— Dave Rimmer
When Dave Rimmer talks of "Christmas dross" in his glowing review of the latest single from Linx, the reader's eyes naturally wander over to the most obvious spot on the page: to a dual review of John & Yoko's "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" and Wizzard's "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday". More than forty years on from the 1981 holidays, it's difficult to imagine a time when these two records weren't perennials of the season. In the frenzy that followed Lennon's murder a year earlier, "Happy Xmas" was rush released as several of his singles competed with each other for number one. It came up just short, not peaking until the second week of the new year and it was already back for another go. The public gradually grew weary of all that Lennon product that had flooded the market but Apple/EMI was betting that there was still some life in the single for the first anniversary of his assassination.
Roy Wood, formerly of The Move and, briefly, ELO had been a hit maker of some note in the early seventies with his band Wizzard. While perhaps not superstars like T-Rex or Slade, they were just a step below the top tier, a point that would've been reinforced when "I Wish It Would be Christmas Everyday" failed to take the coveted Christmas number one in 1973. Slade were in their imperial period and that alone justifies "Merry Xmas Everybody" nabbing the crown. But as far as quality goes, to me there's no question that Wizzard's is the stronger record. Feeling it still had some life, Wood had it reissued in '81. Due to problems with the original master, he had to start from scratch with a new children's choir, though you'd never know the difference.
Hopes were dashed when the two Christmas classics failed to make much of an impact on this year's charts. Lennon and Ono's anti-war anthem only just dented the Top 30 while Wizzard missed out on the Top 40 altogether. Interest in the festive faves wasn't like what it used to be — and, indeed, not like what it would be like in the future. (Rimmer ends his review of the two singles by wondering where Slade is. "Re-released next week, I shouldn't wonder". He was correct: it did similarly modest business that December)
The true dross is elsewhere. Bucks Fizz's "The Land of Make Believe" is a limp effort, even by their standards. While "Making Your Mind Up" had been a moronically catchy chart topper and Eurovision winner, "The Land of Make Believe" isn't even that clever nor as enjoyable. It only rose up the charts slowly and was unable to make a serious threat for the Christmas number one but it had enough juice to give them a chart topper in January. Four More from Toyah attempted to repeat the trick of putting out an EP in order to get Adrian Mole and his chums to go out an purchase it; the only trouble was, Toyah Wilcox and her band had run out of passable material by that point. A still pre-imperial Duran Duran offered up the forgettable "My Own Way" which they must've known wasn't a serious threat for the Christmas crown (the fact that it did as well as it did suggests that they were on their way up). Non-seasonal reissues of a boring Elvis Costello/George Jones duet and an old Ian Dury number are also up for consideration but who the hell cares? Kirsty McColl's cover of The Beach Boys' "You Still Believe in Me" which ought to have been good but isn't. You can go on and on here. (Rimmer's distaste for much of this fortnight's twenty-three newbies is such that he even brushes aside The Human League's "Don't You Want Me", considering it to be an unnecessary release since virtually everyone already has it on the album Dare. How wrong he was on that one)
With all this in mind, I can see why Rimmer is so taken with solid soul-funk workouts by Linx and Imagination (see below). I previously blogged about "Can't Help Myself" rather dismissively, perhaps because I was already getting a bit tired of half the singles back then sounding like Chic rejects but I can now see that it's a fine song in its own right. I struggle to remember it but I certainly can't help myself whenever it's on.
It's hard to picture it lighting up many festive occasions since its chart performance was so poor. Linx had been coming off four straight Top 30 hits but "Can't Help Myself" started them off on a run of flops that would close them out as a recording concern. With ABC and a suddenly soulful Jam providing a much more literary side to R&B and groups like Imagination flourishing with more of a club sound, it's possible that Linx slipped between the cracks somewhat. It's all well and good to sound like Michael Jackson but not when it's at the expense of sounding more like themselves.
Rimmer made his debut as a Smash Hits singles reviewer — a role he would excel at for the next five years — just four weeks earlier, giving ABC the prize for their stellar effort "Tears Are Not Enough". Recognising their musical chops, songcraft and production, he concludes by asserting that they "inspire optimism for the future of Brit-Funk". That's not so much the case with Linx, however. They seemed to offer no way forward as they churned out respectable, fun to listen to works like "Can't Help Myself". While some set the future in motion, others looked to be on their way out. Such is the way of things.
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Also Reviewed This Fortnight
Imagination: "Flashback"
Linx's David Grant hailed from Hackney in the north of London and so, too, did the stupidly-named Leee John from Imagination. While Linx was operating in the mindset of trying to be as much like Chic and Michael Jackson as possible, Imagination managed to be sort of disco and sort of synth-pop while bucking other trends, which is perhaps why their stock was higher than an act like Linx. (There's that and Leee John being far more charismatic than Grant) Another one for Rimmer and the Christmas parties he imagines everyone to be attending though how much "Flashback" got played at these gatherings is anyone's guess. Pub jukeboxes were still pumping out John & Yoko, Wizzard and Slade but hopefully there were plenty of discos around the UK who had more than enough time for some Imagination — and not just in Hackney.
(Click here to see my original review)
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