MUSIC LIST
0 MUSICAL SERVICES DEPT #1. Bands having trouble llndlng gigs In the Edinburgh area (and that means practlally 90% at them) may llnd help lrom a new organisation called Random, who have heeded the call lrom unlucky East Coast bands who just can’t llnd anywhere to play. Solar around 30 bands, including Deal Heights Cajun Aces and Avalon have shown themselves to be interested. The llrst ol the Random nights, which should showcase two or three bands each time, will leature Dancing Bears, Theme and No Excuse, and takes place at Wilkie House in the Cowgate on 10 April, with more to lollow, possibly in the Calton Studios and a proposed new venue in Leith, then lurther alield. Bands interested should phone Alison Forsth on 031 553 6395. o MUSICAL SERVICES DEPT #2. Once budding megastars have got their gigs they may like to have the whole shebang recorded lor some reason, say as a demo tor a record company, as a tape to get more gigs or maybe as a live cassette album to sell at them. They could do worse than phone up Claude Harper, a lormer Abbey Road and Apple Records engineer who, when he’s not doing lreelance engineering work in studios around the place, operates a mobile studio out at a caravan lor the purpose ol recording anything lrom small bands to orchestras. The studio is basically a control room on wheels, a Iii-track mobile with the normal range at lacilltles, including limiters, compressors, delay reverb, Dl boxes, mike splitters and enough cable to reach any stage Claude’s ever been called to. The artist, ll (s)he chooses, could even have record pressing and stereo VHS video recording arranged. Prices are negotiable, and even small bands have the chance to have a good recording made. Leaplrog Mobile can be reached on 031 449 5808.
o SHOCK HORROR PROBE! CRACK COOKING UNCOVERED! Or at least sensationalized last week on the lront cover ol The Evening Times who severely rapped lree magazine Rocket 88’s editor Stewart Spence on the brain lor publishing a supposedly pro-crack
(the drug, not the band - nobody could be pro-Crack!) article in his magazine. In the interests ol non-biased reporting and sell-preservation, Rocket will be printing an article by a member at the police Drug Squad next issue which should make lor very interesting reading indeed . . . and remember Kids, crack kills and your llrst shot is the beginning ol your last . . .
o SARAH JANE MORRIS best known lor being the energetic girl vocalist with the deep voice in The Communards has Ielt the band to re-establish her own career as a singer/actress. Despite always taking the deep notes with Jimmy Summerville (and who
wouldn't) Sarah has a threeooctave range (pretty neat huh), none at which she will be demonstrating as she takes her llrst straight acting part lor years In Maylest’s production at the modern opera ‘The Sleep’ . . .
o BIZARRE AS THEIR CAREER has been up to date, Glasgow’s most talked about band llnally released a record last week, Wet Wet Wet— “Wishing l Was Lucky’ . . . the Wet boys were surprised to get an invite lrom The Motown Man himsell, Lionel Richie, to support him at the NEC in Birmingham lorthree nights last week, hot on the heels ol a support oller lrom The Bodines. . . needless to saythe Lionel Richie gig went well . . .
0 GET ORGANISEDI ll two 17 year-old girl singers can get on a YTS scheme as singer/periormers in Derbyshire, Scotland should be able to get the
I
Saran Jane Morris.
whole industry on VTS . . . alter all no-one’s making any money and the London industry won’t spend it up here.
0 CONGRATULATIONS to Hipsway (now back In the studio lolks) lor going 33 With A Bullet In Billboard’s Hot 100.
o CLAIRE’S BACK! Yes, you can agaaln gaze on the doll-like leatures ol Claire Grogan on Thursday 2 April in the Usher Hall where she is introducing the AIDS Benelit leaturlng The Communards, The Waterboys, Win, and Billy MacKenzle (who Is rumoured to be recording with Trev Horn at the moment) . . .
e LATIN SOUL POPSTERS Hue And Cry admit that lead singer Pat Kane draws most at his inspiration lor vocals lrom the theme tune to ’Starsky And Hutch”. We at Listen! are too young to rememberthat programme . . .
ALBUMS
0 Julian Cope: Saint Julian (Island). The key to the appeal ol this renowned English eccentric is to be loend in the intro to Pulsar, such a ridiculous rock ’n’ roll cliche, but Cope brings It all because he loves it and revels in its silliness. Remember, this Is the man
CHRIS IIILL
who once said he wanted to walk onstage looking like he’d just crapped in his Ieathertrousers. i never completely gave up on him, but it was . hard when the acid-drenched visions oi his solo material got out ol control and brought out the Pink Floyd In him, ruining the buoyancy, playlulness and pop sensibility ol the Teardrop Expiodes’ two brilliant albums. Then came the re-emergence. A young, enthusiastic band, driving the songs along at a cracking pace with a guitar sound that knocks sport oll pretenders like the Lemon Drops, a rejuvenated Cope In black leather with the best mikestand in pop history. A new lease ol ille where you’re lucky to get one chance. It you were annoyed by his obscure, personal lyrics in the Teardrop days they’ve come back to plague you anew. it you nevertheless loved the two exhilarating comeback singles you should buy this Immediately.
0 Danny Wilson: Danny Wilson (Virgin). Not a solo act, but a trio lrom Dundee - Gary Clark, Kit Clark and God Grimes - augmented by various lriends on an LP ol seamless, tamer- produced pop that takes so lew risks It becomes quite lrksome alter a short while - one longs tor a Run DMC or a Stump alter only a couple ol songs, it not something grittler. There’s obvious songwriting talent and musical chops here, but the lack ol Individuality ls crushing. The very Tom Waits-y Ruby’s Golden Wedding is the worst ollender, its accordion and brass being ripped straight lrom Swordllshtrombones, In The Neighbourhood In particular. The current single Mary’s Prayer, sounds like it should get daytime airplay, bull can’t see why anyone should buy this record In prelerence to Prelab Sprout’s Steve McOueen LP, which it resembles in so many places.
SINGLES
0 Tommy Chase: KillerJoe (Stilt). Yes, that’s right, venerable old Still Records are still with us, albeit swallowed up by ZTT, and still championing all that’s non-mainstream, unhip and uncool (that’s a thought, where is Jona Lewie now?) Advertising this as ‘Britaln’s llrst real jazz record’ is asking tor it, though, when it’s really just an unremarkable upbeat instrumental over an unchanging walking bassline. You'll have to do better than this, Still, to get back into the nation’s heart again. Requlslte Still sleaze quotient, though. 0 The Dog-Faced Hermans: Unbend EP (Demon Radgew). Great name, whatever It means. This band are part olthe Edinburgh Muslcians’ Collective and were most impressive when they supported The Membranes a couple oi months ago - more impressive than the headliners, in tact, and the llrst impression on hearing the record was one at disappointment. Further listening conlirms it Is indeed a
grower, as they say on all the best radio shows, being hall that sort ol bastard reggae that The Sllts used to play-
low, slow and heavy, so that you can almost leel the bass strings slapping against the neck - and hall a lrantlc Pop Group style ex-Plglunker Marion yelping lndeclpherable lyrics when she’s not blowing crazy trumpet. Like
It. (Mab)
The List 20 March — 2 April 31