By David Hepworth

Some groups will, some groups won’t…
… So it pays to have Mickie Most golden touch

You just wouldn’t believe the stick I have to take for liking Racey records. Friends tend to steer clear of me or plot to have me taken away by men in white coats. Either that or the think I’m being sarcastic. Can’t see it myself. There’s nothing wrong with a dose of unashamed bubblegum pop, particularly when it’s produced by Mickie Most and written by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman.
                Not that Racey like to be described as “a Mickie Most band”. They insist that they have their own style to offer, and that they’re not nearly as much under Most’s thumb as people think.
                Although lead singer Richard Gower is delighted with the chart success of Racey’s two singles, he makes a point of saying that when it comes to picking their singles the band have as much say as anyone. The best song gets chosen whether it’s a Chinnichap song like “Some Girls” and “Lay Your Love On Me”, or a Racey original.
However, it’s difficult to argue with people who have such a history of hits; it can’t be easy to tell people like Mickie Most, Nicky Chinn or Mike Chapman that you know better.
               Racey were plucked from obscurity and a pub in Weston-super-Mare by Most after he heard a demo tape by the group. There’s little doubt that they’ve been carefully “groomed” for a particular style and that their own songs, described by them as similar to 10cc or the Eagles, have been put temporarily on hold.
Mickie Most is by far the most consistent hitmaker that this country, and possibly even the world ,has ever seen. Although born here (real name Michael Hayes) he emigrated to South Africa in the late ‘50s where he enjoyed 11 consecutive No. 1 records as a singer. But all the while he was learning the art of producing, the crucial business  of how to put together a sound that sells.
                He returned to Britain in 1962 at the outset o the beat boom and looked around for suitable bands to record. The first were The Animals, a Newcastle band whose members included Eric Burdon, Alan Price and Chas Chandler. Starting with the enormously-successful “House Of The Rising Sun”, they turned out a string of world-wide hits with Most at the controls.
                Herman’s Hermits followed with “I’m Into Something Good” and took America by storm. Donovan, Lulu and Jeff Beck all owed their best-selling records to Most’s ability to find the right sound and to find hit songs.
                He wasn’t concerned with building up complex images, creating acts who could fill massive venues, or bands who sold millions of albums. All Most cared for were hit singles, the bread and butter of the record business.
                By 1969, he had made enough money to start his own label, Rak, and to turn his attention to discovering and developing acts specifically for the teen market, the people responsible for the majority of singles sales. For each act he had a formula. The only thing he asked of the actual band was that they  do as they were told, leaving the choosing of the song and the arrangement to him. The most that the band had to do was turn up at Top Of The Pops on time, look clean and do a little dance.
                He took Suzi Quatro from American obscurity, put her in leather, gave her some nifty songs and made her an international star, one of the biggest-selling female artist in pop history. Hot Chocolate were his pop/soul outfit, moving cleverly from out-and-out disco to smooth smooch whenever fashion dictated. They are probably Most’s most consistently successful band.
                He signed Mud to make bright poppy singles for the teen and pre-teen market with songs that were generally written by Chinn and Chapman, two gents who did the same job for Sweet and various others.
                Like Most, this pair approached the business like a science. Mickie Most has a theory about song titles. He reckons that it helps if the title is already familiar. It’s very important that people remember the title; if they don’t, they buy something else.
The trouble with this production line approach is that the bands themselves don’t matter much, as long as they can play and sing reasonably, and look good. Groups who leave Most don’t very often go far. Mud handed in their cards a few years back and haven’t exactly set the charts alight subsequently.
                Although Racey now have two huge hits under their belt, they have so far played only two live shows in this country. When I met them they’d just flown back from the Continent and were due to set off again the next day to record another TV show. They were extremely tired. Their plan is to wait until they have enough hits to make up an impressive live act before they go on the road.
                They say they want to “progress” and hope eventually to gain acceptance for their own songs. I would be more prepared to believe them if I didn’t recall hearing exactly the same pleas from Mud a few years back.
Would it be too corny to say that they ought just to sit back and make the Most of it? Yes, I suppose it would.

*…make the charts, that is


Donated by Jason Humphreys