Barnes gives private glimpse of show
FDFD
Nevin Topp
More than 300 people attended a private rock concert at Sydney’s overseas shipping terminal last Sunday featuring Jimmy Barnes. Twenty-four New Zealanders were among 300 competition winners flown to the concert from round Australia and New Zealand. The show was part of a summer promotion by Pepsi-Cola. New Zealanders will have the opportunity to sample the Barnes style during his forthcoming “Barnestorming” tour of New Zealand, which will also feature, Knightshade and the Choir Boys. The three, performing in Christchurch on Saturday, January 28, will be together with Iggy Pop in Auckland and Wellington.
The Pet Shop Boys have been in the recording studio creating material for none other than Liza Minnelli!
Minnelli originally asked the band to produce some songs for half an album, but they are so keen they hope to do the whole thing. The boys have also written the next single for Dusty Springfield, called “Nothing Has Been Moved.” It is the theme from the film “Scandal,” about the Profumo affair in the ’6os.
Sylvester, the transvestite funk star who had hits in the ’7os such as “You Make Me Feel Mighty Real” and “Disco Fever,” died in San Francisco last month. The 40-year-old singer, who had been working on an album for Warner Bros, died of complications deriving from A.I.D.S.
Two former Housemartins,
Paul Heaton and Dave Hemmingway, have formed a new band with the working title The Beautiful South. The band includes a former Housemartin roadie and friends from Hull, where the band have been recording. Another Housemartin, Norman Cook, is in Brighton working on his own material and producing Real Sounds of Africa, according to “Melody Maker.”
While the readers of “Melody Maker” went for The Mission and All About Eve in the 1988 readers’ poll, the magazine’s critics went elsewhere for inspiration.
The critics gave “Surfer Rosa,” The Pixies album, the thumbs up as No. 1 in 1988, the second blockbuster from this Boston band. Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds’ single, “The Mercy Seat,” gained top spot, with the Lizard of Oz getting heaps of praise.
John Cleese’s “A Fish Called Wanda” was named on top of a wide selection of films.
The magazine’s “Talk Talk Talk” column was its usual eccentric self. It named Ben Johnson (the Canadian track sprinter) man of the year, and Morrissey as the Morissey clone of the year.
However, readers and the column were in one accord,
naming Julian Cope as nobody of the year. Paul Weller (of Style Council) was named grey man of the year, and U2’s Bono black man of the year. Control Zone bore of the year was Transvision Vamp’s Tex Axile because of his association with technical wizardry. The only straight award went to Julianne Regan, of All About Eve, for being woman of the year.
Besides “Surfer Rosa,” the other top 10 albums by the critics were: “Life’s Too Good,” The Sugarcubes; “Isn’t Anything,” My Bloody Valentine; “Green,” R.E.M. “69,” AR Kane; “Blue Bell Knoll,” Cocteau Twins; “Hair way To Steven,” Butthole Surfers; “All About Eve,” All About Eve; “Fisherman’s Blues,” The Waterboys; and “Bug,” Dinosaur Jun.
Besides Nick Cave’s “The Mercy Seat,” the remaining top 10 singles were: “You Made Me Realise,” My Bloody Valentine; “Freak Scene,” Dinosaur Jun.; “Gigantic,” The Pixies; “Destroy The Heart,” The House of Love; “L’Amourir,” The Young Gods; “Christine,” The House Of Love; “Sidewalking,” The Jesus and Mary Chain; “Feed Me With Your Kiss,” My Bloody Valentine; and “Martha’s Harbour,” All About Eve.