45s

Rip It Up, Issue 64, 1 November 1982, Page 30

45s

Duncan Campbell

Haircut 100 Nobody's Fool (Arista) . " Like ABC, the Haircuts have a. strong backlash to contend. with. 'Nobody's Fool', on first listen,' could deserve a knife in the back, but its strong melody and harmonies win through. Summer. pop. Positive Noise Get Up And Go (Stunn) I'm a fan of 'Waiting for the 7th Man', this band's previous single, but this wimp disco effort leaves me cold. The over-repeated chorus is monotonous, only the tight and punchy horn lines rescue it from total mediocrity. The Beat, Jeanette (Arista) Dear oh dear, someone's in trouble here. The Beat attempt to bounce back with a calypso-based number that rhymes continuously with Jeanette. Not actually bad, just very disappointing. Other side is 'March of the Swivel Heads', a largely instrumental dig at British fascism. Modern Romance Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White (WEA) Once upon a time, there was a punk band called the Leyton Buzzards. Then someone's mom gave them Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass record for Xmas. They lived happily ever after. This is the most inane record this year, far worse than anything on their album. Culture Club Do You Really Want To Hurt Me (Virgin) Boy George strikes back after the par ordinaire 'l’m Afraid of Me' with a slab of pure pop pulp guaranteed to have them singing

in the aisles. Lush and lucrative, it sports this column's bassline of the month. A hit. Pluto, I Man Bitter (KR) Like the bloke in Face said, "What I don't know about reggae could be written on several sections of the Ml." A reggae-pop hybrid with real social comment it sounds mighty fine to me, mon. Who is he? Tom Robinson Now Martin's Gone (Stunn) In The Boy Looked At Johnny, Burchill and Parsons claimed the future of rock belonged to Joan Jett, Poly Styrene and Tom Robinson. A thumping rocker that is basically a chant over power chords, but it won't be the record that gives the terrible twosome a •prophetic two out of three. Damned, Lovely Money (Bronze) Remember this lot? This single starts with drum machine , and organ. Doesn't sound like the same band, huh? Well neither does the record. Captain Sensible's success has encouraged them to write about a subject dear to everyone's heart. Idle chatter, keyboards, solid bass and no guitars, nor a sign of anything neat, neat, neat. Dead Kennedys Bleed For Me (Stunn) English punks hate Jello and the lads, the reason being they make Exploited, Discharge, AntiNowhere League, etc sound about as nasty as Bucks Fizz.'This'is a typical slab of Dead Kennedys' mind bash about the politics of Cowboy Ronnie. It's got to be better than songs like 'I Hate People', anyway we all know Watties gay, don't we? Chicanes, Cry A Little-(Stunn) A little-known Glasweigian bunch whose drummer's dad was called Jimmy. They play infectious, bright and spirited pop, radiooriented and very tight. Will

probably sink without a trace like most good underground singles. . j What do we do now? 'Say You Will' by Blanket of Secrecy is an average synth-string piece that initially delights and then annoys, expect to hear it on Radio Hauraki ... new single for London's Talk Talk is 'Today'. Sounds like Paul Robinson singing for Duran Duran ... Boys Brigade single Tou Bring Out the Vicar In Me' is a below-average R&B thrash with a substantial horn section ... Q-Feel have 'Dancing In Heaven', overproduced and under-written, its sole (not soul) redeeming factor is the pop keyboards ... reggae exponents the Cimarons offer a harmless rendition of the old classic 'Big Girls Don't Cry', nice .:. Pretenders are enjoying British chart success with 'Back on the Chain Gang'. I don't know why. Mark Phillips Naked Spots Dance NSD 2, 12" EP (Flying Nun) Release of the month. Original progressive music from a Wellington four piece. With a sympathetic production by lan Morris and .Chris Fleming, everything is audible, distinct minimalist but powerful. Katherine Mcßae has a beautiful voice. On 'Chacha' her vocals are an enigmatic, almost breathless .cipher, -skipping over and hooking into dynamic rhythms. All five songs are compelling. This record is equal in quality to the imports you can pay S2O for. Invest. Bored Games Who Killed Colonel Mustard, 12" EP (Flying Nun) Buy this record and shed a tear for the fallen flower of Dunedin power pop who disbanded a year ago. Happy Endings' and 'Joe 90'

should secure them some immortality. The band have real presence on vinyl with powerful, husky vocals and a bassy rock'n'roll sound. An accomplished record though I suspect the recording doesn't do Bored Games full justice. Were the controls ever turned over halfway? No matter hand clapping 'Joe 90' will romp away with your feet. Nocturnal Projections Another Year, 12" EP (Hit Singles) Five songs stating . progress, promise and identity from an upcoming band. Produced by themselves, it sounds a little as though they did it in a tunnel atmospheric but it doesn't suit the bass and guitar. Well delivered, telling vocal melody lines toll over a dense, moody background. A lyric sheet-is included in this very attractive package. Credits: sinister 'You'll Never Know', soaring 'Out of my Hands' and gregorian 'Difficult Days'. Lee Connolly and Steve Gerrish Voodoo Groove (Siren) Tennis club music incorporating a hotch potch of influences from a barrage of skilled musicians superbly . produced. 'Voodoo Groove' features A 1 Jarreau type vocals over sprawling cocktail jazz. But too much fruit and not enough punch. Bongos Monotony/Falling (Propeller) ; Very creditable, syncopated, fingersnapping Farfisa sound with distinctive multi-layered rhythms. Two well structured,- slightly funky songs: 'Falling' with spacey falling notes and clucking punctuation from the keyboards.

'Monotony' is the radio song, but with so much going on it's a pity the melody lines aren't stronger and the vocals better mixed. Alastair Riddell Let Her Know (WEA) Long ago in a far off galaxy a vocalist of Ziggy-like brilliance fronted a band called Space Waltz. Then A 1 could fling out a meteoric single, 'Out in the Street'. This time he tries an ABC style pop formula. Maybe it's too slick, maybe the songs aren't strong enough, maybe your mother would like it. Dennis O'Brien Julia (Toast Records) Julia is a well written song. I was going to say it was slight but when Dennis turned his compelling vibrato to crooning I was seduced. And I wanted to say that 'Can You See Me' was a ballad destined to be a B-side, but Dennis and the

slide guitar did it again. Wonderful MOR music to rail in love by. Willie Dayson Blues Band Rick's Blues (Festival) Rick's Blues' is an instrumental ragtime piano, then harmonica, followed by steel .guitar, double bass, style bass and drums gorgeously blended into a perfect composition that's much too up to be blue. Jewel Sanyo Musical Youth Pass The Dutchie (MCA) Would it be premature to say that what we have here is a British edition of the Jacksons? These youths have the same exuberance, without being overtly 'cute' or precocious. A supersweet hunk of dancefloor magic and the first good song of the summer. Try and stop smiling.