Records

Rip It Up, Issue 149, 1 December 1989, Page 30

Records

DAVID BYRNE ‘ ReiMomo (Sire) o | dusted off Remain In Lightthe other day. After that album came the movie Stop Making Sense; FM radio embraced Talking Heads and their knack for discovery was overshadowed by mainstream acceptance. Byrne the pioneer became just another man in abaggy suit, the band became a circus, and the real art-sampling mix-up was left to B-boys. Remain In Lightthus sounds almost pedestrian now, dry and academic, but atthe time it broadened horizons. :

Speaking In Tongues, Little Creatures and Naked impressed me not but this, a Byrne solo album, hums with the same sense of discovery that made Remain In Lightinteresting. It's not an energetic album for Byrne; it's satisfied rather than manic, and it gives you accomplished product instead of stumbling inspiration. It's his essay onBrazilian music, complemented by his compilation of original Brazilian artists, O Samba, also outthis month. ReiMomo s Byrne at his best, like ‘Call Of The Wild": “Albert Einstein wrote equations / Godtold Noah, build an ark/ Johnny Mathis sings Cole Porter/ To bring light into the dark.” With this album Byrne has said goodbye once again to his mainstream presidency, returning fo rule the land of the merely Quite Strange. Whichis a good move for a man who likes to stand out; amongst the crowd, he doesn't shine so much. ; CHADTAYLOR

ICE-T ' Thelceberg (Sire) Sothere he is, having lunch at Harbourside, sitting there in a black T-shirt and a gold chain with gun dangling. Darlene, Mrs Ice to you bub, sits struggling with her dress. Ice is touring Auckland for three nights at the Siren. But here he's just chillin’ with the record company boys, knocking back the champagne and talking to Neil Young. Yep, Neil's just chillin’ as well. Interesting conversation takes place about how much Ice and Evil E like that ‘Harvest' thing Neil did. Just shows that Ice knows no cultural boundaries. Just like this new album, the only chains around Ice are of the Gucci kind. It begins with Dead Kennedy Jello Biafra giving a vision of fascist America. Then rightinto an obscene piece about copulation with flashlights and erections breaking car windows. Like he raps on ‘Freedom Of Speech’, it's his rightto say what he wants. If they try to censor him he just ABC's outta there. He digsinto the PMRC and Tipper Gore who want to destroy rock n’ roll. Ice'is a defender of people’s rights. One of the best tracks is ‘This One’s For Me’, about how he is the creator of the “Crime Rhyme”, the prince of the pimp beat, but his “lyrics are deeper”. The Ice talks about black radio stations banning rap like Boogie Down and Public Enemy and himself. How he's “trying to save the community” but the “bourgeois blacks keep dogging and just play that R&B bull”. He then defends Public. Enemy’s Griff by saying no other rap acthas come outto help them because they're just waiting for their fall. lt'sa greattrack that ends implicating President Bush in selling drugs and guns. Freedom of speech is what if’s all about. The social conscience bit is carried on

in The Hunted Child’ about the “signs of capitalism” —like Public Enemy say, you've got to fight the power. Yeah, it's aheavy album butthe Ice don't wimp - outon the rhymes and rhythms. Like using James Brown's ‘The Boss’ on ‘You Played Yourself’ and the Evil E cutting the hell out of ‘Hit The Decks’.

My fave is 'WhatYou Wanna Do’ with the Rhyme Syndicate (including Everlast, Donald D, Black Stallion et al) inamonster rap jam over the top of KC and the Sunshine Bands’ ‘Do Ya Wanna Party’. This s a real standout. If's Ice’s

third album, and the second side is as good as anything on Power, if not : better. A It's something to party with, and also something to use to make you think. Like the Ice says, “my lethal weapon is my mind”. It's pure vinyl dynamite from the man from South Central, LA. : KERRY BUCHANAN MARGARET URLICH ' Safety In Numbers ; (CBS) This album has been along time in the pipeline, and the weighty portent of the press kit and and the project overall seem distracting and inappropriate. With both Peking Man and When The Cat's Away, Margaret Urlich’s success came from her spontenaity and sense of humour, but neither of those talents are spared much room on this album. That's not to say Safety In Numbers won't succeed. ‘Escaping’ has already sprung to number one, NZ radio programmersrespondingtoits sumptuous 70s pop feel. lts complexity is refreshing in the charts too but the crafting and production here is pushing Margaret out of the front seat. Her sedring vocal performance on ‘My Love'is defused by aharsh ‘ lounge-waltz rhythmbox and the Steely Dan layerings of ‘Slip On By’ are dated. Urlich has penned two of the stronger songs, ‘Tide Keeps Rolling In’ and ‘Give Me Some Credit’ but the latter’s arrangement drags with solos and general business — the producer and musicians should have been tightening it up rather than indulged themselves. Dave Dobbyn'’s strong contribution is ‘Open Up', the best track on the album; the production’s simple, the emotionleaps out and Urlich gives the sort of performance that will put her at the top of pop charts anywhere in the world. A

good second single. Tackling Billie’s ‘God Bless The Child' takes gutsand a voice; Mags has both. Critics have been wary of this song butfor me it's the best simply because it's just her, with a minimum of padding, feeling her way through the song with alithe sensitivity. Maybe breaking into the international CD market requires the style of production that's predominant on Safety In Numbers, butin the long termit's Margaret Urlich who's the star, notthe mixing desk. One hopes that her talent will shine through brightly enough for her to redress the balance. CHADTAYLOR RAMONES Brain Drain Liberation Thave faith in Dialectical Materialism, professional wrestling and of course, the Ramones. This is their 13th album, andif you stopped listening after the classicfirst five then take a listen to this one -- it's their best for ages. Allßamones albums are based on the idea that there exists something called rock n’ roll, and this is its true essence. Brain Drain has all the elements of their previous work, things like ‘Come Back Baby’ could be from Pleasant Dreams(l9Bl) and ‘Learn To Listen’ and ‘lgnorance Is Bliss’ have the hardcore of Animal Boy (1985). There's agreat cover of Freddy Cannon’s 60s hit‘Palisades Park’, aided by Bill : Laswell’s metallic production. Bill makes the guitars sound like an aircraft taking off. ~ Joeyßamone is one of the greatest white soul singers of all time, he just emotes so well. Like on the exuberant ‘I Believe In Miracles’ and ‘All Screwed Up’ which begins with a copy of Slade’s classicintro to ‘Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me’, musical history, don’t you just love ite i

“1-2-3-4 thank you CJ”, the classic lines now done by new boy CJ with the departure of Dee Dee to pursue his rap caréer. They were just great live, ranking with Ice-T as the best live thing this year. Like | said, the essence of rock n’ roll. | sort of wish they hadn‘t done that Stephen King ‘Pet Semetary’ thing. I can'treally see Joey and the boys hanging around with “ancient goblins and warlords,” like the Ramones go barbarian or something. i My favourite rock n’ roll album of the year. KERRY BUCHANAN ' SHAKESPEAR'S SISTER Sacred Heart (Polygram) ; Atthe end of 1987 Siobhan Fahey turned her back on one of the decade’s most unlikely pop success stories and disappeared into the sunset with 'husband David Stewart, of Eurythmics fame. As one third of Bananarama, Fahey had been part of a remarkable - ascension. There was a notable lack of contrived star quality attached to » Bananarama, in fact their comparitive ordinariness has become their biggest asset. Erroneously perceived as the archetypal pop bimbos, Bananarama have played the pop game betterthan most and one glance at their videos suggeststhey’ve had a bloody good time doing it. Any act which produces singles of the calibre of ‘Robert DeNiro’s Waiting’ or ‘Cruel Summer’ are no slouches either. So to Sacred Heart which proves conclusively that for Siobhan Fahey there isindeed life after Bananarama, joining forces with American singer/ songwriter Marcella Detroit and emerging producer Richard Feldman. Taking their name from a Smiths song, - Shakespear’s Sister have fashioned a rather splendid debut. It's a difficult album to pigeonhole, suffice to say it exists as part of a post-modernist pop fraternity that's decidedly adultin intention. But notin-any lumpen retrogressive fashion. This is one very “happening” record. Take the single ‘You're History’ which taps into the populist consciousness with ease,

counterpointing with some deadpan and wickedly on the money put-downs, with a quasi Kate Bush falsetto. ‘Heroine’ adroitly emphasises the proclivity here to female

self-assurance, neatly reversingthe - predominant sexual roles. On ‘Primitive Love*, which cries outto be the next ~ single, Fahey strays towards Annie Lennox territory but pulls up short of the emotionalism the Eurythmicseems fo turn out by rote, and the songis all the betterforit.

The set's only real disappointment s arather unnecessary and uninspired attempt at Bob Marley’s ‘Could You Be Loved'. Allin all, though, Sacred Heart stands testament to Siobhan Fahey being one very smart cookie. Anyone who believes an ex-memberof .

Bananaramaiis incapable of producing anything of merit should leave their preconceptions at the door and prepare to be treated to one of 1989's most eminently stylish pop creations.

GARTH SEEAR

BIZ MARKIE & Theßiz Never Sleeps (Cold Chillin’) ; KCFLIGHT : inFlight (RCA) KOOL MOE DEE : Knowledge ls King ; (Jive) DOCTORICE The Mic Stalker (Jive) : THEDOC No-one Can Do It Better . (Ruthless) COOKIE CREW Born This Way (Ffrr) Whew! That's a lot of hip-hop, and it shows that there is good and bad in - every form of music. Like the big BIZ MARKIE, he's got both on his new one. Famous for his rap about picking your nose, things don't get too sophisticated. But | like the beats of most of this, like ‘A Thing Called Kim’ and the crazy ‘Bizln Harmony’ where he does a bit of doo-wop. It sounds pretty coolto me. Notso MrKC FLIGHT who makes the bad move of sampling Talking Heads for ‘Planet E', very un-B-boy to use them. Much ifitis sort of hip-house, so the beat verges on the mundane. Ata pinch 'l listen to ‘She’s Sexy’ and ‘Let's GetJazzy’, buthe's no great rapper. Whereas the KOOL MOE DEE sure

is. He proved itin the war with LL Cool J, and his frips to ‘Go See The Doctor’. . -

One of the old school who in the recent rap summit (Spin magazine, August) gets upset about NWA's lack of black political history, and their negativity. Well, he tends to go too far the other way. Following the new “Do the right thing” morality, he siresses the mind is a lethal weapon bit, like Ice-T. Like on the title track with its usual politicking of ‘Pump Your Fist'. Most of it comes from the “my dick is bigger than your dick” school of rap, so | liked those ones. Check out‘l'm Blowin Up'. Pity a lot of this has a swing beat feel rather than the hard beat it needed. ' THE DOCknows the hardcore side of things, appearing on the first N\WA

album, and he’s got a good style. Listen to the first single ‘lt's Funky Enough’

which sounds deceptively simple at first before the evil Dr Dre kicks the beat in. They keep it low and slow like most good hip-hop. I liked ‘No-One Can Do It Better’ and the ‘Grand Finale’ with other Ruthless record rappers. This

album stayed at the top of the black music charts for weeks, so it must hit the rightnerve. Thenthere's the COOKIE CREW, that's the real surprise. This sounds betterthan all the other albums, but it's notreally the Cookie Crew style of rap --i's the hot production from Daddy-O, DBC, Davy D and Derek B (I wonder what happened to him?). It's real hard and clever, every track has a good catch. Like the samples of Edwin Star’s ‘25 Miles’ under the Kraftwerk beat in ‘GotTo Keep On’ and the smooth bass on ‘Places And Spaces’. The beats keep it going on in The Mic Stalker, DOCTOR ICE's conceptual piece. l's got that Full Force feel, and the medical man has a LL Cool style of delivery. And then there's this weird bit with LA Law’s Blair Underwood and this woman. lt's basically Full Force (the real creators of swingbeat) getting hip-hop, it's greatto listen to. It's a diverse bunch. My money’s on the Cookie Crew andthe DOCfor more lasting value. KERRY BUCHANAN ROXANNE SHANTE Bad Sister (Cold Chillin’) There's a good batch of female rappers around at the moment; MC - Lyte’s Cha Cha Cha, Queen Latifah’s firstalbum, and this one. She’sbeen a hip-hop star for five years, involved in the classic Roxanne wars of 1984 when, atthe age of 14, she found herself famous. Always a woman of strong opinions, things on this album get no rougher. Like on ‘Fatal Attraction’, atale of Roxanne’s affair with a married man who hangs out at the New York stock exchange. Well, he decides to hasta lavista it outta there. Well, Roxanne attacks the Jimbrowski, saying “he had abig one, now it's alittle one,”so you know you're notlistening to Tracy Chapman. There's a lot of futon-sliding songs ‘cause rap isn't for the prudish. Like ‘Feelin’ Kinda Horny’ with this great chorus, and Roxanne out-drinking some funky cold medinain ‘Let's Rock Y'all'. We're talking aggressive here. Another classic production from - Marley Marl, who keeps a rhythm flowing. Best beats are ‘Wack It’ (remix), ‘Bad Sister’ and her finestmoment ‘Go On Girl’ (remix). Best played at a loud funky volume.

KERRY BUCHANAN