the SHAKE Summation

Rip It Up, Issue 80, 1 March 1984, Page 32

the SHAKE Summation

Wastrels Out to Sea (Hit Singles) A dreamy, sad, melodic little pop song that is by far the best thing the Wastrels have recorded. Lovely vocal harmonies and jangly guitar and a nice lyric. The only thing to mar it is stabs of quite unnecessary electronic percussion i (ha til'd guess weren't the] Band's idea. This comes in two,versions,j a 7" with Time For a Ride', which begins with a great howl but can carry the momentum much further, and a limited 12" with a rather , pinched but pleasantly sloppy version of the infamous 'Slutty Mole'. Will the Wastrels take the Mockers' place as the band that makes great singles but can't quite get it together live? The Spines Act Your Age (Jayrem) Six tracks of John McLeary's unique vision, with an ideal cheeky opening by 'Lions', probably the best song here. With McLeary playing bass himself in place of Wendy Calder the music has a different, jerkier feel, the freer style of a self-taught musician. Curious, mysterious, another fine Spines' record. Freudian Slips On the Line (Jayrem) An odd record, this'. Its spirit is strong but at times that spirit seems to leave the music itself

behind. The;lively, disrespectful 'Kryptonite' uses wonderful imagery to make its point and succeeds i wholly but the warmth and love of 'lntimacy' seems to get lost in the mix. Strong sentiments and songs, just a little blurred in their commission to,'vinyl. Carol Woodward and Bill Direen Feast of Frogs (Prototype) Woodward and Direen have ■ translated and arranged four songs by 19405/50s French nightclub performer Boris Vian. The results are charming, witty, poignant and j immensely likeable, from the! 2am-third-bottle-of-wine philosophy of 'I Drink' to the sexual battiness of m Hurt Me Johnny' (featuring Maryrose Wilkinson on vocals). A magnificent little record, available, if yer lucky, from Prototype Publications, PO .Box 2190, Christchurch for 54.50. And another thing, when Frank Stark slisted r the best NZ vocalists in the Listener a while back he left out I Bill Di reenWHHBKyB The Diehardsjßa^fflß Hit That Beat (RCA) At long last on record. It's smooth, perhaps a shade wimpy but what a chorus. I’m not sure if the Diehards will ever quite be able to do that hook justice but it's the best thing they've come up with. It speaks of growing up, throwing up and going up. The flip, 'Love He Cried' is an OK Eddie pop song. Mole Manne, Obituary (Jayrem) Eleven-track legacy of a group that never quite seemed to go anywhere. The guitar graunch/ synthesiser/strained vocals combination made hard going for me but the cover's neat. For fans. | Russell Brown