RECORD REVIEWS MUSIC
I Various Film Soundtracks (Silva Screen) Anyone for a collection of Music From The Films Of Tom C ruise? lfyou take to the lush orchestrations of Far And Away. it‘s unlikely you‘ll be a fan of the karaoke synthesiser rendition of Top Gun's "Take My Breath Away'. At least with The Classic Films 0f Joint Wayne there‘s a thread of stirring heroism that runs through the themes. western or war movie. Elsewhere, the various electronic renditions of Blade Runner: SyItr/tesiser Soundtracks and the full orchestra approach on C/iflliangers: Action And Adventure In The Movies and Ghost: Fantasy Film Music Vol 2 avoid the repetition that inherently dogs original soundtrack albums, moving from one title theme to the next. (Alan Morrison)
having lived 'up to their name. Michael Franti’s next project has him dealing in a looser- limbed, more organic funk. At first sight. he’s relaxed lyrically [00. making such declarations as ‘fallin' in love is like easing into a hot tub '. but he can’t keep off the sociopolitical agenda for
2 long. With a full band around Franti now, Home
packs the kind of communal punch that
Hiphoprisy. for all its undeniable virtues. lacked. and it’s a better
deal than the last Arrested Development album. (Alastair Mabbott)
; I The Supematurals:
g Sitting In The Sun
Glaswegian quintet The 5 Supernaturals exude
appeal that straddles
'. several wide ravines. On
the one hand. they‘ve got
the same kind of blithe retro spirit Whiteout embody. only rewound by
a decade and with a lighter touch on the guitar. They also work well on a
good-time pub rock level ; which means a potentially
wide audience for their debut self-financed CD
mini-album. At their best
— ‘Silverback'. for example — they have the
.’ ' ; pure mainstream pop suss of Crowded House
2 without the vaguely
yuppie connotations. It’s a
I pearhead: Home (Capitol) The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy
measure of the band's colourful larger-than-life persona that even on their duller numbers (they have better songs than some of the seven featured here) they still communicate
, character. Which is an
enviable quality to be
going along with in the meantime. (Fiona Shepherd)
I Laika: Silver Apples III The Moon (Too Pure) Well, you could dance to it. but that doesn't appear to have been the priority when Laika descended on the studio to make this oddly sexy chunk of eclectic studio experimentation. Could be a stoner classic: fast-yet- muted rhythms, weird, looping riffs. unusual combinations of sounds, all hooked up to make some kind of perverse pop facsimile. Neat stuff. Vocalist Margaret Fiedler is all but inaudible throughout. and Laika are a tad unfocused for
widespread appeal. but Silver Apples is worth a large bite. (Alastair Mabbott)
I Richard Wagner: Siegfried (Teldec) With this and its companion release Garterdammerwtg, Daniel Barenboim's Bayreuth Ring Cycle (1988—92) comes to a triumphant close. Although the full effect of the productions can only be gleaned from videos or laser discs. this is a tremendously atmospheric live recording. done without audience to eliminate cough and splutter. Siegfried Jerusalem is strong in the title role, but it’s John Tomlinson’s Wanderer. carrying on from the preceding Wotan, that really steals the show. Even without the visuals,
I this captures the element
: of spectacle. (Alan
I Morrison)
I Azimuth/The Touchstone/Depart (ECM) A very welcome three-CD set to kick off a roundup of deserving re-issues. Azimuth‘s three best records from 1977-80. with pianist John Taylor turning everything he touches on the keyboard into gold. Kenny Wheeler's pregnant trumpet and flugelhorn interjections and Norma Winstone's peerless singing. The core trio are joined by the guitarist Ralph Towner on Depart. Excellent stuff. and with more than a few barbs disrupting the floating textures of the music. I Gary Burton: Times Square (ECM) A reminder that Burton‘s music was not always as pallid as in recent times. This punchy 1978 session finds the vibraphonist given little chance to coast by a fine. assertive quartet, with trumpeter Tiger Okoshi and a buoyant rhythm section of Steve Swallow
’ and Roy Haynes. A much
younger Burton can also be heard on Nobody Else Bur Me (Verve). a previously unissued Stan Getz set from 1964 which has the great tenor man in fine fettle.
I Charles Mingus: The Complete Town Hall Concert (Blue Ilote) This 1962 concert has gone down in history as one of the greatjazz disasters, and the botched recording issued at the time did not
i help matters. Blue Note
have attempted to put at least some of the record straight with this issue, which re-masters the originally issued cuts. and adds five previously unreleased. It is still only a partial success. but it is a huge improvement, and will be a must for Mingus fans. The less committed can do better elsewhere. I Coleman Hawkins and Roy Eldridge: At The Opera House (Verve) Verve follow up their excellent two-trumpet set Roy And 01': with a live re-issue pairing the trumpeter with tenor
saxophone giant Coleman Hawkins. Recorded in 1957 with the Jazz At The Philharmonic All-Stars (including J.J. Johnson, Stan Getz and Lester Youngl). it’s typical enough JATP material, high on excitement and muscle-flexing blowing. but with an irresistible bounce and, well, verve. I Lee Konitz Live At The Hall Ilote (Verve) This is a real find. A two-CD set recorded in 1959 but only now seeing the light of day. it features Konitz on alto alongside the great Warne Marsh on tenor, Bill Evans at the piano. and a rhythm team of Jimmy Garrison and Paul Motian. Historical interest alone would make this an essential set, but that takes second place to the quality and freshness of the musical invention. Highly recommended. Konitz can also be heard in a more recent incarnation on Lullaby of Bi rdland (Candid). a quartet set from 1991. (Kenny Mathieson)
I
r m MUSIC
Shane MacGowan , .an te opes ._
Saturday 19th November 3 BEAST!!! BOYS
GLASGOW Barrowlands PLUS John Spencer Blues Explosion
Sunday 20th November GLASGOW Barrowlands
FFTH .
ORCHESTRA
plus Sharon Shannon GLASGOW 1mm. eosemrr um. airwlllh. 2501.260: oeromm. BOX omen.- 0u-227 5511
1" 6 28th October I h e F F U
Humane; cmeUMp
The Garage fa m t
:31
Still-ill
$55
sciim
[rid DcMcnt
12th November ‘5’ GLASGOW Royal Concert Hall 041-227 5511 $05;
BIG AUDIO?
.. ELVIS COSTELLO ' a ATTRACTIONS
15th & 16th November GLASGOW Barrowlands
13th November LASGOW The Garage
17th November GLASGOW Barrowlands
22nd November Gene
EDINBURGH Friday 9th &
The Venue Saturday 10th December GLASGOW Barrowlands
4th December III”? 'g'figgg mneuneu Queens Hall
031-668 2019
Randy
Newman canal-=13
ITHE UNSTOPPABLE SEX MACHINE-
8th January EDINBURGH Festival Theatre 031 529 6000
Tickets: Venue Box Office. Glasgow: Just the Ticket, Virgin Union Street, Edinburgh: Virgin & Ripping Records & all Tocta outlets. c/c Tocta 031-557 6969 First Call 031-555 3773/041-556 5555
NICK 10W
15th November EDINBURGH Usher Hall 031-228 1155
9th December EDINBURGH Queens Hall
The List 21 October—3 November 1994 37