eli (02/20/83)
Bangles, "Bangles" (Faulty) A four-woman popfolkrock band from Los Angeles. Definitely not the Go-Go's (which is good or bad, depending on you per- spective). Originally called "The Bangs" (they put out a single under that name), the Bangles are currently the critics choice for "next big thing" in LA. They might be right... this EP fuses alot of different styles/periods. The main influence seems to be the folk-rock era bands, such as The Byrds, The Mamas and Papas, et. al. They write their own material, and play and sing with the authority that seems to escape The Go-Go's. Marshall Crenshaw, "Cynical Girl/Rave On/Somebody Like You" (Warner Brothers) This is a 3-song 12" EP, which so far I've only seen in promo form. I'm not sure whether it's going into general release. The A-Side is a track from Crenshaw's debut album. The two songs on the B-side are a bit more interesting. "Rave On" (the Buddy Holly song) is performed live in a radio station studio somewhere back East, with Crenshaw singing and playing guitar, and his manager and the Dj providing handclaps. "Somebody..." is a tune Crenshaw recorded in his living room, all by himself. He plays guitar, bass and drums (through the modern day conven- ience of multi-tracking). Both songs are very good pop. Malcolm McLaren, "Buffalo Gals" (Island) Ex-manager of the Sex Pistols goes for the bigtime. The B-Side of this 12" (and 7") 45 is a traditional square dance song, the A-Side is a DOR reworking of the same tune. It seems to be garnering alot of club play -- and in fact it's quite fun... yet still only as a novelty. Various Artists, "Party Party" (A&M) This is the soundtrack to a film that hasn't yet been released here (it's out in England). It's a compilation of some of the better "new wave" (I hate that phrase, but...) acts: Elvis Costello, Madness, Bananarama, etc. Just about every cut is a winner -- which is very rare for compilation LP's. (Besides, when Dec. 31 rolls around you'll have an alternative to the Guy Lombardo record, since this disc includes Madness performing "Auld Lang Syne"). Yardbirds, "The Yardbirds" (Epic) Apparently this is mostly a reissue of their first British LP, plus a few tracks that haven't appeared on a domestic album before (Yardbird fanatics should feel free to fill in the details). I wanted to mention this because I've found that an amazing number of "new music" fans have never even heard The Yardbirds before. For those of you who haven't, BUY THIS RECORD! It's rare to hear a disc with so much energy in the performance. The music on this record isn't calculated, it's honest -- it moves and shakes and powers its way into your brain. Jeff Beck may have gone of on a more "serious" musical path, but some of his raw energy is forever captured here.