Shake Summation

Rip It Up, Issue 109, 1 August 1986, Page 32

Shake Summation

The Clean Live Dead Clean (Flying Nun) A posthumous live EP from the seminal Dunedin band — six songs recorded in Auckland and Christchurch in 1981 and ’B2. My favourite is the first side, with ‘Two Fat Sisters’, then the instrumental tour-de-force 'At the Bottom’ (which appears also on the Oddities tape) leading into ‘Caveman’, which is the Clean at their poppy best, even if it does suffer a bit from the ‘‘live sound” ... ‘Happy Birthday John’ (a strange little number), another instrumental called ‘Attack of the Teddy Bears’ and ‘Filling a Hole’ make up the second side. It ain’t no Boodle, but it’s always nice to hear something else from th' Clean — gimme some more! Paul McKessar Tex Pistol The Ballad of Buckskin Bob (Pagan 12”) Recently there’s been a lot of cowboys riding the range with their drum machines and sequencers, but here comes one of the better ones — Tex Pistol, with his cautionary Western tale. A little sad, but not lacking in humour. I prefer side two, with ‘I Don’t Know What Came Over Me’, the sort of dirty country ditty found on those X-rated David Allen Coe albums, nice steel guitar solo in there as well. ‘Winter’ is a fairly straight piece of song writing, but clever use of adapting several Rolling Stones riffs to

form a new song, I can hear ‘Honky Tonk Women’ and ‘Country Honk’ at least. Another interesting release from Pagan Records. Kerry Buchanan

Gotham City Express Imagine (Reaction 7”) A good idea, getting Annie Crummer to sing the version of John Lennon’s song Patti Labelle stole Live Aid with. And she’s done a good job, excellently played of course, but it doesn't move me. But it should move those arbiters of taste, the ZB programmers, which can only be a plus. It builds slowly and delicately, Crummer avoids her tendency to occasionally over-do it, and an anticipated battle against the big-band backing doesn’t occur. On ‘Who Are You Talkin’ To’ Peter Morgan impresses; he’s got a great modern black sound to his voice. It’s a light funk excursion, with little to hook into apart from the voice and the electric piano; though all those classy players get a chance to strut their licks for a coupla bars. The Mockers A Winter’s Tale (RCA) Two tracks from the Culprit and the King album. A Winter’s Tale’, a morose Mockers’ exercise, begins with their trademark piano, the production builds, and it looks like we’re in for an epic, but suddenly it’s all over and the solo piano quickly signs off. On ‘Home Again’, _all stops are pulled out on the synths; it chugs along, and is more sprightly than the A-side. Tailormade to pad out a pub set with plenty of dry ice, here, the Australian production is very apparent. There’s something very mid-70s about these tunes. Andrew’s singing has improved, but

the memorable Mockers’ hooks are missing. Nick Smith Flanker (Real Groovy) Nick Smith's images of New Zealand society and relationships are not easy listening; he pulls no punches in his lyrics, which are sung with a powerful, disturbingly anguished, choked vocal. It’s a bitter pill we are asked to swallow, both lyrically and musically. Maybe live the voice is easier to stomach, but here, its harshness swamps the beauty of the acoustic instruments and what melody there is. Smith has picked the best of mentors in Van Morrison, but his singing lacks fluidity; he needs to loosen up. ‘Requiem’, the EP’s centrepiece, shows what he can achieve — however its message for the NZ male is overwhelmed by sourness. What happened to the sensitivity and intelligence, present in the other four songs, he finds lacking in rugby boneheads? The Economic Wizards The Second Coming (Eelman) The Economic Wizards have always been great fun, and they can hang a song together too. This four-track EP of raw, witty, boozy R&B — while a letdown after Starve the Lizards — accurately relects their casual charm. Excellent vocals from Jim Steele to classic Chuck Berry riffing and a-mean and obscene harp player. In a world dominated by pretension, the true rock and roll spirit of the Wizards is refreshing. Melodies, one-liners, and messages too: “Jesus Christ in blue suede shoes I Leading the dance of the chosen few / Someone tell me what can an atheist do?" (‘Fundamental Baby’, the best song here.) Funnier than the Johnnys — and more musical too! Chris Bourke