steve winwood - worldradiohistory.com...1981/03/07 · shalamar, "make that move" (prod. by...

Steve Winwood

Hits of the Week

'SINGLESJAMES TAYLOR AND J.D. SOUTHER, "HER

TOWN TOO" (prod. by Ashenlwriters: Taylor-Sou°her-Wachtell(Country Road Leadsheetland,

131'.11/Ice Age, ASCA") (4:35). -he:wo voices-with all their inti-mate poignancy - complementeach other perfectly. A top 10cinch. Col 1 --60514.

STEELY DAN, "TIME OUT OF MIND" (prod.by Katz) (writers: Becker-Fager)(Zeon/Freejunket, ASCAP) (4 1 0).Like a box of mixed chocolates,this follow-up to the top 10 "HeyNineteen" offers an aural arrayof rich keybcard"guitar figures-all by a star-studded cast. MCA51082.

MCARECORDS

ANDY GIBB, "ME (WITHOUT YOU)" (prod.by Gibb - Richardson - Galuten):writer: Gibb) 1St gwood / Uni-chappell, BMI) (3:300. With a tear-drop in his voice and cathedral,keyboards rising throughout,Gibb sings of ieartache. Fromhis "Greatest Hits" LP, it's a pop -A/C grabber. RSO 1056.

TIERRA "MEMORIES"' (prod. by Rudy &Steve Sales) (writer: R. Sales)(Marvin Gardens, ASCAP) (2:59).

Dazzling pe-cuss on sets thes=age for Steve Sa as' cool vocallead on this successor to themulti -ethic septet s "Together"hit. A stylistic fusion for broadappeal. Boardwalk 8-70073

SLEEPERS.38 SPECIAL, "HOLD ON LOOSELY" (prod

by Mills) (writers: Batrtes-Carlisi-Peterik) (Rocknocker/W.B.TEasy.Action, ASCAP) (3:5z). Rip -roe --in' guitars s ash away at tae dual -drum rhythm section while CanBarnes' convincing lead vocalhandles the bold hooK. AM.!2316.

IAN GOMM, "HERE IT COMES AGAIN(THAT FEELING)" (prod. by Rrshent) (writer: Gomm) (Albion'Koppelman-Bandier, BM) (3:06:Gomm's too 20 "Hold Oi" in '79signalled the arrival of a to antedtunesmith. Here's more infect -ous pop from his new 'What .Blow" LP. Stiff/Epic 19-51006.

ELVIS COSTELLO AND THE ATTRAC-TIONS, ' WATCH YOUR STEP"(prod. by Lowe) (writer: Castello)(Plangent Visions, ASCAP) (259).El's words of warning have tram -formed irto cauticn this :himaround, with the sarre affectingurgency. Steve Nieve's keyboardsmake magic. Col 11-60519_

SHALAMAR, "MAKE THAT MOVE" (prod.by Sylvers, Ill) (writers: Spencer -Shelby -Sir ith) (SpectrJm VII /Mykinda. ASCAP) (3:45) JodyWatley's heavenly flights Di tiehook anc exciting trades w th.Howard Hewitt are soo-lightedhere.. Darceable anc right or sev-eral formats. Solar 12192 (RCA).

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ALBUMSJAMES TAYLOR, "DAp LOVES HISWORK." While the single ''Her TownToo" attracts attention, this entireLP is full of sensitive, sertimentaland rontant c gems Ike 'Only ForMe," "Loncon Town' and "SugarTrade." And no cover versions! Con-grats to J.T. and producer PeterAsher. ;:,'olt.rrbia TC 37009 (8.98).

SMOKEY ROBINSON, "BEING WITHYOU." As the title single bulletsBOS and pop this LP reveals furtherdimens ons o- Smokey's alliancewith producer George Tobin (KimCarnest. H s creamy -smooth vocalsfind the right consistency on songslike "Ycu Are Foreier." Tamla T8-375 M1 (Motown) (8.96).

ERIC CLAPTON. "ANOTHERTICKET." C apton has achieved hisgreatest success yet blending bluesand gcspe influences into an acces-sible pop strle. Here he tac

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AmericanRadioHistory.Com

Record WorldCBS, PolyGram

Raising List PricesBy DAVID McGEE

NEW YORK-CBS Records andPolyGram Inc. have announcedsuggested list price changes, ef-fective March 30 and April 1 re-spectively. In addition, CBS ismodifying its exchange policy andincreasing its pick, pack and shipfees.

At press time, reliable sourcesreported that PolyGram was pre-paring to introduce a $5.98 serieson all its distributed labels by theend of March.

Both companies have raised to$8.98 suggested list prices onsingle record $7.98 releases. Alltwo -disc pop/rock, country, R&Band jazz releases from CBS willhenceforth carry a suggested listprice of $11.98, up from the pre-vious list of $9.98; exceptions to

(Continued on page 37)

Jack Craigo CitesCoordination as KeyTo RCA Hot Streak

By PETER KEEPNEWSand GREG BRODSKY

NEW YORK-RCA and its asso-ciated labels currently have morebulleting songs in the top 20 ofRecord World's Singles Chart thanany other record company. JackCraigo, who recently took chargeof the company's U.S. and Canadaoperations, credits the label's re-surgence to the "terrific coordi-nation" and "high intensity ofcooperation" among the differentareas of the company.

"We've set up special A&R andmarketing centers (for black,


Internal Goody AuditTo Be Used at Trial

By JEFFREY PEISCH

NEW YORK-The start of theSam Goody Inc. trial, set for Mon-day (2), was prefaced last week(26) with an attempt by lawyersfor the retail chain to prevent U.S.prosecutor John Jacobs from usinginformation found in an auditdone of the Goody chain andPickwick International by theAmerican Can Company, theparent company of Goody Inc.and Pickwick.

The audit was conducted dur-ing the last several months of1979 and included interviewswith top executives at Goody Inc.and Pickwick, including GeorgeLevy and Samuel Stolon, the pres-ident and vice president of theGoody chain, who have beenaccused of trafficking in coun-terfeit recordings. The indictmentcovers a period ending in Feb -


MARCH 7, 1981

Christopher Cross Scores Upset

By Winning Four Grammy AwardsBy PETER KEEPNEWS

NEW YORK-Christopher Crosscapped his meteoric rise from ob-scurity to superstardom by win-ning four Grammy Awards duringthe nationally televised presenta-tion held Wednesday (25) at Ra-dio City Music Hall.

The Texas -born singer -song-writer, whose self -titled debut al-bum on Warner Bros. yieldedthree hit singles and achievedplatinum status, was named BestNew Artist, which surprised fewobservers. But his victories in thecategories Album of the Year,Record of the Year (for his num-ber -one hit "Sailing") and Songof the Year (also for "Sailing")must be considered upsets. In allthree categories, he had facedformidable competition.

The albums that lost to "Chris-topher Cross" were Bi!ly Joel's

RCA Videodiscs and Discplayer

Get a Gala Sendoff in New YorkBy SOPH A MIDAS

NEW YORK - RCA last week and several hundred dealersattend a reception at the RCABuilding's Rainbow Room suitesand to witness the satellite pres-entation of the SelectaVision disc -player. According to RCA spokes-men, this was "the largest closed-circuit meeting ever held."

Participating in the satellite te-levision program were Edgar H.Griffiths, RCA chairman; Roy H.Pollack and Herbert S. Schlosser,RCA executive vice presidents;


20th's Portnoy,:

Unveiled its catalogue of 100videodiscs and introduced its Se-lectaVision CED discplayer at apresentation which originatedfrom New York and was transmit-ted via satellite to 14,000 elec-tronics dealers and salesmen in75 cities throughout the country.

Calling the presentation of theirvideodisc product "an historicevent" and "the biggest thing tohit the electronics industry sincethe advent of television," RCAinvited 200 members of the press

Record Wcwid Sales Index300.0270.0240.0210.0180.0150.0120.090.060.030.0

Albums Last =Thisbear Singles

1111111°P81/24 1/31 2/7 2/14 2/21 2/ 8 1 24 1 31 7 14 2/21 2/28 The Record World Sales Index is based on a broad cross-section of quantitative sales data reported

to Record World from retailers, rack jobbers and one -stops across the country. The base figure for boththe singles and album indices is a smoothed average of these quantitative reports during periods inJune, 1979, with each weekly figure being a percentage increase or decrease on the base. The basefigure for both singles and albums is 100.0.

M1111111111111111111111111111111/11111111111111111111111t11111 IITTI1111111111111111

to

"Glass Houses" (Columbia), Bar-bra Streisand's "Guilty" (Colum-bia), Frank Sinatra's "Trilogy:Past, Present & Future" (Reprise)and Pink Floyd's "The Wall" (Co-lumbia). In the Record of theYear category, "Sailing" trium-phed over Bette Midler's "TheRose" (Atlantic), Kenny Rogers'"Lady" (Liberty), Sinatra's "Themefrom 'New York, New York,'"and Streisand's "Woman in Love."Those same songs, plus the Mi-chael Gore -Dean Pitchford com-position "Fame" (recorded byIrene Cara on RSO), had beenCross' competition in the Songof the Year category.

Cross' producer and arrangerMichael Omartian also won anaward for Best Arrangement Ac-companying a Vocalist for "Sail -


Royalty BillReintroduced in House

By BILL HOLLAND WASHINGTON - The Per-formance Rights Royalty Bill,shelved by Congress last sessionbecause of teetering supportand the press of other business,has been reintroduced in theHouse.

The bill, now termed H.R.1805, identical to last year'sH.R. 997, would provide aroyalty for the commercial useand public performance of soundrecordings. It would requiremusic clubs, discos, radio and


Label Is Well on Its Way to SuccessBy SAMUEL GRAHAM

LOS ANGELES-With rare ex-ceptions, the years 1978 and 1979were not the healthiest for do-mestic record labels; and while

companies have describedas a year of significant re -

are those whose ill -

most1980covery, therenesses were more severe thanothers'. 20th Century -Fox Rec-ords, according to label presidentNeil Portnow, falls into that cate-gory, but having largely revampedits operation - including cuttingperhaps 50 percent of the actsthat were on its roster three years

ago and re -defining its distribu-tion arrangement with RCA-thelabel has made encouraging prog-ress towards remedying a situ-ation that Portnow said reachedits nadir in 1978.

In a recent interview, Portnow(who came to 20th as a seniorvice president in April 1979and was named president of thelabel in January of last year) spokecandidly about the problems withwhich he had to deal when hejoined the label, as well as the


3


Contents Page 10. Working out of a $2 millionstudio in Bearsville, Todd Rundgren hasmade his commitment to video productionquite clear. But Rundgren feels the musicindustry may be misleading itself with boldforecasts for the future of the videodisc.This week he offers some frank opinionson the new medium in an RW Dialogue.

Page 20. They are well-known and well -respected by their peers, but to the generalpublic they are only the voices singing thevirtues of any number of products on tele-vision and radio. This week RW takes alook at the art of being a session singerand talks to some of the more prominentvocalists in the field.

departmentsA/C Chart

Album AirplayReport

Page 30

Pages 26-27

Album Chart Page 32

Album Picks Page 14

Black OrientedMusic Pages 33-34Picks of the Week Page 33Black Oriented

Singles Chart Page 34Black Oriented

Album Chart Page 33Black Music Report Page 33

Classical Page 39

Coast Page 19

CountryCountry Album

ChartCountry Album PicksCountry Hot LineCountry Picks of the

WeekCountry Singles

ChartCountry Singles

Picks

Pages 47-52

Page 51Page 50Page 48

Page 47

Page 52

Page 50

Cover Story Page 23

Disco

Disco FileDisco File Top 40

Page 22Page 22Page 22

Gospel Pages 44-45

InternationalCanadaEnglandGermanyJapan

Jazz LP Chart

Pages 35-36Page 36Page 35Page 35Page 35

Page 72

Latin AmericanAlbum PicksHit ParadeNuestro RinconRadio Action

Pages 40-42Page 40Page 41Page 40Page 42

Nashville Report Page 47

New York, N.Y. Page 17

Radio World Page 28

Retail Report Page 31

Singles Chart Page 25

Singles Picks Page 12

Video World

PolyGram West Coast MeetingPage 21

Bob Sherwood, executive vice president and general manager, PolyGram Records (thirdfrom left), makes the opening remarks at the company's Los Angeles planning meet-ings. Also pictured are, from left: Emiel Petrone, PolyGram Distribution; Lou Simon,senior vice president, marketing, PolyGram Records, Inc.; John Stainze, director ofwest coast A&R, PolyGram Records; Russ Regan, vice president, west coast generalmanager, PolyGram Records; Randy Roberts, national singles sales manager, PolyGramRecords, Inc.; and Don Colberg, vice president, promotion, PolyGram Records, Inc. Themeetings were held on Feb. 9 and 10 and chaired by Mick Brown, PolyGram's westcoast marketing VP.

MCA, Inc. Revenues

Up Slightly in 1980II LOS ANGELES-Lew Wasser-man, chairman of the board ofMCA, Inc., has announced thatrevenues for the fiscal year end-ing December 31, 1980 were upslightly from 1979, while incomebefore extraordinary income de-creased during the same timeperiod.

Revenues increased from $1,-266,140,000 in 1979 to $1,297,-104,000. Income before extra-ordinary income was $125,372,-000 or $5.31 per share comparedto $138,988,000 or $5.95 per sharefor 1979. Net income for the year1980 of $137,647,000 or $5.83 pershare includes extraordinary in-come of $12,275,000 or $.52 pershare as compared to net incomeof $178,688,000 or $7.65 pershare including extraordinary in-come of $39,700,000 or $1.70 pershare for 1979.

Other RevenueAccording to Wasserman, his-

torically high revenues of theMCA Records Group and im-proved results of the UniversalStudios Tour, other recreationservices and the Book PublishingDivision partially offset the re-duced profitability of the actorsstrike -plagued Filmed Entertain-ment Division, the Retail andMail Order Division and Colum-bia Savings and Loan Associationof Colorado.

Fourth quarter reports hadrevenues at $337,480,000 and netincome was $26,908,000 or $1.13per share, compared to 1979fourth quarter revenues of $387,-747,000 and net income of $44,-431,000 or $1.90 per share.

Three New Speakers

For ITA SeminarII NEW YORK-Three new speak-ers have been added to the HomeVideo Sessions at the ITA "Audio/Video Update -1981" seminar atthe Diplomat Resort & CountryClub in Hollywood, Florida,March 15-18. With these addi-tions the program has been fi-nalized.

Because of the interest andcontroversy over rental of pre-recorded video programming,two speakers will address them-selves to the subject. Jim Jimirro,president of Walt Disney Tele-communications, has chosen thetopic "Taking the 'Versus' Outof Sales Vs. Rental," and JeremyRumfitt, president of Granada TVRental in the U.S., will speak on"Rental In a Sales Market."

The third added speaker is JohnMesserschmitt, vice president ofNorth American Philips Corp.,whose topic is "The Videodisc-Who Needs It?"

RecordWorld

1700 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10019Phone: (212) 765-5020

PUBLISHER EDITOR IN CHIEFBOB AUSTIN SID PARNES

SR. VICE PRESIDENT/MANAGING EDITORMIKE SIGMAN

VICE PRESIDENT/MARKETINGTOM RODDEN

PETER KEEPNEWS/SENIOR EDITORMIKE VALLONE/RESEARCH DIRECTOR

DAVID SKINNER/ART DIRECTORDAVID McGEE/ASST. MANAGING EDITOR

DOREE BERG/ASSOCIATE RESEARCH DIRECTORSophia Midas/Assistant EditorJoseph lanello/Assistant EditorJeffrey Peisch/Assistant EditorPhil DiMauro/Assistant Editor

Carl Skiba/Assistant Research EditorGreg Brodsky/Assistant Editor

Nelson George/Black Music EditorJoyce Reitzer Panzer/Sales/ProductionJan Pavloski/Assistant Research Editor

Speight Jenkins/Classical EditorBrian Chin/Discotheque Editor

Bill Holland/Washington Correspondent

WEST COASTSAMUEL GRAHAM

WEST COAST EDITOREliot Sekuler/Associate Editor

Terry Droltz/ProductionLouisa Westerlund/Asst. Research Editor

6255 Sunset BoulevardHollywood, Calif. 90028Phone: (213) 465-6126

NASHVILLEAl Cunniff/Southeastern Editor/Manager

Marie Ratliff/Research EditorPam Lee/Assistant Editor49 Music Square WestNashville, Tenn. 37203Phone: (615) 329-1 1 1 1

LATIN AMERICAN OFFICETHOMAS FUNDORASR. VICE PRESIDENT

3120 W. 8th Ave., Hialeah, Fla. 33012Phone: (305) 821-7900

ENGLANDVAL FALLOON

ManagerSuite 22/23, Langham House

308 Regent StreetLondon WI

Phone: 01 580 1486

JAPANORIGINAL CONFIDENCECBON Queen Building

18-12 Roppongi 7-chomeMinato-ku, Tokyo

GERMANYJIM SAMPSON

Liebherrstrasse 198000 Muenchen 22, Germany

Phone: (089) 22 77 46Telex: 05-216622

AUSTRALIAPETER CONYNGHAM

P.O. Box 678, Crows Nest, N.S.W. AustraliaPhone: 2-92-6045

CANADALARRY LeBLANC

15 Independence DriveScarborough MIK 3R7

FRANCEGILLES PETARD

8, Quai de Stalingrad, Boulogne 92, FrancePhone: 527.7190

MEXICOVILO ARIAS SILVA

Apartado Poste! 94-281Mexico 10, D.F.

Phone: (905) 294-1941

CIRCULATION DEPT.MICHAEL MIGNEMICIRCULATION MGR.

1697 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10019Phone: (212) 586-6913

RECORD WORLD (ISSN 0034-1622) IS PUB-LISHED WEEKLY, EXCEPT TWO ISSUES COM-BINED IN ONE AT YEAR-END. SUBSCRIP-TIONS: ONE YEAR U.S. AND CANADA-WO;AIR MAIL -5175. SECOND CLASS POSTAGEPAID AT NEW YORK, N.Y. AND AT ADDI-TIONAL MAILING OFFICES. DEADLINE: NEGA-TIVES AND COPY MUST BE IN NEW YORK BY12 NOON FRIDAY. Postmaster: Please sendForm 3579 to Record World, 1697 Broadway,New York, N.Y. 10019.

Copyright @ 1981 byRECORD WORLD PUBLISHING CO., INC.

VOL. 37, NO. 1753

4 RECORD WORLD MARCH 7, 1981


A NEW ALBUMOF ALL NEW STUDIO RECORDINGS

FROM ERIC CLAPTON AND HIS BAND

R \ -1-3095

INCLUDES THE SMASH HIT SINGLE"I CAN'T STAND IT". ,0

ERIC CLAPTON On Tour

March 2 Portland 25 New Orleans May 1 Indianapolis 20 Philadelphia3 Spokane 27 Memphis 2 Cincinnati 22 Washington, D.C.

5, 6, 7 Seattle 28 Carbondale 3 Detroit 23 Norfolk9 Billings 29 St. Louis 5 Ft. Wayne 24 Greensboro

10 Great Falls 31 Little Rock 7 East Lansing 26 Charlotte13 Madison April 1 Shreveport 8 Chicago 27 Columbia14 Duluth 3 Austin 9 Cleveland 29 Miami15 St. Paul 4 Houston 10 Pittsburgh 30 Jacksonville17 Ames 5 Dallas 12 New Haven 31 Tampa19 Wichita 7 Tempe 13 Binghampton June 2 Nashville20 Springfield 8 San Diego 15 Nassau, N.Y. 4 Jackson21 Kansas City 9 Long Beach 16 Providence 5 Mobile22 Lincoln 11 Oakland 17 Portland 6 Birmingham24 Baton Rouge 19 Rochester 7 Atlanta

PRODUCED AND ENGINEERED BY TOM DOWD


NEW YORK - CBS, Inc. presi-dent and chief executive officerThomas Wyman predicted a ninepercent growth rate for the rec-ord industry in 1981 in an addressbefore financial analysts lastThursday (26) at CBS headquar-ters. The optimistic outlook char-acterized his overview of the giantentertainment conglomerate's1980-81 operations, with a specialemphasis on development proj-ects-theatrical films, cable pro-gramming, home video, teletexand electronic publishing.

Referring to 1980 as a yearwhen "CBS Recording Groupmade a sharp resurgence in profitswhich outpaced the growth ofthe worldwide record market,"Wyman attributed that reboundto important releases like PinkFloyd's "The Wall," Billy Joel's"Glass Houses," Michael Jackson's"Off The Wall," Bruce Spring-steen's "The River," and "Guilty"by Barbra Streisand and BarryGibb. He also cited the introduc-tion of the $5.98 budget catalogline and a new exchange policythat limits returns as importantfactors in CBS's resurgence.

While admitting that CBS Inter-national experiencedsome major markets in the secondhalf of '80, Wyman was particu-larly enthusiastic about the salesgrowth in Latin America, whereoverall sales volume was up twopoints over '79 to 16 percent. Ex-pectations for continued growthin Latin America were under-scored by Wyman's outline ofplans to build a new pressingplant in Columbia "that helpsmeet the growing and excitingdemand for our records there."

Following his address, Wymanwas joined by Walter Yetnikoff,president, CBS/Records Group;John Purcell, executive vice presi-dent, CBS Inc.; John Suhler, presi-dent, CBS/Publishing Group; andThomas Kirwan, vice president,finance, CBS Inc., for a discussion

Geffen Taps Barbis LOS ANGELES-Ed Rosenblatt,president of Geffen Records, hasannounced the appointment ofJohn Barbis as director of promo-tion for the label.

Prior to his appointment, JohnBarbis and his brother Dinoheaded the Barbis Bros. Produc-tion and Management company.Barbis' extensive industry experi-ence includes four years as westcoast A&R and promotion direc-tor for London Records, two yearsas national promotion managerfor Chrysalis Records and one -and -a -half years as vice presidentof promotion for ABC Records.

Record Industry Will Grow in 1981,

Says CBS, Inc. President Thomas WymanBy JOSEPH IANELLO

session with the analysts. It wasthe development programs - es-pecially the home video field -that drew the most queries fromthe gathering. CBS is expected toabsorb development costs of be-tween $40 and $50 million forcable and home video projects inthe next two years.

A large amount of that invest-ment is being spent on the pro-duction of the RCA SelectaVis-ion discs. "Basically we expect in1981 to be acquiring SelectaVis-ion from RCA," Yetnikoff stated."In 1982 we expect to go into ourown production at a rough vol-ume of about a million and a halfdiscs. Beyond 1982 we would ex-pect the volume of productionstarting to increase at an exponen-tial level and by '83 our best guessis a production level of abovethree million discs annually."

When asked about the costs ofthe discs as compared to the ex-pense for manufacturing audiorecords Yetnikoff replied: "At firstyour yield levels are quite low andtherefore your costs are quite high- just like when you start up anaudio plant. The first disc thatcomes out costs a million dollars. . . but it should decrease fromthere. I would expect the marginsin the next few years would beequivalent to record margins," heconcluded.

Yetnikoff also expressed confi-dence in SelectaVision as thedominant mode of consumer discbecause of what he called "lowyield and quality and color prob-lems" with the laser disc.

His Best Shot

At a recent ceremony in celebration of the success of the Pat Benatar hit "Hit Me WithYour Best Shot," ATV Music songwriter Eddie Schwartz is flanked by Bernie Solomon,director of ATV Music Publishing of Canada, and David Evans, president of CapitolRecords EMI of Canada, the Canadian distributor of Benatar's Chrysalis label. Schwartzrecently won the Juno "Composer of the Year" award.

George Harrison Assessed $581,000

In 'My Sweet Lord' Plagiarism CaseNEW YORK - A Manhattan

Federal District Court judge ruledThursday (26) that ex-BeatleGeorge Harrison must pay $587,-000 in damages because he "sub-consciously" plagiarized the mel-ody of his 1971 hit, "My SweetLord." The melody he plagiar-ized, according a 1976 decision,was written by John Mack for"He's So Fine," which was a hitfor the Chiffons in 1963.

In his original 1976 decision,Judge Richard Owen set the da-mages at $1.6 million, later un-dertaking a "discovery" processto lower the figure.

The judge, who is an amateurcomposer, ruled that althoughHarrison had plagiarized the mel-ody, "I do not believe he did sodeliberately."

Ironically, the publishing rightsto "He's So Fine," originallyowned by a company called BrightTunes, were bought by former

Ronal BrealcoutsSingles

East:Sheena Easton (EMI -America)Steve Winwood (Island)Juice Newton (Capitol)

South:Sheena Easton (EMI -America)Steve Winwood (Island)Terri Gibbs (MCA)Phil Seymour (Boardwalk)Juice Newton (Capitol)Whispers (Solar)

Midwest:Steve Winwood (Island)Terri Gibbs (MCA)Phil Seymour (Boardwalk)Juice Newton (Capitol)

West:Sheena Easton (EMI -America)Grover Washington, Jr. (Elektra)Juice Newton (Capitol)April Wine (Capitol)

Albums

East:Smokey Robinson (Tamla)Diana Ross (Motown)Rainbow (Polydor)Phil Collins (Atco)Peabo Bryson (Capitol)

South:Smokey Robinson (Tamla)Diana Ross (Motown)Rainbow (Polydor)Peabo Bryson (Capitol)

Midwest:Emmylou Harris (Warner Bros.)Smokey Robinson (Tamla)Diana Ross (Motown)Rainbow (Polydor)Phil Collins (Atco)

West:Emmylou Harris (Warner Bros.)Smokey Robinson (Tamla)Rainbow (Polydor)Phil Collins (Atco)

Beatle manager Allen Klein, pres-ident of ABKCO Industries, in1978. At the time of purchase,Klein also acquired the right tocontinue the suit against Harri-son.

Wright Joins Regency LOS ANGELES - Dan Wrighthas joined Regency Records asnational director of A&R, it wasannounced by Lloyd Segal, labelpresident.

As part of his duties at Regen-cy, Wright will administrate in-house publishing for Loretta Mu-sic (BMI) and Squirtface Music(ASCAP).

Prior to his joining Regency,Wright worked for Father Musicas publishing administrator/A&Rmanager, served as manager ofDavid Gates' Kipahulu Music(Screen Gems), and managedStereo West stores in San Fran-cisco.

K -Tel Posts Gains MINNETONKA, MINN. - K -Tel International, Inc. has an-nounced unprecedented levelsof sales and after-tax profits forthe first half of fiscal 1981. Netsales were $109,933,000, up 13percent from the $97,439,000reported for the first half of theprior fiscal year. Net profit forthe six months ended December31, 1980 nearly doubled to $4,-032,000 or $1.21 per share, fromthe $2,167,000, or $.63 per share,earned in last year's first half.

'Healthy and Growing'"K -Tel's growing music busi-

ness together with our success-ful real estate investment anddevelopment will provide fund-ing to allow us rapid expansionin oil and gas exploration anddevelopment in the near future,"said Philip Kives, K -Tel presi-dent. "All three of our businesssegments are healthy and grow-ing and we look forward to ex-citiing progress in the yearsahead."

RECORD WORLD MARCH 7, 1981


Tom Browne.From #111111111)0 Player 1b#1 Hit Maker...

In One Sinooth Step.With his first albuin Ekowne Sugar Tom Browne burst onto the jazz scene, with orie of the mostbrilliant debuts of 1979: His second ,.-4burn Love Approach boa:§ted the. # 1 R&B single -"Funkin'For Jamaica" - and became the nation's #.1 trosSoverlazz album of 1980.411NoW, Torn is back withMagi9 featuring the giant hit "Thighs High.(thip Yoiir hips...And Move)." Soaring up the charts, it'sthe latest bound for -# 1 smshfrorrithis great young star.

DAVE GRUS1T'Ammiaia Naos

R&B Single: BB: 8*/ RW: 9 */ CB:12 *R&B Album: BB:13 */ RW:10 /CB:20*Jazz Album: BB: i 3*/RW: 31 CB: 5*Pop Album: BB:52*/RW:55*/CB:55*

TOM BROWNE

The Hot New Line -Up FromThe Number One Progressive Label.

Arista/GRP. Working Together To Build Careers.

(t`r2 AIUSTalk


Public TV PactFor AFM, Producers NEW YORK - The AmericanFederation of Musicians of theUnited States and Canada hasreached agreement with produ-cers of public television programs.

The two-year agreement pro-vides for ten percent increases inoverall wages for each year, in-creases in health and welfare con-tributions to $3.25 per day witha maximum of $16.25 per week,and cartage increases to $30 forharp and $6 for other heavy in-struments. In addition, radiosimulcast programs are now to bepaid at the applicable NationalPublic Radio pick-up rates. Agree-ment was also reached concern-ing programs made primarily forpublic television and later usedin supplemental markets.

Under the new agreement, allpermanent members of sym-phony, opera and ballet orches-tras are to be paid for telecastswhether their services are or arenot used. This provision is ap-plicable only to those orchestrasworking under master agreementsand is exclusive of "in studio"telecasts by ballet orchestras.

Integrity Corp.Posts Record Gains NEW YORK - Integrity Enter-tainment Corporation, owner of136 retail stores on the west coast,has announced its net sales andincome for the second quarterand six-month period ended De-cember 31, 1980. Sales of $27,-719,000 and earnings of $1,556,-000 for the quarter were thehighest for any quarter in the his-tory of the company. The com-parable figures for same periodin 1979 were $24,280,000 in netsales and a net income of$621,000.

For the six-month period, thecompany posted net sales of$45,456,000, compared with $39,-303,000 for the same period in1979. Net income for this periodin 1980 was $1,581,000, comparedto a loss of $535,000 for the sameperiod in 1979.

Bandleader Shep Fields

Dies in Los Angeles LOS ANGELES - BandleaderShep Fields, whose RipplingRhythm Orchestra rose to famein the big band era, died of aheart attack last Monday (23) inLos Angeles. He was 70.

Fields, who began his perform-ances by blowing into a straw ina glass filled with water, led hisorchestra from 1934 to 1963,when he disbanded it to becomea talent agent. Among the band'sover 300 records were "Septem-ber in the Rain," "It's De -Lovely,"and his biggest hit, "The JerseyBounce."

Disney Promotes Tenn LOS ANGELES - Ben Tenn,formerly director of Home Videofo; Walt Disney Telecomrnunica-tions and Non -Theatrical Com-pany, has assumed new responsi-bilities as vice president, retailproducts, for the company.

The appointment was an-nounced December 19, 1980 byJames P. Jimirro, president of theDisney division.

In his new position, Tenn over-sees dealer marketing of WaltDisney Home Video products,Walt Disney Super 8 HomeMovies, and Disney SchoolhouseInstructional Materials.

Wald Sues Mason LOS ANGELES-Jeff Wald hasfiled suit against Mystic Inc. andDave Mason for breach of con-tract, asking $180,000 in moniesallegedly due and $50,000 in dam-ages. The suit stems from Wald'srepresentation of Mason as a per-sonal manager from Januarythrough August of 1980. The suitalso asks for an open -book ac-counting of Mason's earningsduring that period.

CorrectionI It was incorrectly reported inRecord World last week that KarlaDeVito was signed to ClevelandInternational Records. In fact, sheis under contract to Epic.

Collins at The Source

Coinciding with the release of his first solo album, "Face Value," Atlantic recordingartist Phil Collins recently visited New York for two days of media interviews. Shownat the studios of NBC's "Source" radio network are, from left, standing: Dan Formentoof The Source, Atlantic local promotion rep Danny Buch, Atlantic director of artist rela-tions Perry Cooper, and Atlantic associate director of national AOR promotion AlanWolmark. Seated are John McGhan of The Source and Phil Collins.

3M Institutes Recording AwardBy GREG

NEW YORK-As the public'sawareness of the various techni-cal aspects of studio recordingsincreases, so do the accolades be-stowed upon these craftsmen. 3Mannounced at a press conferenceWednesday (23) the creation ofthe "Scotty" Master Music MakerAward, an honor to be conferredperiodically to, according to aprepared statement, the various"teams of artists, producers, en-gineers and studios involved increating outstanding recordings."

Nomination forms have beensent to approximately 1500 re-cording studios nationwide. Stu-dios are permitted to nominateas many of their recordings asmeet the necessary qualifications.3M will automatically contribute$100 to the Muscular DystrophyAssociation in the name of eachstudio submitting a qualifiednomination. Six winning teamswill be honored as "Scotty" win-ners, and 3M will donate $1000to the MDA in the name of thewinning teams. One of the sixteams will be chosen "the best ofthe best." The team's featuredartist will be asked to choose, ac-cording to 3M, "an aspiring mu-sician, who will receive a $5000music scholarship" from the com-pany.

QualificationsAccording to Donald Linehan,

communications manager for3M's Magnetic Audio / VideoProducts Division, the companywill "honor people in the record-ing industry for technical as wellas artistic achievements." DennisFarmer, the division's broadcast/recording market developmentmanager, added: "The recordingbusiness is a people business.When creative people work to-gether on a recording, some won-derful things happen. These won-derful things should be called outfor special attention. The 'Scotty'is 3M's way of saying 'welldone.' "

There are two basic qualifica-tions that the studios must adhereto. Each recording must be certi-fied gold or platinum by the RIAAand must have been completelymastered and mixed on Scotchprofessional audio recordingtape. In addition, for the approxi-mately three awards to be pre-sented this May, the recordingmust have been released betweenJanuary 1, 1980 and December 1,1980. Additional "Scotties" willbe given in December for record-ings made between December 1,1980 and September 15, 1981.The overall "best of the best"winner will be chosen fromamong these six recordings.

"Scotty" winners will be se-lected by a recently -chosen

BRODSKYboard of governors, which willjudge the nominations on thebasis of "artistic and technical ex-cellence." However, 3M will cutthe qualified nominations downto about 25 or 30 recordings be-fore submitting the names to theboard. The five men selected forthe board of governors are pro-ducer Quincy Jones, Joe Tarsia ofSigma Sound, Glen Snoddy ofWoodland Sound, Tom Cahill ofHoward Schwartz Recording andGuy Costa, vice president andmanaging director, Motown Rec-ords. 3M will have a representa-tive on the Board as well.

The award itself is an originaloil painting of both the artist andwinning recording's sheet music.Each winning artist will get theoriginal painting, and the otherteam members will receiveframed productions of the origi-nal. The recording studios havebeen asked to submit their May"Scotty" nominations to their3M sales representative by March15.

Motown UpsRobert L. Jones LOS ANGELES - Robert L.Jones has been appointed direc-tor of purchasing and facilities forMotown Record Corporation, itwas announced by Fuller B. Gor-dy, vice president of administra-tive services for the label.

Jones has served in varied posi-tions with Motown, most recent-ly production manager and ad-ministrative assistant to the vicepresident of manufacturing.

A&M Taps Freiser LOS ANGELES - HaroldChilds, senior vice presidentsales/promotion, A&M Records,has announced the appointmentof Manny Freiser to the positionof director, marketing adminis-tration. Freiser will report direct-ly to Childs and will haveoverall responsibility for ad-ministration and coordination ofthe sales and promotion de-partments with particular empha-sis on field activities. Freiserwas formerly executive assistantto A&M president Gil Friesen.

Manny Freiser



11111111111110110911110111111111111111111111101110111100111101111

BMI offers these nominees for the Academy's approval

BEST MUSIC IN CONNECTION WITH MOTION PICTURES

BEST ORIGINAL SCORETHE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

John Williams

FAMEMichael Gore

and

A CLEAN SWEEP

BEST ORIGINAL SONG"Fame" from FAME

Michael GoreDean Pitchford

"9 to 5" from 9 TO 5Dolly Parton

"On the Road Again"from HONEYSUCKLE ROSE

Willie Nelson

"Out Here On My Own"from FAMEMichael Gore

Lesley Gore (AscAr)

"People Alone"from THE COMPETITION

Lalo SchifrinWilbur Jennings

BMISERVING MUSIC SINCE 1940


Record WorldDialo ue-N The Viewpoints of the IndustryTodd Rundgren on the Emerging Audio -Video Industry

By JOSEPH IANELLO Very early in life, Todd Rund-gren developed a learn -by -doingphilosophy that's become theguiding force for one of pop -rock's most creative voices. Hisinnovative approaches to recordproduction and arranging arewell -documented by the successof his solo and group projectsand the many hits he's shapedfor other artists. And throughoutthe seventies, the Rundgren in-quisitiveness pioneered advancesin the application of electronicsto the pop -rock medium. It's only

Todd Rundgren natural, then, that Todd wouldalso lead the growing number of rock musicians experimenting withvideo. He recently opened his $2 million, state-of-the-art UtopiaVideo facility in Bearsville, New York. In this exclusive Record Worlddialogue, Rundgren views the future of the audio -video industry andseveral of his own projects.

Record World: How did you get involved in video?Todd Rundgren: It was the appearance of a video artists' movement.

It really hasn't gone that far today, but in the mid -seventies, there wasa lot of so-called video art being produced, mostly in the New Yorkarea, by people who had some connection with WNET public televi-sion. WNET had a program called Video Tape Review, and they usedto show video art. I got interested in the techniques involved, so Ibought some video equipment and put it in my house and starteddeveloping a personal style. That went on for a couple of years untilI got enough money from productions to get broadcast -quality equip-ment-which is how I built my video studio.

RW: Did you have any background in the visual arts?Rundgren: Not specifically, no.RW: What made you build your studio in Bearsville?Rundgren: I decided to build it there because if I wanted to get

seriously involved with video, I had to have a facility that wasn't goingto be bogged down with all the usual studio business of doing K -Telcommercials, editing soap operas and things like that.

RW: What areas do you see as the most logical for expansion invideo? You've mentioned original art, promotional tapes, and networkshows.

Rundgren: I think the most logical place for expansion in video issome kind of network-either free broadcasting or cable or satellitetelevision-that reaches the largest audience in the shortest amountof time.

RW: You said that your video objectives are non-commercial, yetyou've also indicated that you want to reach the largest audience. Arethose two goals compatible?

Rundgren: Of course. Most artists are like that. When they sit downto work, they're not thinking about how much money they're goingto make, but at the same time they don't want it to be tucked awayin a closet somewhere and not exposed to anybody. I think a lot ofartists would be satisfied to work for the government and get paid asteady wage and have all their work exposed through some sort ofprogram.

RW: What ideas do you have for broadcast television? Are they ex-clusively or entirely music -related?

Rundgren: No, mostly they don't have anything to do with music.Some of them have something to do with music but they're not predi-cated on it. One thing I've been working on is a quasi -documentaryprogram called "How To Run For President." It's more or less a his-torical overview of the evolution of the American political process.

RW: Is this entirely your project? You conceived, produced andscripted it?

Rundgren: Yeah, I didn't do everything but it is a Utopia Video pro-duction. We're also working on several dramatic -oriented programs.We're doing promotional things for albums-mostly our own albums-and those, of course, have to do with music.

RW: What happens when you finish "How To Run For President?"Will you take it to the networks and try to sell it there?

Rundgren: Yes, although we're not sure the networks will go for it,since most people are probably sick of politics after the elections. Itmay be some kind of syndication, possibly educational.

RW: How do you find yourself balancing you career time andmoney among music and video projects?

Rundgren: A lot of the music projects I do are to help pay for thevideo. The video doesn't yet support itself. But I didn't expect it topay for itself for a while.

RW: Whatever happened to "The Planets" (Rundgren's animatedvideo project about the travels of a young boy, based on Englishcomposer Gustav Hoist's symphonic composition)?

Rundgren: The status is still undetermined. We're still trying to geta release on the music. That's always been the hang-up with "ThePlanets"-ever since I discovered the Hoist estate didn't like thelatest version of the music. They didn't specifically say we couldn'trelease it, but if we did, they would enjoin it.

RW: Are you anywhere near reaching an agreement?Rundgren: We're in the midst of wrangling an agreement. I hope

to possibly complete one within the next month. Then we'd finishthe project and go to a number of places with it. We've had offersfrom film distribution companies to have it transferred to film forviewing in theaters. It could be duplicated and sold as a cassette oreven a videodisc. That's the bottom rung on the ladder, though,because they (videodisc companies) don't pay for anything. Theymight give a $1,500 licensing fee, which doesn't cover your lunchbills for a month. "Planets" was originally supposed to be a video-:.E .E EE .

E -Recording albums is an antiquatedtechnology . . . and eventually willhave to be replaced by somethingeke.

E 2E f.E

disc. RCA contracted me to do a videodisc as a demo of what thesoftware possibilities for a disc would be. I went to them with a sampleof things I'd done and they liked my treatment of it ("The Planets")and told me to expand on it. They gave me a budget that coveredabout one -fifth of the production cost of the first side. I paid for therest myself.

RW: Record companies are using video primarily as a promotionaltool-investing money in video to sell records rather than trying tomarket the video itself and recoup the money there. Do you thinkthis is going to change?

Rundgren: It may change at some point. Things that have beendone specifically for video have not met with a great deal of com-mercial success at this point.

RW: Is that because they weren't conceived for commercial use?Rundgren: Partly that and partly because the market doesn't exist.

Until someone comes up with something that transcends the promolook and feel it will remain that way. And it's not necessarily therecord companies who are going to make that happen. They areinterested in video as a means to expose their artists because that'stheir business.

RW: Is that also because they don't see a market out there yet?Rundgren: Well, it's not really their business. They're not in the

video business, they're in the record business.RW: And you don't see them moving into video as a business?Rundgren: Not unless they start a video division. But most video

divisions are just an office in the record company that deals with videoon a promo level.

RW: One of your major criticisms of record companies is that theydon't invest any money in video software.

Rundgren: Essentially, but I don't think it's their business unlessthey want to become seriously involved in it, and then it transcends




Gospel Music )81

ON THE MOVEThe 3rd Anntiat

Gospel Music Week.Special Keynote SpeakerSeminars & workshops

Artist showcasesContinental break fastsSponsored luncheonsConcert Spectaculars

GMA general membership meetingArtists -only afterglow sessions

The12th Annual

GMA Dove Awardsand anmiaf Gospel Music Haff of Fame Induction

Opryfand Hotel ComplexApril 12-15, 1981

For reservations and information contactGospel Music Association P.O. Box 23201

Nashviffe, TN 37202


Record World PicksSiTHE CLASH-Epic 19-51013

HITSVILLE U.K. (prod. bygroup) (writers: group)(Nineden) (4:22)

The top 40 success of last year's"Train In Vain" opened the doorto pop radio for these British stal-warts. This initial release from thethree -record "Sandinista!" openswith keyboard reverence, choir-boy (and girl, with the presenceof Ellen Foley) vocals and an ap-propriate theme for further ac-ceptance on American pop radio.

MICHAEL STANLEY BAND-EMI-America 8064

LOVER (prod. by group)(writer: Stanley)(Michael Stanley/Bema,ASCAP) (3:40)

With each LP, this Cleveland -based outfit attracts a wider audi-ence. Culled from the "Heart-land" LP, this power ballad fo-cuses on Stanley's biting vocaldrama which immediately calls tomind Springsteen imagery. Clar-ence Clemons guest sax slot, anda big emphatic hook highlight.

JOAN JETT & The Blackhearts-Boardwalk 8-5706

YOU DON'T OWN ME(prod. by Jones -Cook)(writers: Madara-White) (Merjoda, BMI)(2:47)

Jett continues to develop as avocalist with this Lesley Goreclassic from '64. Exuding youth-ful innocence on the verses andindependent determination onthe choruses, she gets a big boostfrom ex -Sex Pistols Steve Jonesand Paul Cook. Their productionblast adds to the AOR-pop appeal.

GRACE SLICK-RCA 12171

SEA OF LOVE (prod. byFrangipane) (writer:S. Zito) (Spider Zee,BMI) (3:39)

After experimenting with severaldifferent styles on recent LPs,Grace is back rocking hard on thisinitial release from "Welcome tothe Wrecking Ball." Lead guitaristScott Zito (who wrote the song)whips and whines against a solidrhythm grind. Most impressive isGrace's vocal, especially on thecrying hook swells.

PoPTHRILLS-G & P 10001BREAKING MY HEART (prod. by Frenchik)

(writers: Ingegno-Frenchik-Monaco)(Great People/Beautiful Day, BMI)(3:13)

The quartet could break wideopen with this energetic pop -rocker from the new "First Thrills"LP. Agile keyboards wind aroundthe solid rhythm kick while TonyMonaco's slick lead vocal deliversthe well -crafted hook. Well wortha listen.

RITA COOLIDGE-A&M 2318WORDS (prod. by Anderle) (writers: Gibb

Bros.) (Casserole/Unichappell, BMI)(3:25)

Rita offers this top 20 Bee Gees'classic from '68 as the initial re-lease off her "Greatest Hits"package. Stately strings provide aserene backdrop for her gentlevocal drama.

NIELSEN/PEARSON-Capitol4982

GIVIN' YOUR LOVE TO ME (prod. byLandis) (writers: Nielsen -Pearson)(Third Story/Poorhouse, BMI) (3:32)

Reed Nielsen's vocal longing iscomplemented by producer Rich-ard Landis' mini-moog seasoningand Tom Scott's lyricon. A pretty,melodic contender for pop -A/Cradio.

ZIGGURAT-Robox 7932ALONE TONIGHT (prod. by Reneau)

(writer: McWhorter) (Emerywille, BMI)(4:05)

A relentless, driving rhythm trans-ports Dave Sanson's bold vocalon this debut single from theGeorgia -based quintet. Attractivekeyboard lines and a big hookmake it radio -right.

HENRY GROSS-Capitol 4980HOW LONG IS FOREVER (prod. by

Colornby) (writer: Gross) (LittleStinker/Blendingwell, ASCAP) (3:58)

Gross' light tenor tip toes alongthe falsetto -soprano line on thispretty love ballad. Delicate gui-tar/bass lines fit in the nice ar-rangement and Michael Breckerapplies a stylish sax solo.

EDGAR WINTER-Blue Sky6-70068 (CBS)

LOVE IS EVERYWHERE (prod. by Winter)(writer: Winter) (Hierophant, BMI(13:49)

The initial single from his new"Standing on Rock" is a romanticballad that's headed for heavy ro-tation on pop, AOR and A/C for-mats. Winter's love -drenched vo-cal lounges on a thick keyboardcarpet.

MANFRED MANN'S EARTHBAND-WB 49678

FOR YOU (prod. by Mann) (writer:Springsteen( (Bruce Springsteen/Laurel Canyon, ASCAP) (3:50)

Mann's success with Springsteencovers is well documented("Blinded by the Light," "Spiritin the Night"), so this initial re-lease from his "Chance" LPmakes a lot of sense. Great ma-terial for AOR and pop radio.

STEVE CROPPER-MCA 51078PLAYIN' MY THANG (prod. by Cropper -

Robb) (writer: Cropper) (Insomnia/Wooded Lake/ATV, BMI) (3:43)

The anonymous guitarist behindso many pop -rock hits of the '60sand '70s puts his best thang for-ward on this title cut from thenew LP. Proud guitar sass gracesthe rhythm boil.

NRBQ-Red Rooster 1007(Rounder)

NEVER TAKE THE PLACE OF YOU (prod.by NRBQ( (writer: Anderson)(Hi Varieties, ASCAP) (3:19)

Al Anderson's lead vocal isdreamy pop -A/C fare that wouldbe very comfortable in a smokeylounge setting. Terry Adams' pi-ano tinkles add to the aura whileWhole Wheat .saxman KeithSpring gets toasty.

THE ROMANTICS-Nemperor6-70063 (CBS)

A NIGHT LIKE THIS (prod. by Solley)(writers: Palmar-Marinos-Skill)(Forever Endeavor, ASCAP) (3:36)

The Detroit -based quartet grindsout unbridled rock that has rootsin Yardbirds and Animals classics.Coz Candler's vocal growls andWally Palmar's guitar strife areprimed for radio reaction.

BD.S./PopRAY, GOODMAN & BROWN-

Polydor 2159SHOESTRINGS (.WITH RAP) (prod. by

Castellano) (writers: group -Walter)(Dark Cloud/H.A.B., BMI) (3:34)

From lofty falsetto to robust bari-tone, this trio covers all bases.The harmonies are exhilaratingand the chorus hook is certain tostick on numerous formats.

BETTY WRIGHT-Epic 19-51009WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH IT

(prod. by Wonder) (writer: Wonder)(Jobete/Black Bull/Danbet, ASCAP)(3:411

With writing and production sup-port from Stevie Wonder, Wrighttakes a shot at pop crossover suc-cess on this initial release fromher self -titled LP. Her vocal shim-mers and shakes with hot sauci-ness on every rhythmic note.

SHEILA HYLTON-Mango 108THE BED'S TOO BIG WITHOUT YOU

(prod. by Harry J) (writer: Sting)(Virgin/Chappell, ASCAP) (3:501

Jamaican reggae artist Hylton is amodel who sounds as good asshe looks. This update of thePolice song has a recurring bassriff that rumbles with lovelornemotion.

JAMES BROWN-TK 1042STAY WITH ME (prod. by Brown)

(writers: Byrd -Brown) (Third World,ASCAP) (4:09)

Syndrum fireworks, a powerfulrhythm section, chorus coos andsharp horn injections join Jameson this marvelous finger -snapperfrom the "Soul Syndrome" LP.

TAVARES-Capitol 4969LONELINESS (prod. by Wright, Jr.)

(writers: Wright -Price) (Ritesonian/Bogani's, ASCAP) (3:12)

Culled from the "Love Uprising"LP, there's loads of soulful croon-ing on this wistful ballad. Thickharmonies and swirling stringscomplete the full sound.

DENNIS BROWN-A&M 2313FOUL PLAY (prod. by Gibbs -Hunt)

(writer: Gibson) (Irving/Joe Gibbs,BMI) (3:20)

Black and pop radio should em-brace this lively reggae artist im-mediately. Scintillating keyboardsand a chorus hook ride a muscu-lar rhythm guitar. Brown's vocalis captivating.

WEBSTER LEWIS-Epic 19-51014LET ME BE THE ONE (prod. by Lewis -

Veal, Jr.) (Chazzee/Chns, ASCAP/Take Note, BMI) (3:45)

Lewis lets loose with an inspiredvocal on this side from his forth-coming "Let Me Be The One" LP.Herbie Hancock's keyboards andDavid T. Walker's rhythm guitarrun full throttle.

WANDA WALDEN/NARADAMICHAEL WALDEN-Elektra47109

SEARCHIN` FOR LOVE (prod. by N.Walden) (writers: N. Walden -Willis)(Walden, ASCAP/Gratitude Sky, BMI)(3:10)

Wanda joins brother-in-law Mi-chael for a heated vocal harmonyand lead trade on this title cutfrom her forthcoming debut LP.An impressive ballad with cross-over in the grooves.

THE WALLER FAMILY-DynamicArtists 1102

WITHOUT YOU TONIGHT (prod. byCarter) (writer: Carter, Jr.) (Hot Gold,BMI) (4:21)

The Richmond, Va.-based quintethas enjoyed considerable region-al success with this sensitive bal-lad from the "Love Moods" LP.Chris Waller's tiny falsetto is thecenterpiece that could give thisnational attention.

SIDE EFFECT-Elektra 47112MAKE YOU MINE (prod. by Johnson -

Henderson) (writer: Ross) (Relaxed/Happy Birthday/Tuff Cookie, BMI)13:14)

From the forthcoming "Portraits"LP, this funky track finds the L.A.-based quartet fronting AugieJohnson's vocal lead over smoothharmony backing. Keyboardswirls bounce off a boss bass inthe interesting arrangement.



Record World remains the leader inproviding news coverage ofthe gospelmusic industry. Our Gospel Special,"Moving Ahead in '81',' is again linkedwith Gospel Music Week and theDove Awards program. Help us pre-sent an in-depth look at contemporaryChristian music.

Issue Date: April 18Ad Deadline: March 31For further information contact:Tom Rodden (213) 465-6126


.1

World

DIFFICULT TO CURERAINBOW-Polydor PD -1-6316 (8.98)

With the help of some new per-sonnel, guitar stormtrooperRitchie Blackmore is already con-quering the AOR waves with thisLP, produced by former DeepPurple cohort Roger Glover. "ISurrender" is a strong Russ Bal-lard tune, and "Magic" is a hookthat will stick with U.S. radio.

FRANKE & THE KNOCKOUTSMillennium BXL1-7755 (RCA) (7.98)Franke (pronounced Frankie) Pre-vite is not unlike Bad Compary'sPaul Rodgers in his ability to shiftfrom rough to smooth timbres,with the power to sing rock andthe ability to shape soulful inflec-tions. The single "Sweetheart,""She's A Runner" and "AnnieGoes Hollywood" exemplify thevariety of which this New York -area band is capable.

FROM BRANCH TO BRANCHLEON REDBONE-Emerald City EC 38-136

(At!) (7.98)Redbone remained an obscurecoffeehouse artist until a "Satur-day Night Live" appearance ex-posed his eccentric approach totraditional music to a nationalaudience. Now on a new label,he treats standards like "YourCheatin' Heart," "My Blue Heav-en" and Jelly Roll Morton's"Why."

SAY NO MOREBADFINGER-P.adio RR 16030 (At!) (7.98)The flawless harmonies that es-tablished Badfinger's own brandof pop on songs like "Come AndGet It" are here intact, in a con-text that's right in step with 1981.Now on a new label, they'recrafting hooks once again withbright tunes like "Come On,""Because I Love You," "ThreeTime Loser" and the LP's dra-matic finale "No More."

TO LOVE AGAINDIANA ROSS-Motown M8 -951M1 (8.98)One of those greatest -hits pack-ages with new selections featur-ing tunes written and producedby Michael Masser for Ross from1973 to the present. Includes"Theme from Mahogany," "TouchMe in the Morning," "It's MyTurn," the title song, and threedramatic new ballads.

THE PLIMSOULSPlanet P-13 (E/A) (7.98)

Once voted the "best unsignedband in L.A.," the Plimsouls seemto have made the transition tovinyl with grace and style. Theirrock has a soulful edge on "IWant You Back," and tunes like"Everyday Things" and "LostTime" reveal a versatility in song -writing that will keep up the AORairplay for some time to come.

WHAT A BLOWIAN GOMM-Stiff/Epic JE 36433 (7.98)One of the most unassumingmembers of the Stiff stable,Gomm (who hit the top 20 with"Hold On") is also one of itsfinest song craftsmen. Tastefulpop production by Martin Ru-shent brings out the best in titleslike "Man on a Mountain," "Jeal-ously," "Nobody's Fool" and acover of "Slow Dancin'."

HOW 'BOUT USCHAMPAIGN-Columbia JC 37008 (7.98)

Named for the Illinois town fromwhich they hail, this group is bul-leting BOS and pop with theirdebut single, and the album ofthe same title holds many morepotential hits, like the sultry"Fire," "Dancin' Together Again"and "Lighten Up" with its bouncybacking vocal novelties.

RIGHT TRACKWILSON PICKETT-EMI-America

SW -17043 (7.98)

The originalsoul manreturns with anLP that willsatisfy thecurrent dancemarket while

emaining true to the uniquequalities of his voice. His own"Help Me Be Without" is a goodreason to say "welcome back!"

FEELS SO RIGHTALABAMA-RCA AHL1 3930 (7.98)

This quartet hasachieved anear -perfectcountry -A/Csynthesis,combiningvocal melodies

and harmonies with an easyguitar -laden sound that will workon many formats. "Love in theFirst Degree" and "Hollywood"warrant attention.

FOUL PLAYDENNIS BROWN-A&M SP 4850 (7.98)

With the helpof ace Jamaicansession playerslike bassistRobbie Shakes-peare anddrummer Sly

Dunbar, Brown finds his owngroove with steady -chuggingriffs like "On The Rocks," andhaunting choruses like the titlecut.

CRUISIN' FOR A BRUISIN'MICHAEL BLOOMFIELD-Takoma TAK

7C91 (Chrysalis) (7.98)

This LP wasready to gojust prior toBloomfield'suntimely death.His guitar is afountain of

b,ues variety, and it's a pleasureto hear him on the instrumental"Papa-Mama-Rompah Stompah"and the fast -paced "It'll Be Me."



HAWKSAREFLYING!They got together in a

state of the art recording

studio nestled somewhere

in Otho, Iowa...their demos

put Otho on the map of

every A & R department in

America...Columbia Records

figured out how to get to

Otho first...the feathers

have just begun to fly...

HAWicip. AN AMERICANDREAM BAND.FEATURING THE HITSINGLE,"RIGHT AWAY."

116050,

ON COLUMBIA RECORDSAND TAPES.Produced by Tom Werman for Julia's Music, Inc.

Management and Direction: Shelly Finkel and Jirr Koplik.

"Columbia" is a trademark of CBS Inc. ©1981 CES Inc.


Two Radio SyndicatorsPushing Rock Histories

By PHIL DiMAUROII NEW YORK-Two major pro-ducers and syndicators of pro-gramming for radio, Drake Che-nault and Westwood One, arecurrently pushing full-length mu-sic specials of a historical nature.While the two shows are differentin content and are aimed at dif-ferent audiences, the fact thatboth companies have chosen thisperiod to sell their new productsis an indication of certain attitudesamong radio listeners today.

The Drake-Chenault program,"History Of Rock and Roll," is anupdated, "silver anniversary" ver-sion of the 1978 program of thesame title. Thirteen new hourshave been added while leavingthe show's 52 -hour length in-tact. The show, featuring artistinterviews in addition to music,is narrated by Bill Drake.

The special program's producer,Bill Watson, explained that thethirteen new hours were addedwithout deleting actual contentby "capsulizing" the previoushours, beginning with the birth ofrock 'n' roll.

Westwood One's special, "TheRock Years," is an entirely newproject, 48 hours in length, cov-ering the period 1965 to thepresent in chronological order. Inaddition to charting the historyof the music, the show also pro-vides cultural background andexamines the music against themajor events of the period."We've done everything from in-terviewing Jane Fonda, to talkingabout 'Saturday Night Live,' togoing through the news archives,"explained Norman Pattiz, presi-dent of Westwood One. "Wewant to give people today, achance to reflect upon what itwas like then."

Bert Kleinman, producer of"The Rock Years," said that whilethe show is "not designed to re-place a good book" on rock his-tory, it is meant to be "informa-tive entertainment." In Kleinman'sview, "What radio does best is

re-create the feeling" of a certaintime. During this period, he ob-served, "the growth of rock 'n'roll was inseparable from thegrowth of a lifestyle."

The Westwood One show istailored mainly for AOR stations,while Drake Chenault's "His-tory . . ." is aimed, in the wordsof its producer, at "mass appealpop music stations," which couldmean anything from a "top 40that rocks hard" to a "pop/adultstation." In a time when "frag-mentation" is an often -used buzz-word, it's hard to imagine how ashow that ranges from ChuckBerry to Kenny Rogers, and coversartists as diverse as Dionne War-wick and Led Zeppelin, works aswell as it does. The packaging,according to Watson, is the key."It is a special," said Watson, inwhich context, playing a recordis "vastly different from playingit in rotation. Even a hard rockrerun of the sixties will be accep-table to the entire audience."

Both syndicators are banking,to a certain degree, on the nos-talgia factor to pull in older lis-teners, and contemporary cover-age to pull in the younger, in thehope that these magnets will keeppeople listening to the programs.

It also seems, however, thatolder music is a magnet for cer-tain listeners of all ages. Watsoncited the recent number one rat-ings enjoyed by KRLA in LosAngeles, a station which he called"oldies -oriented," and the greatpopularity of Los Angeles' KRTH,an oldies station. Kleinman alsonoted, on the basis of focus groupresearch conducted for alternatepurposes, that there is "an in-credible interest, particularly inthe late sixties, on the part ofyoung teenagers."

"The Rock Years" will beworld -premiered on WNEW-FM,New York, for 48 hours straighton March 13, 14 and 15. The up-dated "History Of Rock and Roll"is scheduled for March release.

Seawind Breezes Through Roxy

AILM's Seawind played to a sell-out crowd on their opening night of a three -nightstand at the Roxy. The band is currently on tour in support of their new self -titledalbum, and their next stops will be the Philippines, Japan and native Hawaii. Picturedbackstage, from left, are: Pauline Wilson, lead vocalist, Seawind; Jerry Moss, ARMChairman; Larry Williams; Ken Wild; Bob Wilson; Bud Nuanex, and Kim Hutchcroft;all of Seawind.

NewYork. MlfBy DAVID McGEE

GRAMMY FALLOUT: "It was the worst evening of my life. I'venever been so humiliated." With those words industry veteran VinceRomeo, who currently manages Angela Bofill, summed up a ratherbizarre encounter he had with the Radio City Music Hall security forceonly two minutes before this year's Grammy Awards show was togo on the air.

Romeo was seated in row EE of the orchestra-well within camerarange-along with Wayne Forte (head of contemporary music at Wil-liam Morris), Lee Solomon (head of variety music at William Morris)and Solomon's wife. They had paid for their seats to the tune of$175 apiece. Romeo and company were chatting away, minding theirown business, when an usher told them they would have to vacatetheir seats so that a certain artist, who shall go unnamed, could beseen on TV.

Romeo asked where they were going to be seated, and the reply,he claims, was "We don't know, but we'll find something for you."Finally, Romeo stated in no uncertain terms: "I'm not going to get up.I'll look like a fool; everybody behind me knows me." At whichpoint eight or nine security guards (by Romeo's count) sauntereddown the aisle to forcibly remove the entourage from its seats. Romeoclaims one of the guards said to him: "If you don't come out of thatseat, I'll fix you."

Romeo picks up the story: "At that point I decided it was just toohumiliating to continue. So we had to walk up the entire aisle atRadio City Music Hall. My ego said, maybe nobody noticed it andyou're making a big thing out of nothing. Sometimes our egos arebigger than we are. The people at Radio City gave us a letter ofapology and I said, 'that's wonderful.' They said they would returnmy money. And then they said they would seat us in the back all theway over on the left side in the $50 seats. I didn't want to sit there,and if we had it would have looked like we had really tried to pull afast one, tried to sit up front and were thrown out of our seats.It was better that we left the Music Hall."

Which is what the party did, adjourning to "21" for dinner andfrom there to the New York Hilton, where the NARAS festivities werebeing held. Romeo says that as soon as he entered the Hilton "ten or12 people were on line wanting to know why I was gate-crashing."

The upshot? Romeo is instituting a lawsuit against Radio City,Grammy Show executive producer Pierre Cosette and the securityguard who threatened to "fix" him.

FOOTBALL NEWS: The latest chapter in the Paul McCartney "On,Wisconsin" saga has the former Beatle turning down WisconsinGovernor Lee S. Dreyfus' request that the official state and universitysong, to which McCartney owns rights, be turned over to the state asa gift "in honor of your former colleague John Lennon, who was sotragically murdered."

McCartney's New York lawyer, Lee V. Eastman, told the New YorkTimes that the song was part of a group of important old collegetunes published as an entity, and that "it would be a great disservicefor 'On, Wisconsin' to separate it" from, say, "The Buckeye Battle Cry"and "Notre Dame Victory March."

The best part of the story is that "On, Wisconsin" supposedly pullsin less royalties than the other college songs because of the sad stateof the University's football team. Said Eastman: "I should have toldGovernor Dreyfus that instead of worrying about songs, he shouldwork on getting them a good football team."

Go, Lee.And here at Record World, the Drop Back 10 and Punt Award goes

to our own Al Cunniff, RW's southeastern editor/manager, who wentan amazing three -for -three in the misspelled names department lastweek. Big Al sent in a picture of the Mandrel! Sisters and ConwayTwitty in the company of three pro football players (one retired, twoactive), and got each gridder's name wrong. So we had: (sic) FranTarkington (Al must've been thinking of Booth-and we don't meanAlbie Booth); "Mean" Joe Green (Al must've ate the last "e"), andVince Feragama (not to be confused with Georgia Frontiere).

Al is hereby ordered to spend a weekend with "The Mouth ThatBored," aka "The Duke of Drivel" (thank you, Oscar Madison), How-ard Cosell. Will he live to tell the tale?

DELETE ROSANNE CASH, INSERT JOE ELY: Never let it be saidthat New York, N.Y. isn't ever -alert to its own miscues. In the latestedition of Columbia's Red Alert newsletter, someone is kind enoughto point out that in a recent rave review in this column RosanneCash's first album was referred to as "arguably the best country


RECORD WORLD MARCH 7, 1981 17


ing."The newcomer's multiple vic-

tories were not the only surprisesof the 23rd annual National Aca-demy of Recording Arts and Sci-ences awards show. Interestingly,in the only category in whichCross lost, the result was also un-expected: Kenny Loggins' "This IsIt" (Columbia) won Best Pop Vo-cal Performance, beating Cross,Sinatra, Rogers and Paul Simon's"Late in the Evening" (WarnerBros.).

Simon, who hosted the show,had performed his song momentsbefore the award was given toLoggins. Obviously disappointed,Simon jokingly told the audi-ence: "A lot of people couldn'trecover after doing a song likethat and then losing the award."

Among the other surprises ofthe evening were the fact that Si-natra, Rogers and Stevie Wonderwon no awards (although DavidMcClintock did cop the Best Al-bum Notes prize for his annota-tion of Sinatra's "Trilogy") andthe fact that Barbra Streisand'sphenomenally successful collabo-ration with Barry Gibb won onlyone.

The two superstars' perform-ance on the title track of the"Guilty" album won Best Pop Vo-cal Performance by a Duo orGroup, but neither the album it-self nor the single "Woman InLove" won in any of the four ca-tegories in which they had beennominated.

For the most part, Streisandand Gibb were victims of thestunning Cross sweep, whichplaced them in distinguishedcompany. Streisand was also ingood company (Donna Summer,Olivia Newton -John, and IreneCara, whose performance of"Fame" opened the telecast) inlosing to Bette Midler in the ca-tegory Best Pop Vocal Perform-ance, Female. Midler won for herrecording of "The Rose."

Cross was the only multiplewinner on the Grammy telecast,which was seen live on CBS inthe U.S. and via satellite by anestimated 100 million viewersworldwide. But there had beenother big winners announced ata brief pre -telecast ceremony,also at Radio City, at which 44of the 59 awards were presented.

George Benson won Grammysfor Best R&B Vocal Performance,Male (for his Qwest/WarnerBros. album "Give Me theNight"); Best Jazz Vocal Per-formance, Male (for the track"Moody's Mood"); and Best R&BInstrumental Performance (forthe track "Off Broadway"). Athird track on the album,"Dinorah, Dinorah," arranged byQuincy Jones and Jerry Hey, wasnamed Best Instrumental Ar-rangement.

Christopher Cross Wins FourIn the classical area, the big

winners were violinist ItzhakPerlman and the Alban Bergopera "Lulu." Perlman won BestClassical Performance, Instru-mental Soloist Without Or-chestra (for "The Spanish Al-bum"); Best Chamber Perform-ance ("Music for Two Violins,"with Pinchas Zukerman); andBest Classical Performance, In-strumental Soloist With Or-chestra, in which he tied withhimself, winning for the Brahms"Double Concerto" with Mstis-lav Rostropovich and for analbum of Berg and Stravinsky.

"Lulu" won Best Opera Re-cording, Best Classical Albumand Best Engineered ClassicalRecording (Karl -August Naeglerwas the engineer).

The Grammy telecast, whichwas the first national awardspresentation to emanate fromRadio City and the first NewYork Grammy show since 1975,featured performances by anumber of the nominated artists.One highlight was a rousingversion of "The Lord's Prayer"by Reba Rambo and an all-stargroup of gospel singers, whichsubsequently was named BestContemporary or InspirationalGospel Performance.

Another highlight was an en-tire segment devoted to countrymusic, featuring performancesby Barbara Mandrel!, GeorgeJones, the Oak Ridge Boys, andMickey Gilley's Urban CowboyBand.

Jones was a surprise winnerin the Best Male Country Vocal-ist category for "He StoppedLoving Her Today" (Epic). Hisemotional acceptance speechwas one of the warmest moments

Skyy's The Limit

Grammys (Continued from pageof the evening. The othercountry winners were Anne Mur-ray, "Could I Have ThisDance" (Capitol), female vocal-ist; Roy Orbison and EmmylouHarris, "That Lovin' You Feelin'Again" (Warner Bros.) duo orgroup vocal; Gilley's UrbanCowboy Band, "Orange BlossomSpecial/Hoedown" (Full Moon/Asylum), instrumental perform-ance; and Willie Nelson's "Onthe Road Again" (Columbia),song of the year.

The rock winners were PatBenatar, "Crimes of Passion"(Chrysalis), female vocalist; BillyJoel, "Glass Houses," male vocal-ist; Bob Seger and the SilverBullet Band, "Against the Wind"(Capitol), duo or group withvocal; and the Police, "Reggattade Blanc" (A&M), instrumentalperformance.

The R&B winners, besidesBenson, were Stephanie Mills,"Never Knew Love Like ThisBefore" (20th Century -Fox),female vocalist; the Manhattans,"Shining Star" (Columbia), duoor group with vocal; and "NeverKnew Love Like This Before" byReggie Lucas and James Mtume,best song.

Phil Ramone was named Pro-ducer of the Year for his workon Joel's "Glass Houses" andSimon's "One -Trick Pony."

Prior to the telecast, therehad reportedly been consider-able debate about whether ornot to include some kind oftribute to John Lennon on theprogram. In what appeared tobe a compromise, Simonclosed the show by offering hisown tribute to Lennon on be-half of NARAS, saying how"sorry" and "outraged" the

Salsoul recording artists Skyy recently appeared at New York's Bottom Line. Shownbackstage after their show are from left, rear: Ray Harris, RCA's division vice president,black music; Ken Cayre, vice president of Salsoul Records; Butch Sierra and SolomonRoberts, Jr. of Skyy; Hilda Williams, A&R administration, black music, RCA Records;Salsoul artist Cameron; Larry Greenberg of Skyy; Skyy producer Randy Muller; Skyy'sTommy McConnell; Jack Craigo, division vice president, RCA Records-U.S.A. andCanada; Gerard Lebon of Skyy; Keith Jackson, RCA's director, product management,black music; Basil Marshall, manager, product management, black music; (leaning incenter) Robert Wright, A&R producer, black music, RCA Records; front: Bonne Dunning,Dolores Dunning -Milligan and Denice DunningCrawford of Skyy and Sharon Heyward,RCA's New York field promotion representative, black music.

3)

members of the Academy wereabout his death.

During the show, specialTrustees Awards were given tocomposer Aaron Copland andjazz great Count Basie, althoughneither man was on hand toaccept his award.

The other winners were:Best Pop Instrumental Per-

formance: Bob James and EarlKlugh, "One on One."

Best Jazz Fusion Performance:Manhattan Transfer, "Birdland."

Best Cast Show Album:"Evita."

Best Recording for Children:Various Artists, "In Harmony."

Best Jazz Vocal Performance,Female: Ella Fitzgerald, "A Per-fect Match."

Best Jazz Instrumental Per-formance, Big Band: CountBasie, "On the Road."

Best Gospel Performance,Traditional: Blackwood Brothers,"We Come to Worship."

Best Soul Gospel Perform -Contemporary: Shirley Caesar,"Rejoice."

Best Soul Gospel Perform-ance, Traditional: James Cleve-land and the Charles FoldSingers, "Lord, Let Me Be AnInstrument."

Best Inspirational Perform-ance: Debby Boone, "With MySong I Will Praise Him."

Best Ethnic or TraditionalRecording: "Rare Blues," pro-duced by Norman Dayron.

Best Latin Recording: CalTjader, "La Onda Va Bien."

Best Comedy Recording: Rod-ney Dangerfield, "No Respect."

Best Spoken Word, Docu-mentary or Drama Recording:Pat Carroll, "Gertrude Stein,Gertrude Stein, Gertrude Stein."

Best Instrumental Composi-tion: John Williams, "The Em-pire Strikes Back."

Best Original Score Album:"The Empire Strikes Back."

Best Album Package: "Againstthe Wind," Roy Kohara, artdirector.

Best Arrangement for Voices:"Birdland," Janis Siegel, vocalarranger.

Best Historical Reissue: "Se-govia - The EMI Recordings1927-39."

Best Engineered Recording:"The Wall," James Guthrie, en-gineer.

Best Classical Orchestral Re-cording: Bruckner, Sympony No.6, George Solti conducting Chi-cago Symphony Orchestra.

Best Choral Performance:Mozart Requiem, Carlo MaruaGiulini, conductor.

Best Classical Vocal Soloist:Leontyne Price, "Prima Donna,Volume 5."

Classical ProducerYear: Robert Woods.

of the

18RECORD WORLD MARCH 7, 1981


Portnow (Continued from page 3)steps taken to correct them. SaidPortnow, 1980 was "pretty muchthe same" for 20th as for othercompanies-that is, a recoveryyear-"except that the recoverythat was needed here was prob-ably a little more severe thanelsewhere. The 1978 figures herewere devastating; the losses werevery severe."

Those losses, he added,"prompted Fox (the corporation)to re -think its operation, and de-termine that it would be a licens-ing situation rather than a dis-tributed situation. So not onlywere we going from an almostbottomless pit of loss in 1978-we also went through the entiretransition of losing a staff, makinga deal with somebody and start-ing over from scratch, really. '79was the beginning of that, but '80really was the year that showed. . . that the record company's aviable operation for the corpo-ration and can be counted on tomake a contribution to the bot-tom line in the future."

When he joined 20th Century -Fox after having been RCA's divi-sion vice president, artists andrepertoire, Portnow's attentionwas first directed to 20th's artistroster, which he described as"pretty much a disaster" at thattime.was quite a bit of product andnot much talent," he said. "Wecut better than 50 percent of theexisting roster, and I felt the bestway to get started was to identifythe things that were here thatmade some sense."

As it turned out, most of theartists that "made some sense"-including Stephanie Mills, GeneChandler, Edwin Starr and others-were black performers, a situ-ation that Portnow said "wasoriginally more by default thanby design" but has now "becomepart of the design." Portnowfound that "there really wasn't asingle pop act that was here thatI thought was particularly viable,"although some were retained to

UFO at 'DVE

fulfill contractual obligations andso on. Since the label did havestrong black talent, including actsprovided by Carl Davis' Chi -Sound label, as well as an r&bstaff which "appeared to be verystrong," Portnow "took my cuefrom what was (already) happen-ing" and "continued in that di-rection." It also helped that"simultaneous with that, r&b ex-ploded in the marketplace again,as it every once in a while doesand should," and that "RCA as acompany tightened up its blackdivision."

Overall, Portnow continued,"I'm very comfortable with r&b,"but now, "having that fairlysmooth operation, we can thinkabout expanding the base" intopop and rock areas. Such acts asAir Raid, Jim Photoglo and ChrisMontan, as well as newer signingslike Diana Canova (a personalityfrom the TV shows "Soap" and"I'm a Big Girl Now"), DustySpringfield and the Staples willhelp effect that expansion, Port -now said. "We expect to be afull -line record company, at leastwith respect to pop acts, and wewill be."

20th's arrangement with RCA,Portnow explained, is technically"a licensing deal" wherein "allservices" pro-motion, merchandising, advertis-ing, publicity, sales, etc.-areprovided by RCA and 20th Cen-tury's role is that of "a productionoutfit delivering product on aregular basis." However, headded, "in reality, we're operatingmore as a small record companyhere. For one thing, my prede-cessor, Alan Livingston, felt thatsome staff had to be maintainedunder any licensing deal in orderto get a fair shot for our product";thus the label retains an in-housestaff of about 25 people. "Num-ber two, the name of 20th Cen-tury -Fox is no small entity. Peo-ple think of Fox as a major corpo-ration-their other entities, in


Chrysalis Recording group UFO met with personnel from radio station WDVE in Pitts-burgh. The group has just commenced a U.S. tour in support of their recently releasedLP, "The Wild, The Willing and The Innocent." Pictured from left: Shawn Portmann,WDVE sales manager; Lenny Evanoff, PIKS promotion; Phil Mogg, lead singer UFO;Dave Lang, PD at WOVE; Peter Way, bassist; Roxy Myzal, Chrysalis national albummanager.

Me CoastBy SAMUEL GRAHAM and ELIOT SEKULER

BIRDS OF A FEATHER: When MCA president Bob Siner makes anofficial visit to Michigan's Jackson State Prison on March 6, he won'tbe the first chief executive of a record company to hear the irondoors slam shut. Actually, Bob will be attending a B.B. King concertthat the bluesman is performing as a benefit for the maximum se-curity facility's prisoners. Way back when, though, the great recordproducer and entrepreneur Huey Meaux supposedly found himselfon the wrong side of the law. According to veteran press agent andraconteur Ian Dove, Huey appealed for help to his friend JerryWexler, then a top executive with Atlantic Records. Legend has itthat Jerry replied to Meaux as follows: "Sorry Huey, the answer isneaux."

PERFORMERS: Those crazy folks at Ralph Records are at it again,bringing you (us) the finest in music so, ah, unusual it probablycouldn't be found at any other label north of Tierra del Fuego. Ralphalready boasts a roster with the likes of the Residents, MX -80 Sound,Snakefinger and Fred Frith, but now they've added an act that wefearlessly predict will be their biggest yet-a prediction that is notbased on hearing any of this act's music, you understand, at leastnot yet. Renaldo and the Loaf, they're called, and with an album titlelike "Songs for Swinging Larvae" to go along with that handle, howcould they go wrong? Says Ralph's literature, "this is an album ofprimitive modernism, energetic, obnoxious noises, manic, high-pitchedvocals and sweet brilliance."

And then there's War Bride Records, a subsidiary of San Francisco'sSolid Smoke Records, who just shipped three albums in their ambi-tious initial release. The albums are by Roy Loney and the PhantomMovers, Holly Stanton and a compilation LP titled "Rising Stars ofSan Francisco," which features eleven Bay Area artists. Of the three,the Holly Stanton album stands out as the first work of a potentiallyinteresting artist and includes an oddball re -working of the Los Bravosclassic "Black Is Black." It's worth a listen. And finally, also from upnorth (a veritable hotbed of creativity these days) comes a singlerelease by an outfit called Rhyth-A-Rama, on their own Artiste Recordslabel. The songs, written or co -written by lead singer Pete Merkl, AKAPierre Marvel, are somewhat reminiscent of early Jonathan Richman,with a certain eccentric charm. We do kinda wish they'd tone downtheir claims to "laugh -a -minute lyrics" and "jump -to -it rhythm" buta little youthful enthusiasm is not necessarily such a band thing. KimFowley's made a living at it for the past couple of decades.

OTHERS: Tina Turner has just completed a tour of South Africa,Australia (she was joined onstage by Bette Midler in Sydney) andSoutheast Asia. She's now in the studio preparing an album withproducer Dennis Kirk . . . The first album by the two -man Aussie Bandis due on Real World Records in April, with Ken Caillat (known forhis work with Fleetwood Mac) producing. Half of the duo, DennisDunstan, is a former Austral -Asian karate champ who handled securityon the Mac's recent world tour, which we guess means that theAussie Band won't need any help clearing the stage when rabid fanslose control at their gigs; Dunstan was reunited with songwritingpartner Wayne Morrison, the other half of the band, when the Mactour got to England last year .. . Herbie Hancock's first dramatic rolewas last Saturday (28) on the television show "Concrete Cowboys."He played the owner of a factory manufacturing something called"The Burner," a hot-air balloon propellant-so at least you can saythe guy wasn't typecast. More roles are in the offing, we're told . . .Louis Johnson's first production effort is the album "Passage," onwhich he performs with his wife Val and Richard Heath, percussionistfor the Brothers Johnson. The Brothers themselves are handling theirown production now as well, and are currently working at A&M'sstudios ... Shep Fields, a bandleader during the big band era of theThirties, died February 23 in L.A. at age 70. Fields made over 300records with his Rippling Rhythm Orchestra . . . The British groupMagazine's catalogue has been picked up by the I.R.S. label for theUnited States, including the live album that had belonged to VirginRecords.

TRIGGER HAPPY: When Word recording artists Roy Rogers andDale Evans recently celebrated their 50th anniversary in the biz withan appearance on NBC's "Barbara Mandrel! and the Mandrell SistersShow," political and show business celebrities came out of the wood-work to offer their congratulations. There was a telegram fromPresident and Nancy Reagan citing the Rogers' "clean, wholesomeentertainment," a message of "happy trails" from Governor Brown


RECORD WORLD MARCH 7, 1981 19


Studio Singers: Unsung Heroes Behind the MusicBy BRIAN CHIN

NEW YORK-Valerie Simpson,Melissa Manchester, Barry Mani -low and Bonnie Bramlett need nointroduction now, but they'vebeen stars for a longer time thanthe public suspects. Prior to theirsuccess as solo artists, they wereat work in the demanding profes-sion of studio singing, an under-ground of sorts where, paradox-ically, vocalists barely known tothe record buyer are amongthose most respected and calledupon by the makers of music.

Record World contacted sev-eral session singers at the top ofthe field: New Yorkers CissyHouston and Luther Vandross,Philadelphian Barbara Ingram,Los Angeles' Stephanie Spruilland Maxine Waters Willard andthe bi-coastal Patti Austin, all ofthem seasoned studio, commer-cial and/or touring vocalists, andfound that they make a series oftrade-offs with substantial finan-cial reward and career opportu-nity on one hand and, often,lack of recognition and creativefreedom on the other.

Luther Vandross credits CissyHouston with broadening the ar-tistic horizon of background sing-ing, which, he said "used to bean 'ooh, aah' reinforcement oforchestra and horn lines" untilHouston, whom Vandross fondlycalls "the grand diva of themall," revolutionized backups withthe Sweet Inspirations (EstelleBrown, Myrna Smith and SylviaShemwell). Houston, who hassung professionally since the ageof 13, appears on much of Atlan-tic Records' soul output from the'60s. Her work with Aretha Frank-lin and Wilson Pickett, amongothers, placed the backgroundvocalists almost at the same levelas the soloist, with elaborate call -and -response techniques ("rightout of the church," Vandrossnotes) and a more recognizablepersonal stamp than had ever be-fore been heard. In many of hersessions, Houston wryly recalls,she was contracting the vocalistsand arranging vocal parts, as well."but you get paid for it now." Ofher part in raising the creativepotential of her work, she re-flects, "I think it was there all thetime. Things do change; there hasto be a pioneer, and I guess Iwas it."

Houston's professional progenyare not only technically adeptmusicians, but businesspeople aswell: east coast -based singerswork extensively in a lucrativejingle market (Barry Manilow'slive act includes a medley ofcommercials he's sung on or ar-ranged); west coast singers arecalled often for movie and televi-sion music. In these assignmentsas well as recording dates, keysingers may also be responsible

for contracting other vocals andarranging charts: while their levelof formal music training mayvary, their accumulated experi-ence qualifies them to workclosely with the producer-andthe most satisfying dates are in-variably those that solicit theirinput.

Patti Austin, among the mostwidely known sessioneers be-cause of her four CTI solo al-bums, had been a "girl singer"performing in hotel nightclubswhen Maraetha Stewart "apolo-getically" asked her to fill in for amissing vocalist at a pop session.Curious about the experience andattracted by "really nice money,"Austin accepted and eventuallyfell into regular work through

S ewart. Another vocalist/con-tractor, Tasha Thomas, intro-duced Austin to a number ofrock artists, further establishingher name. Versatility, at times ap-proaching the "musically schizo-phrenic," as she puts it, is thekey to building a solid reputationas a session vocalist: most canlist a polyglot list of pop, R&Band rock artists for whom they'vesung.

Maxine Waters Willard saysthat she was lucky enough tohave been in the right place whenthe recording industry boomed,establishing her reputation (alongwith her sister Julia Waters Till-man and brothers Oren and Lu-ther Waters, who have recordedtheir own work as the Waters)with sides as early as the Ron-nettes' "Be My Baby," and tourwork on the Vegas circuit withthe likes of Diahann Carroll, Ju-liet Prowse and Bill Medley. Be-cause of their musical training,producers who booked them earlyon found that "we read musicreally well and were really quick-and we got the feeling, too.They started telling other produc-ers about us, years before we'dever get (sleeve) credit ... It just

snowballed. We have no agent;we were just ready when the fieldreally opened up."

Once the ball starts rolling and',he stiff technical qualificationsare established, the industrioussinger often enjoys flexibility andfinancial returns that might beenvied by the solo superstar.Back-to-back sessions in one'sown home town may take as lit-tle as an hour apiece and resultin steady residual income, ac-cording to the rate of usage. Lu-ther Vandross observes, "Sure,Elton John and Rod Stewart arerich-but you know there areabout 20 guys you've never heardof who outgross them." (In whatVandross describes as a dispro-portionately female field, other

leading male singers includeZachary Sanders, Gordon Grody,Frank Floyd and James Gilstrap.)According to Patti Austin, a singerdoing three dates a week maywell achieve a six -figure incomefrom the quarterly residual pay-ments. Session income has beena "cushion" for Austin's solo pur-suits: her work made it possiblefor her to litigate her release fromCTI, make her new solo deal(with Qwest/WB) at leisure andsupport her own recent tour datein a "much classier" fashion thanan artist could normally afford.And while Vandross is "so ready(to tour and record solo) I couldscream," he admits that "I wouldhave to have sudden, catastrophicsuccess with Epic"-where he's inthe studio with Paul Riser, re-cording a solo album-to equalthe income generated by hiswork on a dauntingly long list ofcommercials, among them spotsfor NBC, Juicy Fruit gum and theU.S. Army, and his highly re-spected vocal arranging for BetteMidler, David Bowie and RobertaFlack.

In Vandross' case and BarbaraIngram's, a recognizable soundhas already resulted in a cultish

following among pop-R&B con-noisseurs. An extraordinarilygifted singer with a wide, warmrange, Vandross h

steve winwood - worldradiohistory.com...1981/03/07 · shalamar, "make that move" (prod. by...

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