35p USA $1 75 March I9-April 1 1981 W I including MIND OFATOY RESPECTABLE STREE CAR TROUBLE TOYAH _ TALKING HEADS in colour FREEEZ/LINX BEGGAR &CO , <0$& Of A Toy Mar 19-Apr 1 1981 Vol. 3 No. 6 By Visage on Polydor Records My painted face is chipped and cracked My mind seems to fade too fast ^Pg?TF^U=iS Clutching straws, sinking slow Nothing less, nothing less A puppet's motion 's controlled by a string By a stranger I've never met A nod ofthe head and a pull of the thread on. Play it I Go again. Don't mind me. just work here. I don't know. Soon as a free I can't say no, can't say no flexi-disc comes along, does anyone want to know the poor old intro column? Oh, no. Know what they call me round here? Do you know? The flannel panel! The When a child throws down a toy (when child) humiliation, my dears, would be the finish of a more sensitive column. When I was new you wanted me (down me) Well, I can see you're busy so I won't waste your time. I don't suppose I can drag Now I'm old you no longer see you away from that blessed record long enough to interest you in the Ritchie (now see) me Blackmore Story or part one of our close up on the individual members of The Jam When a child throws down a toy (when toy) (and Mark Ellen worked so hard), never mind our survey of the British funk scene. I Spiteful girl, hateful boy (spite boy) doubt if even the mention of a VIDEO MACHINE AND FIFTY VISAGE ALBUMS TO BE When a child throws down a toy (when toy me) WON could drag you away from the record player. I curse the day Orchestral Manoeuvres and Nash The Slash were thought of. I do. I'm all dressed up and nowhere to go As for the Toyah centrespread and the Fact Is special and Independent Bitz and the On the music box that never stops songwords and the news and the reviews, well, I might as well talk to a brick wallfor I'll dance for you if you want me to all the attention you'd pay. I shall have words with the management All this free stuff Move in time, move in time cannot be good for the soul . A wooden head and a broken heart Used, abused and torn apart I gave you my best and you gave me the rest There's time die, MIND OF A TOY Visage 2 to time to die RESPECTABLE STREET XTC 9 When a child throws down a toy (when toy) When I was new D-DAYS Hazel O'Connor 9 you wanted me (down me) Now I'm old you no longer see (now see) me LATELY Stevie Wonder 12 When a child throws down a toy (when toy) PRETENDING TO SEE THE FUTURE OMD 20 Spiteful girl, hateful boy (spite boy) When a child throws down a toy (when toy me) SWING SHIFT Nash The Slash 20 CARTROUBLE Adam And The Ants 21 When a child throws down a toy (when toy) When I was new you wanted me (down me) CAN YOU HANDLE IT Sharon Redd 25 Now I'm old you no longer see (now see) me YOU BETTER YOU BET The Who 26 When a child throws down a toy (when toy) Spiteful girl, hateful boy (spite bnv) BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY Queen 30 When a child throws down a toy (when lov me) NEW ORLEANS Gillan 36 Words and music by S. Strange/M. Ure/B. Currie/J . McG OH GOD, I WISH I WAS HOME Rod Stewart 37 Egan/D. Formula INTUITION Linx 41 Reproduced by permission Island Music Ltd./V ir^m Music Ltd./Copyright Control I MISSED AGAIN Phil Collins 43 ALL AMERICAN GIRLS Sister Sledge 45 RAINBOW: Feature 4/5/6 RICK BUCKLER: Feature 16/17/18 TOYAH: Colour Poster 28/29 BRITISH FUNK: Feature 39/40/42 TALKING HEADS: Colour Poster 52 FACT IS SPECIAL 11 CARTOON 11 BITZ 13/14/15 VIDEO/VISAGE COMPETITION 23 DISCO 25 CROSSWORD _ 31 REVIEWS 32/33 STAR TEASER 34 BIRO BUDDIES 35 INDEPENDENT BITZ 44 LETTERS 47/48 GIGZ 50 Special thanks this issue to Jo Dale (design). FRONT COVER PIC: HERBIE YAMAGUCHI m> V m, IT'S A MIGHTY LONG WAY DOWN ROCK AND ROLL AND RITCHIE BLACKMORE HAS GOT THE SCARS TO PROVE IT. CHRIS CHARLESWORTH TRACES THE TWENTY YEAR CAREER OF A SINGLE-MINDED MUSICIAN. a guitarist who once trod of the sixties with a number of FOR changed his mind at the last the boards at the 2 I's coffee pioneering rock and roll outfits. minute, and that decision bar in London's Like Soho at the many famous British changed his life. The band was beginning of the 60's, Ritchie musicians he passed through the called Deep Purple. Blackmore shows no sign of hands of Screaming Lord Sutch & flagging or giving in to middle The Savages, an extravagant RIGHT FROM the start Deep age. His latest Rainbow line-up ensemble led by Britain's first Purple were a big money stand high in the charts with "I great rock eccentric, David Sutch. operation. Bankrolled by a couple Surrender" and the band are (He wasn't a lord, of course, but of money men with no previous busy rehearsing in New York for he'd do anything for publicity, music business experience, the a US tour followed by British including standing for group went on to become one of dates this summer. Parliament!) the most popular and influential As hardy and determined as he Then there were The Outlaws, bands of all time, though it took is temperamental and whose lead singer Mike Berry them four years to make the opinionated, Blackmore is one of was back in the charts last year breakthrough. the most technically competent (as was their bass player Chas An early, vaguely psychedelic guitarists Britain has ever Hodges, now half of Chas And line-up had a big U.S. hit with the produced. He's quite at Dave), home and finally Neil Christian & poppy "Hush" but then split up with the most complex musical The Crusaders, whose original after a year, leaving Ritchie, arrangements, and just as guitarist was Led Zeppelin's keyboard man Jon Lord and comfortable performing classical Jimmy Page. (For further details drummer Ian Paice to find a new pieces as is he on a rock stage of this particular era, seek out lead singer and bass player. Ian where several thousand watts of Pete Frame's excellent book of Gillan and Roger Glover (the amplified electric guitar answer "Rock Family Trees" (Omnibus).) latter is with Rainbow today) the flick of his plectrum. All these pre-Beatlemania arrived from a pop/cabaret band Ritchie's long career has been groups — and others — played called Episode Six and the classic marked by a steadfast refusal to an important but largely Purple line-up was completed. fall in with the fashionable trends unrecognised role in the Ritchie's instinct for a of the day. This, coupled with his development of British rock. By memorable riff brought forth a occasionally arrogant attitude to and large they were string of distinctive crowd both the press and paying interchangeable bands made up pleasers like "Smoke On The customer only — last year his of session players who needed a Water" and "Child In Time" and refusal to do an encore at performing outlet to let off steam. four years of relentless touring Wembley started a minor riot — And let off steam they certainly turned them into superstars. In is why he has never enjoyed the did! 1972 their American record critical acclaim bestowed on The Outlaws, for instance, company, the giant Warner other guitar heroes like Clapton, earned a fearsome reputation for Brothers corporate, sold more Page and Townshend, most of misconduct wherever they went. records by Deep Purple than by whom would tip their Amongst their favourite pastimes any other artist. professional hats to Ritchie's was the lobbing of flour bombs It was shortly after the release expertise. from the band's van as they of their breakthrough "In Rock" Ritchie, on the other hand, is drove through crowded shopping album that Deep Purple played not one for complimenting the centres, and Ritchie, by all the Plumpton Festival of 1970. competition; modesty has never accounts, was a crack shot. Sandwiched between Black been his style. The only other But because none of these Sabbath and Yes, the band were guitarist he has ever really looked bands ever enjoyed any real chart anxious to make a lasting up to was Jimi Hendrix, although success, they relied on constant impression and Ritchie closed the he has been known to nod an live work and took on gig evening's set by pouring petrol appreciative head towards schedules that would make the over a stack of speakers and country picker Albert Lee and average 1981 band come over all setting the whole lot alight while veteran session man Big Jim faint. playing two guitars at once. The Sullivan. Hamburg was a favourite organisers of the festival — and stomping ground (it was here Yes — were not amused. BORN IN Weston-super-Mare on that The Beatles cut their musical Successful they may have been April 14, 1945, Ritchie moved to teeth) and when one particular but stable they weren't.