BRITISH CRITICS TURN ALL EARS TO AMERICA

British rock critics appear about ready to throw in the towel.

Writers for England’s pop publications have always championed selected American record-makers, but they were so contemptuous of most U.S. pop and rock artists in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s that they dismissed the music from here as, in the words of one Melody Maker writer, “bland ear wash for the sun-kissed deaf.”

Yet eight of the 10 most acclaimed 1986 albums in the year-end assessments by England’s three most influential journals are from the U.S. And there doesn’t appear to be any groundswell for new British acts in the critics’ polls conducted by the Face, Melody Maker and New Musical Express. The only two English albums in the consensus Top 10 were by veterans: the Smiths and Elvis Costello.

There was some support for a few up-and-coming British acts, like the Housemartins and the Woodentops, but they received only a fraction of the votes garnered by new U.S. hotshots the Beastie Boys, and even the little-known Boston band Throwing Muses.

The American domination of British critical tastes during the past 12 months was surprising, but not totally unforeseen. The writers began showing new respect for U.S. record-makers early in 1985.

That’s when the critics--disillusioned by the trendy commercial calculation of groups like Spandau Ballet on their own scene--began championing R.E.M., Husker Du, Los Lobos, the Meat Puppets, Sonic Youth and other members of the new generation of independent-minded U.S. bands.

If 1985 was the year that American rock came back in vogue among British pop critics, however, 1986 was a time when British writers renewed their love affair with American black music.

Prince, Run-D.M.C., Janet Jackson, Anita Baker and Cameo were among the big winners.

Prince’s “Parade” was dismissed by most U.S. critics as far beneath the daring and imagination of his earlier works, but it was declared the best album of the year by both the Face and NME, while it finished second to the Beastie Boys’ “Licensed to Ill” in the Melody Maker roundup.

Prince’s “Kiss” was prevented from sweeping the best singles competition when the Face writers tabbed Run-D.M.C.’s “Walk This Way” the year’s best record.

Here were 1986’s most acclaimed LPs, according to the English writers. Ten points were given for every first-place finish in one of the three magazine polls, nine for every second-place finish and so forth. Selected comments (from Melody Maker, unless noted) are also provided for some of the LPs.

1--Prince’s “Parade” (29 points): “Beyond talent, beyond time, beyond words. Genius.”

2--Beastie Boys’ “Licensed to Ill” (18): “Noisy, nasty, loud, lewd, gross and ideologically damn unsound--just our sort of record really.”

3--The Smiths’ “The Queen Is Dead” (16): “Morrissey has at last found a means of extracting the poignant from the humorous.”

4--Janet Jackson’s “Control” (15): “Jackson has gone a long way in shaking off the experience of being a shadow Jackson child. She is an artist in her own right” (from NME).

5--Tie between Anita Baker’s “Rapture” and Cameo’s ‘Word Up” (10).

7--Run-D.M.C.’s “Raising Hell” (9): “Unsurpassed in outlaw swagger. . . . Run-D.M.C. threw down their bid to become the Rolling Stones of the Nineties” (from the Face).

8--Elvis Costello’s “Blood and Chocolate” (8): “Nightmarish, brawling, remorseless in its descriptions of love and loathing.”

9--Sonic Youth’s “EVOL” (7): “A murderous crush of perversity, paranoia and naked, twisted visions. . . .”

10--Throwing Muses’ “Throwing Muses” (6): “In their poppier moments, they are reminiscent of a subversive Blondie.”

The American dominance was most striking in the poll by the Face, widely regarded as the hippest of the three magazines. Only the Smiths, who finished second in the balloting among 29 contributors, represented England. Otherwise the list was all American: (in order) Prince, Beastie Boys, Janet Jackson, Run-D.M.C., Iggy Pop, Miles Davis, Cameo, Talking Heads and Anita Baker.

Similarly, only one British act, the Smiths, made the magazine’s Top 10 singles list:

1--Run-D.M.C.’s “Walk This Way.”

2--Prince’s “Kiss.”

3--Gwen Guthrie’s “Ain’t Nothing Going On but the Rent.”

4--Cameo’s “Word Up.”

5--The Real Roxanne & Howie Tee’s “Bang Zoom.”

6--The Smiths’ “Ask.”

7--Davis/Pinckney Promject’s “You Can Dance.”

8--Paul Simon’s “You Can Call Me Al.”

9--Beastie Boys’ “She’s on It.”

10--Oran (Juice) Jones’ “The Rain.”

And only two British artists--Age of Chance and Billy Bragg--made the NME singles Top 10 and one got there on Prince’s coattails. Age of Chance finished eighth on the list with a remake of Prince’s “Kiss.” The year’s best singles, according to NME writers:

1--Prince’s “Kiss.”

2--Cameo’s “Word Up.”

3--Ciccone Youth’s “Into the Groovey.”

4--Run-D.M.C.’s “Walk This Way.”

5--The Real Roxanne & Howie Tee’s “Bang Zoom.”

6--Gwen Guthrie’s “Ain’t Nothing . . . “

7--Betty Wright’s “Pain.”

8--Age of Chance’s “Kiss.”

9--Billy Bragg’s “Levi Stubbs’ Tears.”

10--Trouble Funk’s “Still Smokin’. “

The Melody Maker writers demonstrated the most support for British acts. Prince’s “Kiss” topped the singles list, but seven other places were held by British artists: the Jesus and Mary Chain, Human League, PiL, Big Audio Dynamite, Costello, the Smiths and the Band of Holy Joy.

In the album ratings, Costello (fifth) and the Smiths (sixth) were joined in the Top 20 by The The (seventh), Big Audio Dynamite (ninth), New Order (13th), the Cocteau Twins (15th), the Woodentops (16th), the Mission (18th), the Housemartins (19th) and Billy Idol (20th).

How did Peter Gabriel, Paul Simon and Bruce Springsteen--the 1986 darlings of U.S. pop critics--fare in England?

Springsteen’s live set received a full page review in Melody Maker, where it was described as “a thrilling document. . . . Fulfills promises and supplies affirmations. . . . Cheap at twice the price.”

Still, Paul Simon’s “Graceland” was the only LP by the three artists to finish in the Top 10 in one of the polls. It was ranked No. 6 by the NME.

While some of the U.S. rock artists who fared well last year (including R.E.M., Husker Du and the Meat Puppets) continued to receive support, the new crop of U.S. bands that scored well with American critics apparently haven’t made much impact in England yet. This group includes the BoDeans, the Smithereens, the Georgia Satellites and David + David. However, Peter Case did make the Top 30 in both the NME and Melody Maker surveys. Steve Earle and Dwight Yoakam also registered in one magazine each.