RECORD REVIEWS MUSIC
I Cement: Cement (World Service) ‘Chuck Mosley used to sing with Faith No More.’ So lies the press release: Chuck Mosley used to rant. scream. moan. screech and make numerous other weird and wonderful noises far removed from anything you could remotely call singing. Well Chuck’s back and thankfully he hasn’t mellowed with age. The LP contains thirteen songs all of which spark with that unmistakable Mosley power. His lyrics are as acerbic and poignant as they ever have been. rock that slams and grooves with equal .1plomb. (Joe Lampard)
I Tinkerbell’s nope Ring: Beetsrndtespitpinlt (Floppy) What looks like psychedelic pavement pizza meets Rupert The Bear (the cover). sounds like The Wedding Present unleashed in a slap-bass factory (the record). and reads like the deranged ramblings of don’t-give-a- monkey’s provocateurs (the press release)? Beetsmakespitpink does. the debut LP from these Invemessians on the loose in Edinburgh. What they lack in variety — too many songs clatter by on knee- jerk funky stilts; Tom Fraser’s hoarse. strangulated voice is a bit wearing after a while — they make up for in ramshackle quirkiness. But quirkiness's appeal can quickly pale. and TDR should straighten out some of their indie-ghetto kooks and firm up their funk. (Craig McLean)
I Various: llerve (MGM) Compilation put together by the North Glasgow Music course at Stow College. Of the bands - Love Rumble. Sus. The Idle Poor. Floatation. Roundhouse — the first two are frantic and garagey. The Idle Poor slink instead of rush. Floatation are mid- eighties indie (The Man From Del Monte meets Tallulah Gosh. Sort of) and Roundhouse are barrelling rock-funk. Rousing spunk all round, mostly. (Craig McLean) I Various: Eleven (What) Eleven bands. 19 songs, 75 minutes. Unsigned plenitude ahoy as this compilation CD. recorded at and collated by The Sound Cafe studio in Penicuik. dishes the dirt on what's happening on the local band scene in the east (mainly). Everything is here. from the ‘cosmic funk‘ of Spunky Beavers to the sleek-rocking blues of Cooler Egg. from the sunshine pop of The Shrimptons to the (Dart weirdness of Ranacanteen. from heaven to hell. Eleven is rarely
startling. often numbing. and verges on the dull- but-worthy. But if it gives one band that pivotal break. then it's more than succeeded. (Craig McLean)
I The Silencers: Seconds of Pleasure (RCA) Scottish pop-rock enlivened by a bit of idiosyncratic attitude. dark shadows and abrasive angles. and a clever. wide-ranging guitar attack - fourth time around, the Silencers'
tightly bound; we lose a little of their maverick edge. they gain in confidence and coherence. though somewhat in blandness. too. Two stand-outs are ‘Streetwalker Song’. a bitterly beautiful ditty of male lust complete with haunting Gallic-style accordion and the wonderfully O'IT anthem- to-doomed-youth ‘Life Can Be Fatal’. complete with ironic twist to finish (‘And we danced till we belonged/In the jungle of a song '). Overall. a gutsy. heartily melodic mix. thoughtfully textured with indie. folky. bluesy. funky. even punky touches. though I could live without the soupy ones. (Sue Wilson) I Rest Of Acid Jan: Volume 2 (Acid Jan) A- Jazz: a-trendy. a-able. a- ok. From the kaleidoscope of innovation that is 2| Denmark Street. London WC2. comes another picnic loosely termed an Acid Jazz compilation. Those mischievous Al kids are now five years old and never cease to amaze with their knack for unearthing new talent: Galliano, Brand New Heavies. The .ITQ. D- Influence and Jamiroquai to name but a few.
Now more. What, they’ve got more? Damn right. Bestof...Vol2isa seamless trip along the dance spectrum: wake yourself up with the commercial soul-funk of BNH and Diana Brown or unwind with some classic soulboy cuts from Snowboy and Pure Wildness; scat about to the jazzy meanderings of A-Zel and The Humble Souls before you get absolutely floored by the hardened funk edge of Mother Earth and Corduroy. Tired? You should be. (Philip Dorward)
I Kl“: Alive III (Mercury) Yep, it’s Kiss alright. It’s been fifteen years since Alive II and they’re still playing their good old- fashioned rock ‘n’ roll. They even still walk about with zimmer frames.
It’s a fans’ album. to be honest. There’s the old stufi", the new stuff and the . . . er. stuff in between. The mixing subdues the songs a little.
they’re old and rich.
which is a shame. but there are seventeen of them. Which to mention? ‘Deuce’? ‘Lick It Up’? ‘Detroit Rock City“? Look for yourself. Also of trainspottery interest is a Pete Frame-style band family tree.
Nothing profound. Not
. much has changed. But
hey. that‘s Kiss and
(Gavin Inglis)
I Red House Painters T (MI!) Leonard Cohen for
package is decidedly more i the 905 anybOdY? No
don’t rush off. there‘s
something worthwhile going on here. It’sjust
disconcerting to find music this harrowineg confessional a good decade after the personal was officially deemed passé.
Mark Kozolek and his band (American Music
1 Club protégés with a
similar taste for texture and a more pronounced fondness for achingly tender melodies) bravely stretch their collection of lyrical paeans to emotional misery to some 80 minutes and the results are suitably daunting. without descending into Laughing Len‘s mawkishness. At the moment ‘Grace Cathedral Park’. ‘Mistress' and ‘New Jersey‘ glint out from the gloomy murk. but my suspicion is that repeated listens will uncover plenty more moments to treasure. (Tom Lappin)
I Wet Wet Wet: Live At The Royal Albert Hall (With The Wren Orchestra) (Precious) They do a lot of duff work for charidee. (Craig McLean)
I Goodbye Mr
MacKenzie: live (in The Day (It Storms (Blokshok)
A dubious release —
listening to live albums is ‘ like being stuck outside a party with your nose
i pressed up against the
5 glass — but acceptable as it
is evidence that Edinburgh’s finest (er. only?) spinners of malevolent and manic witchrock are BACK IN ACTION. Bloodied but unbowed by various record company scrapes the MacKenzies' own label is up and running. Prior to a brand new album later in the summer. this is a live record of their sell-out show at Barrowland last spring. Naturally. the
fervour and fever of band ,
and audience are cooller on record. and Big John’s guitar sounds rather namby-pamby. Still. a timely reminder of how, in ‘Goodwill City’. ‘Face To Face’ and ‘The Rattler’. the MacKenzies can gel social discourse and anti-social (your momma wouldn’t like it) rock gutsiness. (Craig McLean)
Miners' Gala
march assemble regent road, 10.30am
Robin Cook MP speakers Irene Adams MP Isobel Lindsay
entertainment 12-5 PM FREE Billy Bragg McCluskey Bros
lhnnpffFanfll BeatPoets Stu lllho? an many more
...children's entertainment...brass and pipe bands ...funfair rides...'earth circle' schools project ...beer tent...and lots more...
A great day out for all the family! Further details Mike Jones 041 332 4946
Organised by the Scottish Trades Union Congress and funded by Lothian Regional Councul, National Union of Mineworkers: Scotland Area and
Saturday 12 June EDINBURGH
tneMEHDUIUS
\1 \~
IBIS PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS
GERED MANKOWITZ
“\‘o . ,2- THE ARCI-IES MIDLAND ST. GLASGOW 26 JUNE - 8 AUGUST
2m - 8m MON - FRI I2noon - 8m SAT 8. SUN TICKETS £2/EI.50 (Gilt.
The List 4-17 June 1993 35