eli (05/11/83)
Relay-Version:version B 3/9/83; site harpo.UUCP
Posting-Version:version B 2.10 gamma 4/3/83; site uw-june
Message-ID:<446@uw-june>
Date:Tue, 10-May-83 20:09:08 EDT
Organization:U. Washington, Computer Sci
This time 'round:
Belle Stars--The Belle Stars (Stiff/Warner Brothers)
B-52'S--Whammy! (Warner Brothers)
Blasters--Non-Fiction (Slash/Warner Brothers)
Chesterfield Kings--Here Are The... (Mirror)
Dave Edmunds--Information (Columbia)
s Ism--I Think I Love You/A7 (S.I.N.)
Men At Work--Cargo (Columbia)
Red Rockers--Good As Gold (415/Columbia)
Tubes--Outside Inside The Tubes (EMI)
(Various Artists)--The Big Apple, Rotten To The Core (S.I.N.)
s Alan Vega--Video Babe (Elektra)
Violent Femmes--Violent Femmes (Slash/Warner Brothers)
"Weird Al" Yankovic--"Weird Al" Yankovic (Rock 'N' Roll)
(s=single)
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Belle Stars--The Belle Stars (Stiff/Warner Brothers)
Sure, they sound an awful lot like Bananarama. Multiple-semi-
off-key-harmony-vocals abound, as well as the rhythm stick with
that neo-African sound. But let's face it, if we threw out
everyone who borrowed style from another, we'd be left with
a handful of blues artists, and some pioneers like Chuck Berry.
So let's just enjoy this for what it is, up-beat, pop music
that's alot of fun. Some interesting covers on this LP, including
the Dixie Cups "Iko Iko" with the lyrics reworked to sound rather
filthy. A nice version of "Harlem Shuffle" too.
B-52'S--Whammy! (Warner Brothers)
I really liked this band when I first heard them... and then
their second LP arrived, and I was already tired of the joke.
The David Byrne produced "Mesopotamia" seemed like a nice ex-
periment, although somewhat misguided. And now we've got the new
LP, "Whammy!", which seems to capture the fun of the first one
without making me feel this is a one joke band. It's basically a
collection of songs, very similar in style to the first two LP's,
but once again sounding fresh. Maybe that's because my B-52's
albums haven't been out of the racks for quite some time.
Blasters--Non-Fiction (Slash/Warner Brothers)
What can I say? I think this is one of the finest Rock'n'Roll
bands in the US today. A brilliant fusion of Rock'n'Roll, Blues,
C&W and Rockabilly. Not really a copy of anyone, but stolen from
all the greats. So what if Brian Setzer thinks Dave Alvin "can't
rock"? I bought this one, and my copy of The Stray Cats LP is
still sitting in the bin (shoot, they'll never reach double
platinum).
Chesterfield Kings--Here Are The... (Mirror)
You've got to see the cover of this LP to believe it. I still
find it hard to believe that it isn't a reissue of some disc
orginally released in '66. The new-age punk garage bands are
here! I think everything on here is a cover -- alot of the
originals coming from the Pebbles series (including a killer
remake of the Moving Sidewalks "99th Floor@). Even though The
Seeds, The Electric Prunes and all the rest are gone, the
tradition lives on. Highly recommended for psychedelic age
fans.
Dave Edmunds--Information (Columbia)
I haven't really listened to this enough yet to decide how
much I like it. Two of the tracks were produced by Jeff Lynne
(of Electric Light Orchestra fame), and he plays synthesizer on
most of the others. Something of a departure for Edmunds... it
still rocks, kind of, but it's pretty wimpy too. The novelty of
hearing Edmunds singing through a Vocordor (or similar voice
processor) is unsettling when you think back to his version of
"I Hear You Knocking." More on this one later.
Ism--I Think I Love You/A7 (S.I.N.)
A hardcore cover of The Partridge Family single. Personally I
think the original was much funnier. Some songs just don't
translate well into hardcore.
Men At Work--Cargo (Columbia)
I guess I liked their first LP... until I had its wave patterns
permanently etched into my inner ear. This one seems to go off
in two different directions. Some of the tracks actually swing,
while the majority would be perfectly suited for a dentist's
office or an elevator. This guy's voice is starting to have the
same effect on me that the lead vocalist of Soft Cell does (and
not a pleasant one, I assure you).
Red Rockers--Good As Gold (415/Columbia)
How can this band even all themselves by this name anymore?
This LP is a complete change in sound from their debut album...
and likely to be alot more commercially successful. Produced by
the same guy who produced Translator. Sounds an awful lot like
U2. Lots of keyboards and melody... but still some crunch mixed
in (I believe this is the only American R'n'R band to ever play
in Cuba). All in all it's a pretty good LP, and the single,
"China" is extremely catchy. (Also look for the Non-LP B-Side,
"Ball of Confusion" performed as a duet with Debora Iyall of
Romeo Void)
Tubes--Outside Inside The Tubes (EMI)
Having grown up in Berkeley ("The Bay Area"), the Tubes are
something of a local band for me. I used to see them at Bimbos,
and in their various New Years Extravaganzas... I was thrilled
when A&M signed them and released their first LP. So why do I
dislike this new album so much? Maybe it's because they've begun
to take themselves seriously. Maybe it's because they ran out of
truly funny and satirical material. Maybe it's because their music
has gotten to much of a HM sound for me. But most likely it's
because of all of the above.
(Various Artists)--The Big Apple, Rotten To The Core (S.I.N.)
Hardcore compilation from NYC. Some really good material on
here. Especially recommended: "Nixon Now More Than Ever".
Alan Vega--Video Babe (Elektra)
Bouncing from label to label, is one of New York's premiere lead-
ing edge music figures. I guess you could call this Rockabilly...
but in a Cramps vein. For those of you who haven't heard Vega's
previous work (both solo LP's, and LP's with "Suicide"), it's
kind of hard to explain. There should be an LP out soon.
Violent Femmes--Violent Femmes (Slash/Warner Brothers)
This is definitely going to make my top-10 list for '83, unless
I'm stuck by a bus and have a total shift in musical taste. Not
one single synthesizer on this whole record! I hear they had to
move from studio to studio, secretly in the wee hours of the
morning, just to keep one step ahead of all of the synthesists
that were chasing them. The results were well worth their time.
This band doesn't really sound like anyone else. Lots of forceful
acoustic guitars, and some ElvisCostelloish 'angry' vocals, and
tons of hooks that grab you right through the back. Very highly
recommended.
"Weird Al" Yankovic--"Weird Al" Yankovic (Rock 'N' Roll)
Novelty record. Those of you who listen to Dr. Demento will
remember "Weird Al" from his big hits, "My Bologna" and "Another
One Rides the Bus" (sung to the tunes "My Sharona" and "Another
One Bites the Dust" respectively). Yankovic is likely to be the
only Rock'n'Roll Accordianist to be fronting a band. There's
a few more "covers" ("I Love Rocky Road", "Stop Draggin' My Car
Around", and "Ricky"), as well as some not so interesting
originals. All in all a record that would be entertaining once
or twice, and then shelved.