Heat treatment

Press, 23 October 1980, Page 14

Heat treatment

By

NIVEN TOPP

PAT BENATAR "Crimes of Passion” (Chrysalis CHR 1275). ,■?, Those people who enjoyed Pat Benatar’s debut album, "In The Heat of the Night,” •will find plenty of material to go On with on this second album. Benatar and her United States band have not abandoned their initial Success, outselling Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders in the United States. 4 There are tracks reminiscent of "Heartbreaker,”' her single success, particularly on “Hit Me With Your Best Shot.”

. But the lady is not only a vamp, as she very daringly does a cover version of Kate Bush’s “Wuthering Heights,” which is creditable and enjoyable. She shows her versatility in vocal range, from "Little Paradise” to ■a sixties sound on “I’m Gonna Follow you.” 4 An easy listening, melodic album, with plenty to rave about, which .’shows that she is not stuck as a one-hit wonder. ÜB4O "Signing Off” (Graduate GRADL 2). ÜB4o’s single, “Food for Thought,” sounds harmless enough. A leisurely sax sound from Brian Travers and a deceptive reggae beat have it firmly hooked in the charts. Yet this is the style of ÜB4O, as the album reveals — subvert with sound. For “Food For Thought,” and other tracks are highly political in content, and are certainly an advance on the albums by the Specials, Sclecter, and tine Beat. The band see themselves standing left from left, but as interviews reveal they are quite content to talk to anyone who is prepared tp listen. "Burden of Shame” is a song about the pitfalls of nationalism, together with governments eroding individual rights. Working class heroes, ÜB4O were all on the dole and they spurned high-powered offers from major record companies by signing to Graduate.

(“Signing Off’ was recorded in an eight-track studio in the bottom of the garden belonging to the Bob Lamb, in Birmingham. Only three of the members could fit into the studio at one time, and after the recording the album was overdubbed). However, the whole thing is an effective,-posi-tive album, • and compares markedly with- their Jive performance according to reviews. The . only minus is the only foreigner on the album, Randy Newman’s “I Think It’s Going to Rain Today,” which seems a bit sedate.

A bonus for buyers of “Signing Off’ is a threesong 12-inch single, which includes the hard-hitting "Madame Medusa,” a song about Margaret Thatcher. ÜB4O definitely offers plenty of food for thought. LIVE WIRE “No Fright’’ (A. and M. L 37347). . Live Wire’s first album, “Pick It Up,” was compared with the Dire Straits sound when it was released last year, and snatches of Mark Knopfler and company are still evident, particularly bn side two. But a change of producer, from Glyn Johns to Simon Boswell has given Live Wire a better, cleaner sound, which does not centre round the R and B the first album featured. • "Break of Day”... ha’s a nice country touch to it, and the vocalist Mike Edwards, sounds, like Knopfler on “Broken Glass,” with just a hint of Jagger on the drawn out vowels. Those that > favoured Dire Straits would be recommended to- take a listen to "No Fright.” It shows the direction that they could have taken. THE RESIDENTS “Nibbles” (Ralph RPH001). "Nibbles” should be sub-titled “The Worst of the Residents,” an anonymous four-piece band who have released six albums, five singles, and two extended singles in their career. And that is the only part of the discography that has surfaced!

In eight years The Residents, from the United States, have given only four concerts, yet they have been able to remain ahead of musical trends. .Their version of "Satisfaction” pre-dates Devo’s cover of the Stones’ song by ; about a year. •The compilation, “Nibbles,” reveals the anarchy that The Residents are capable. >' of. From th’e opening of "You Yesyesyes” to the closing of “The .Electrocutioner” rock is ’ Used for its own ends. The Van Morrison standard, "Gloria,” is almost unrecognisable, and Zappa-like tracks like "Semolina” and "Constantinople” stand out.

The reason for “Nibbles” is that through the release enough positive thought will be created to get the six albums, five singles, two extended singles, and our concerts released in New Zealand. “The Unauthorised Virgin Bootleg Album” (Virgin and Dindisc VBI). In spite of the fondness for the world "bootleg’’ by record companies, to give the product a bit of status, this compilation album of released and unreleased material from Virgin and Dindisc is worth a listen. There is quite a line-up of talent, including Magazine, The Members, Jah Wobble, formerly the bass guitarist with Public Image, Ltd, and twelve others. Everyone will find their own particular niche on this album, but for my money head and shoulders above the rest is "Echo Bedch” by Martha and the Muffins. It makes the album worth buying on its own. The bonus track for all the disco haters, by Adrian Munsey, is hardly worth the vinyl which is what is intended.