45S

Rip It Up, Issue 51, 1 October 1981, Page 18

45S

Francis Stark

The Specials Ghost Town EP (Chrysalis) After the drab More Specials comes this delightful piece of vinyl. Fruity horns, blended with bossa nova and Caribbean beats earned the song a number one spot in Britian. On the other side, we have 'Why' and ! Friday Night Saturday Morning'. The former is lightweight, protest reggae, the latter is possibly the best Specials' song since the first album. Echo And the Bunnymen Shine So Hard EP (Korova) Live material from the band's movie, dispells any doubts about their stage sound. 'Crocodiles' and the title track are from their first album, and 'Over the Wall' and 'Zimbo' (formerly 'All My Colours') from the second. Hugh Jones produces, and the whole exercise is nothing short of excellent. But will we see the movie? The Teardrop Explodes Passionate Friends (Mercury) A simple pop song, with a nice melody and fanciful lyrics. The sooner the Teardrops are recognised here as the excellent pop

band they are,.the better. 'Christ versus Warhol' on the flip is a slightly dark exercise for Julian Cope's vocal abilities. Alvin Stardust, Pretend (Stiff) Shane Fenton makes his third comeback with a Gerry and the Pacemakers' hit. This should have them bopping in the aisles again. 'Goose Bumps' is more reminiscent of his last time around. Dead Kennedy's Too Drunk To Fuck (Alternative Tentacle) Jello has a problem, doesn't he? Great hook, inane lyrics and some wonderful chundering noises at the end. Everything you need for a hit. Other track is 'The Prey':' slow and withdrawn. lan Dury Spasticus Artisticus (Polydor) No Blockheads Robbie Shakespeare and Sly Dunbar instead. This record has been deleted in the UK because of radio resistance, so get yours quickly. By the way, it's pretty awful, and B-side is the same thing in dub. Britannia Waives The Rules (Stunn) A sampler of Stunn artists. 'Miranda' and 'Oh No It's You' from the Passions. 'A Matter Of Gender' from the Associates. The irritatingly catchy 'Cult . Hero'

the people. Not bad value for $3.99, though. Surf SidefclMß, Can't You See The Sigh (Phantom) A seven-piece from Aussie making lots of noise on a fast rocker that sounds like the Sunnyboys with balls. They may not set the charts on fire, but it's a worthwhile effort. 'Beach Party' is much as you'd expect, a rampant singalong. 'Bad! , Bad!' is a slightly warped instrumental. Machinations Average Inadequacy (Phantom) Classy synth-pop with a very English sound from Australia. Strong vocals and clever playing make this a prime candidate for radio air time. The B side, Arabic' continues the theme without doing it quite as well. Mark Phillips Bob Marley Reggae On Broadway (WEA) Now begins the.big cash-in. Between 1968. and 1972, the Wailers were tied up with Johnny Nash and his business partner, Danny Sims. They recorded a series of demos, and the, backing tracks for Nash's '1 Can See Clearly Now'. The other tracks stayed with Sims, who's now releasing the, LP, Chances Are. This single is a sample. Whatever spark it may have had is buried amidst great heaps of messy, overdubbed drums, Las Vegas horns and some positively hideous heavy metal guitar. Marley is in good voice, but is ultimately drowned out. Conm p ib 1 e Duncan Campbell

Newmatics Broadcast o.r. EP (Furtive) The third part of the Screaming Blamatics put out their EP. Unlike the other two bands, the Newmatics have worked in an area with a definite set of rules ska. This EP shows them at last moving into a more individual style in their recorded work. 'Doobie Do Boy', in particular, shows a whole new side of the band and as radio fodder it is every bit as good as Screaming Meemees' See Me Go' or Blam Blam Blam's 'No Depression'. The other tracks cover a range of styles and this record should go a long way to getting the Newmatics safely away from being labelled last year's thing. Furys Rare Record EP (Muchmore) Surprise packet of the month, sort of. Listeners to Radio B last summer heard plenty of 'Auckland Fun', but it has taken this long for it to reach the shops. While the rest of the EP is pretty much your standard raunch

stash, 'Auckland Fun' is definitely something else someone here has worked out what happens when you turn the drums way up. Great thumping funk. Herco, Pilots Double EP (Rem) The Hercos seem to have grown a synthesiser since the last time I heard them. While this doesn't exactly make them the Residents, it is some evidence of the rather higher, um, cerebral content in this record compared with the weedy buzz-saw : sound of their debut. An impressive eight-song package.from a truly independent outfit. Swingers One Track Mind (Ripper) Someone should be getting a little worried at Swing Central. After Phil Judd and pure pop collided with 'Counting the Beat', anything seemed possible but it seems that they are continuing on their way pretty much untouched. Another fascinating exercise in layering, but some-

how it doesn't, sit there and say 'buy me'. jgffiHgag&M Techtones T.T. 23 (Ripper) The Techtones have fled and left us with this single and its parent album. The .home-re-corded A-side is a little murky but it has a strong tune and a gratifyingly sophisticated arrangement for a near-live recording. Along with 'Too Young' on the flip though, it could do with a lot more volume on the vocals. Broken Models Inside the Maze (Custard) Another .blow for Dunedin. The Broken Models' record is even better than 'Tally Ho', with a good meaty production added to all the other band's virtues. If someone hadn't given me all these records, I think this is the one I'd buy. Then again, if someone hadn't given them to me, I might never have heard it. Beat Rhythm Fashion Turn of the Century (Bunk) Another BRF record? So soon? This one is sort of like the.last one, only slower. I sort of liked the last one, slowly. Turn of the Century' is moody and perhaps gloomy, might be just the thing for you. Spaces Got Me at a Disadvantage (Epic) I've just noticed that this is the only record in this column that is released by a major record company, and it shows. This.is the new music of middle New Zealand. Owing plenty to MiSex and their chief admirers Flight X 7, bands like the Spaces pump out stomping synth-heavy pop to pub audiences who jump up and down just like clockwork.