Hues Corp.

Rip It Up, Issue 3, 1 August 1977, Page 6

Hues Corp.

Murray Cammick

Three years ago in the Auckland Town Hall, I was surprised to find that the Hues Corporation were an energetic act with a tight band and some good material. Their hard work made them comparable with the Motown vocal groups that had toured New Zealand, even though they only worked with a four piece band. The Hues Corporation was an appropriately bold name for a group that had achieved recording success independent of the companies that specialise in black music. Behind the Hues Corporation is their manager Wally Holmes, who writes most of their material, produces their albums and helps with their choreography. In sixteen days of one night stands the Hues Corporation travelled by car from Greymouth to Gisborne. In many centres they had two shows. I talked to St Clair Lee after the Hamilton show about the tour and their current standing in the music world. Everything was cool’! They loved their manager and their record company, they were happy to perform anywhere, and St Clair Lee never mentioned any aspirations that were not fulfilled by the release of their new album, Not Too Shabby. They delighted the Hamilton audience with their energy and fine presentation. St Clair Lee’s dancing with members of the audience as "Rock The Boat" (the final number) rocked on, was an effective climax to the show. But I was not the only person surprised that they chose not to perform “Rockin' Soul” and Toussaint’s "Freedom For The Stallion”, the highlights of their first tour. The concert

featured songs from their new album and popular songs such as, "For Once In My Life" and "Puppet Man". Looking back, St Clair Lee says to young acts coming up "Prepare yourself totally, make yourself ready and when the train gets there, you can get on board . The Hues Corporation have been on the train for a while now and their first albums, that three years ago looked like a good start, now are the highpoint of their recording. Their new album, Not Too Shabby is pleasant, "I Can t Put My Finger On It" is a fine song but the album is not a step forward. In the future more energy will have to be directed from the athletics of touring to the studio, if they are going to move beyond their first recordings.