1986 RECORD SALES : HOUSTON AN EASY WINNER IN A BLAND FIELD

It’s no wonder Whitney Houston is smiling in the Christmas cards that Arista Records mailed to retailers and the music press.

Despite the year-end sales splash registered by Bruce Springsteen’s live album, this was Houston’s year in pop music.

Her debut LP “Whitney Houston,” which was No. 1 on the national sales charts for nearly four months, has sold more than 7 million copies and yielded four Top-10 singles, including “How Will I Know” and “Greatest Love of All.”

All this made the 23-year-old daughter of gospel singer Cissy Houston the easy winner in Billboard magazine’s annual review of its weekly album and singles sales charts.

Last year’s Billboard winner, Madonna, finished second this time, according to the trade publication. The rest of the Top 10, in order: John Cougar Mellencamp, Sade, ZZ Top, Phil Collins, Heart, Janet Jackson, Miami Sound Machine and Mr. Mister.

Christmas cards or no, there are too many bland record-makers on that list to make many pop critics smile. There was lots of cream in 1986, but most of it obviously didn’t rise to the top.

Houston is a prime example of talent without vision.

She’s got a sensational voice, with enough control and range to be dazzling when she stretches words into all sorts of tuneful shapes or holds certain syllables for dramatic effect. Yet she has little of that all-important quality: vocal character.

The photogenic singer’s backers could argue that most of the material on her debut album is so pedestrian that it would be hard even for Aretha Franklin to breathe life into the tunes. And they could also maintain that Houston is only beginning her career--there’s still plenty of time to develop the revelation and character that are reflected in the most gripping pop artists.

But character doesn’t come automatically, and Houston has not shown on stage in the two years since the album was released that she’s making progress in overcoming the weakness--or that she even recognizes she has a problem in this area.

The danger with her enormous early success is that the applause and multi-platinum sales can become too comforting. There’s too little personality on the record to give you much of a clue to her instincts or direction. In concert, however, she leans toward a glittery, mainstream style that suggests she’s more interested in stardom than in distinguishing herself as an artist. Another Diana Ross in the making?

And what about the others in the Top 10?

Madonna, Mellencamp and Jackson were all pleasant surprises this year. The two women aren’t in Houston’s class vocally, but both exhibited independence and ambition in their LPs. Madonna and Jackson delight in the simple pleasures of Top 40 pop--a trait they share with Mellencamp, though he has evolved into a more substantial artist thanks to his recognition of rock’s power as an inspirational force.

So much for the good news.

Then there was Sade, whose understated brand of jazz-accented pop seemed both distinctive and exotic in her 1985 debut LP, “Diamond Life.” But her cool, low-key approach came across as little more than affectation in her second album, “Promise.” She wasn’t exactly a ball of fire live either.

The bearded wonders in ZZ Top are too much fun to get upset about, but “Afterburner” wasn’t an album that wore well. Maybe the Top is spinning too fast after the success of its videos. There is too strong a sense of commodity in the album--slick, commercial touches instead of the old free-for-all Texas spirit.

Phil Collins has a certain Beatlesque charm about him, but it’s mostly the underdog aura of Ringo Starr and some of Paul McCartney’s feel for hummable melodies--and unfortunately, it’s the post-Beatles McCartney that most comes to mind.

Heart has been around for years without living up to its name on any scale that prizes passion and originality; the Miami Sound Machine is a pleasant hit-making outfit without much to convince you that it will be around for long, and Mr. Mister is Toto with a hint of personality.

The second 10 in Billboard’s analysis of its album and singles charts doesn’t offer much encouragement. In order, there’s Robert Palmer, Billy Ocean, Dire Straits, the Monkees, Lionel Richie, Mike + the Mechanics, Bob Seger, Starship and the Outfield.

Where was Springsteen, whose five-record set, “Live/1975-85,” was the first album in a decade to enter the Billboard charts at No. 1 and has remained at the top for five weeks now? Springsteen’s spectacular year-end success didn’t earn him a spot on Billboard’s top artists list because the magazine’s survey period runs from November to November. That means the success of fast-closers like Springsteen and Boston (whose ‘Third Stage” has sold 3 million copies since it hit the stores at the end of the summer) will be reflected in next year’s roundup.

In reviewing the year’s charts, Billboard awards points for every week the album or single is on the charts, plus bonus points for the number of weeks in the Top 10. This system isn’t exact because a No. 1 album could sell twice as many copies one week as the No. 1 album the following week, yet would still be awarded the same number of points. Still, the magazine’s year-end report, which is in its Dec. 27 issue, is widely read within the industry.

The most successful artists of 1986 on the magazine’s weekly black album and singles charts were, in order, Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston, New Edition, Rene & Angela, Stevie Wonder, Sade, Billy Ocean, Meli’sa Morgan, Atlantic Starr and Run-D.M.C. George Strait outpointed Alabama in the country music roundup. They were trailed by the Judds, Hank Williams Jr., Lee Greenwood, Willie Nelson, Reba McEntire, the Statler Brothers, Exile and Ronnie Milsap.

LIVE ACTION: Late New Year’s Eve additions: Rickie Lee Jones will perform at the Palace Court and John Davidson will open the new Freedman Forum in Anaheim. . . . Tickets go on sale Sunday for a third Iron Maiden concert, Feb. 18 at the Long Beach Arena. . . . Jennifer Holliday and Howard Hewitt will be at the Wiltern Jan. 9. . . . The Murphys are coming to the Palace: Michael Martin Murphy plays Jan. 21, Peter Murphy headlines Feb. 26.