Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • Page 32

BC DETROIT FREE PRESSSUNDAY, JAN. 22, 1984 Late celebrities make the cover of People sound judgment on the record with our critics A star has died Death was a cover story for 11 of 51 editions of People magazine in 1983: I Jan. 9,1983 'rods: Nov Van Halen puts out the flash 1984 Van Halen (Warner Just when singer David Lee Roth has started to get too obnoxious for everybody's blood, Van Halen comes out with its most consistent front-to-back record yet, without changing style as drastically as the high-tech single, Princess Stephanie of Monaco (mourning for Princess Grace) Karen Carpenter Bing Crosby (book by Gary) Robert Wagner (Natalie Wood again) Princess Grace memorial Korean Air Crash RFK Jr. (JFK) Natalie Wood (sister Lana's book) Jessica Savitch Karen Carpenter (Richard's Kennedy children (JFK again) story) Feb. 21, 1983 March 21, 1983 July 4, 1983 Sept.

5, 1983 Sept. 19, 1983 Oct. 3, 1983 Oct. 10, 1983 Nov. 7, 1983 Nov.

21, 1983 Nov. 28, 1983 "Jump, suggests. In fact, Eddie Van Halen's synthesizers appear only three times on the album the brief title track, "Jump" and "I'll Wait." It works because the quartet's usual blend of machismo and power-chord rock is good for about five songs before it self-destructs. So Van Halen's guitar flash and Roth's vebs eet olentv of Mr I PEOPLE, from Page 1C our audience? Is there something we can bring to the story other than what's been in the newspaper accounts? Each circumstance is unique. Grace Kelly wasn't necessarily a figure our readers would relate to.

But the circumstances of her death were so horrible. "As for the Beach Boys, here was a group that from the beginning endured nothing but difficulty. The circumstances of Wilson's death seemed to top it all off." ACCORDING TO People's founding editor Richard Stolley, now managing editor of Life, squeamishness did not play a part in the decision to keep the dead off covers in the magazine's early years. "There was just a sense that death wouldn't sell," he said. "But the covers aren't just ghoulishly examining the details of the death.

There is always good solid reporting about the price of celebrity. The stories have been quite distinguished. "The Dennis Wilson story is a good example. People had information that I hadn't seen elsewhera "In all the cases, the circumstances of death were unsuspected, sudden and tragic. If celebrities have taken over the role of heroes in our society, and I'm not saying they have, it's the death of a hero.

And in the case of a Lennon or Belushi, there was also a mystery involved." THE SENSE that death wouldn't sell well was you should pardon the expression dead wrong. The John Lennon cover, which racked up sales of 3.089,556 was the best-seller of 1980. The first Karen Carpenter cover in February 1983 sold over three and half million copies, making it the top seller of the year. And according to People's circulation department, the Natalie Wood and Jessica Savitch covers sold substantially more than the guaranteed base of 2,600,000. "There is a trend here.

There is an interest, I have to be honest," says People's West Coast bureau chief, Martha Smil-gis. "The death covers sell well. Had we put Guyana (the Jonestown religious cult mass suicide) on the cover, it would have sold. "Somebody like Dennis Wilson is the hero of the Baby Boom generation, and that's our audience: 25-38. Celebrity is the most important thing.

Then you have to have the traumatic death. "But they're also hard news stories. We don't go for the hard news like Beirut, but we go for hard news as it affects the celebrity. Traditionally, we've gone for a celebrity who's doing thing else: People would manage to bring out some heretofore unreported dish, as in its reporting of Jessica Savitch's familiarity with cocaine. A writer in the magazine's New York Bureau noted: "Readers are programmed to expect People to get some dirt." And it's considerably easier to get dirt for a death cover than, say, for a cover on the divorce case of Joanna and Johnny Carson.

Said Smilgis, wWith Dennis Wilson, all we had to do was go down to the boat slip. It's a lot harder to call 30 of Joanna Carson's friends and pray one of them will talk." DIRT-GATHERING is also made easier when one adopts a style of reporting that can only be described as putting the cart before the hearse. "We sometimes worry that we're creating a pattern," says Wingo. And Travers adds, "But we don't think things like 'We've already done four of these covers this We don't dredge up dead people from the past. And we probably wouldn't do back-to-back dead covers." "Are we going to put every celebrity who dies on the cover?" says Ryan.

"Of course not. It would be ludicrous." John Lennon was the cover subject the week he was murdered and that issue racked up sales of 3,089,556, making it the best-seller of 1980. a movie. But death is not a P.R. production.

We don't have help from the studios. All we're doing is following the news weeklies but with a celebrity slant." BUT, ADMITS Peter Travers, People senior editor, "Karen Carpenter wouldn't have been on the cover at that point in her career." Managing editor Patricia Ryan had her own grave doubts. "I didn't know if people would know who Karen Carpenter was. And the only photograph we could get was of her laughing. But I thought anorexia touched a lot of people.

With Jessica Savitch, I also wondered how many people would know her." Obviously, enough readers knew. They also knew some COMERICA IRA HOLDERS: IT mm IMYHEiST David Lee Roth workout on such crunchers as "Panama," "Top Jimmy" and "House of Pain," while the synths hold the tedium at bay and seal a pretty satisfying product with 907,000 copies shipped during its first week without one remake. If Big Brother were a record company executive, he would smile. Gary Graff briefly noted: Learning to Crawl Pretenders (Sire): A hard-hitting, inspiring return to form after a 2'2-year absence. Consistently solid tunes, from the rocking "Middle of the Road" to the soulful "Thin Line Between Love and Hate." Penetrator Ted Nugent (Atlantic): If at least part of the millions who took to Def Leppard last year don't do as much for Terrible Theodore's new effort, the world is truly a wimpy place.

At least all of side one, featuring Brian Howe, a new singer cut in the Lou GrammJohn Waite mold, is tailor-made for album-rock radio. Howard Jones (Elektra): Funk meets synth-pop in a slick and surprisingly energetic fusion. 10, 9, Midnight Oil (Columbia): Rock and politics co-exist quite intelligently in this crackling Australian quintet. Men at meaningful work. Stukat Over Disneyland Dickies (PVC): The return of loud, fast, fun pop.

Apparently over the death of drummer Chuck Wagon, the Dickies tear through eight winners, including a remake of Led Zeppelin's "Communication Breakdown." Oblivion Utopia (UtopiaPassport): Todd Rundgren and friends find a new home to spur some long overdue mass appeal. "Oblivion" is an uneven effort, with the quartet waxing eloquent on romance and George Orwell, though there are enough gorgeous love songs and upbeat pop tarts to keep its following satisfied. The Everly Brothers Reunion Concert (Passport): Perfectly timed to coincide with the HBO special. Phil and Don sound cider, but this collection of rock 'n' roll's pioneer favorites is not to be missed. Cold Spring Harbor Billy Joel (Columbia): Overdue reissue of Joel's debut album, an interesting perspective on themes and songwriting hidden by shoddy production.

Midnight Madness Night Ranger (MCA): Perfectly tolerable fare for whatever's left of album-oriented-rock radio. jazz: Jackson adds grit to his nco-fusion style Barbecue Dog Ronald Shannon Jackson and the Decoding Society (Antilles); Street Priest Ronald Shannon Jackson and the Decoding Society (Moers): These 1981 tracks from Moers and more recent material from Antilles affirm Jackson as one of the most original composers, drummers and ensemble leaders to emerge in recent years. His music is a brand of neo-fusion with grit. The Antilles album has a slight edge in composition because of "Harlem Opera." The Moers LP perhaps has more abandon at its peaks. Both albums are exceptional.

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4-YEAR IRA DEPOSITS top hitsVan Halen's '1984' Detroit Detroit U.S. Current Previous Current Week Week Week TOP ALBUMS 1984 Van Halen (Warner Bros.) 1. 2. 3. 4.

18 TO 24 MOS. IRA DEPOSITS (MATURING DEC. 31,1985) Thriller Michael Jackson (Epic) An Innocent Man Billy Joel (Columbia) ColourNumber Culture Club INT, (NEW MEM- PER MEM- BERSHIP $100 BER) BONUS DEPOS- JAN. ITED BONUS .50 .50 1989 518.52 519.02 s19.52 .50 .50 1988 516.69 517.19 517.69 .50 .50 1987 515.03 515.53 s16.03 .50 .50 1986 513.54 514.04 514.54 .50 .50 1985 512.20 512.70 513.20 .50 .50 1984 510.99 511.49 511.99 5 (Virgin-Epic) 5. Can't Slow Down Lionel Richie (Motown) 6.

90125 Yes (Atco) 7. Busy Body Luther Vandross (Epic) INT (NEW MEM- PfR MEM- BERSHIP $100 BfR) BONUS DEPOS- JAN ITED BONUS .50 .50 1987 512.86 513.36 513.86 .50 .50 1986 511.72 512.22 M2.72 .50 .50 1985 510.68 511.18 511.68 .50 .50 1984 59.73 510.23 510.73 A 1 8 3 2 5 11 4 6 7 9 10 8. metai rieaitn uuiet mot pasha 'It 10. INT. JAN TOTAl PER BONUS IN! $100 1985 59.75 .50 $10.25 1984 9.75 .50 M0.25 What's New Linda Ronstadt (Asylum) Synchronlclty The Police Rock 'n' Soul, Part 1 Daryl Hall John Oates (RCA) Uh-Huh John Cougar Mellencamp (Riva) SevenRagged Tiger Duran Duran (Capitol) 1 TOP SINGLES 1.

Jump Van Halen (Warner Bros.) 2 2. Curly Shuttle Jump 'n the Saddle (Atlantic) 1 3. I Guest That's Why They Call It the Blues Elton John (Geffen) 4. Owner of a Lonely Heart Yes (Atco) 9 5. Break My Stride Matt Wilder (Private I) 6 6.

TalkingSleep Romantics (Nemperor) 8 7. Say Say Say Paul McCartney 1. Michael Jackson (Columbia) 3 8. Nobody Told Me John Lennon (Geffln) 8. Innocent Man Billy Joel (Columbia) 10.

Think of Laura Christopher Cross 1 (Warner Bros.) Synchronlclty II The Police 7 10 Karma cnameieon uunure uuo (VirginEpic) Joanna Knol the Gana (De-Lite) Running with the Night Lionel Richie (Motown) 8 Twist of Fate Olivia Newton-John (MCA) 9 That's All Genesis (Atlantic) 10 The Detroit list Is based on a survey of area record stores. The national lis is compiled by Biloard magazine. I 1 fd 1 2 .2 2 it tl.