eli (11/12/82)
There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of traffic on this channel... so I thought I'd do my best to spark some reviews. Here's some newer LP's that I would suggest "new music" fans take a listen to... The Blasters -- 'Over There, Live at the Venue, London' (Warner Bros.) A rock and rockabilly band out of L.A. In my opinion these guys are well beyond the posing of The Stray Cats, and other "non-revivalist" rockabilly bands. This 5-song live EP is so packed full of energy it's amazing they could press it into the grooves. The Decentz -- 'Get In Trouble' (Philo) This one may be rather hard to find... since Philo is a small independent label. However it is worth looking for. Great pop music. The English Beat -- 'Special Beat Service' (IRS) On there latest album, The Beat have shown some expansion to their sound. They seem to feel at home with pure pop, as well as their reggae influenced Ska... A solid album. The Individuals -- 'Fields' (Plexus) Another band out of the Hoboken, N.J. scene. But this one sounds nothing like their pals, The Bongos. Intead, The Individuals are most often compared to Talking Heads, and in fact this comparison is not so far off the mark. Intelligent art-influenced pop. The Jam -- 'The Bitterest Pill (I Ever Had to Swallow)' (Polydor) This looks to be the very last record released by this band... since reports are filtering in that they broke up three or four days ago. At least they went out on a positive note (musically at least). This EP features three excellent originals, as well as cover versions of 'Fever' and 'War' (the latter also having turned up on the new D.O.A. release). David Lindley & El Rayo-X -- 'Win This Record' (Asylum) Lindley is probably best known as the slide guitar player on so many Jackson Browne albums (as well as numerous other artists' records). This is his second 'solo' album, and the first with this band (the previous LP had him backed by alot of his L.A. friends). Athough I don't find this LP nearly as enjoyble as the first, it's certainly worth a listen for those of you who want to hear some incredible guitar playing. Mostly reggae and blues styles. Magazine -- 'After the Fact' (IRS) One of the seminal English bands finally gets the last of their material released in the US. For those of you who are already Magazine fans, I don't believe this contains anything that hasn't already come here as an import... but for those of you who missed this band when they were actually in existance, this is a reasonably good compilation. Psychedelic Furs -- 'Forever Now' (Columbia) As with The Beat, this band seems to have taken on new dimensions with their new LP. This one was produced by Todd Rundgren, who (luckily) put together a rather seamless production without the overbearing "TODD" stamp on it. The general tone of this album is much lighter than their first two... R.E.M. -- 'Chronic Town' (IRS) Someone recently sent a note to net.records stating the artist and title of this disc. I'd like to second the motion that this is a band to be reckoned with... Very smooth new-age-pop out of Athens, Ga. More another day . . . . . . uw-beaver!eli