Records

Rip It Up, Issue 94, 1 May 1985, Page 26

Records

The Associates Perhaps WEA Tales of Billy Mackenzie's eccentricities and excesses have overshadowed the Associates' recent uncertain years. His love of whippets has been well publicised, and there’s the story of how he took his whole family plus dogs from Dundee to London to live it up on the record company tab. Colourful character, but Mackenzie’s whims have led to an erratic career in music. Albums like The Affectionate Punch (and the later, superior, remixed version), Sulk and the compilation, Fourth Drawer Down, were the results of a fruitful partnership with guitarist Alan Rankine. Since Sulk (1982) there have been numerous rumours of completed-but-shelved Associates’ tapes whatever, Rankine’s departure was no rumour and this led to guitarist Steve Reid becoming Mackenzie’s new foil. The recent singles, Those First Impressions’ and Waiting For the Loveboat’, both on Perhaps, showed a softer, more commercial Associates, their neuroses had under gone treatment and that was bad. But good news was on the flip of 'lmpressions’, in the shape of a single-minded instrumental, Thirteen Feelings’, a vocalised and remixed version of which provides one of the few highlights of Perhaps. Not too far into the new album and it’s obvious that the Associates miss Rankine because the Reid/Mackenzie music doesn’t have the same sense of the ridiculous or the same melodic strength or menace that marked the band’s best songs. The two singles, the title track and 'Don’t Give Me That I Told You So Look’ are tedious atmospheres that need lift. But memories of the old Associates flood back through the threatening Thirteen Feelings’ and partially through the delicacy of ‘Breakfast’, the Kraftwerk nonsense of ‘Helicopter Helicopter' and the weird soul duet of The Best Of You’. At one time the associates could evoke those twilight zones that other bands could only stutter over. Now, Perhaps shows that Mackenzie can only occasionally and belatedly recapture some of that sorcery. George Kay Prince Around the World In A Day Warner Bros It’s interesting that at present most of our most notable musical figures are remarkable in their status as phenomena more than for their music. Jackson, Springsteen, Frankie, Boy ... and Prince. Not that Prince hasn’t been a musical groundbreaker, of course, but it’s his American Dream self-made-shortassed-weirdo act that’s really taken off in the past year. It’s tempting to look at Around the World In a Day and conclude that Prince ran into a few sheets of The Good Acid and extended his rediscovery of white rock styles to Psychedelia, maaaan ... Certainly, all the trappings of the acid experience are here pais-

ley, songs about escaping into a wonderful world (the title track and 'Paisley Park’), self-discovery, philosophising even a conversation with God! But in reality Prince has gathered up a basketful of influences and pretty well nailed them all down with a relentless rhythm framework. Gospel, R&B, funk, rock ’n’ roll, jazz, they’re all here but all subjugated to the Prince beat. It’s a wild approach to production that works a treat on the likes of ‘Raspberry Beret’ but renders ’Paisley Park’ nothing short of clumsy. Prince swims in cliches but he has had a disarming ability to adroitly swing even the most hackneyed to his own ends (witness the glorious title track to Purple Rain). That's why it’s worrying to hear him dribble on about love being ’A Condition Of the Heart’ (ferchrissake!). In fact, if there’s anything missing from the album, it’s a little of his sheer natural aptitude for making great pop music. On the other hand, he’s singing as well as he ever has, maybe better. As with Purple Rain, Prince is using your turntable as an analyst's couch. He worries about his genital obssession before deciding to stay home for a spot of onanism on ‘Tambourine’ and in the course of ’Temptation’ (the closer, where he talks to God) conquers his lust problem and comes out the other side a happier person. He looks outward on the ironic ’America’ and the helpful 'Pop Life’ ("Everybody needs a thrill," he tells us and then goes on to wag the regal finger at cocaine users.) It’s always difficult to tell until months later with Prince albums, but with Around the World In a Day, he seems to have slipped. It's still an album that’s gonna get noticed, an adventurous and interesting record. I hope Prince stays around a long time. Damn he’s fun to watch. Russell Brown Say Yes To Apes The Decline and Fall of Say Yes To Apes TV Eye Right from Picnic Boys days, the three who make up the nucleus of Say Yes To Apes have emitted flashes of sheer brilliance in the course of never quite getting the dream 100 per cent. Decline and Fall still doesn’t get there, but it’s a few steps closer. The double(!) LP opens with Tensions’, which starts into a gnarled Hyphen-Smythe wordplay before exploding into a furious rave (cue: "There are grenades in the pain and they mean to go off ..."). Great start! The whole

side’s good actually, especially the weird '4th Dimension Prisoner! The rest of the record is a real menagerie of styles any and all of the songs but I lurrrve ‘Brilliant Day' and 'Detail From Rocket Banana! • No one could ever hope to copy SYTA they are what they is. The approaches to the playing of their instruments and the very way in which songs emerge are their, very own. They’ve got a wicked sense'; of humour but they’re not kidding : around. I realise this record might annoy shit out of some of you, but listen, you may love it. I think I do. Russell Brown 8.8. King/Various Into the Night MCA For the soundtrack of his new movie, director John Landis ( Blues Brothers, the ‘Thriller’ video) shows his taste for R&b by choosing bluesman 8.8. King to record three new songs,. to play .on incidental music and to appear in the film. As his last two albums have consisted of standards (country, Louis Jordan), it's good to hear 8.8. back in a modern context. 8.8.' King gets my vote for the greatest living musician today, so let’s hope this movie's a hit and focuses more attention on this truly exceptional guitarist/vocalist. ! V;/ The soundtrack is largely written by Ira Newborn: his composotions put King in a rock/funk setting for the title track and ‘My Lucille! King's guitar playing is as sweet or tough as required but his vocal performances are a bit abrasive, especially on the title track. ‘My Lucille’ is classic King and aches to become a staple live 8.8. number. , Surprise cover version is soul standard ’ln the Midnight Hour! King handles it in a very cool manner and Newborn provides an identikit Memphis riddum sound. There are also tracks by two other MCA artists, Thelma Houston and Patti Labelle (both' written by Newborn, neither are outstanding songs) and two Motown classics Marvin Gaye’s 'Let’s Get It On’ and the Four Tops’ ‘I Can’t Help Myself. The Into the Night soundtrack has class cos 8.8. is in a class of his own. R&B music doesn’t have , anyone else who can play guitar as expressively as 8.8. King, sing as sweet or rich or lead a band like he can from swing. to rock/funk feels, he is still the King. ( . Look out for the" videos from Into the Night. King’s movie band includes Eddie Murphy on drums and a horn section with Dan : Aykroyd and Steve Maiyjy

Murray Cammick^