MUSIC
V ALBUMS
I The Lunachiclts: Babysitters on Acid (Blast First) Four New York girls who tattoo ‘STU PlD‘ on their foreheads. clutch sundry phallic symbols in their photos — bananas. baby bottles. a baseball bat and. oh. a dildo— and. like Superman. wear their knickers outside their tights. Wild. huh'.’ Not really. No Cramps-style ironies here. just a sub-Hook'n'Pull Gang (remember them?) garage thrash. executed with neither charm nor conviction. At best. their grating guitars sound like bad early Adverts and. at worst. they're like bad Sugarcubes with Einar singing. Probably hilarious live. and the NMIi will love them. which is nice. Nonetheless. the whole concept smacks of calculated. offensive bimbo-naivety exploited by a record company who once (rightly) boasted Sonic Youth and Big Black as its answer to complacency. How quickly they forget. (Paul W. Hullah) I The Traveling Wilburys: Volume Three (Warner Brothers) The second collection (‘Volume Three' is a gag) from the planet‘s most calculatedly anonymous foursome finds Petty. Lynne. Harrison and (particularly) Dylan again flexing musical muscles they're afraid to bare on their increasingly erratic solo outings. Orbison‘s dead. and sorely missed here is the purity ofhis alto which formerly gave a poignant. disturbing edge to the Wilbury's countrified rawk — the broad tradition advanced on this album. But there‘s not a bad track on it: only ‘lnside Out‘ aspires to the contagious hook of the melodious 1989 hit ‘Handle With Care'. but
Deadly Sins' and the heads-down. no-nonsense intelligent boogie of ‘She‘s My Baby" more than compensate. All conveyed with the air ofa friendly studio knockabout. it's a marvelloust enjoyable record that will have
Dylanitesdespairingas his next twentysolo albumswitherby
comparison. Long may
5 thetravellingcontinue.
(Paul W. Hullah)
I Paul Simon: The Rhythm
olthe Saints (Warner
i Brothers) Salvador. Brazil
is the latest port of call on Paul Simon's avowed
whistle-stop tour ofthe
world‘s rhythms.
Retainingthe warm. ‘ organic feel of
( iracelands. Rhythm of the Saints again uses a layered. textured backing
track. hypnotic and
’ soothing. onto which is
dovetailed Simon‘s always literate.sensitivepoetry
disguised as pop-lyric.
s The plaintive single. ‘The ()bvious Child'. the
3 extremely moving ‘Proof‘ and the simply beautiful
‘The Coast' form the album's highlights. all
' dealing perceptively and compassionatcly with
growing old and the
regretsandincreased ' understandingthatit I brings.Addtothisthe j choppyBrazilian
drumming. chirruping Afro-strings and
' modulating deep bass and
you have a sequence of elegaic incantations. an awesome balance of intellect and passion. Simon's songs are spells.
and they‘ve never worked I sweeter magic. ‘Maybe
I'm a dog who‘s lost its bite.‘ he muses on ‘The
Obvious Child'. No way. j (PaulW. Hullah)
I Could Blast Orchestra: Savage Dance (Eclectic Records) The Cauld Blast Orchestra‘s debut recording emphasises the
l colourful and highly
eclectic sources of their
which they have already managed to invest in their music. Traditional music. the cornerstone of Karen Wimhurst‘s iconoclastic compositions for Jack Tamwn 's Buirns. remains the most dominant ofthe multifarious voices discernible here. but no more than that: elsewhere. Steve Kettley and Mike Travis push the music towards an avant-garde jazz feel in ‘The Tower of Babel Stomp‘ (with a squally saxophone solo from Kettley) or ‘Bottle Hymn ofthe Republic'. while lain Johnstone‘s ‘The Railyard Band‘ has a splendidly melancholic. Kurt Weill-ish feel. Guaranteed to open your ears. (KM)
Y \ ‘...s............;... .'
I ZZ Top: Recycler(Wamer 8ros)/Sisters of Mercy: Vision Thing (East West) With a title like that. this must be the Top‘s environmental album. but you’d be hard pressed to know it from the gas-guzzlin' guitarin‘ that take place within. It may be their own fault that 22 Top are easily compared to an automobile. but they sound like an engine that could run itself. and one so finely in tune with its user that we start bobbing our heads from the moment the first track. ‘Concrete and Steel‘. revs up. They're intelligent men. but they‘ve brought their group to such a state of perfection that the gaps between albums are like
Andrew Eldritch ofthe Sisters reminds me more than anyone of Ash. the android in Alien. who coldly admired the extraterrestrial killing machinetotheextentthat i he was willing to sacrifice : all human life on board to see it perform. Dothe I Sisters watch The Terminator on their tour bus and cheer with identification when Arnie's skin is burnt offto reveal the emotionless berserker beneath? So in love are the Sisters with the idea of creatingthis sleek . matt black — very European. actually — rock factory. that it scarcely matters whether they have anything other than self-focusing cameras behind their shades. To the Sisters. pomp is its own reward. and Vision Thing (on which they work with Jim (Bat autof Hell) Steinman. a sure sign ofcreative flatulence) is pompous and cold beyond belief. Look into their eyes. There's nobody home. (Alastair
Mabbott)
I Dewey Redman Quartet: Living On The Edge/Old And New Dreams: A Tribute To Blackwell (Black Saint) More variations on the Ornette Coleman legacy. with saxophonist Dewey Redman‘s excellent quartet(featuringpianist 1 Geri Allen and the late Eddie Moore on drums) in highly satisfactory and surprisingly varied form. 1 from the straight-ahead ‘BluesforJ.A.M.'tothe 3 anarchic‘Mirror I Windows'. Redman isalso 1 one-fourth of the ()AND group. here paying live tribute to their drummer Ed Blackwell in Atlanta. Trumpeter Don Cherry is in excellent voice alongside the saxman. in a very different context from his own recent Multikulti (A&M) set. I while Charlie Haden and Blackwell are as impressive as ever. (KM)
hippy and loving every minute ofit. Capturing the essence ofthe gathering Donovan hurdy-gurdy phenomenon. Stephen Duffy was born to be mild. He's a happy chappy. and The Lilac Time‘s recent Edinburgh gig was a
slumbering evening of pleasantness. wistfulness ; and knitting. As fortheir
album. it's mondo thrills
_ to the max as theold
Timers don their coloured headbands. order some pizza and prepare to indulge in TURTLEMANIA. Clearly. this was the
original intention; but
having decided that
cowabunga is not for them.The LilacTime return to hallowed
domain: the
flower-bedecked rural splendour ofthat Flake
advert with the gypsy
painter. ‘All For Love and Love for All. and ‘lt'll End
in Tears' roll back the years - 60s love. acoustic folk. sitting cross-legged.
; swaying gently. flashing 1 peace signs. Izmployingall
the hackneyed motifs but pepping them up with bygone simplicity and Duffyesque splendour. ‘And Love for All' is nostalgic joy. Some trip. (Craig McLean)
I The Three Johns: Eat YourSons(Rough Trade)/The Meltons: F.U.N.
'90 (Blast First) The
connection between these two is. ofcourse. guitarist Jon Langford. No prizes forthat one. You'll need your wits about you when approaching Johns' lyric
; sheet. though. for they have read a few more
books than your average beered-up noise trio. and regurgitate them in highly individual terms. What a lyric like "Thunder and Rum' would yield. even after thorough examination. is anybody's guess. Is it a great record'.’ Not particularly; and neither is The Mekons'
cultural imperialism ofthe indie-dance scene.‘ they trumpet. tongue in cheek. What this means is that they‘ve decided to give the old ‘Funky Drummer' sample a spin themselves. no matter that they've little affinity with this style ofComposition or even much interest. by the sound of it. The result of this is that they fiddle about to little effect. and sometimes play with textures at the expense of a song rather than for its benefit. but the process throws up ‘( )ne 1 Iorse Town' (credited to Mekons 1.. Bangs). which is certainly worth a lcw spins. (Alastair \labbott) I Indigo Girls: Nomads. Indians. Saints (Epic) Apparently representing the subtle. appealing. intelligent side ofthe American psyche. Georgia's on my mind. As the wellspring forall things Rlifvl-esque. Georgia also gives us Stipe & (‘o‘s uppity kid sisters. and for that we should be suppliantly grateful. Ever since their first appearance in these parts. Indigo Girls have been a folk secret. admiration for their simplistic campfire roots whispered at clandestine meetings of the llippy Long l lairs' Supporters Club. With their third 11K album release. the steady bent is pretty much what we've come to expect 'I'hroaty vocals meet. um. tongucy vocals. a sweet union of deepness and light. limily and Amy are the acoustic songsmiths. Scott Litt is producer. Peter Buck helps out and. honestly. how could it fail‘.’ ()n the one hand. they let rip. on theother. they soothe and stroke. As sum of parts. .anutls. Indians. Saints is cross-legged finery for those lazy days when you've had just about as much wah-wah and club mayhem and dilated
the foot-stomping . inspiration. as well as the breaks belwcc’l songs . "'9 LU“ Time: Love new mini-LP. but it‘s an {191711535199 “"119”. swnbury'rwist“ the w”. distinctly identifiable rathcrthan pCl'10d50f IOTAII (Puritan?) “C 5 _ interesting one. ‘A lhe folk revolution starts doo-wopping ‘scvcn ' ' sense of group identity “3358058!”an Playing the dr'PPY- "'13P." stunning indictment ofthe l here. (( raig McLean) ' I Iron Maiden. 11 Dec: Garbarck Group, 7 Dec; HALL(031 668 2019) SNO.19Jan;SN().2-t 18. 21.23 May; Rambert ’ B'IIY Id0I~ 15 DCC- Courtney Pine & Ellis Edinburgh Academy Jim: SNU. 261811. DimCC- “‘15 DOC: EMJUOUSE Marsalis.. 14 Dec; Fairport Dance Band. 20 Dec. I GLASGOW RSAMD (041 ‘JSCOIUSD Bi'IICI- 3' “CO-5 . - o ert Convcmion‘ 3113”. 332 5057) SC() ('hamber 2m.
IGLASGOW Cray.20.lan: Deep .EDINBURGH usflgn Ensemble, 7 1)CC;SEM(‘, IEDINBURGH QUEEN'S BARROWLAND (041 226 Purple. 10 Mar; Judas HALL (031 228 1155) Cam] I GLASGOW CITY HALLS 7 Dec: Carol Concert. 13 HALL (031 668 2019) 4679) Stiff Little Fingers. Priest. 28 Mar. Kidd & Chris Barbcr‘ 8 (041227 5511)SCO.9 Dec: Peter Seivewright, SEMC. 8 Dec; Meadows 14 Dec; Hothouse I EDINBURGH OUEEN'S Dec. Jan: SCO. 18 Jan; SCO. 14 Dec; Junior Dept (‘0. 9 Dec; SCO. 15 Dec: FIOWCI’S. 17 DCCZ dCl (031 6682019) 25 jan. Concert. 15 Dec; Scottish ('arol (anCfI. 18 DCCL Amitri. 19 Dec: The Martin Stephenson. 19 I GLASGOW CONCERT Ensemble, 18—21 Dec; (‘appella Nova. 22 Dec; Almighty. 21 Dec: Soup Doe. I GLASGOW CONCERT HALL(041332 3123) Barbara Hendricks Jubilo.231)ec:S(‘(). 12 Dragon5~ 22 DCC- & HALL (041 332 3123) ,1 BBCSSO. 7 Dec: SNO. 8 Staffan Scheja. 10_lan. Jim: EC‘AT. I4Jan15C0. .GUSGOW PAVILION Fanfare For Christmas. 19 I I GLASGOW THEATRE 1712102 5(‘(). 36km.
(041 332 1846) Gary Numan. 17 Mar.
I GLASGOW SECC (041 227 5511) Status Quo. 8 Dec: INXS. 10 Dec; Gary Glitter. 22 Dec; Scorpions. 9 Jan; AC’DC 20 Apr; Gloria Estefan. 23 Apr; Paul Simon. 31 May. I EDINBURGH INGLISTON CENTRE (031 557 6969)
I GLASGOW CONCERT HALL (041 332 3123) Courtney Pine & Ellis Marsalis. 15 Dec; Carol Kidd & Tam White. 27 Dec: The Pilgrim. 31 Dec. I GLASGOW RSAMD (041 332 5057) Rachaka. 8 Dec.
I EDINBURGH OUEEN'S HALL (031 668 2019)Jan
Dec; Spirit ofthe City Carols. 23 Dec.
I GLASGOW SECC (041 2275511)TomJones.4 Apr: Shirley Bassey. 15
May.
I EDINBURGH PLAYHOUSE (0315572590)Johnny Mathis. 6—7 Apr;Jamcs Last.11-121un.
I EDINBURGH OUEEN'S
Dec: Pops At The Phil.9 Dec; Grand Messe Des Morts.11Dec;SNO.13 Dec; Hospitals Carol Concert. 14 Dec: SNO. 15 DeczOrchestre De Paris. 16—17Dec;SCO. 18Dec: BBCSSO.21DeczSNO Carol Concert. 22 Dec: Pops At Phil. 28—29 Dec: SNO.3Jan; NYOS.4Jan: SNO.51an;SNO. 121an;
ROYAL(041331 1234) Scottish Opera La Boheme.16. 19.2-Uan. 12. 16. 19Feb; Fidelio.29 Jan.2.9.14.20Febz'l‘he Cunning Little Vixen. 8. 13.15.21.23Feb: Falstaff. 16.20.27 Apr.2. 22 May:The Barberof Seville. 26. 30Apr. 4.9. 17. 25 May: Regina. 16.
I EDINBURGH USHER HALL(0312281155)S.\'(). 7 Dec; SNO. 14Dec; School Xmas Concert. 18 Dec; Hospitals Carol Concert. 19 Dec: SCO. 20 Dec: SA (‘arol Concert. 23 Dec; NYOS. 3Jan; SN().4Jan:SN().11Jan; BBCSS().161an;S.\'().
18JanzS.\'().251an.
The List 23 November-— 6 1990 41