MUSIC LIST
ICE ON FIRE: ELTON JOHN
Elton’s 27th album, wherein lies his biggest hit single tor 13 years, a host at under-used guest stars and the obligatory smattering ol soul embellishments, all wrapped up in flawless state-ol-the-art pop production. These days Elton is reduced to playing weedy synths most oi the time, and without his piano dominating the mix, interacting with the vocals as in days at old, most or Elton‘s physical connection with this music is lost. Highlighting this is the tact that every word he sings is lyricist Bernie Taupin’s: Elton seems like a lonely voice cut adrilt in the wilderness -with nothing to say.
Despite this great 1980’s curtain 01 sound, Taupin’s protective screen 01 words, his own Iarger-than-lile tlamhoyance, his glasses and hats, Beg Dwight is revealed - and we see that he just can’t cut it.The tunes are certainly nothing to write home about: ‘Candy by the Pound’ is the sort of smug nursery rhyme that makes you want to throw a large rock at your record deck, and the rampantly sexist ‘Wrap Her Up’, which a messed up wreck like Iggy Pop could probably make hilarious, is just an embarassing piece oi all-lads-together bravado in the hands at the well-ted and well-oil Elton and George Michael. (I wonder how Annie Lennox leels about being praised alongside Nancy Reagan, Linda Lovelace and the Tiller Girls with the line ‘Beasts and beauties, they can all dance’?) ‘Shoot Down the Moon’ is a return to the classic Elton John ballad-by-numbers tormula. Put another way, it’s a shocking piece 01
Edinburgh
0 East Africa Drought Bellel Benetit Electric Circus, King’s Stables Road. £10. Featuring Skanga, Swing ‘85 and other bands to be confirmed, pending DoE noise level enquiry.
o Magnum Playhouse Theatre, Greenside Place. 7.30pm. £4.50. Heavy Metal.
0 Teenage Dog Orgy Jailhouse, Calton Road. 10.30pm. Free.
0 Volunteer Slavery, Indigo Violence, Shiny Beast Moray House Union, Holyrood Road. £2 (£1.50). Benefit for Gateway Exchange.
THURSDAY 5
Glasgow
0 Masque Shadows, Bath Street. As in sleeping I presume.
0 Pure Glass Midas, St Vincent Street. Popular and accomplished dance music.
0 Deacon Blue Fixx. Miller Street. Featuring the wonderful, the inimitable, the one and only Ricky Ross. So there.
Edinburgh
0 Iron Fist Jailhouse, Calton Road. 10.30pm. Free.
0 Lisa Scott Preservation Hall, Victoria Street. 9pm. Free.
FRIDAY 6
Glasgow. Howard Hughes and The
hackwork which sounds like Taupin just reached into the ‘moody’ box and sent Elton the lirst scrap 01 paper he lound. And someone once worked out that this man was responsible tor 2% ol the records sold in the world!
lt’s....well, I’ll say no more, except to mention that in the midst at this the single ‘Nikita’ shines out like a beacon.Elton can still knock out an above-average hit single once in a while, and this seems to be it. As well as that, it’s the only point on the album where Elton and producer Gus Dudgeon come to grips with this beast the synthesiser, which looks like it’s robbed Elton or any distinctive stamp he might have had. Now there’s a sad song tor a piano man to sing...as long as Taupin doesn’t write the words. (Mab).
s .4
Western Approaches Rooftops, Sauchiehall Street. The keyboard player of The Associates (the current one) with a weird country based ensemble. Why not?
0 Alien Sex Fiend Strutz, above Barrowland. Beam me up Scottie!
O Glpsy’s Kiss Shadows, Bath Street. How lyrical!
0 Girl School The Venue Hard Rock Café, Sauchiehall Street. Even the manager doubted that it was THE Girl School.
0 ID Magazine are having an ‘event’ at The SUBCLUB (residing in Lucifer’s on a Friday and Saturday). London DJs, personal appearances from famous people in pop music and fun, fun, fun.
Edinburgh
0 Bleellnger Preservation Hall, Victoria Street. 9.30pm. Free. 0 Bogshed Wee Red Bar, Lauriston Place. 11pm. Free. Students and guests only. Highly-praised bunch of noisemakers. May be worth a try so you can say you saw them in the old days. 0 New York Plgtunlrers Moray House Union, Holyrood Road. Compellineg danceable. Gut-wrenching bass, percussion barrage and some very odd things going on over the top. Funk with a twist. Students and guests only. 0 Heart Industry Clowns, High Street. 8pm. Free.
O Ster Gouncll Playhouse Theatre, Greenside Place. 7.30pm. £6.50, £5.50.
SATURDAY 7
Glasgow
0 Wet Wet Wet and The Painted Word Glasgow University Queen Margaret Union. Sweeping strings (the Word) and sweet soul (the Wets) sounds super (see panel).
0 Trident Shadows, Bath Street.
Edinburgh
0 Blue Oyster Cult Playhouse Theatre, Greenside Place. 7.30pm. £5.50, £5. They brought us the fairly good (well, quite acceptable) ‘Don’t Fear the Reaper’, but most of the time lapse into pretty turgid heavy metal.
0 The Government Preservation Hall, Victoria Street. 9pm. Free.
0 Napalm Stars and Charge Jailhouse, Calton Road. Napalm Stars at about 9.30pm and Charge doing their usual afternoon sessions with various guests at about 2pm.
0 Sean and Paddy Clowns, High Street. 8pm. Free. Elvis and other rock ‘n’ roll covers.
SUNDAY
Glasgow
0 Rolling Joe and The Jets The Venue, Sauchiehall Street. R&B.
Edinburgh
0 Curiosity Killed the Cat Hoochie Coochie Club, West Tollcross. 10.30pm. I’m assured we’ll be hearing more of this popular London group, just signed to Phonogram.
MONDAY 9 Edinburgh
0 Blues ‘n’ Trouble Jailhouse, Calton Road. 10.30pm. Free. Edinburgh’s most hard-gigging band, fresh from supporting Robert Cray and bringing out a new 3-track single ‘Fine Fine Fine’. Get set for a sweaty night out.
0 Danger Zone Top 0’ the Walk, St
l
James Centre. 8.30pm. Free. 0 Street Talk Preservation Hall. Victoria Street. 9pm. Free.
TUESDAY
Glasgow
0 Wet Wet Wet and Kick Reaction Mayfair, Sauchiehall Street. This is a ‘Cash for Kids‘ charity event — all proceeds to the CFK fund. Where is your Christmas spirit? Where‘s your ticket? (Available from Mayfair, Sauchiehall Street. Cash For Kids. 90 West Nile Street or Radio Clyde — £2).
Edinburgh
0 Block Brothers Jailhouse, Calton Road. 10.30pm. Free. Blues-rock.
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lasgow
0 All ThatJazz Fixx. Miller Street. Excellent jangly-ish Ayrshire band‘s first appearance in Glasgow for a while.
Edinburgh
0 Dead on Arrival J ailhouse, Calton Road. 10.30pm. Free. Northe dodgy American hardcore punk band of the same name, but homegrown metal.
THURSDAY 12
Glasgow
0 Win Club Eden (in Panama Jax‘s every Thursday). Win are half (and very possibly the good half) ofThe Fire Engines. Ifyou don‘t know who either of these bands are then go and see it anyway. Win are one of the best pop bands in Scotland (maybe the world!).
Edinburgh
0 Block Brothers and His Latest Flame Edinburgh University Union, Chambers Street. Blues-rock and all~female pop. Students and guests only.
0 Paris Llne Jailhouse, Calton Road. 10.30pm. Free.
0 Live Aid Event Preservation Hall, Victoria Street. Line-up not yet known, but several bands playing.
RISING DAMP
The cool bored stare cultivated by some young groups is irritatineg passe, and it’s relreshing to see Wet Wet Wet look as it they enjoy what they’re doing. Lead singer Marti Pellow is a remarkably charismatic perlormer but avoids stealing the limelight. For these boys who all grew up and went to school together in Clydebank play together very much as a
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pop edge appealed to Phonogram who recently signed a deal with them. Devotees, convinced that they have big potential on the scale of Lloyd Cole, impatiently await the release 01 their lirst single and their appearance on the Tube early next year. You can catch them at the OM, Glasgow on Sat 7 Dec and at the Maytair on Tues 10 Dec (See Listings). (Lucy Ash).
band. Their eneietic soul music with a
The List 29 Nov- 12 Dec 25