MUSIC REVIEW
V ALBUMS ‘
I Mind Funk: Mind Funk (Epic)/Momma Stud: Cock A Doodle Doo (Circa) The ‘funk metal‘ tag is proving itself remarkably resilient. With two such different albums sheltering under its umbrella, it‘s becoming a sub-category of curious
I- VARIOUS ARTISTS
Honey At The Core Part 2 (Daisy Music) I have two problems with charity compilation albums. One, they're compilations, and two, they’re for charity (in this case, the Yorkhill Children’s Trust).
So firstly, like any compilation,
The Light) might suggest a typically polarised collection, but instead each track is uniformly mid-paced and carefully slotted into its place on the cohesive track list in such a way that on side one Carol Laula flows into Rhythm Hill which merges into The Honeychurch.
The songs themselves are disappointingly perfunctory, so nestling in the middle of this languid
they’re usually bitty affairs with a set, Teenage Fanclub's drawling saturation, couple at standout stunners, a couple charm sounds more like lethargy and
of goodies, a few fillers and at least one complete disaster area. More often than not, you find yourself skipping the needle over several tracks to reach that crucial lavourite -the one with all the jumps and scratches from exhaustive replays. Well, no such problems here. ‘Honey At The Core Part 2‘ doesn’t
actually boast any honey at the core. A premature gander at the artistes involved (The Liberties, BMX Bandits,
only the chiming sound effects on ‘Too lnvolved’ lift it above the pedestrian. Even The Groovy Little Numbers, who can usually be relied upon to deliver some poppy brass-soaked melody, sound less than animated.
And as for the second grievance — it’s for charity, so actual content is not the main priority. Fine for the financial beneficiary; too bad for the listener. (Fiona Shepherd)
Unfortunately. neither record here could claim parity with the funk metal vanguard, though they could put in a bid as jammy pastiche merchants. Mind Funk aspire to fretboard-fiddling indulgence of Metallica proportions. guitars winning out over bass every time. Their name is the only viable indication of their Extreme pretentions. Momma Stud are shaping up nicely for
The Proclaimers
(excellent) opener, ‘tlothing Else Will 00’, it’s shockingly strident and
the next gems (Mm. ,,, i powerful, and from there on in she cuts
Their Eyes. and tonight 1 SANDY DENNY AND THE itwith varying measures of serenity to
glimm'angud are Living 5 STRAWBS suiteach song, without ever losing its 0 our. ey‘vc gotthc .; im act,
image Just about licked. (sfimiggflny And The Straws ' All songs but one were written by The
and the component parts— gospel. rock, funk — are ripe for exploitation. but the group lack their mentors‘ car for adecent tune. or even a decent riff. The affected, acrobatic a capella version of ‘Amazing Grace‘ is an embarrassment, but the variety on show here indicates that there‘s life
in the old sub-category yet. (Fiona Shepherd)
Strawbs' Dave Cousins, so credit where credit’s due: he must rank as one of the most overlooked talents of that exhaustively documented decade. Cousins puts Ray Davies lirme in his place with ‘How Everyone Except Sam Was A Hypocrite‘, but his further shots at lead vocals tend to result in a yearning for more Denny. And there‘s the obligatory sitar and tablas workout, which no one needed, even then. But even this album‘s weaknesses tail to dent it. (Alastair Mabbott)
1 Re-released after many years, with some additional, previously unreleased tracks, this record alone could convince the uninitiated that in the now largely ignored British folk-rock boom of the mid-60s, there was undeniable magic amidst the wimpery and smugness that those who weren’t there at the time tend to associate with it. The late Sandy Denny, also of Fairport Convention, possessed a classic voice and knew how to put it to full use. 0n the
pre-Thatcher ‘Iiberal compassion’. in setting out all the answers, he predictably raises more and more
Q, The Undiluted Truth (A Blackman’s On ‘This Wretched Earth’. he comes Leviathan) (Mango) closest to a justification of his views,
Black Radical Mk II knows what he’s about. ‘An African with Black Unification my plan’, he takes his role
but the message is clear: we’re 5 weighed down by the sins of our ' fathers, and ain’t nothing going to lift that yoke from our shoulders. No
Freddie McGrego I Various: Reggae Hits Vol
IO (JBI Star) Reggae‘s changed a fair bit since the days when I would do my best to rattle the foundations with early Greensleeves sides. A productive clinch with hip-hop helped stave off stagnation, but lovers‘ rock endures, without, on the evidence ofmuch of side one, going anywhere very fast. Sir Lloyd and Gilroy Sidden's ‘You‘ve Changed‘ is the prime offender in the soporific plodding stakes. and
as a communicator seriously— perhaps too seriously, one pauses to think, when a soundbite from Christ himself drifts past. A Londoner with an Alrocentric sensibility and Jamaican influences, he takes his cues from some of the most uncompromising
American rappers.
I‘d be hounded by the folks at ‘Searchlight’ if I spat out the words ‘integration’ and ‘assimilation’ as hatetully as BR ll does on ‘Summarli’. He acknowledges this, elsewhere, with the line ‘Liberals compare me to the National Front‘, while still bemoaning
surprise, then, that the following track, ‘Sign Of The Beast’, incorporates large chunks of The Book Of Revelations. Any stance can be justified by selective interpretation of the scriptures.
Musically, it’s tough but flexible, shaking loose when Courtney Pine’s sax and Timmie B. Bran’s Hammond-sounding keyboards brush up against each other on ‘Radix Polnt'. Altogether, a powerful, provocative album from a commentator who sounds like he’s planning to be around along time. (Alastair Mabbott)
redemption is at hand in only a handful oftracks. Freddie MeGregor‘s ‘Let Him Try' among them.
Things get far more spring-heeled on side two. with the emphasis on ragga and dancehall. A satisfactory blend of eclecticism and invention. it has the forward momentum that most of the previous cuts lack.
(Alastair Mabbott)
V BOOK NOW
ROCK
I GLASGOW BARROWLAND (226 4679) All About Eve. 8 Sep; Level 42, 3 Oct; Psychedelic Furs. 4 Oct; T‘Pau. 11 Oct; Kevin
McDermott Orchestra. 12
Oct; Billy Bragg, 18 Oct; Stiff Little Fingers. 19 Oct: Carter The
Unstoppable Sex Machine, 2 Nov; James. 6
Nov;Tin Machine, 7 Nov;
The Farm, 1 Dec. I GLASGOW CONCERT
? HALL (332 3123) Chesney
llawkcs. 22 Oct; Neil Sedaka. 24 Oct; Tammy Wynette. 12 Nov; Deacon Blue. 27—28 Dec.
I GLASGOW SECC (557 6969) Dire Straits. 11-14 Sept; Whitney Houston,
L 17—19 Sept; Sting. 23 Nov;
Chris Rea. 29 Nov; New Dec.
Kids On The Block. 8
Dec; Gary Glitter. 23—24
Dec CLASSICAL
I EDINBURGH CASTLE I GLASGOW CONCERT ESPLANADE (557 6969) HALL (332 3123) Nigel Van Morrison. 29 Aug. Kcnncdy,28 Aug; City of I EDINBURGH PLAYHOUSE Glasgow Phil. 30 Aug. 1.6
(557 2590) Marillion. 22 Sept; Lloyd Cole. 18 Oct; Chesney Hawkes, 21 Oct; Kylie Minogue. 4 Nov; James. 8 Nov; Deacon Blue. 29—30 Nov; Fish. 31
Sept; James Galway. 31 Aug; Mozart Festival Orchestra. 2—3 Sept; SCO, 4 Sept; Hallc Orchestra. 5 Sept; BBCSSO. 1()Sept;
Scottish Opera Orch &
Chorus. 11 Sept; Czech Philharmonic. 12—14 Sept;
Scottish Fantasia, 15 Sept; Georgian State Orchestra. 23 Sept; Tokyo
; SO,80ct;Leningrad j Phil,21 Nov.
I GLASGOW SECC (557 6969) Jose Carreras. 9 Dec.
I EDINBURGH USHER HALL (228 1 155) Georgian State Orchestra, 25 Sept.
BZThe List 9- 15 August 1991