education  diatribe  delivered  by  a  tone-deaf  bawler. Duff's  pulsating   bass  line  is  the best  thing  about  it. He  also  played  guitar  in  a  band  called  The  Living  who  opened  for  Husker  Du  and  had  a  strong  local  following.  In  1980  he  joined  The  Fastbacks  as  their  drummer  and  played  on  their  1981    debut  single  "It's  Your  Birthday"  , a  three  chord  thrash  that  could  pass  for  early  Blondie. The  following  year  he  switched  to  hardcore  band  The  Fartz  and  played  on  some  demos  though  he  was  only  in  the  band  for  a  few  months. He  briefly  rejoined  them  when  they  changed  their  name  to  10  Minute  Warning  before  deciding  to  relocate  to  LA.

Road  Crew  didn't  manage  to  record  anything  because  they  couldn't  find  a  singer  they  considered  adequate.

As  Slash  joined  Hollywood  Rose, Izzy,  angered  by  the  firing  of  Weber  departed  and  joined London , the  Big  in  Japan  of  the  LA  metal  scene. Following  him  out  was  drummer  John Kreis  so  Slash  brought  in  Steven  to  fill  the  vacancy.  The  band  didn't  seem  viable  without Izzy  and  broke  up  for  a  short  time. They  reconvened  without  Slash  or  Steven  and  changed their  name  to  Guns N'Roses  in  March  1985. Slash  played  for  a  short  time  with  a  band  called Black  Sheep and  auditioned  for  Poison.

Guns N'Roses  fired  their  bass  player  after  a  couple  of  shows  and  invited  Duff  to  take  his place.  Axl  then  fell  out  with  guitarist  Tracii  Guns  and  Slash  took  his  place. The  classic  line up  was   completed  when  the  drummer  quit  and  Steven  replaced  him. The  band  went  on  the road  for  a  tour  of  the  West  Coast  and  solidified  as  a  unit, soon  attracting  the  interest  of record  labels.  They  were  signed  by  Geffen  in  March  1986 . They  put  out  a  limited  edition EP , including  two  covers  that  December  to  maintain  fans' interest  while  they  worked  on  their debut  album. It  was  called  "Live ?!'@Like  A  Suicide"  but  the  tracks  were  all  recorded  in  the studio  with  the  crowd  noise  overdubbed.

Their  first  single  in  the  UK  in   June  1987  was  the  double  A-side  "It's  So  Easy / Mr Brownstone"  .  The  first  track  was  written  by  Duff  with  the  assistance  of   band  associate  Wes Arkeen  and  is  a  sardonic  comment  on  the  band's  lifestyle  living  off  groupies. It's  low  end growliness   both  hints  at  Duff's  past  in  hardcore  punk  and  provides  a  foretaste  of  grunge. "Mr  Brownstone"  was  written  by  Slash  and  Izzy  and  re-purposes  the  Bo Diddley  beat  for  a cheery account  of  a  day  in  the  life  of  a  heroin  addict. Both  songs  were  on  the  forthcoming "Appetite  for  Destruction "  LP, both  contain  radio-scaring  expletives and  neither  is  up  there with  the  band's  best  songs.  Te  single  bubbled  under  the  charts.

"Welcome  To  The  Jungle"  was  the  follow-up  and  is  one  of  their  signature  songs. Written  by Axl, Duff  and  Slash,  it  refers  to  both  the  reception  small  town  boys  can  expect  in  big  bad L.A.   and  the  experience  that  girls  can  expect  to  have  in  Axl's  bed  room. In  that  sense  it's  a classic  example  of  the  fault  line  running  right  through  their  work  between a  thoughtful  self-awareness  and  celebration  of  headlong  hedonism. The song  has  swagger  and  a  decent  descending  main  riff  but  not  a  particularly  strong  chorus. It's  also  a  touch  too  long; by  the  time  you  get  to  Duff's  bass  breakdown  yo're  aware  that  it's  going  on  a  bit, It  was  a  minor  hit  here  before  they  broke  through  in  the  US  then  was  reissued  after  it  got  to  number  7  over  there  in  1988.

568 Hello Debbie Gibson - Only In My Dreams

Chart  entered : 26  September  1987

Chart  peak :  54  ( 11  on  reissue  in  1988 )

Number  of  hits  : 11

There's  a  lot  to  like  about  Debbie  but  it's  hard  to  make  a  case  that  her  work  is  worth  re-visiting.

Debbie  was  born  in  Brooklyn  in  1970. Her  family  were  musical  and  legend  has  it  that  she wrote  her  first  song  aged  5  entitled  "Make  Sure  You  Know  Your  Classroom". In  her  teens she  churned  out  demo  tapes  and  in  1986  an  A &  R  man  at  Atlantic  heard  "Only  In  My Dreams"  and  signed  her  up. She  started  playing  small  clubs  and  writing  more  material.

"Only  In  My  Dreams"  duly  became  Debbie's  debut  single  in  February  1987. The  song  was  written  by  Debbie  and  arranged  with  her  producer  Fred  Zarr. It's  difficult  to  see  what  prompted  Atlantic  to  sign  her.  It's  an  already-dated  piece  of  pop  dance  candyfloss  that  might  have  passed  muster  as  an  early  Madonna B-side  or  a  Five  Star  album  track. The  lyrics  are  pure  teen  fluff  about  a  lost  romance ; that  they  were  written  by  a  genuine  teenager  should  be  acknowledged  but  they're  still  trite. The  very  mediocre  tune  is  overwhelmed  by  the  production  and  Debbie's  bland  voice  conveys  nothing  beyond  an  eagerness  to  please. The  peppy  sax  solo  is  actually  the  best  part  of  the  record.

The  single  took  a  while  to  chart  in  the  US  so  I'm  guessing  it  owed  a  lot  of  its  success  to  the  video  in  which  Debbie, a  pretty  girl  with  nice  legs, bops  around  like  Madonna's  squeaky-clean  kid  sister.  It  eventually  reached  number  4 .As  Debbie  had  never  visited  the  UK  at  this  point,  I'm  guessing  it  was  a  plug  on  one  of  Jonathan  King's  shows  that  got  things  underway  here.  

567 Hello Metallica - The $5.98 EP - Garage Days Re-Revsited

Chart  entered : 22  August  1987

Chart  peak : 27

Number  of  hits  : 21

The  second  thrash  metal  act  to  break  through  would  be  the  biggest  of  the  lot.

Metallica  was  formed  late  in  1981  in  response  to  an  ad  placed  by  Lars  Ulrich  ( born  1963 in  Denmark  ) . Lars  was  the  son  of  a  tennis  pro  and  had  come  to  LA  in  1980  to  develop  his  tennis  potential  but  started  playing  the  drums  instead. His  ad  ran  "Drummer  looking  for  other  metal  musicians  to  jam  with  Tygers  of  Pan  Tang, Diamond  Head  and  Iron  Maiden". It  was  answered  by  native  Californian  guitarist  James  Hetfield  ( born  1963 )  formerly  with  local  metal  band  Leather  Charm.  He  could  also  sing.  A  second  ad  led  to  the  recruitment  of  Dave  Mustaine  as  lead  guitarist  as  the  duo  were  impressed  by  his  expensive equipment.

The  trio  recorded  a  song  for a  metal  compilation  LP  "Metal  Massacre"  with  James  playing  bass."Hit  The  Lights"  sees  the  band  boasting  of  their  prowess  with  all  the  moderation  of  a  Def  Jam  act   which  is  a  bit  rich   coming  from   a  band  who'd  yet  to  play  a  gig. Nevertheless they  already  had  a  fearsome  sound  with  James  vocal, high-pitched  and  snarling  , indicative  of  their  interest  in  punk  as  well  as  metal.

Before  the  album  was  released  they  had  recruited  a  bassist  Ron  McGovney  and  gone  out  on  the  road.  A  few  months  later  they   detatched   Cliff  Burton  from  the  band  Trauma   to  replace  McGovney  who  they  felt  wasn't  making  a  creative  contribution.

 In  1983  they  signed  a  deal  with  Megaforce  Records  and  started  working  on  their  debut  album. Before  recording  started  the  other  three  decided  to  dump  Mustaine  and  replace  him  with  Kirk  Hammett  ( born  1962  )  who  had  formed  his  own  band  Exodus  but  agreed  to  put  that  on  ice  and  join  Metallica.  

In  July  1983  they  released  their  first  album  "Kill  'Em  All" ( changed  from  "Metal  Up  Your  Ass"  at  the  record  company's  insistence.  It's  not  for  the  fainthearted  , with  the  band  seeking  to  demonstrate  how  tight  they  could  play  at  extremely  fast  tempos.The  lead  single  "Whiplash"  celebrating   the  intensity  of  their  live  show  is  insanely  fast, sounding  like  a cleaner  Motorhead  taken  one  step  further. Apart  from  the  self-promotion,  the  lyrics  are  mainly and  cheerily   concerned  with  war  and  death. With  melody  at  a  premium  and  few  guitar  solos  they  do  sound  a  bit  samey  over  an  album's  length  but  second  single  "Jump  In  The  Fire " ( as  instructed  by  Satan )  stands  out  for  its  melodic  bass  line  as  well  as  its  ferocious  tightness  and  the instrumental  "( Anesthesia )  Pulling  Teeth"  , an  extended bass  solo   from  Burton ,  provides   a  welcome  melodic  interlude.  The  LP   did  not  chart  at  the  time.

Apart  from  that  one  track , Burton  had  had  no  writing  input  on  the  first  album. As  the  only   member  with  real  musical  training  he  set  about  educating  his  bandmates  to  broaden  their  sonic  palette  in  time  for  the  next  album  "Ride  the  Lightning". The leap  in  musical  sophistication  in  a  year  is  considerable. The  inclusion  of  a  semi-acoustic  suicide  ballad  "Fade  To  Black"  is  the  most  obvious  indication . There  are  no  songs  that  you  could  describe  as  catchy  but  on  tracks  like  "For  Whom  The  Bell  Tolls"  and  the  instrumental  "The  Call  Of  Ktulu"  there's  a  recognition   that  you  don't  have  to  play  at  100 mph  to  be  heavy. Even  the  hell-for-leather  tracks  like  the  radio- unfriendly  single  "Creeping  Death"  are  structurally  more  interesting  than  their  predecessors. James's  lyrics  haven't  got  any  chirpier  though,  ranging  from  the  thoughts  of  a  man  about  to  be  fried  in  the  chair  to  imminent  nuclear  destruction  and  suffering  from  Locked-In  Syndrome.  The  album reached  100  in  the  US  but  like  its  predecessor  would  go  higher  when  the  band  broke  big . In  the  UK  it  reached  number  87  after  the  band  had  played  at  Castle  Donington.

The  band  now  signed  a   more  lucrative  deal   with  Elektra. Their  third  album  "Master  of  Puppets"  in  1986  is  more  of  the  same  with  a  semi-acoustic  track , "Welcome Home  ( Sanitarium )", and  instrumental  "Orion"  placed  in  exactly  the  same  spot  as  on  the  previous  LP. The  main  sign  of  development  is  a  creeping  tendency  towards  prog  rock  with  the  songs  getting  longer  ( three  of  the  tracks  are  over  eight  minutes  long ) and  featuring  more  changes  in  time  signature.  It  reached  number  29  in  the  US  and   number   41  here.

There  was  no  single  released  from  the  album  ; the  band  promoted  by  going  on  a  long  support  tour  with  Ozzy  Osborne. At  one  point  James  broke  a  wrist  falling  off  his  skateboard  and  the  guitar  roadie  had  to  fill  in  for  his  playing  but  much  worse  was  to  follow. The  tour  moved  to  Europe  and  after  a  gig  in  Stockholm  their  tour  bus  skidded  on  black  ice  and  left  the  road. Burton  was  thrown  out  of  the  window  and  then  crushed  by  the  bus; the  others  were  not  seriously  injured.

Having  the  blessing  of  Burton's  family  to  continue , they  auditioned  for  a  replacement  bassist   and  chose  Jason  Newsted   ( born  1963 ). Jason  was  from  Michigan  and  his  first  band  was called  Gangster   but  he  made  his  recording  debut  with  the  band  Flotsam  and  Jetsam. He   played  and  wrote   most  of  the  lyrics  on  their  recent  debut  LP  "Doomsday  for  the  Deceiver" on  which  they  sound  no  better  nor  worse  than  their  thresh  metal  peers  but  for  having  a strong  singer  who  sounds  a  bit  like  Rush's  Geddy  Lee. The  song  "Der  Fuhrer"  attracted  some attention  although  it's  quite  clear  from  the  lyrics  that  they  weren't  giving  him  a  stamp  of approval.

The  impetus  to  record  this  EP  came  from  their  UK  record  label  Vertigo  who  wanted  some  product  to  follow  their  appearance  at  Castle  Donington. Not  having  much  new  material  to  hand,  the  band  decided  to  record  some  covers  of  songs  by  their  musical  heroes  instead. Therefore  you  have  "Helpless"  ( Diamond  Head ), "The  Small  Hours" ( Holocaust ), "Crash  Course  In  Brain  Surgery"  ( Budgie ) , "Last  Caress"   and  "Green  Hell"   ( both  The  Misfits ). I  must  admit  to  not  being  familiar  with  any  of  the  originals   but  that  doesn't  really  matter  as  Metallica  pummel  them  all  into  submission  to  produce  a  homogenous  and  frankly  pretty  boring  racket. Only  on  "Last  Caress"  does  some  trace  of  melody  remain  and  that's  immediately  followed  by  the   ridiculous  "Green  Hell"  where  they  fall  into  self-parody  by  playing  it  so  insanely  fast. It's  a  defiantly  uncommercial  single  whose  chart  placing  further  illustrated  the  encroachment  of  fanbase-only  records   into  the  business  end  of  the  charts.

In  America , where  it  included  an  extra  track , a  cover  of  Killing  Joke's  "The  Wait", cut  from  the  UK  version  to  comply  with  Gallup's  rules  on  a  single's  duration,  it  reached  number  28.    

566 Goodbye Dionne Warwick* - Love Power

(*...and  Jeffrey  Osborne )

Chart  entered  :  15  August  1987

Chart  peak : 63

For  all  her  undoubted  talent  as  a  soulful  interpreter  of  others'  material, Dionne  had  never  been  consistently  successful  in  the  UK. After  her  first  flurry  of  hits  in  the  mid-sixties, she  disappeared   from  the  charts   until  1974  when  she  scored  one  moderate  hit  with  "Then  Came  You". We  then  had  to  wait  until  her  storming  comeback  with  the  Barry  Gibb-helmed  "Heartbreaker"  album, the  title  track  reaching  number  2  in  the autumn  of  1982.  Subsequent  albums  had  done  OK  but  the  only  significant  hit  was  the  AIDS  charity  single  "That's  What  Friends  Are  For " a  US  number  one  which  reached  number  16  here.

"Love  Power"  was  the  lead  single   for  her  duet-heavy  album,  "Reservations  For  Two". It  was  written  and  arranged  by  long-time  collaborator  Burt  Bacharach  and  Carole  Bayer  Sager. Her  duetting  partner  was  US  soul  singer  Jeffrey  Osborne; this  was  also  the  last  of  his  half  dozen  hits. It's  slick, adult   pop  soul  and  starts  off  in  quite  an  interesting  way  with  both  singers  the  parties  to  a  break-up  and  pondering  what  would  happen  if  they  picked  up  the  phone. Unfortunately  the  chorus  when  it  arrives  is  crushingly  dull  and  there's  only  half  a  verse  more  to  take  the  story  further   before  a  depressingly  generic  sax  solo. It  just  sounds  like  its  illustrious  writers  got  bored  halfway  through  the  song  and  couldn't  be  bothered  to  develop  it  fully. It  did  better  in  the US  where  it  reached  number  12, her  last  Top  40  placing  there.

Her  follow-up  was  the  album's  title  track. a  duet  with  US  singer/ producer  Kashif, sixteen  years  her  junior.  It's  more  of  a  ballad  with  a  better  chorus  than  its  predecessor  but  nothing  to  set  the  world  alight. It  reached  number  62  in  the  US.  A  third  duet  single  "Another  Chance  To  Love"  with  ex-Shalamar  singer  Howard  Hewlett  was  released . Written  by  Albert  Hammond  and  Sue  Shifrin ,  I  think  it's  the  best  of  the  trio  with  a  bit  of  bite  in  the  music  but  it  failed  to  register  on  both  sides  of  the  pond.

In  1989  Dionne  released  a  compilation  album  "The  Love  Songs"  trailed  by  a  second  duet  with  Osborne. Written  by  Bacharach, Bayer  Sager  and  Gerry  Goffin  it's  just  shlock , five  middle-aged  talents  sitting  on  their  laurels  and  churning  out  tasteful  easy  listening  fodder. It  failed  to  chart  although  that  didn't  hurt  sales  of   the  album   which  reached  number  6  in  the  UK  , second  only  to  "Heartbreaker "  in  terms  of  chart  position.    

In  the  US  she  released  a  different  compilation  of  her  work  between  1979  and  1990. There were  two  new  tracks  released  as  singles  in  1990. "I  Don't  Need  Another  Love"  is  a collaboration  with  the  (  Detroit  )  Spinners  and  sounds  like  an  early  seventies  soul  track   re-tooled  with  an  eighties  production. "Walk  Away"  is  a  gloopy  R  &  B  ballad. Neither  raised  much  interest  and  the  album  only  made  number   177  in  the  US. Later  in  the  year  Dionne  released   the  self-explanatory  "Dionne  Warwick  Sings  Cole  Porter". It's  a  listenable  marriage  between  Tin  Pin  Alley  and  modern  production  with  Dionne  in  great  voice  but  it  was  a  serious  career  misstep. It  was  her  last  album  of  new  material  to  chart  in  the  US  reaching  155  but  it  seemed  to  alienate  her  existing  audience  without  picking  up  a  new  one.

In  1991  Arista  allowed  her  to  make  a  one-off  single  in  Europe  with  Dieter  Bohlen  from  Modern  Talking  now  trading  under  the  name  Blue  System. She  does  most  of  the singing  on  the  dreary  ballad  "It's  All  Over"  which  only  charted  in  Germany , reaching  number  60. At  the  same  time  she  began  a  side  career  as  spokesman  for  the  Psychic  Friends  Network  which  was  financially  lucrative  for  a  time  but  Dionne  later  became  distressed  that  public  recognition  was  deriving  from  that  rather  than  her  music .

In   January 1993  she  released  a  new  album  "Friends  Can  Be  Lovers". Helmed  by  Clive  Davis it  represents  the  last  attempt  to  put  Dionne  back  in  the  mainstream  with  a  host  of  starry collaborators  and  up  to  date  production. The  first  single  "Sunny  Weather  Love"  was  hyped  as Bacharach  and  David's  first  song  for  her  since  1972   and  it  isn't  a   bad   pop  soul  track  but   it  failed  to  trouble  the  chart. The  second  single, the  risque  "Where  My  Lips  Have  Been" sounds  a  bit  like  Tina  Turner's  Private  Dancer  and  indicated  that  the  52  year  old's  vocal range   was  diminishing. The third  single  was  the  title  track  recorded  with  Lisa  Stansfield's production  team;  it  too  is  perfectly  listenable  but  failed  to  resuscitate  the  album.  It  didn't chart, a  conspicuous  failure. She  was  also  hit  by  a  news  report  that  her  AIDS  charity, the Warwick  Foundation  was  misusing  funds. She  claimed  the  report  was  racially  motivated  and an IRS  investigation  found  nothing  wrong. In  December  that  year  she  did  a  Christmas  concert  as  guest  of  Placido  Domingo  ( replacing  Diana  Ross  the  previous  year )  at  the  Hofburg  Palace, Vienna. It  was  released  as  a  classical  LP  "Christmas  in  Vienna  II"  to  moderate  chart  success  in  Europe  ( including  the  UK  where  it  reached  number  60 ).

Dionne  completed  her  contract  with  Arista   in  1994  with  a  rather  desperate  attempt  to  move  into  the  Latin  market  on  the  album  "Aquarela  do  Brasil".  Apart  from  a  ( very  good ) Bacharach-Bettis  song  "Captives  Of  The  Heart" , the  songs  are  all  Latin  tunes,  though  largely  translated. Dionne  sounds  OK  on  the  slower  songs   but  seriously  mismatched with  the  uptempo  material.  It  sank  like  a  stone  and  Dionne  was  cast  adrift.

With  no  record  deal  and  her  vocal  powers  fading , Dionne  had  only  her  legend  status  to  trade  on. Interest  in  her  back  catalogue  remained  buoyant  as  another  compilation  "The  Essential  Collection "  made  number  58  in  the  UK  in  1996. Her  appearances  as  a  guest  on  other  artists'  records  were  drying  up ; the  last  one  appears  to  have  been  a  track  on  B.B. King's  1997  album  Deuces  Wild.

In  1998  she  started  re-recording  her  old  hits  for  the  cheap  CD  market  although  the  first  one  "Dionne  Sings  Dionne"  included  some  new  tracks. The  very  dreary  ballad  "I  Promise  You "  was  released  as  a single   as  was  "High  Upon  This  Love"  a  vocal  version  of  the  theme  to  U.S.  soap  The  Bold  and  the  Beautiful. 

Neither  made  the  chart  but  she  did  scrape  a  last  chart  appearance  in  the  US  charts  that  year  with  "What  The  World  Needs  Now  Is  Love"  , a  charity  single  which  reached  number  87. Credited  to  Dionne  Warwick  and  the  Hip  Hop  Nation  United,  it  features  Dionne  drearily  intoning  the  song  while  various  rap  illuminati  including  Coolio  and  Big  Daddy  Kane  do  their  thing  over  the  top  of  her.

The  turn  of  the  millennium  was  a  very  lean  time. Neither  her "new"  albums  nor  compilations  were  charting  until  "Heartbreaker : The  Very  Best  of  Dionne  Warwick"  reached  number  32  in  the  UK. That  same  year  she  became  a  Goodwill  Ambassador  for  the  United  Nations  ' Food  and  Agricultural  arm.

In  2006  she  got  a  deal  with  Concord  for  "My  Friends  And  Me "  an  album  of  duets  on  her  old  hits  with  female  artists. It  proved  she  had  an  impressive  address  book  with  Gloria  Estefan, Cyndi  Lauper  and  Kelis  amongst  the  guests  but  it  didn't  sell  and  Concord  didn't  take  up  their  option  on  a  similar  album  with  male  partners. Another  compilation made  a  minor  mark  in  the  UK  charts.

In  2007  she  got  together  with  her  Houston  cousins  for  the  single  "Family  First"  from  the  Daddy's  Little  Girls  soundtrack. It's  difficult  to  listen  to  it  without  bringing  up  your  lunch. Despite  Whitney's  presence, it  mercifully  failed  to  chart. In  2008  yet  another  compilation  made  number  27  in  the  UK.

In  2008  she  made  a  gospel  album  "Why  We  Sing"  featuring  a  last  contribution  by  her  sister  Dee  Dee  who  died  in  October  that  year.

Three  years  later  she  made  a  jazz  covers   album  "Only  Trust  Your  Heart"  and  appeared  on  The  Celebrity  Apprentice  4  where  that  man  whose  name  I  can't  bear  to  write  sent  her  packing  after  the  fourth  task.

In  2012  she  released  "Now"  an  album  celebrating  50  years  in  the  business  with  a  smattering  of  new  tracks  amongst  the  re-recordings. One  of  them  "Is  There  Anybody  Out  There ? "  an  unremarkable  pop  soul  track  was  released  as  a  single. It  didn't  chart  but  the  album  reached  number  57  in  the  UK, her  last  chart  action  anywhere  despite  its  nomination  for  a  Grammy  in  the  "Traditional  Pop"   category  in  the  US. In  May  that  year  she  came  to  London  for  the  World  Hunger  Day  concert  and  performed  a  duet  with  X-Factor  muppet  Joe  McElderry  on  a Tony  Hatch  composition  "One  World  One  Song"  which  was  released  as  a  single.  I  didn't  get  to  the  two  minute  mark  before  having  to  turn  it  off.

With  her  reluctance  to  do  much  touring,  Dionne  had  been  skating  on  thin  ice  financially  for   years,  particularly  in  relation  to  her  taxes  and  in  2013  she  had  to  file  for  bankruptcy. That  didn't  stop  her  putting  out  another  album  of  duets  with  famous  names  on  her  old  songs"Feels  So  Good"  the  following  year. "A  House  Is  Not  A  Home"   ( with  Ne-Yo )  and  "Hope  Is  Just  Ahead"  ( with  Billy  Ray  Cyrus )  were  released  as  singles.

Dionne  Warwick  is  now  75.

565 Hello T' Pau - Heart and Soul

Chart  entered  :  8  August  1987

Chart  peak : 6

Number  of  hits  : 10

One  of  the  eighties'  least  loved  bands, I  think  it  will  be  a  long  time  before  this  lot  get  rehabilitated.

T'Pau  started  life  at  Shrewsbury  Art  College. Carol  Decker  was  born  in  Liverpool  in  1957. Her  family  moved  to  Warwickshire  when  she  was  in  her  teens. Carol  went  to  the  college  after  failing  her  A  Levels. While  there  she  joined  a  band  called  The  Lazers  and  hooked  up  with  their  guitarist  Ron  Rogers  ( born  1959 ). She  did  dead  end  jobs  while  writing  songs  with  Ron who  was  a  telephone  engineer. They  sent  out  demos  under  the  name  "Talking  America"  which  gives  a  clue  to  their  musical  direction. When  Virgin  bit , through  their  Siren  subsidiary   in  1986 ,  they  changed  the  name  to  T' Pau   after  a  minor  Star  Trek  character   and  assembled  a  full  band.  The  drone  members  were  Tim  Burgess  ( drums ) , Michael  Chetwood ( keyboards ) , Paul  Jackson  ( bass )   and  Taj  Wyzgowski  ( guitar ). Only  Michael  seems  to  have  had  a  previous  recording  history , playing  on  two  prog  rock  albums  by  the  re-formed  Band  of  Joy  ( without  Plant  and  Bonham  of  course )  in  the  late  seventies. Taj  had  been  working  as  an  in-house  musician  for  the  BBC  in  Glasgow.

Virgin  put  them  in  the  studio  with  Queen  producer  Roy  Thomas  Baker  and  "Heart  And  Soul"  was  their  first  single  in  January  1987. By  the  time  they  came  to  shoot  a  video  Taj  had  left  the  band  and  they  were  a  quintet  for  a  time. It's  a   medium-paced  chugger  , synth-led  in  the  verses  with  the  rock  guitars  coming  in  on  the  chorus, very  similar  to  what  the  likes  of  Heart  were  doing  at  the  time. The  distinctive  feature  is  that  Carol  does  a  sort  of  slow  rap  of  the  verses  and  then  starts  crooning  over  the  top  of  herself.  She  does  have  a  good  voice  which  lets  rip  on  the  chorus. It's  a  shame  that  so  much  of  her  lyric-writing  is  trite  on  this  plea  to  an  unsatisfactory  lover  - "Walking  on  the  water, walking  on  the  air / That  was  the  heart  of  the  love  we  shared". The  song  wasn't  a  hit  at  first   and  the  band  released a  follow-up  single  "Intimate  Strangers "  ( later  a  hit  as  the  abysmal  "Sex  Talk "  in  1988 )  in  May.  Then  Pepe  Jeans  picked  up  "Heart  And  Soul"  for  an  ad  and  it  was  a  big  hit  in  the  US   reaching  number  4. This  revitalised  the  single  in  the  UK  where  it  did  almost  as  well.

564 Hello Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up

Chart  entered :  8  August  1987

Chart  peak : 1

Number  of  hits  : 12

This  one  won't  detain  us  for  long.

Rick  was  born  in  Newton-le-Willows , Cheshire  where  his  father  had  a  market  gardening  business. He  started  out  as  a  drummer  in  local  pub   bands  while  driving  for  his  dad. He  fetched  up  in  a  band  called  FBI  where  he  took  over  as  lead  singer. He  was  spotted  by  Pete  Waterman  and  signed  to  RCA. He  was  initially  employed  by  PWL  in  the  studio  as  , according  to  Waterman, he  wasn't  yet  ready  for  pop  stardom.

His  first  single  in  May  1987  was  actually  a  duet  with  Lisa  Carter  under  the  name  "Rick  and  Lisa". Rick  co-wrote  "When  You  Gonna"  with  producers  Phil  Harding  and  Ian  Curnow  and  one  presumes  he  contributed  the  chocolate  box  lyrics  as  the  music  seems  to  consist  of  running  the  backing  track  to  Mel  and  Kim's  Showing  Out  once  more.  It's  a  very  routine  pop  house  number  with  no  real  hooks, the  only  point  of  interest  being  the  suspicious  similarity  of  Lisa's  voice  to  Kylie  Minogue's.

Then  came  "Never  Gonna  Give  You  Up". The  Popular  thread  is  here.

563 Goodbye Elkie Brooks - We've Got Tonight

Chart  entered : 11  July  1987

Chart  peak : 69

This  was  the  final  hit  single  in  a  career  with  more  ups  and  downs  than  most.

Elkie's  initial  run  of  hits  faltered  after  "Don't  Cry  Out  Loud"  in  1978  partly  due  to  new  motherhood  but  this  was  completely  turned  around  by  the  unexpected  success  of  the  "Pearls"  LP . This  compilation  of  hits, flops  and  new  material  was  released  at  the  tail  end  of  1981  and  exceeded  all  expectations,  reaching  number  2  and  spending  18  months  in  the  album  charts  ( none  of  her  previous  LPs  had  made  the  Top  10).  A  second  volume  "Pearls  II"  was  released  within  a  year  and  also  did  well  if  not  on  the  same  scale  as  its  predecessor. Both  albums  yielded  further  hits  for  Elkie.  Then  things  went  downhill  again. Still  hankering  after  the  rock  stardom  that  eluded  her  in  Vinegar  Joe,  Elkie  recorded  a  rock  album  "Minutes"  which  A  &  M  didn't  like  and  failed  to  promote . Her  standards   album  "Screen  Gems",  which  they  did  promote,   performed  disappointingly   and  her  association  with  A & M  came  to  an  end. She  was  picked  up  by  the  Legend  label  who  were  immediately  rewarded  by  her  biggest   hit  single  "No  More  The  Fool"  ( number  5 ) . The  album  of  the  same  name  became  her  biggest -selling  album  of  all  new  material.

"We've  Got  Tonight"  was  the  third  hit  from  the  same  album. It's  a  cover  (  though  full  marks  to  Elkie  for  ignoring  the  hideous  misspelling  of  the  title's  last  word  ) of  blue  collar  rocker  Bob  Seger's   signature  tune, a  crusty  AOR  ballad  that  had  already  been  a  hit   for  Seger   ( twice )  and  as  a  duet  between  Sheena  Easton  and  Kenny  Rogers.  Russ  Ballard  arranged  it  as a  European  power  ballad , very  much  in  the  Jennifer  Rush  mould. For  the  most  part  it's  a competent  version  of  a dull  song; it becomes  tiresome  in  the  latter  half  when  Elkie  starts over-emoting  and  the  gated  drums  start  thrashing  around.

Elkie  was  shortly  to  find  that  that  this  resuscitation  of  her  career  had  brought her  scant financial  reward. Thanks  to  Legend's  murky  accountancy  practices,  the  album  wasn't  recorded as  showing  any  profit  and  worse,  there  wasn't  any  money  around  to  finance  the  next  one. With  the  help  of  her  husband  , sound  engineer  Trevor  Jordan  she  managed  to  cut  costs  and  complete  "Bookbinder's  Kid"  for  release  in  May  1988. The  lead , in  fact  only , single  was  the strangest  of  her  career. "Sail  On"  is  not  a  cover  of  the  Commodores  hit  but  an  original  composed  by  the  duo  which  serenades  a  ship  with  a  Depeche  Mode  stark  rhythm  track, gospel  vocals  from  the  London  Community  Gospel  Choir  and  a  heavy  metal  guitar  solo. Unfortunately  there's  no  tune  in  the  mix  and  despite  featuring  on  After  Ten  With  Tarbuck   ( no  I  don't  remember  it  either )  it  didn't  chart. She  performed  another  track  "You  Ain't  Leavin", a  deadly  dull  power  ballad  on  Sunday  Night  Live  At  The  Palladium  but  it  never  came  out  as  a  single.  I've  only  heard  two  other  tracks  from  the  LP   which  were  typically   over-produced  AOR  stodge  from  the  arse  end  of  the  eighties. With  no  hit  singles, the  album  stalled  at  number  57.

Her  association  with  Legend  ended  there  but  she  was  picked  up  by  Telstar  Records  and Ballard  came  back  on  board  to  produce,  and  write  four  songs  for ,  her  next  album "Inspiration"  in  1989.  It's  not  entirely  mis-titled . The  lead   single  "Shame"  ( a  Eurovision  entry   for  a  girl  singer  earlier  in  the  year )  is  a  likable  attempt  at  Cher-style  pop  rock  and  the  follow  up  "I'll  Never  Love  This  Way  Again"  (  one  of  Ballard's  songs  )  is  a  good  tune. There's  also  a  superb  re-working  of  Vinegar  Joe's  death  of  the  hippy  dream   lament   "Black  Smoke  From  The  Culumet"  as  a  futurist  epic. But  the  album's  too  long  with  too  many  routine  covers  of  recent  AOR  hits  ( "Broken  Wings" , "Is  This  Love" ).  It  stalled  at  number  58.

The  nineties  were  a  difficult  time  for  Elkie . Now  consigned  to  Radio  Two  , three  of  her  five  albums  on  four  different  labels  still  charted,  but  none  hung  around  long  enough  to  earn  her  much  money. She  had  to  tour  constantly  to  support  her   young  family  and  maintain  her  devoted  but  static  fanbase. A  hit  compilation  LP  in  1997  gave  her  a  bit  of  breathing  space  but  she  was  then  hit  with  a  huge  bill  for  back  taxes  and  had  to  rent  out  the  family  home  and  live  in  a  trailer  park  for  a  while. Her  house  in  Devon  was  eventually  sold  in  2002  to  clear  her  debts.  During  this  period  she  didn't  put  out  any  records.

In  2003  she  agreed  to  take  part  in  the reality  series  Reborn  In  The  USA  . In  case  you  missed  it , this  humiliating  show  put   9   faded  pop  acts  ( the  show  used  numerous  euphemisms  for  "has-been" )  on  a  tour  bus  around  America  to  see  who  would  be  most  popular,  freed  from  the  baggage  of  the  past  (  a  very  dubious  assertion  in  the  cases  of  Tony  Hadley  and  Peter  Cox  whose  bands  had  enjoyed  significant  US  success ). Elkie  was  by  some  distance  the  oldest  competitor  and  would  dive  straight  for  the  piano  wherever  they  stayed  rather  than  get  involved  in  jostling  with  the  likes  of  David  Van  Day.  She  was  the  third  to  be  eliminated  after  performing  "When  Will  I  See  You  Again "  in  Philadelphia. My  US  pen-pal  attended  that  show  and  singled  her  out  for  criticism.

Nevertheless , Elkie's   participation  in   the  show  financed  the  release  of  a  new  album Shangri-la"  her  first  for  seven  years.  Her  son  Jermaine  Jordan  produced  it. It  didn't  chart  and  I  haven't  heard  anything  from  it. In  the  same  year  she  released  an  album  of  jazz  covers  with  veteran  trumpeter  Humphrey  Lyttelton  "Trouble  In  Mind".

Two  years  later  she  released  "Electric  Lady"  by  which  time  Jermaine  was  an  integral  member  of  her  touring  band. He  plays  bass, guitar  and  drums  as  well  as  producing  the  album. It's  primarily  a  slow   blues  album  with  occasional  country  influences.  Elkie's  voice  is  starting  to  show  a  few  signs  of  wear  ( she  was  60  by  this  time ) but  that's  not  necessarily  to  the  detriment  of  the  material.  There  are  a  few  covers  and  "Try  Harder"  is  close  to  being  one  ( Fleetwood  Mac's  Don't  Stop  )  but  the most  interesting  tracks  are  the  autobiographical  ones."White  Girl  Lost  In  The  Blues"  is  the  sort  of  self-referential  homage  artists  of  her  vintage   are  prone  to  recording  while  "Trailer  Trash"  is  a  wry  account  of  her  financial  difficulties. She  also  released  a  live  album  "Don't  Cry  Out  Loud "  that  year. Neither  charted.

In  2007  she  made  her  last  appearance in  the  charts  to  date  when  another  compilation  "The  Silver  Collection "  reached  number  25. She's  made  just  one  more  record  since  then, 2010's  "Powerless ". I've  heard  three  of  the  tracks, all  of  them  murderously  dull  piano  ballads  so  that's  not  a  recommendation. In  2012  Elkie  published  her  autobiography  "Finding  My  Voice".

Elkie  is  in  the  middle  of  a  UK  tour  as  I  write  and  plays  the  Capitol  Theatre, Horsham  tomorrow.It  runs  through  to  July 2017. Long  may  she  continue.