August 1986

HOWARD JONES

AS IT DEVELOPS!

J. Kordosh

Well, it’s another month down here at the ROCK-SHOTS plantation...let’s see, it’s August, I guess. (Even though you are undoubtedly reading this in June or July. Have you literally been projected into the future?? Nope, it’s just the way we date magazines.)

CONTENTS

BRIAN SETZER: A STRAY CAT ALONE

Brian Setzer was the main man behind the Stray Cats. Sure, Slim Jim Phantom and Lee Rocker may have given the band its rocking backbeat, but Setzer was the brains, the face, the voice, the guitarist and the songwriter behind the Stray Cats’ sensational appeal.

QUIDNUNC'S CONFIDENTIAL!

Michael Logan

Proving you can’t keep a bad boy down, Prince ended his self-imposed retirement from the concert stage by making a surprise appearance smack dab in the middle of Sheila E.’s recent Hollywood gig. Not only did his Purple Highness perform a 20-minute set that had the crowd in an uproar—the once shy guy actually dove into the audience and warmly shook hands with dozens of startled customers.

Ralph Macchio: Karate Bluesman?

There’s been a lot of fuss these last few years about the so-called Hollywood “Brat Pack”—that group of young movie stars that’ve been featured in such teenoriented movies as St. Elmo’s Fire, The Breakfast Club and Pretty In Pink. Yet, one name that never seems to get included with this group just may be the best of the bunch: Ralph Macchio.

Charlie Sexton Explains, Beams, And Does Other Stuff Too!

There’s a new face out there you might’ve seen. It belongs to Charlie Sexton, a 17-year-old guitar player from Austin, Texas. Charlie is much more than a guitar player, however—as one listen to his debut album, Pictures For Pleasure, might tell you.

BRIT BUZZ

Sylvie Simmons

What the heck are mashed peas? I think we should be told! Especially since the road to Paul Young’s heart is paved with the things. What does Paulie miss most when he’s away from home touring the States? Mashed peas. And what one culinary delight was beyond the reach of ex-girlfriend Jody Watley?

GEORGE MICHAEL STANDS ALONE

George Michael once described his boyhood friend and longtime partner Andrew Ridgeley as the biggest fan of his songwriting. Now that the Wham! duo have called it quits, though, George might have to look for a new biggest fan. Not that that should be much of a problem...after all, Michael did write the songs that propelled Wham!

Growing Up To Be Julian Lennon

Sylvie Simmons

Julian Lennon’s life has been as normal as a country-and-western Motley Crue album, as an outburst of David Lee Rothian modesty, as a Simon Le Bon boat trip that doesn’t end up on the rocks! It’s surprising Julian isn’t all washedup, with the things he’s been through: hidden by his mom, first wife of the Beatles’ John Lennon, back in a time when pop stars were meant to have the love life of a “Ken” doll, then exposed to the world in a glare of publicity when British reporters camped on his front lawn to reveal the news that his father had been murdered.

MUSIC FOR YOUR EARS!

ROCK-SHOTS is at it again! In fact, ROCK-SHOTS will be "at it" every month! That's right...you'll find contests each month in ROCK-SHOTS! This month we have an AM/FM portable stereo cassette player to give away and we figured you wouldn't mind us letting you have it!

A-HA ONSTAGE AT LAST?

Having become veritable musical superstars without the benefit of performing live (quite a trick, that!), A-Ha were finally seen by American fans—although it certainly wasn’t part of a tour. No, the long-awaited appearance was at this year’s Grammy Awards show, where—in addition to star-studded performances by the likes of Huey Lewis & The News, Starship and Stevie Wonder—the synth-laden trio from Norway took the stage to perform their smash hit single from last year, “Take On Me.”

The Not-So-Simple Sound Of SIMPLE MINDS

They’ve been around for years now, but it really wasn’t until the release of Once Upon A Time that Simple Minds were accorded the mass critical (and commercial) respect they deserve. Released late in 1985, Once Upon A Time has enjoyed a long stay in the American Top 10—and, nowadays, Jim Kerr is known more for his music than for being “Mr. Chrissie Hynde."

PAT BENATAR: GREATEST FEMALE VOCALIST EVER?

Everybody likes Pat Benatar!

A-HA

HUEY LEWIS

RICK SPRINGFIELD

ADAM ANT

BOWIE’S BACK!

Despite what you may think, David Bowie is not an absolute beginner!

SHOTS IN THE DARK

Boy, the stars are sure saying some goofy stuff this month! It’s hard to believe, but (fortunately for us) all the great ROCK-SHOTS photographers carry tape recorders with them at all times...thus, we know the captions you read are accurate to the last italics.

HEART

INSIDE COREY HART

Jackie Kallen

Not too long ago, Corey Hart was just another good-looking young singer/songwriter struggling to make it. Then, all of a sudden, he hit it big with his first hit, “Sunglasses At Night,” and his career suddenly skyrocketed overnight. “I’m only 23 years old,” says Hart, “and I have to admit that I’ve been extremely lucky.

KWIK KWOTES!

Did the wait for Billy Idol’s Whiplash Smile album only seem like mere centuries? Ah, well—it was worth it, we’re sure you’ll agree. Here’s a few choice words from the Platinum One himself about the very process of making records: “I believe in making records that you really think have merit.

Tell Us About Your Favorite Band and WIN!

It's that time once again! Yep, it's time to win that one-year subscription to ROCK-SHOTS absolutely free of charge! We pay the postage, too! We're just...that way! So what do you have to do? Easy! Just tell us who your favorite band or solo artist is (here comes the catch) in no more than 50 words.

FALCO: Mozart of the '80s?

With “one named” stars like Prince, Madonna and Sting in the spotlight of popular music, along comes another: Falco. Actually, the name Falco has been around for a number of years, but it’s the current hit singles—“Rock Me Amadeus” and “Vienna Calling”—from Falco’s new LP, Falco 3, that has the name reaching higher on the pop charts than ever before.

PRINCE ON PARADE!

Following his Purple Rain tour in 1984, Prince announced to the music world and beyond that he was, in effect, “retiring” and would not tour again for an undetermined number of years. “I’m going to look for the ladder,” Prince said at the time, to the astonishment of millions of fans.

CULTURE CLUB ON THE COMEBACK TRAIL

They’ve been away since 1984, when their third album (Waking Up With The House On Fire) met with a so-so response from critics and consumers. But now, Culture Club are back! Yep, those zanies who dared appear on The A-Team have put out another album: From Luxury To Heartache, which includes the single “Move Away" (a song that actually debuted on The ATeam...we at ROCK-SHOTS are pretty sure Mr. T wanted it “for the kids.”)

ROCK-SHOTS LEARNS EVEN MORE: The NICK RHODES Interview, Part Two!

Billy Cioffi

The kids' point of reference, the 12or 17-year old reference in pop music, is different from an older person’s point of reference...say, the Beatles. How do you feel about that? I take it as a compliment. When we started—it was almost like six years ago, in England—there were some kids who came to see us that were about 14 years old.

BANGLES MAKE IT BIG!

If it wasn’t for another band someplace else that almost no one has heard about, the Bangles would probably be known as the Bangs today. Seems this allfemale four-piece unit was known exactly as that back in their early garage-punk/pseudo-Mod days, but were forced to add the “les” to their name when it was discovered that another band called the Bangs already owned the name.

THE OUTFIELD

PHIL COLLINS