Records

Rip It Up, Issue 92, 1 March 1985, Page 24

Records

Bryan Adams, Reckless (A&M) Back in 1977, Adams met drummer Jim Vallance and a songwrit-

ing partnership was formed. Their material was used by the likes of Loverboy, Kiss .and Bonnie Tyler. Fast forward to 85 and the partnership is still intact on this, the fourth Adams album. The cover shot is by Japanese lensman Hiro (famous for the Stones' Black and Blue cover) and the contents are what you'd expect. Ten tracks, ranging from the top five (USA) single 'Run to You’ through to the softer ballads like 'Heaven’ (from the film A Night in Heaven)

somewhere in between is 'Solid Rock’ as per his Western Springs appearance. Surprise track is 'lt’s Only Love’, sung with none other than Tina Turner. There’s also a sixtrack video of the album available. What with a world tour, top 10 (USA) album and songs being covered by 38 Special and Joe Cocker, 85 seems to be Bryan Adams’ year. SGE Australian Crawl Crawl File (EMI) "Gidday mate, guess what I’ve

got in my hand? No, it’s not Bob Hawke’s resignation and it's not The Australian Book of Etiquette

... it’s a collection of Aussie Crawl’s singles and a cross-section of album tracks. It's got all the goodies, including 'Shutdown) 'Down Hearted’, 'Reckless' and 'Boys Light Up) (By the way, the inner sleeve is codesigned by ex-Swinger Buster Stiggs.) Okay lads, let’s all sing ... ‘Throw down your gun, let’s all get leg\ess\'" SGE The Everly Brothers EBB 4 (Mercury) Okay, it’s 1984 and the Everly Brothers are gonna make a record. "Wow,” says Paul McCartney, and, acknowledging a debt of influence, writes for them possibly the best country song of last year. Solid ZB stuff! And “wow" says longtime fan Dave Edmunds. And who better to produce such an album? Well, it doesn’t turn out to be the Stray Cats meet Johnny Cash; there are songs from Frankie Miller, the Beatles and Bob Dylan. Can’t miss, right? There is a great version of the Jeff Lynne song, 'The Story Of Me) complete with synthesisers too. But there are many filler tracks as well. Don Everly’s writing has fallen off since his first solo country album and it

was only B-grade then. But yes, execellent production, and the Paul McCartney song, 'Wings of a Nightingale’ is worth the album price alone. BS Aretha Franklin Aretha’s Jazz (Atlantic) This album collects selections from two previously released Aretha LPs. Side one excerpts tracks from her Soul '69 album. Not exactly jazz, more big band blues. The settings may be less than perfect but Aretha’s singing is prime: fiery and inspired. Side two however takes some of the most muddled moments from her collaboration with Quincy Jones, Hey Now Hey (The Other Side Of the Sky). A complete reissue of Soul ‘69 or even better, a reissue of her first six albums would have been preferable, but the renewed availability of this material in any form is welcome. Ricky Skaggs’ AD Country Boy (Epic) Hot picking in an "urban bluegrass” mould. Skaggs is a pleasant singer he does a nice job of George Jones’ 'Window Up Above’ and a fine instrumentalist (guitar, mandolin, fiddle). He gets some sterling support from the likes of steel guitarist Lloyd

Green and Buddy Emmons and fiddler Bobby Hicks. Bluegrass legend Bill Monroe adds his mandolin to his own 'Wheel Hoss) The record has a nice, pre-rock feel, woody, acoustic. For good and bad times, by the people for the people. KW The Bronx Outrageous Boys (Capture) The Bronx have been a live pub favourite for several years now, operating in a similar musical field to the Narcs. They've released a couple of singles and now, with the news of a change of name (to 'Chains’), lineup and musical direction, comes an epitaph LP, recorded at Gisborne’s Capture Studios. Soundwise it’s pretty good crisp and clear; material-wise it’s a little patchy. They clearly operate best up-tempo, with ‘Nigel’, the standout track on the album, romping along very nicely indeed. The weakest moments come on the ballads, which are pretty limp. They’ve got an ear for a tune and a feel for rock and with their new members coming from Knightshade presumably the hard rock elements of the band will be pursued. A reasonable souvenir of the old, then, and I look forward to the new. CC