Reproduced from DMA June, 1995. Vol 3 - Issue 6

... or so I thought. The overseas phone calls came one after the other in 1993. From Cheshire, London, and Ireland, each of my friends repeated the solemn news. MTV-Europe had reported that Mike Stock was to leave PWL. Matt Aitken's 1991 departure was difficult enough, but Mike's departure surely signalled the end of PWL - at least we knew it, and the rumours were rampant. Some said Mike Stock was physically and emotionally exhausted, and would retire to the British countryside. Others said that Pete Waterman, tired of the fickle nature of the music industry, would sell his remaining share of PWL to Warner Brothers, and spend his days shopping for new railroads and record stores. Matt was still, supposedly, traversing the globe taking part in death-defying auto racing. Thankfully the rumours were just that - rumours - "careless talk and silly lies" if you will. One week later, "Music Week" (the UK "Billboard") reported the story of Mike's departure as fact, and had no news of his future plans.

It is now 1995, and although the greatest songwriting/producing team in pop music history is just that - history, the players have gone on to create new empires, and rebuild old ones. PWL is working on returning to the days of 'yore, concentrating on a stable of artists, as opposed to solely licensing foreign material. At his impressive "Hundred House", in operation for approximately one year now, Mike Stock carries on the legacy that he created and nurtured at PWL. Seeking out new talent to provide the UK, if not the world, with pop/dance music of the highest calibre and quality. Working once again with Matt Aitken, their amazing acumen honed razor-sharp, they continue to write and produce records that stand head and shoulders above, and miles beyond the product of their peers. It has been an interesting year for both PWL and Love This. "Let's step back in time" as it were, and review the headlines and events of the past twelve months.

One year ago, Mike and Matt had out-of-the-box success with the clever pairing of divas Jocelyn Brown and Kym Mazelle. Their take on the '70's evergreen "No More Tears" was embraced by fans, club-goers, and casual listeners alike, reaching #12 on the UK national pop chart. The track married trendy techno elements with classic disco sensibilities, appealing to a wider audience as a result. Although "Billboard" reported that the track would see a US release on RCA featuring new remixes, that never came to be. Later, the duo re-teamed to cover the ZZ Top hit "Gimme All Your Lovin'". Following in the tradition of its predecessor, the track blended new and old, and again had impressive showings on both the UK pop and club charts. Although there was talk of an LP for Kym and Jocelyn, to be released for the '94 Christmas selling season, these plans were scrapped, and have yet to be revisited since.

Stock and Aitken then turned their talents and attention to relative newcomer Darren Day. Albeit a staple on the London stage, appearing in "Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat", "Godspell", "Great Expectations", and "Copacabanna", Darren was a pop virgin. His cover of the classic "Young Girl" is a classic in its own right, one of the very best they've ever produced. Taking a flawless vocal, then setting it to a production that harkened back to the '88-'89 glory days at PWL, the track works in both the pop and dance arenas - the hallmark of any Stock/Aitken production.

Both of the Kym and Jocelyn singles, as well as Darren's single, were released on the "Ding Dong/Bell/Arista" imprint, a joint venture between Mike and BMG. The deal was masterminded by BMG-UK stalwart Simon Cowell. As of this writing, the future of "Ding Dong" remains in question, as Simon Cowell is now at RCA-UK, while the Bell imprint is owned by Arista.

The first record to be released on Mike's independent label "Love This Records", was actually on "Bags Of Fun", a "Love This" imprint. The track? The global smash hit "Total Eclipse Of The Heart" by Nicki French. Taking the original John Springate in a pop/dance friendly direction, the track failed in its first UK release in the fall of '94. Buoyed by its club success, the track was remixed (sounding more like the Bonnie Tyler original) and re-released in January '95. In its new incarnation, it reached #5 on the UK pop chart. The single is an amazing success story, turning former cabaret singer French into a pop/dance star of international proportions. The track has had similar success throughout Europe and Australia. Most impressive is its US success, where it currently sits at #16, surrounded by the rap/funk and heavy metal/alternative usually occupying the US top 20. Fred Bronson, author of Billboard's "Chartbeat" column, headlined his May 13th entry "Nicki's Total Eclipse Of The Chart", saying it is easily "a contender for number one". Time will tell. Unfortunately, Nicki's UK follow-up, a remake of the Carpenters' "For All We Know", unfairly entered the UK chart at #42, before dropping. Unfair? Yes - an error in the UPC bar codes on several formats of the single were recorded in error, thus all sales were not tallied correctly. Conservative estimates show the single having a healthy debut in the low twenties, had this error not taken place.

Mike and Matt brought old friends back to pop/dance prominence as well. Their reunion with Kim Appleby (one-half of Mel and Kim, an effervescent track called "Free Spirit" won the hearts of club-goers in its radical underground mixes while the Mobius Loop and Tony King mixes followed the formula of the tried and true. "Sky High" returned to the charts courtesy of Newton, sounding surprisingly similar to the original. Why? Jigsaw's lead singer is Newton - Des Dyer. Novelty tracks by the likes of The Power Rangers kept our wallets empty, while 2 In A Tent's "When I'm Cleaning Windows" incurred the wrath of dance label deConstruction. Seeking an injunction to bar its release, deConstruction claimed that it was too similar to their release of The Grid's "Swamp Thing".

Despite an appearance on the US's most popular TV export (can anyone explain the show's popularity????) "Baywatch", Jayne Collins' "No Turning Back" failed to live up to expectations, and that remains a mystery. Sounding as if late '80's PWL met Ace of Base, the track is, at long last, starting to build a loyal HiNRG following here in the US.

Coming attractions from the Love This family of labels include the long-promised "Riding High" by Serena, "Sleeping In My Car" by Mobius Loop featuring Julie 'Zee', and new mixes of Newton's "Sky High". Also, look for a cover of "Unchained Melody" by 2 UK actors from a high-profile television program, supposedly called "Soldier Soldier" (on the RCA label). As well, look out for debut single by new signing "BND". Most exciting - the debut LP by Nicki French, hitting both UK and US shores in late June. The ten track LP will feature both singles, as well as eight new Stock/Aitken originals (AT LONG LAST!!!!!!!!). Mike and Matt have, in only a year's time, re-established themselves as the pre-eminent maestro's of pop/dance music - period.