European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 29, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse Yet another wave of Metal Bon Jovi f Jaccom hat opened the toot Lor heavy Matal airplay. By John Swenson United press International Eavy Metal the head banging Rock n1 Roll format thai has More lives than a Houseful of cats a reared a ugly head once again in the pop marketplace. Leering hordes of spandex Clad guitar strangles waving their shag haircuts Are Back in Vogue. Five of the lop 10 slots on the billboard album charts Are occupied by heavy Metal records by Whitesnake son Jovi Poison Motley Cutie and Ozzy of bound. Metal bands have periodically come in and out of Vogue since the Early 70s, when pioneering groups led Zeppelin end deep purple began codifying a form invented in the late 60s by the who and Jimi Hendrix. Heavy Metal is a relatively uncomplicated musical formula built on blues Rock guitar arrangements phrased Over simple repetitive rhythm patterns and garnished with screaming High pitched vocals. It s meant like a lot of Rock s simplest forms to be played As loudly As possible. Jut a pattern by 60s rockers like Chuck Berry and to diddle have worked when appropriated by countless rockers Over the years heavy Metal is an infinitely reproducible form that will probably continue to attract new practitioners As Long As teen Aga kids want to hear Laud rude sounds that encourage Hearty foot pounding. Music critics and parents lend not to like heavy Metal thus providing additional encouragement to an audience fiercely determined to create its own heroes and at least nominally interested in making a show of social Defiance. Though tha music s simplicity is its strength strict adherence 1o the form alone is not enough to ensure Success. For every heavy Metal band that makes it into the billboard top 10 there Are a dozen that never get off the ground. Behind every successful Metal band is a guitarist whose Mastery of Bent notes controlled feedback and wild Glissando solos makes him this is an almost exclusively male phenomenon a Rock n Roll wizard with a magic Wand for a guitar. Bon Joel a the exception to the All male Rule in that frontman Jon Bon Jovi is a Bona fide sax Symbol. No Metal band has More female fans than Bon Jovi. But without guitarist Richie Sambora s hoi licks Bon Jovi might As Well be Donnie Osmond. Bon Jovi s Success Slippery when wet has sold 9 million copies has opened Tho door Tor mtg and top 40 radio to give heavy Metal the airplay push that has spurred the current revival. Whitesnake and Poison should Send Bon Jovi a thank you card for creating a favourable environment for their records. Ozzy Osbourne s tribute celebrates the virtuosic guitarist Randy Rhoads generally considered the finest heavy Metal player of the last decade. Rhoads died in a stupid stunt characteristic of the vaudevillian level of huckster ism that Mela bands often use to promote themselves. Osbourne was on tour in 1932 with Rhoads As his Lead guitarist when the Accident occurred. Osbourne had been getting a lot of press for skilfully staged outrages. Fans were led to believe that Ozzy was insane worshipped the Devil and bit the Heads off of live bats and doves on stage. This kind of promotion is right out of . Barnum remember that real Unicorn the circus brought to town a couple of years ago but it worked like a Charm for Ozzy As local authorities and religious groups legitimized such ridiculous claims with their outraged reactions. The hype reached its tragic end when someone on the Lour decided to charter a private plane to Buzz la tour bus. Rhoads and several Crew members were killed when the plane went out of control and crashed. Motley Crue a band almost totally devoid of musical taste or originality is the most popular Wavy Metal group of Tho 80s. Girls girls. Girls the band s fourth album debuted at number five on the Billy Fri charts the highest entry Point for any studio album since Stevie wonder s holler than july debuted at number tour in 1980, the los angelas quartet features the thick textured sound at guitarist Mick Mars but Motley Crue s main Appeal is a bad boy Imago that makes Ozzy look like a Choirboy. Songs about strip joints death drugs and degradation offer a blatant Challenge to parental watchdog groups. Motley cams Lead Singer Vince Neil narrowly missed joining Randy Rhoads in heavy Metal Valhalla in 1984 when he smashed up his car in an Accident killing a passenger in the process. At first there was speculation that Neil s behaviour would land him in Jedi or Al least finish o f the group. But after escaping serious punishment Neil and the Crue lived to see the next wave of heavy Metal sweep them Back into mass popularity. Whitney Houston Breaks All records the Houston acc footy Conti Nutt. Byr Stephen Holden new York times Hitney Houston whose 1985 debut album sold eight million copies to become the Best Selling debug album by a Solo artist made More pop music history when her follow up album Whitney became the first Solo record by a woman to enter the billboard album Chart at no 1. At the same time the first single from the album / Wanna Danes with somebody who loves meals climbed to the top of billboard singles Chart to shatter another record by making the 23-year-old Singer the dust woman to have had four consecutive no. 1 pop hits. Besides Whitney Only Lour other albums have entered billboard s album Chart at no 1 Elton John s Captain fantastic and the Brown dirt Cowboy and Rock Olathe wellies both 1975. Stevie wonder s songs in the key of life 1976and Bruce Springsteen and the e Street band live 1975-85 1986. I think this new album is definitely More adventurous than the first one Houston said in a recent interview. Though i worked with basically the same people and the new record is also an album of love songs the second Lime around the feeling in the studio was Mare relaxed and Houston s favorite song on the be. Album i know him so Well from the hit London musical chess is a Duel with her Mother Cissy Houston a Sager in her own right. I first heard it three years ago when i was in Germany and fell in love with it Whitney Houston said. Three years later. Clive Davis the president of Arista records and executive producer of her album and i were going Over material in his office and he said you might like this.1 then he played me the same record i had heard before there Are Many talented women i could have Sung in with but since i knew i had one right in my own backyard Rny morn i would t consider recording in with anyone else i like Tho fact that the song can be inner peeled in different ways it could be about your love for god or your love for a Man when i go on tour. I plan to sing it with different Surprise guests in different Houston May also make her movie debut in the film version of the Broadway show dream girls in the role of Deena the Diana Ross like Lead Singer of the fictional Trio the dreams. Tho role was offered to her by David Geffen the movie and record Mogul whose company owns the film rights though i loved the show it s still not definite Houston said. Whether i do in depends on How Good Tho script is and what it says ii you re offering someone a specific part i think the person who plays it should have some on july 4, Houston begins a three month 45 City United slates tour monday june 29. 19b7 the stars and stripes Page 17
