Records

Rip It Up, Issue 99, 1 October 1985, Page 32

Records

The Damned Pantasmagoria (MCA) The Damned. The Damned had two of the very best singles to come from punk rock: New Rose' and 'Neat, Neat, Neat'. Both of these were written by Brian James, who left the band after the first album. The band subsequently made an album with no good songs on it (Music For Pleasure), one with a number of good songs (Machine Gun Ettiquette) and then a weird double album (The Black Album) which was fascinating in its novelty and mostly boring two years later. The Lovely Money EP was just dreadful, Strawberries wasn't very exciting. Phantasmagoria exploits the band's only remaining personality, Dave Vanian, and drops some classic English melodies into a soup of creamy vampire production: 'Grimly Fiendish' lives round the corner from Arnold Layne and over the fence from Ray Davies, Edward the Bear' sounds like Madness, etc. Might be really irksome

were it not for the sense of humour. As it is ... good bits. RB Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Crush (Virgin) You've heard the album, now see the documentary. The only problem is that Andy and what's-his-name are rather dull, despite their recent flashes of album cleverness, and the three-minute videos themselves are terrible wayless, pointless and expensive for no apparent reason. Only OMD would travel to Mexico in order to shoot a video that would look equally convincing filmed behind Al 'n' Pete's Takeaways. Oh, and a different model for each video, none of whom seem to actually do anything except look vaguely worried or stand idly in apartments waiting for Andy and what’s-his-name to arrive, also looking very rich and worried (is there a connection?). I liked the album, but the video makes me resent it better than Horlicks and twice as thick, if you know what I mean ... Four Tops Back Where I Belong (Motown) This one's a re-issue, even though the original release was only last year. Yet. in a way. the album's concept harks back to

Motown's heyday in the mid-60s. For openers, all four tracks on side one come courtesy of the Holland-Dozier-Holland team who wrote the Tops their four best 60s hits. And while none of these new songs is anywhere in that league, at least they're all dependable. Then on side two we get a couple of classy collaborations, one with old Motown stablemates the Temptations and, best of all, a terrific duet with Aretha Franklin If, like me, you were somewhat disappointed with Ms Franklin’s recent duet with Annie Lennox and are only reasonably impressed by her Freeway Of Love', then listen here for real satisfaction. So while the bulk of Back Where I Belong is simply respectable fare for longterm Tops fans, their one track with Aretha should win over all but the totally soulless. PT The Motels Shock (Capitol) Martha Davis's dreams of the great romance seem to be disintegrating into a second-rate soap opera. The Motels’ two concerts will never be forgotten, but their songwriting peaked about two LPs back. Shock is just rehashedideas, lacking any standout tunes and relying heavily on formula.DC

Cabaret Voltaire Drinking Gasoline (Virgin) A review in 150 words? 150 words? Ironic, since in a four song EP Cabaret Voltaire say more than most people say in a hovel. And that's ironic, since in their early days they were naught but noise; ever since Red Mecca their nerves and paranoia have become gregarious, sprawling with style and incredibly articulate. Nag Nag Nag? Rave Rave Rave! Big Funk' and Chino' are the starring duo, and neither do anything for nerves. The EP is more about nerves, whereas The Crackdown was more sexual and personal. Drinking Gasoline is the Everyman of edge, all jabbering and sweaty fingers Yet another release with synthesisers that could eat Nick Cave for breakfast. CT Corey Hart Boy In the Box (EMI) Another streetwise "American" kid from the James Dean mould lines up at the starting gate with his second album. The man who popularised the wearing of 'Sunglasses At Night' gives us nine of his own compositions: He kicks ass (as our Aussie cousins would say) with Boy In the Box' and Komrade Kiev' and provides

pleasant ballads in Never Surrender' (the first single), 'Eurasian Eyes' and 'Everything In My Heart' plus a Euro-reggae feel in 'Sunny Place Shady People'. But as is the case with so many American rock albums today, it sounds like the same session musicians are used. It’s so easy not to take musical risks these days. Stand up the artists and sit down you accountants. SGE ZZ Top The Summer Holiday EP (Warners) Mate, Bar-B Saturday arvo. Bring some tinnies and I’ll bring ZZ Top’s latest. You'll like it. It's got 'Tush; plus 'Got Me Under Pressure' on one side, with the rocky Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers' (from Tres Hombres) and the bluesy ‘l’m Bad, I'm Nationwide’ (from Deguello) on the other side. Great, mate! But did you know that drummer Frank Beard is the one who hasn't got one? SGE Heart (Capitol) Oh! It's the Wilson sisters. Back in 77 I was 'Crazy On You' and now, eight years later, we have their eighth album. It's your standard fare of hard rock (‘lf Looks Could Kill’, ‘Shell Shock), ballads ('Nobody Home', 'These Dreams) and

those laborious rock songs Americans love ( What About Love). An acceptable album, but lacking the "magic, man” of their previous releases. SGE Michael McDonald No Lookin’ Back (Warner Bros) Michael McDonald has been blessed with as hauntingly soulful a voice as any affluent, middle class, white Californian has any right to. Why then must producer Ted Templeman swamp its natural beauty with the unnatural flash and presence of syndrums, graphic equaliser and all that other technobabble? But McDonald is also a songwriter of considerable merit and has, usually in partnership, penned a number of first rate songs. But No Lookin' Back contains nothing as strong as 'I Keep Forgetting; the main redeeming feature of his 1982 album. Overall it’s pretty much the old craft-without-inspiration syndrome and the title track only remains memorable by default. It’s another co-write with Kenny Loggins who unfortunately leaves his foot(loose) prints all over the sound. And to think that these are the same two guys who wrote ’What A Fool Believes’. PT