Records

Rip It Up, Issue 136, 1 November 1988, Page 24

Records

THE SMITHS Rank (Rough Trade) Rank is a rock album in the most predictable sense of the word. The songs are sped up and simplified, with guitar solos verging on "soaring". It was recorded live in 1986, and Morrisey seems to have been in a frolicsome mood, growling through his vowels and choking on the word "castration" in 'The Queen Is Dead'. The audience are also boisterous, screaming, at times, like INXS fans and even chanting for 'Bigmouth Strikes Again'. The inclusion . of that song and 'The Boy With The Thorn In His Side' is somewhat surprising, as this is the third album on which these songs have appeared. In fact there's nothing new at all on Rank. with the exception of the two verses of Elvis Presley's'His Latest Flame' tacked onto the beginning of'Rusholme Ruffians.' A few of the songs work superbly in the full frontal rock format. 'London' , and the country and western farce 'Vicar In A Tutu' are at least as good as the original versions. Songs like What She Said' and 'The Draize Train', ' though, are buried under the very loud second guitar of temporary fifth Smith Craig Gannon. At least Marr had the discretion to leave the delicate 'I Know • It's Over' untampered with. The Smiths have always moved the heart more than the feet, and while it coyly sets out to, Rank fails to kick the proverbial ass. Unfortunately it doesn't have the subtelty or pathos of the band's studio releases either. If you already have the studio LPs Rank is worth buying as an item of interest and for the great live photo on the inner sleeve. Under no circumstances, however, should Rank be taken as an indication of what this band were capable of. MATTHEW HYLAND TRANSVISION VAMP Pop Art (MCA) > ' On first appearances Transvision Vamp are kitset retro, the Airfix clip-fit punk group with Nick Christian Sayer doing a Sid and Wendy James a ’; Nancy. That's first appearances. Forget first appearances. A Incidentally, let's remember punk, shall we, dust off all those "I was there" memories while wankers like Graham

Parker insist on their cred. Punk's all a safe little memory lane trip now, oh - goodness yes, what a lark eh, I of course was going through my soul phase, all those Beatles songs were pretty wild really when you think about it, Keith Richards has lasted longer hasn't he, I mean that proves something about the eternal power of the beating heart of rock and roll, doesn't it? Gimme a break. But I digress... Transvision Vamp's 'I Want Your Love' is probably my favourite single of the year, a chugging, posturing piece of sweet stupidity, James sneering her way through lines like "I don't want your car baby I just want your luuuurve," pure Julian Cope meets Claire Grogan. And there's more; titles like 'Trash Love' (wowl), Tell That Girl To Shut Up' ’ (better!) and 'Hanging Out With Halo ~ Jones', a tribute to a heroine right up there with Modesty Blaise and Mrs Peel. Musically, Transvision Vamp cover the same bases as the Jesus and Mary Chain (calling a song 'Psychosonic Cindy' is a broad pointer); Velvets references and chord-changes to the hilt. But they lean more in Nico's direction, changing down the thrash gears to peel off some real blue-eyed soul — the longing Fans theme of Wild Star,' and 'Sister Moon'. But you can bet that the J&M Chain would never pen a song called 'Andy Warhol's Dead' ("No more Edie..."). No, Transvision Vamp are head and shoulders below them all, this is go for the throat Gorodish groovy, Alba-ridden angst, the simplest, cleanest POP (as in "snap, crackle and-'') since Cope's Saint Julian or, I dunno, what was the last crappy piece of plastic I compared to a French novel, can't remember. Most of the reviews on this page will urge you to buy the record in question but with Transvision Vamp I really think you should encourage a loved one to make the purchase and then steal it while they're cooking your breakfast. It's a tacky, infantile, unoriginal way to behave, but someone's got to do it. CHAD TAYLOR SCHNELL FENSTER The Sound Of Trees (EMI) V, Phil Judd is one of the enigmas of New Zealand music. Those who know him talk of a shy, bookish sort of chap. - His lyrics were the overtly dark side of Split Enz in their early days, and his latest work shows he's lost none of that' intensity. '(Yeah — I smoulder like an

ember, "he sings atone point. That sums it all up. With Judd in the Melbourne-based Schnell Fenster are fellow ex-Enzers Noel Crombie and Nigel Griggs, the lineup completed by guitarist Michael - del Elzen, whose Frippertrpnics style of playing mixes with Judd's clipped rhythms to build a layered, musical backdrop to Judd's broody words. Griggs and Crombie work with an easy familiarity based on mutual experience. Grigg's bass playing gave Split Enz a ■: much-needed lift at the time of . Dizrhythmia, and songs like 'White Flag' and 'Sleeping Mountain' suggest that Schnell Fenster could be quite a force stage. 'Whisper', the debut single, is typical Judd, the density of the production accentuated by the reversed percussion. That's Impossible' has a disturbing air of impending madness, with jaunty, fractured whistling serving as an emphasis. 'Long Way Away' and 'This Illusion' both benefit from a low-key approach which highlights the mature, structured approach Schnell Fenster adopt toward their songwriting. 'Lamplight' seems to be Judd's interpretation of a single picture and contains some of his most graphic lines — "She looks like a mullet in a state of shock"!).). ■ After seemingly drifting in the wake : - of the Swingers' demise, Phil Judd looks to have found his bearings again. None ofthe members of Schnell Fenster is a spring chicken, but they're displaying plenty of fresh ideasand presenting . them with considerable flair. Welcome back. DUNCAN CAMPBELL COCTEAU TWINS Blue Bell Knoll (4AD/Virgin) Reading through a collection of reviews and articles on the Cocteau Twins a strange phenomenon) came to my attention. Almost every critic had embellished his/her writing with language that could only be described as Shakespearean: "Rhapsodies bled of desire... innocent ineffable," or "a leaden howl, rhythmically dead.." The question is, why such eloquence, such reverent rhetoric (Shakespeare used more than 30,000 different words) when the complete library of t ’ ’Cocteau lyric is, well, empty, as in not a single recognisable word in it? Are the Cocteau Twins not actually English-speaking and no-one has •i - ; noticed yet? Or are they appealing to ..

some romantic sense instilled in us by stories And Peace and Dr Zhivago? I tend to think it's a little of each and certainly, whatever it is, it's getting better. Blue BellKnollis the fourth Cocteau Twins album and it is a big development and refinement on all the earlier ones. It is "Romantic" in the same way a frozen lake is... Resting on this thing too long could get dangerous. Weeks could be spent describing the images that this album evokes. If you like to dream then you'll love this record. The sleeve is without a doubt the best seen thisyear (you expect to see a "Dunhill" emblem in the corner) and even the ridiculous song titles add to the pleasure. Last time we saw Elizabeth Fraser was in the wonderful video clip to the superb This Mortal Coil rendition of'Song To The Siren'. In an ideal world we might see a clip from Blue Bell Knoll real soon. GREGJOHNSON THE ROBERT CRAY BAND Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark (Polygram) I've heard of paying yer dues but this is ridiculous. In an age when a mini-skirt or a pair of baggy trousers can turn you into an overnight pop-video sensation, Robert Cray has had a band on the road since he teamed up with bassist Richard Cousins way-to-hell back in 1974. Over the last one, two, three ... shit, that's 14 years, he's gradually worked his way out of his native North-West (America, of course) and into the gigantic blues-playing reputation that he's currently being asked to carry. On the way his record releases have been far from prolific—ten years ago he recorded an ER's worth of covers, in 'BS it was False Accusationsand a year later Strong Persuader, an album that didn't cook as well as it should've but signalled that his time had come. And being in his mid-30s, his time was due. In comparison with Strong Persuader, Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark positively glows. The production-writing team of Bruce Bromberg and Dennis Walker have improved outta sight, giving Cray's guitar more flesh and his voice more clarity and presence, and song-wise the whole deal is less': : ■ '■ pedestrian, less dependent on the old R&B stockpile. As a vocalist, Robert Cray has always been, y'know, good, but on this new album there's a new sensuality in his voice and playing that's ’ touching a new sky and you don't need *

to look no further than the title track or the horny 'Your Secret's Safe With Me' for living proof. Two self-penned blues, 'Don't You Even Care' and 'I Can't Go Home' allow him to extend his gifts, slow and supple like, not quite the trad 12-bar but painful enough to give his voice the pain range. On the up-side, 'Gotta Change The Rules' and 'Acting This Way' are sorta sinewy jazzercise beauties leaving, as a last impression, Dennis Walker's 'Laugh Out Loud' which has that down-beat blues piano that makes a beautiful ride. The people who've been singing this guy's praises have tended to focus on his fretboard skills and fair enough, his guitarsurely weeps, but at the end of this month I'll be upfront just to hear this guy croak into the microphone and anything else will just be a bonus. Needless to say Don't Be Afraid Of The Darkis a sparkling and sensuous beast — just make sure you're there to see, feel and hear it. That's an order. GEORGEKAY KEITH RICHARDS Talk Is Cheap (Virgin) Finally Keith Richards says put up or shut up. Not that Mick cares. When he took his bat and went home to play by himself, he was only looking for attention. The records are complete crap but no matter, he's still in the gossip columns and wowing them in the colonies. "Let's get Mick" is the mood of the moment, ra ra, right on. But it's nearly 1989 and isn't it rather daft to be even interested. Not to Keith Richards fans. This is the album they've been waiting for since Exile On Main Street. As the band fell victim to impotence and prostrate failure, only Richards' contributions showed any glimmer of life. Always (along with Charlie's backbeat) the soul of the Rolling Stones, whenever they got lazy and complacent, Richards kicked them back into life: in 1968 with Beggar's Banquet, 1978 with Some Girlsand now 1988 with Talk Is Cheap. Wake up, Keith fans, if s time to dance. With Steve Jordan drumming like a Watts clone and co-writing all the songs, Richards has produced an album that will satisfy all hardcore devotees of the riff. If you think Black&Blue is under-rated, or You Got The Silver 7 a masterpiece, Talk Is Cheap is for you. Like James Brown, Richards has a musical signature that's never become a cliche in his own hands. And like JB, Richards has always been concerned

with rhythm and feel. Talkisa compendium of black feels played with heart and wit by Richards and his supportive crew of stars.. There are strutting Stones rockers 'Take It So Hard, 'How I Wish,'Whip It Up', R&B taking its cues from Al Green ('Make No Mistake'), Chuck Berry ('I Could Have Stood You Up') and the Meters ('Big Enough') and an exquisite ballad 'Locked Away'. Richards' singing has always oozed credibility—witness 'Silver', 'Happy', 'Before They Make Me Run','All About You'—and Talk finally provides an excellent vehicle for his lazy sincerity. The guitar work is vintage Keith — he even inspires some superb slide out of Waddy Wachtel. Besides Jordan, the sympathetic backing is provided by bassist Charlie Drayton, Labelle vocalist Sarah Dash, Neville Brothers apprentice keyboardist Ivan, plus cameos by Berry's piano genius Johnnie Johnson, Mick Taylor, Bootsy Collinsand Maceo Parker. No Charlie, but. CHRIS BOURKE THE SMITHEREENS Green Thoughts (Liberation) In the grand old tradition of Yankee power pop machines comes the Smithereens, a brilliantly named quartet from New York who've finally

made it here after last year's Especially For You LP never made the trip. Like the Replacements, these guys haul on every American rock'n'roll mode to concoct a medicine that's so natural and potent that you wonder why more bands don't have the sense to try this prescription. And like The Replacements they revolve around some ridiculously talented individual and in this case it's singer/songwriter/guitarist Pat DiNizio —the beatnik guy with glasses and a goatee. He may look like a bohemian poet but he's got a band that's as raw and as smooth as they want to be. Stuff like 'Only A Memory', 'Drown In My Own Tears' and the great swing of "The World We Know' have guitars that crunch, grind and ring like bells on fire. Shifting rural and 'Elaine' is sublime country pop Byrds-style with DiNizio's vocal on the right side of Orbison, leaving the big-ballad burdern to be carried by the sturdy 'Deep Black' and 'Spellbound'. But if the record has a climax then it's gotta be 'lf The Sun Doesn't Shine', a surfer's nightmare but an unerring Beach Boys pastiche complete with shimmering vocal backing and dewy-eyed smooching from DiNizio.

It's taken thirty years of rock'n'roll to provide bands like the Smithereens with the background to grow and steal

from. Albums like Green Thoughts give things like influences and plagiarism a good name. Essential. GEORGEKAY BILLDIREEN& THE BUILDERS Divina Comedia (South Indies) Local releases have become rather few and far between since the closure of the pressing plant in Wellington last year so it is a bit of a treat to know when one arrives, but the trick is (still) to know how it exists. Ah, shit, no time to moan about the state of radio in this country, we've got used to life without ya for so long, must have been a rumour... Anyway, on with the story. Bill Direen and his handy team of Builders must have looked up from their porridge one morning and realised the band was nearly 10 years old. So what better than to release the highlights so far? Ans: to release said highlights in a slick sleeve with 14 superb cuts dating back to 1979 and including such classics as 'Alien' and 'Do The Alligator' giving a full run-down on who did what, when and with whom as well as leaving a paragraph dealing with someone's fanciful recollections of a volcano in the top left-hand back corner. Surprisingly, for an album recorded over such a length of time, and with a dozen or so different players, it has a remarkably consistent sound with Direen's humour and intensity at the forefront and with the band always on form. At times bordering on pop and at others dark and shy, this album is for the initiated (a great chance to hear all ya faves) and forthose newcomers (a great chance to make up lost ground). Cheers Bill. GREGJOHNSON CHARLIE PARKER Bird (CBS) It's been said that if plagiarism laws applied to jazz improvisation then Charlie Parker could sue everyone who's blown a solo since the 19405. Both as a pioneer of bebop and for his own astonishing alto-sax artistry Bird must rank as one of the great musical geniuses of the 20th century. The album is from the soundtrack to the new biopic on his career and early death in 1955. As Hollywood re-creations go Bird is remarkably well-done: clear-eyed and lovingly crafted (if over long). As such soundtracks go the music is something of a miracle. Not only have Parker's

original solos been used (anything else would be sacrilege but that hasn't stopped Hollywood in the past) but their sound quality has actually been improved. Given that the original recordings were on one-track mono in settings that ranged from crowded nightclub to recording studio to a domestic loungeroom, it really does seem miraculous how their sound has been enhanced. Somehow (and whole k ; articles have been written on the process) engineers have isolated Parker's playing, treated and then added it to newly recorded accompaniment. The current musicians chosen to 'work' with Parker here have all been scrupulously faithful to his original styles. Included are Ray Brown and Red Rodney who once actually did share studio and bandstand space with him. The final outcome carries not a hit of ultra high-tech modernism but, if - 7 .' anything, sounds more natural than the originals (sceptical fans might like to . compare the bass sound herewith that on the three originals from the Savoy sessions). And it would take a niggardly purist to quibble with any but the minor details of the new musical accompaniments. The collection of tracks, while not including all those used in the film, provides an excellent cross-section of Parker's work and as such makes the ’ album a superb introduction. From the awesome virtuosity of 'Lester Leaps In' to the limpid beauty of the ballads this is Parker in his prime, and more accessible than ever before. Now, with a debt of thanks to movie maker Clint Eastwood, his musical supervisor Lennie Niehaus and the magic of modern technology, a new generation of music lovers can find out for themselves that Bird lives. PETER THOMSON BOBBYMcFERRIN -T / Simple Pleasures (Manhattan) We should all be thankful to Bill Cosby, for if he hadn't decided on an out of the ordinary approach for his TV ■ show theme, Bobby McFerrin might well have remained a respected but . . not widely known jazz-fusion vocalist. As it is he now enjoys a U.S. No. 1 hit in 'Don't Worry, Be Happy' and his album ' of warped pop gems is reaching an incredibly wide audience, largely due to his newfound media exposure ■ courtesy of the Cosbys and Cocktail. McFerrin has drawn on an incredibly

wide range of acapella techniques,’ from doo-wop through scat to some human beatboxing and using them to great effect on not only his own songs but a fairly varied selection of covers as well, and by multi-tracking his voice McFerrin can sing any number of parts and so provides himself with a full "backing band". . The overall effect is bizzare, fresh and infectious, particularly when he reworks a classic song like the Beatles' 'Drive My Cai or the Rascals' 'Good Lovin' which is turned into a frenetic vocal workout that rivals even the most crazed of early 60s doo-wop. And if tracks like 'Don't Worry, Be Happy' seem a little cloying, then investigate side two which features a nasty version of Dale Hawkins' 'Suzy Q' and what has to be the highlight of the album, Cream's 'Sunshine Of Your Love' sung in its entirety, guitar solos and all — Eric Clapton has never sounded so good. Although this album probably won't spark a huge doo-wop revival or change the face of pop music as we know it, 'Simple Pleasures' still provides a breath of fresh air amongst the usual chart schlock and will hopefully launch Bobby McFerrin into the mainstream consciousness for some time to come, because when Bill Cosby likes you, who knows what can happen? KIRK GEE TAV FALCO AND PANTHER BURNS Red Devil (Citadel) One of last year's best albums was Tav's The World we Knew, a collection of rock'n'roll disasters, songs to whistle in hell. He sure knows how to pick 'em, does Tav, real gone gems dragged from that goddam graveyard we call culture. The new album Red Devil has all the class Falco touches, the loose musical backing, wide variety of styles, and Falco's own emotive voice. It has an excellent selection of obscurist junk, like the Southern funk of 'Tram' and the rockabilly raunch of'She's The One To Blame'. A real travelogue of American .music, southern swamp, stax, honky-tonk, sambas, rock'n'roll thrash and carnival songs. Falco's the best at this, because he doesn't do just versions of songs, he makes them real. Like Lee .. Hazlewoods' 'Poor Man', which comes on like a killer in one of those teenage slaughterflicks. Another low-key masterpiece from Tav Falco about the roots of . . . contemporary culture.

KERRY BUCHANAN