BRIEFS

Rip It Up, Issue 46, 1 May 1981, Page 15

BRIEFS

Smokey Robinson Being With You (Motown) The good news is that Being With You largely maintains the standard set by last year's high-ly-acclaimed ' Warm Thoughts. Smokey's triumph on that album was to achieve a warm intimate recording of adult romance. On Being With You Smokey brings in. an outside producer, George Tobin, who introduces a spacious and slightly processed sound that, on the ’ title track, beautifully sets off Smokey's breathy voice. How-, ever, Tobin's attempt to make Smokey sound more up-to-date I is upset i by the fact that a clear half of the material here is either trivial or emulates current heroes like Michael Jackson. Happily, the other half of the songs maintain the high standards of Smokey's bestand Tobin's clean arrangements expose the beauty of Robinson's singing. And, if ! in the end | this album is not as delightful and idiosyncratic a work as Warm Thoughts, it may well find Smokey j more in touch with contemporary tastes. AD 1 Dolly, Part on 9 To 5 And Odd Jobs (RCA) B§ In which Dolly Parton, an intelligent, gifted woman retains the ground she was losing by playing her public image the blonde with big boobs and no brain. The title track, from the underrated movie, kicks the album off to a good start and there are other excellent tracks, such as her sincere reading of one of Woody Guthrie's most heartfelt songs, 'Deportee'. PG James Tay rlflHWHHflfe Dad Loves' 1 His Work (CBS) Dad Loves His Work is a nice title but it marks a retreat from , the harder music and the narrative style Taylor had adopted on 1979's Flag. Instead, there's a greater use of traditional melodies and a softer tone. It's well-crafted, of course, but will only confirm the prejudices of his detractors. A disappoint- ■ ment. gUIgAugAD Stranglers The Men In Black (Liberty) The Stranglers' constant jousting with the law, or

something, has resulted in this rather, over-emphasised con- [ cept album g of keyboard-led pieces. A bizarre waltz] begins 1 the project on Side One, and things don't really get a lot more clearer after that. The single 'Thrown Away' over on : the second side is a more comfortable place to begin. RC Chris Spedding, I'm Not Like Everybody Else (RAK) A great record from a man I've admired for years. Spedding's track record as a guitar-player goes back through Bryan Ferry, The Wombles, Sharks, in fact, almost everybody. This album won’t bring him the recognition he deserves, but tracks like the Ray Davies penned] title song, and his own 'Depravitie', along with a great reading of 'The Crying Game' and two great moody cover shots, make a worthwhile record indeed. D.McL Michael Franks with Crossfire i ; Li^jm)|MpMp Recorded in Sydney and Auckland during Michael Franks' Australasian tour, this album provides a fine introduction to his. witty, finely-honed songs. The Australian band Crossfire ensure that Franks' subtle, samba-inflected rhythms flow smoothly, and Franks' pitch, although lacking the pinpoint accuracy of his studio performances, does not disappoint. The funky 'Monkey See, Monkey Do', 'The Lady Wants To Know' and 'Bwana He No Home' are the strongest cuts. GD Bad Manners Loonee Tunes (Magnet) H English "Ska'n'B" band who owe more than a passing nod to Madness, with a new album that is definitely fun, definitely loony. The single, 'Lorraine', deserves to be a huge hit, but with a 30s take off in 'Just Pretendin' ' and a song title like 'The Undersea Adventures Of Ivor The Engine’, this is one album that certainly lives up to it's name. JHU&p.McL Jermaine Jackson Jermaine (Motown) On this album Jermaine Jackson follows his label-mate and occasional co-producer Stevie Wonder by making a solo album where the artist provides

the material/ plays most of the instruments and produces. The influence of Wonder goes beyond just the concept,’ as Jackson attempts the same mixture of high-stepping dance tunes and hreflective ballads. But unlike, Stevie Wonder, a great deal of the result' is ordinary (the bulk of Side Two) but most of the first side works just [fine jeven if it is kinda derivajtive of you know who. It at least • suggests • that Jermaine may have at last found, or at least borrowed, a style of his own. AD Elvis Presley Guitar Man] (RCA) Playing around with the songs of the departed usually means screwing them up. Buddy Holly is a prime case of such musical necrophilia. But the saints smiled on Presley when they let long-term producer Felton Jarvis slice off the goddamn Jordannaires, get some hot Nashville pickers to goose up the backing, and remix Presley's voice, mostly from a time when he still had all his vocal chops. If Elvis had recorded this album this year you could say it was his best studio recording since his great comeback LP, From Elvis In Memphis. : PG Manfred Mann's Earth Band Chance (Bronze) - Mann is such a thoughtful v and melodic user of synthesisers, and he gets them so well recorded, that a purely instrumental album is surely in order. As it is, this one is the result of numerous sessions over 15 months, employing six different lead vocalists and that's how it . sounds. Springsteen's 'For You' is a bit one-more-time shameless, but a good radio shot nevertheless, and both 'Lies' and 'Stranded' deserve to be heard. RC The Puppies, Fun Is Right (HiRise) IJMM| A six-track 12-incher sent to RIU by the lugubrious . Kim Fowley as an example of 'what is happening in small-town California'. A five-piece, The Puppies fall somewhere between the Cars and what you might expect America to come up with jiff they (ever) \ tried Ito clone the Colin Moulding side i of XTC. Whimsical words, busy bass, promising band. RC