RECORD MIRROR, 26 MAY 1990

THE HITS OF

STOCK, AITKEN AND WATERMAN

- THE FIRST 100

The statistics are truly bewildering: SAW have produced 101 hits (those listed opposite plus Kylie Minogue's latest magnum opus 'Better The Devil You Know'), of which they had a hand at least a hand in writing 69. They have sold well in excess of 10 million singles with 36 of their productions being certified silver (200,000 sales) or better. They've registered 53 Top 10 hits, including 13 Number Ones shared between 10 acts - more than any other producers. And if you think it's a long time since they were absent from the chart, you're right - the last time a chart was published without at least one of the Top 75 being written by the tireless trio was on 28 February 1987, and the last time they weren't listed as producers was 15 March 1986.

To mark their century of hits, I spoke to Pete Waterman in Jersey, where he was relaxing prior to starting the fifth and final week of the Hitman Roadshow.

"The 100th hit single completely passed us by," admits Waterman. "We had no idea it was quite that many until David Howells (PWL managing director) told us."

The record that brought up the century was, as even Waterman agrees, hardly vintage stuff: 'Use It Up And Wear It Up' by Pat & Mick.

"Had you let us know earlier," he says, "we would have brought forward Kylie's 'Better The Devil You Know'. I think that the song and the performance are both very special and would have been ideal."

The redoubtable Ms Minogue is undoubtedly the biggest star in SAW's galaxy. She has had more hits under their direction (10) than any other act, and, while admitting that his most famous charge can be more than a little headstrong, Waterman clearly has a great affection for her, though he freely admits she may slip from their grasp.

"She has always been completely in control of her career. She'll move on. I think she wants to do more movies. Where that leaves us I don't know.

"She is so strong ... she is the star centre forward of PWL FC, but if she ever wanted to pick the team we would have to bow out," he admits, pausing teasingly before adding" ... or let her pick the team."

For all their current roster of acts, the recording studios are bursting with former PWL clients, and Waterman is clearly unhappy about the way some of them have used SAW as a stepping stone to fame, only to drop them.

"I sometimes feel human nature has failed me," he muses.

Sinitta, in particular, caused Waterman grief when she went public recently with a claim that SAW dropped her.

"What she said was totally unjustified.

"Fanfare (Sinitta's record label) called for an album in four weeks.

"It was impossible to even start it for eight weeks, so somebody else did it. It was a cheap shot, and I don't think we'll be working with her again."

Donna Summer, on the other hand, has had nothing but praise for the way SAW rescued her ailing career, but Waterman hasn't heard from her since 'I Don't Wanna Get Hurt' charted a year ago.

"I don't know what went wrong ... It's weird, 'cause I've never seen her say anything bad about us in interviews. Even three weeks ago she was telling the LA Times that we were a joy to work with."

Bananarama is another act whose records seem unlikely to bear the Stock Aitken Waterman legend again. The relationship was always fraught ("a bit of a fight"). Some tracks are in the can, but the girls have since started working with other producers, and Waterman is already planning to re-use the songs.

Waterman claims to have no regrets about any of the records SAW have made, but which one is his favourite?

"That's a very difficult question.

"Cliff Richard was an utter pleasure to work with ... such a good bloke, and Donna Summer has a brilliant voice, but my all-time favourite is probably 'Too Many Broken Hearts' by Jason Donovan.

"It works as pop records should. It's uplifting. As soon as you put the needle on the record it picks you up. I can detach myself from it completely and admire it as a good piece of work.

"I suppose 'Never Gonna Give You Up' was one of the best songs too, and 'Je Ne Sais Pourquoi' by Kylie."

You don't chalk up 100 hits in under six years without being a fully paid-up workaholic, but Waterman is a family man whose wide Denise recently presented him with a bouncing baby who rejoices in the name Toni Tuesday Waterman.

Outside of music and family, he has two great passions - koi carp and cars.

A couple of years ago, I spent a pleasant Saturday evening in the village of Newton Le Willows, where Waterman has a beautiful home. After several pints and talking entertainingly for hours, he invited me to view his fish. At that time he had just a small pond with a handful of inhabitants.

The hobby has clearly got out of hand since then, as he recently bought a fish farm in Cheshire where he has no fewer than 7,000 koi carp.

His 39 cars, mostly rare and vintage, are worth millions, but he still uses them for leisure, racing his pride and joy, a Ferrari Testarossa, in Italy just last week.

Despite his wealth, Waterman still earns his pocket money as a DJ, both with Liverpool's Radio City and on the cult TV show 'The Hitman And Her'. "I spend six or seven hours a week listening to new records for the shows," he says, "but I'm very frustrated at the moment. Everything sounds like Soul II Soul, or it's sampled or a complete 'rave' record.

"One record I really do like is Adamski 'Killer', West Bam's 'The Roof Is On Fire' is great, and I really like 'Ghetto Heaven' by The Family Stand.

"I love The Beautiful South and I quite like Happy Mondays - which will upset them no end - but I'm increasingly finding myself digging up stuff from 10 years ago or more.

"One of my favourite records is Steely Dan's album 'The Royal Scam'. They were a brilliant band, and so influential."

Inevitably Waterman's final words were about his own proteges.

"We've just finished Jason's album, and it's a corker. The next single, 'Another Night', is one of our best, a bit Abba and a bit European.

"And there's a tribute to The Beatles called 'I'm Doing Fine'. It sounds like a cross between 'Love Me Do', 'A Hard Day's Night' and 'I Feel Fine'."

In common with all recent SAW albums it also contains a cover version, this time of The Cascades' 1963 hit 'Rhythm Of The Rain'.

"We've also done a couple of tracks with Kylie, which are closer to the things we used to do at the very beginning. They're very electronic, very Hi-NRG."

Hazell Dean and Lonnie Gordon are also slated to do some more work with SAW. They will also work with Yell and maybe even Johnny Mathis.

"He's my favourite singer ever," enthuses Waterman "and there's no reason why he couldn't sell a million albums given the right material. I think we can supply it."

As you browse the formidable list of hits SAW have helmed, you can't help but agree.