MUSIC LIST
Toyah and Frlpp: The LadyOr The Tiger ' (Editions EG). An unusal item this, and
not likely to sell in vast quantities, but
it happens to be the iirst record Toyah‘ ‘
Willcox has made that i can listen to
without squirming and eventually
wrenching oil the deck. it’s hard to say; _'
it it’s a record you would want to listen ‘ “to more than hali-a-dozen tlmes,;but ll .3
: - What makes this record such commercial suicide ls that it’s a ' '-
it. Stockton’s(1834-41902)short71a~i ‘ j-~‘j
letting in simple and achinglybeauiihll ._ - language, oi heart-searchingprolilems
doesn't get carried away, and herb «a. . . detached but sympathetic narration -- f. preserves the dignity oi the original
'~ story, enhanced by her loverFripp’s 7 muted, indistinct musical wallpaper. '
(The League oicratty'Guitarists, the guitar class Fripp teaches inthe very ‘ .; room in Claymont Bourtthat Stockton used as a study. appear on side two. Like most sequels, it’s less than ‘ salislactory to those acquainted with '
the original, hutthe continuation oi the themes is periect, and it rounds oil a complete and pleasing album. ,.
Frlpp has been makinginterestlng', individual and innovative music tor years now. Here’s hoping thatToyah’ will never again loist upon us such . rubbish as ‘Thunder in the Mountains’. (Mab) J
5:.
oi the greatest dance music in they .
'fwestern'world wasn‘t enough, T-Funk’ ‘ have released this electrilylng live LP
' (recorded in London last July). and i
' doubt it a live atmosphere has ever
‘ been represented quite like this on a disc beiore; irom the word go (go)
j T-Funk set up such an unstoppable hard groove that l getthe leeilnglt would '
4 take a nuclear assault to even slow ._ them down, and band and audience-get
sustained high that carries on in the
tree 12ln (nearly 11 mins ot “Don’t
. Touch That Stereo’ - i wouldn’t dream-
'cilti). ' This ain’t no disco: this is a volatile.
percussion assault, unilagglng, tricky, constantly shitting, impossible not to dance to, anddragglng the rest-oi the _
sound along with it, tireless bass, - '
'- (neatly sound cool.Buythls. (Mab) ' ’. The Fall: Bend Sinister (Beggars
torgettlnga tow) and none have been a ’ '-'less than tascinatlng. Some are even . 1, masterpieces; And Still they keep on j a.
' , mystery. .
figecret oi lolly using the power ot the ' ' _' you are going to listen'to it at all':‘§?...{ 5,. . “I.” Bflsnal‘flnd mesmefise- ' _ . A _ around now, when the nights ateliong i111; T'MMWNMN M38": hasexoloded in and yarns are spun, wovl_dlbe‘ldekaf,l.:;._g . .. , . , - .
v ' :->know.that~secret. You can almost see
. ainl s okenwordreadin oi. ' 3'7; _ ,. (m V) p 0 mm i presidesoverlhestacatto-bassrltillke
stories ‘The Lady Or Th_e'~Tiger_f' ‘ sequel ‘The Discourager oi Rositahe'y’,“
posed by a semi-barbaric king.‘-Toy”ahe‘ = . a
. flappen (Blue Guitar). One oi the most
‘ ’7 - thesleeve pics). ltdisplays alltheir ': , strengths with law oi their weaknesses:
J those simple but enchanting chord
I ' . -.;'they;hal_i the age they are and. had they ~~ an ounce'ot romance and sensitivity in .. their Republican souls.
Trouble contrast near than ' this is essentia . s purvey ngsom'e‘
' oil on each other enough to" whistle up a . j
" ' "stunt-Siriéheahu’ail, tioloniythat,-
but they’re the only group in the world who can make the phrase ‘ireaky
Binauet). Superstars, movements, poss iywhole empires have risen and tattoo since Mark E. Smith iirst unveiled his unique vision oi the world in 1977. At a rough count that's about
; 15 LPs ago (although I could be
coming, though irom what region oi Smith’s brain they emanate is still a.
» it the enigmatic and awkward Smith . allowed himseilto think in such crass - terms, he should be happy with this as
a worthy iollow-up to last year’s massively successlui (tor The Fall, that is) ‘This Nation’s Saving Grace’. ’08 y' .. BOs-BOs' is the most immediate highpoint here.;With the urban rockabilly motlton “Fiery Jack’ seven years ago The Fall stumbled'on the "
somany’ dlrectlonsslnce then they still
.jthe'iacelesssecurityguardsin the - highly-charged ’US’BOs—BOs’ as Smith
:3 malevolenl‘loadino zone . . announcement. When their work less lolly; realised as this The Fall-are unassailable. ~ _ .
“There’s-Something so British about this band as well, as British as both ‘ Mike Leigh and Eating Studios, and while all around are breaking their backs to sing with American accents, , thataione is enough reason to cherish them. (Mab) '
The Shop Assistants: Will Anything
eagerly awaited LPs tor a while, the debut irom this Edinburgh 4-piece, and it shouldn't disappoint anyone who tell under the Shoppies’ spell in the last two years (the oglers can even leer at
David's Buzzsaw guitar carves out
progressions, the drums clatter and clump . . . the last songs could be what The Bamones would sound like were
By contrast, the slow songs are a breed that the Shoppies have made their own. Olten threatening to tail
apart when played live, on this record “3% -n 3.
“ ‘3 y r .N-QJ J 1‘ r}. xi F Ag ‘ ‘ . ,‘\‘w
4.
humane. mm to be lulled by Alex's cool vocal, almost ghostly in
‘ > places. ’Betore l Wake’ has the tenderest and best lyric oi the love
songs and really chills (‘lley, Shop Assistants! Mytavourite death rock groupt’), and on the same wistiul vein the excellent ‘Somewhere in China’ is present and correct too, along with re-recorded and souped-up versions oi old iavourites ‘All Day Long’ and ‘All
That Ever Mattered’.
A greatest hits album alter two years- in existence, you mock? That’s right. - (Mab) . '
Various: (:86 (Rough Trade). A vinyl release iorlhe cassette put out on mail
' order by the NME earlier this year, and
teaturing 22 struggling independent bands, united by the now-meaningless ‘shambling’ tag (which John Peel,
, TROUBLE“
UNK
_; ‘* ‘SAY WHAT!’ *
* LIVE IN LONDON * ;
(godiather to lost about every hand on
” this record, must be sorely regretting _ .bynow). in truth there’s only one strand
that these bands have in common; that, mlstits all, they pawed at the door oi
« success in a yearthat mostwlli
rememberiust tor Madonna-mania, the Wham! split and Springsteen's live boxed set. This record is the detlnitive
British compilation oi the year: an
overview oi those who (olten with a contrived naiveté) tried nothing more than to be who they were.
It’s roughly split between the noisemakers (like the weird and wondrous Stump, and it you missed their video on The Tube you’ve no one to blame but yoursell), most at whom are on Ron Johnson’s label, the iangly types who wish they could be l6 all their lives (Pastels, Soup Dragons) and some truly impressive aspiring pepticlans. The Bodines’ single ‘Therese’ grows more precious with each listening and McCarthy (a new name to me) contributes a plaintive and poignant track. May i also mention Miaow, whose odd jazz-rockabilly concoction is an irresistible taster lor
'more -which I hope won‘t be long in coming.
Add to this a law big names like the
This Nation’s Saving Grace? The Fall (see review above)
Shoppies, Lemon Drops, Fuizbox and ‘ Hall Man Hall Biscuit, and somehow it all slots together in perlect harmony. A vital sllce oi the real 1986, that will lorever be stumbling around drunk in the corners oi Coasters and the Onion Cellar, has been captured. (Mab)
Madness: litter Madness (Zag‘azz). The loliow-up to ‘ omp ete a nose and the singles ol the second halt oi Madness's career, up to their linale, the disappointing ‘Ghost Train’, this album chronicles their development irom the Nutty Boys oi Coventry, zany ska and blueheat practitioners with a good line in catchy songs, to the rather melancholy but still wry ‘Yesterday’s Men’. The best product oi Madness’s maturity is here. ‘Michael Caine’, my iavourite Madness single since their iirst one, and a superb perlormance oi a gripping tune, combining sadness and humour in just the right amounts. Magic.
Every one at these singles was a hit; irom the wacky “Driving in My Bar’ with its tape loop oi hooters and bicycle bells, to ‘Yesterday‘s Men’, where the line ‘Has to get better is the long run’ is sung - almost chanted -with epic pessimism. Also taken on board are the strident gospel number ‘Wings at a Oove’, ‘Our House’, the iirst American hit despite its English working-class origin, and all the rest. Now that they’re gone the charts will be a duller place. (Man)
Man: Green Fly Lalymer). Great sleeve notes to i an intro irom: ‘Shall we say that Man grew out oi the late Sixties as a leek-flavoured counterpart to American llower power?’ By all means. Formed in Wales in 1968 and iinaliy shuttling oil in 1976, Man epitomised early Seventies progressive rock, and were highly praised by people who were generally into getting Very Stoned and camping on leyllnes. This album is a timely release tor the acid rock revival which, by my reckoning, must be less than eight months away, but doesn’t stand the test at time too well. Most oi sides 3 and 4 (an odd item with a Welsh male voice choir nowithstanding) are taken up by lengthy and tedious live jams, despite some niity guitar work in places. There‘s a lair bit oi gentle three-part harmonies over sensitive Spanish guitars and ‘Ralnbow Eyes’, irom the album classed as Man’s ‘Sergeant Pepper’, is really nothing more than a grandiose, extended McCartney ripolt. Not a vital slice ol history, but our blackmail dept notes with interest the presence oi Terry Williams, now drummerior Dire Straits. (Mab)
Osiris: War On The Bullshit (BAAD! Records) First impressions may be lasting but they are not always inspired. Osiris have no concept at how important what you see, beiore what you hear, is, unless they have the sort oi sick sense at humour that allows them to laugh at packaging their LP like an early iron Maiden sleeve. All the heavy metal cliches are there on the sleeve. A stylised neo-Egyptian Phoenix motii; a negative picture at a grim looking man with thongs over his chest-everything, even the song titles, ‘Total Devastation’, ‘Seeker’ and
42 The List 12 [)cc — 8.11m