SINGLES

Rip It Up, Issue 218, 1 October 1995, Page 36

SINGLES

Another release packed month, and first offering is Oasis, or is that a desert in the midst of an oasis? The latter seems the more likely verdict on ‘Roll With It’ (Epic), a sing-along boogie that was deservedly pipped by Blur’s nagging ‘Country House’ in Britain’s fight fortop of the pops. The crime is that the Oasis EP conceals two great, yearning acoustic forays in ‘lt’s Better People’ and ‘Rockin’ Chair’, and their promo only single, ‘Morning Glory’, shows they’re back into hard, driving, Lennon-styled aggression, and that ‘Roll With It’ should indeed have been consigned to albumonly status.

Hey, hey, it’s Neil Young, godfather of grunge, with Pearl Jam, going to the ‘Downtown’ (Reprise) that Young wrote with Crazy Horse’s Danny Whitten way

back in 1971, when hippies ruled the earth. Pearl Jam sound a bit plodding and bloodless, but there’s a bit more character to their playing on ‘Big Green

Country’. Next, and the angelic meets the damned on the Shane MacGowan and Maire Brennan, Celtic tinged love song ‘You’re The One’ (ZTT). Vandross and Carey this ain’t, and thank god for that, as MacGowan’s hungover croak is the ideal antidote to Brennan’s often precious gossamer poignancy. So, a very pleasant balance of two opposites, and padded out by another two tracks from MacGowan’s invaluable The Snake.

The unstably eccentric but often brilliant Julian Cope is at his most annoyingly promising with ‘Try Try Try’ (Liberation), a combination of a mundane and repetitive chorus with just the hint of a genuinely uplifting pop tune/sentiment. It’s just one of the muthas lifted from his new

album, 20 Mothers, leaving three other Cope oddities, like ‘Baby Let’s Play Vet’, to again ask the question, genius or madman? What’s the difference?

Sitar noises, a burst of rap, then it’s the familiar Shaun Ryder sneer and vocal swagger, and the band hits a marvellously natural groove like the Happy Mondays had never split up. Yeah, it’s Black Grape’s inescapably funky Tn The Name Of The Father’ (Radio Active), and it’s awwwwwllrriiiight. Urge Overkill don’t do no funky chicken, but they’ve lifted three fine songs from their excellent Exit the Dragon LP. ‘Somebody Else’s Body’ (Geffen) is like prime Los Lobos, with its low key, loping acoustic energy, while ‘And You’ll Say’ crackles around a twisting electric guitar line. These guys have arrived. Departures include the Chili Peppers’ ‘Warped’ (Warners). With a new guitarist in residence, they are nigh on indistinguish-

able from the restless riffery of the likes of Faith No More.

Missing Soundgarden or Stone Temple Pilots? Queensland’s Powderfinger (no prizes for guessing origin of name) do imitations almost better than their mentors on the five track ‘Mr Kneebone’ (Polydor). Worthy of special attention is ‘My Urn’, which has the audacity to try to emulate the tortured cinematic balladry of ‘Jeremy’, and they come close.

Meanwhile, we’ve lost count of the number of singles REM have torn from Monster. Let’s just say ‘Tongue’ (Warners) is another, with three live tracks also from the same album. Greenies they may be, but they’ve flogged this poor animal to death. They can always blame the record company.

Rock ’n’ roll women bring the curtain down on the column this month. There’s nothing better than Jenny Morris' gorgeous, heart-tuggingly regretful Tn Too Deep’ (rooArt), although the unabashedly romantic, windswept strains of Road To Amber's ‘One Of These Days’ (Festival) and winsome ‘You’re Gone’ are hard to resist.

Meanwhile, new wonder woman Heather Nova seems to have all the bets covered on her ‘Maybe An Angel’ EP (Liberation), as she flits from Bjorkian hysteria to folky vulnerability — and that’s all on the title track.

Finally, what’s got three tracks, is virtually unlistenable and goes for nearly 75 minutes? Why, Holland/Skin/Tunnel’s EP, of course. See ya.

GEORGE KAY