He’s so tough

Rip It Up, Issue 13, 1 July 1978, Page 12

He’s so tough

Ken Williams

Return to Magenta

Mink De Ville

Capitol

How does one follow a classic? It’s a question that’s always been the torment of the artist. Sometimes it's insurmountable and subsequent works are merely a reminder of greater achievements. Others rise to the challenge. Willy De Ville is a winner. The first Mink De Ville album was one of the strongest debut records. Every song was attacked as if there was no second chance. Definitely a hard one to follow. Return to Magenta is a little more careful in tone, but excellent nonetheless.

Once again there are strong overtones of Phil Spector. Once again Jack Nitzsche, Spector's protege, is at the controls. “Guardian Angel” and “Just Your Friends”, with its manic haronica straining over what seems like dozens of furiously strummed acoustic guitars, are firmly in the tradition of Uncle Phil. “Soul Twist” and “Rolene” are mainstream Mink De Ville R&B in the manner of “She's So Tough" and “Gunslinger” from

the previous album. But Mink De Ville are not stuck in a cut de sac bounded by echo-laden ballads and New York rhythm and blues. “ ‘A’ Train Lady” is reminiscent of Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions, ‘‘Desperate Days” is sort of Spanish Harlem reggae, and “Easy Slider” with Dr John on the eighty-eights could be New Orleans parade music. "Steady Driving’ Man” is, as the title suggests, a boastful 80-Diddley styled raver, giving Willie plenty of room to stutter and snarl. He has one of the greasiest leers since the halcyon days of Presley. Doc Pomus wrote the liner and “I Broke that Promise” is full of the string drenched heartbreak that Pomus injected into his own great ‘‘Save the Last Dance for Me.” Willie De Ville should have recorded “On Broadway”, not George Benson. As Pomus, says, “Mink De Ville knows the truth of a city street and the courage in a ghetto love song.” Hyperbole, yes, but appropriate all the same.