510 Hello Whitney Houston - Saving All My Love For You

Chart  entered : 16  November  1985

Chart  peak : 1

Number  of  hits : 35

Now  we  come  to  one  of  my  least  favourite  artists; ask  me  to  name  my  favourite  song  of her's  and  I'd  really  struggle  to  pick  one  and  that  isn't  a  compliment.

Whitney  Houston  was  born  in  Newark, New  Jersey  in  1963. Her  mother  was  Cissy  Houston,  a  hard  working  session  vocalist  and  the  aunt  of  Dionne  Warwick .Contrary  to  many  sources  she  was  not  related  to  disco  singer  Thelma  Houston. Cissy  encouraged  her  daughter  to  sing  both  at  their  Baptist  church  and  at  nightclubs  where  Cissy  was  performing. In  1977  Cissy  was  working  with  the  Michael  Zager  Band   and  arranged  for  a  14 -year  old   Whitney  to  sing  on  their  1977  single   Life's  A  Party .  She  did  some  work  for  Chaka  Khan  and  Lou  Rawls  the  following  year  but  then  got  sidetracked  by  modelling, appearing  in  Seventeen, Glamour  and  Cosmopolitan.

She  returned  to  the  studio  in  1982  with  the  left-field  funk  project  Material  masterminded  by  producer  Bill  Laswell.  She  performed  the  lead  vocal  on  a  cover  of  the  song  "Memories"  written  by  Hugh  Hopper  of  Soft  Machine.  It's  done  straight  as  a  drowsy  jazz  ballad   with  only  the  squally  sax  interventions  of  Archie  Shepp  hinting  at  the  avant-garde. Whitney  doesn't  over-sing  it  but  it  's  a  bit  too  downbeat  for  single  release.

Cissy  had  rejected  earlier  contract  offers  but  succumbed  to  Arista  in  1983  after  their  A &  R man  saw  Whitney  performing  with  her  in  New  York.  Company  president  Clive  Davis  wanted to  get  things  right  for  her  and  let  her  record  duets  with  other  artists  to  whet  the  appetite  for her  debut  album.  So  in  1984  she  recorded  "Hold  Me"  with  Teddy  Pendergrass , a  traditional soul  ballad  previously  recorded  by  Diana  Ross,  on  which   she  completely  blows  away  her sadly  stricken  partner. The  single  reached  46  in  the  US  but  wasn't  a  hit  in  the  UK  until 1986. She  also  recorded  "Take  Good  Care  Of  My  Heart"  with  Jermaine  Jackson , a  pleasant  enough  pop  dance  tune  on  which  Jermaine, who  also  produced  the single, keeps  her  on  a  tight  leash  to  avoid  getting  outclassed.  It  appeared  on  the  B-side  of  his  UK  single "Dynamite "  in  1985.  Both  duets  eventually  appeared  on  her  debut  LP.

Her  eponymous  album  was  released  in  February  1985. The  release  schedule  of  the  singles   here   differed  from   that  in  the  US. Her  first  UK  single  in  April  1985    was  a  double  A -side  pairing  the robotic  and  not  particularly  tuneful  synth-pop  of  "Someone  For  Me"  ( one  of  three  tracks  produced  by  Jackson )  and   a  dramatic  reading  of  George  Benson's  1977  hit  "Greatest  Love  Of  All ". It  wasn't  a  hit  although  the  latter  song  , re-released  with  a  different  track  as  its  B-side  was  a big  hit  in  1986.

Next  up  was  "You  Gve  Good  Love"   released  first  in  the   US  to  give  her  a  good  grounding with  black  music  fans  as  it  was  perceived  as  the  most  soulful  track. It's  the  first  one  where she  really  lets  rip  and  that's  where  she  leaves  me  behind. I  appreciate  that  she's  technically great  but  it's  just  not  my  thing. Whether  it's  genuine  emotion  or  masterful  technique  it's  just not  what  I  want  from  music.   Davis  didn't  expect  it  to  cross  over  to  the  main  chart  but  it did , reaching  number 3  and  establishing  her  as  a  major  star.

Next  came  this  one. The  Popular  take  is  here



  

509 Goodbye Johnny Nash - Rock Me Baby

Chart  entered  : 9  November  1985

Chart  peak : 47

Here  we  say  goodbye  to  another  sixties  survivor.

This  was  actually  a  comeback  hit  for  Johnny ,  his  first  for  nearly  ten  years  after  a  largely  barren  spell  on  Epic.  In  fact  it  was  Johnny's  first  recording  of  the  eighties.

"Rock  Me  Baby  "  is  not  a  cover  of  the  Andy  Kim  hit  but  a  Johnny  original   which  sets  his  trademark  light  reggae  lilt  against  a  modern  production. Johnny's  gorgeous  singing  offsets  the  crass  drum  sound   to  deliver  a  smoocher's  ballad.. It's  not  a  million  miles  away  from  Boris  Grdiner's  I  Want  To  Wake  Up  With  You  which  made  number  one  the  following  year  so  with  a  bit  of  radio  support  - this  is  the  first  time  I've  heard  it  -  I  think  this  could  have  done  much  better.  It  was  a  bigger  hit  in  a  number  of  European  countries  but  did  nothing  in  his  native  U.S. Whether  Johnny  photo-approved  the  appalling  typeface  on  the  sleeve  isn't  known.

A  new  album  "Here  Again"  was  released  the  following  year  with  a  follow-up  single  "Baby You're  Mine"  which  covers  similar  ground  with  jarring  Fairlight  crashes  but  is  much  lumpier. It  wasn't  a  hit  anywhere . I've  only  heard  a  couple  of  the  other  tracks, the  interminable  title track  and  nostalgic  "Never  Going  Back ", both  of  which  hint  that  Johnny  feels  he  hasn't   much  more  to  say.

And  that's  how  it  turned  out.  Johnny  just  vanished. He  had  a  minor  hit  in  the  UK  in  1989 with  a  Lee  Hamblin  re-mix  of  his  biggest  international  hit  "I  Can  See  Clearly  Now "  that  he had  no  active  part  in  ( thankfully )  . There  were  also  two  compilation  LPs   in  the  nineties   that  he  did  nothing  to  promote. In  2006  he  was  reported  to  be  working  on  transferring  his  old  hits  onto  digital  format  but  there's  been  no  end  product  from  this. He  also  appeared   briefly  in  the  documentary  film   One  Day  In  Houston   in  2007   which  appears  to  be  his  last  public  appearance  to  date. Now  75 , it  seems  increasingly  unlikely  that  Johnny  will  come  out  of  retirement.
 

508 Hello Erasure - Who Needs Love Like That ?

Chart  entered : 5  October  1985

Chart  peak : 55  ( 10  in  re-mixed  form  in  1992 )

Number  of  hits : 35

Now  we  catch  up  with  the  story  of  Vince  Clarke. As  stated  in  the  Alison  Moyet  post  I've  covered  the  work  of  Yazoo  elsewhere  so  we'll  pick  the  story  up  after  their  dissolution  in  July  1983.  Vince  founded  his  own  record  label  Reset  with  recording  engineer  Eric  Radcliffe  ( of  Upstairs  At  Eric's  fame )  and  started  producing  singles  for  his  friend  Robert  Marlow. In  the  autumn  he  and  Eric  announced  they  were  now  a  duo  The  Assembly  who  would  release  records  with  guest  vocalists   in  a  similar  way  to  B.E.F. the  year  before. They  got  off  to  a  flying  start  with  "Never  Never"  a  self-pitying  ballad  featuring  Feargal  Sharkey, at  a  loose  end  since  The  Undertones  split  at  the  end  of  1982. It  reached  number  4  in  November  1983.  Vince's  reputation  as  a  songwriter  was  further  enhanced  the  following  year  when  The  Flying  Pickets  version  of  "Only  You"  went  one  better  than  the  Yazoo  version  and  became  the  Christmas  number  one.

Despite  that  The  Assembly  project  quickly  ran  into  the  sand   for  reasons  which  have  never  really  been  explained  given  that  Vince  and  Eric  continued  to  work  together. No  other  vocalist  was  associated  with  the  project  and  there;s  been  no  hint  anything  else  was  recorded. Apart  from  producing  a  couple  of  singles  for  Marlow  Vince  was  musically  silent  throughout  1984.

Vince  re-emerged  in  the  summer  of  1985  with  the  single  "One  Day"  in  collaboration  with  Paul  Quinn, former  vocalist  with  the  short-lived  Bourgie  Bourgie.  It's  not  clear  if  Quinn  had  originally  been  approached  to  be  an  Assembly   The  song  was  co-written  with  pop  duo  Morgan  McVey   although  you  wouldn't  know  it  as  it's  pretty  similar  to  "Never  Never"  both  in  tempo  and  melody. However  the  single  didn't  get  much  air  play  and  didn't  chart. One  wonders  if  , as  seemed  to  be  happening  with  Terry  Hall, his  audience  were  getting  tired  of  the  constant  bed-hopping.

Even  before  the  single  with  Quinn  came  out  Vince  had  placed  an  ad  in  Melody  Maker   for  a  new  singer . Andy  Bell , a  gay  shoe  salesman  from  Peterborough   came  through  the  audition. He  had  been  singing  with  a  group  called  The  Void  and  was  a  big  fan  of  Vince's  previous  work.

Here's  my  take  on  "Who  Needs  Love Like  That  "  from  the  albums  blog  :

  It's  the  first  of  those  non-smashes  Clarke's "Who  Needs  Love  Like  That ? "  that  kicks  things  off  here. It  was  released  in  October  1985  and  reached  number  55  with  most  attention  focussed  on  a similarity  in  vocal  tone  between  Bell  and  Moyet  with  the  following  assumption  that  that  was  why  he'd  been  "picked". It's  a  fairly  straightforward  synthpop  ditty  with  an  Oriental-flavoured  melody  and  vaguely  accusatory  lyrics. There's  no  obvious  reason  for  its  failure  and  indeed  it  was  a  big  hit  in  remixed  form  as  a  trailer  for  a  greatest  hits  LP in  1992.

The  muted  ( sorry )  reaction  to  Erasure's  first  single (  and  indeed  the  performance  of  the  next  two  )  suggested  that  Vince  still  had  some  work  to  do  to  regain  his  audience  but  history   shows  he  managed  it.

507 Hello A-ha - Take On Me

Chart  entered  :  28  September  1985

Chart  peak : 2

Number  of  hits : 22

We  now  come  to  one  of  my  favourite  groups, much  misunderstood  at  the  time.

A-ha  emerged  from  an  earlier  group  called  Bridges. Formed  in  Oslo  in  the  late  seventies  they were  led  by  guitarist  and  singer/songwriter  Pal  Waaktaar  Gamst  ( born  1961 )   and  featured keyboardist   and  childhood  friend   Magne  Furuholmen   with  two  other  blokes  for  a  rhythm  section.  In  1980  they released  their  only  LP  "Fakkeltog"  ( meaning  torchlit  procession ) . The  songs  are  actually  in English  but  it's  not  an  easy  listen. Every  song  is  minor  key  moody  and  most  go  off  in strange  jazzy  directions.  They're  also  heavily  in  thrall  to  The  Doors  , the  biggest  surprise  of the  album   being  Pal's  uncanny  Jim  Morrison  impersonation.  Pal  is  an  odd , inscrutable  chap who  doesn't  do  interviews  and  doesn't  have  a  microphone  on  stage  when  A-ha  play  live  so  it's  very  strange  to   discover  that  he  has  a  strong  voice  of  his  own.  The  album  was  self-financed  and  only  1000  copies  were  pressed.

They  picked  up  a  fan  in  the  slightly  older  Morten  Harket,  a   slightly  older  guy  from  a  middle  class  family  who  was  singing  with  unsuccessful  bands  such  as  Mercy  and  Souldier  Blue. In  1982  Pal  and  Magne  decided  to  try  their  luck  in  England  which  broke  up  the  band. Apparently  deciding  to  concentrate  on  playing  and  writing,  Pal  invited  Morten  to  join  them  but  he  preferred  to  stick  with  Souldier  Blue  for  the  time  being. Pal  and  Magne  had  little  joy  in  England  but  when  they  returned  to  Oslo   Morten   accepted  a  second  invitation  to  join  them.

After  months  of  rehearsals  they  decided  to  return  to  the  UK  , this  time  as  A-ha,   a  name that would  be  understood  across  language  barriers. They  flew  to  London  at  the  beginning  of  1983 but  had  a  difficult  time. It  took  them  a  year just  to  find  a  manager  and  a  record  deal  with Warner  Brothers.  

Their  first  single ,  released  in  October  1984   was .... "Take  On  Me" . It  evolved  from  earlier songs  called  "The  Juicy  Fruit  Song"   and  "Lesson  One"   and  this  first  version  of  the  song was  produced  by  New  Musik's  Tony  Mansfield. Morten  sings  it  in  a  slightly  lower  key  which makes  him  sound  like  Donny  Osmond, perhaps  encouraged  by  Mansfield, who  must  have noticed  the  singer's  well-chiseled  teen  potential, and  there's  an  acoustic  guitar  line  from  Pal. The  single  got  no  airplay  and  went  nowhere  except  in  their  homeland  where  it  reached number  3.

They  tried  again  with  the  song  in  April  1985  with  a  new  mix  by  Alan  Tarney. This  time they got  to  perform  it  on  Saturday  Superstore   but  it  still  wasn't  a  hit.  However  Warner  Brothers American  office  liked  both  the  song  and  the  look  of  the  band  and  told  them  to  record  it  a third  time  and  paid  for  that  iconic  video.

My  thoughts  on  it  from  the  Albums  blog  are  here  :


"Take  On  Me"  starts  things  off  as  if  the  band  were  in  a  hurry  to  move  on  from  a  song  that  had  to  be  released  three  times. I'm  guessing  I  don't  have  to  describe  it  in  any  detail  as  it  has  become  their  signature  song  thanks  to  that  video. I  think  I  said  before  that  its  not  my  favourite  song. I  was   indifferent  to  it  as  a  single   ( perhaps  a  little  resentful  that  it  was  one  of  the  records  blocking  Red  Box's  Lean  On  Me  from reaching  number  one )  viewing  them  as  a  ( much )  prettier  version  of  Alphaville  and  whose  chart  career  would  be  of  similar  longevity.  I'm  fonder  of  it  now  and  enjoyed  a  bop  with  my  wife  to  it  in  Manchester  18  months  ago  when  it  was  the  inevitable  final  encore  on  their  farewell  tour. It's  just  that  its  untypical  in  its  reliance  on  blippety-blip  sequencers  and  euphoric  feel  ( although  the  lyrics are  not  as  optimistic  as  the  melody  would  suggest )  and  Tarney  only  really  painted  in  primary  colours.

I  think   elsewhere  on  the  blog  I  mentioned  that  Pal  made  a  big  mistake  in  posing  with  a guitar  in  the  video  when  there  wasn't  any  guitar  on  the  track. In  fact  there  is, it's   been   lowered  in  the  mix  with  each  successive  version  but  you  can  still  hear  it  if  you  listen carefully. So  apologies  to  Pal  for  the  unfair  criticism.  

506 Hello Bon Jovi - Hardest Part Is The Night

Chart  entered : 31  August  1985

Chart  peak : 68

Number  of  hits : 38   ( Jon  Bon  Jovi  also  had  5  solo  hits, Richie  Sambora  had  3 )

This  was  a  small  beginning  for  the  most  consistently  successful  metal  act  of  the  last  30  years  who  until  very  recently  were  fixtures  in  the  singles  chart. We're  also  at  the  birth  here  of  one  of  the  most  unloved  musical  genres  namely  "hair  metal "   but  it's  perhaps  unfair  to  blame  Bon  Jovi  for  that.

John  Bongiovi   was  born  in  New  Jersey  in  1962. He  started  skipping  school  to  pursue musical  interests  in  his  teens  , encouraged  by  his  cousin  Tony  who  owned  the  famous  Power Station  studio  in  New  York.  He  played  with  keyboard  player  David  Bryan  Rashbaum  in  the ten  piece  outfit  Atlantic City  Expressway. In  1980  Tony  arranged  for  him  to  sing  a  song   on Meco's  Star  Wars -themed  Christmas  album  entitled  "R2 D2  We  Wish  You  A  Merry  Christmas ".

Two  years  later  Tony  arranged  for  a  group  of  session  players  including  Springsteen  pianist  Roy  Bittan  to  record  a  demo  of  John's  ( now  Jon )  song  "Runaway ".  Mercury  turned  him  down  at  first  but  changed  their  minds  after  "Runaway"  became  an  airplay  hit  in  New  York. Jon  had  a  recording  contract  but   wanted  a  band  around  him . First  he  called  up  David  who  dropped  his  university  studies  to  join. David  suggested  the  rhythm  section  of  Alec  John  Such  on  bass   and  Tico  Torres  on  drums.

Both  these  guys  were  much  older  than  Jon  and  David. Tico  had  played  with  Six  Feet  Under,  a  New  Jersey  version  of  Jefferson  Airplane  but  was  replaced  before  they  started  recording.  He  also  had  a  stint  with  glam  band  T.  Roth  and  Another  Pretty  Face  and  played  on  their  album  "Face  Facts "  in  1980. Mostly  though  he  worked  as  a  session  drummer  and  was  auditioned  by  Kiss  as  a  potential  replacement  for  Peter  Criss  in  1980.

Jon's  original  choice  for  guitarist  was  his  neighbour  David  Sabo  who  later  formed  Skid  Row.
After  a  few  gigs  he  was  replaced  by  Richie  Sambora. Richie  wasn't  as  old  as  Alec  or  Tico  but  had  been  around  a  bit. He  had  played  in  the  bands  Message, Mercy  and  Duke  Williams  &  the  Extremes  and  as  an  opening  act  for  Joe  Cocker  under  his  own  name. He  also  had  an  interest  in  a  New  Jersey  club  and  a  small  record  label.  

The  band's  debut  album "Bon  Jovi"  was  released  in  January  1984 ( slightly  later  in  the  UK )  and  is  a  good  pop  metal  album  without  being  earth-shattering. David's  keyboard  parts  give  the  record  an  attractive  modern  sheen. Strangely  the  two  singles  chosen  were  the  least  typical  tracks. "She  Don't  Know  Me"   (  the  first  release  in  the  UK  )  is  the  only  song  in  their  history  that  none  of  the  band  had  a  hand  in  writing . It  was  written  by  Fair  Warning's  Mark  Avsec   and  is  heavy  pop-rock  rather  than  metal  with  a  decent  chorus . The  other  was  "Runaway"  ( released  first  in  the  US  )   which   wasn't  re-recorded  and  so  only  features  Jon. Inspired  by  noticing  young  prostitutes  on  his  way  to  work,  it  has  an  arresting  keyboard  line ( like  the  one  on  Toto's  Hold  The  Line  speeded  up  )  which  makes  it  my  favourite  Bon  Jovi  record. Neither  made  the  chart  here   but  "Runaway"  got  to  39  in  the  US  and  "She  Don't  Know  Me"  to  48.  The  album  got  to  58  in  the  US  and  71  here  despite  the  lack  of  a  hit  single.

In  April  1985  they  released  their  second  album  7800 Fahrenheit   with  the  lead  single  being  the  much  heavier  "In  And Out  Of  Love ". Despite  the  siren-like  synth  in  the  chorus  it  sounds  more  conventionally  metal, somewhere  between  Def  Leppard  and  AC/DC. It  reached  69  in  the  States  but  did  nothing  here. Nevertheless  the  band  played  here  in  May  1985   and  then  returned  to  play  the  Monsters  of  Rock  concert  in  August.

"Hardest  Part  is  the  Night ",  chosen  for  the  second  single  in  preference  to  the  US  hit  "Only  Lonely  "  ( number  54  )  entered  the  chart  a  fortnight  after  that  appearance.  Jon  tries  to  channel  the  spirit  of  New  Jersey's  most  famous  son  in  the  lyric  with  vague  references  to  urban  struggle  and  a  chorus  that  has  echoes  of   Because  The  Night .  It's   alright  but  let  down  by  being  very  pedestrian  in  the  rhythm  department, chugging  when  it  should  be  rocking.  Bon  Jovi  would  really  hit  the  big  time  the  following  year  but  their  hard  work   let  them  put  down  this  early  marker.

505 Goodbye Pointer Sisters - Dare Me

Chart  entered  : 20  July  1985

Chart  peak : 17

This  is  an  odd  one, a  group  making  its  exit  so soon  after their  biggest  success  with  no obvious  cause. At  the  start  of  the  year  "Neutron  Dance"  had  given  them  a  fifth  Top  40  hit   from  their  album  "Break  Out "  which  made  the  Top  10  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic and won two  Grammys. "Automatic"  reached  number  two  here  in  1984.

"Dare  Me"  was  the  lead  single  from  their  next  album , "Contact". It  was  written  by  the Nashville-based  songwriting  duo  Sam  Lorber  and  Dave  Innis  with  the  Sisters  in  mind.  It   continues  where  "Break  Out"  left  off  in  setting  their  rich  R &  B  vocals  against  a  modern electro- funk  backing. The  song  is  a  sexual  come-on  with  lines  like  "Touch  Me  one  more time"  but  not  too  saucy  for  radio  play. It's  not  really  my  cup  of  tea  but  an  effective  single which  made  number  11  in  the  States .

The  album  made  number  34  here and  25  in  the  US  but  then  interest  in  the  group  just seemed  to  melt  away. The  follow-up  single  "Freedom"  a  slow  burner  with   vogue-ish   Oriental keyboard  sounds  only  made  59  in  the  States  and  failed  over  here. It's  a  grower  but  didn't  get the  airplay  it  needed  to  take  hold. "Twist  My  Arm"  got  to  number  83  in  the  US  with  the help  of  a  video  where  the  girls  show  a  generous  amount  of  cleavage. It  sounds  pretty  close  to  "Jump ( For  My  Love )"  to  me. Here   RCA  released  a  different  track  for  a  third  single  "Back   In  My  Arms" a  mid -tempo  R &  B  number  with  excellent  vocals  which  again  could  have  done  something had  it  got  radio  support.  

The  following  year  "Goldmine"  , a  brassy  pop  dance  number  bubbled  under  but  didn't  make  the  chart  which  meant  the  parent  album  "Hot  Together" didn't  chart  either.  They  fared  slightly  better  in  the  US  where  the  single  made  number  33  and  the  album  got  to  number  38. The  next  single  "All  I  Know  Is  The  Way  I  Feel"  a  well-performed  but  bland  corporate  soul  number  scraped  its  way  to  93  in  the  US  but  wasn't  released  over  here. Neither  was  "Mercury  Rising", an  erotic, synth-driven   R &   B  number  which  failed  to  chart  in  the  US.

In  1987  they  got  a  song  on  the  Beverley  Hills  Cop  II    soundtrack.  With  a  hard-slamming  back  beat  it's  an  uptempo  song  with  lots  of  brass  but  pretty  vacuous. It  didn't  quite  make  it  here  but  was  their  last  US  hit  peaking  at  42. Anita  had  a  solo  album  "Love  For  What  It  Is  out  that  year  without  creating  much  interest.

Their  last  album  for  RCA  "Serious  Slammin"  made  a  minor  impression  on  the  US  chart.  The  first  single  "He  Turned  Me  Out"  sees  them  going  further  down  the  contemporary  R &  B  route  with  a  robotic  backing  track  but  there's  not  much  of  a  tune. The  follow-up  was  a  ballad  "I'm  In  Love"  which  sounds  like  an  average  Tina  Turner  single. They  were  not  released  in  the  UK.

In  1989  a  compilation  album   reached  number  11  in  the  UK  but  didn't  chart  in  the  US. June  recorded  a  second ( her  first  was  in  1983 ) , eponymous  album  which  failed  to  make  an  impression

In  1990  they  re-surfaced  on  Motown  with  the  album  "Right  Rhythm".   The  singles  followed the   same  pattern  with  the  uptempo  contemporary   " Friends ' Advice ",  which  sounds  like something  TLC might  record  and  on  which  the  girls  don't  sound  entirely  comfortable  with  its robotic  rhythm  ,  followed  by   a  Tina  Turner -esque  ballad  "After  You" . Neither  made  any impression . A  third  single , the  house-y  "Insanity "  didn't  reverse  the  trend.

The  group  gave  it  a  last  shot  with  an  album  "Only  Sisters  Can  Do  That "  on  SBK  Records  in  1993.  There  was  just  the  one  single  "Don't  Walk  Away "  written  by  the  Bucks  Fizz  writing  team  of  Andy  Hill  and  Pete  Sinfield  which  is  contemporary  but  forgettable  dance  pop. hen  that  failed  the  girls  largely  called  it  a  day  as  a  recording  act.

In  1994  they  started  touring  in  a  production  of  the  musical  Ain't  Misbehavin . The  following year  they  re-recorded  a  track  "Feel  for  the  Physical "  with  former  Modern  Talking  man Thomas  Anders  for  his  album  Souled.  Towards  the  end  of  their  stint  in  the  musical  June   started  missing  performances  and  she  was  gradually  eased  out  of  the  group with  Ruth's   daughter  finally  taking  her  place  in  2002.  Originally  the  plan  was  to  alternate  her  with  Anita's  daughter  Jada  but  the  latter  died  of  pancreatic  cancer  in  2003.

In  2005  they  enjoyed  a  last  hit  in  Belgium  when  they  recorded a  cover  of  Eurhythmics  ' "Sisters  Are   Doing  It  For  Themselves"  with  Belgian  singer  Natalia  but  their  Christmas  single "Christmas  in  New  York "  failed  to  register. Those  are  the  only  two  recordings  to  feature  Issa  Pointer.

In  2006  June  died  of  cancer . Her  funeral  was  the  occasion  of  more  spats  with  estranged sister  Bonnie  with  her  accusing  the  other  two  of  not  respecting  June's  burial  wishes  and  they accusing  her  of  trying  to  use  the  occasion  to  muscle  her  way  back  into  the  group.

 In  2008  just  Anita  and  Ruth  recorded  The  Pointer  Sisters  Favorites   which  featured  re-workings  of  their  biggest  hits.  They  no  longer  do  tours  as  such  just  corporate  events  and  private  parties,  not  always  with  Anita  in  the  line  up  as  her  health  has  become  a  bit precarious.

  

504 Hello Simply Red - Money's Too Tight ( To Mention )

Chart  entered : 15  June  1985

Chart  peak : 13

Number  of  hits  : 39 *

( * Don't  believe  the  Official  Chart  Company's  total  which  includes  the  Sunderland  FC  Supporters  Club  song  "Cheer  Up  Peter  Reid"  released  under  the  name  "Simply  Red  and  White" )

So  everyone  of  the  undernourished  throng  who  saw  the  Pistols  that  summer  night  was  empowered  into  action . Bernard  Sumner  and  Peter  Hook  of  Joy  Division  and  later  New  Order  were  there. So  was  Morrissey  again. The  gig  was  promoted  by  two  students  from  Bolton, Howard  Devoto  and  Pete  Shelley  whose  fledgling  band  Buzzcocks  played  that  night. A  young docks  clerk  Mark  E  Smith  saw  Buzzcocks, thought  he  could  do  better  and  formed  The  Fall, one  of  Britain's  most   subversive, unique   and  influential  acts  ever. Mick  Hucknall  was  there   and  so  energised  was  he  by   events  that, well  a  decade  later  he  made  some  horribly  dull  plastic  soul  records. Or  something. But  you  get  the  picture.
( Stuart  Maconie,  Pies and  Prejudice )  

Maconie's  assassination  of  Simply  Red   is  a  good  illustration  of   the  vitriol  that  has  been thrown  at  this  band   from  day  one. One  of  the  last  punks ( well  just  about ) to  make  good , Mick  Hucknall's transformation  into  a  white  soul  boy  seems  to  have  got  up  people's  noses like  few  others before  or  since.

At  the  time  of  the  Sex  Pistols  gig  to  which  Maconie  is  referring  Mick  was  a  young  art student  only  just  sixteen  so  not  really  in  a  position  to  form  a  band  straight  away. He  didn't get  The  Frantic  Elevators  together  until  1979. The  four  piece  band  released  their  first  single in  June  that  year  on  TJM  Records. "A  Voice  In  The  Dark " is  a  not  very  well  recorded melodic  punk  number  in  the  style  of  The  Undertones   and  not  bad  for  a  first  attempt. Peelie gave  it  a  few  spins. They  were  due  to  release  a  second  single  on  TJM  at  the  beginning  of 1980  but  fell  out  with  the  company  before  it  was  pressed.

The  band  moved  over  to  Liverpool  and  released  their  next  single  "You  Know  What  You Told Me"  on  Eric's.  A  post-punk  experimental  track  with  atonal  noises  and  a  toy  soldier  rhythm track  , the  closest  comparison  I  can  make  is  The  Flying  Lizards. It's  near-unlistenable  and  the only  positive  thing  about  it  is  that  it's  over  in  less  than  two  minutes.

By  the  following  year  they  were  heavily  reliant  on  Peel's  patronage  and  did  three  sessions   for  him. Peel  later  fell  out  with  Mick  after  being  criticised  in  a  Melody  Maker  interview  and thereafter  only  spoke  of  Simply  Red  to  deride  them. "Searching  For  The  Only  One"  was   their  only  release  of  the  year  on  Crackin  Up  Records. The  sound  isn't  quite  there  veering between  glam  rock  and  Joy  Division  but  it's  not  a  bad  song  and  now  his  voice  is  clearly recognisable.

Their  last  single  came  out  in  1982  ,the  original  version  of  "Holding  Back  The  Years"  with  a  tasteful  shot  of  Mick  putting  a  pistol  in  his  mouth  on  the  cover. The  song  refers  to  his  mother's  desertion  of  the  family  when  he  was  little  and  is  clearly  heartfelt. The  song  is  more  or  less  at  the  same  tempo  as  the  more  familiar  version  but  doesn't  have  the  "I'll  Keep  Holding  On"  refrain, that  space  being  occupied  by  some   Duane  Eddy  guitar  twanging.

The  band  eventually  called  it  a  day  in  1984. None  of  the  other  three  musicians  ever  became  part  of  a  Simply  Red  line  up.  Mick and  his  manager  Elliott  Rashman  started  scouring  the  Manchester  music  scene  for  new  recruits.

Some  of  Mick's  new  cohorts  were  more  experienced  than  he  was. Bassist  Tony  Bowers  was eight  years  older  and  first  surfaced  in  the  blues  band  Blind  Eye  in  the  early  seventies. In 1974  he  joined  parody  rock  troupe  Albertos  Y  Lost  Trios  Paranoias  and  played  with  them   for  nearly  all  their  recording  career  including  the  minor  hit  single  "Heads  Down  No   Nonsense  Mindless  Boogie"  which  parodied  Status  Quo  in  1978.  AYLTP  were  a  big  live draw  and  were  supported  in  their  time  by  The  Stranglers, The  Police  and  Blondie  but  never sold  many  records  their  satire  too  sharp  and  clever  for  The  Barron  Knights'  audience.

With  the  band's  recording  career  at  a  standstill  Tony  jumped  ship  in  1978  to  join  a  new  group  being  put  together  by  Tony  Wilson  called  The  Durutti  Column  from  the  ashes  of  punk  act  Fast  Breeder. The  drummer  was  Chris  Joyce  a  21  year  old  from  Chorlton. They  played  on  the  two  tracks  "Communication "  and  "Thin  Ice"  that  appeared  on  the  first  Factory  release  the  "A  Factory  Sample"  EP. Both  sound  like  Magazine  on  Mogadon. Along  with  guitarist  Dave  Rowbotham  , Tony  and  Chris  then  left  both  band  and  label at  the  prospect  of  working  with  producer  Martin  Hannett.

They  formed  a  new  post-punk  outfit  The  Mothmen  with  ex  AYLTP  member  Bob  Harding  as  singer. Their  debut  single  "Does  It  Matter  Irene  ? "  was  released  in  November   and  couldn't  really  have  been  released  at  any  other  time  with  its  horror  movie  chorus  and  spectacularly  abrasive  guitar  break. The  band's  momentum  stalled  after  that  with  Chris  going  off  to  work  with  Pink  Military  and  Rowbotham  playing  with  Pauline  Murray  and  the  Invisible  Girls. They  were  brought  back  together  by  a  young  Adrian  Sherwood  who  released  their  album  "Pay  Attention ! "  on  his  fledgling  On-U Sound  label. The  band  then  signed  for  Do  It  but  had  teething  problems  there  as  their  first  single  "Show  Me  Your  House  And  Car"  was  pulled.

They  eventually  put  out  a  new  single  "Temptation"  in  October  1981  sounding  like  a completely  different  band  with  a  smooth  Bowie-does  disco  number  on  which  Tony  usefully shows  his  prowess  with  a  funky  bass  line. They  released  another  album "One  Black  Dot"  and a  single  "Wadada"  which  I  haven't  heard  before  splitting  up  in  early  1982.  Chris  joined  the world  music  collective  Sons  of  Arqa   and  played  on  their  1983  album  "Wadada  Magic".

The  other  recruits  were  Fritz  McIntyre  , a  keyboard   player  from  Birmingham, Tim  Kellett, a  young  trumpeter  who'd  just  had  a  brief  stint  in  Durutti  Column  and  a  guitarist  called  Fryman  who  was  soon  replaced  by  Sylvan  Richardson. They  were  signed  by  WEA.

"Money's  Too  Tight  ( To  Mention ) "  was  a  minor  hit  for  U.S. R & B  duo  The  Valentine  Brothers  in  April  1983  after  some  airplay  from  David  Jensen. Its  tale  of  kitchen  sink  poverty  is  unusual  for  pointing  the  finger  directly  at  the  man  at  the  top  , geriatric  U.S.  president  Ronald  Reagan. It's  a  good  song  but  it's  grounded  by  a  very  lumpen  synthesised  bass  line  that  squelches  its  way  through  the  track.

Nevertheless  Simply  Red  drew  immediate  flak  for  taking  it  on,  from  critics  who  didn't  like the  idea  of  pale  white  boys  ( apart  from  Fritz ) covering  a  recent  R &  B  track. I'll  stick  my neck  out  and  say  they  improved  it. Tony's  supple  playing  removes  the  bass  line  problem  and Mick  stays  pretty  faithful  to  the  vocal  melody  while  adding  a  ragged  anger   that's  missng from  Billy  Valentine's  smoother  delivery. Mick's  long  stint  on  the  dole  during  the  Frantic Elevators  years  actually  gave  him  more  feel  for  the  lyric  than  the  Valentines  who  had  a comfortable  berth  as  part  of  the  touring  company  for  The  Wiz   in  the  years  before  they  cut the  disc. The  band  also  jettisoned  the  laboured  rap  at  the  end  in  favour  of  an  ad  libbed section  taking  the  line  "Did  the  earth  move  for  you  Nancy ?"  from  a  recent  Spitting  Image sketch.  The  best  thing  about  the  record  though  is  Fritz's  keyboard  part  , those  melancholy chords  providing  the  structure  for  Mick  to  work  around.

I  remember  them  doing  this  on  Top  of  the  Pops  where  they  allowed  Mick  to  do  a  live  vocal.  My  mum  objected  to  the  performance  because  Reagan  was in  hospital  at  the  time  and  she  thought  it  was  bad  taste  to  attack  him  while  he  was  down. I  guess  she  didn't  realise  the  song  was  about  people  who  couldn't  afford  to  go  to  hospital  in  his  America.

Alas  Simply  Red  would  rarely be  this  good  again.