Records

Rip It Up, Issue 111, 1 October 1986, Page 24

Records

Paul Simon Graceland Warner Bros In general Paul Simon’s work is regarded in ridiculously narrow terms by his New Zealand audience. They confine it to the nostalgia of his days in the 60s with Garfunkel. This is despite the fact that most of Simon’s best work has been recorded since that duo’s demise. His last album, Hearts and Bones, was one of 1983’s finest, yet hit the sale bins less than a year after its release. At the same time his reunion concert with Garfunkel broke attendance records at Western Springs.

Part of the reason is that Simon resolutely writes about the concerns of his own age group, and the late 30s/early 40s generation isn’t big on record buying these days. Especially when a musician they think they should feel comfortable with starts experimenting.

In Graceland’s detailed sleeve notes Simon writes how the initial inspiration for the album came after hearing a cassette of recent black groups from Soweto. He became hooked and pursued the music to its source, recording with the musicians there and also bringing a drummer, bass-player and guitarist back to New York. The end result is that nine of the 11 tracks here feature artists from Southern Africa. Their input ranges from a rhythm section, to complete band, to composing credits, to use of a choir and the Zulu language on ‘Homeless’. It’s no cultural strip-mining Simon’s engaged in. He gives full and fulsome acknowledgement to the African contributions. Besides, as much as he’s gaining from new stimuli, so are a number of little heard musicians gaining enormous exposure. (It’s not the first time Simon’s done this sort of thing. In 1971 he was the first major recording artist to travel to Jamaica to play with genuine reggae musicians. Check ‘Mother and Child Reunion’.)

But does all this crossculturalism work? Yes. Emphatically. If some of the elements seem slightly unusual at first, like the accordian accents on the first track, one soon adjusts. The African in-

fluences (not to mention Simon’s own usual meticulous melodies and finely spun lyrics) become so infectious that after only a couple of hearings it’s the two tracks recorded with completely American backing that sound out of place. (And they’re certainly not lacking instrumental prowess. There’s Los Lobos and a New Orleans bar band with the wonderful name of Good Rockin’ Dopsie and the Twisters.) Financially Paul Simon certainly doesn’t need to work (Bridge Over Troubled Waters, anyone?) The fact that he continues to produce such first-class records for a seemingly diminishing public is basically their problem. But regardless of its sales potential Graceland is one of the year’s most refreshing new releases. Peter Thomson Various Artists Weird Culture, Weird Custom Jayrem Student radio, if you’re lucky enough to be near enough to hear it, would have to be the most consistently listenable radio in the country. And this record, two groups from each of the six student stations, reflects the diversity and 80s-FM professionalism of national student radio. The highlight of the first side would have to be the Remarka-

bles’ ‘Reno’, which outstrips the rest for spirit. The Crawbilly Creeps open the side with A Day in Lucky Gulch,’ out’n’out yeehaw cowboy tiredness, followed by the JeanPaul Sartre Experience’s embryonic funk-stomp ‘Let That Good Thing Grow’ and Putty in Her Hands’ homegrown ode to ‘NZ Music’. Two White Eyes’ ‘Thinking Of’ unfortunately suffers through poor singing though, and after the Remarkables, Cassandra’s Ears close the side on a mellow note.

That mood is broken by the Battling Strings’ exuberant ‘lf I Do’ and ‘Christmas in the Country,’ a strange western pop tale from the Puddle. The Pikelets’ ‘Real Regression’ does sound like a bit of mid-70s’ regression, albeit interesting ... while Three Leaning Men’s ‘Happy’ and All Fall Down’s ‘Holding Time’ are basically good pop songs — a genre that the Wetbacks lend a more Waikato R&Bish bent to with ‘Don’t Get Caught’. On the whole, this is more commercially-oriented than BFM’s Outnumbered By Sheep, but apart from the Remarkables, Battling Strings and All Fall Down, Weird Culture, Weird Custom is distinctly un-lively. There is some pretty deadpan stuff in there — it’s an interesting record, a good vinyl representation, but I do wish they could all throw off those shackles of restraint and really let the good thing grow.

Paul McKessar

Isley, Jasper, Isley Caravan of Love

CBS The Isley Brothers are a summer band. Every year the radio stations dig out a copy of 'That Lady’ and ‘Summer Breeze.’ Like summer, the Isleys don’t change much. And one summer, and one record, can be indistinguishable from the one before.

Even with this new group, made up of the three youngest members, brothers Ernie and Marvin Isley, and cousin Chris Jasper, this is still an Isley Brothers album. Ernie, the guitar virtuoso, brings back memories of ‘Go For Your Guns’ on the first track. Remember the summer of 77? (No? I told you so.) ‘lnsatiable Woman’ is all about true sex, which the Isleys love to sing about, and it’s wrapped up in the same summer we’ve known since Gaye’s Let’s Get It On album. ‘Caravan of Love’ is one of the Isley’s best ever, with lyrics that make it a hot contender for the Nobel peace prize. And, apart from a brief flirtation with Prince’s sound (I am sick of comparing people to Prince), the Isley, Jasper,

Isley experience should definitely be on your summer playlist. Peter Grace Sting Bring on the Night A&M - ’ This is the in-concert double album of the band that made Dream of the Blue Turtles, recorded during a few European dates last December. The material consists of six numbers from that album, five (I think) Police songs and a few new ones. Whether it’s all worth buying depends on what you want from it. It’s not a greatest hits. In .fact none of these songs would number among Sting’s most well known. Instead the repertoire seems selected to suit the jazz background of his new band. And in nearly all selections there’s an improvement. Sometimes it’s subtle: despite the added instrumentation and vocal backing to ‘Tea in the Sahara,’.the main enhancement is,due to Darryl Jones being a better bassist than the Policeman. •

Occasionally the improvement is considerable. The once-stodgy ‘When the World is Running Down’ gains a pulsating rhythmic lift, and deservedly opens the album. Even the songs this band has already recorded are enhanced (although

‘One World/Love is the Seventh Wave’ goes on far too long). The treatments are similar but tend to be both more driving and more relaxed.

The only outright failure in an otherwise very good set of performances is a blustering rendition of ‘Demolition Man; which just goes to show that brilliant jazzbos don’t necessarily know how to rock.

Which brings us to a wrong motive for investigating this album. The fact that the band contains four of the hottest talents in jazz, and the fact that live performance usually allows musicians to stretch out, might tempt strictly jazz listeners to purchase Bring on the Night in expectation of stellar instrumental excitement. They shouldn’t. Sure, Kenny and Branford get to solo, but nothing like as satisfyingly as they do on a good Wynton Marsalis album. After all Stingsongs aren’t exactly great themes to improvise on. Ironically however, any criticism one might mount against these musicians for slumming may be short-sighted. For his very act of introducing such instrumentalists to a huge new audience, Sting may one day be seen as having done more for the future of jazz than Archie Shepp. Peter Thomson

Gotham City Express Reaction You’d be hard pressed to find a stronger line-up than the 12 musicians in the Gotham City Express. Technically superb, funky and tight at their occasional live gigs, they’ve recorded this ninesong album live to two-track in Mandrill studios guided by coproducer/engineer Tim Field. That was a good move in an effort to retain spontaneity, and the results are so note-perfect one can only marvel at the musicians’ proficiency. The vocalists Anne Crummer, Peter Morgan and Kim Willoughby particularly shine on the numbers they sing together, especially the opener ‘Oh La De Dah’, while Gary Verberne has captured perfectly ,the HM sound of funk guitar. The backbone however is the fivepiece horn section, anchored by Newton Hoons Chris Green and Mike Russell, who get a chance to stretch out on ‘What is Hip’ and ‘The Fight Song! Larry Martinez’s piano is excellent too, playing rhythm or on David Sancious-style explorations. The Gotham City Express are hot live, but on vinyl there’s something missing. What it is is personality; on a stage you can see the musicians responding to each other, which takes the indulgence

out of the improvisations. As it is, there is plenty of slick playing here, but the only one of the jazz/rock/funk tunes that’s memorable is ‘lmagine) and that sounds as if it was arranged by TVNZ. Otherwise, it’s the sort of hot licks you used to hear over the PA at Western Springs while reading your Hot Licks. Chris Bourke ÜB4O Rat in the Kitchen DEP International A fair year, this, for UK reggae. Aswad and Steel Pulse have both proved that high-tech doesn’t mean a loss of Roots, the Mad Professor’s Ariwa Posse has brought further innovations in dub production, the MC’s may yet sustain their initial burst of popularity, and ÜB4O produce another ÜB4O LP That is to say, ÜB4O maintain their consistent, catchable melodic touch, their lyrical simplicity and clarity and their deft arrangements. If this seems to be damning by faint praise, it’s not meant that way because Rat in the Kitchen is no letdown. Rather, ÜB4O now inspire a friendly familiarity, like a favourite T-shirt. It’s a colour plenty of people will be wearing this summer, as they’ve done in previous years with Geffrey Mor-

gan and U 844. The new ÜB4O album will be essential warm weather listening. If there’s an air of formula creeping into ÜB4o’s work, it’s certainly one that pays off. Fans will feel instantly at home with All I Want to Do’ and ‘Watchdogs,’ both filled with mellow Campbell brothers harmonies and insistent horn punctuations. Astro aficionados will delight in ‘Tell It Like It Is’ and the title track, being typically smooth toasts, the latter featuring an instrumental dovetail courtesy of Herb Alpert (how the hell did he get in there?). The band’s politics remain firmly in the court of equal rights and justice, ‘Sing Our Own Song’ being sufficient to ensure Rat in the Kitchen will not be released in Bothaland. ÜB4O now have sufficient control over their product to ensure this doesn’t happen, anyway. So what if it’s just another ÜB4O album? Sure, it breaks no new ground, but then ÜB4O still occupy a unique position as Britain’s most internationally popular multiracial reggae band. Their original gifts have not deserted them, nor have any of their original members. Praise the unity of these Brummies, and the banner they carry. So why do I keep wishing they’d surprise me? Duncan Campbell