Blam e.p. worthwhile

Press, 14 May 1981, Page 14

Blam e.p. worthwhile

Blam Blam Blam '‘Maids To Order” (Propeller Rev 10). Don’t judge this twelveinch e.p. by its cover, because it sounds considerably better than it looks. The Blams are ex-Whizz Kids, Mark Bell (guitar), Tim Mahon (bass) and Don McGlashan (drums). They appeared in Christchurch recently, at the Easter Monday “Class Of ’81” show. “Maids To Order” itself was written by Richard von Stunner, who, the band ad-

mits, was a heavy influence on them. He was the mastermind behind The Plague, which evolved into the Whizz Kids. The song is a tale of “lovely ladies in the raw.” What does Mr Businessman have hidden in his office drawers? Like the other three tracks, each instrument comes through the speakers clearly, a distinct advantage of the big singles. The grooves aren’t so close together. Dancing to Blam Blam Blam is like walking blind-

fold through a forest — you don’t know what you’ll come up against next. “Battleship Grey” is a good example, as the chorus moves into superoverdrive. I think it's their best song. Shades of XTC. Great. On side two, “Blue Belmonts,” the inevitable police song, is musically strong, but the chorus is a bit messy. Handclaps don’t always work, but McGlashan saves it because he’s one of the best drummers in the country.

His own "Respect ” featuring a rhythm machine, is a departure from their usual style, but really goes nowhere. The tongue-in-cheek lyrics moralise about “teaching these kids respect.” Over-all, it's a worthwhile buy. If you can’t find it in the local shops any more, try Propeller, P.O. Box 37-371, Parnell, Auckland. It's not too late to pick up the only Whizz Kids single either, by mail order. See “Rip It Up.”