Briefs

Rip It Up, Issue 64, 1 November 1982, Page 18

Briefs

Alastair Dougal

Judas Priest Screaming For Vengeance (Epic) The pick of this month's metal releases. Priest are continuing to improve with each outing and Screaming For Vengeance sees them at a peak of composition and performance. The album kicks off

with a slight instrumental, then it's head first into 'Electric Eye', a glorious Tipton/Downing boogie which sets tne standard for the rest of the tracks. With Rob Halford's scream in top form throughout and their thunderous rhythm section, this album deserves to break Judas Priest in NZ. Gillan, Magic (Virgin) A misnomer if ever there was one. Sounding throughout like third-rate 71 Deep Purple, it's disappointing that one of the

fathers of hard rock can only come up with something as weak as this.. It's mot that these veterans can't still deliver (one listen to Heep's Abominog dispels that - notion). Maybe lan Gillan needs more inspired musicians surrounding him to push him to more satisfying results. Chris Caddick Aretha Franklin Jump To It (Arista) Luther Vandross' self-produced, NZ debut album was such a sue-, cessful vocal showcase that there was good cause to hope that, as producer for Jump To It, the latest Aretha Franklin album, he would create an equally sympathetic setting for her. Well, Aretha turns in her most impressive vocal turns, but it's very much artistry in a vacuum. She sounds disconnected from these backing tracks, they don't propel her, but merely bubble funkily in the background. The duet with the Four Tops' Levi Stubbs is just plain dull, it fails to raise even the spark Aretha struck with George Benson. So while this is a more than passable attempt at moving Aretha Franklin into a contemporary context, it really doesn't solve the problem of what to do with the premier voice of our times. Shame.