Pete and Dud turn a clean leaf

Press, 11 February 1981, Page 17

Pete and Dud turn a clean leaf

Light and jazz

Peter Brittenden

The Clean Tapes, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, E.M.I. . Although there is nothing on this release that “Not Only But Also” followers would not be familiar . with. Peter Cook and Dudley Moore are still marvellous comedians, even in the context of 1981. It is some time since the 8.8. C. television series ended but listening to Dud and, Pete discuss sex is ' just as funny now as it was in 1966. The title of this album is in response to the duo’s last recording, starring Derek and Clive, which was banned in just about every country in the world. Enough said. On The . Clean Tapes bloomers is about the most daring word used but this lack of tittilatioh is easily balanced by the brilliant verbal juggling these two engage ih on most tracks. Because the 111 titles, on the album are so varied it is very hard to name. a favourite track. To my mind The Music Teacher does stand ” out. 1 Here we have the impoverished Welsh piano teacher (Moore) being offered a princely sum by a wealthy businessman (Cook) for instant . piano lessons — to be completed in‘time for the businessman to lead the orchestra playing at his wife’s birthday party. The teacher resists the financial overtures — “what do,you think I am,

some sort of musical harlot?” — but when the sum offered becomes ridiculously high agrees with the businessman’s pronouncement that the black notes play louder than the white and accepts that the easiest way to teach the man is to number each key, starting from the left. On. that track, and also Tramponuns, Isn’t She a Sweetie, and The Real Stuff, Cook and Moore take a fairly unsubtle dig at some part of the Establishment but, unlike many more modern comedians, succeed in making a point without becoming vitriolic. Father and Son is vintage Cook and- Moore. Moore is a balding swinger still living at " home with his widowed father. Cook. Dad cannot accept that his aging son is entitled to a social life of some sort; and the tirade which occurs between the two when the “young" lad returns home after a night on the town is quite classic. The album ends, as did each -session on television, with the zany Goodbyee. • Moore is more familiar now as a Hollywood film star, but his roots are still in the Cambridge type of humour which dominated British comedy during the ■ 19605. For those who yearn for the quick-witted comedy of that period The Clean Tapes is excellent buying. The Best of You, Booker T. Jones, A and M Records. Back .in the days when I

played drums in one of Christchurch’s less trendy rhythm and blues bands Booker T and the MG’s were creating some fairly exciting sounds for Stax Records. Green Onions was a hit of that time but the band, which was basically instrumental, made one or two albums Which sold pretty readily. Booker _T and the MG’s featured Jones on organ and ,he was one of the first who really promoted this instrument in the “pop” idiom. Since that time not, a great deal has been heard from him but now he has released an album which could be a commercially successful proposition because the tone of most of the compositions is bland enough to be widely acceptable. The old punchy Booker T; Jones has been replaced by a musician who is velvet in comparison. Some of the fire is still there — listen to Down To The Wire for that — but it seems B. T. J. is now.an-, other pop musician. A feature of the original band was the tight arrangements, especially for organ and guitar. It would seem Jones has not lost this skill because most of the arrangements, especially for the rhythm section, are very crisp. However the record is disappointing. Probably the highlight is Richard Cannata’s tenor saxophone playing on Cookie, •' and> Rita Coolidge’s singing bn We Could Stay Together,