albums

Rip It Up, Issue 168, 1 July 1991, Page 26

albums

CROWDED HOUSE Woodface (Capitol) Woodface is a tough and tender masterpiece. Tender because of its love songs, tough for the same reason. It owes nothing to what's around at the moment. It is stuffed full with melodies in an age where melody is an endangered species. Right now the first NZ-Australia rugby league test is on TV. The young Kiwis are taking it to the ageing world champion bruisers. Woodface is a little like that. Naturally, it's aimed at the soft underbelly of America. So it makes sense to be nice to the programmers. But: "The excess of fat on your /■ ; \ American bones/Will cushion the impact as you sink like a stone... Can I have another piece of chocolate cake"? You'd expect something this uncompromising to be buried down the tracks. But it's track one, the first single, spearheaded by the hi-FX video. Did I say this was a tough record? The songs are too much for one sitting. And, disconcertingly, they change at every listening. The killer phrases jump out ("There goes God, in his sexy pants and his sausage dog") but you find yourself being stroked by ordinary phrases made extraordinary ("up the creek and through the mill"; black clouds hanging over the

domain"). Most of it was written in a frenzied two weeks and put down in a home studio. Neil and Mitchell Froom share the production, which is as evocative and as playful as George Martin's. The harmonies do things only brothers can do. ' . - ' ''

It keeps coming. The chorus of Italian Plastic' ("when you wake up • with me") is destined to be a mass singalong on the next tour. It's written and brilliantly sung by drummer Paul Hester. Did I say this was a surprising record? - Neil says the group is "gathering energy for another descent into hell" He moana pukepuke e ekengia e te waka. Our thoughts go with them. ARTHUR BAYSTING SKID ROW Slave To The Grind (Warners) .' Skid Row have discovered heavy metal. This becomes very apparent 1 after the first few minutes of Slave To

The Grind. It seems like we are now dealing with a totally different group than the one responsible for such radio friendly rock as 'I Remember You'.

The new record kicks off with 'Monkey Business' and what a scorcher it is. The distortion pedal is now on ten and Skid Row seem to be aiming

towares the sound of older bands like Keel while still bringing in a healthy dose of young attitude. Sebastian Bach is probably one of the finest singers in this genre today. He has the rare ability of being able to sing screeching hard rock and love ballads without a hint of contradiction of feigned emotion. Despite the heavier musical stance now adopted by Skid Row it is the ballad area where they really excel. Check out Wasted Time' and 'ln A Darkened Room' for pure songwriting brilliance. A strong and uncompromising second release. LUKE CASEY VARIOUS ARTISTS Til Def Do Us Part (Def American) Not so long ago Rick Rubin was bringing us the cutting edge in Rap as one of the Def Jam crew, something he tired of as Def Jam became more soul orientated. Being a rockin' sort of guy, Rick decided to bring us the cutting edge in metal, and Io and behold Def American was bom. Now nine or so albums on, Def American have brought out this fine sampler so we the public, can, well, sample this selfsame cutting edge. Strangely enough, it all sounds very seventies, with a couple of notable exceptions and Wolfsbane who just sound boring. There's the Four Horsemen who feature Mr Haggis, late of the Cult, and sound an awful lot like AC/DC which is sort of cool, as are the quite wonderful Black Crowes who resemble the Stones when they were interesting. Black Sabbath weigh in as major influences for Trouble, whose self titled album I now feel I should buy, and in a more mellow style for Masters Of Reality, who are currently re-recording their album for those other White boys doing Rap with Metallic leanings, the Dust Brothers. Last up are my favourites, Danzig and Slayer. I've already gone on at length about Danzig, so in keeping

with the "sounds like" theme, I just say imagine Jim Morrison real pissed

about life, and fronting a killing metal act, and that's coming close. Slayer, meanwhile do that speed schtick as

only they can. I love this stuff, it's the logical extension of Classical Music as I see it. Forget those pussies like Nigel

Kennedy, this is the real deal, incredibly complex and Baroque, but with a double kickdrum sound that made my spine take a holiday and vocals that killed my hippy neighbours pot plantation and seriously disrupted their karma.

All in all Til Def Do Us Part is a pretty excellent compilation and a nice insight into Rick Rubin's musical influences. This is the sort of metal that never makes it to the chart, but is usually a big influence on the mainstream stuff. You probably should buy most of the albums this record draws from, but in lieu of that Til Def Do Us Part will do nicely. .’ v Kirk Gee SHONA LAING ' Retrospective 1905-1990 (Columbia) Retrospective is a collection of nearly two decades of songwriting, about half taken from the 70s and half from the Pagan period which brought Laing back into prominence. The extraordinary thing is how consistent the songs are, right from the . beginning. Sure, they are often let down by their production, particularly in the 70s when the producers were trying to do too much with limited technology and even less taste. But in the 80s, when Laing was co-producing herself with Stephen McCurdy, the ; songs are enhanced by their warm, colourful arrangements, even if the sequenced rhythms now pall quickly.; Laing's strength is in the conviction she brings to her songs. This earnestness can get a little much over 75 minutes, but taken on their own each song has some element that captivates: a melody, a recurring lyric, a revealing sentiment. Although nowadays there are none of the gushing (if honest) teenage reflections, Laing's concerns haven't shifted that far. The only difference between her introspective humanism then and now is the shift from naivety to world wearyness.-> It can all get a bit grim, which is probably why radio has been so inconsistent in its support. 'Kennedy' got away with it because of its bouncy rhythm and melodic hooks. But one craves for more songs in which the concerns are expressed with the jaunty humour of'Neutral and Nuclear Free', or the nutty toss-off 'I Love My Feet'. South, heavily represented here, showed how Laing had developed a Pacific consciousness, and her

arranging skills. She seemed to be reaching her creative potential, only to find herself in limbo once again while

she was dicked around by the once-great soul label Atlantic. Retrospective is a body of work to be proud of, but also shows Laing's work comes across best when it is not trying to be moulded to someone else's formula. Left to her own devices but with the right musical companions, and a budget her talent deserves, maybe that great work that has been building up inside her for 20 years will finally emerge. CHRIS BOURKE BADLANDS Voodoo Highway (Atlantic) ' Killer guitar, acoustic blues guitar, electro-fried blues rock guitar and more killer guitar. That's what Jake E. Lee gives in abundance on Voodoo Highway, the second Badlands album and four years further down the road ’ since quitting Ozzy. Their ferocious first album was more forward hard rock than this one but now Badlands branch out blues-wise to make them a band to be reckoned with in more ways than one. Songs range from the brilliant boogie stompin' Whiskey Dust', the simplistic title track which features'dobro and "size ten boot" through to 'Soul Stealer' which is a real heavy screamer with Jake waxing down some of his most wicked playing ever. Because he's produced it himself this time, Jake's guitar sound is most prominent taking hold and not letting go til Ray Gillen sings 'ln A Dream' at the end. Gillen proudly crows out vibrant vocals in the manner of 70s mega-singers Plant, Coverdale and •■/ . Rodgers. Jeff Martin has real feel as a drummer too, although he and bassist Greg Chaisson at times get lost in the

mix to make for Jake. Other highlights are the loveable .'Silver Horses', the gat attack of 'Love Don't Mean A Thing' and a Badlands version of James Taylor's 'Fire And Rain'. There may be a flood of ace albums out there at present but make sure not to miss this Voodoo Highway. GEOFF DUNN AARON NEVILLE Warm Your Heart ' (A&M) Aaron Neville has a voice to make hardened criminals weep: a physique to make hardened policemen run a mile. Ironically, like all great soul singers — Sam Cook, Aretha, Al Green — he has never left the church. Neville, the man with the angelic tenor who stands like a colossus among his brothers, has finally had a chance to make the solo album his unique talent has deserved since his fleeting moment of glory 'Tell It Like It Is' 25 years ago. And although it is mostly a pop album made with the cream of the 70s El Lay musical mafia, it is dripping in gospel. Who do we have to thank? Linda Ronstadt. / J <- . While her own duets with Neville were heavy-handed, she has produced (with George Massenburg) this album with subtlety, sympathy and : taste. And the song selections couldn't be better. He sings Randy Newman's • gorgeous 'Louisiana 1927' with an emphasis that brings the tragedy home: John Hiatt's 'lt Feels Like Rain' is exquisitely gentle; Burt Bacharach's song for the Drifters 'Don't Go Please Stay' has a cathedral-like clarity that typifies the album. There's a Nevilles' funkout ("Angola Bound') and a lilting Allen Toussaint ballad ('With You In Mind'). Only the embarrassing duet

with Ronstadt is a miss. But the album closes with a spiritual trilogy that reiterates his gospel ancestry. 'Warm Your Heart', with Dr John on piano, could be a Dixie Hummingbirds workout; 'I Bid You Goodnight' is a lightfooted Bahamas folk tune with Ry , Cooder on guitar. And 'Ave Maria' is.. . 'Ave Maria', with a lush but tasteful choral/orchestral arrangement. I'll be very surprised if the delicate 'Everybody Plays the Fool' (No 3 for the Main Ingredient in 72) isn't a hit and if Linda doesn't win the producer's Grammy. She deserves it— but we should have had a dozen albums like this by the singer's singer over the past 25 years. CHRIS BOURKE THE KENTUCKY HEADHUNTERS .. Electric Barnyard (Phonogram) The Kentucky Headhunters are one way cool Hillbilly combo, they don't come much more authentic than this. These boys are utterly, unashamedly ugly. No fooling around, they're plain hideous. Even if they did try to beautify themselves, no amount of airbrushing could conceal a scrawny, bald drummer who favours a coonskin cap complete with tail and a set of sideburns that hang down to his 7 shoulders. Add to this the fact that they play serious, ripping country with a slant towards the rock side of things and still sound genuine, and you've got a real good time. After winning Grammies and such like for their first opus Pickin' On. Nashville it makes sense the Headhunters should stick with the old formula and if anything, they didn't stick close enough on Electric Barnyard. There's some classic kick-ass stuff here, 'lt's Chitlin' Time' which is 'Davis Walker' part two, or a stompin' 'Only Daddy That'll Walk The Line', a song that travels the traditional country lyrical route, all 'l'm a pore ole boy' but without sounding at all whiney. The problem here is a few excursions into standard rock territory ('Diane') and a novelty song approach. That's cool as a one-shot thing, like the great version of The Ballad of Davey Crockett' (I still know all the words!) but spread over a few more tracks it starts seeming a little desperate, especially if the songs are as bad as 'Big Mexican Dinner'. Still, if you dug the first album then Electric Barnyard is certainly fine enough and even better, these guys have been doing shows in the US with the Texas Tornados and that, suckers, is a well rocking bill. KIRK GEE

SHIHAD Devolve (Pagan) At last, a New Zealand group not afraid to compete with the major overseas acts. Devolve is a very strong . first release and one which should see Shihad increasing their already large ? x fan base. This record was delayed due to remixing efforts and the wait was definitely worthwhile. Although there are only four songs on this 12", the emphasis is on quality rather than . . quanityt. This is an extremely precise. platter, which injects some much needed melody into the stagnant speed metal scene. Check out the track 'Subject Matters' for real proof of the groupls skill. '. Shihad begin a national tour on July 10. Listen closely, this is where the real musical progressions are going to be made. LUKE CASEY THE WATERBOYS The Bestof 1981-90 (Ensign) Richard Thompson Rumor and Sigh ’ (Capitol) Break out the Morris dancers, it's time to deal with a couple of better known folk/rock crossover acts. Actually, Thompson has been around long enough to have invented folk music but this is possibly his least organic record to date. Produced once again by Mitchell Froom, the first side containes some of the most forceful songs Thompson has done in a while. 'I Misunderstand' isi wistful, quite moving, a contrast to the strong insistent chorus hooks of 'Feel So Good', 'Behind Grey Walls' and You Dream Too Much'. . The second side loses momentum with novelty stuff like 'Don't Sit On My Jimmy Shand's' a tribute to the great accordionist nowhere near as irresistable as its counterpart 'Nobody's Wedding' on Henry The Human Fly, and the narrative 'Psycho Street' doesn't really come off. Only the country lament of 'Keep Your Distance' and the traditional empathy of'God Loves A Drunk' can match the first side leaving Thompson with another frustratingly uneven album but one at least made worthwhile by an early surge of some fine songs. The Waterboys have improved with age. On release, their second album A Pagan Place sounded full of second hand Dylanisms dressed up in pompous arrangements and fatuous emotions. Now the best of this and follow up This Is The Sea sound quite potent. 'All The Things She Gave Me' and Whole of the Moon' pre-date the Gaelic soul of Hothouse Flowers by a few years, the only gripe on the Best OF being that A Pagan Place should have replaced the inferior 'The Big Music'. But no worries, The Best Of is an accurate album selection of a band' who've had few hits but have grown in stature through the 'Bos. GEORGE KAY INHALERS Nudists On The Beach of Love (Henry Boy Records) It's one of those albums you'll either love or hate first play. Nigel Beckford's voice sounds like he's pushed it through a coriander and given it a good squeeze. Unlike some rock singers he can put vocal variety into his singing making it interesting. I've seen this band live so some of their music loses its theatrical quality trransferred to vinyl and may seem pretentious. The wacky inserts make up for it. Kelly Tarlton swims in for a guest sample. Musically they're competent but it doesn't shake mountains or set ‘ precedents. They have a full band sound which leaps beyond a three chord thrash. The lyrical snipping at small town New Zealand is matched by musical parodies. If you haven't seen their 'Stars On 45' song live you've missed a pure piece of satire. It's all tongue in cheek with a black edge. Me and Mrs Jones' lead the band to come second in the Wellington Battle of the Bands competition and it's a nasty piece of work. Dub Reggae combines with rap to slap promiscuity in the face. 'Nico On A Bike' sumes up the bands lyrical style: "I like your songs but why are they all bitter ones". The ballad 'Alas She Cried' proves the Inhalers can ~ produce serious music without the • melodramatics. Thye are less subtle ■. than the Front Lawn and rock harder ■ than the Big Muffin Serious Band. Last impressions clever, very clever, now let's see you experiment more with your music style. CATH CLARK ' YES Union (Arista) When singer John Anderson left Yes after the Big Generator he reconnected with four previous Yes members who had all been part of the classic Fragile, Close To The Edge and

Yessongs period. Although they weren't able to call themselves Yes due to legal matters, the Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe album and tour were a great success. Meanwhile, Chris Squire, Trevor Rabin, Alan White and Tony Kaye had shelved their Yes recordings (probably due to not having Anderson's distinctive voice) and began working on projects of their own. When Jon was in LA putting finishing touches to the second ABWH album he met with Trevor Rabin who played him some tracks which he immediately liked. Both agreed that he should sing on them and when Chris Squire in turn added his vocals to some of the ABWH songs it was unanimously decided that the two bands should become one. Union combines these separate recordings into sixty-five minutes of Yes sounds which is such a plethora of themes and styles that it's a lot to take in at once. 'I Would Have Waited Forever' comes at you something like 'Fragile' meets '90125' and is real busy as it chops and changes with Steve Howe's guitar work right out front. 'Shock of the System' centres around a powerful bass riff which ironically is not Squire but Tony Levin and is the first time another bassist has performed on a Yes album (except for one track played by Trevor Horn on Drama). The song breaks mid-way as Jon sings about "the order of the sun and everyone is one", then it pieces together again and rocks on. The current single 'Light Me Up' is an ideal example of the group's musical expertise moulded into a catchy tune which, like 'Owner Of A Lonely Heart' is mainly due to the many talents of Trevor Rabin as guitarist, singer, producer and songwriter. Another great contributor is friend Jonathan Elias who produces and co-writes with Jon Anderson on many diverse pieces. Without Hope We Cannot Start The Day' is very deep lyrically and gradually develops into a heavy rhythm with unpredictable drum patterns from Bill Bruford while 'Dangerous' is like an acid house

dance mix. For more traditional Yes the remarkable 'Miracle of Life' and 'Silent Talking' contain plenty of weird time signatures and playing that not only compete with but also complement each other to perfection. 'Let Go' is another epic Chris Squire composition with intertwining vocal arrangements and following that is a light new age creation that features Rick Wakeman and a recital of Cambodian poetry!

Union is a most admirable effort from all involved and is also an . ■■■ /;? < accomplished monument to the fact that Yes are altogether in the nineties. GEOFF DUNN . - - . ' : . ■ PAULA ABDUL , ' 7 Spellbound (Virgin) TRIPLETS Thicker Than Water (Mercury) CHANTOOZIES Gild The Lily (Mushroom) SHEENA EASTON What Comes Naturally (MCA) Being the resident expert (?) on Bettie pop, it seemed only natural that this fine array of musical pulchritude be dealt with in a fair and unbiased ■' manner but I couldn't be bothered doing that, so here we go anyway. First up was Paula Abdul, who I tend to view favourably. She's a cutie, that Paula, an ex-Lakergirl and she's been remixed by the Bomb Squad so that's extra points. Not that she needed it really, Spellbound is actually really good. It's" unadulterated pop, shameless and plastic, but it's high class pop, definitely a cut above most of the chart fodder you hear nowadays. That could be put down to the production team which is basically the Family Stand. Spellbound is very lush sounding, a big backdrop for Paula to do her pop/soul vocalising over. She's got a reasonable voice, as the mid-tempo stuff proves, especially tracks like the single 'Rush Rush'. That combined with such a killer team backing her up makes for a nice chunk of mindless but fun funky stuff. (Don Was also helps produce, just in case you're interested). Even more shameless than Paula are the Triplets, basically they're Wilson Phillips Mark 11. This is serious cash-in time, someone has found these three hot tamales languishing in obscurity : and the dollar signs flashed. Done up in LA, C&W chic and given a few accordions to signify their Mexican heritage, the Triplets are ready to take on the beach girls. Now that's what I'd like to see, an all-in no holds barred wrestling match between Wilson Phillips and the Triplets, maybe even a little Je110... well, maybe not. Anyway, this isn't a bad version of Wilson Phillips, but I still prefer the Mamas and the Papas. Now on to the Australian contingent, the Chantoozies. These girls are stylin'

hard, the record cover has more cleavage and leg than a David Lee Roth fantasy. That's where the styling stops though, as the record sounds like Bananarama being mature — it's a goodie for you SAW fans (real nice production sound too, the Australians are getting good at this). Finally, Sheena, who is a real surprise longshot. She's been doing these adverts for a gym in the US which involve her chatting about being "serious about your body" then proving she is by waving some dumbells around while pouting heavily on a flat bench and stretching h.er leotard as heavily as she stretches the credibility of those of us who remember '9 To s'. Anyway, the cover of What Comes Naturally ties in with the TV ad so I was a little hesitant about actually listening to it but surprise, surprise, it's rather good. Again, we're dealing with unashamed pop and it's very LA in its sound. Lots of big beats and funky breaks and Sheena doesn't sound half bad, she's got over that Prince thing and is letting rip a bit. Definitely worth a listen if you're inclined towards that light funky stuff. The only thing that worries me about all this is that any one of these records will probably outsell something really awesome like Massive, which seems sort of unfair. Maybe those boys

should get some of those fake titties like the guy from Faith No More had. It's not a pretty thought, but it's not a fair business either. KIRK GEE . YOYO Make Way For The Mother lode (East/West) Ex-south central LA bus driver Yolande Whitaker states the case for female rap rights, forming the Intelligent Black Woman's Coalition (IBWC) and standing face to face with the male rap ruling class. This is of course not new to black music, witness Millie Jackson, Betty Wright, Aretha Franklin, but at the same time it's not common. Some might find it strange she decides to work with Ice Cube and the Lynch Mob, Ice Cube the man who rapped a 'Bitch Is A Bitch', but showed a strong sentimentally and emotion with 'Dead Homiez'. Whatever the pairing, the product is a strong and fighting one. Just listen to that monster single 'Stompin' To The 90s' and You Can't Play With My Yo-Yo', it's serious stuff. As a rapper she has a tough style but combined with Ice Cube's production, it's a knock out, just proving that it wasn't all the Bomb Squad on Ice's

debut. Good and funky at all times. Submerged in the mix are quick James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Labelle, Willie Hutchinson, Chaka Khan and a very sneaky Beastie boys sample, very groovy, and to the point, sixteen tracks that just don't give up for anything. KERRY BUCHANAN VARIOUS ARTISTS Deadicated (Arista) Alright, I'll admit it, I'm down with the Dead. For a long time I loathed them, they encapsulated everything I hate about rock. They were the ultimate drug cowards, too mellow for reality, they took some acid, mumbled about change and let the world pass them by. Then one day someone played me the Dead/Live album and what do you know, they were just a self-indulgent bar band after all and I can handle that happily. The ragas were balanced with Jerry Garcia's turned upside-down solos. Despite all this, 99% of the world still find the Dead an utter embarrassment, which is sort of reflected in this fine compilation. All the artists steer far away from classic Dead style and just play the stuff as if it were their own. This is great if you like the artists in question but as with any compilation, it's unlikely you'll like them all (personally I think Costello,

Vega, Indigo Girls and Midnight Oil all suck tubesteak majorally so I'll ignore them). Anyway, there's some interesting people here. The Cowboy Junkies, Lyle Lovett and Dr John all do their respective things with their usual style. Bruce Hornsby turns 'Jack Straw' into a surprisingly listenable MOR anthem, and the Harshed Mellows are okay but as they're a mix of the Georgia Satellites and Tom Petty's band they should rip totally. Special mention goes to Dwight Yokem, who turns 'Truckin' into the barroom stomper it should be, Burning Spear who busts out some superb 70s style roots reggae on 'Estimated Prophet' and Los Lobos who had me singing 'Bertha' for days. It just goes to show some melodies, a cheesey two-finger Hammond organ sound and some sweet accordion lines can turn acid casualty into a thing of beauty. Dedicated probably would have been a lot cooler if everyone had wigged out seriously but what the hell, just program out or skip over the stinkers and this is a fine little tribute. My only real complaint is that the tracks here average out at about five minutes apiece and that, kids, ain't even a true Dead intro. KIRK GEE