singles

Rip It Up, Issue 178, 1 May 1992, Page 32

singles

ERIC B & RAKIM Juice (MCA) CD Single Totally cool in the way Mr B and Mr Rakim have always been cool. Very laconic rap over hard punching beats. It's remixed by Hocklee and comes from a movie soundtrack. You need it. NAUGHTY BY NATURE Everything's Gonna Be Alright (MXL) CD Single Not as fiendishly catchy as 'O.P.P' but still not bad. A socially concerned sort of tale set to a pretty rollicking sort of beat. The rapping is pretty good, and there's an awful live version of 'O.P.P.' thrown in. ROZALLA Faith (In the Power Of Love) (Liberation) CD Single You certainly get your money's worth here. Six mixes and 30-something minutes long. Unfortunately you get your money's worth of bad Strine techno house with the title shrieked incessantly over a rhythm, so do you really want it? THE KLF America: What Time Is love? (Liberation) CD Single From Tammy Wynette and rap to Deep Purple and Bagpipes, these boys are definitely geniuses. In an obvious attempt to get a US hit they've reworked a track with lots of guitar and a crusty rocker, then thrown in 'America' for good measure. I hope it works as it's very brilliant. Rush out and buy it now. THE SCREAM Man In The Moon (Liberation) CD Single The Tower store on Sunset Blvd has this billboard which advertises whatever is huge, and being in the hub of the 'rock' scene, it's inevitably some generic metal act with generic poodle cuts. The Scream appear to be aiming for this honour, they've made a single that starts out acoustic then rocks wildly and is probably meant to sound rootsy like the Black Crowes. It doesn't, it sounds like the sort of dross we're used j from Bon Jovi, Springsteen et al.

SPINAL TAP Bitch School (MCA) CD Single A supposedly telling and witty jibe at heavy metal attitudes and lyrics. Strangely enough it sounds undistinguishable from the 'real' heavy metal both in content and sound. Apparently it all makes more sense with the video, which I'm told is very funny.

DIED PRETTY Sweetheart (Blue Mosque) CD Singles So as I don't seem totally bigoted against Strine strumming acts, I'll mention that this is quite nice, if a little impotent in the eyes closed, head down and emote hard manner. The other two tracks are rockier and should be hits on college radio.

BELL BIV DEVOE Word To The Mutha (MCA) 12" Single These boys are very sharp, they've got all the necessary elements for a swingbeat hit here. Ballady beginning, hip hop beats, soulful vocals and a little rap segment too. If you dig this stuff, you can't go wrong here.

LISA STANSFIELD Time To Make You Mine (Arista) 12" Single ANNIE LENNOX Why (BMG) 7''Single A couple of slow 'n' soulful numbers from the UK. Lisa's is the more pleasant offering, with a big sound and lots of

breathy vocals in the classic 70s style. Annie uses her formidable voice to nice effect, but not enough to make me go WOW! KIRK GEE

HEAD LIKE A HOLE Fish Across Face

Cassette, CD Single (Wildside) Title track kicks off slow with nasty guitar over moody bass before exploding into an amphetamine-funk frenzy which segues into a metal guitar spin-out before dropping tempo before spazzing out again, the idea of a "fish across face" somehow adding extra wallop to the aural assault. Iwo more tracks, 'Air 7 with the repeated refrain "give me some air", which is exactly what anyone would chant if trapped inside a 747 engine shortly before takeoff, the singer's andrenalin-rush vocal style effortlessly riding the crest of guitar noise without cracking. Third song 'Head of Ignorance' is simply further evidence of Head Like A Hole's approach to rhythm, shitnoise, funk and heavy metal — manic, but totally in control. DONNA YUZWALK

HEADLESS CHICKENS Donde Esta La Polio?

CD Remixes (Flying Nun) The Chickens really stick out their chests and strut their stuff on these three remixed versions of 'Donde Esta La Polio?'. Naturally my favourite is the Cock Rock remix, even after already enjoying the Kentucky Fried Chicken and Hen Party mixes, so that attests to the stickability of this song's killer chorus. Catchy as hell, a real foot-stomping, blow out of a track. Also included are two fairly tame remixes of the Chicken's hit 'Cruise Control', the House of Harrow and Karaoke mixes. DONNA YUZWALK

SOUND FOUNDATION Ram Dancehall

(Deepgrooves) 12" &

Cassingle The Soundfoundation (DJ Dubhead and Angus McNaughton) with Tuffy Culture and Dan E Dee release their first single on Auckland's up and coming-at-ya Deepgrooves label (run by Mark Tierney, Kane Massey and Bill Latimer)... The result is a class

dancehall groove with cool rapover, seamless, stylee-ish, international in sound and quality. Will have those Urbi et Orbi crewsters crooning into their cappuchinos. DONNA YUZWALK HINEWEHIMOHI KiaU (Tangata Records) 'Kia U' is the first single release from new label Tangata Records to be sung completely in Maori, which means it probably won't receive any FM airplay, even though it's irrisistably sweet sounding and faultlessly sung, to be enjoyed even if the song's content (a call to Maori people to be mindful and to draw strength from the beauty and uniqueness of being Maori) is lost on the average listener. Keyboards and guitar courtesy of Ex-Ardijah man Jay Dee. DONNA YUZWALK

THE AXEMEN The Ghost of Elmer Fudd (Sleek Bott cassingle) Multi-format kings the A-Men present their 1 st-ever cassette-single, two versions of a characteristically

gnomic McCabe composition also featured on their recent Recliner Rocker having nothing discernible to do with their new Peter Wang Pud CD compilation. The A-side version is sinister with terse, clipped guitar and military-style paradiddles, the B-side dub murky and turgid. (Available from Real Groovy and Flying In). DUANEZARAKOV THE MUTTON BIRDS Dominion Road (Bag Records) Don McGlashan back at the helm with the Mutton Birds, along with Alan Gregg from the Dribbling Darts Of Love, ex-Six Voltser David Long and Ross Burge on drums. 'Dominion Road' is the first single from their, album of the same name and it sounds like a classic piece of Kiwiana rock, yes, the guitars • jangle and the urban street poetry is as reflective as the lights shining in the road he sings about. B-side White Valient 7 continues the Mutton Birds - quest to alchemise the everyday into contemporary urban iconography. DONNA YUZWALK CHARLOTTE SOMETIMES Better Than Any Cassette (Jayrein) A liltingly jazzy number reminiscent of Sade, slick, cool and with seamless vocals from the intelligent Charlotte Sometimes. Sophisticated. B-side 'Hide My Heart' has more sweet but strong vocals set to a gentle reggaeish backbeat. DONNA YUZWALK