RECORDS

Rip It Up, Issue 120, 1 July 1987, Page 26

RECORDS

Style Council The Cost of Loving Polydor

Screeds have been written about whether or not Weller, when he broke up the Jam, cut off the cause in its prime for a prematurely ageing soul dignity that was eating into the band's energy and anger. Sublime singles like ‘Long Hot Summer; ‘Speak Like a Child’ and albums: like Our Favourite Shop parried most doubts, while alter-egos like the Capuccino Kid and his insistence on being the hippest kid on his block to have rediscovered soul music and leftwing politics made the whole Style Council package a little too precious. Between then and now Weller has been preparing The Cost of Loving, the end result of hovering too long at the danger zone between laidback and laid out, a balancing act he got just right on Our Favourite Shop. But ‘with his sights set no doubt on some late night soul crooning he miscalculated and ends up sound-

ing tired and resigned. To give credit, ‘lt Doesn't Matter’ hits the right mixture between nonchalance and funk, a state of affairs sadly reversed on ‘Fairy Tales, ‘Angel’ and ‘Walking the Night! And ‘Were Waiting’ is the best song here because of its shimmering reminder of that ‘Long Hot Summer, songs like the tokenist rap/hip hop ‘Right to Go, complete with party political broadcast, and the weary title track, suggest that the Style Council are running out of ideas. Not only that, Weller should know that his soul models like Gaye, Vandross, Mayfield and co, can carry a weak song on the strength of a performance (and most of their albums have been pretty dull), and although he's come a long way as a singer since art school Weller’s still dependent on the songs to carry him. And on The Cost of Loving they don't. George Kay Motley Crue Girls, Girls, Girls WEA Hey dudes, if ya haven't already got this record you've been missing the party. The makeup is gone

coz the Crue now sport the leather street look. But they still play get down dirty rock and roll with a real rebel beat, thanks to drummer Tommy Lee. They tell us all about things on the ‘Wild Side, and then it's ‘Girls, Girls, Girls! for a tour de force of the world’s best strip joints. Then it's a couple of Aerosmith-influenced good boogie numbers, and side one is nicely rounded off with a short semiclassical piece called ‘Nona!

Turn over for some more sleaze-to-please and you'll find ‘All in the Name of ..., a very Motley ‘Five Years Dead’ and the ballad “You're All | Need, which tells the sad, sick story of a guy murdering his lost love written, as most of the aloum is, by bass man Nikki Sixx. For a finale they play Jailhouse Rock’ live at a frighteningly fast speed. It may be the middle of winter but Girls, Girls, Girls is sure gonna make these rockin’ days and nights a lot hotter. Geoff Dunn Various Artists : Round Midnight . CBS This is the soundtrack to the new Bertrand Tavernier movie, due for screening at the Auckland film

festival. The film's central character is an aging bop legend (played by aging bop legend Dexter Gordon) so the music is naturally reflective of that era. Tavernier chose Herbie Hancock to produce the score and wisely they agreed to avoid straight period imitation in favour of evocation by modern musicians. Hence, while the classic title piece features an arrangement redolent of certain famous 40s/50s versions, this time the lead instrument is Bobby McFerrin’s voice. Other performers on the album include Wayne Shorter, Bobby Hutcherson, Freddie Hubbard, Ron Carter, Tony Williams and Billy Higgins. The film's star Dexter Gordon might almost seem out of context here, yet he renders a warm and lovely ‘Body and Soul’ alongside soloing from John McLaughlin. The material is a judicious mix of standards plus a few originals, which blends into an overall atmosphere of tasteful textures for the wee small hours. (Chet Baker even gets in one of his “torchy” vocals). So gently are we charmed that the boisterous rendition of Monk’s ‘Rhythm-a-Ning’ midway through side two comes like a

rude awakening. If, on reflection, one might have wished for a greater variety of mood on the album it should be remembered that this music’s purpose is primarily to serve the movie. Nevertheless as jazz albums go, Round Midnight is a good one. And as film soundtracks go, it's terrific. Peter Thomson Deep Purple The House of Blue Light Geoff Dunn The immediately recognisable Hammond organ sound of Jon Lord introduces the big ‘Bad Attitude’ for a taster of the second recording from Deep Purple since reforming three years ago. The maestros are more mainstream than ever before, as this actually isn’t that heavy compare to earlier releases In Rock and Machine Head.

Even so, House of Blue Light is still great and varies from the rhythmic build-up and fade out of lan Paice’s solid drumming in ‘The Unwritten Law’ to the catchy singalong style of ‘Call of the Wild.

~ Stratocaster master Ritchie Blackmore comes to the fore on

the excellent ‘Spanish Archer, while Gillan’s singing and screaming are in fine form (he tells a pingpong popping tale in the bluesy ‘Mitzy Dupree). Once again, lavishly produced by bassist Roger Glover, this album can't fail to please all the rockers and riot police who attended their 1984 concert at the Springs. ‘ Geoff Dunn X Pink Floyd A Nice Pair (EMI) Wow man, a re-issue of the first two mind-altering albums from Floyd, complete with Phango dentistry pictured on the cover (initially a rare collector’s item). Poor old Syd was never the same after the making of Piper at the Gates of Dawn, and you can hear why in some of these deranged arrangements. Dave Gilmour stepped in for Saucerful of Secrets, and things till stayed pretty strange, though more stable. If you feel like a change from hearing Dark Side and The Wall, try tripping back 20 years to the beginning. GD