RECORD REVIEWS IIISIG
V ALBUMS
I Various: Outlaw Blues (lmaginary)This nth in a series of howeverrnany erratic tribute compilations from imaginary is devoted to homages/metamorphoses/ abortions of classics from the pen of old cheese grater chops Bob Dylan. Forgive the irreverence, but Dylan means zilch to the power ofinfinity to me. However, the treatment that others in the past have meted out to his material has occasionally been stunning. Here,The Poster Children can rape ‘lsis‘ and kingdoms don‘t come crashing down; The Cuckoos can massacre ‘This Wheel‘s On Fire‘ and the heavens make not a mutter. There's nothing outstanding here, but curiosities include Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon making ‘Sitting On A Barbed Wire Fence‘ sound like Fugazi coven'ng The Velvets covering Dylan, The Boo Radleys giving post-Valentines murmuring a gritty Americanised face, and Spirea X robbing ‘lt Aint Me Babe‘ of the blues and replacing it with watery sunshine. (Fiona Shepherd) I Various: Totally Wired 8 (Acid Jazz) Acid Jazz, unlike most record companies, don‘t work on marketability or hit potential but whether the shit grooooves. Groove it most certainly does; from the established Acid Jazz artists of The K Collective (BNH frontman Jan Kincaid plays exquisite soul like only he can), lzit (returning to the dance groove where ‘Stories’ left off) and The Humble Souls (beautifully haunting underground funk), to club classics like Ashley and Jackson‘s ‘Solid Gold‘ and Southshore Commission‘s ‘Free Man‘. As per usual, there‘s a host of new and promising acts such as Olli Ahvenlahti‘s Finnish Jazz, Waves Essex Jazz funk and Double Trouble songstressJanette Sewell. It may not groove all the way to the bank, but for dance music‘s sake, it should take a trip to your turntable. (Philip Ogilvie) I Don Byron: Tuskegee Experiments (Elektra Nonesuch) Clarinettist Don Byron is one of the most undervalued musicians working at the cutting edge of American jazz. This album has a distinctly ‘new music’ rather than radical jazz feel to some of its selections, but is a fine example of his art. Byron also turns up on drummer Ralph Peterson‘s Ometrology (Blue Note), where he shares an unconventional front line
in the quartet (or Fo'tet, as Peterson has it) with vibraphonist Bryan Carrott. Elektra also issue film soundtracks by John Zorn, Film works 1986-1990, including a brief but outrageous re-working of ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.‘ which follows on from his Morricone album The Big Gundown. (Kenny Mathieson)
I American Classical Music While relatively conservative in style, John Harbison‘s music is often complex, but with an attractive lyricism. The Lydian String Quartet (Harmonia Mundi) play his Quartets Nos 1 and 2, and his Trio dedicated to Schubert, ‘November 19. 1828‘. The Mirecourt Trio perform pieces by three generations of American composers, the pioneering Henry Cowell,
g thelateVincent ' Perischctti,and Paul
Reale, on TrioAmerica (Music & Arts). Walter Piston is emerging again from neglect, and a new Delos disc offers four works, including the Symphony No 4, under conductor Gerard Schwarz. Finally, the excellent English vocal group The Sixteen‘sAn American Collection (Collins) includes works by Copland, Bernstein and Barber, and Reich‘s ‘Clapping Music‘. (Kenny Mathieson)
V SINGLES
I Bassheads: Back To The Old School (Deconstruction) Eighteen months ago such dance records would be deemed anthems, destined to take the six month underground route to chart success. Certanly taking club music back to
the classroom with old
school-style big bass beats, catchy hooks, audience taunts (How’s
' everybody feelin‘ out
there?), and a period where the record mellows out, only for it to return a lot more mad and dangerous. Good rockin‘ stuff and bloody brilliant t‘boot. (PO)
I Utah Saints: Something Good (FFBR) Well, the
2 Utah Saints certainly have a penchant for cleverly sampling the top female
artists; first it was Annie Lennox‘s ‘There Must Be An Angel‘, now it‘s Kate Bush’s ‘Cloudbusting‘. A hard hitting track with a raw rock feel and dynamic dance edge. Clever it may be but the previous addictability of ‘What Can You Do For Me‘ is lacking; a hit nonetheless. (P0)
I Pulp: 0.U. (Gilt) Galactico—bubblegum popperama party time from the alluring Sheffield combo with a fetishistic attachment to all things
tack-ridden. ‘O.U.‘
sounds like a hearty piss-take on early 805 synth-pop. Too naive and silly for maestros like Erasure, too cuddly and personal for The Human League, ‘O.U.‘ could just possibly spell the most fun you can have without the aid of peanut butter. (FS) I The Family Cat: Steamroller (Dedicated) The Family Cat, luvvies, are still largely unsung indie talents with a dash of gawky glamour and enough spark to light a batch of moist bonfires. At over seven minutes, ‘Steamroller‘ equals a fine idea spread most thinly, with chundering guitars fighting to retain clarity. Their cover version of The Beatles‘ ‘Across The Universe‘ is by contrast a gem-encrusted swoon. (F5)
I Radiohead: Drill EP (Parlophone) A meagre sketch of this record, if you will: the first few seconds coast a gently strummed shimmering wave before erupting into a raging whirlwind of spinning guitars and forceful drumming. We‘ve heard it all before. yet, amazingly for a debut which embraces indie anonymity, it's actually supremely engaging. (PS) I The Time Frequency: Real Love (Jive/Cluhscene) Bumptious techno at its cockiest. Scotland‘s underground ravemeisters go overground with their first national release, a
' monu-flippin-mental
edifice of a track. ‘Real Love‘ toes the techno line - housey piano motif , fulsome diva-esque pronouncements— and will be in the Top 5 in two weeks. The B-sides, an alternate mix and alive rave fave, rubbish such chart concessions, and reveal the real hardcore core of'ITF. (CMcL)
I The Joyriders: King at Gasolinemiverhead: Haddit (Alva) Where‘s the beef? Bristling through the grooves of The Joyriders‘ debut, that‘s where. From Edinburgh via Minneapolis, ‘King Of Gasoline‘ rocks like a bastard, flaunting the jet roar, the lithe brawn, the LEAN MEAT ofThe Joyriders‘ post-punk, pre-dawn, mid-western, overwhelming bolshie pop noise. I think.
Riverhead are altogether more vegetarian (?). ‘Haddit‘ finds their literate guitar rock subsumed within an early 80$, nouveau wave, neo-arty stratum. The resulting melange gives fewer quick-thrills than their labelmates. But what Riverhead lack in elegance they make up for in eloquence. Buy both records and get instant gratification and extended innovation. (CMcL)
THE QUEEN'S HALL
(ILERK STREET EDINBURGH EH8 9JG TELEPHONE 03] 668 3456
SCOTLAND'S BUSIEST CONCERT HALL
JUNE
Friday 5, 7.30pm Thursday 18, 7.30pm Albert Lee Lothian Region Strathspey & Reel Saturday 6, 7.30pm Society Edinburgh Light Orchestra Friday 19. 7-30Pm Mary Coughlan Sunday 7, 7.45pm Kevock Choir ‘ Sunday 21. 230i)"1 Stockbridge House Gala Tuesday 9, 7.45pm Youth Recital Aldeburgh Connection Tuesday 23, 7.00pm Saturday 13, 8.00pm Wine Tasting Rekonstruktsiya Trust Wednesday 24, 7.30pm
Sunday 14, 7,45pm Royal High School
Meadows Chamber
Orchestra Friday 26, 7.30pm Richard Thompson Monday 15, 7.30pm Lothian Region Schools' 53127. 7.301)"1 Orchestra Steve Forbert Tuesday 16, 7.30pm Sunday 28, 8.00pm
(Lothian Region SchooIs' Brass, Scratch Performance of
Wind & Jazz Bands Vaughan Williams' Sea Symphony Wednesday 17, 7.30pm St Mary's Music School Mommy 29» 730p!“ Bjorn Again Tuesday 30, 7.30pm St George's School
Queen's Hall Box Office 031 668 2019
The List 22 May — 4 June 1992 29