RECORDS

Rip It Up, Issue 130, 1 May 1988, Page 26

RECORDS

Faith No More Introduce Yourself Liberation On the face of it, mutant junk-rock from our burger-munchin’, skateboarding pilgrim friends. I’ve been immersing myself in a bit of Americana lately and it’s definitely a scary place, judging from what goes on there. The visa immigration form reads “No Communists, no Nazis ...” Faith No More manage to combine some pretty weird facets of US coun-ter-culture into their weird rock. Dunno much about them but they’re five dreadlocked space-cadets from California. ‘Anne’s Song' is the first to encroach upon you with its Squeezeish charm. It squeezes into your conciousness for the same reason that the theme to The Jetsons might but in such a circus-like way. What is this music? It’s pretty different, that’s for sure — heavy metal drums, heavy funky bass guitar, eerie organ, chunky driving lead, and vocals alternating between LL Cool J rap and crooning, goofy Sinatra. And believe it or not, the combination works! You may remember ‘We Care A Lot' from Radio With Pictures. A transorgasmic disco-funk great. This song should replace the American

national anthem and is the dancefloor hit of 1988. The lyrics are a treatise to start a revolution to, or maybe a colony on another planet. “We care a lot about the army, navy and the marines ... We care a lot because we’re out to save the world! It's a dirty job but someone's gotta do it!" ‘Blood’ is another song that deserves special mention with its supercharged earth, fire and water chant. Buy Faith No More. Like the guys say, it’s a dirty job but somebody’s gotta do it. YEAH! Ken Stewart Various Artists Under the Covers WEA Does this trend of re-recording old hits mean we’re reverting to the days when artists did their versions of current standards? Or perhaps no one’s writing good songs anymore. Whatever, comparisons with the originals are inevitable unless the remake works in its own right. But on Under the Covers (subtitle: “Other People Sing Other People's Songs”) songs that rely on vocal performances, like Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene’ and Cilla Black’s ‘Alfie,’ just don’t cut the musical mustqrd as done here by vague wafflers Strawberry Switchblade and Everything But the Girl. In contrast, the gutsy singing and tight playing and production carry Simply Red’s ‘Money’s Too

Tight (to Mention)’ and the Pretenders’ ‘Watcha Gonna Do About It,’ while Mathilde Santing’s haunting ‘Love of the Common Man’ reaches emotions only hinted at by Todd. Hams and shams the Jesus and Mary Chain come on like a Dunedin band in an echo chamber for ‘Surfin’ USA,’ Aztec Camera start a wonderfully cruisey ‘Jump,’ which sadly degenerates at the end to a sub-sub-Van Halen guitar thrash. We’ve Got a Fuzz Box and We’re Gonna Use It do a very UK version of ‘Spirit in the Sky,’ which, while being hectares better than the nauseatingly bland Dr and the Medics, doesn’t hold a wax doll to the black voodoo of Norman Greenbaum’s original. Echo and the Bunnymen get too close to the Doors’ orginal of ‘People are Strange,’ the Associates warble through Diana Ross’s ‘Love Hangover' (great backing vocals though), Brilliant make dull reggae of ‘lt’s a Man's Man's Man’s World’ (though anyone attempting a James Brown song deserves whatever they get), while Stan Campbell tries bloody hard to be earnest on ‘Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood’ but doesn’t match up to the menacing agony of either the Animals or Costello. More misses than hits here, but what the heck, music’s supposed to be fun isn’t it? And it sounds like fun was had in buckets making these tracks.

lan Morris

Megadeath So Far, So G00d... So What! EMI Yeah, Dave Mustaine has done it time. Originally he was in Metallica, and while that band have gone on to make bigger and better speed records, his recording results haven’t been in the same league, although ‘Peace Sells’ did contain some killer thrash tracks. With a new drummer and second guitarist added the band is what Mustaine must have originally intended because this kicks, bites, spits and explodes. After the opening intrumental, a

bomb is dropped on someone having a Sunday picnic and Megadeath ‘Set the World Afire’ in a ferocious frenzy of terribly tight chord changes and threatening vocals. From there it’s ‘Anarchy in the UK (USA)’ with assistance in punkology from Steve Jones himself. If anything side two is even more reckless, and the fellas go flat stick into ‘so2’ which will leave an impact on anyone who dares listen to it. Some more Pistols punk is covered in the form of ‘Liar’ as they convey a similarly cynical outlook in ’BB as those in 77. Deadly good. Geoff Dunn Ritchie Venus and the Blue Beatles Rebel Blood Onset Offset Six years and quite a few guitar solos (and gold lame suits) later, Christchurch’s Ritchie Venus and the Blue Beatles release an album. In their seriously silly attempts to become rock ’n’ roll legends, RV&TBB have hit some sublime moments. ‘Rebel Blood’ is slightly disappointing though — I fear the band doesn’t translate so well on vinyl, but there’s still an interesting energy: a labour of love, I’d say. I like Ritchie best when he’s being his corniest — ‘Lost Generation,’ ‘The Legend’ and the title ‘Rebel Blood.’ There are a few too many gee-tar solos for my liking, but that’s rock ’n’

roll, innit? ‘The Crypt’ is a garagey rompastompa tune, while ‘Silent Film Actress’ is just plain silly, and ‘Older girl’ is just plain dumb (except for the keyboard solo). Ritchie is someone who needs understanding, tolerance and not least indulgence. Check out ‘You’re Undecided.’ ‘Rebel Blood’ is a tribute to doing rock ’n’ roll not talking about it. Feeling it, without necessarily understanding why. Remember it’s in each and every one of us. Fiona Rae Roy Buchanan Hot Wires (Alligator) Guitarist Buchanan’s third Alligator outing features more of that superintense picking, tight, funky rhythm section and some guest vocalising. Buchanan is better served here by the Chicago blues rhythm of Donald Kinsey (guitar), Larry Exum (bass) and Morris Jennings (drums) than he was by the headbanger journeymen he toured with recently. Why he felt the need to cover old Led Zeppelin and Cream things ...? It’s all good, solid stuff. Buchanan frankly admits his vocal failings, and while confession is good for the soul must he continue to offer such dreary ditties as ‘Goose Greese’? However vocals are handled ably by guests Johnny Sayles and Kanika Kreese, on ‘25 Miles’ and ‘These Arms of Mine’ re-

spectively.

KW