H' II i.C'^Wf'«^i^i'>SSH"WS'^~'^'-"' 0!!^ Feb 5-18 1981 Vol.3 No 3 g^g^<nFG^gJJ^ Another issue already? I'd rather watch paint dry. Let's see what drivel they're trying to palm off on us this time. Features on Madness and Phil Collins? 1 mean, honestly, i don't suppose it's even occurred to them to interview The Strang ... oh, they have. But as for the rest of it, who really wants a colour poster of Adam or the chance to win the new Gen X album? What happened to the Sky pin-up they promised us? What about the feature on pencil sharpeners, the win a string bag competition, the paper clip giveaway? No sign of any of it. 1 mean, honestly. I'd write a letter if 1 were you . VIENNA Ultravox 2 ROMEO AND JULIET Dire Straits 8 ROCK THIS TOWN Stray Cats 10 TAKE MY TIME Sheena Easton 13 IN THE AIR TONIGHT Phil Collins 16 ZEROX Adam And The Ants 20 THE BEST OF TIMES Styx 21 GANGSTERS OF THE GROOVE Heatwave 22 MESSAGE OF LOVE Pretenders 26 TURN ME ON TURN ME OFF Honey Bane 26 BORN TO RUN Bruce Springsteen 33 TWILIGHT CAFE Susan Fassbender 36 1.0. U. Jane Kennaway 36 LONELY HEART U.F.O 43 1 SURRENDER Rainbow 43 MADNESS: Feature 4/5/6 PHIL COLLINS: Feature 14/15/16 ADAM AND THE ANTS: Colour Poster 24/25 THE STRANGLERS: Feature 34/35 DEBBIE HARRY: Colour Poster 44 DISC JOCKEYS 9 CARTOON 9 BITZ 11/12 CROSSWORD 18 INDEPENDENT BITZ 19 DISCO 22 REVIEWS 28/29 STAR TEASER 30 SOUNDAROUND/GEN X COMPETITION 31 BIRO BUDDIES 32 COMPETITION WINNERS ...! 37 LEHERS .„..39/40 GIGZ • 42 This magazine is published by EMAP Nationaf Publications Ltd, Peterborough, and is printed by East Midland Utbo Printers, Peterborough. Copyright exists on aM songs appearing in Smash Hits. They must not be reproduced without the consent of the copyright holders- FRONT COVER PIC: SHEILA ROCK ^BhI ^^^^BI^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^IhF '' ^ I^^^^HBHIh ^^^^^^K ^^^^^v ^^^Hb ^^^^^^^ ^B!^^ * ^^I^^^^Jk ^HV M //if '^^Hi^l^^v^' /^B 1 1 !{ 7 m \ ^^^1 y^^^^^^^^^Bm^P^^^Bp I^B . ^^^^^^B H^B / J .^H right direction; full of fine, salty and thoughtful songs. The next THE RETURN OF spate of recordings will stretch the company a little further, hopefully without sacrificing that joyous, rubberlegged motion that's been the ruination of THE carpets from Bolsover to Berlin. "It's getting to the point," reckons Suggs, "where it could be 'look at those old washouts — here comes Adam And The Ants'. It's up to us." "In the beginning we were really limited," admits Chas. "I was rea//y limited. You know, I MAD-NIFICENT7 didn't like this geezer or that Davy, Dav-ee Hepworth (King Of The Wild Frontier) watches Madnau ride off into the sunset. Trigger-happy Fin Costello shoots geezer because he was a punk or first and develops later. whatever . but now everybody Is much more open to new things THEY REALLY ought to warn tables had been commandeered because of travelling and so people. Put it out on local radio by swarms of glassy-eyed girls forth. or something. "A lorry has shed ordering one cup of tea between "In this business you meet its load in Shepherd's Bush, three of them and examining every race, every creed, every resulting in a tail back of traffic Suggs in great detail. type of person. You meet the right across Hammersmith Up in the prosperous suburb of saps, the ponces, the grovellers, Bridge . Whitehall will be Hempstead, dogs out walking the intelligent people, the people closed between 12 and 1 today their owners on the Heath were who are into the music, the for the State Visit of the ambushed by the same seven people who are into the money. President . Of Denmark . and young men, this time dressed up It just opens your eyes lot Madness are spending to a of the day as cowboys. Dogs, of course, ." things . filming a video for "Return Of take this sort of eccentric 7" Bedders is about to say The Los Palmes . unless behaviour in their stride. Not so something but Suggs is too fast your business is of great the manager of the West London for him. importance, please remain hotel where the afternoon's "We were totally into madness indoors with the curtains closed shooting is to be done. when we started; the reggae and When he was asked to provide the ska and everything. And now The first to feel the impact was chicken salad and champagne for hopefully we're gonna branch the proprietor of a small greasy seven in his best banqueting out a bit. Hopefully we've left spoon cafe. Innocently enough suite, he'd no doubt imagined it enough doors open to do he gave his permission for a little was for some small formal something interesting." quiet filming to be done on the business lunch. True enough the What has surprised many premises. diners were all decked out in people is the ease with which Next thing he knows a van has thirties evening dress, dinner Madness, on the face of it the pulled up outside and begun jackets, starched wing collars, least weighty and fashionable of disgorging pop stars. Hundreds the full bit. the bands that emerged from of them. They occupied all his But nobody mentioned under the 2-Tone umbrella, tables and began ordering anything about Lee Thompson should succeed commercially, everything on the menu. Twice interrupting the meal by jumping outselling people like The with extra chips. on to the table and landing his Specials and The Beat Course, the word spread like Doc Martens smack dab in the effortlessly. wildfire, reaching the local middle of the lettuce. And then Suggs pretends not to be in school in a matter of minutes. proceeding to play a miniature the least surprised himself. them deeply you can get more Next thing he knew his few spare saxophone. This definitely "The reason is we're better out of 'em", points out Chas. wasn't part of the agreement. possibly be reported in a family looking, funnier, more cheerful "The kids, they can just hear Gingerly he enquires the name magazine. The Madness feature and more easily acceptable." 'Naughty boys in nasty schools, of the group who are responsible film, tentatively called "Take It Chas has no doubts of what headmaster's breaking all the for this havoc. Madness? Ah, it Or Leave It", is more along the Madness are all about: rules' and think 'that's me'," begins to add up. lines of a dramatised "Having fun, making money continues Suggs. documentary, tracing the and making people happy." The conversation moves to SHOOTING COMPLETED on for the progress of the band from early But do they not think that the compare the light touch of day, Chas Smash. Suggs and days to their first major London nutty business has tempted "Baggy Trousers" with the long Bedders loosen their collars and gig at The Nashville in 1979. people to dismiss the genuine winded, preachy tone of Pink settle down to talk. Not that Suggs explains the dominant quality of many of their songs? Floyd's song on the same there's much settling down theme. Songwriters who jump on salads subject, "Another Brick In The involved when Lord Suggs and "It's about the way it went and without adequate warning often Wall". Mr Smash — Carl to his friends — it ." the way could have gone . find it hard to be taken seriously Suggs, who wrote their lyric, is are in the mood for a bit of This project, which will cost as creative artists. annoyed that his number was verbal. them a quarter of a million Suggs shrugs. unfairly written off as the usual Bedders sits between them, pounds that they haven't yet got, bit, I ." cheery "A . but don't care . throwaway while the swivelling like a Wimbledon will probably mark a full stop ". at . there's some very condescending cliches of a bunch umpire as they rattle away on the end of Madness Phase One, serious lyrics on our last album," of old hippies are feted as Art. either side, considering himself otherwise known as The offers Chas, citing "Shadow Of Chas, who was knocking about fortunate to contribute a cough Jumping Up And Down Years. Fear", a tune about being Pink Floyd's studio complex or two to the conversation. Not that any of them are pursued by a bad conscience, as when they were putting together You seem to enjoy this video planning to purchase long an example. The Wall extravaganza, describes I business, venture . raincoats or synthesisers, it's Bedders spots a gap in the them colourfully as "spark out". "We enjoy everything," simply that the seven of them, conversation and seizes it with "They haven't been in touch announces Suggs and grins. unschooled and relatively both hands. with reality for God knows how "We're doing a film very inexperienced though they may "Lee is very profound. We can't long," he adds. shortly," announces Chas and be, have enough common sense understand his songs. He can't "Education for me was a pain," grins too. "And it won't be and realism to face the fact that understand 'em either." says Suggs. "But it was a pain for anything like 'Breaking Glass' changes must be made if the Suggs agrees. the teachers as well and momentum that has brought "He's very deep." everybody concerned.