SOUNDS Staff. "We Can Pick 'Em in '77." SOUNDS, no. January 1, 1977, pp. 4-5
We Can Pick 'Em in '77
— SOUNDS journalists predict 1977's breakout acts, spotlighting The Clash as "the most exciting and original of the post-Pistols new wavers" with their "strong hooks and sartorial innovations"
— Features Giovanni Dadomo's prescient Clash analysis warning of their "dole queue rock" dilemma as they negotiate a major label deal, predicting their music could become "some of the finest recorded rock of the decade"
— Includes 30+ artist profiles ranging from reggae act Aswad ("a hydraulic power drill" of rhythm) to proto-punks The Saints ("outstripping the Ramones at their own game") and jazz innovator Jaco Pastorius ("pushing music to new limits")
SOUNDS January 1 1977 15p
CLASH – our pic for '77
CLASH: pic by Sheila Rock
SOUNDS | January 1 1977 | Page 4 & Page 5
We can pick 'em in 77י
The SOUNDS gang put their reputations (?) on the line and pick next year's winners
ASWAD
AS WAD have a big advantage in British popularity stakes — they’re visible. Not to mention that they’re good. The star of the band is Angus Gaye, the cheerful 16-year-old drummer, whose expression of glazed ecstasy is almost as rivetting as his drumming, which is somewhere between a hydraulic power drill and the mismatched infant of a machine gun and a metronome.
Other elements to watch for in the Aswad sound: Candy McKenzie singing and smiling, Bunny McKenzie blowin’ harp and stepping, George Oban stolidly plucking perfectly constructed bass shapes, Chaka singing. Also, listen to their Island record. In fact, hell, why not buy it? It is New Year after all. — Vivien Goldman
STEPHEN BISHOP
TO WRITE and record quality pop songs in these overexploited Seventies seems something of an impossibility. Stephen Bishop is a rare exception. His first album, ‘Careless’, is one of those unique records capable of appealing to both MOR and rock audiences.
Although he received strong support on record, (Co-produced by Joni Mitchell’s mainman Henry Lewy, with guest appear¬ ances by Eric Clapton, Art Garfunkel, Larry Carlton and Chaka Khan) the star of the album is unquestionably Stephen Bishop.
So far his major claim to fame has been writing two songs for Art Garfunkel’s ‘Breakaway’ album, but ‘Careless’ is stuffed full of hit singles and precious gems. Just wait: Stephen Bishop will triumph. Top Of The Pops producers and BBC playlist folks be prepared. And remember the name. — Barbara Charone
CADO BELLE
1976 was a good year for this fine band. Their first album was the best debut record of The year, a revelation of high-class white soul music. Meanwhile, onstage. Maggie Reilly just gets better and better while the band progressively sharpen up on all points. They've played support for Poco and Heart, the I’oco back-up being one of the finest gigs I*ve seen for a long while. Colin Tully is a magnificent sax player, a perfect foil for Alan Darby's gritty lead. They score on most points; but maybe a rather static- stage show' is holding them back. All the same, the excellence of their material and fine quality Of their execution cannot he supressed. Odds on success — evens. - Tim Lott
CITY BOY
CITY BOY are taking a slow but steady route upwards. Everyone whose seen them agrees that their music, drawing on roots provided by such British bands of the Seventies as lOcc, has what it takes and their stage act has more than it takes. — Hugh Fielder
THE CLASH
SINCE their debut back in September the Clash have proved themselves far and away the most exciting and original of the post-Pistols new wavers. With their strong hooks, pacemaking sartorial innovations and remarkable front duo of Mick Jones and Joe Strummer they still seem the band most likely to transcend the whole ‘punk’ overkill and reach bigger audiences.
At the moment the only thing that seems to stand in their way is the danger that their extreme social/political attitude will drive them into a cul de sac — with talk of a big deal with a major label in the offing they could well find themselves in the same position as the Pistols, ie how to continue playing ‘dole queue’ rock when they’ve moved up into a higher u'age bracket.
Hopefully they’ll get over this most intriguing hurdle and actually release some vinyl soon. The results could w'ell be some of the finest recorded rock of the decade. — Giovanni Dadomo
COUNT BISHOPS
FOLLOWING their original emergence in late ’75 on a vintage Berry/Stones ticket, the Anglo/American Count Bishops have metamorphosed into a hard-working original quartet in their own right, blending just a pinch of vintage US punk, a little Blues and lot of rock’n’roll.
Along with the similarly talented Roogalator the Bishops have been sadly ignored while bands of lesser talent but greater sensationalism have made head¬ lines. But they’ve stuck to their guns and with ‘Train Train’/Takin’ It Easy’ produced one of the finest singles of the past year. Hopefully this tenacity will bear fruit in ’77 and bring the Bishops the popular and chart recognition they deserve. — Giovanni Dadomo
THE DAMNED
WE WROTE about ’em first, we dig 'em. and John Peel tips ’em to do big things in ‘77.
DEAF SCHOOL
THE BEST thing about Deaf School is that they are refreshingly like no ouier band. The songs they write alternate between brittle rockers, melodramatic movies and clever pop songs. On record they will pay tribute to the Kinks one minute and the Supremes the next, simultaneously maintaining their own identity. Their stage show has improved throughout the years as they wisely stuck primarily to university concerts avoiding all the superfluous big business hype of ’76. Undoubtedly lead singer Enrico Cadillac Jnr. is a legitimate star. Guitarist Cliff Lunger is the band’s secret musical weapon, capable of fluidly tossing off immaculate slices of 60’s r&b rock.
While their debut album ‘Second Honeymoon' was one of the highlights of 76. Deaf School are currently recording their second album for Warner Brothers. If the new songs premiered onstage are anything to go by, the second Deaf School album might even give Bill Grundy something to talk about. Deaf School may not be the future of rock’n’roll but they sure as hell are the present. — Barbara Charone
JOHN DOWIE
AN ACUTELY visual act who describe themselves as “The Cockiest Band In The World”, Mr John Dowie & His Big Girls Blouse are a four-man team of sexists pigs with their roots in the pubs ’n clubs of darkest Birmingham — and they have an Arts Council grant, to boot. Must be intellectual! No recording contract as yet, but, yes, they deserve one.
Revolving around the naked charismatic personality of ex-comedian Mr John Dowie, Steve Lewis on lethal bass and the rest of the Blouse take the piss out of good ol r&r in all its’ facets. From head-bashing r&r. through Sixties pop and Frog saccachirine to an exquisite kick-in-the- teeth for Definitive Punk Rock. And, unlike some past send-up bands, (which shall remain nameless), they really can play. — Susanne Garrett
LESLEY DUNCAN
YEAH, YEAH. I know. Been going on about this for at least five years now, and by this stage of the game, Lesley Duncan’s rise to The Big Time is noticeably long overdue. But things are looking hopeful.
Album-wise, her two-year-old ‘Moon¬ bathing’ was finally released in the States this past summer. People listened, and seemed to quite enjoy what they were hearing — to the point where the album's being played regularly on key radio stations there. It’s a small start, but con¬ sidering that few people had even heard of her before, it’s a strong one.
Britain, of course, is another subject altogether, but a new album (tentatively called ‘Another Rainy Day’) is set for spring release. It’s good. Very good — though I've got a feeling that America will be the first to realise it. It’ll be their gain. — Dan Hedges
FLEETWOOD MAC
IT MIGHT seem strange listing Fleetwood Mac among the ‘Most Likely To Succeed In The New Year’, but though they've made their mark in America ten times over during the past eighteen months, they still mean practically nothing over here.
Taking on Lindsey Buckingham and Stevi Nicks was a master stroke, but the album that emerged from the new line-up was surprisingly and disappointingly weak. True, it sold several zillion copies in the States, but it’s basically pretty bland, wishy-washy stuff compared to the almost criminally excellent solo album Lindsey and Stevi put out as ‘Buckingham Nicks’.
The band’s forthcoming album reportedly changes all that, and assuming that Stevi and Lindsey have finally had enough time to settle in and exert their influences to the fullest, they're really going to be something to sec and hear. No doubt about it. — Dan Hedges
GEORGE HATCHER BAND
IN MANY WAYS the George Hatcher Band is typical of the kind of direction British mainstream rock music is moving in, ie more and more towards an American feel, which this band achieved rather naturally, a fact not entirely unconnected with the ethnic origins of Mr Hatcher himself. With a powerful, accomplished bunch of musicians behind him. Hatcher is ploughing a Southern American furrow of good times and booze through virtually virgin British soil, and with a good solid album behind him, 1977 looks like being his year. Look out Lynyrd Skynyrd. — Tony Mitchell
THE GORILLAS
FORMERLY the Hammersmith Gorillas and with only a couple of semi-obscure singles to their credit so far — their rousing cover of the classic 'You Really Got Me' from a couple of years back and the more recent original ‘She's My Gal’ on Chiswick — The Gorillas will finally start regular work in Britain early in the new year. Having seen this remarkable trio twice onstage in France and at work in the studio has been enough to convince me they’ll do ridiculously well Like the Hot Rods the Gorillas are unashamedly out to make good time rock’n’roll pure and simple. They’re nearest in spirit to early Small Faces, Slade and the Who and should be equally at home in sweaty clubs as before the Top Of The Fops cameras. Major assets: a distinctive latterday ‘mod’ visual image and a remarkable singer/guitarist by the namev of Jesse Hectore. — Giovanni Dadomo
HEART
A BRILLIANT debut album, but it is onstage where they score — Ann Wilson is the most dynamic female lead singer in a long time. They create a fine live atmosphere, founded on their tremendous visual impact and the indisputable quality of material. When they return to Britain this year, they will conquer completely, as they have in America. Odds on success: two to one on. — Tim Lott
TATA VEGA
TATA KICKED off as a street singer before hooking a part in a Los Angeles version of Hair. From there she joined Pollution, a vocal group that also included Dobic Gray. That project, however, never quite got off the ground and she teamed up with another outfit, Earthquire. Berry Gordy himself, so legend tells it, attended one of their show’s and was immediately taken with the lady’s voice. Result: a Motown contract as a solo singer.
Her first album, ‘Full Speed Ahead’, has already come and all but gone, leaving few critics breathless or record buyers lighter by three quid in its wake. But, for all its confused production and inconsist¬ ent material, that debut set radiated promises of much better things in the future. Tata’s voice has power, presence and, dare I say it, a sense of funk. Add Motown money to those attributes and 77 looks good for the hot Tata. — Robert Gallagher
HEATWAVE
SAVED FROM funk narcosis and in the nick of time.
The men I have to thank for that rescue act (who used a GTO single ‘Ain't No Half Steppin' in its execution) are the six blokes who make up Heatwave, a British-based but internationally-staffed outfit who should soon join the soul vanguard over here.
Heatwave’s debut album, ‘Too Hot Too Handle’, was recorded under Barry Blue (you heard me) and. though varyingly received on its release a couple of months ago, demonstrated that the group could comfortably and convincingly handle a variety of styles. Over the next 12 months they appear set to enter the big league alongside the Real Thing and the JALN Band.
Watch them work. — Robert Gallagher
INNER CIRCLE
INNER CIRCLE aren’t exactly new, except they’re virgin territory to most British ears. Having seen them in hotter than hot, dreader than dread onstage action in Jamaica, I came away a total convert to Jacob Miller in his capacity as the man most likely to induce a mass coronary (in his audience) from sheer excitement. An overwhelming barrage of immaculately directed energy, calculated to disintegrate the molecules of living organisms if they don’t succumb to his demonic authority.
Watch out kids. If Jake the Killer hits these shores, gargling, gasping, whispering and wailing — well, lock up your daughters is the mildest advice I can offer. — Vivien Goldman
LONESTAR
PEEL PLAYED ’em first. SOUNDS wrote about 'em first, and the high- energy heavy rockers from Wales will go onto bigger things in '77 says John Pool.
NICK LOWE
UVEK the last 12 months he produced Graham Parker and the Rumour's excellent debut .album Howling Wind* and the limited edition ‘Live At Marble Arch' set. Teamed up with Jake Riviera at Stiff Records, he cut one of the most under-rated double headers of 1976 ‘So It Goes'/'Heart Of The City*. Capturing the form if not quite the content of the New Wave, he took a band to the Punk Festival in France and returned to produce 'the Damned’s debut single ‘New Rose’.
A great songwriter and a fine singer Nick Lowe could well be the man to mould the spirit of Punk into the hardening face of established rock’n’roll. As a performer, a producer or both. — Chas De Whalley
JACO PASTORIUS
PASTORIUS made one of the most impressive debut albums of last year, and also provided one of the most magical moments on stage too with his scintillating 4-minute bass-solo during the Weather Report concert. As a genre, jazz-rock (hopeless term that it is) has gravitated towards an irritating reliance on repetitive, ‘safe’, funk cliches.
Pastorius has the playing skill, depth of composition, sensitivity and, above all, commitment to be a true innovator and push the boundaries of contemporary music to new limits. He’s carrying on in the same tradition as Miles, and though his medium is different his message could be as influential in the late 70’s as Davis’ was in the late 60’s. — Mick Brown
TEDDY PENDERGRASS
AS A member (now ex-member) of the Bluenotes, Teddy Pendergrass was responsible for the searing, toe-curling premier vocals we’d heard on a procession of great records like ‘If You Don’t Know Me By Now’, ‘The Love I Lost’, ‘Wake Up Everybody’ and, most magnificently of all, ‘Bad Luck’. As a solo singer, it’s difficult to see how he won’t continue to keep the goodies coming.
Given the deep but deep and black but black sounds I hope he’ll produce. Teddy Pendergrass will be the man who’s taking the soul buffs by storm.
Silly name, great voice. — Robert Gallagher
RACING CARS
IN A rook world currently dominated by fashionable trends, Racing Cars stick out as the kind of band that could make it under almost any circumstances. Their brand of rock and roll has a timeless but relevant quality that comes over 90 per cent on their first album. ‘Downtown Tonight' and 110 per cent live. — Hugh Fielder
Also tipped by John Peel.
REX
JUST SEEN these boys in the States supporting Ted Nugent and they must rate as the hardest-working second-on-the-bill act I’ve ever seen. Still wet behind the ears, Rex are barely four months old — yet
already they exude the confidence of a headlining outfit. Fronted by a brash, charismatic vocalist, one Rex Smith, the five man band play havoc-wreaking rock ’n’ roll, much in the tacky, glitzy style of lamented British bands such as Silverhead and the Heavy Metal Kids. If the wild reactions Rex have been getting in the US are anything to go by, their rise to fame in ’77 should be both fast and furious. Watch for ’em. — Geoff Barton
ROOGALATOR
THIS YEAR has proved that: 1. you lot have got no sense, ears, or simply good taste, and that 2: the record companies/ A&R men/millionaire financiers have got no sense, ears or good taste etc., for not picking up on Roogalator. OK, one more chance, make it this year, or else! — David Fudger
RUSH
ALL RIGHT, so I picked out three man Canadian band Rush as a band to click last year as well, but without a tour of Britain things didn’t take off as they really should have done. Still, at least we had two (or maybe even three) tremendous albums released, ‘Fountain Of Lamneth’, the ulti¬ mate ‘concept’ LP in ‘2112’ and the rousing live double platter ‘All The World’s A Stage’ — all hot stuff, but sans UK dates interest remains distinctly ‘underground’. Although I’ve heard of no firm plans to tour this country in the future, hopefully ’77 will be the year when Rush fever finally runs rife. Fingers crossed, eh? — Geoff Barton
SAINTS
IF THE most reviewed single to ever appear in SOUNDS is not just a manic fluke but a real indication of their abilities, the Saints outstrip the Ramones at their own game. Blackballed by all the local promoters, HP firms breathing on them for equipment payments, no local record company interested in them, and yet they won’t compromise their musical stance. That's commitment.
If ‘(I’m) Stranded’ isn’t a fluke, this is the only band in the Southern Hemisphere worth worrying about. — Jonh Ingham
JOHN DAVID SOUTHER
OKAY, hardly a new name, but one I think we’ll be hearing more of in the coming year. John David is probably best known as a writer, due to the patronage of Linda Ronstadt and the Eagles, but the fact is that he is the best interpreter of his own songs. His last album, ‘Black Rose’, was one of the more impressive albums to come out of Los Angeles last year: strong melodies, convincing performances, ambitious arrangements — all in refresh¬ ing contrast to the bland, throwaway complacency which all too often masquerades as ‘creativity’ in that neck of the woods. I just hope he doesn’t take it into his head to do something really dumb — like joining the Eagles. — Mick Brown
THE STRANGLERS
FORGET the hype in the daily papers when they signed a £40,000 contract with United Artists — these guys are too middle-class to be punks. Their exhu¬ mation of the more jagged aspects of psychedelia is based more on an under¬ standing of rock ’n’ roll’s most recent traditions and an attempt to put them into some coherent context for the 70’s than on iconoclasm or dole-queue aggression. They even smoke dope!
They’re erudite, intelligent — just a little pretentious — and so opiniated that if they weren’t musicians they’d undoubt¬ edly be rock critics (which makes a change from all those rock critics who are frustrated musicians). I can’t take them too seriously — at least, not as seriously as they appear to take themselves — but they could well bring some fun back into the lives of the over-23’s in 1977. — Mick Brown
SPLIT ENZ
SPLIT ENZ are, in 1976, w r hat Roxy Music were in 1972. They have astonishing stage presence, an utterly unique musical approach and a remarkable debut album behind them. Theatre, yes; but with substance and talent behind. A taste of the future. 1977 must be their year. Odds on success: 2-1. — Tim Lott
PAT TRAVERS
UNDOUBTEDLY destined for stardom in 1977, Travers, is a Canadian guitarist fronting a heavy three-piece band with a very individual sound. His first album, released early in 1976, demonstrated his rock ’n’ roll roots but hinted through his own compositions the likelihood of more sophisticated kind of guitar-based music emerging with time.
Together with bassist Peter Cowling and drummer Nicko, Pat makes the kind of energetic but well thought-out music which excites audience interest at live gigs but also provides an excellent building block in the studio. If more needs to be said, there’s a spark of Jimi Hendrix alive in this man’s music, and audiences have already demonstrated that musicians w r ho have that kind of feel are very much in demand. — Tony Mitchell
DELROY WASHINGTON
I CHECKED for Delroy after hearing his first Virgin album, an off-beat collection of contemporary message songs, dealing with life in Ladbroke Grove, strictly truths and rights. He’s got a voice smooth as a McDonalds chocojate milk shake (inclu¬ ding the lumps of ice cream), and his songs, like Bobby Womack’s, have an unusual shape that means nobody else can sing ’em and get the feeling through. An original talent.
I became an even bigger convert after hearing his yet-to-be-completed long player, where Delroy tunes into* a mellow groove, unstoppable languid rivers of sound, bubbling and seething like hot springs flowing to the horizon. Yup, the message is still there. Strictly rockers in a Babylon, y’all. — Vivien Goldman
VIBRATORS
PUNKS with both a sense of humour and an approach to music that can be shared by more than a few intimates are unusual, unlikely even mebee? The Vibrators are the punk/new wave band that nobody has hailed as the new, more radical, more relevant sliced bread of the music world! Which is probably because they are. So watch out for the wrapper. — Dave Fudger
TOM PETTY’S HEARTBREAKERS
NOT to be confused with Johnny Thunder's combo of similar name. Tommy Petty's group arc a near-total mystery. An American quintet with the same producer (Denny Cordell) and roots (mid-Sixties British) as stablemates The Dwight Twilley Band and no recorded history. TFH have nonetheless produced a remarkable first album (on Shelter in the States, due to be released by Island either complete or in abridged EP form shortly).
The long-player consists of effervescent, classic rock'n’roll that suggests nothing so much as a Stateside Thin Lizzy. Provided the boys can cut it equally well live their potential seems literally unlimited. — Giovanni Dadomo
WARREN ZEVON
EARLIER this year, Warren Zevon quietly released an album that is quite simply a classic.
•Not since Neil Young and Jackson Browne appeared on the scene, has such a promising songwriter emerged from America. Zevon is just excellent. His vivid lyrics paint colourful pictures of the seamy side of life filled with humour, insight and honest-to-god poetry. Produced by Jack- son Browne; David Lindley and Waddy Wachtcl arc among the illustrious support¬ ing cast of this first major production. If you don’t own the album, buy it | immediately.
Recently Zevon supported Jackson Browne on a brief British tour, one unfortunately bereft of his backing band. In February Zevon will begin recording his second Asylum album. In the meantime, digest his first. — Barbara Charone
SOUNDS | January 1 1977