MUSIC
t
1.
Marilyn Crispell
statement of it in the closing bars not only introduces a sense of completion. but refers the listener back to its presence there all along. More recently. she acknowledges a sharpening of interest in the business ofcomposition. although she is : adamant that in improvising ‘1 always felt as if] was composing moment by moment anyway. even if I wasn‘t putting notes on paper.‘ The massive energy of her music has been much remarked upon. but it is balanced by a sure-footed (or should that be fingered?) sense of purpose and shape. a finely honed structural capacity which she brings to even the most abstract improvisations. Marilyn Crispell‘s uncompromising art does not offer simple pleasures. but it is music-making of a very high order. and an experience guaranteed to lift the spirits. The Marilyn (‘rispell Duo play the
Third Eye (.‘enlre. Glasgow on Sat 13 g
and the Queen '3' Hall. Edinburgh on M on 15.
Shaken Up
When the tirst tentative announcement 2 was made of Scottish gigs by The l
Replacements, someone commented :
to me that the Minneapolis toursome
was ‘one of those groups that when you -»
tell people they‘re playing, their eyes eitherlightup orthey go, “Who?“.' And so it is, tor despite producing some ! ot the best American rock of the 80s in ‘Tim‘, ‘Pleased To Meet Me', ‘The Replacements Stink’, ‘Hootenanny’,
‘Let ltBe‘, ‘Don‘tTell ASoul‘ and the 9,
wonderfully-titled ‘Sorry Ma, Forgot To 5 Take Out The Trash‘ — plus a live tape that lound its way into some shops on this side ol the pond and showed them in line lorm with an ambitious taste in cover versions — on these shores they are something ot a well-kept secret. Fronted by Paul Westerberg, whose songwriting talents have earned him gargantuan praise trom critics, tellow musicians and American punters, The Replacements have upheld ye olde rock‘n‘roll values at energy and urgency tor a decade now, but their last release, ‘All Shook Down‘, showed a quieter, more acoustic side without any downturn in quality. Westerberg, alter supporting Tom Petty on an American stadium tour, decided itwas time to keep the volume down tor a while, tor
the sake ot his ears.
the Replacements
It was the Petty tour, though, that had brought them their biggest-selling album in ‘Don’tTelI A Soul‘. British listeners might shiver at the thought ol 3 band mauling their own credibility by warming up crowds torTom Petty—just as they did in the mid-80$, when The Replacements declared their admiration tor hip-again Led Zeppelin (and Ronald Reagan). But it‘s probably pertinent to ask where later bands like DinosaurJr might be today withoutThe Replacements‘ Stateside success story. (Alastair Mabbott)
The Replacements play King Tut‘s Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow on Thurs 18.
ammo Murphy’s Law
‘We're all classically trained,‘ begins Rob ot Orchestre Murphy. ‘No, don‘t putthat down.‘
Too late. One hand ot this unclassiliable trio down, two to go. Orchestre Murphy (who have been on the go lorten years, with a floating membership), the equally unusual Honkies and No Rule 0K bring a bewildering brew of styles with them, and no description is adequate to sum up all three. Suttice to say that they are well respected in Iett-tield circles but are unlikely to be heard even on late-night radio. They are active, though. Innovative singer Maggie Nicols at No Rule OK—who specialise in spontaneous vocal improvisations with a few structured songs — is a lounder member olthe London Musicians Collective; Orchestre
The Honkies
there.
Murphy are closely involved with the ground-breaking Club Integral in Brixton; and both the Murphys and The Honkies have just returned lrom a trek
across Central and Eastern Europe where ‘people are tairly vulnerable,‘
Rob thinks, ‘because theyjust get MTV blasted at them. You turn up in your battered Transit and they think, “Ah, there is something else happening out The Honkies, a caterwaul of drums, trumpetand two saxophones
; exchanging licks atspeed-metal
velocity, can leave the listener gasping for breath. Their visual aspect is
almost as striking. Doing a lot at ‘dancing and running around‘, they can i take it into their heads to pertorm in
glittering tinsel and lame robes— like Sun Ra, it‘s been said.
‘That’s pretty accurate,‘ says Honkies’ saxophonist Caroline. ‘Even more than Sun Ra, lwould think. We had a review in Manchester saying that we were the serrated tin can edge at innovation because one ot our costumes was made out at tin cans.‘
‘We‘re not that similar musically,‘ she continues, ‘but people in Europe said we had the same wacky English sense at humour—then again, they probably say that about all English bands.‘ (Alastair Mabbott)
Orchestre Murphy, The Honkies and No Rule 0K play Glasgow School 0t Art on Fri 5 and Calton Studios, Edinburgh on Sun 7. There is also the possibility at a show at the Transmission Gallery, Glasgow on Sat 6, but phone tirst.
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The List 5 — 1s April 199133