MUSIC LIST/ROCK
I IN THESE HARD times it’s not
. unusual Ior groups to be moonlighting,
but The Vaselines take the biscuit.
Thesetasteiully sex-obsessedtalenls
can kick ass well enough to impress hard-rockin' American label Homestead. who are happy to take them on. so long as they drop the unmanly ‘disco' shit. In Spain, however. The Vaselines danceiloor exploits have been going down a treat: so much so that they‘re oil to do a spot oi miming iora TV show there. The Spaniards aren‘t so keen on the rock ’n’
' roll. though. Solutions don'tcome much more obviousandthe band’s debutwillbereleasedintwoversions.
Which sells better. and how The
Vaselines cope with living double
lives. we‘ll lelyou know.
Secession
I AFTER SIX YEARS oi trying to get an album out. Secession have iinally split up about a month belore their LP. A Dark Enchantment comes out. By disbanding the recently completed live line up. only mainman/writer, Peter Thomson remains signed to Siren Records. By not playing live. notdoing interviews and not writing any new songs. the album‘s chances cannotbe deemed high. Thomson is allegedly unhappy at the record company's continued release oi unsatisfactory productions/mixes otthe songs. Listen reckons the album is still good and worth purchasing. nevertheless.
I SENSIBLY THE BIG DISH are releasing Faith Healer astheir next single. The best track on Creeping Up On Jesus. it does not ieature inthe rather excellent acoustic setthey periormed atGlasgow‘s Virgin Megastore. An interesting choice at covers included selections by The Monkees. Glen Campbell and Elvis Presley. Frontman, Steven Lindsay recently purchased a Monkees’ Greatest Hits album and has been subsequently enthralled.
I ON THE SUBJECT OF strange cover version selections, The Triiiids were
recently seen encoring at the Dominion
in London with The Pet Shop Boys‘ Rent and Madonna‘s Into The Groove. This is
i in addition to their appearance on the
Sergeant Pepper Knew My Father
album, and trontman David McComb‘s star turn on the Johnny Cash tribute. Till Things Are Brighter.
I AFTER PREVIOUS problems with producers, Horse have iinally completed two songs, Sweet Thing and You Could Be Forgiven, successiully. with Pete Smith. The latter now looks like being a single in October.
ALBUMS
I Revolting Cocks: You Goddamned Son oi a Bitch (Wax Trax)/Barkmarket: t-BOO-Godhouse (Purge Sound League)/Die Kreuzen: Century Days (Touch and Go)/Prong: Force Fed (Spigot). All these (well-packaged) records are released in this country by the courageous Southern Studios, who have been scouring the American underground scene ior just this kind at stuii. My iavourite out oi the batch is the double live set by Revolting Cocks, which sounds a much more daunting prospect than it actually is. (It’s always better to have a Revolting Cocks album than a revolting cock, but I digress . . . ) You could even slip its tracks into a tairly hip disco and get no complaints. The Cocks are Iunk, they’re go-go, but they’re also determined to iniuse the groove with as much menace as they can throw in. That's as much as they have in common with Barkmarket, who can be iairly chuiied with a suitably tight-lipped and white-knuckled version at John Cale's 'Mercenaries', but spend the rest at their studio time messing around with montages and lorcing their way down paths I thought The Birthday Party had made impassable tor anyone else. Given the
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blindiold test, I would have said that Die Kreuzen must be the band that Grant Hart had gone on to iorm aiterthe Husker Du break-up (assuming that Hart is in a condition to do anything), but that's apparently not the case, despite the vocals. At their best, Die Kreuzen take the tradition at melodic American guitar bands and wrap It round their lingers. There are at least iour tracks on this LP begging to be heard by huge numbers at people, but on the whole it’s too patchy to be the classic that an EP could have been. Prong are more consistent, but also more likely to make ears bleed. Metal guitars and machine-gun drums chase each other all over the shop, in a rush
i that’s never less than invigorating.
(Mab)
I Various: The First Great Wave (Great). This is the iirst in a series at tour mini-LPs from the Newcastle-based label, all at which will be ieaturing songs by the same bands: The Sensible Pencils. Contraband, The Plastic lniidels, Million Dollar Legs and Edinburgh band Cringe, who, you’ll be delighted to hear, don’t let the Scottish side down. The idea at building up a series like this is risky tor the label, but it has some potential. I'd be keen to hear the next one, my curiosity being piqued by the low-key nature at the tracks involved. None oi them sound like singles, but they’re none the less immediate.(Mab) (Available irom Great Records, 81 Bamburgh Close, Oxclose, Washington, Tyne and Wear NE3 80H.)
I Various Artists/Folkways: A Vision Shared, A Tribute to Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly. Tribute albums seem a popular item at the moment, but the merit at this one is that, no matter how iniluential Guthrie has been, his music remains generally unheard by mass audiences.
However, an album that ieatures two at the biggest acts in the world, Springsteen and U2 is sure to create an interest in a major songwriting talent.
On a musical level, Sweet Honey In The Rock provide a stunning version oi
Syllvle, Springsteen provides a . deilnitive Vigilante Man and Emmylou Harris’ tender rendering oi Hobo's Lullaby. These three‘hlghllghts, are complemented by the interesting: Dylan whose covers are normally poor with a totally acoustic and convincing : Pretty Boy Floyd, U2 sounding less gutless than oi late with Jesus‘Christ, and Brian Wilson sounding iurther irom the Beach Boys sound than ever on Goodnight Irene.
As usual with a tourteen track compilation there are some distinct non starters, namely the oilerlngs Irom Little Richard, Arlo Guthrie and Tai Mahal. A rousing version oi what is probably Guthrie’s best known song, thanks to Springsteen, sees Pete Seeger and Sweet Honey In The Rock successiully take on This Land Is Your Land. An album worth having. (John Williamson)
SINGLES
I The Railway Children: Over and Over (Virgin). The star here has to be producer Stephen Street, who crams every available space with chiming guitars, harmonicas, piano and God knows what else. He balances It all so beautitully and I swear there’s a golden glow coming oil the record, but flipping it overto hearthe raw material he had to work with and then playing ‘Over and Over’ again demystitles the experience. Marginally, but enough to keep me irom going ape overthe song. (Mab)
I Blam Blam Y.C.: Rollercoasting Barbie and the Dumb Angels (Pussy Face). Had the Shop Assistants ever wanted to make a Sigue Sigue Sputnik record, it might have turned out something like this. (Nah)
I The Wildhouse: Let’s Get Married (Uh Huh!). I’m suspicious oi Oundee’s Wildhouse. They throw together all the usual retrogresslve indie elements without any hint at irony. On their iirst single they did a good imitation oi the Velvet Underground. This time their palette’s broader. When the singer started intoning things about candy in the patent Jim Reid voice over a Pastels chord progression I gave up. (Mab)
PLAYLIST
John Williamson with the LISTEN! iortnightly Hit List.
1. ANITA BAKER Rapture (rediscovered classic LP)
2. STEVE EARLE & THE DUKES I Ain’t Ever Satisiled/My Old Friend The Blues (MCA, Tin)
3. THE TRIFFIOS Raining Pleasure (Island, 12in)
4. RICKIE LEE JONES Coolsvllle (classic LP track)
5. THE RAINBIROS On The Balcony (Mercury, LP track)
6. THE BIG DISH Waiting For The Parade (acoustic live version) . ' . 7. LOVE AND MONEY Wanderlust II (on Wired) ; 8. ANDY LEEK Say Something (Atlantic, LP) _ ~. . 9. me so eerweeus 16 Lovers Lane i ' I (Beggars Banquet, LP) . 10. SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK Where
48'I‘he List It» 2‘) September 1988