what ART?

Rip It Up, Issue 46, 1 May 1981, Page 12

what ART?

Stray Cats Arista This New York three-piece, now based in London, were the highlight of my television viewing so far this year, when 'Runaway Boys' first appeared. My set has been on the blink ever since, and bass has never sounded the same. Immediately, any sour taste attached to the word rockabilly as it appears in the 'Bo's, was washed away, and now the album comes just in time to revitalize the taste buds. The sleeve is superb, but the sound is better. From the great, loping bass lines of the "first single (opening the album), to the closing jungle beat of 'Wild Saxophone', this record proves that rockabilly doesn't have to stand still and be watered down for radio play.

Baby-faced blonde Brian Setzer, credited with writing six of the twelve tracks, plays excellent Gretsch guitar and vocals throughout, Lee Rocker handles slap bass, and Slim Jim Phantom retains complete control of his sparse, stand-up drumkit. Limited? Well, you wouldn't guess it from the sound. Production credits run five to Setzer/Stray Cats, and seven to the venerable Dave Edmunds, including 'Runaway Boys', 'Jeanie, Jeanie, Jeanie' and the new single 'Rock This Town', but Stray Cats produced tracks like 'Ubangi Stomp' and 'Storm The Embassy' leap out of the speakers with every bit as much power. The Setzer/Phantom written 'Storm The Embassy' veers away from the generally social commentary to a political subject. The sentiments may be naive, but the song, whilst a little Jam-sounding, is bloody great! On the other side is another Setzer/Phantom song, 'Rumble In Brighton', an observation on the English Mods/Rockers scene. The last line says no-one is a winner, and it's ridiculous to beat someone up just because of the way they dress. Me, I'll just dress as usual and get drunk to both the Jam and Stray Cats. David McLean J.J. Cale Shades Shelter Modesty is an unusual attribute in performers. The handful that are humble about their own abilities as an example Kris Kristofferson is dismissive of his singing voice usually have every reason to be so. What's much rarer is a person like J.J. Cale, whose work is infused with a natural humility that a lack of talent does not force on him. There have been times when Cale's self-effacement is so great his music almost vanishes in the mists, but on Shades the mix of taste, minimalism and flair are in such perfect proportions I would rate it, as a long standing fan, as his best album since his remarkable debut, 1972's Naturally.

,On Shades, much of the music has that beautifully evocative feel of songs heard for a moment on the radio of a passing car, through the open door of a hotel room, a mood touched for a moment and never quite forgotten. Cale manages to weave his spells whether working .in Nashville, on an instrumental 'Cloudy Day', featuring the sax playing of Dennis Solee that can only be called lovely, or in Hollywood, jamming with Emmylou Harris's old band on an improvised blues, 'Pack ■My Jack.' v There's . even what sounds like a perfect top 40 song, 'Wish : I Had Not Said That', that , would add class to any radio station worth the name. At a time when much of the music you hear may leave you untouched, an album like Shades is, as Smokey Robinson once wrote, "like sunshine on a cloudy day." Phil Gifford Skafish Illegal Records Jim Skafish. Read about him three or four years ago. Very ugly; huge nose, tits, scars, of adolescence and music to match. It sounded promising and now there's an album. Slick cover, all very nice. Is this a put'on? I don't think so. Jim's ugly all right, but like Paul's old granddad, very clean. And boy, does he like musicals. Skafish is a sound-track for some brave, new wave musical about being irrevocably on the outside of 'rtormal social life'. Very credible and praiseworthy. How many of you know what it's like to be teenaged and ugly, fat, scaly, dwarfed and so on? Unfortunately, it's not a good record. It's not abnormal enough to reflect its lyrical content. Although Jim does try to make his music sound weird, savage and deformed, it ; just comes out strained : and clut- [ tered?HHBBBI|jj^BBMBBM The verses of 'Disgracing the Family Name' aren't bad, Joe likes 'Joan Fan Club' and Australia could conceivably take the whole thing to its heart, but for : a bloke who sings, "I am the rotten apple with the worms chewing at my core," it's all so very nice.

Chris Knox

U2 Boy Island U2 are from Dublin, breeding ground of the Boomtown Rats. Although they have existed since the primeval days of punk;'it' took them until last year to secure release of their debut, Boy. . Produced by Steve Lillywhite (of XTC fame), Boy is above all intense. It combines melody and harmony with the semi-metal fervour favoured by. the Skids. On the opener, 'I Will Follow', the voice of Bono Vox twists up to . a full-paced chant over reverberating guitars and crashing drums. Through . the whole of, Side One, they don't let up. 'An Cat Dubh', 'Twilight' . and especially 'Out of Control' all ooze the excitement lacking in many of Britain's elite. As the cover and title suggest, Boy is concerned with the problems of . growing up. 'Stories for Boys' deals with the same area touched on by 'Twilight' and 'I Will Follow'. A boy tries hard to be a man, His mother takes him by his hand, If he stops to think he starts \ to cry, - Oh, Why? Only on 'The Ocean' does the music reflect the lyrical depression. Short and sombre, it's mood parallels Joy Division. U2, with their mixture of old wave skills and new wave ideals, have made a record for the masses. A stunning debut. Mark Phillips Garland Jeffreys Escape Artist Epic Those who retrieved Jeffreys' 1972 Atlantic debut from the sale bins, where it immediately landed on its release in this country, were agreeably surprised as to just how good the record was. ; However we had to wait until 1977 before Jeffreys delivered the real goods, via the justifiably much-praised Ghost Writer. Two more albums on. A&M followed, bought L in vast quantities by Europeans only, and then it was on to label three. And here with Escape Artist, we find Jef-

freys right back at the very top of his craft. Songs are always important, and Jeffreys' writing on Escape Artist would rank with his finest to date. But what really makes this one work is the backdrop a sprinkling of top reggae names plus two each from the Rumour (who have ditched Parker in favour of the dread-locked New York mulatto) and the E Street Band. It's a mighty unit, and flavoured by guest appearances from the wunnerful Adrian Belew and longtime buddy Lou Reed, to name but two, you have the

perfect vehicle for Jeffreys' superior vocal skills to cruise on. So good in fact, that the overkill on vocals that occasionally marred previous works, is never allowed room to destroy the balance of the record. Escape Artist comes with a bonus 4-track EP, and it is there that Jeffreys plays his main reggae cards. The album itself is a lot more rocky, no ballads, nothing slow. The killer cuts are arguably the last two on the second side (a great place for killer cuts), the cover of Question Mark & The

Mysterians' '96 Tears' is superb, and 'Christine' is a natural single. The man never misses once over the entire 14 trackgMM— PM Play this between The River and Trust. You might just find it's better than both of them. Roy Colbert Dennis O'Brien Still In The Same Dream EMI . This is Wellingtonian Dennis O'Brien's second album. His first was recorded in London in -75 with Gerry Rafferty's producer. This one is selfproduced (with James Hall) in Wellington. It's very good indeed. O'Brien sings, plays piano and co-wrote nine of the eleven numbers. His voice is strong with just that commerciallyright touch of throttled melodrama. But it's his songwriting that's his real ace in the hole. An astute “craftsman, O'Brien proves thoroughly capable of adopting various popular styles at will. Four of the first tracks range , through Steely Dan, flat-out rock'n'roll, a jazzy, shuffle (a la Amazing Rhythm Aces) and a Jay and the American's type ballad. Side Two is the stylistically more uniform solid, mainstream pop-rock of consistently high standard. The impeccable musicianship, from some of NZ's finest session workers, is enhanced by a powerful, punchy production. In fact everything about this album is classy. Given the right promotion, Still In The Same Dream has the necessary attributes to hit big in that market currently dominated by the fading talent of Billy Joel. If EMI don't push this album for all they're worth they're crazy. Peter Thomson Mink DeVille Le Chat Bleu Capitol The delays and problems surrounding : the third Mink DeVille album have given it a sort of mythical status Willie versus the Capitol bankers, Art v Finance with Art finally winning. On listening, one's first and lasting reaction is:

what's all the fuss about? The album was recorded in Paris and New York with Steve Douglas producing. It was reputed to be laden with strings. The record company said uncommercial. Willie was sacked. Why? Essentially, Le Chat Bleu follows closely the lines of the two previous albums occasionally, a mite too closely. The rocker 'Savoir Faire' carbons 'Gunslinger' from the first album and 'Soul Twist' from the second, the lilting ballad 'That World Outside' (cowritten with veteran songsmith Doc Pomus) has the melodramatic rises and falls of 'Just Your Friends' from Return To Magenta. But perhaps that is carping. There are some sublime moments. Willie DeVille has a marvellously evocative voice. He can sound hurt, crushed by emotion; but still avoid selfpity. His leer on uptempo number is so broad as to be ludicrous but funny. If you want some funny, silly, moving singing, check out 'Bad Boy', with its cocktaillounge piano and shooby-doo vocal chorus. For stick-it-up-there raunch, try 'Lipstick Traces' and the dirty, propulsive guitar of Louis X. Erlanger. An excellent album regardless of the wait. Ken Williams The Residents Commercial Album RTC If you have any preconceptions about the Residents, this album will destroy them. While the band's previous material (available here on the Nibbles compilation) has been obscure and inaccessible to most, this album seems to live up to its title. It contains forty one-minute tracks, each with its own melody self contained but fitting into an overall mosaic. They cover everything from rock and roll to ethnic ditties, each song sounding satisfying when heard in context, despite its lack of length..' The Residents could never be classed as easy listening, but this album is almost ambient music a record you can put

on and just float away, as with much mid-period Eno. . \ But; things aren't quite right. It's still a Residents' album and it sounds like it. No hard core devotees will be disappointed, but it should have a wider appeal than things like 'Satisfaction', and 'Smelly Tongues'. Then again, perhaps I'm just taking them too seriously. . ■ The Residents sell out? No, the Residents sell in. Simon Grigg The Joe Jackson Band Beat Crazy A&M Joe Jackson's debut certainly looked one of the sharpest of '79: catchy tunes, danceable rhythms and smart lyrics. Possible reservations over any Costello influence were cleared away by the follow-up album; Jackson was definitely his-own man. Now, over two years later, comes his third, though this time it's the J.J. Band. And there's a lot more than just a few moniker involved here. Remember those witty, ironic lyrics of sexual bewilderment? No more. The new Jackson is asolemn auteur pronouncing on racism, political ideology, voodoo, fashion, social alienation even. Serious stuff. Unfortunately however, his once trenchant observations are becoming laboured. Moreover, in writing what seem primarily statements rather than songs, he has dissipated his old musical strengths of melody and structure. 'Someone Up There' is virtually the only example of those tight, poppy numbers that made his fame. Most of this music is darker, moodier, considerably less accessible than before, often involving long, even overlong, instrumental passages. I've really been trying to like this album. After all, Jackson has made a bold departure from the safety of his successful formula. I respect his concerns and admire his passion. And certainly there are some successes here: 'One to One', 'Battleground', 'Someone Up There'. Ultimately, however, too much of Beat Crazy simply fails to satisfy..

Peter Thomson