RECORD REVIEWS MUSIC
I llico: 00 Or oieln’lie ourutti Column: live At The Bottom Line New York (BOIn/oanceteria) Next up on the semi- bootleg label. thirteen early-80s tracks from Germany‘s patron saint of doomed souls. The songs where Nico accompanies herselfon the hannonium are the best; doorny indeed. but spellbinding and thoughtfully short. The Blue Orchids. an otherwise fine group. have to be tolerated rather than savoured on the others. their settings rarer appropriate or welcome. All that‘s missing from their rendition of ‘Heroes‘ is disco handclaps. Even so. ‘Femme Fatale’ is a triumph. up there alongside the chilling solo Nico tracks. The a cappella ‘AII Tomorrow‘s Parties' is. well. a brave experiment. Nico at her weakest yet most courageous. Durutti Column. captured in a New Age mood in I986. lack momentum and provide little which really grabs the attention. Leaving aside the better records Vini Reilly has made. the ‘genius‘ Tony Wilson ascribes to him in the sleevenotes is conspicuous by its absence on this document. (Alastair Mabbott)
I Paul Westerberg: 14 Songs (Sire) As intimated by his quietly-rocking contributions to the Singles soundtrack. Paul Westerberg solo is considerably more
I I
‘refrned’ than his
‘: wonderfully off-beam
work with The Replacements. His debut solo album presents a cleaned-up and
? straightened-out 5 Westerberg after assorted
personal problems. as
E heard in the blandly true title down to the pub-
rocking vigour of the songs. [4 Songs never
really takes off. But with
its. ahem. post-grunge
Bruce Springsteen angst- of-man feel and pop-rock gregariousness. it radiates
v. a re-born humility that is
more than we deserve from such a rock great.
(Craig McLean)
I Jethro Tull: The
Anniversary Collection (Chrysalis) Hey. it's I993! Everything's hip now. practically. By public consensus. we can look back through rock's rich tapestry without fear of ridicule. traversing all genres and eras in the knowledge that true excellence will rise above fickle prejudice. Then we get to Jethro Tull. and ask. ‘l)id they really need a double-Cl) to pack all of their. ahem. timeless moments'." Tull sat awkwardly in the space between liairport Convention and Black Sabbath. making some of the ()()s and 70s most unattractive music. They continued through the 80s. altering the dynamics of their sound to fit the times. but still never losing their indisputable knack for setting teeth on edge. This does not. in itself. make a group great. and The Anniversary Collection is not essential
I
I for your listening pleasure. (Alastair Mabbott)
i I lleil Young:
. Unplugged/nod Stewart:
i Unplugged And Seated
I (both Warner Bros) Young
I caught unplugged.
unfussed and unfazed by
the sonic terror this
! grandfather of grunge has
‘ inspired these past few years. Fourteen tracks of blissful harmonics. acoustic steel and that whiney. whiney. shiney voice. Fourteen pensive. penetrative haunters. The shivery thrills of ‘Long May You Run' and ‘Pocahontas'. The tragic grandeur of ‘Helpless‘ and ‘Unknown Legend'. The poignant. celebratory glow of ‘Hank To Hendrix‘ and 'Harvest Moon'. And as for the wheezing version of like A Hurricane': wow. Unplugged mabye. but hotwired to the heart. Magic.
Rod. almost. casts a similar spell. His Unplugged manages to bodyswerve his craw- sticking mawkish tendencies. Assisted by Ron Worxl on legendary cackles and cool licks. Rod invests his own ‘Hot Legs' and ‘Every Picture Tells A Story‘ with unbuttoned loucheness. while Tim Hardin‘s ‘Reason To Believe‘ and Van's ‘Have I Told You Lately' come caked with gravelly grandeur. Stripped of his jet-set affectations. Rod's Unplugged excavates the
I raw-throated legend from
I
the mire of plush studio MORness. (Craig McLean)
m
I Paragon Premieres Vol 2 (Continuum)/ Conway & Evans (llnn) The second release from the Glasgow- based Paragon Ensemble contains three Scottish works. all commissioned by the group. Thomas Wilson’s shapely Chamber Symphony reflects his lucid musical sensibility in its pleasing symmetry as well as absorbing variety of ideas. Edward McGuire‘s compelling and imaginative vocal writing in Songs OfNen' Beginnings is superbly realised by Linda Ormiston. while Philip Norris‘s Cello Cantata is a vital. nicely-judged piece. William Conway and Peter Evans feature sharply wrought performances of short works for cello and piano by Lutoslawski and Webem as the icing on a substantial cake. Rachmaninov‘s weighty
Sonata In (I Minor. Both recommended. (Kenny Mathieson)
I Gorecki: Beatus Vir (Argo) There is nothing like a best-seller to expand a composer‘s representation in the catalogue. The main work here. the choral piece Beams Vtr ( 1979). is recognisany cut from the same cloth as the chart-
‘ topping 3rd Symphony;
strong. direct. and monumental. it is movineg performed by Czech forces under John
: Nelson. 'Iotus Tuus (I987) is a slight occasion piece. while the earlier Old
Polish Songs ( I969) is in a more stringent register. but the saturated string sound is quintessential Gorecki. (Kenny
Mathieson) I Tippett: Byzantium
(Decca) A
dramatically intense but often luxuriant five- movement work for soprano and orchestra based on Yeats's complex
poem. it is performed with
great power and concentration by all concemed. Essential for admirers of his music. but the pairing of it with the re-issued Symphony No 4 (also a Chicago commission) will irk those who have already invested in it. (Kenny Mathieson)
I Maxwell Davies: Black Pentecost & Stone litany (Collins) The composer conducts the BBC Philharmonic in two of his own works. Black Pentecost ( 1979) is a powerful but restrained symphony-with-voice. which finally explodes in rage against the exploitation of Orkney for uranium mining. with text
' by George Mackay
Brown. Expressive. disciplined and often astringent music. its brooding opening movement is instrumental. but David Wilson- Johnston and Della Jones sing superbly in the other
three. (Kenny
Mathieson)
GLASGOW INTERNATIONAL FOLK FESTIVAL 1993
TRON THEATRE MON 21 - SUN 27 JUNE 8:15pm
Mon 21 THE KATHRYN TICKELL BAND, MARILYN MIDDLETON- POLLOCK, TICH FRIER, GORDON HOTCHKISS Tue& at 8:15 BAND OF HOPE with ARTHUR JOHNSTONE and at 1030 WRITING ON THE WALL with TONY BENN MP and ROY BAILEY Wed 23 ANNE LORNE GILLIES introduces BRIGADA VICTOR JARA (Portugal). COSSACK CIRCLE (Rostov-on-Don) and EILIDH MACKENZIE & BLAIR DOUGLAS Thu 24 LIZ KRISTIANSEN introduces THE SANDS FAMILY and SARA GREY (USA) Fri 25 THE IRON HORSE. DOUGIE PINCOCK & DEREK WILLIAMSON Sat 26 ALEX CAMPBELL‘S FRIENDS DERROLL ADAMS (USA), WIZZ JONES, RAB NOAKES and ALLAN
TAYLOR Sun 27 STOCKTON'S WING. THE SHAMROCK DANCERS
with DENNY BOYLE. Tickets £7 (£5 conc.) Group purchases of 5 or more full price tickets will be charged at the concession rate.
FESTIVAL CLUB - TRON VICTORIAN BAR - 7pm
Mon 21 GEORGE JACKSON. MICK WEST and friends Tue 22 THE OLD ROPE STRING BAND Wed 23 THE WRIGLEY SISTERS Thu 24
.THE ROLLING CRONES Fri 25 ERIC CUTHBERTSON (Hootchie
Cootchie Man) Sat 26 at 2:30 HAMISH IMLACH, CHRIS MILES, lAlN MACKINTOSH, BOBBY WATT (Canada) and at 7:00 SETANTA Sun 27 at 2:30 DANNY KYLE hosts AN OPEN STAGE and at 7:00 THE IAN KIRKPATRICK BAND
(£2.50 - tree with evenrng concert ticket)
TRON BOX OFFICE 041-552 4267
Fate de la muaique
Afro-beat. reooae. folk. classical. jazz, latin- american etc.
$620426;
“ yuiH Tlckota: 22121.50 Food a Drink Available Mualc Evening from 6pm to Midnight
Saturday 19 June CD Institut
2 Inatltut Francaia d'Ecoaaa U
13 Randolph Creacant Edinburgh EH3 7T1’
Tel. : 031 226 5366
Z < a: Ln.
(I 'l‘It:osse
L_-
The List 18 June—I July I993 29