BRIEFS

Rip It Up, Issue 48, 1 July 1981, Page 16

BRIEFS

Sector 27 Sector 27 (Mercury) Poor old Tom Robinson, one of the few really committed politics-in-rock activists who made his point when people were willing to listen back in '77, but is now struggling with old musical ideas and a dwindling audience who've heard it all before. His new band, Sector 27 just pick up from where Kustow and Co left off polished and

energetic, the ideal vehicle for pushing Robinson's concerned vignettes. Workmanlike he is, competent even, but as a songwriter he has rarely risen above intelligent story-telling and sloganeering, and Sector 27 is no different. Robinson has had his fifteen minutes in rock, but he's probably worth more on the platform. And that's where he belongs. GK Slow Children (Ensign) Part-produced by Jules Shear of the surprisingly highly-thought-of Jules and the Polar Bears, Slow Children appear to be trying for a piece of Motels/ Pretenders action on their debut. Urgent, jerky and precise, Slow Children are at times artily indifferent towards AM radio rules, but 'Staring At The Ceiling', 'She's Like America' and the single 'Talk About Horses' all suggest there could well be room at the inn. Arresting cover. RC Ruts DC Animal Now (Virgin)

With the death of Malcolm Owen last year, a vocalist of abrasive character if nothing else, the Ruts lost the crucial factor in their particular identity. New musician/vocalist Segs. is competently nondescript, and he fits in well with the band's tight, disciplined song structures but without Owen they've lost their distinctive edge. 'Dangerous Minds', 'No Time To Kill' and 'Mirror Smashed' are durable and workmanlike and the dub reggae weight of 'Fools' is wellintentioned if a little bland. Satisfactory but not satisfying, the Ruts are still angry but don’t sound it. GK Quincy Jones,

The Dude (A&M) There's a cliche that albums by producers are smooth, wellproduced but empty affairs. And yes the latest from Quincy Jones, the master producer of Michael Jackson and George Benson, is smooth and wellproduced but it's also a largely enjoyable confection. When the material relies on the singer to pull it through, the hollowness of these professionals just doesn't convince. But when the groove's hot enough as it is on about half of this album, there's no problem. AD