RECORD REVIEWS MUSIC
V ALBUMS
I Loose Ends: Tighten Up Vol 1 (Ten)/o’lnlluence: Good 4w: (East West) What were you grooving to ten years ago? Soft Cell? Duran Duran? Spandau Ballet? Whatever. you‘re bound to have danced to at least one of the hits of Loose Ends. Now. after a decade oftransatlantic hits. Britain‘s premier black group release a specially-priced compilation of remixes. Usually remix albums are naff. but not this. as all the group’s finest have been remixed by the finest- ‘Hangin‘ On A String‘ (Frankie Knuckles). ‘Love‘s Got Me‘ (Dave Morales). ‘A Little Spice‘ (Gang Starr) — and there's a new track. ‘Don‘t Worry‘. co-writtcn and co-produced by the Young Disciples. lfthat wasn‘t enough to tempt your Polyvelts. how about the new LP from the rather wonderful D‘lnfluence? Superny produced by the DI Sound‘s posse themselves. and encompassing blues. soul. jazz and funk. it stands as testament to all that is wonderful about British dance: style. originality and wads oftalent. Past. present. future are to be found in these albums. which is more than can be said for Spandau Ballet. (Philip Ogilvie)
I Gonzalo Rubalcaba: Images (Blue Note) This third trio album from the Cuban pianist on this label maintains the high standards set in the first two. Recorded live at the Mt Fuji Jazz Festival. with John Patitucci on bass and Jack DeJohnette on drums. it captures the dazzling technique and sheer musical excitement ofthis remarkable musician in full flight. Blue Note also issue— under Chick Corea‘s name - a slightly scrappy but often fiery collection ofcarly material (1970) from the band Circle, with Corea. Anthony Braxton. Dave Holland and Barry Altschul. (Kenny Mathieson)
I Sugan Copper Blue (Creation After one
brilliant and one so-so
solo LP. Bob Mould is ~ back in power-trio format. an experience which. judging by Copper Blue.
has done him no end of good. It‘s the most immediate record he‘s been involved with since Husker Du‘s Flip Your Wig and his most polished and radio-friendly outing ever. ‘lf I Can't Change Your Mind‘ is Sugar at their sickliest. but the most memorable songs are pitched somewhere between bubblegum pop and hardcore attack. like ‘A Good idea‘. ‘Hoover Dam‘ and the chiming single ‘Changes‘. Grunge ofquality and distinction. : for those who like their Sugar rough but refined. (Alastair Mabbott)
v SINGLES
1 I Suburban Delay: Energy 9 Rush (Internal AIIairs)/The i Prodigy: Fire (XL)
l Chirpiness by itself isn't a crime. but Suburban
° Delay can count themselves responsible for the most wretchedly useless track I've heard in a very long time. A reasonable tune might have made their overall
; banality bearable.butthis
inane excuse for a melody is stretched far. far beyond breaking point. Prodigy‘s ‘Fire‘ at least sounds like it belongs on a dancefloor: frenetic. I skitteringdrumtrack. ; Arthur Brown samples i and a mystery (to me) I reggae song neatly woven in. Much more like it. (AM) , ; I Bark Psychosis: Scum = (3rd Stone) Many people masturbate. but few release the results asa f 21-minute single. Bark i Psychosis have attempted l to make art. free of i conventional restrictions. . and ended up with a seamless. pointless waste of space. A brave idea which has developed into a great CD for wedging under the legs of wobbly tables. (GI) I Mark-Anthony Turnage: Three Screaming Popes (EMI) A number of classical labels have experimented with issuing contemporary music in single form since the advent ofCD. This is an I appropriate choice. given its sheer energy and directness. inspired by Francis Bacon‘s violent paintings. and is gloriously performed by Simon Rattle and the C880. Turnage regularly integrates rock and jazz idoms into his work. and this piece. while often dense and harshly dissonant. has a I compelling drive and ' lyrical intensity. (Kenny Mathieson) I Manic Street Preachers: Theme From M'A'S'II/Fatima Mansions: Everything I Do (I Do It For You) (Columbia) Perhaps I should be cool and prefer the Mansions‘ pervy critique of Bryan
Adams' monster hit. However. the Manics have the better song and James Bradfield turns in one of the vocal performances ofthe year. etching total commitment into every word he‘s singing. In the 708. that voice would have made him a rock god. And now? Top Ten. I‘d say. (AM)
I The Lost Soul Band: Looking Through The Butcher’s Window (SIIvertone) lfseeing them live in Edinburgh every other night isn't enough. you can now have them on disc. A live version of ‘Fungus Mungus‘ blows away the two studio tracks. but they too gain power with time. Let‘s hope the band remember their old pals when worldwide fame hits. (A tenner. you said?) (61)
I Orson Karts: Tonight (Freak) Glasgow-based ch used to provide the raps for The Shamen. Now he's one halfof Orson Karte. and it‘s hard to know whether to chastise or congratulate him. Who else can we blame for allowing Mr C to enter the public domain after his departure? On t‘other hand. who else can we say has helped to craft the finest post-ambient tribal dance track to caress this listener's ears this year. An immaculate. essential purchase. (CB) I Orbital: Haddiccio EP (Internal) There's nowt so sample-canny as the Orbital folk. ‘Halcyon’ floats Opus lll‘s ‘Fine Day‘ on its back upon a crystalline opalescent beat for eleven minutes of hazy intensity. while the Afro-techno of ‘Naked And The Dead‘ craftily has the legendary Scott Walker repeatedly intoning the title. lmmensely gratifying in a slow-absorption kind of way. (CB)
’ I Dlaimin: Give You
(Cooltempo) Cowbells off and feet to the floor as Djaimin (presumably
: Swiss for The Shamen)
produce milky-smooth runaway piano and mighty bass. Not so much a tripto Trumpton as a return to the good old days of anthemic House when the
i record grows with every
play. What‘s commonly known in the trade asa serious dance record. (PO)
I The Party: Free (Hollywood) Teddy Riley and Steve ‘Silk‘ Hurley involved in catchy record shocker! All to do with the pressures ofbeing grown
up and unable to return to
l
those carefree childhood days; aye. and you thought multi-million- dollar producers nad an easy life. Unrestricted groove. pure pop. dead brilliant— although it pains me to say it. (PO)
GLASGOW BARROWLANDS
MONDAY 12 OCTOBER ,1 '
The ' - HEAD-Oil - Tour
(3.9 [.5
B WEDNESDAY 28 OCTOBER
MARTIN STEPHENSON
AND THE DAINTEES
flue. 64x9}: Hrs/art
GLASGOW PAVILION MONDAY 2 NOVEMBER
inns.- Alfl I'll nan. 18 “on. V.“ INN”. um mm. est-m 0". "VIN. .0! (MK! MN” "07.
HARVEY GOLDSMITH ENTS PRESENTS
IN THE NIGHI TOUR
su 4 OCTOBER
Tickets £10.00 adv.
DAL“ WELLER
WED 7 OCTOBER
Tickets £9.50 adv.
GLASGOW BARROWLANDS
TIckets from Virgin Records Union St. and all TOCTA Outlets CREDIT CARDS 031 557 6969
(fold-phone booking: and agents sub/9c! to booking for) ’-
The List 11— 24 September 1992 29