SINGLES BAR

Rip It Up, Issue 76, 1 November 1983, Page 26

SINGLES BAR

Mark Phillips

Toots Hibbert Spiritual Healing 12" (Island) Toots bounces back with his tribute to Marvin Gaye. A smooth and glorious summer disc that should be a huge crossover hit. Summer ’ Sunday mornings start here. Franklin Aretha Franklin Get It Right (Arista) .. j The first lady of soul keeps cornin' at ya. Slinky, tight and rich, this is a song for dancefloors everywhere. If this is the. edited version where do I get the fulllength job? The Creatures Right Now (Polydor)

Last month 1. suggested the Creatures would benefit from further instrumentation. 'Right Now' proves i./AT cover of an early 60s hit by crooner Mel Torme, Sioux, and } Budg drag in the large horn section, and, hey presto, a fantastic little single. LovelitfHaßni^HtaM

Siouxsie and the Banshees Dear Prudence (Wonderland)

Well after that we get to this. Yes, it is the old Beatles song and I don't really know what to say. I think this must be a stab at making money, it certainly reeks of it. Ordinary and uninspiring, it will probably be a huge hit as it was in the UK. Blancmange Blind Vision (London)

These two geezers have now developed a distinct style. This waffles around the same area as the album but is definitely a single. Closer to 'Feel Me' than 'Living on the Ceiling, it has positive appeal without being particularly memorable. Be warned: the 12" version is for marathon dancers only. Caiphus Semenya Angelina (Jive-Afrika) 12" A handsome chunk of native African music treated to a dose of Western promotion. Fun rhythm, plenty of dance beat and a likeable chorus. Well worth the listen. Bruce Foxton Freak (Arista) First solo effort from the Jam's former bassist. A full frontal assault, more reminiscent of the old band ..than; Weller's later works. Unfortunately, it bears close resemblance to their bad album tracks Foxton used to write those too. Steve Lillywhite is responsible for the dreadful overproduction.

Culture Club Karma Chameleon (Virgin) George collects his American influences and wears them on his sleeve. Nice harmonica floats in and out against a steady, if predictable, beat and we all end up singing along. Expect to see it as the last song on RTR for at least the next three weeks. Troy Tate Love Is (Stunn) Ex Teardrops and Fashion guitarist unveils his first solo effort. A wistful acoustic guitar set to strings and a heartbroken lyric. Pleasant if not particularly startling.

Roman Holliday Don't Try to Stop It (Jive) | The boys in sailor hats|in another crossover romp. Pure stomp;, not so different from 'Stand By', it goes round and round your head before accidentally spilling out of your mouth. Catchy but not exactly invigorating. Joßoxers

;Johnny; Friendly (RCA) They're up to the .‘third single and still no pattern has developed. (On first listening this seems a step back from 'Just Got Lucky'. Too many sudden time changes and a wandering melody. After a few hearings it gets the thumbs up, adventure and originality win out. .Midge Ure and Mick Karn After a Fashion (Chrysalis) Ultravox voice and Japan's bassman combine to produce a song that falls somewhere between those two bands. The result? Something like a bad David Bowie album track bleedin'naff.' Prince Horny Toad (Warners) What sort of title is that? In a departure from vamp disco, Prince tries a form of mutant rockabilly with dirty lyrics. The sooner he gets back to the disco the better. Robert Wyatt Shipbuilding (Stunn) Back to real records. One of the best songs of the year, finally] available in NZ. Written by Elvis Costello and Clive Langer, this is a beautiful, haunting lament that can be enjoyed no matter how much you hear it. Available in both 7" and 12" and in fantastic picture covers. Luvverly. Matt Fretton It's So High, 12" (Chrysalis) Eighteen-year-old Matt seems to have a great future. Despite this record only making the lower reaches of the Brit : charts he still got his mug on the cover of Smash Hits. Infectious, rhythmic synthdisco with a great chorus stolen from the Temptations' 'Psychedelic Shack'. Very clever and ever so slightly offensive, love it to death. Virgin Prunes Baby/Turns Blue, 12" (Stunn)

Irish bad taste record of the week. A rampant blast of modern rock that deserves the attention of anyone who likes their music hard and fast. And with a cover like this, attention is certainly what it will get: