Video

Rip It Up, Issue 98, 1 September 1985, Page 6

Video

The Style Council and Siouxsie and the Banshees feature in this month’s music video releases from CEL. Both tapes are live, the Banshees' Nocturne at the Royal Albert Hall in 1983 and the Council caught Far East and Far Out in Japan last year. Palace video presents the outrageously stylish French thriller, Diva; Piaf, a musical tracing the life of Edith Piaf by the producers of Cabaret ; Children Of Rage, a violent drama set in the heart of Palestine; the spaghetti thriller Tenebrae; and Blood Theatre, starring Mary Woronov. Videocorp releases include: the new Giorgio Moroder retouching of Fritz Lang’s classic Metropolis, with gruesome soundtrack featuring Freddie Mercury, Pat Benatar, Loverboy, Adam and and Bonnie Tyler (but don’t let that put you off ...); Eddie and the Cruisers, the tale of a vanished early 60s rock ’n’ roller starring Tom Berenger the soundtrack became sufficiently popular for the muscians responsible to form into a proper band; Andy Warhol's Flesh For Frankenstein, which promises to be a perverse delight; sci-fi adventure epic The Secrets of the Phantom Caverns-, political thriller KGB —- The Secret War and the controversial Nazi sex sleaze Salon Kitty. Kerridge Odeon video has amidst its swag of sex, violence and kung fu, Ronnie Barker in Porridge and the Rank Films classic story of the Titantic, A Night To Remember. Warner Video has The Little Drummer Girl, starring Diane Keaton and John Lennon’s highly enjoyable foray into film-making, How I Won The War; as well as Red Dawn, Go Tell The Spartans and The MacKintosh Man.

Chaka Khan This Is IVIy Night (Virgin Video) Chaka for 53 minutes in your own living room is something to look forward to. This tape opens with the promo clip for ‘I Feel For You’ and works its way through her hits live. I liked the version of 'Tell Me Something Good’ until her guitarist decided to do an impersonation of a monkey playing a guitar for a long, longtime. There is a little too much of this rock

schtick for my taste, but the crowd seems to love it.

Interestingly enough, the audience appear to be young, white and all dressed in La Coste t-shirts very strange. The version of Rufus's ’Ain't Nobody’ suffered from overkill, with the guest drummer from Culture Club and everybody else hitting everything in sight. But that’s rock ’n’ roll for you. But I shouldn't be too harsh, Chaka performs well in the ballad 'Through The Fire’ and does some fine soul shouting in 'We Can Work It Out: In many ways I would have preferred to see a video of Chaka with Rufus, as on that great double live album released earlier this year. It’s still good to see Chaka performing, but a little less of the rock bombast would give her a better showcase for her soul voice. KB Style Council Far East and Out (CEL) As any Weller fan would have seen this on the box the other week, there seems little point in reviewing it. I will tell you however that the current world tour doesn't have a brass section and that the cover version this time round is Curtis Mayfield's ’Move On Up: Yes, that is the one the Jam used to do and no, the film of the Australian tour won’t be called Down Under and Down and Out. MP

Late News... Tim Finn has paved the way for his new solo career with a worldwide contract with Virgin Records ... new Dexys Midnight Runners LP Don’t Stand Me Down is the subject of an attempted injunction by Alan Winstanley over his lack of a production credit on the LP sleeve. He had to leave during mixing and Kevin Rowland finished it off and listed himself as producer. Winstanley is credited with “recording" the album ... new Smiths single is ‘The Boy With the Thorn In His Side.’ The band recently cancelled a projected Italian tour because someone from that country was making death threats to Morrissey ... Strangler Hugh Cornwell has a solo single, ’One In A Million’, taken from his sound track for the film Bleeding Star, in which he plays the lead role ... America’s Butthole Surfers are changing their name to the Stargazers for their UK tour.

The new Tall Dwarfs record, That's The Short and the Long Of it, out now and is an exceptionally good record; starry review next ish .... South Auckland funksters Ardijah are to record at Harlequin with Dave McArtney and "Revor Reekie producing and Paul Streetskra engineering ... local film-maker William Keddell has his short film, The Maintenance of Silence, based on Neil Roberts’ bombing of the Wanganui Computer Centre, start Sept 20 at the Capitol Cinema in Dominion Rd, as entree to the USA film Stranger Than Paradise ... new Wellington band is Space Monkees, a three piece featuring Maurice Newport (drums, ex Dirt Cheap, Soul Rebels), Davey McGhie (vocals, bass, ex Mangawekas, Soul Rebels) and Billy ‘The Kid’ Watkins (guitar, vocals, ex Dented Fender).