PEATURE The Industry Year With the trend in current music drifting from futurist to a more obvious dance style, music in1982 should continue its upwards sales direction. PAUL CAMPBELL assesses the possibilities of the various styles of music now vying for a chart placing. They came topose and stayed to dance VIRTUALLY EVERYconceivablefeatures the enigmatic Clare Grogan on trend and cult was explored and foundvocals, is now engaged on recording an wanting in 1981 so predicting the likelyalbum which should put the moderate successes of the coming year is evensuccess of their debut Happy Birthday to more of a daunting task. shame. Scotland's finest export is creat- There is no doubt that music suffereding the ideal music forthetimes; from the incessant pigeon -holing ofheavyweight pop which sounds bright styles last year by the consumer press soon the radio and looks captivating in that the rockabilly revival, psychedelicperformance. revival and medley craze (the ultimate This year could well see an even nostalgia from Beethoven to The Buzz -greater increase in the dominance of cocks) flashed before a dazed public likeproducers intalentcircles.In this figures on a carousel. respect itwill be interesting to see Perhaps the dominent feature of '81whether the partnership of Steve Lilly - was the growth of dance music and itwhite (XTC, U2, Joan Armatrading) would be a brave man to bet against itsand The Thompson Twins will bring continuing well into this new year. out the true potential of the band. TheBands like Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark could have their finest days before them. Human League are the new super-group's debut album was less successfulits groundswell of interest with such actstheir rapid rise in popularity and should stars, transformed like Adam Ant beforethan it should have been but Lilly -as UB40, Black Slate, Aswad and Blackgo on to greater things. them from no-hopers to platinum dis-white's touch should bring this highlyUhuru gaining the commercial success. ABC hails from Sheffield but will cers in what seemed like a twinkle of theentertaining band deserved success. Labels like Greensleeves will continuequickly escape from the shadow of eye. Producer Martin Rushent has given to provide exciting innovations such asfellowsteelcity band The Human them a winning combination of earthyBLACK ACTS, British, American andthe DJ recordings of General Echo andLeague to establish a large following of content and dance rhythm which willWest Indian, had a good year in 1981Clint Eastwood while Carroll Thomp-its own. Once Haircut 100 begins to continue to succeed this year. and this should continue with Brit -funkson (S&G) looks a promising discoveryappear live throughout the country its On the subject of Rushent, there canacts like Linx, Beggar & Co, Light Ofand could follow the reggae market hitreputation should also increase greatly be no doubt that his touch has sparked aThe World, Freeez, Level 42, Central`Just A Little Bit' with mainstreamand the group has plenty of good major talent in Altered Images. HeLine and Shakatak leading the way to ansuccess. material to create an exciting debut produced only the title track on theeven greater acceptance of far -from - White dance music, whether it car-album. group's debut album and alongermindless disco music. The Motownried the title 'New Romantic' or 'Futur- partnership can only produce morelabel, so successful for EMI in '81,ist' was the rage of last year and itSUPERGROUPS LIKE Pink Floyd are commercially successful results. should build on that success, perhapscontains all the right ingredients to carrybound to carry on regardless of any Having rushed into Rushent's Gene-breaking Rick James for RCA. through to the next 12 months. Groupsmarket trend and the release of the film tic Studio to record the current hit single Reggae lost its guiding light in Boblike ABC and Haircut 100, each with aof The Wall should give the album a new `I Could Be Happy' the band, whichMarley last year but it is sure to maintainsingle hit at present, should capitalise onlease of life. The first release of Yes/ELP supergroup Asia should be an event worth waiting for. Indeed the Geffen Indie successa clearly defined market label, for whom Asia record, could do much to improve the flagging American DESPITE THE forecast by many ofMarc Bolan.It would be nice tofollow up, has had less impact, but thepresence in the UK charts. Last year the decline of the independent scene,predict less nostalgia in 1982, butband has plenty of ideas and shouldAmerica had a particularly poor year - if last year proved that for several bands,probably not very accurate. not be regarded as one hit wonders yet.it hadn't been for Motown the picture it is still a viable alternative. The two Short of wildly and impossibly tip- A Certain Ratio has been aroundwould have been even worse - and there most successful, The Exploited andping Discharge as the teenybop idolsfor some time now, arousing occasion-are few signs of UK buyers moving UB40, show every sign of continuedof next Summer, it's difficult to guess,al interest in the press, but little in thetowards the bland US material as a popularity - partly because of theirbut among those who deserve greaterway of the hits its inventive, rhyth-staple diet. Rather, in rock terms, it is clearly defined markets - in 1982. recognition are The Au Pairs, Pig Bagmic music merits. Last year's albumAmerica which is no doubt awaiting the Both are likely to remain with indieand A Certain Ratio. To Each . .., on Factory Recordsresults of the low-key dates being played labelsasa matter of principleif The Au Pairs (Human Records) hadscraped into the year chart at numberby various ex -members of Led Zep- nothing else. an engagingly successful - both criti-30. However, with the craze for intelli-pelin. After the sudden and unexpectedcally and commercially - album outgent dance music of the kind that A The heavy metal bandwagon rolls on superstardom of Adam And The Antslast year. Playing With A Different SexCertain Ratio provides bound to con-with all the predictable energy of a and the Human League (both, of(HUMAN 1) reached number 13 in thetinue well into the new year, they mustjuggernaut but no new acts have come course, now with majors), it is practi-1981 charts, and although the single,surely break through soon. forward to challenge the likes of AC/ cally impossible to predict who will be`It's Obvious' (OTO 4) didn't do quite The Oi explosion of 1981 that foundDC, Rush, Thin Lizzy, Black Sabbath next for a meteoric rise. Depecheas well, it made an impression, beingsuch a good home in the indie labelsand Ozzy Osbourne. Indeed of the so Mode have established a name forthe kind of record that could cross thenetwork seems set for a steady demisecalled new wave of HM acts only Iron themselvesinboth the indie anddivide between the indie and nationalbut some of the bands originallyMaiden and Saxon can look forward national charts and should be capablecharts with suitable airplay. grouped under this banner, most ofwith any confidence to 1982. of keeping it up next year by moving Pig Bag, of course managed to dowhom have substantial live followings, Foreign product, with the exception with the trend that is drifting fromthis last Summer, figuring in the lowercould still continue and build on theirof American, has been on the increase in futurism/romanticism to dance musicend of the national sellers for severalsuccess. Notables include Cron Genrecent months and an off-the-wall pre- and funk. weeks with the unusual and very(Fresh, Anti-Pasti (Rondelet) and anydiction for the major overseas talent The only negative aspect of lastdanceable `Papa's Gor A Brand Newone of the artists featured on thesource for 1982 would be Australia. year's chart was the high sales of bandsPig Bag' (PIG BAG Y). The song haspopular (number 27) Carry On Oi! This forthcoming invasion already that no longer exist (Joy Division) andnow notched up an impressive 30(SEC 2) on Secret Records. back catalogue (Adam again) andweeks in the top 100. 'Sunny Day', the SARAH LEWIS TO NEXT PAGE 12 RECORD BUSINESS January 11 1982.