— Smash Hits scribe who wishes to remain nameless (or is uncredited due to editorial negligence)
Some odd stuff went down in the Smash Hits singles review in February of 1983. First, Fred Dellar sifts through nearly two dozen records and is so underwhelmed by the lot of 'em that he doesn't bother crowning a SOTF. He has scant praise for Donald Fagen's "New Frontier", Fun Boy Three's "The Tunnel of Love" and Depeche Mode's "Get the Balance Right" but he doesn't even seem all that bothered about any of them. The only notable newby this fortnight is Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" which Dells thinks is just all right (MJ's vocal, the song's beat and Quincy Jones' production "almost convince you that [it's] a great record" which I have to agree with even if I quibble with his concession that it's a grower; I tend to think that it's the type of single that's best played only the once). We're still not quite at the point in which reviewers began concluding write ups of their picks with the sentence 'Single of the Fortnight' but the custom for the past several months has been for the choice cut to be featured in the top left hand side, typically bordered by stars. In this issue we see a doubling up due to the connection of a Jimmy Cliff cover (Rockers Revenge's "The Harder They Come") and a Jimmy Cliff original ("Love Is All") in this coveted spot. The Rockers, who "enjoyed" a SOTF the previous summer with "Walking on Sunshine", build upon the gospel elements of the reggae classic but the New York boombox synths trivialize the original's passion; Dellar is bored with Cliff's new release and, listening to it now, it's amazing to think how hard he managed to fall. (Note: This has now been rectified. I have decided to infer that the SOTF is Donald Fagen's "New Frontier" which may be found here)
So, the above lengthy paragraph aside, let's skip this one and move on to the next fortnight where there is sure to be no problems. Well, other than no credited reviewer. (The singles review page was actually nameless a month earlier as well but I cited Mark Ellen as his name is down on Brian McCloskey's Smash Hits archive)
Sometimes groups come along as if they're trying to fill a void. Bands like Dexys Midnight Runners and Madness were still around in 1983 but they weren't quite the same as when they first hit it big. Kevin Rowland's outfit had changed lineups (again) and were now being billed with the singer/musical director/dictator's name getting top billing; they had also begun moving away from their northern soul roots towards Irish folk. Madness' run of superbly rollicking singles was drying up as they gradually shifted to their melancholy period. (One of this fortnight's better offerings is their latest record "Tomorrow's (Just Another Day)", which masked its dark heart in some bouncy rhythms and production; a version that perhaps better represents this stage appears on the single's 12" release featuring a suitably down in the dumps Elvis Costello vocal and a slowed down pace) Significantly, the two groups also seemed like gangs: a pack of mates who probably grew up in the same neighbourhood and listened to the same music and drank together in the same pub. (It's difficult to imagine the members of Spandau Ballet doing anything together save for shopping for expensive designer clothes)
Clearly whoever reviewed these singles feels there's a void and JoBoxers are just the lads to fill it. They don't play synths, you know, and the vocals aren't wimpy and they don't dress like Bananarama. (Prancing around in the video as if they're performing in The Pirates of Penzance apparently is acceptable although his nibs may well have changed his mind once he actually got to see it) And they play soul which is real music.
I might be able to take this critique seriously if I could manage to understand just what he sees in "Boxerbeat" but it's beyond me. I can't quite figure out what it's meant to be. Is this "Boxerbeat" singer Dig Wayne is going on about some kind of a dance? Old school rhythm and blues has a tradition of introducing a dance craze through song — the obvious examples being Chubby Checker's "The Twist" and Little Eva's "The Loco-Motion" — and they could be attempting something similar here. Trouble is, there's no actual dance to go along with it. Perhaps "Boxerbeat" is a mindset. The lyrics encourage us to keep an open mind, not be so much of a prat and live and let live. Okay, that's fine, I can do that. Now what? Well, you can be part of their pack — just you're "bag" if you dig what Dexys and Madness used to be about.
I don't wish to sound too bitchy here. The tune is punchy and Dig Wayne seems like a decent frontman. My quibble really is with whoever at ver Hits felt it necessary to prop up JoBoxers at the expense those so-called "pouting pretties". Is "Boxerbeat" really any more profound than the upcoming singles from the Duranies or the Spands? Is pretending as if you're an authentic sixties northern soul group any less pretentious than draping oneself in a carpet and painting one's face in makeup? New pop was here and the denizens of the Smash Hits office on Carnaby Street were going to have to deal with it. Belittle the fops, sure, but for the sake of consistency be sure to trash the soulboys while you're at it.
~~~~~
Also Reviewed This Fortnight
Some odd stuff went down in the Smash Hits singles review in February of 1983. First, Fred Dellar sifts through nearly two dozen records and is so underwhelmed by the lot of 'em that he doesn't bother crowning a SOTF. He has scant praise for Donald Fagen's "New Frontier", Fun Boy Three's "The Tunnel of Love" and Depeche Mode's "Get the Balance Right" but he doesn't even seem all that bothered about any of them. The only notable newby this fortnight is Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" which Dells thinks is just all right (MJ's vocal, the song's beat and Quincy Jones' production "almost convince you that [it's] a great record" which I have to agree with even if I quibble with his concession that it's a grower; I tend to think that it's the type of single that's best played only the once). We're still not quite at the point in which reviewers began concluding write ups of their picks with the sentence 'Single of the Fortnight' but the custom for the past several months has been for the choice cut to be featured in the top left hand side, typically bordered by stars. In this issue we see a doubling up due to the connection of a Jimmy Cliff cover (Rockers Revenge's "The Harder They Come") and a Jimmy Cliff original ("Love Is All") in this coveted spot. The Rockers, who "enjoyed" a SOTF the previous summer with "Walking on Sunshine", build upon the gospel elements of the reggae classic but the New York boombox synths trivialize the original's passion; Dellar is bored with Cliff's new release and, listening to it now, it's amazing to think how hard he managed to fall. (Note: This has now been rectified. I have decided to infer that the SOTF is Donald Fagen's "New Frontier" which may be found here)
So, the above lengthy paragraph aside, let's skip this one and move on to the next fortnight where there is sure to be no problems. Well, other than no credited reviewer. (The singles review page was actually nameless a month earlier as well but I cited Mark Ellen as his name is down on Brian McCloskey's Smash Hits archive)
Sometimes groups come along as if they're trying to fill a void. Bands like Dexys Midnight Runners and Madness were still around in 1983 but they weren't quite the same as when they first hit it big. Kevin Rowland's outfit had changed lineups (again) and were now being billed with the singer/musical director/dictator's name getting top billing; they had also begun moving away from their northern soul roots towards Irish folk. Madness' run of superbly rollicking singles was drying up as they gradually shifted to their melancholy period. (One of this fortnight's better offerings is their latest record "Tomorrow's (Just Another Day)", which masked its dark heart in some bouncy rhythms and production; a version that perhaps better represents this stage appears on the single's 12" release featuring a suitably down in the dumps Elvis Costello vocal and a slowed down pace) Significantly, the two groups also seemed like gangs: a pack of mates who probably grew up in the same neighbourhood and listened to the same music and drank together in the same pub. (It's difficult to imagine the members of Spandau Ballet doing anything together save for shopping for expensive designer clothes)
Clearly whoever reviewed these singles feels there's a void and JoBoxers are just the lads to fill it. They don't play synths, you know, and the vocals aren't wimpy and they don't dress like Bananarama. (Prancing around in the video as if they're performing in The Pirates of Penzance apparently is acceptable although his nibs may well have changed his mind once he actually got to see it) And they play soul which is real music.
I might be able to take this critique seriously if I could manage to understand just what he sees in "Boxerbeat" but it's beyond me. I can't quite figure out what it's meant to be. Is this "Boxerbeat" singer Dig Wayne is going on about some kind of a dance? Old school rhythm and blues has a tradition of introducing a dance craze through song — the obvious examples being Chubby Checker's "The Twist" and Little Eva's "The Loco-Motion" — and they could be attempting something similar here. Trouble is, there's no actual dance to go along with it. Perhaps "Boxerbeat" is a mindset. The lyrics encourage us to keep an open mind, not be so much of a prat and live and let live. Okay, that's fine, I can do that. Now what? Well, you can be part of their pack — just you're "bag" if you dig what Dexys and Madness used to be about.
I don't wish to sound too bitchy here. The tune is punchy and Dig Wayne seems like a decent frontman. My quibble really is with whoever at ver Hits felt it necessary to prop up JoBoxers at the expense those so-called "pouting pretties". Is "Boxerbeat" really any more profound than the upcoming singles from the Duranies or the Spands? Is pretending as if you're an authentic sixties northern soul group any less pretentious than draping oneself in a carpet and painting one's face in makeup? New pop was here and the denizens of the Smash Hits office on Carnaby Street were going to have to deal with it. Belittle the fops, sure, but for the sake of consistency be sure to trash the soulboys while you're at it.
~~~~~
Also Reviewed This Fortnight
Orange Juice: "Rip It Up"
Our anonymous Hits critic thinks "Boxerbeat" is the bee's knees but hates this: I don't know what to say. Everyone's a sucker for those clipped, jangly guitars and, combined with some synth backing that manages to look forward to the squelching sound of late-eighties acid house, "Rip It Up" has a great DIY quality about it. But it isn't simply yet another post-punk obscurity purpose built for the exclusive delight of John Peel and a few Glaswegian art school students, there's real pop aspiration going on here. Edwyn Collins' vocal has swagger which is a refreshing change from the customarily depressed and/or quirky singing you get from indie darlings. History vindicates those of us who opt for "Rip It Up" over "Boxerbeat" even if Orange Juice were no more the future of British pop than JoBoxers.
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