Shake Summation

Rip It Up, Issue 91, 1 February 1985, Page 8

Shake Summation

Debbie Harwood If That'll Make You Happy ( c^)PMPPHNbhoH| This is an Ashford and Simpson composition and as any fool knows, they've turned out more than 7 their share 'of good ’ songs over the years; a wise choice. After a wobbly beginning, 1 the calibre of the performance meets the song and it all ends up a damn fine start to a recording career. Stuart Pearce is also to be congratulated for his production. Unfortunately, the flip 'Driving Me To Distraction’ isn't up to much at all. The Legionnaires •; ■ • Nosferatu (Hit Singles) A good song, an adventurous approach to the vocal melody ... and v a, profoundly uninspired musical backing: Is it touring a lot that makes musicians this boring? Brazier again sings well on Shantytown’ and Waiting Room' but the overall effect of the arrangement and performance is dull Rather a shame. iCircus^Bjoc^^jßßmH^l Take Another Look (Jayrem) A much more interesting single than ’ln Stone. In Steel' (which, in cidentally, was supposed to be described as “light industrial funk" rather than “light instrumental" in my . review last year), mainly because it’s much.'more sophisticated. 'Take Another Look' is a particularly unhurried stretch of rhythmic and melodic interplay. ’Jump’ and ’Sleepless’ are experiments in using texture for effect again, a big leap from the first record. It’s just a shame that the vocals can t quite match the measured, purposeful feel about the playing. The most appealing thing about Circus Block 4 at present is their dexterity but methinks they’ll continue to Improve,VSßßtfH Big Wide World A Sudden Feeling (RCA)^J| I've been hearing murmurs

about this record for months now and I was expecting something a little more gripping than this a nice piece of quiet synthpop in the vein of China Crisis or yer older Depeche Mode or ... whoever those bands are. The flip, done in a live take, is still less exciting I think someone needs to learn there ,is more to writing a song than carefully constructing a series of nice bits.

The National Anthem H Please Say Something (Mushroom)' A pleasant enough . song , that sounds as though it was written alone, on acoustic guitar, but here falls unhappily between the bigger sound of the first single and a sparser production which might have been closer to the mark Not remarkable. Russell Brown