Shake Summation

Rip It Up, Issue 92, 1 March 1985, Page 27

Shake Summation

Russell Brown

The Freudian Slips Are You Laughing? (Jayrem) The first Freudian Slips record, last year's On the Line, had a tentative, almost half-hearted feel about some of it Are You Laughing? opens up with more sass and keeps it till the needle lifts on Side Two. "Go blow yourself to bits!” sings Penny Andrews to combatative men in ‘Don't Look Up'. Fair enough! 'Overcome', however, doesn’t fare too well melodically and its lyrical path is unfettered but doesn’t add much to a muchdiscussed theme ("phantom orgasm get out of my space"). But 'Not the Best’ is a nicely textured song about the times when things don't work as they should. And Are You Laughing?' swells and subsides perfectly I can’t decide whether it or ‘Don’t Look Up’ is the standout. Whatever, this is a good way for the Slips to go out. It shows it can be done. Left Right and Centre Don’t Go (Virgin) The trick with this record was always going to be balancing the need for an intelligent anti-tour message with a good helping of naked pop appeal. This joint effort gets pretty close to the mark. Over a bouncy string band-type feel an admirably concise and sensible lyric addressed to the All Blacks/NZRFU makes its case rather than being didactic and the chorus (which I didn’t like at first) heads straight for the se tion of the brain that controls humming and singing and hacks itself out a home there. The flip has a complimentary long mix and the croony, more specific ‘You've Got To Move, Cecil! Even if the All Blacks do go to South Africa, this should prove a very important record. If you don’t wanna buy, at least listen to it.

Katango Dial L For Love (Zulu) Katango had one moment of mild pop spice with ‘Pick It Up’ but ‘Dial L For Love' is raw tofu in comparison. It sounds like a very selfconscious attempt to write a “pop song” which isn’t rescued by innappropriate production and mannered delivery. Numbingly dumb, in fact.