ou ser

Volume Seven, Number Twelve January 1981

71lechl:MY£2Se of impenllfism gone amok, by J;m Green

8f~~~c~ceS:Ml:F.~ by Jon Young

9 £!~S!l~f[I!~I ~ren S cklosberg

10 £:~I1!~y~~§J:t!~~~,L,, ,n
12 § 2 : ~ Q l d ~ ~ ~ a t u r a / U c ic melodrama, by Dav,d focke

14 Ms!fBA¥1,,!2~§J!@!\£tell
17 2~Xc .~~,ews'; by J im Green

21 ~!fil~§g~~ly~y Ted White

25 !!~ black humor, political allegory, ubiqufrous nudity; by Scoll Isler

28 ! ! ! } , ?,.~ ~ ~ Inllo excite as well as inform; by Jon Young

2 Hello It's Me 35 Green Circles

by Jim Green
3 Raving Faves 36 Hit and Run
by Jon Young
4 Don't Believe a Word! 40 Outer Limits
by Roman Szatkowski by Robert Payes
4 Fax'n'Rumou rs 41 Album Reviews
6 Surface Noise 53 America Underground
by Mick Farren by Tim ommer
32 Media Eye 56 Hot Spots
by Scou Isler
Trouser Press (ISSN 0164-1883) is published monthly for $12/year by Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press, Inc., 212 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Second-class
postage paid at New York, NY and at additional en try points. Postmaster: send address changes to Trouser Press Subscription Dept. , PO Box B, Old Chelsea Sta-
tion , New York, NY 10113. Entire contents of Trouser Press is copyrig ht © 1981 by Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press, Inc. All rights reserved; nothing may be repro-
duced without written permission of the publisher. Unsolicited edi torial subm issions are welcomed but must be accompanied by a self-addressed stamped enve-
lope. TP takes no responsibility for their re turn.
 He did No Nukes. He worked
with Warren Zevon. He worked
with Graham Parker. He's produc-
ing Stevie Nicks's album. Let's
face it, Bruce Springsteen has
gone Show Biz-a pity, because
he used to be so cool. Bring on
Send your leftover Christmas presents to: the next Next Big Thing.
Hello It's Me, Trouser Press, 212 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10010. Brian Nolan
Newtown Square, PA
aoa
STAR CROSSED judgments, how can one recon- Publisher
It was great to see an article on cile his trashing of The River with NOT ANGRY &
Joan Jett (TP 56). I think she's one his own overzealous proselytizing I've collectep all my bad re-
for the listenable but hardly influ- views and nine out of 10 were
Editorial Director
of the few talented musicians left
in rock who still care about mak- ential Cheap Trick? There must written by TP's "Special Projects Ira A. Robbins
ing good music and not just mak- be more than a few flaws in a crit- Editor," Jon Young. He must have
ing a great deal of money. I hope ic's thinking that cannot discern gone to the New York Music Editor
you 'll write more on Joan Jett in the different levels of power and School of Assholism or he has a Scott Isler
the future. commitment between Spring- personal vendetta against Genya
JoeM . steen 's passion and disposable Ravan.
Art Director
Boston, MA power pop. If this is the case, please tell
Robbins 's major complaint him to meet me in a dark alleyway
Judy Steccone
Thanks for printing the Shaun about The River is that its four where I can torture him with a
Cassidy and Joan Jett articles on sides could have been boiled headset of all my last nine al- Contributing Editors
facing pages. I glued them to- down to one song. His own bums one at a time. I'll top it off Dave Sdiulps
gether and improved my copy 100 former idol, Pete Townshend, with a special project: First, a Jim Green
percent. once said of Quadrophenla: "It group called Manster; then Chee- Jon Young
Tom Guerin could have been stated In a sim- tah Chrome will drag him to his
Crystal Lake, IL ple song, like 'My Generation,' if I
could still write a song like [that]
rehearsal and make him hear all
his new material; then the Metro-
aaa
CAR WARS
Art director Judy Steccone
... but I can 't, and the audience
wouldn 't dig it. " The River's deep-
men will force him to read all
their new lyrics; and, finally, Ron-
aaa
should be proud of the very best er levels of thought and feelings nie Spector will push him through
cover TP has ever had (TP 56). work best spread out over two a brick "wall of sound." Maybe Associate Publisher
Lisa Genet discs. I'm sure much of Spring- that will take the wax out of his David Fenichell
San Francisco, CA steen's audience would love to ears.
see him throw everything into one Genya Ravan
Polish Records
Record Advertising
WE'RE HAVIN' A HEATWAVE song and come up with a new an- Joel Webber
I began to suspect that new them. Springsteen seems to real- New York, NY
wave bands were as greedy as ize it's not that easy anymore: He Jon Young replies: "Touchy,
the rest of us when I saw the in- makes no attempt to tie together aren 't we? The only other work of Office Manager
ner sleeve of Devo's Freedom of the facets of his persona, as yours I've discussed are your last Linda Danna Robbins
Choice album. Now that several Townshend did with Quadrophe- two solo LPs. One review was
major (a description that reeks of nia. mixed (TP 33), the other favorable Subscriptions
commerciality) new wave bands Whether Springsteen has sue- • (TP 44). That's a vendetta?" John Gallagher
have taken part in a "festival" ceeded or not depends on one's
that is more like the California viewpoint. However, for Robbins CHRISTGAU ON THE CROSS
Jams than Woodstock, my sus- to deny Springsteen an artistic I must confess I licked my lips Consultant
picions have been confirmed. gesture of this sort is not only un- as David Womack fried Robert Frank Horowitz
Maybe Elvis Costello was just fair, but displays a prejudice Christgau and the populist ethos
wishing when he "jokingly" re- against the man unworthy of of rock criticism (Media Eye, TP Production
ferred to the Attractions as the Robbins's critical stature. 55). This ethos has a tendency to Kathy Frank
Clash. At least the Clash didn't PS . Stop writing so much decay Into snobbish elitism, a Fleischmann
paradoxical state for writers who
Mark
appear in North America's " Punk about this punk-rock crap!
Jam I," the first big attempt at
commercializing new wave since
Wayne King
.Hoboken, NJ
approach rock music with a pre-
conceived ideal of an artist who
aaa
the Knack and Blondie.
I wonder if Mick Jones and Joe KING'S CALL
"speaks for us." The problem is
that there is always more than
aaa
Strummer are joking about Cos-
tello playing on the same stage
Your Springsteen article (TP 55)
failed to meet the promise of the
one "us."
Perhaps rock criticism has
aaa
as Black Sabbath and Blue Oys- cover. Wayne King's piece failed to outgrow the movement- Business and editorial address:
ter Cult? amounted to little more than a consciousness of the 1960's
Mark McLaughlin history, something we can all while the music itself has, dram- 212 Fifth Ave.
McMinnville, OR read in Dave Marsh's book. What atically. Perhaps these rock New York, NY 10010
the article didn't point out, and writers' prejudices are the intel- (212) 889-7145
BORN TO RUN ON what upsets me most about lectualization of the rock audi-
I'd like to object to Ira Robbins ' Springsteen, is his apparent ac- ence's volatile clannishness. Subscription correspondence:
"balanced" putdown of Bruce ceptance of the label of Rock The salient question is what Post Office Box B
Springsteen's The River on page Legend. approach should a rock critic
41 of this issue. Robbins's prob- His first three albums sounded take? Subjectivity is vital to good Old Chelsea Station
lem is his perspective-or lack like an everyday guy playing rock writing, by all means. If rock is New York, NY 10113
thereof. Trouser Press started out 'n' roll . Lately, though , I get the passionate, its scribes should be
as a British rock only magazine; impression that he's a rock star too. However, to be really popul- ' - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - '
that would seem to imply some trying real hard to act like an 1st the rock critic had better
failure or disinterest in under- everyday guy. That kind of play- temper volcanic loves and hates, Cover photograph by
standing American rock. While acting is the sure road to Bob and allow intellect to perceive Mitch Kearney
that may not disqualify Robbins's Seger-ville. L...-------- -----1
Continued on page 5

2 TROUSER PRESS/January 1981

RAVING BACK ISSUES
CURRENTLY AVAILABLE (Don't order unless listed):

FAVES
RF #34: Best Compilation Album
TP 14: Keith Moon ; Genesis; Free; Lou Reed ; Sutherland Bros.; Michael Brown .
TP 15: Dr. Feelgood; Boxer; Roy Harper; Russ Ballard; Nazareth; Sailor; Streetwalkers.
TP 16: Queen; Graham Parker; the Rumour; Kevin Ayers; Steve Hillage; Peter Bardens .
TP 17: ELO; Grimms; Be-Bop Deluxe; Easybeats; Tommy Jame ; Ariel Bender.
A distinct lack of hindsight was per- TP 18: Bowie I; John En twi tie; Eddie Job on; UK new wave; Li tt le River Band .
haps the only distinguishing character- TP 19: Thin Lizzy; Bowie 2; Chri Spedding; Gentle Giant; Dave Stewart; Australia.
istic of the di sappointingly low turn-out SPECIAL! TP 20: Peter Gabriel ; Gene is; Eno; Bowie 3; Damned; Rick Wakeman .
on this question . Almost all the nomin- TP 21: Jimmy Page 1; heavy metal; Kevin Ayers; Peter Hammill; Dave Edmunds.
ated albums were released in the last TP 22: Sex Pi tols; new wave R.l.P .; Jimmy Page 2; Smal.l Faces; Nick Lowe; Strangler. .
four years. The new wave boom has re-
TP 23: Bryan Ferry; Jimmy Page 3; Gentle Giant; rare tones; Blondie; Dwight Twilley.
sulted in an upsurge of "various artist " TP 24: Elvis Costello; Boomtown Rats; Be-Bop Deluxe; John Martyn; Motors; Man:
LPs (as documented in our Reviews
TP 25: Winwood/ Traffic; Graham Parker; Jam; Hot Rods; Horslips; Nick Drake.
pages), but the compilation album has a
TP 26: McCart ney; Clash; Cheap Trick ; Syd Barrett; Tom Robinson ; Philip Rambow.
long history, and mixed-bag anthologies
TP 27: Pete Townshend; power pop primer; Hot Rods; Rich Kids; Devo; Nick Gilder.
(in all genres) are a pop music staple.
TP 28: Pink Floyd ; Townshend 2; ELP ; Television ; Pere Ubu; Peter Hammill.
Lenny Kaye's classic Nuggets-who e
TP 29: Oldham / Stones; Dave Qavies; Tom Robinson; Dictato.rs; Elvis ~ostello.
story is chronicled in the current Trouser .TP 30: Todd Rundgren; Ritchie Blackmore; Ian Dury; Buddy Holly; Bowie; Groovies.
Press Collectors' Magazine (plug)-was TP'32: Ray Davies; Peter Gabriel; Robert Fripp; Brian Eno; Troggs; Blondie.
the only pre-'76 anthology to mak e an
TP 33: John En twistle; Ramones; Joe Perry; Talking Head ; Cars; Strangler ; Sweet.
impressive showing.
TP 34: Guitarist<; t; Thin Lizzy; Kiss; Tom Petty; Greg Kihn; Wazmo Nariz; Luna.
As opposed to Nuggets, the other col- TP 35: Devo; Guitarists 2; Buffalo Springfield; John Wetton ; UFO ; Paley Bro .
lections here are popular becau e of the
TP 36: Lou Reed; Elton John; Clash; Capt. Beefheart; Pat Travers; Brand X.
artists herein. The surpri ingly trong
TP 37: (Fifth Anniversary Issue): Who film; Zappa; ' 74- '79 chronology; 10cc.
showing of Live Stiffs is due to it all-
TP 38: John Lennon; Roxy Music; Public Image Ltd.; Jam; Badfinger; Joe Jackson.
star assembl y (Costello , Lowe , Ian
TP 39: Elvis Costello; Dylan; Dire Straits; Ian Hunter; Cla h; pub-rock famil y tree.
Dury) rather than potty musical qual-
TP 40: Stones; Ramones; Van Morrison; Viv StanshaU; Face / Beck/ Who family tree.
ity. Other collections (Live at the Vortex
TP 41: Cars; Mick Taylor; Police; Tom Robinson ; Who; John Hiatt; , Pretender .
and Roxy, London WC2) now have al-
TP 42: Blondie; Devo; Robert Fripp; rock in Japan ; Kenney Jones; John Cale.
most no talgic appeal in their earl y doc-
TP 43: Bowie; Rundgren; Brian Jone ; Ian Dury; Lene Lovich; Bram Tchaikovsky.
umentation of England 's neo-punk
TP 44: Talking Heads; Modem Lovers; Kinks; Johansen/ Dolls; Kinks/Stones t~ee.
scene, while still others fall into the un -
TP 45: Police; Joe Jackson; Shoes; Abba; Undertone ; Pop; Brand X ; Skids.
signed-band category, from which
TP 46 (Special Decade 's End Issue): '70s history; best LPs; '80s predictions; poster.
group have been known to escape .
TP 47: Zappa; Iggy Pop; Aerosmith/ Joe Perry; Richard Lloyd; Ian Gomm; Madne s.
Among the less obvious entries were
TP 48: Cl~h; Tom Petty; Records; Roy Wood; Boomtown Rats;_ Specials; Glen Matlock.
The Best of the Move-not all compila-
TP 49: Neil Young; Elvis Costello; Fleetwood Mac; Gene 1 ; Inmates; Searchers .
tions have to be multi-artist-and The
TP 50: Ramones; Marc Bolan ; Jam; Pink Floyd; reggae; Gary Numan; Daryl Hall.
History of UK Bell ("because we can all
TP 51: Beatles; Public Image Ltd. ; managers; Joan Armatrading; Squeeze; Romantics.
u ea little blatant artificiality from time
T! ' 52: Townshend I; Alice Cooper; J. Geils; Motors; Cure; Willie Nile; Motels.
to time"-Walter Lilly) .
TP 53: Kinks; Townshend 2; rock women ; Ian Hunter; Gang of Four; Secret Affair .
TP 54: Rolling Stones; Roxy Music; Undertones; Residents; bands of '77; Phil Lyno~t.
I . Live Stiffs (Stiff)
TP 55: Bruce Springsteen ; Devo ;. P eter Gabriel ; radio ; Tom Robinson ; Wreckless Enc .
2. Nuggets (Elektra, reissued Sire) TP 56: Cars; Jeff Beck; Heatwave Festival; Dire Straits ; Split Enz; Magazine; Dexy's.
3. Troublemakers (Warner Bro ., mail Yardbirds: Four-page newspaper reprint; complete history.
order only)
4. Beserkley Chartbusters (Beserkley)
The Harder They Come soundtrack
(Island)
---------------------------
1 Send to Trouser Press, 212 5th Ave., New York, NY 10010. I
I A llo w 6 to 8 weeks/or deli very.
O TP 14-$2.00 D TP25- $1. 75
All previous back issue ads v?id. I
0 TP3 - $ 1. 75 0 TP44-$ 1.75 0 TP54- $1.75 I
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I O TP 16-$2.00 0 TP 27-$ 1.75 0 TP 37- 1.75 0 TP 46-$ 1.7 5 0 TP 56-$ 1.75
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Declaration of Independents (Ambition )
History of British Rocks Vols. 1/ 2 (Sire) I Domestic or Canada-no additional postage. . . I
Pebbles Vol. 4 (bootleg) I O\/.erseas-add .50 per copy ordered ~or surface_ postage; $1.00 per copy for air postage. I
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Best concept album . Successful execu-
tion of the concept , while nice , not nee- I Name _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ I
es ary. Try to rest rain yourself to three I Addre _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ \
titles. (Thi one's Byron Campbell s
I City/ State/ zip - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - -- - \
L------------------------ra,,.
idea.) Deadline is January 31, 1981.

TROUSER PRESS/Janu~ 3
 Break-Ups and Shake-Ups
I It's the end of an era: Guitarist guitarist Pat Thrall leaving to form
Ian McDonald and keyboard their own band . The split is amic-

·X-~15 -HUM AN!~ player Al Greenwood have left

Foreigner. Details are scarce at the
moment, with a band publicist de-
able; they'll open for Travers on
his next tour. Traver is currently
1'4E IS AC..TlJALLY A MEM6ER OF scribing the split as a "mutual
ensconced in a Miami studio re-
cording his next LP.
THE &ENU5 CNEMI DOPHORU5 parting of ways." Foreigner plans
* * *
WHICH INCLUDES to continue as a four-piece. Horslips has broken up . The
CERTAIN TYPES Of; "' "' "' much acclaimed Irish saga-rockers
Cozy Powell is finishing his have called it quits after nearly a
UZAROSlf! first LP since leaving Rainbow. decade together with the ame line-
It's due in January and will be up. Future plans have not yet been
called Over the Top. Meanwhile, announced.
Rainbow has replaced Powell with
Long Island native Bob Rondinelli
* * *
Steeleye Span has reunited
and is currently working on its with its most popular line-up
first post-Powell offering, Diffi- (Prior, Hart, Johnson, Kemp,
cult to Cure, out in February. Knight, Pegrum) for a year-end
Rainbow also appears on the re- British tour. Maddy Prior and
cently released heavy metal slug Tim Hart were recently married;
(sludge?)-fest compilation Castle she's expecting.
Donnington: Monsters of
* *
Rock, along with headbangers Joe Read, late of the late Bram
Saxon, Scorpions, April Wine and Tchaikovsky (the band is gone, but
Touch. the man lives on!) has joined LA's
* * * Code Blue on bass. Read had also
The Pat Travers Band has previously played with Strapps, as
splintered into two units, with well as doing sessions ... . Have
drummer Tommy Aldridge and the Records deleted themselves?

CCR Revival
Former Creedence Clearwater dence Clearwater quartet: the two
Revival rhythm guitarist Tom Fogerty brothers, Doug Clifford
Fogerty was married on October 'and Stu Cook. The four had not
19 in Castro Valley, California, appeared together since 1972.
where he now resides. The high- There is no truth to the rumor that
light of the reception, at least Tom Fogerty and David Knopfler
from a musical standpoint, was a are forming a group called the For-
45-minute set by the original Cree- gotten Br.others.

Meeting of the Mods

A recent Melody Maker featured is scheduled for release sometime

a tete a tete between Paul Weller in January. As usual, Vic Copper-
and godfath,er Pete Townshend, smith-Heaven produced. Songs are
the first meeting between the "Pretty Green," "Monday," "But
C gurus of the two mod eras. The I'm Different ow," "Start" (a
as
E conversation revealed major philo- different version than the British
0
a: sophical difference between the single) "House Ablaze," "That's
two, especially regarding the green Entertainment," "Dream Loop"
(as in money) pastures of America. "Man in the Corner Shop,"
Townshend played Horace "Dance for the Last Couple," "Boy
Greeley (go west ... ), while Weller abo~t Town" and "Scrapeaway."
remained defensively blaseabout Townshend and the rest of the
breaking through here. Weller's 'Oo are currently working on their
advice to Townshend: "If you lot next LP, as yet untitl d. It's due in
are planning to continue, then February, but don't hold your
change your [live] set." breath; these things have been
A new Jam LP, Sound Affects, known to drag a bit.

4 TROUSER PRESS/January 1981

 'N' RUMOURS
In and Out of Studios LETTERS/From page 2
John Cale, who hasn't released a Edmunds played a member of a England, and both he and Snips music and artist on a more objec-
studio album in five years, is fin- band called the Stray Cats in the will be touring the US and Canada tive basis. Certainly the writer
ishing one in New York. Mike film Stardust, and actually record- this month. should not attempt to extract the
Thorne (Wire, Shirts) is produc- ed under that name for the Arista subject matter from its musical
ing, and the Mo-Dettes will be fea-
* * *
and, perhaps, social context, but
soundtrack. The Boomtown Rats' new one,
tured on backing vocals. A&M will B'o ngo Crazy, is currently in the it's worth remembering that each
* * * work of art has its own voice.
release the finished product. Chris Spedding, who spent the mixing stage and will be out in Eu-
past year in the Necessaries, has rope before Christmas. No US David Dasch
* * * Brooklyn, NY
Dave Edmunds will produce the left that band and is currently in release date has been set,
Stray Cats, the New York rocka- the studio producing an LP for ex- though . . .. LA's X also in the
BEATING AROUND THE BUSH
billy trio who wowed 'em on a re- Sharks mate Snips. Spedding's studio with ex-Door Ray
So Jim Green couldn't under-
cent English tour. Oddly enough, own LP was recently released in Manzarek producing. stand what " Breathing" by Kate
Bush (Green Circles, TP 55) was
A Clash Act Dolling Up Dead and Alive all about? I reckon it's simple,
really; it's a critique of the very
Lovable bad boys the Clash Fans of the New York Dolls and Steve Peregrine Took (nee basis of our western civilization.
have reportedly fired their their myriad offspring may be in- Turner), Marc Bolan's original Pitching it too high? I don't
managers after what Andrew terested in a new English 'zine partner in Tyrannosaurus Rex, think so. Yoga devotees among
King, who runs Blackhill Manage- devoted exclusively to their died suddenly on October 27 in your readership will be aware of
ment with Peter Jenner, calls "sev- heroes' exploits. Publisher Julian London. No cause of death was an- the idea that in the physical act
eral major disagreements." The Bruckshaw asks for help and con- nounced, but Took reportedly had of breathing we also draw on
group apparenrly feels ready to tributions (all contributors will re- had drug problems for some prana-the life energy of the uni-
handle ir own affairs . A new dou- ceive free copies), but those who time . .. . Paul Kantner, 39-year- verse. The implication of this
ble-or triple?-LP, produced by want just to read can send $2 to old guitarist/songwriter with Jef- song is that humanity is suffocat-
Bill Price (who engineered London Bruckshaw at 8 Lingfield Ave., ferson Starship, suffered a cerebral ing itself; that in pursuit of an ul-
Calling) should be out around the Hazel Grove, Stockport, England. hemorrhage October 26. He spent timately illusory material para-
time you read this. three days in int.ensive care, and dise we are poisoning the natu-
ral systems that are the basis of
Rhino's Grandmas
Andrews's Gang 1
has since been released from the
l}ospital. life-oceans, rivers, and the very
Former XTC keyboard player air we breathe-ultimately weak-
Tne notorious Rhino Records Barry Andrews unveiled his new ening and destroying the life
has just released The Grand- band, Restaurant for Dogs, while Selective Selecter force itself. The perverting anti-
mothers, a compilation album of touring England as a member of The Selecter has picked James life radiation unleashed in a nu-
solo tracks by the original mem- Robert Fripp's League of Gentle- Mackie and Adam Williams, both clear war (the central image of
bers of Frank Zappa's Mothers of men ensemble. Restaurant, with formerly of Lancaster band the the song) is only the ultimate eco-
Invention, featuring selections by Bruce McRae (guitar), David Pharoes, to replace departed mem- logical sacrilege.
Don Preston, Elliot Ingber, Motor- Mark (bass) and Kevin Wilkinson bers Charley Anderson and Des- For the record , the character
head Sherwood, Bunk and Buzz (drums) opened all shows for the mond Brown on bass and drums, speaking in the song is the first
Gardner, and Jimmy Carl Black. League. respectively. The new duo had child born after the holocaust: a
been helping the Selecter in the spiritual entity sentient of pre-
vious incarnations.
Dies tarist Ross the Boss recently left
frog-rockers Shakin' Street for
studio for its second Chrysalis
album, due out early this year. Got it now, Jim?
Peter David Morris
Redux! what Kempner calls "obvious rea-
sons." Rhythm guitarist Kempner Orpington, England
Among the more pleasing bits of
news this month is that the Dicta-
is working on a solo single, to be
produced by bassist Andy Sher-
But Does SUB-MISSION
In part two of "Whatever Hap-
tors have reunited for a few select-
ed New York gigs. According to
Scott "Top Ten" Kempner, the
noff, who's also producing a 45 for
the Cyclones on Little Ricky She pened to the Class of '77" (TP 55)
Tim Sommer wrote, " The UK
Records. Drummer Ritchie Teeter
former band members from the
Bloodbrothers line-up found
remains with VHF, who backed
up Kevin Ayers during his recent
Do Subs disbanded very recently
after one LP, officially ending
punk rock." Th is is totally untrue.
themselves in New York with not
much to do and decided to get to-
US jaunt. And Handsome Dick
Manitoba is still the handsomest Windo That same issue Fax 'n' Rumours
even mentioned a new album by
gether again "just for fun." Gui- man in rock 'n' roll. them. If you're going to write
Polish Records, the label
about punk rock ending and
headed by singer/producer Genya
Dining Out, Australian Style Ravan, has sent out word that
bands breaking up, you better get
the facts straight.
During a recent tour of Austral- the would-be-robber's h.ead, they're looking for a woman to act
ia, Daryl Hall and John ·oates Chris Utting
hurled him through a plate glass as their "exclusive representative
were interrupted in mid-bite at a Seattle, WA
window and sat on him until the for all Polish promotions through
Melbourne restaurant by a man in police arrived. As it turned out, January 1, 1982." All you do to THE LOYAL OPPOSITION
a ski mask who stuck a sawed-off the culprit had pulled the same apply is send a snapshot of"the Despite the idiots with their
shotgun to Oat~s's head and de- stunt on 15 prior occasions. Oates keenest cutie yo• know" posed in complaints about your magazine,
manded cash . Fortunately, fellow received no reward for luring the the "Polish Girl position" (see pie) I still think Trouser Press is the
diners came to Oates's rescue . criminal out into the open, but the to Chrome!! c/o Polish Records, most intelligent and informative
(Australians strongly resent having group's album did climb 20 places 250 W. 57th St., Suite 1432, New musik rag available in the US.
their meals interrupted for any in the charts the next week. That's York, NY 10019. But hurry-the Jim Smith
reason!) They bashed a chair over justice! deadline is this New Year's Eve. Port Huron, Ml

TROUSER PRESS/January 1981 5

 CONFESSION
S ·o F AN ~X-R
OCKER!
F
or the last fe small midweste
w w ee ks -m ay rn joints; Little
m on th s- I' ve be even prea Richard was a
been thinking cher. Alan Fr
L en no n' s lin of Jo hn grave for taking eed, ho un de d
e from "Y er into the isol
"Feel so suicid Blues": · -t h payola, was al ation to the soul
al, even hate m e so -o
Not th at I' m
suicidal, no r
y rock 'n ' roll. on e pl aying
" was suddenly be good music. Rock 'n ' roll
f course For an industry -sucking marketplace.
even th at I ha ing sung by th at purpor
my rock 'n ' ro
ll, bu t I am ki te boys with Italia diluted clone in entertainment, rock view ts to be dealing
nd of ambivale n names. (For a itself with w
about the mus nt an d the Belmon give me, • Dion often am ou nt s to grim ha
ic at
You can 't say present. ts, you were th w or ld of seriousness. It t
ro ck is W ha t w as e ex ce pt io ns st at us -o bs es se 's a
finable lull. T he going th happenin .) figu d promo· pers
re 's sure as hell rough a de- beaten in the1genera g? Were we getting ar re-fixated executives, para ons,
on , at least on enough going teen tion war? Was ro ga nt A&R noid critics,
the surface. I age suicide? it tim e for overwei pe op le , oafish stage cr
ca n' t quite pu feel an unease ght prom ews,
t m I We
fear comes fr y finger o n -a n unease I they know what happened. In pu t th e SS to oters, security men w ho 'd
om having be w er e keeping the fa E ng la sh am e,
against rock fo
r en close up first
m ith. Even I ha nd who manage to be si an d camp followers
too much from to o long . Perhaps I expect peri oments in the lights: the d my ing,
sh if
mul
ty an d mindl taneously calculat-
en sing
just dance mus something th at is, at ro ot crow ce of playing Gene Vincent ular ex- ride on a surrea ess. AU
ic , d th at wante tunes to a l merry-go-roun these people
to observe the ; bu t it certainly is sickening Roc d to hear th a small flock d powered by
slea k e V of
public is presen zo techniques by which th e room (without th e vestigial "r ol enfures. ~estructive mus spoiled and usually self-
te ed l" ) mush- . ic
one of the mos d with what, at its peak, is both , as Bob Dylan solved the ride, getting of ians. Once on this alarmin
t exciting ar t fo ly rical co nt problem o·f f can be suicid g
race has produc rms the hu m an eq en t an d no t The rock indu al in
ed. uipment. T he having any stry's edge was itself.
Let me give yo passed in a ha second ha lf of the '60s in the early to mid-'70s. finely honed
beginning rock u some background. In the was ze of psychic
discovery th at ph as e be fo re th e
It was th e lavi
sh
interwoven with
real Road to D 'n ' roll was a re ve la ti on -a No almost non-st under monstro crash: Mailmen staggered
amascu jo b. m at te r w ha t op music. us piles of free
was , pre-teen I mean, there "t he y" could jockeys were
, I "u s, " th treated better albums. Disc
much ambitio pre-puberty, without to o atio "w e" seemed to be winning row at Journalists wer th an royalty.
n n th e fe
maybe to be an in any direction except play war an d just ab ou t everyo e gener- the · Atlantic an ted back an d forth across
as tr on au t (they . ne got to A d
spacemen in were called Even back in frica an d Ja pa even to exotic spots like
those days). those halcyon n in hopes of
Then it hit m
"H ea rt br ea k
H ot el " came e: in my heart th at days, I knew to laud th e latest hype. T o coercing them
that had prev ou t of a radi I w as al m os O ut in E ng pr om ot e Scho
iously broadc o world t cert land, ol's
news, serials ast nothing bu thou 's worst white blues singer ainly the· tire zoo an d am Alice C oo pe r rented an en
and Doris D t gh, di dn 't disq . Even this, usement pa rk , -
something to ay ualify me. The strippers, midge stocked it with
which I could . There was stage, I got paid y let me on ts an d unlimited cham
devote my life. At an and invited
No question. the time of L ot d even joined the union. every Jigger pagne,
About halfway ev ha r an d th e H L on do n ar ea . in the greate
through th e er yo ne got to do an d Pe ople, r
father walked
into the room tune, my Fo r me it was their thing. Those were de
ca de nt da ys.
an d demanded also th e er a of
shut of f the go
da I In term the Deviants. son were in favor with publ If a media per-
Elvis Presley an w ful noise. Hi dislike of tu na s of commercial success, it departments of icity an d pr om
o
d te was re
was more than most of what was to follow phet th at th e Deviants' anti-mel un fo r- could be wined cord companies, he or she
ju st a matter of amine rage w od ic , am - , dined an d ev
kneejerk bad taste; it was a ity of as n' not en
re fin-de- '60s hipp t shared by the major- kn to mention receiving trin co ca in ed -
Within two m action. H e was vitriolic. have ies. If it were, acks, concert ke
inutes, 45 seco
nds I ha d dis-
been superstars we might cl tickets, enough ts, knick
covered bo th ro W ha t we play lik e C he r or th ot he a vi llage in southe T-shirts to
gap. It was a st
ck 'n ' roll an d
th e generation to o ed di dn 't tran e Archies. than enough ast Asia, an d
more
rang well. T he reco sl at e bo
For the next ei e business. pr rding studio se to record five times over oze to rot the liver four or
gh t or nine years et en tio us an d of te n nt us of .
ambitions to I kept my still m twisted tangen f on The
mys
school th at yo elf. If you told anyone in brok ad e three records for Sire ts. We luxu re was, however, an ot he r si
u wanted to be e up at the en an d then Pr rious coin: T he flow coul de to this
star, you were a ro ck & roll on ly d of th e de cade om o pe op le w d be cut of f.
liable to get pu
pepded or bo nched ou t, sus- ered some seven years later when . (It was gifts; they also ere no t there only to bestow
th . When as th at the noise we discov- ar bi tr at ed status
future occupa .ked ab ou t m w pa ra no ia an d
tio y ing to be the vogu e made onstage was go- punished th e , induced
juvenile-delin n , I came ou t with some It 's e of 1977 rath
er th an 1967. an d recalcitrant. T noncooperativ
e
quent m um bl hell being ah ea hree weeks w
into advertisin e ab d of your time. much as a Bar
g. Deep inside ou t going T he '70s bega
n with an ot he ) br a St re isand be
ithout so
knew what had ,
to be, and I po however, I tionship between ro r uneasy rela ~ ing up in th e mail is enou anie ha t show-
ck an d m ys el media person gh
the bedroom
mirror, checki
sed in front of time,
vice versa, I le f- on ly this feel fit for a to make any
against the da ng the moves all t th e m us ic ony. Integrity rock leper co
yw thos dow shou l-
light and claim hen I' d step into the spot- faile e years in front of a mir n. After jo b, but in th e '7 ld be the core of a critic's
the adulation d to become ror, I ha d 0s th e rock indu
fully mine. th at was right- wou El ever
ld ta ke a lot m vis Presley. (Again, it ha y pressure to squeeze inte stry exerted
It was ar ou nd ered th or e tim e before we d th e consistency grity until it
down by rock this time th at I first felt let vis Pr at no t even Elvis Presley co discov- Just to compl of putty.
'n esley.) T he rest uld be El- th icate matters,
coming ou t of ' roll. Strange st uf f started the e performing I re-entered
the radio. Bud equally misdire of the Deviants became ai:ena with the
Eddie Cochran dy Holly an d grav cted Pi nk Fair 1976/77. T he ne w wave of
itated to the so ie re
w
Army; Jerry Le ere dead. Elvis was in the litary destiny of s, while I than some an d sulting records sold worse
e Lewis had be The the better th an ot
en forced into ing re is a certain security in qu writer. of all they ou
tlawed me in
hers, but mos
t
ou t a novel ev ietly tu rn - the eyes of so
do es n' t leave er y 18 m on th s, me
you alone th at bu t' ro ck Continued on
rarily rejecting easily. T em po page SO
th e idea of m -
became· on e aking music,
I
jungle: a critic.of those jackals of the
spective shifte W ith di zz yi ng
d from an arti speed, my per-
rock _ _j _ _ _ _ _ _,:__ _
6
TROUSER PR
ES S/ Ja nu st's co __,___...........---
 out and acute strain within. A communication gap was widening
between Foxx and the rest of the band; the singer didn't show up
at recording sessions for two weeks. "At that point ," Currie re-
calls, "we thought we were going to bust up."
They didn't, and went on to record System of Romance, but
meanwhile the band was piling up costs, due largely to no man-
agement and too much touring.
"We were too cautious about management," Cann sa s.
"We felt a manager would have to under tand totally what we
were about arti tically. So instead we'd get people helping us
who were directors of the company, to whom [Island president]
Chris Blackwell could ay at any time, 'You I Get out I' Island
put us out on the road too much: four English tours, five
German tours and Scandinavia too. As a rule, you lose money
on tours , even if you draw well."
Nonetheless, Ultravox built a solid, heterogeneous following
of non-conformists who listened to the band instead of the press.
Billy Currie, Chris Cross, Warren Cann and Midge Ure. "I like the idea that we were never fashionable," Cross says,
grinning. Currie mention that j1,1st before being dropped from
By Jim Green Island the band played to a sell-out crowd at the Lyceum , "one
(with apologies to Eddie Lawrence) of London's bigge t gigs.' '
ey bunky, are ya feelin' low because the whirlwind Ea t All that time a US tour seemed attractive as a new experi-

H Coast tour you were promised turned out to be two

weeks at Vinnie's Peppermint Lounge in north Jersey?
And the vintage Gibson your old pal sold you tarted to fall
ence and po sibly a break-even proposition-a weighty consid-
eration now that Ultravox was without a label. The tour , ar-
ranged by Morrison and O'Donnell, went urpri ingly well, but
apart in the middle of a set? And your girlfriend ran off with the more problems lurked beneath the surface.
drummer for Prosthetic Device, the paraplegic punk band? And "We knew before the tour that John was going to leave any-
Robert Christgau picked your band as the only "Voice Choice" way," Currie says . "Being on the road and doing as well as we
that is a must to avoid? did, you forget such things." By the end of the tour Foxx was
Well, lift your head up high and take a walk in the sun-and losing his voice and guitarist Simon's performance was erratic
be glad you weren't in Ultravox a year ago . at bet.
Ultravox was quite a promising outfit in 1977 when it burst on Currie, Cann and Cross knew they wanted to continue work-
the scene with its fir t album-a record full of smart, provocative ing together, but they weren't sure how. Currie wound up play-
words in intriguing settings . Occasional over-selfconsciousness ing on Gary Numan 's Pleasure Principle LP, touring with him
was forgivable considering the bright horizon which seemed to as well . He also met Midge Ure, and got involved in a project (as
loom ju t ahead. oppo ed to a group) called Visage.
But 1977 was the year the British press was clasping punk to Ure and drummer Rusty Egan remained together after the de-
its fickle bosom. Ultravox didn't fit the mold, and self-styled mise o f the Rich Kids, victims of exces hype and over-eager
pundits seized upon the band's missteps (real or imagined) with press support besides personality conflicts. Currie had always
venomous vigor. Critical opinion mellowed slightly by the time liked the Rich Kids' style and, antipunk tance, and enjoyed
of Ultravox's third LP, Systems of Romance, but shortly after- working with Ure on a Visage single, "Tar." Ure and the remnants
wards Island Records dropped the group . of Ultravox held trial rehearsal and decided they could be a band.
Came the fall of '79 and Ultravox did a substantial US tour, "We had to keep it quiet for about six months after the fact ,"
marked by surprisingly warm receptions from critic and crowds Cann says. "Between him and us , we had so many problems
alike. The group had hardly set foot on again on English oil, that it looked like if we were going to get something together,
though, when both guitarist Robin Simon and vocalist/ lyricist everyone would pounce on us."
John Foxx departed. No encouragement from the press , then no After extended legal wrangling (and an offer to replace Gary
label, and now nearly no band-not to mention no money to pay Moore in Thin Lizzy) Ure's membership in Ultravox became
the debts the group had incurred . Violinist/ keyboardist Billy official . The new Ultravox is more democratic . Everyone but
Currie sum it up succinctly: "We were up shit creek." Currie contributes lyrics, even helping each other out in rough
By autumn of 1980, however, things were looking up: the spots. They're plea ed with Vienna but agree it was more of a
band reviewed the march of events in the well-appointed sur- rush job than they liked. In many ways it's like a new band's
rounding of Chrysalis Records' New York offices. " Wi th all first record .
the crap we've had to put up with," says drummer Warren Cann, Guitar certainly is more prominent in ome of the new mate-
"we can well appreciate the set -up we've got now. " rial; Currie even straps one on for one number. "Ultravox has a
Contributing to Ultravox's good fortune were the addition of 'serious' image," Currie says, "but we'd also like to project the
guitarist/ singer Mjdge Ure (ex-Rich Kids); Thin Lizzy managers fact that we're a rock 'n' roll band." Synthesizer till dominates,
Chris Morrison and Chris O'Donnell taking over the group's however . Everyone in the band has one (or more), and at one
business affairs; Chry alis eagerly signing them up; a new al- juncture they're all playing theirs. (Cann's rhythm generator is
bum, Vienna, and single, "Sleepwalk," both making commer- on automatic while he attacks hi drum kit.)
cial waves; and, believe it or not, the British press finally giving The effect can be impressive, sometime in ways the band
Ultravox long-overdue credit. The band's attitude is now a mix- hadn't anticipated. Currie recalls that at a performance in North
ture of pleasant surprise, cautiou optimism, and pride in endur- Carolina ("or somewhere like that") the audience was trans-
ance and accomplishment. fixed for roughly half the set, trying to figure out where this
Currie, Cann and bassist Chris Cro -and Ure as well, whose band were coming from. The final re pon e was excellent, but
situation in the Rich Kids had much in common with Ultravox's the kicker came when Ultravox watched from the wings as the
-evince less bitterness or cynicism than an acceptance (if crowd filed out.
grudging) of these thing as learning experiences. The press snip- "I couldna' believe't!" Ure says in his thick Scottish burr,
ing was only part of the picture, which included lack of business breaking out of his c~stomary cool. "Y ' know how ya alway see
direction and record company help : Ha! Ha! Ha!, the second Ul- these guys playing imaginary guitar? Well, I watched bunches of
travox LP, was cut under pressure from the music business with- 'em go out of the hall playin' imaginary synthesizer!" ■
 market me into a Barbie doll." The result was a classic artist-
producer mismatch.
"Tony Bongiovi doesn't listen to what you say, really; he goes
ahead and does what he wants. They [Bongiovi and Lance
Quinn] kept pitching me these old Stax songs, which 're great but
not my style. I wrote seven of the nine tunes. I think three of
'em are good but some I'm ashamed of, because I did 'em in
such a rush and then they were changed into something I don't
really like. I tried my best but it wasn't right."
Two Sides to Every Woman does fall far short of Carter's
sparkling debut. "Do It in a Heartbeat" is a pleasant Carter-
Lowe tune that made the country charts, and "Swap Meat Rag"
contains a few irreverent jabs, but the LP mostly sounds flat
and mechanical.
After that fldp-a costly one for a fledgling career-Carter
says she "didn't know what to do. I didn't want to make an-
other.bad record. Nick was grooving so much on my new tunes
that he said, 'There's no way out. I've gotta do it. Rockpile's
gotta do it. They're the only people who know how you should
sound, and it '11 cut corners if we just go ahead.'
"We were afraid we'd have conflicts, but we had exactly the
same ideas," she continues. "If we didn't agree, he almost al-
ways won out-not because he's my old man ,.but because he's
really smart about makin' records . I figured I hired him to be
my producer, so I'll listen to him." She grins. "Unless he tells
me to do something stupid. Then I'll tell him to shove it."
Carter found it easy working with the potentially overwhelm-
ing Rockpile. "There wasn't any way they could get in my way
b~cause all we used was acoustic guitars. The idea was to keep it
really simple-rocking but acoustic, so that the vocals would
By Jon Young stick out, just like an old country record, but with a few fancy
on ny and Cher. Ike and Tina. Steve and Eydje. The roll dos here and there. The problem was me wantin' them to play

S call of illustrious show business couples could go on and

on. Now you can add to that glittering list Nick Lowe and
Carlene Carter-musicians from different worlds who've forged
too much. I'd say, 'Why don't we get Edmunds to rock out all
over this tune?' They'd say, 'No, we're gonna have loads of
acoustics, really loud drums and bass, and a guitar solo .' We
a successful working relationship as well as a personal one. If coulda done the whole album on eight-track, easy."
"Nick and Carlene" doesn't have the same ring as "George and She credits Lowe with helping her sharpen her quick-punch
Tammy," never mind; their is a unique situation. Both Carter songwriting skills. "He's taught me a whole lot. I used to write
artd Lowe are creative popsters ·with plenty to offer on their own, songs that were real rambling, all these sad ballads. Now, when-
which is why their collaboration on Carter's third LP, Musical ever I write anything I'll play it to him and he'll help me shape it
Shapes, is such delightful entertainment. a bit. We tried to make all these songs like singles; that's why
Nick Lowe and Carlene Carter's marriage is a study in cross- they're all so short. It just bangs out."
cultural influences. She's a big-voiced countryish singer, the Amen! Musical Shapes is hardly a Rockpile album in disguise,
daughter of June Carter and stepdaughter of Johnny Cash; he's a nor is it your usual pale country-rock. It is Carter's record-the
smart-alecky British songwriter /producer / performer /etc., co- work of a vital, witty singer: with an exceptionally sympathetic
hort of Brinsley Schwarz and Elvis Costello, and bassist of support band. Highlights includes a greasy vocal duet with Ed-
Rockpile. lnterviewed at the Warner Bros. Manhattan office, munds on "Baby Ride Easy," the cheerfully snotty "I'm So
Carter combines two seemingly incongruous spheres. She sug- Cool," and two tracks salvaged from the original sessions for
gests a trendy Camaby St. ideal in her chic black pullover and the second LP.
blinding orange miniskirt-until she opens her mouth to speak. One side-effect of this international musical exchange can be
Then you 're listenin' to nothin' but country, y'all. Of course, . found on Johnny Cash's Rockabilly Blues. Last December the
there's plenty of common ground beyond the superficial differ- Man in Black arrived in London for a visit and ended up record-
ence . Lowe (as well as fellow Rockpiler Dave Edmunds) has al- ing Lowe's "Without Love" with his son-in-law and Edmunds.
ways exhibited a trong country strain, and Carter's music Another product of those informal sessions was Elvis Costello
brims with a sass that characterizes hubby's best. tackling a new George Jones gospel song, but don 't get excited,
Carter, 26, tuned into the trans-Atlantic link early . Her self- fans. In Carter's words, "It wasn't any good. If it ever surfaces
titled 1978 debut LP was recorded in England and produced by I'll be totally sl}ocked."
Brinsley Schwarz and Bob Andrews, members of Graham Curiously-or perhaps not, when you consider how kids
Parker's Rumour. That's when she met Lowe and other lumi- ignore their parents-the Nashville-bred Carter says, "I learned
naries of "Limeyland," as she calls it. Lowe was supposed to more about country music off Nick and Dave than anybody,
produce her second LP. "I had this really great band"-Clover, 'cause I didn't appreciate it before." And Carl Perkins even
California's answer to pub-rock-"and I was afraid I was taught her guitar chords!
gonna Jose them, so I panicked. I called Nick and said, 'If I She started off listening to the Yardbi-rds, Monkees and Dave
don't do this album now, they're gonna make me go to New Clark 5, but Carter admits that "when I started writing songs I
York and do it with these two other producers!" Lowe pro- realized I was country. I couldn't help it. No matter how many
duced a half-dozen tracks, but had to go back to London. "I chords I stuck in or how I rocked out, I was still a country singer.
knew when he left, he wasn 't gonna come back in time." "I don't know what a big star is anymore. There's no glamor
So "they" -meaning the record company-sent Carter to left. I'd like to bring a bit of glamor back somehow-not glitter
New York to work with strange producers and sessionmen. "I glamor, but a bit of graciousness here and there." She flashes
can't really blame Warner Bros.," she reflects, "because they'd her infectious smile. "I want to remain mysterious but very
been real indulgent with me, where it would have been easy to real." ■
 Smiling through: Cha Burnz, Bob Shilling, Jimme O'Neill and Kenny Alton.

real drag, that," O'Neill says of Fingerprintz's dogged reputa-

By Karen Schlosberg
' 'There's a rule I've got that if anything is too well-
planned ·something's bound to go wrong. If you
tion . "We only did [the tour] 'cause we were starving," al-
, through he adds with customary tact that "it was great
fun." As for "Say When," "it's a good ong but I've written
don't p1an things, things happen; when you plan much better ones ."
them they don't happen, or they change dramatically.'' His writing has been influenced by William Burroughs, . ci-
Jimme O'Neill, lead singer, guitarist and songwriter for Fin- ence fiction and "e pecially the detective novel. To me there'. a
gerprintz, is discussing his band's situation now that their label, parallel between a good detecti ve novel or story and a good pop
Virgin, is closing his New York office. · song, because they're both snappy , colorful and exciting." Pop
"We're sort of stuck in the middle here, and stuck at the end music, O'Neill goes on to say, can become an art form, "the
in Britain," he says ruefully from Virgin's since-shuttered same as great detective tories." (O'Neill's own fa cination with
Greenwich Village townhouse. "Virgin admitted that they the underworld inspired '.'Fingerprince" and "Wet Job" on The
thought the album [Distinguishing Marks, the band's second] Very Dab, "Criminal Mind" and "Bulletproof Heart" on Dis-
was fantastic, but they don't have any money and they've got tinguishing Marks.) He has no illu. ions about creati ng art. " It'
their priorities. This is the business side of it, you know, and got to be disposable. I don't ever try to write War and Peace. I
they more or less said we'll just have to wait and see what hap- just try to write something that I know, within my own limita-
pens, rather than making anything happen." tions, I can make reatty good.
O'Neill, a quiet spiky-haired blond with a thick, melodic "We have felt quite frustrated on this album, qecause we al-
Scottish accent, is surprisingly diplomatic, considering his ways felt that Virgin didn't really get behind us. In a way I
band's precarious position. "[Virgin] has never really believed in thought they were justified because we hadn't delivered some-
us, and I don't know why, but you can't let that sort of thing thing I thought was really good enough, you know? I'm very
bother you or you'd go insane. When you don't get immediate elf-critical. Polygram in Canada really got into the first album
success that makes you try harder the next time. You become and it did better in Canada than anywhere else. I began to see
better, you don't really get disillusioned. I still think this al- that no matter how good a record is, if it gets good promotion it
bum's good and I think the next one will be much better again ." does better. They liked this album but they're letting it just drift
Fingerprintz's second album is good, a huge jump forward along. It's a shame, because it could do really well if they tried a
from the odd eccentricities and muddy sound of the first (The bit harder." Bitter words, perhaps, but O'Neill talks without a
Very Dab). With the aid of producer Nick Garvey (half of the trace of rancor.
Motors), Fingerprintz achieves a punchy, clean and crisp sound Atlant jc, through whom Distinguishing Marks was relea ed in
that suits O'Neill's eccentric pop songs to a tee. ("I think my the US, doesn't seem to be helping out either. " We're the last
talent lies in being kind of instant and yet still quite interesting.'') Virgin band on the Atlantic roster" -analogous to being the
"I was really paranoid that it was going to turn out bland. It dance band on the Titanic-"so they're kind of into it-but
isn't quite as raw as I would have liked. The kind of sound I they're not."
want is still less obviously commercial." As for the future, O'Neill hints that other companies are in-
As befits someone who produced his band's first album in an terested in Fingerprintz. "It looks as if we'll still be on Virgin,
8-track studio in about two weeks, O'Neill didn't care for Gar- but we might be sold to the highest bidder," he laughs . Despite
vey's ultra-slick sound on the Motors' own Tenement Steps LP . the gloomy talk, it 's a measure of O'Neill's optimism that he
After meeting Garvey, however, O'Neill overcame his skepti- can think in terms of the future. For the first time in its career
cism. "He was great to work with, he's a great musician, and the band has a manager-"He deals with things we should have
he's a great guy." been worrying about but didn't even know about." O'Neill
O'Neill is eager for commercial acceptance: "I've always trusts in himself as a songwriter and in his band as musicians,
thought it was important to do something that was accessible and he's not in doubt that Fingerprintz does have a future.
and still really good. I've never really wanted to be a cult sort of "It could be that in five years' time everybody starts saying,
thing." He'd also like Fingerprintz to be known as more than hey, what a great album Distinguishing Marks i . I don't know.
the group that backed Rachel Sweet on a 1978 Stiff Records If this doesn't happen 1'U just try some other thing . I'm just glad
tour or that gave Lene Lovich the hit song "Say When." "A to be involved ." ■
 Q)
C
>Q)
..J

"':i
~

Anyplace Don Van Vliet catches his wind-blown hat is home.

By Jeffrey Peisch his magical world and it can be quite enjoyable on its own terms .
he first thing Don Van Vliet doe when you meet him is to

T bring you immediately into his world. "Those people over

there take too many showers," he said to me seconds after I
walked into hi manager's Greenwich Village apartment for our
Van Vliet was in New York to promote his new album (his eleventh),
Doc at the Radar tation. It may be his fine t, full of wonderful
juxtaposition s-grotesque ne t to beautiful, dissonant next to con-
sonant-that make Captain Beefheart's music so alarmingly
interview. origi nal. Although he hould know better after 13 years of bad ex-
"There." He led me over to a window and pointed acros the periences with record companies (his current Virgin contract is his
courtyard to a large living room. "They parade around there in seventh), Van Vliet sees no reason why this can't be the album that
their bathrobes!" I hadn't even taken my coat off, but I felt com- finally reaches a wide audience.
fortable already. Van Vliet-Captai n Beefheart-is a fun guy to be "Commercial potential? Why not? Since I breathe air, I am com-
around. mercial . Everybody's commercial. There just aren't that many
We sat down and he pointed to my light blue socks, commenting, good publicists and ad people and there aren't that many good rec-
"Those are nice." At that moment I realized my long-held impres- ord companies. I think kids are bored enough that if they got a
sion of Van Vliet wa wrong. There's nothing distant or unap- chance to hear my music, they'd like it. "
proachable about the man. While he says he's happy with his Virgin Records affiliation, Van
Yes, he articulates his thoughts in a novel way. At one point I Vliet's new record will probably receive less promotion than any of
asked him if he had a dog. his past releases . Virgin has terminated its distribution arrangement
"No," he replied. with Atlantic Records and is now working with RSO Records on a
"You don't?" limited basis. Doc at the Radar tation , the last Virgin/ Atlantic re-
"No. I have one, though, a West Highland terrier. She catches lease, i no doubt lo t among the latest Foreigner and Genesis
birds and eat them, no matter how much we feed her. Maybe she albums.
likes the bird feathers to tickle her throat." Doc at the Radar Station has a punchy clarity not found on past
As with Van Vliet ' mu ic and paintings, trying to define his talk Beefheart LPs (although it i similar in many respects to Lick My
in traditional terms is a frustrating task. But surrender yourself to Decals Off). Beefheart, however, is completely disinterested in dis-
cussing the new record, comparing it to older ones, or explaining
the genesis of particular songs. He accepts compliments graciously,
and responds, "Yeah, that's right," to a particular interpretation
~~commercial potential?
of a song. He would probably agree to a completely different inter-
pretation as well.
Why not? Since I breathe
When asked about the two instrumentals on Radar Station, he
replies, "My baby was in an instrumental mood ."
What about the new emphasis on guitars? "My baby's idea."
air, I am commercial.
The reference to his baby is not a freaky word game, nor is it a
tribute to his wife, Jan (who served us Tiger's Milk at the outset of
If kids got a chance to hear
our conversation). Van Vliet's baby is his artistic self-whatever
puts lines like "Gnats fucked my ear" and "I feel like glass shrimp my music, they'd like it.,,
in a pink panty" into Beefheart's mouth .
The idea that an artist has an outside force for inspiration is not a
novel one. The Russian writer Aleksander Blok wrote in 1908 of
"an intangible 'third force' that does not belong either to me or to
others. It is this force which makes me see things the way I do and
interpret all that happens from a particular perspective, and then
describe it as only I know how. This third force is art .''
What Blok refers to as his "third force, " Van Vliet calls his
baby. Fifteen years ago it forced him (so he claims) to stay awake
for one-and-a-half years, writing 180 pages of autobiography a day.
It also keeps him and his wife childless: "My baby won't let me
have a baby."
Van Vliet's baby forces him to run rehearsals like a dictator and
demand no creative input , only subjugation, from his band mem•
bers. "My baby and me are the artists," he says. "It won't let me
have anything else. If you 're a painter you sure don't want anything
to do with group paintings."
When he's in New York, the baby pout . "I usually spend all my
time drawing, and since I've been doing all these interviews I
haven't had any time for that.". Calling himself Captain Beefheart
can be seen as coming to grips with a third force-the baby.
The baby keeps Van Vliet in the Mojave Desert in a trailer. He
doesn't have time for dinner parties and other people . He eats
breakfast standing up and has over 5000 songs on tape. Whichever
songs he happened to be working on immediately before a record-
ing session appear on an album.
It's tempting to think of Van Vliet as a recluse chained to piano
and easel by his baby-an old-line hippie who rejects society . The
album art from his early records (check out Trout Mask Replica)
certainly supports this, but he's not the hippie recluse at all . If Van
Vliet weren't constantly painting or writing songs he'd explode with
creativity. He seems happy with his plight. 1

In many ways his values and priorities are quite traditional. Van
Vliet shows off his $70 Pierre Cardin belt, asks his interviewer if
he's read the latest Esquire, and whines about missing a Charles
Laughton movie on TV the night before that his New York host
forgot to tape on a VCR .
And, contrary to what you'd expect from someone who lives in a
trailer away from civilization, Van Vliet loves people. He ·treats
everyone like a long-lost friend, and his love songs are as touching
as you '11 find anywhere. "I miss you more hour by hour," he wrote
for "Love Lies" on his previous album, Shiny Beast. "The roses
seem to smell sour/ Street lamps flutter like fireflies/I wish I hadn't
told you all those love lies."
It's typical of Van Vliet to employ plant and animal images in de-
scribing human emotions. His bizarre metaphors and descriptions
reflect an obsession with all living things. We can learn through the
simplicity and natural beauty of plants and animals, he seems to be
saying. A poem off the back cover of Lick My Decals Off is titled,
"You Should Know by the Kindness of uh Dog the Way uh Human
Should Be."
"Have you ever seen a blow-up of a mosquito?" he asks . "What
a machine. I mean, ooh, what a beautiful thing. [Animals are] ut-
terly amazing. People should see this too. Yoga is from small
animals-the way a cat will get up and stretch befo.re it moves .. .. "
The doorbell suddenly rings with the next eager reporter. As I
finish my glass of Tiger's Milk and head out of the room, I can
almost hear Van Vliet 's baby whimpering, sad because he is too
busy to paint. ■
 for example, had plenty of time to practice guitar and songwriting
during a two-month stay in Britain's Pentonville Prison. He and a
friend were arrested on drug charges late last year; while his com-
panion had his entence quashed, Cornwell-,--a Strangler-spent his
spring vacation behind bars.
Then there is the matter of a riot at a gig in Nice, France earlier
this year. The band refused to play after the third power failure in
their set, claiming authorities had not provided the necessary
generators. The crowd took it displeasure out on some furniture
and windows, and the band was arrested later that week for inciting
to riot. Burnet now has $24,000 bail hanging over his head, and the
entire band has to return to Nice for another court hearing. Only
keyboard player Dave Greenfield got off scot free, because an il-
legal tape of the show revealed he had not said anything on stage.
"You have to understand," Burnet points out, "that on the
morning of the gig a hysterical article summing up our past as a
band appeared in the local paper; run our history down in the cold
statistical light of a newspaper, and it looks pretty fucking G-U-1-L-T-Y!
And .there were some not very flattering pictures that went with it.
All the bother was started by the media .-"

he silver lining to the cloud that- seems to follow the Stran-

T glers everywhere comes in the form of a recently released

IRS compilation, Stranglers IV, and accompanying Ameri-
can tour. For a compilation, Stranglers IV does surprising justice to
the concept, including five of the better songs from the band's last
English LP, The Raven; four singles sides (one of them, "Bear
Cage," appears as "G.m.b.H. "); a studio out-take called "Viet-
namerica"; and a free EP with tracks· from Cornwell and Burnel's
solo outings and the rare "Choos Susie."
The Stranglers' latest US venture is their biggest to date, repre-
senting a real commitment by the band to crack the States. (They
would also probably like to--crack the skulls of the thieves who
made off with a quarter-million dollars worth of customized gear
from a va.n the morning after a show at New York's Ritz.) All the
band needs, complains Black (who pounds drums hard enough for
someone in his early 40s), is a record deal. The IRS agreement is a
one-off; with the is ue of Stranglers IV, the band is "back at the
end of the road again .
"A record company is only intere ted in selling records," Black
continues with no little bitterness in his gruff voice. "Any record
company interested in us a a product-to use a nasty .word in this
country-has only got to talk to our record company in Britain for
three years [United Artists] to find out how they can make money
Hugh ComweU no longer wears T-shirts with offensive words on them. out of us. It's pretty easy . Lots of people are making fortunes out
of us."
By David Fricke The Stranglers, however, are not.among them. "We had·to bor-
ll is quiet on the Stranglers front-almo t too quiet.

A
row money to come to America," Cornwell says.
Around the table in the deserted restaurant of Manhattan's "But," Black insists, "we're too busy sitting down and making
Iroquois Hotel it three out of four Stranglers and they look music to cry about the agony we've been through. You achieve
as if they'd left their menace and oft-reported bad interview man- nothing by crying about it."
ners back at the bar. Guitarist Hugh Cornwell and drummer Jet
Black pull on bottles of Heineken; ·bassist Jean-Jacques Burne!

W
hat the Stranglers have achieved-best-selling albums
(John to hi. French-born parents) sips a glass of orange juice. and an intensely loyal following in England, and a grow-
There is talk of an album due in the new year, a few encouraging ing underground cult in the States-is due to hard work.
words about a 40-city US tour, and tangential discussions about Whatever you think of the group's politics, sexual attitudes, and
religion, politic and the gross inequities of the record business. No hard-boiled arrogance, you have to admire their drive. Cornwell,
one throws a punch, lectures on the merits of mjsogyny or terror- 30, threw away his biochemistry degree (and its attendant financial
izes the bartender. The Stranglers' nasty reputation precede them, security) to form a band with Black in 1974. He rescued Burne!
but it apparently is not taying at the same hotel. These Stranglers from a dreary job as a van driver for which he as trifle overquali-
are-dare I even write the word?-charming. fied, considering his degree in economics . A year later they recruit-
"Obviously it's been blown out of all proportion," opines Burnet, ed Dave Greenfield through a classified ad in Melody Maker.
27, of their unflattering rep. "But then, that's the media' function." From that point on, the Stranglers slogged their way up and
The media has certainly done its job, but with no little help from down the British Isles gig circuit; Black says they played everywhere
the Strangler . They are quick to cry "misquoted" or "taken out of "everyone else didn't play" for a total of almost 400 gigs in two
context," yet in both interviews and song the band has never made years. They were often fired for playing original material. At their
a secret of its attitudes towards women (Cornwell: "We're not crit- first gig at London's Roundhouse, they took the stage only to dis-
icizing women, we are just observing behavior") and the press cover the p.a. had not been turned on. At another London venue,
(Burne! once decked a Sounds scribe for fooli hly writing a scathing the Rainbow, Cornwell miffed authorities by w~aring a T-shirt em-
negative review) . blazoned "fuck" onstage.
The Stranglers' infamy tends to be self-perpetuating. Cornwell, For their troubles, the ·stranglers were designated punk come
 1976, the Summer of Rotten, which strikes CornwelJ as rather
amu ing. "We were going when all the e guys were still working a5
petrol pump assistants; they used to come to our gigs. Suddenly we
read in the paper we're a punk band. We thought, 'Oh, well,
thank for telling u . '"
Unlike most of their newfound brethren, the tranglers could
actually play. The volcanic eruption of Burne! ' goo estepping bas.
and Black 's ledgehammer drumming was perfect rhythmic com-
plement for the ewer-level vision of the group's song. ; Cornwell'.
gritty guitar work and vocal sneer, and Greenfield' horror-movie
organ brought the music to tark life. Two and a half years of non-
stop roadwork made the band as tight a a noose around the neck
of bloated mid -'70s pop. The fir t Stranglers recording session
(January and February, 1977) yielded anough material for all of
Rattus Norvegicus and mo t of its follow-up, No More Heroe .
'~ lot of bands roman- A few hit singles and albums later, the backla h et in . "ln '76,
'77, " Burne) snorts, "it was, 'The Stranglers, ha, ha, ha, they have

.ticize jail. We have a keyboard . ' Then when Dave started u ing a synthe izer on the first
album, it was ' Ha, ha, they're using fucking ynthe izers.' There'
one or two group usi ng synthe izers now and they still don't know
real perspective on it.'' how to use them as good as Dave Greenfield.
"Then it became, 'Oh, these guys used drugs.' And we openly
-Jean-Jacques Burne/ admitted it. Well, we couldn't deny it. [An undisguised re ference to
the legal beagles that dogged the band everywhere.] Now, if the
truth were known, they're all taking them, smoking and doing acid
and all this kind of shit. They've changed their tunes a bit. Ironi-
cally, while they're all lying about their ages, we could n 't deny it.
The lines on our face spoke for them elves."
Burnet 's rancor floweth over. '' A lot of the band were also play-
ing armchair politics, romanticizing about jail and all that hit.
There's nothing romantic and wonderful about jail or tho e kinds
of hassles. These guys writing armchair political and pri on ong
-we have a real perspective on it."
It would be too much to believe the Stranglers al o have an open
line to god, but they have nevertheles set down their feelings about
the big guy (and organized religion in general) on a new album al-
ready recorded and ready for release. Meninblack, titled after the
song of that name on The Raven , is loosely conceptual, contain. a
Strangled seven-minute version of "The Lord's Prayer," and i a
bit of a departure from the inten e rollercoaster bop of previous ·
Strangler. records.
"The 'Meninblack ' track got u working on the idea ," Cornwell
says of the concept. " We had been t hinking about it almost two
years ago when we were doing Black and White, but it's tak en us
thi long to get it together."
Cornwell boast that the mu ic was written and arranged spon-
taneously in the st udio and lends the song what he calls "a very
mysterious feel. " Might he mean a religious feel?
"What is a religious feel? A good crew can be a religious feel-
ing-any sort of emotional trauma. l_get a religious experience when
I have a crap. It's emotional, you're becoming decongested. You're
commuting heavy with god."

hat's about as ugly, arrogant and mali cious as the Strangler.

T got during the whole interview. Burnet even went out of hi

way to clarify exactly what he meant two years ago when he
stated ·that American have smaller brain than thei r European
counterpart -something to the effect that he was challenging the
American notion that bigger is better. " People were sending me
threatening death letters from the States, saying 'How dare you
impl y American are 1upid? ' I didn't ay that, but I got the reaction
I wanted."
Broke but not beaten, the Strangler rock on. They hare a berth
on the dark ide of pop 'n' politics with people like the Hell's
Angels--;those who openly invite fear and hatred simply in abiding
by rules foreign to the rest of us. Charming when they want to be
and absolute terrors when the ocq1sio n calls, the Strangler are not
so much rock outlaws as a metaphor for the world at large.
"If the system can't handle four guys who play instrument "
Burnet cackles, "then that system i well fucked up."
Thanks for the warning.
 "When we first began to appear we worked in whiteface,
which the Japanese related to Kabuki, I guess. Our record had
already been out and was something of a success; when we ar-
rived at the airport we were greeted by kids wearing outfits like
the ones they'd seen in our photographs . We played eight dates
there, recorded a live album [the first in Japan by a Western
rock band] and were fantastically successful. Then we'd come
back to the States and play to eight people in Cleveland. That's
really what created the downfall of Silverhead: (a) we couldn't
take it, and (b) we were in love with the melodrama and
romance of rock 'n' roll, and never learned to deal with the
fundamental business aspects of the situation ."
Jimmy Page had witnessed a number of Silverhead perform-
ances in England. When Des Barres moved to Los Angeles to be
with his then-girlfirend and now-wife, the former "Miss
Pamela" Miller, he looked up the Zep guitarist. "I went to their
hotel, fighting through the fans and the roses, the guards and
the guns." Page suggested that Des Barres put another band to-
gether, and offered them a contract with Swan Song.
The label poured a reported quarter-million dollars into
Detective's first album, which was recorded twice with different
producers. A physical brawl with the first is said to have caused
his dismissal; Andy Johns rerecorded the LP. According to Des
Barres, there was little discernable difference. "It was like an
By Todd Eve artist who keeps adding to a painting until he's fucked it up." A
hough the d

T
is sal success thus far has been, to second album was recorded and released before the group broke
put it kindly, ited, el Des Barres has lived one of up, the result of what Des Barres refers to a<; "confused per-
rock's more en ertain lives . He's been a protege of sonal relationships."
Robert Stigwood, Deep Purp , Led Zeppelin and Mike Chap- After Detective's fall Des Barres spent a year shaking a "nasty
man (in that order)· acted stage, television and films; re- habit" he'd developed on Deep Purple's and Led Zeppelin's
corded five albums; as mo ed in Japan; was written about by money. He also divorced his first, English, wife and married
Al Stewart; has be n into d out of a heavy drug scene; is a Miss Pamela, acted in TV series The Rock/ord Files, Hart to
connecting link be een ds as diverse as Steppenwolf and Hart and WKRP in Cincinnati and honed his songwr.iting skills.
Blondie; and has s nt is own estimation) about $2 million "I found that I did have a knack for it. I was doing those TV
of other people's n the process . If that isn't enough to shows, which took a lot of discipline-gettin g up early in the
certify him as a olo 1 Figure, Des Barres is intelligent, ar- morning, being in makeup by six a.m. and working all day. So I
ticulate and chapnin arried to a former G.T.O.; and heir to started to write early every morning and not wait for the muse,
a 500-year-old ti or for the drug to take over and write the song for me. I'm very
But what's on e :~ntly? serious about my writing now, not only for myself but for
Sporting a T•shi aring the graven image of Elvi Presley, other people." Des Barres's collaborators include bluesmith
Des Barres slowe ong enough to discuss his past, present Barry Goldberg and old friend Harrison .
and future re acting careers. The reason for imme- Harrison plays on I'm Only Human, Des Barres's olo debut,
diate interest in the on rable Mr. Des Barres (as he's known in along with the singer's road band: drummer Rick Parnell, ex-
aristocratic French circl s, such as they are) is his first solo al- Atomic Rooster; guitarist John Goodsall, ex-Atomic Rooster
bum, produced by the aforementioned Chapman . Previously, and Brand X; and American keyboardist Paul Delph. The
Des Barres recorded as lead singer and chief ongwriter for band's regular bassist is San Franciscan Doug Lunn.
early-'70s glam band Silverhead, and later-'70s would-be heavy Des Barres has the highest praise for producer Chapman.
metal supergroup Detective. His companions in those bands in- "He's a psychologist. He'll put you in a frame of mind ... the
cluded fellow-Briton and current Blondie bassist Nigel Harrison group in a frame of mind ... put the whole studio, from the tape
in the fir t, Steppenwolf founder-guitarist Michael Monarch in op to the man at the door, in the mood to make great records."
the latter. The band had worked five months on the material; Chapman
"I was an actor, doing a nude musical [The Dirtiest Show in picked 12 out of 25 ·songs and had master tapes ready two weeks
Town] in London. Robert Stigwood, who produced the show, after the first recording session.
introduced me to Andrew Lloyd Webber. I played him a song Reaction to I'm Only Human has been mixed but generally
I'd written, 'Will You Finance My Rock and Roll Band,' and he good. Des Barres has resolved to spend more time on the road
put me in touch with Purple Records, who gave me the facilities than he did with Silverhead or Detective, which should h~lp get
to put a band together." An advertisement in Melody Maker the word out. In the meantime, his acting career is perking
drew hundreds of applicants, he ays, among them bassist along: there are upcoming roles in a feature film, Under Fire,
Harrison. Deep Purple producer Martin Birch produced Silver- and a TV movie of Errol Flynn's autobiography (not the leading
head's three albums, two of which were released in this country man, unfortunately). Pamela herself works frequently in films
by MCA. and commercials (an All-American type, she's lined up for a Big
Now Des Barre is older and wiser. "I was a dilettante about Mac and taken the Nestea Plunge), and will soon be seen a<; a
it, for sure. I came from the theater-the same background as she-demon from hell in a creepy-crawlie called The Mausoleum.
Bowie-which was always a stigma in London, because we If Des Barres's acting or musical careers somehow don't work
weren't trained musicians; they'd look down on us. Plus I was out, there's always his inherited title. When his father dies, the
very into visuals and imagery when mo t musicians were into singer will become a genuine Marquis and owner of a consid-
flared jeans, stacked heels, long hair and Muddy Waters tunes. erable estate. Are there any other, more current, perquisites of a
For me to come along in ort of clown dress with very flippant title? "Privileges at good tables in restaurants-whi ch are now
material worked against me. Which is why Silverhead imme- obsolete, because rock stars get the best tables anyway .
diately went to Japan, where Deep Purple also had a strong "Celebrities are now the aristocrats of the world," Des Barres
following. sighs. ■
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 Gary Numan remains in contact
ontradiction , co ntradiction . . ( igh .)

C
Hard to swallow? Sounds like a trategem to go to people' houses and charge two hil-
Gary uman i not a imp le propo i- Elton John and David Bowie have u ed: ju t ling to mime to Monkee tunes for half an
tion. Most people think he's imply a -or be/ore-people tart taking you for hour." Una pirated h' betray uman'
wonderful-the electrono-pop tune mith granted, make an apocalyptic announcement We t London origin .
who' ever so cute-or he 's si mply awful- about emi-retirement. It's second only to He was apparently a moody kid, and
creator of ynthe izer-laden Archies mu ic dying for stimulation of sale of back cata- "blew out" chool due to heer lack of in-
who travestie the very influence he wear logue . The other have come back, bUl if Nu- tere t. Although he'd told friends he wanted
on hi leeve. man tick. to hi word he could be the first to be a tar , it took a stiff challenge from one
The do er the crutiny, though, the pop tar to curtail a career by per onal fiat. of them before he began to work in earne t
clearer it become that while ome critici m toward that goal.
are valid, others are gratuitou dig at an all- n New York, Numan, 22, is taying at In 1977, after being thrown out of one
too-easy target who e commercial success is
con idered out of proportion to hi arti tic
worth. It i thu unfair that uman hould
I the mpire Hotel, not a fa hionable
haven for visiting rockers. Hi blue-
shaded ca uaJ dre i equally nonde cript
band, Numan walked into a gu itar audition
for another (no one else howed up), became
the front man and changed the band' name
achieve a level of fame denied presumably except for grey suede stack-heel boot , and from the La er to Tubeway Army. Al-
more talented artist - especially his inspira- his black hair sport a piffy dab of red on though Numan's ongwriting had been
tion . one side. In other interviews Numan ha blatantly Bowie-influenced in the pa t,
The fault i hardly Numan' . Be ide been reported to peak in an unvarying whis- Tubeway Army was a punk band intenl on
being in the right place at the right time, he per, but he now u es a more normal range of getting a contract. Beggar' Banquet, a mall
had the ambition to seize the opportunity, if emotional color. He i till not what you'd independent label begun a the recording
not actually create it. Young Gary Webb call a loud individual. arm of a London record store, took them
knew he had to be a rock tar-even though "Image i to be copied. That's the es en- on . After a couple of inchoate 45s ("That's
he had no particular aptitude for playing an tial reason I created mine." Numan' British Not It" and "Bomber ") the company told
instrument. He orted through hi capabil- audience are peppered liberally with kid at- them to make an album.
ities and intere t , and figured out how to tempting to clone them elves into one of "They were expecting to get a nice little
maximi ze their appeal to celebrity-hungry four ver ion of him (illustrated on his four punk pop thing, but in the studio I'd . tumbled
record buyers. UK album cover ). " 'Sall part of [ tar- across a ynthe izer, and it got all these
According to his plans, uman will re- dom]," Numan laughs. " l used to do it." electronic noises," Numan recall . (He'd
move himself from the tar-making/ main- He then describes how, at age eight or nine, picked the name Neuman-pronounced, he
tenance machinery come April , after two armed with an acou tic guitar and a wool cap says, NOI-mon-out of the phone book but,
year in the limelight. That means no more knitted by his mother, he enacted Mike wishing to avoid being laughed at a a fake
touring, and a more lei urely recording pace. Ne mith in the Monkees Juniors. "We u ed German, removed the "e" .) The company

TROUSER PRESS/January 1981 17

wa taken aback-a wa the band-by the charts a well. "Fir t off, WEA had taken over Beggar's
electronic half of Tubeway Army' 16-track '' I couldn't believe how much of an anti- Banquet, and taken me under their wing.
demo. The band al o liked to play live, climax it wa when ["Are 'Friend 'Elec- The first ingle from Replicas was 'Down in
which uman wanted to avoid. The other , tric?"] got to number one. When it got to the Park,' which they put out a a 12-inch in
then, with thee ception of bassi t Paul Gar- number two it wa uch a dream come true a picture bag. Then they put out 'Are
djner, took a flyer and now perform a the that I wouldn't let myself believe it'd go to "Friend ' Electric?' as a picture disc, which
tation Bomber . ("They're still a punk number one, so that I wouldn't be di ap- wa unusual for someone at our level be-
band, and I don't like the ongs. ") pointed if it didn't." He wa elated when cause our work was unknown." The gjm-
Numan turned to hi family for upport. notified by phone of his chart triumph , but mick helped push the record into the "break-
"If I owe anything to any one per on, it's my "then I hung up, and I went back to watch- ing" region of the chart-number 48, in Nu-
father," he ay . Tony Webb donated his ing televi ion. It was the same house, same man's case. After that, the momentum wa
avings and worked as a roadie toward help- car in front; I'm itting there with me mum self- u taining.
ing out his son; he is now uman' manager. and dad, and the dog . othing had changed. "We'd gotten invited to _go on [BBC TY

Uncle Jes Lidyard, who had played drum It ' taken thi long"-well over a year-"for pop show] The Old Grey Whistle Test on a
on the first si ngle, joined uman and Gar- it to ink in, and for me to get used to it.'' Tue day. It was part of their new policy; we
diner to round out the band . By eptember, uman's popularity wa were the token new wave band that week.
Beggar's Banquet wasn't won o er o fast, uch that his "Car " 45 reached number one When the chart came out on Wednesday,
and rejected uman' s next demo . Eventually the same week that The Pleasure Principle and the single was a 'breaker,' they asked us
a compromise was reached ("I aid, ' If you entered the album charts at that lofty posi- on Top of the Pops for the same week!''
don't put it out, you won't get an album'") tion. "Car "even breached the Top 10 in On Whistle Test Numan wa lotted be-
and Tubeway Army came out in a limited the US-no mall event, considering the con- tween Bryan Ferry and David Bowie. "I'd
edition of 5,000 ( ince re-relea ed). ervati m of the American record buying never been on the telly and I hadn't gigged in
Album number two, Replicas, wa public. over a year. I used to ju t tand there with
whipped up in only a week, and reflected u- my guitar, very nervou , not moving, and
man 's increa ing expertise a a producer . uman once aid he'd known the Brit- that was in front of like a hundred people.
More significantly, he uddenly became a
tar. In ummer 1979, "Are 'Friend 'Elec-
tric?,'' the second single from the album,
N i h teenage market was aching for an
idol ever ince Bowie drifted too far
afield. Asked more recently about the cau es
ow I had to go in front of million on tele-
vision. I started practicing in front of a mirror."
Ultimately, his manneri m weren't a im-
went to number one in the British charts. of Numan-mania, he sounds le cynically portant as the lack of them, and the etting
Replicas oon copped the top spot in the LP calculating. in whjch uman put him elf. "The Whistle

18 TROUSER PRESS/January 1981

 Test's lighting's all bilious green and amber, ne of Gary Numan 's paradoxes is
and the same for everybody. But I aid, 'No
colors, just white lights,' and they were
pleased that somebody was taking an interest
0 that, while he ad mits Replicas was a
science-fictio n concept LP about the
fut ure, and uses impressive technofla h in his
in the show's presentation ." stage shows, the "futurist" tag is beginning
Numan waltzed right in with customized to annoy him.
keyboard towers and a clear Perspex drum "'Cars' is about being in cars, not cars
riser and set up-"just out of the blue. Two themselves. My songs are mostly about me.
days later we did the same thing on Top of I'm not a fut urist; only about two songs on
the Pops. We didn't smile, we didn't talk to each of the last two albums are like that.
the cameras, we didn't say a word ." He Telekon [the latest album] is especially per-
credits this presentation with the creation of sonal, about my problems at the time I wrote
a striking overall atmosphere. it." Yet his imagery is consistently fanta tic;
The preoccupation with visuals extended even when he insists "Remember I'm hu-
to his first post-hit live show, at the Glasgow man," it's in a song titled " Remember I Wa
Apollo. " I hadn't gigged for nearly a year Vapour."
and a half, and this wa the first time I'd be Another paradox is that, although Numan
going on without a guitar. I had no idea projects his grimmest fantasies of the fu ture
what I was going to move like, or how I was and innermost feelings of confusion and
going to treat the audience"-3, 500 strong. alienation to a mass audience, at heart he re-
"I did like a collection of poses," he admits, mains very much an English Joe Normal
with a heavy emphasis on his own idols type. He's close to his fam ily, loves his dog,
Bowie and Bolan . Aided by a deluxe version house and car (his fancy for Corvette is well
of the stage gadgetry previewed on TV, the documented in the press), likes fast-food
performance was a succes . hamburgers and French frie , and only
Numan wa equally concerned about how drinks Coke. (No norting for this lad-he
Atco wanted to present him in the States . At doesn't even im bibe alcohol.) But there's a
first he was reluctant to play the US, but darker idea well .
then- <\tco president Doug Morri wanted him "I hate being stared at li ke I'm some kind
and .... nvinced uman they'd be faithful to of freak. I never liked having to deal with
hi image. A whale of a promotion job (doc- people I didn't want to , even little things li ke
umented in TP 55's article on American having to talk to the electricians when they
radio) sold "Car "to d .j . 's, and it's difficult come to read the meter . What success is
to imagine most of them viewing the record good for is that maybe I can hire people to
a anything more than a novel treatment do that for me! I had a job once delivering
of a topic clo e to the heart of the Ameri - parcels . You have to talk to people; I lasted
can Everyman. about two weeks .

· you
're slipplilg
you're broke, so
The Clash 1cnowlO" Nu-Disk, at :k and reggae, . art.
J;;~ain price-
rune tunes '?n a.c ur years of roe _:,able onlY on unP ~-
,.... ~nrung 10 ed or avau • B,ecotllY9•
cuts s~-sl-y unreleas ~ 1)isk;' OIi Epic 98() css \f\C.
all preVJOU:1. t 1
- ,_~
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-
I A 10', ""- d marks ol css \nc . © \
. are tra e
~Black M,arl'oe ,. ..
Epic.
"Nu-Ois\<.',' .,.,_
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o1.,,usl<-·

TROU SER PRESS/January 1981 19

 ''I've gotten my own style down over various tours
and I now feel more at ease."

"But then there's another side of me that petition: "It's like playing Monopoly but hasn't won over the English press, but he 's
says I'm gonna dye my hair bright white [as with real money. What makes it a job i hav- made inroads.
on his android impersonation for the cover ing to write songs at a certain time for acer- "They take it far more seriou ly than I do.
of Replicas], and there I am, terrified of tain purpose for a certain release date.'' I never claimed I was the first, or the best, or
people looking at me." He hates signing So he's about to scale his career down to a that I even wanted to be the best. I never
autographs, yet feels hurt if nobody asks. hobby-one of everal. "I've been trying to claimed to be original." He would like credit
"Over the various tours I've begun to get get my flying license for two bleeding years, for establishing the synthesizer style at the
my own style down, and I feel more at and I just haven't put together enough time." mass level. Even the alleged imitator is now
ease." His recording technique has improved There's also cars, of course, and video. "I'd being imitated: witness the American car
as well: Production is crisper, and it helps to like to do live collections of short plays , and commercial whose mu ic is based on "Cars,"
have a bigger band. Lidyard left after how-to-play-synthesizer cassettes-it' much or a stage set-up in the film Breaking Glass.
Replicas, to be replaced by Cedric Sharpley; easier to learn if you see it demon trated." The US po es another problem. Unlike
Chris Payne (viola/ keyboards) signed on, uman's work with Robert Palmer is England , where "We Are Glass, " "I Die,
too. Ultravox's Billy Currie, looking for another milestone: his fir t session work. You Die" and Telekon have perpetuated his
wdrk between editions of hi band, enrolled Palmer had been including a couple of u- popularity, America hasn't fallen in line
as a guest member at the end of the Pleasure man 's songs in his live set. He brought Nu- since Numan ' initial breakthrough .
Principle sessions for touring and televi ion man cassettes of material and played some of "I've got a very big fear of being a has-
appearances. He was replaced by Russell Bell his own things on guitar, which Numan been. I' m getting out of it before I get too in-
on guitar, keyboards and violin, and Dennis helped arrange for Palmer's Clues LP. In ad- volved to get out of it. I have to avoid facing
Haines was also added on keyboards. The dition, Numan plays on the crooner's ver- not being famous anymore. Besides, having
range of sounds on record indicate formid- ion of "I Dream of Wires" (from Telekon) said I'm going to stop, I'm obliged to tick
able potential. and contributes a couple of other ongs by it. I'd lo e too much face otherwise."
But now Numan claims he' knocking it ("Found You Now" and "Style Kills," the Gary Numan is a man of many faces (not
on the head: no more tours. "There are so flip of Palmer' "Johnny and Mary" si ngle). all of them grim) but enough of a pessimist
many reasons to stop . I'll be able to write an to opt out of the star game at 22. In conver-
album over most of a year, instead of a few hy stop so soon? The shows and sation, he seemed o young, so childlike at
weeks between tours, so there'll be different
things mixed in-not just what I was feeling
at the time." He enjoys the commercial com-
W music seem to be coming together
better than ever, as Numan exudes
a feeling of just hitting his stride. He still
times that I almo t felt like asking what he'd
like to do when he grows up . Then I'd re-
member-he's already done it. ■

20 TROUSER PRESS/January 1981

 o I'm sitting here Ii tening to Dalek i'

S album, Compass Ku mpass, thinking

vague thoughts about that neat little
Moog you wear like a guitar which I'd re-
cently een adverti ed, when the phone rings.
It's Scott the Editor.
"Hey, Ted," he says. "How'd you like to
do a piece for us on synthesizer band ? We
need it the day after ye terday.'' We discuss
the practical a peels of the piece, and throw
a dozen names of groups back and forth.
Sure, why not?
The next day he calls again. "Ira and I put
together a little list," he says, and reads me
the names of groups which u e synthesizer
predominantly or primarily. I throw in some
more of my own. The list now has 25 names
on it and I know very well that it's incomplete.

Synthesizers

• • • an go and their
legacy
By Ted White

Hell , every time I turn around I bump into

a . ynthe izer. A new D -area band , the
Youn g Profes ionals, play new wave-i. h
stuff. The out fit . ports fema le and male
singers, and synthesizer. all over the place.
One of the ynth player , arlos Garcia, is
also in Mars Everywhere, another D -area
group with an album just out on Random
Radar. Mars Everywhere make spacey, post-
Tangerine Dream -style mu sic. Last Septem-
ber, Garcia and synth player. from half a
dozen other local band jammed at Glen
Echo Park as part of a music festival held
there. Considering that none of the musi-
cians had performed together before, the
mu ic was quite succes ful.

emember when it was guitars? In the

R '60s every would-be rock star played

guitar in the basement or garage.
othing earthshaking-mostly ''Louie
Louie"-type riff - but satisfying. It wa.
rock and rock wa guitars.
Keyboa rds . neaked in toward. the end of
the '60s (although the Farfi. a organ wa. an
integral part of the British Invasion ound)
a. we tarted hearing from "keyboard wiz-
ards." The mo. t celebrated wa. Keith Erner-
on (the ice, later Emerson, Lake and
Palmer), who's largely responsible for intro-
ducing the ynthesizer to rock. He certainly
did much to popularize the fir t wave of
synth. , mo tly those original Moogs. In
common with other rock virtuo. os of the
time, Emerson barely explored the in. tru-
ment 's inherent pos. ibilities, treating it in-
tead as merely another keyboard .

TROUSER PRESS/January 1981 21

 A few year. ago Rupert Chappelle, who produced wa. clo. er to Hollywood film
performs on synthes izer as Ozone Mu. ic, score. of the '40 .
was quoted in Fu1ure Life magazine to the The Germans had a much keener appre-
effect that the . ynthe. izer would be the ciation of the . ynthe izer's unique qualitie .
guitar of the future . A integrated-circuit They viewed it a. a handy package for elec-
chip. have proliferated and technology lead. tronic. which had been explored continuou. -
to both cheaper . ynth and ynth-computer ly for some 20 years. The difference wa. the
interface. , Lhat prediction i clo e 10 being packaging: all tho e untidy audio oscillator. ,
completely borne out. Today the all-synth patch-cord. , and accumulated device. on the
band i. not uncommon , and nearly all band. studio bench were now packed into . ome-
make ome u e of electronic keyboard . . The thing about the ize of a . uitcase. Tangerine
days when King Crim on would u. e . ynthe- Dream (inspired originally by Pink Floyd)
sizer . olely for fi ltering the singer'. voice and Kraftwerk (at first a keyboard duo who
("21st Century chizoid Man") are gone for- played with tape loop. ) quickly developed
ever. ow nearl y anyone can buy a rh yt hm the rhythmic nature of synt hs through the use

Pioneers of electronic keyboard-roc k: KRAFTWERK (above: guiding lights Ralf Hut-

ter and Florian Schneider, second and third from left) and (below) TANGERINE
DREAM's Edgar Froese led the German division: England contributed KEITH
EMERSON and RICK WAKEMAN, Greece VANGELIS PAPATHANAS SIOU.
machine, a equencer or two , and a poly- of equencer. -computer-like de ice. that
phonic synth (one on which more than one remember and repeat note pattern. in mech-
note can be played . imultaneou. ly, allowing a ni cally preci. e rhythms .
for chords) and become a one-man Tangerine Dream'. e . entially romantic
band-and plenty of people are doing it. conception of music isn't far from Gene is ',
More important than the hardware i. the but Kraftwerk pointed the way to the two
aesthetic use to which synthe. izer are being dominant mu ical trends of the late '70 : di -
put. That is to . ay, what kind of mu. ic co and new wave. Forsaking the naively mel-
they're making, and how they're u. ed to odic approach on the earliest album , Kraft-
make it. werk' masterpiece, "Autobahn," combined
You can find the latest in s_ nth technology pure ynthetic sounds with reference to
in Nashville. Check the credits on virtually any " Barbara Ann" and the Beach Boys' "Fun
di. co record and you 'II find not only e era I Fun Fun." The Autobahn album (1974) was
ynth players but credits for synth program - an international hit, establishing Kraftwerk
ming a. well. Indeed, the. e in. trument. per- a a commercial force. Three follow-up al-
vade the entire music industry. They are even bums-Radio-Activity (1975), Trans-Europe
the major voice in many television commer- Express (1977) and The Man-Machine (1978)
cials, supplying bright new . ounds to grab developed a genre which was an important
the attention of jaded viewers (along with progenitor of today's synth-oriented new
computer-generated Siar Wars-type visuals). wave as well a Euro-disco. Almost accident-
How doe thi. fit in with rock? ally, Kraftwerk' canny proprietors had re-
discovered dance music.
hat admittedly incomplete list of

T bands broke down into several

group , categorized by historical
placement and the nature of the mu. ic.
Lurking behind Kraftwerk were other
German pioneer. like eu, Cluster, Har-
monia, Achim Reichel and Fau. t. The more
experimental of them followed traditions
In the fir t group we have rhe pioneers. which had little or nothing to do with rock.
Although he wa a grand tander given more These explorers of electronic and
to pyrotechnic than coherent music, Keith "e perimental" mu. ic took their cue from
Erner. on belong. on thi s list , as do Rick Karlheinz Stockhau en and other (Herbert
Wakeman (Yes, later solo), Vangelis (Aphro- Eimert, rnst Krenek, Gottfried Michael
dite'. Child , solo), Patrick Moraz (Refugee, Koenig)\ ho worked in Cologne's lectroni c
Yes, . olo) and Tony Banks (Genesi. ). All Mu. ic . tudio during the '50. .
the e musician hail from rock's early-'70.
progressive wing, and each incorporated

T
he principal change in electronic rock
. ynth. into an already large bank of key- music in the latter hat f of the '70s wa
board. -mellotron. , organs, pianos, a shift away from the romantic ex-
etc. - filtered through a variety of add-on de- cesse of progressive rock toward. the neo-
vices (echo unit. , fu zztones, flanger. ) origi- Reali m of so-called punk rock-and pa. t
nally de. igned for guitar . The re. ult was an that (. ince punk wa es. entially a return to
enormous range of sound, in which . ynthe- rock 's roots) to new wave . The new wa e'.
. izer. pro ided . imply another mean. of co l- anti-romantic stance is reflected in its mu-
oration. ical vocabulary. Mellotrons-for man y the
The orche. tral pos ibilities inherent in epitome of the progressive . ound-. imply
. uch etups, combined with the progressive- aren't u ed in new wave mu. ic. The ound i.
romantic leaning. of those musician. , thinner, har. her, more percus. ive, more in-
guaranteed music that would be tu hand du. trial.
florid in texture. Wakeman and his ilk tried The synthe izer i completely at home with
to make rock over into Mahler; what they these change ; indeed , it ha. flourished in

22 TROUSER PRESS/January 1981

bands like the Pop Group, Simple Minds, non-mechan ical rhythm track, but the origi-
Orche. tral Manoeuvres in the Dark, the nal basic rhyt hms came from a machine.
Human League, Mekon., Telex, Cabaret
Voltaire and Ultravox precisely because it fits n the '60 people bought guitars, learned
their musical needs . o preci. ely.
The need vary with each group, of
course, but this mu ic can generally be de-
I a few chords and then spent all their time
learning how to play those chords evenly
and to pa rticu lar rhythms. Today you can
scribed as far more functional than the nar- buy a ynthe izer which will do all that for
rative approach of progres ive rock . Most you, once you know the chords you want.
new wave rock is de. cended from punk by it. Thi has led to a proliferation of one- and
danceability. The mu ic'. pri mal rhythms two-man bands, as fewer musicians are need-
and insistent beat is retlected in the studio ed to achieve the same sounds .
mix, with perc11s ion up front. A forerunner of the two-man electronic
In the decade from 1965 to 1975 rock band was Seventh Wave, a duo who relea. ed
evolved away from dance mu. ic in a variety two album in the mid-'70s, Things to Come
of directions-from singer-songwriters like (1974) an d Pi-Fi (1975). Via the magic of
Jame Taylor and Joni Mitchell, to the drug- overdubbing Seventh Wave pun a progres-
related empha is on sonics and sta is of psy- ive onic tapestry around Beach Boys-like
chedelic music, to the quasi-symphonic ex- vocal and melodie. . They were a little ahead
tension. of much progressive rock. The last of their time. A more recent duo, Suicide,
five years have een a return to rock'. basic , comprises Martin Rev on synthesizer and
but through the development of a new, non- Alan Vega on vocals. Live, mo t of the back-
reactionary vocabulary. ing music is on cassette, leaving Rev little to
(Revival music-whether rockabilly, doo- do but twist a knob or two from time to
wop or Chuck Berry basic-is reactionary: time.
The me sage is that the old ways were better. Few bands use synthesizer. exclusively.
By contra. t, new wave, whi le espousing the Mo. t also employ instruments like guitar or
ideal of older forms of rock, does not at- violin which can be fed through or blended
tempt to realize these ideals through the re- with the ynths. Tuxedomoon, for example,
creation of older form .) wa. originally more rock-oriented, with a
The synthesizer is ideal for this. Capable conventional in trumentation. Now its three
of a tripped-down, drag-strip intensity, remaining member. depend exclusively on
synths sound powerful and totall y unlike machines for rhythm. , augmented by Synare
anything we've heard before. Because it can SIMPLE MINOS
(a percussion device that regulates synthe-
be programmed to create any kind of sizer) and bass. Ultravox also works in this
ound-envelope, the synthesizer can ape fashion, although they still u. ea drum set.
guitar while going beyond the guitar's Nash the Sia h is an anomaly. He sounds
capabilities . (To be fair, in the right hands a like a ynth band with guitars, but plays
guitar can sound an awful lot like a synthe- neither guitar nor synthe izer in his one-man
izer, especially when filtered through the band. Instead he hooks together a number of
"devices" nearly every guitarist uses these device giving him a synch-sequencer sound,
days.) over which he plays mandolin or violin.
The synthesizer also offers a tremendous ash opened for Gary Numan on most of
amount of freedom to the mu ician or the latter' American date last year, con-
would-be mu ician. "People complain about trasting (favorab ly, according to some
the synth being a machine, " Ru pert Chap- reviewer.) with uman's ynth-heavy band.
pelle once told me. "But I'd rather p lay a The synthe. izer is not wi thout its novelty
machine than be one." value a. well. It ha. the ability to trivialize
What he meant was that a guitari. t mu t music by imper. onal analysis-a trait that

In the 1960s people bought guitars, learned a few chords and then spent all their
time learning how to play those chords evenly. Today you can buy a synthesizer
to do all that for you. The pioneering Moogs and Arps of 10 years ~go already
look primitive and quaint compared to the current crop of small, low-cost synths.

turn into a machine to play regu lar rhyt hm has been exploited from the time of
on that instrument, learn ing to finger and wi tched-On Rock (synthesized hils of the
strike guitar strings as preci. ely and regularly late '60s, ripping off the commercial success
a-; a metronome. A synthesizer can be pro- of witched-On Bach ) to the Sil icon Teens
grammed to play those same rhythms, liber- (Dan Miller's transmogrification of rock
ating the musician. oldies).
At one time this was considered heretical.
"The human element" was supposed to be he future of synthesizers in rock is
impos. ible for machines to duplicate, and
machines cou ldn't ''swing.'' The '70s put an
end to such notions. Most dance music is
T hard to foreca. t. We can be pretty
ure that they're here to tay, and will
probably dominate even more than they do
now made with a mechanical rhythm sec- now. There are several encouraging techno-
tion . You may or may not hear it in the logical trends:
finished product, dependi ng o n whet her a One is towards lower cost and smaller
drummer was brought in later to o verd ub a packages . The pioneeri ng Moogs and Arps

TROUSER PRESS/January 1981 23

 of 10 year. ago already look primitive and $15 . These device. (used by Devo, among
quaint. Today'. ynth are not huge im- other group. ) run on ballerie. , offer a 10-
provement. in terms of their onic range, but note keyboard- -scale, no na1. or . harp -
they are more compact (integrated-circuit
chips have replaced transistor ), more de-
Battery-powered and eparate 10-note . equencer with amazing
nexibility in programming, peed and pitch.
pendable , and de igned more specifically for
the musician (e.g. internal switches have
eliminated a once-characteristic tangle of
synthesizer kits The Lyricon i. a wind-in. trumem comr l-
ier . ynthe. izer which can be played by any-

pa1ch-cord ).
ost ynthe. izers u e keyboards as con-
($100 to $300) one who plays sax, clarinet or nute. It ha · a
. i -octave range (effective! from piccolo 10
ba oon) and look. like an emaciated clari-
trollers, which confuse many people into
thinking of it a a basic keyboard in. trument can be plugged net. Thi repre ent. the tip of the iceberg of
po ibili1ie. for non-keyboard-controlled
-not . o different from the modern organ.
Anything can be used a a voltage controller,
though, and guitar synt h have been around
into an amp for a . yn1hs; any mu. ical instrument which can be
amplified electrically can be u ed a. a con-
troller. We cane pect to see an increasi ng
for more than five years. The new Moog that
straps on like a guitar till has a short key-
full, professional u e of "traditional" in. trument. a. control-
ler. for . ynthe. izer. in the future.
board, but lacks the cumber ome qualities of
those instruments which Edgar Wint er u. ed
10 wear on tage several year ago.
sound. Equally important i 1he computer inter-
face. The po ibilitie. are vast and inevit ab le .
Device. already e i. 1 which analyze 1he
The portable synthe izer free. it . user . ound characteristic of any exi. ting in. 1ru-
from immobility required of most keyboard ment and either duplicate or change th~m in
player . We'll be eeing more development. odd or intere ting way . . Eventually "micro-
of this nature, which are especially relevant proce .. or" . ynths will probably be the
to rock mu ician . Someday controller de- . tandard, regardles. of the mean. of comrol.
vices will be separate from a tationary It will be po .. ible to have one's . ymh make
synth -cordless, perhap , or built into a per- up . ome music along with, hich one could
former's clothing. Equall likel y i. that jam-and if you like it, to remember that
ymh. will continue to become smaller and mu ic for another occa. ion .
more mobile. Today you can buy a wide Whal all this means i. that mu. ic, ill no
variety of battery-powered . ynthe izer kit - longer be made e clu ively by people wi1h
device to create rhythms, act as seq uencer. , technical . kills on mu. ical in. 1rumems. The
or offer keyboard controllers-for only $100 TUXEDOMOON/John Roberts era of the non-mu. ician mu ician ha. already
to $300. They can be plugged into an amp arrived, but imagination and ta te will al-
for a full, profes ional sound. way. be 1he controlling factor. Idea. are, af-
ynthesizers have even become toys. Toys- ter all, 1he human element that synthe. izer
R-Us . old Muson syn th last year for about can't be taught. Yet. ■

Associate , The Affectionate Punch (UK) Fiction 2383 585

The New Cabaret Voltaire, Liv.eat the YMCA, 10-79

Mix-Up
The Voice of America
(UK) Rough Trade ROUGH7
(UK) Rough Trade ROUGH4
(UK) Rough Trade ROUGH 11
Techno-Rockers Dalek i, Compass Kumpa s
Derby, Robert, I'm Normal
Devo, Freedom of Choice
(UK) Back Door OPE I
Cachalot CA 111
Warner Bro . B K3435

A Selected Foxx, John, Metamatic

Human League, Reproduction
Travelogue
(UK) Metal Beat/ Virgin V2146
(UK) Virgin V2133
(UK) Virgin V2160
LP Discography Mekons , The Quality of Mercy Is Not trnen
Nash the lash , Dream and ightmares
(UK) Virgin V2143
(Canadian) Cut-Throat CUT2
Numan, Gary, The Pleasure Principle Atco SD38-120
Telekon Atco SD32- l 03
The list at right (not Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (UK) Dindi c DID2
meant to be all-inclu- Organi ation (UK) Dindisc DID6
The Pop Group , For How Much Longer Do
sive) draws from the We Tolerate Mass Murder? Rough Trade ROUGH I Y2
current crop of syn- Rev, Martin, A Solo Album Lu t/Unlust J B228
thesizer-oriented art- imple Minds, Empires and Dance ( K) Ari. ta . P RT! 140
ists and bands. Real to Reel Cacophony ( K) ri. 1a PARTI 109
Musicians whose ca- uicide RL:d Star RED800
Alan Vega/ Martin Rev Ze/ Anti lie A 7080
reers pre-date new ynergy, Cord Pa sport PB6000
wave (Kraftwerk and Game Pa port PB6003
Co., the ELP/Yes equencer Pa )')Ort PB6002
axis) have been ex- Tuxedomoon, Half-Mute Ralph TX8004-L
cluded. Ultravox, Three into One (UK) Island ILPS9614
Vienna Chry ali CHR 1296
Yellow Magic Orchestra & 737
Muhiples A& 4813

24 TROUSER PRESS/January 1981

 ~ 0 7 .::t,;
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~xTCi~--'! • ~ By Scott Isler

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Colin Moulding, Terry Chambers, Andy Partridge and Dave Gregory with UFO.

S
windon, England; April 1980. XTC, those four local lads made good, have received a gold record for Drums
and Wires, their third LP, and there's dancing in the streets.
Freez,e frame; reverse. Could we have a close-up of that gold record, please? Well, actually it's a gold record
from Canada; the album sold 50,000 copies. Now pull back to a long shot of the town. Looks pretty quiet. Poetic
license! The action is over here; see that park? That small group of people cavorting on the grass-that's the band, a
photographer, a record company press officer. .. [Yawn] Roll 'em.
To memorialize this joyous occasion, XTC is posing with its newly-acquired trophies for an al fresco photo session.
For one they lie in a row on their backs, eyes closed, hands folded on stomachs; the framed gold records are propped
I up for tombstones.
Humor (in all its shades, not just black) is an XTC trademark. Singer/guitarist Andy Partridge chose the band's
name for easy visibility when scouring the music press for references to them. His witty lyrics reflect a bubbly if not
downright giggly personality, but the rest of the band-singer/bassist Colin Moulding, guitarist Dave Gregory and
drummer Terry Chambers-are also genuinely friendly, down-to-earth types. Given XTC's spotty chart success in the
past, their lack of pretension is a useful survival technique; a more self-conscious band would have committed mass
suicide by now.
"Gettin' a gold album from Canada isn't quite the same as gettin' one from England," Moulding, 25, admits in his
West Country twang. He says he will give his to his wife: "She can do what she wants with it-make it into a tea tray."
Partridge, 27, says he's giving his to his mother- "our old dear," as he invariably calls her:
"I should feel too big-headed havin' it on the wall. People come in and say, 'Hey, what's that?' and you've got to
spend 10 minutes explainin' it to them. Our old dear will love it. She'll have it up in the hall and polish it religiously."
One way XTC retain. its per pective is by Wires ("I came back an absolute vege- nights a week for two months, XTC's sched-
staying based in Swindon, a grey, low-profile table"), notes, "You see enough people on ule is less brutal thi time-largely becau e
railroad center (population 100,000) 70 miles tour in two to three month to last you two most of the time they're supporting the
west of London. 'Thi. place must be duller to three years." Police, an act big enough to demand a day
than Akron," Chambers observes dryly, but off for every two shows in a row. Some
the band seems to enjoy it cultural isolation
compared to the capital' neurotic trendiness.
"Living down the road has its advan-
N ew York, New York; October I 980.
Partridge, Moulding and Chambers
groups might resent a second-fiddle position,
especially if they'd been together four years,
relea ed four albums and seemed perpetually
tage , " Moulding says. " Being involved with are circulating about Virgin Records' on the verge of making it big. XTC , though,
that cliquey sort of thing would get me Greenwich Village offices, strategically di- isn't one of them.
down." Chambers add that "we're not viding and regrouping to handle as many in- "Support bands have never got anything
great party-goer '' and note that in London terviews as possible. Gregory, the newest and to lose,'' Partridge posits cagily from behind
XTC is considered "four pretty faceless shyest member, is in midtown hunting (more) a desk. "If you 're better than the other
characters. I quite like that idea." While guitars. Yes, XTC i in town to kick off band, great; if you're not better, you're just
hardly anti-social, the band members respect another soul-destroying tour. But wait! Is support anyway . We stand to convert people
each others' privacy; Moulding says they the band condemned to suffer these periodic who wouldn't necessarily come to see us ."
don't see each other mu ch in their spare torments indefinitely? Such pragmatism is an XTC watchword
time. Partridge, recuperating from an Not really. Unlike the Drums and Wires these day . It led the band to contribute a
inten ive US tour promoting Drums and

~~·
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tour, which had them playing almost six

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song to Robert Stigwood 's punxploitation

TROUSER PRESS/January 1981 25

film, Times Square-which Partridge was Your Boat Goes Down" 45 in England. It Employing perverse XTC logic, the band
at first leery about-for the same reason did. Fast. Fortunately for the band, they decided that its new album cover should look
they're touring with the Police: exposure. were too busy slogging their brains out on as different as possible from Drums and
(Significantly, Virgin has just switched to the that first full tour of the US to notice that Wires' bright, Matisse-like collage . The
Robert Stigwood Organization for US distri- "Boat" rose (sic) to number 75 before sink- result is a stagy photograph of the band in
bution. Stigwood himself attended XTC's ing without trace. After recuperating in diving gear with assorted nautical props and
first tour date, headlining at New York's Swindon, XTC put together Black Sea this backdrop . "We went for a photograph that
Ritz, and reportedly was impressed. Maybe summer. The first 45 from the album, "Gen- was detailed, dark and somber-a period
if he loses the Bee Gees ... ?) erals and Majors," put them back in the feeling rather than up-to-date art," Par-
The final element in the XTC popularity record charts' good graces . Its follow-up, tridge explains. "Then we felt pressured to
equation is, of course, a new album . Black "Towers of London," built on the momen- find a nautical title that also fit the claustro-
Sea will be released in the US while the band tum. For the moment, the US remains im- phobic atmosphere we were feeling at the
is on tour. In this ca5e, the usual pre-release mune to XTC-but they have a friend in time."
high hopes are bolstered by the record's re- Robert Stigwood. The above doesn't sound very promising,
ception in England a month earlier. Artists but Partridge adds that he's quite proud of
tend to prefer their latest work automatically he band's ringleader admits he's not his lyrics this time around, which he feels
over past accomplishments, but XTC can be
excused for considering Black Sea their most
consistent work to date. "How do you
T much to look at. Andy Partridge's
close-<:ropped blonde hair frames a high
forehead, eyes hidden behind spectacles (off-
"are more coherent than ever before." He
cautions that "some of the songs are very
schizophrenic; there are very up songs and
feel?" Moulding asks, turning the tables on stage), a prominent nose and thick lips. The very down songs."
his interviewer. "Do you think it's the best lips are almost always curled in a smile, though, "Rocket from a Bottle"-"just a straight-
thing we've ever done? I think it is." and out of that forehead have come some of forward 'I'm exhilarated' song"-and "Sgt.
the most ridiculously clever-sometimes just Rock" ("the most irrelevant song on the al-
TC's problem might be an overdose plain ridiculous-songs anyone has recorded bum") are clearly in the former category.

X of individuality. Ever since their 3D

EP came out in late 1977, the band's
wacky, gregarious music has hovered around
in the last three years ("I'm Bugged," "Life
Is Good in the Greenhouse," "Reel by
Reel"-you get the idea) . As usual, he is
The other extreme, however, provides Black
Sea with its most intriguing moments. "No
Language in Our Lungs," according to its
the fringes of new wave consciousness with- dressed in black: black slacks, black shirt author, deals with the impotence of speech.
out receiving a full welcome. The band goes (over a white "Santa Dog" T-shirt, however) "When you're speaking you never get
back as far as 1973, when Swindon's "Fab and black sneakers. Also as usual, he main- across what you really want to say . You can
Three"-Moulding's term for himself, Par- tains a cheerful attitude even while nursing a only give quick sketches of what you're
tridge and Chambers-first got together. cold, dreading that evening's one a.m. show thinking. I don't think anybody can com-
With numerous fourth members, they an- and recalling XTC's last American tour . municate; they can only use certain sets of
noyed the local populace under various "'Burnt-out' is the word . We'd been a patterns. You can never get emotions into
aliases: the Helium Kids, Star Park, Snakes, flaming comet and were just a pile of rubbly words. I do honestly think that speech is ba-
etc. The band got some demo tapes together ashes by the time we got back. I think I sically outmoded." ("Hence most of the
and became XTC in 1976, with organist cracked up in a minor sort of way." Even songs never come out as you intended,"
Barry Andrew holding down the revolving worse than the exhaustion, he adds, was Chambers wisecracks.)
fourth spot; he has since gone on to Robert knowing that once they returned to England "Respectable Street" protests society's
Fripp's League of Gentlemen. ("Keyboard a new album would be expected of them. double standards-one for its children, a
players tend to leave of their own accord," Hence their vernal seclusion in Swindon. looser one for wife-swapping elders-and
Moulding muses . "Guitar players tend to be ''We have these periods of hiding away, but "Living Through Another Cuba" is a genu-
sacked.") if you don't have them you just don't want inely fearful yelp over not-so-Cold Wars.
Although XTC's delightful quirkiness to do anything at all .' ' "When you're in England there's nothing
soon won them a cult following, two LPs Black Sea was produced by the ubiquitous you can do; you're stuck between the super-
(White Music and Go 2) and a stream of 45s Steve Lillywhite, who first worked with XTC powers . It's like being a ballboy at a tennis
failed to reach a mass audience. Drums and on Drums and Wires. "We wanted to do it match.''
Wires, released toward the end of 1979, ourselves " Partridge says, "but the record The album's most controversial (and, sig-
seemed to break the curse, containing the company-" "They don't trust us," Cham- nificantly, concluding) track is sure to be
British Top 20 single, "Making Plans for bers breaks in. "They stiU think we're a "Travels in Nihilon ." The title comes from
Nigel." It was also XTC's best-selling bunch of jokers." The drummer wears a Alan Sillitoe's surreal novel about an anar-
album, and not coincidentally the white T-shirt, blue jeans and brown boots. If chic European country opened up to out-
band's most restrained offering to date. not as fanciful in his language as Partridge, siders for the first time after World War U.
"Nigel" and an American 45, "Ten Feet he's no less forceful in his opinions. The band creates an almost unbearable
Tall," even received some US airplay while "I think we just have a producer as a seven-minute block of sound; chaotic music
radio was flirting with "new wave." referee, really," Partridge continues. Yet if and a threatening, chanted vocal fuse over a
Flushed with relative success, XTC next Black Sea had bP-en self-produced "I think it tribal drumming pattern. The purpose of this
released the prophetically titled "Wait Till probably would have been more satanic," he aural assault is rather personal.
leers. "My stat n of mind at the time was not
amazing; it wa~ .-ery black . People were buy-
ing copies of Sandy Lesberg's Violence in

''Speech is Our Time and leaving them around for

casual browsing. It's just the worst photo-
graphs you could ever imagine in one book:
basically Belsen, child molestation~, murders. There
were loads of copies strewn around the ,,
outmoded.'' studio like church pamphlets at a bloody Sal-
vation Army meeting. You'd sit down with •
nothing to do, pick it up and flip through it"
-Andy Partridge -he emits a 5asp of horror-" 'Fuck!'-
chuck it away and be really depressed for the
-Andy Partridge
rest of the day."
 tweed jacket, linty black cords, new white
sneakers. Moulding is the band's "other"
songwriter, not as prolific as Partridge, yet
his tunes have consistently been XTC's most
popular singles {"Life Begins at the Hop,"
"Nigel," "Generals and Majors").
Moulding recently declared his indepen-
dence by recording a solo 45, "Too Many
Cooks in the Kitchen'' (under the pseudo-
nym "the Colonel") at the end of the Black
Sea sessions. "It's very different from what
XTC does," the soft-spoken bassist says.
"I'm not saying XTC couldn't have done it
but it would have stuck out on the album."
"Like a rock cake," Partridge observes. "I
personally find it too sickly."
Partridge's own solo activity is marked
by a fascination with studio technology. He
contributed a 20-second "History of Rock
'n' Roll" to Morgan Fisher's Miniatures
compilation, and early this year released
Take Away/The Lure of Salvage, a dub LP
made up of XTC recordings. He experi-
mented with the dub technique of rearrang-
ing individual tracks two years earlier on
Go+ , an EP based on Go 2. Take Away
might have been therapy to keep Partridge
from thinking about the dismal failure of
"Wait Till Your Boat Goes Down," a
gloomy dirge which he claims is the best song
he ever wrote.
"Up until it not taking off when it was re-
leased, I thought, 'This is gonna be our
"Hey Jude"; this is gonna catapult us to
number one forever.' It was the biggest kick
in the bollocks I ever had about something
failing. I had a lot of faith in it."
XTC's unpredictable fortunes are tied to a
minor identity problem. Most English bands
fall easily enough into certain categories-
ska, punk, heavy metal-but Andy's gang
may be too clever for their own good. Aside
from a penchant for crunching rhythms and
eccentric lyrical concepts, XTC refuses to be
pigeonholed. Fans like to relate to a tangible
image; Partridge, with his contempt for the
vicissitudes of fashion, doesn't make it easy.
How many other rock musicians paint mini-
ature soldiers?
"It's a mixed breed we've been playin' to
"The meaning of the song for me is how [for engineering reasons; Black Sea still runs lately," Chambers says. "Mainly the intel-
people never learn about fashion trends, close to 50 minutes]. lectual breed, I think," Moulding adds, al-
things like that. They always get duped. I "I like Terry Riley and Philip Glass-mu- though Chambers has noticed more young
was duped by the punk thing. I thought this sic that, once you hear what it's gonna do, girls turning up at gigs . Moulding notes that
was gonna save the world. That's the last you know will do that for the next 20 min- XTC's arrival on the music scene inspired a
time I was duped. I can see it happening in utes, like a reliable roll of textured cloth. number of clone bands. "Now it seems we're
England now with 2-Tone. People leapt on it 'Nihilon' doesn't go anywhere; it's just a big not hip to be cloned."
so quickly. It's sort of, 'You'll never learn.' texture. It had to be !ong to work; ideally it "We're a long way away from being fash-
People spend too much time sitting around should take up one side and just be all drums ionable in England right now," Partridge
with the trappings and not the real human except for a bit at the end ." agrees. "A lot of kids now consider us old
core." Nor is the song's wrap-up position at the men."
Why the almost frightening sound? "So end of the LP unintentional. As Partridge "We have our ups and downs," Moulding
people would think about it more, I don't colorfully explains, "It's like you had an ex- concedes, "but we have a basic need to keep
know.'' Partridge shrugs it off but Cham- cellent four- or five-course meal and on the this thing going." "It's a very slow process,"
bers holds him to the subject: "The atmo- way out of the restaurant you pick up a Chambers says. "We've made four albums;
sphere you were trying to convey to us when toothpick and stab yourself in the tongue.'' none of them were a blazing success but each
we were putting it together in the studio was progressed in popularity.''
'living hell.''' olin Moulding is the closest XTC

C
"We all feel privileged to be doing what
"It just got out of hand in the studio," comes to Group Heart-Throb. A we're doing," Moulding says humbly. Then
Partridge concedes. ''We created a bit of a shock of dark hair frames his face he smiles, brightening up. "That's some-
Frankenstein. Actually, there were two and a and accentuates dark, heavy-lidded ey~s . thing to live for, isn't it."
half minutes of drums cut out of the intro Like Partridge, he dresses XTC Casual: Cut. Print. ■
 three whites, panning two generations. It'
ea y to imagine them a too naive, too vul-
nerable to the alleged harshne of America
and it big-time record busines .
I caught up with the Beat at a soundcheck
a few hour before their rapturou reception
at the Ritz, a Manhattan venue about the
ize of a high- chool gym. The band's high
spirit could definitely be higher. They've
spent part of their seven-week US tour open-
ing for the Pretender , which they didn't en-
joy one bit. Some band members have bad
colds; almost everybody eems tired and ub-
dued. Both crew and band are jokingly olic-
itous of axophonist axa, reportedly
50, who port a long face and says ne l to no-
thing. Old enough to be father to the other ,
Saxa goes against the tereotype of the burly
rowdy sax man. He is light and an air
of gravity sugge ts extreme fragility . His
playing i equally atypical; during the how
Saxa's nake-like melodies lither in and out
of song at will.
Someone caution Saxa not t bring the
audience into the dre sing room that even-
ing. Guitari t/ inger Dave Wakeling , 23, ex-
plain later, "Saxa meet all ort of people
at gig . He bring them in to meet the boy
and ju t leaves us with them-and walks off
to find ome more! If he' in the mood he
can get 10 to 12 people in the dre sing room."
Ranking Roger, 19, share vocals with
Wakeling and is the livelie t of the bunch.
He' ju t bought one of tho e high-quality
portable tape player deafening ew York
City, and i bouncing around grooving to the
Clash. Roger and Wakeling di cu clothe
they've bought, apparently a major off-duty
pursuit. (Guitari t Andy Cox , ba i t David
Steele, new keyboard player David Wright and
drummer Everett Martin fill out the group.)
After the oundcheck we return to the
Beat's hotel. I'm to chat with Wakeling in
his room, but fir t we have to watch John
Clee e's Fawlty Towers on TV. As Wakeling
ip hi tea and ab orbs Clee e' manic, Py-
thone que humor, he looks homesick .

he Beat doe not have a leader per e,

T but Dave Wakeling probably bear a

lot of the responsibility for their mu-
sic, to judge from his authoritative discu -
ooner or later, every British band of up follows inevitably. Even those with less at

S
sion of the band's idea . Onstage Ranking
any significance has to decide what to stake often find their ideas about mu ic and Roger plays to the audience mo t, but it's
do about America. Some groups jump their careers challenged and altered, some- Wakeling who appears to coordinate the
right on the treadmill, commencing an end- times for the worse. That' reality for you. other mu icians. He is articulate and genial,
le s cycle of recording and touring that seeks Anyone given to worrying about such and clearly too intelligent to be the naif I'd
eventual justification in gold records and the matters could get worked up into a dreadful anticipated. Totally lacking in self-
trappings of commercial succes . Other state pondering the fate of the Beat (billed in importance, he invariably correct him elf
never get the chance to test the waters or the State as "the English Beat" because of a when he ay omething dogmatic-and
don't care to bother, disdaining show-biz name conflict). It's not ju t that the Beat sometimes even when he doesn't.
machinery. In recent year more and more plays perhaps the be t hybrid of rock, reg- This being an election year, and Wakeling
bands have come over to look around cau- gae, ska, pop and soul (whew!) coming out a student of American TV and the media in
tiously, unwilling to plunge into a full-scale of England today. More than that: Li tening general, talk immediately turn to politics.
assault but somewhat receptive to new audi- to their LP, I Just Can't Stop It, you get the "l 've gotten the feeling very strongly lately,"
ence and the fabled United State . feeling there' something fundamentally he ays, "that America is getting ready to go
Regardless of whether a group succeeds or decent, even wholesome, about the group. to war. The newspaper are getting hy ter-
fails-on their own terms or anyone el e's- Their music brims with w'armth; it' lively ical; there's lot of mentions of nationalism
the toll can be devastatingly high. The pres- but not aggressive, and without any of the on TV."
sures of touring the US can simply wear meanness that taints so many talented arti ts' Not that he believes voting helps. "I don't
musicians out, or subject a seemingly stable work. The composition of the Beat shouldn't vote in England. If it changed anything they
outfit to such internal tensions that a break- seem remarkable, but it is: three blacks and would have made it illegal by now. I did vote

28 TROUSER PRESS/January 1981

for the Labour government becau e I was
afraid the Con ervatives would get in and I
was terrified by the things they said. So I
voted on that one. I didn't think it was going
to change anything, and it didn't." He
laugh painfully.
As for Ii fe under Margaret Thatcher, "the
only noticeable difference is that everybody's
very demoralized.''
Wakeling finds the pre-election atmo-
sphere here interesting, if not encouraging.
"Someone in Newsweek said, 'Better a com-
petent extremist than an incompetent moder-
ate.' People get o fru trated that they don't
really care what happens as long as ome-
thing gives them ome rea on for their exi -
tence. When it becomes obvious what a joke
nationali m is, there's nothing like a war for
stopping all tho e battles with your con-
science about rights and wrongs . "
Despite his astonishment at the "bomb
Iran" entiments among rock crowds,
Wakeling declares, "I've found the young
people mainly quite nice, quite interesting.
There eems to be more people out of it at
gig -incoherent-than you get in England.
There's more disillu ionment than in En-
gland. I don't think young people here think
they can change anything at all, and even
though things are going badly you might as
well go out and have a good time. The num-
ber of sad faces you ee saying, 'Have a nice
day'! It really is strange. There's this de -
perate push to have a good time.
"But," he speculates, " I think that' be-
cau e the power that runs this country i fur- first started thinking about it, there were most of 1980 on the road, with little time to
ther removed than in England. It' s the ulti- people that didn't want to come at all. develop new material. There are few new
mate extension of capitali m. It ound real They'd read about America in the news- songs in their set. (One, te ted at the sound-
nice, but there' al. o people that don't get on paper , een American TV shows, talked check, i a crashing rocker called "Too ice
o well." about it with other people. There was a gen- to Talk To . " Watch for it.)
eral feeling it wa Babylon." "We've got a lot of numbers that are 30 to
he Beat found it fru trating to open Wakeling catche himself immediately. 70 per cent finished," Wakeling say . "When

T for the Pretenders at eated hows .

"A lot of the time, after a few num-
bers we'd get, ay, a third of them dancing
"That ounds like a realJy pompous thing to
say. I suppose it comes from sitting on a little
island urrounded by uperpowers. There's a
we get back home we'll tart messing around
with them. New tunes take quite a long time
to evolve. There's no way to ay, 'I do this
and ecurity would knock them back down. lot of things we've been impre ed about in and you do that.'" In other words, everyone
It was really hard to know what to do. America. There's an awful lot more sincerity in the Beat adds omething to the brew;
"After this gig we're going back to the than I expected that doesn't corpe across on "q uite often they're opposed to each other.
ones that were the worst examples of that. In television programs. If you imagine six spheres that meet each
Chicago a lot of people had come especially "We've had some great times. The part I other, there's this weird oval shape in the
to see us and they were harrassed beyond be- enjoyed mo twas driving from Chicago to middle where they all overlap. We have to
lief. So we're going back and doing a stand- Atlanta with about five gigs in between. St. keep playing 'ti! we arrive at that point.
up club. We've got to, really. I felt o terrible." Louis, Kansas-all tho e places. There was a There' no way to program it."
So it was a mistake to open for the Pre- real charm and innocence about the people." Older songs continue to evolve. "They do
tenders? Hobnobbing with ew York's critical es- change, especially because of Saxa. He reacts
"It turned out that way . The advantage i tablishment, on the other hand, left him less very spontaneously and he's likely to take a
that we played to people who wouldn't have than thrilled. Wakeling says the writer he solo more or less anywhere. We have to style
come to our gig . It gets you exposure. met weren't intere ted in talking about mu- a ong around that; you know a solo is com-
"One of the things we wanted to avoid sic . "They were more intere ted in who wa ing up, but it might be four bar or it might
was the syndrome where you're doing five een where last night-that ort of nudge be 16. It keeps thing fre h.
nights a week, two gigs a night. That's how nudge. What's that Lou Reed song? 'Just a "Sometimes you feel like a computer be-
Selecter toured America, and the Specials to New York conversation.' We heard lot of cau e you've done a number so often that it
a certain degree. The only reason for doing them. Then, when you're driving through starts to happen automatically. It's very
that many gigs is that you wanna be ucce s- Harlem late at night, seeing the deprivation tempting not to put more into it when you
ful. What I really want to do is have a good make all the high life and glitter eem very can just turn on 'Tear of a Clown' and turn
time. If that coincides with being ucce ful, so ur." it off. To keep it fresh and mean it, and con-
all well and good." vey that to the audience, can get tricky. I
Wakeling expres es suspiciou curiosity at he Beat has scrupulou ly tried keeping think a lot of bands go wrong when they
the huge US record industry(" o va t and
corporate") and reiterates that the Beat
didn't come here to push product. "The
T it mu ic and attitudes fresh; in ome
ways it has succeeded. Because the
band wa a hit in England from the very be-
work too much."
Still, the Beat hasn't dropped "Tears ofa
Clown" (its first single) from its set. "If you
main reason we came to America wa that ginning, though, and becau e other countries don't do it," Wakeling admits, "people get
we wanted to see what it was like. When we were immediately receptive, they've spent really offended."

TROUSER PRESS/January 1981 29

 "Tears" ascended the charts as the 2-Tone
craze swept England, and the Beat found it-

Joan Jett. •
self on the crest of a big but short-lived fad.
Now Wakeling feels the atmosphere is
"more sensible. Since the LP came out and
... The Legend Rocks On we did a second tour of England we've
started to get a more diverse audience. We
haven't got 2000 people in 2-Tone uniforms
going absolutely hysterical when we start to
play. That used to worry us because we
didn't know on what level we were being
accepted.
"That sounds so pretentious, like you want
people to take you seriously," Wakeling ex-
plains, "but you do hope they're not just
taking you on your press photograph. Since
the album came out we've had a lot more
hippies coming, which is very interesting. We
got some press in the Guardian, a very mod-
erate, respectable newspaper. That got us a
lot of people-social workers in their 30s and
stuff, with beards and sportjackets. They
aren't necessarily the dancing type, but they
might have a little jig, and by the end they
might be dancing quite well-as long as no-
body was watching them .
"You get more black kids now. The
strange thing about 2-Tone was that it was
predominantly male and white. That was
the reason we adopted a girl as our logo; we
wanted to make sure we weren't stuck with a
'one of the lads' image, like it was a football
match. Within a few weeks after we added
NOW AVAILABLE BY MAIL the logo we had a notable increase in the
number of girls coming to the gigs, and it
A specially repackaged version of the hard-to-get top selling new had the effect of making the boys behave.
import by the girl who dared to break the sex barrier when she took her They'd be busy impressing the girls in the
electric guitar at the age of 15 and started the legendary RUNAWAYS. audience and didn't have time or energy to
go around hitting each other. It made it seem
The RUNAWAYS earned 4 gold albums and 3 gold singles in Europe like a lot more of a real occasion."
and Japan.
he Beat's first gig was on March 31,
Now this special version of Joan Jett's new solo album contains material
never before available in the United States even as an Import. T 1979, in its hometown of Birming-
ham. "Tears of a Clown" came out
that December and the band was off and
This record includes two tracks produced and performed by Steve running. Does Wakeling think they've
Jones and Paul Cook of the SEX PISTOLS and an appearance by moved too fast?
BLONDIE's Frank Infante and Clem Burke on "Wooly Bully." Also "It has happened really quickly. It was
included is a previously unavailable legendary rendition of "TOUCH just the right time and the right place. I think
if we tried to make it happen we would have
ME" and "BAD REPUTATION." screwed up." He pauses. "It's not that se-
rious. Loads of people have said, 'What
A MUST FOR COLLECTORS!! goes up . . . . '
A TREASURE FOR ROCK AND ROLL FANS "I think the worst thing in pop music is
ORDER NOW!! how people overstay their welcome and end
up contradicting everything they had as a
Send a certified check or money order for $7.50 plus $1.00 postage and good idea before they started . They tend to
handling with this coupon to: go on too long because it's a very tempting
BLACKHEART RECORDS lifestyle, I suppose. I hope we don't go on
c/o Modal Productions for more than two or three years .
Suite 12B "I certainly think you've got only a
130 West 57th Street limited amount of time if you want to retain
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ New York C!tv 10019 ______________ _ any sort of sanity. A lot of groups find them-
selves doing things they find distasteful be-
cause early on they've allowed too much
NAME _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
power over their own destiny to get into
ADDRESS _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ other people's hands . We'll have more of a
chance to avoid that than most because we
CITY _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ were so frightened of it happening."
The Beat wrote its own record contract al-
STATE _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ZIP _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ lowing themselves lots of control and
"plenty of escapes," then waited for a rec-

30 TROUSER PRESS/January 1981

 ord company that would accept it. Wakeling
says they learned from the mistakes of the
Clash and their good friends the Specials,
whom he doesn't envy at all. "They don't
seem to be enjoying it very much . Most of
the things you read about them in the English
press are interviewers walking in just before or
after an argument. We all think they've work-
ed too hard. The last time we went over to
Coventry to see Jerry [Dammers]. they were
really bound up by work. You feel like say-
ing, "It is a rat race, isn't it? ' "
After the Beat runs its course, Wakeling
isn't sure what he'll be doing. "I never know
what I'm going to do. I suppose at the end I
might even have made some money and
could buy a plane ticket to somewhere nice. I
wouldn't mind being a scuba diver next, I
think."
But enough heaviness. The Beat will in-
deed survive big, bad America, and although
they'll go home without their first million, at
least they'll know not to believe everything
they see on TV .
Wakeling has a story that sums it all up .
"The first morning in New York we were
staying at the Hotel Iroquois not too far from
Times Square. We went down to a little
coffee shop on the corner to have breakfast
and'Iggy Pop walked by and waved good
morning. I couldn't believe it! I had to write
it on a postcard to my friends straightaway.
"Just the idea: twelve months ago in Bir-
mingham doing nothing, 12 months later
having Iggy Pop wave good morning to you
in New York. Bizarre!" ■

THEHITMEN.

" Columbia" Is a trade mark of CBS Inc C 1980 CB S Inc.

 I
view of things. "Radio does not have a god-
given responsibility to expose an audience to
new musical material," he says. "It has a
responsibility to make money. It makes
money by selling space, and sells space be-
cause it's got an audience. It keeps its audi-
ence by giving it what it wants, and what it
wants is Kansas, Jethro Tull and Yes. I don't /
see any villains."
Back at the head office in London, Vir-
gin's director of publicity Al Clark agrees
about the radio boondoggle . "Everyone in
England is aware that American radio i
quite difficult to crack if what you have to
offer is at all e oteric or even moderately
unu ual . An English label has a choice to
either acquiesce completely to ome vague
notion of an American radio station norm,
or simply to present what they have as boldly
and as convincingly as possi ble and assume
that collective conviction will eventually
yield results . We wanted success on our own
terms."
Virgin's own terms meant a townhouse
or a record compan

F
ffice, the place bution in June, 1979. rather than office building, and an English
was eerily quiet. Un ttended desks still Of greater symbolic importance than its rather than American staff (save for the
had papers strewn about, as if their oc- new business arrangement, Virgin bought a treacherous waters of radio promotion) . "It
cupants had only just tepped out-but they classy townhouse on a quiet Greenwich Vil- would have been a lot easier, possibly, to
weren't coming back. Cardboard packing lage street, brought over an English staff, hire industry pros-to have a completely
boxes, sealed and unsealed, lay everywhere . and launched the works with a lavish party American company," Dimont admits. "For
Virgin Record , one of England's most on board a ship docked in the nearby the most part we had a great ignorance of the
prominent rock labels,. had met its Waterloo Hudson River . The company, which in US before we came here . A majority of
in America. It was going home. England had diver ified into books, film and people in the UK are still very ignorant about
America still represents the land of oppor- ownership of a rock club (besides the chain how things happen over here-how a hit
tunity to the Engli h music industry; the US of records shops which preceded the label), comes to be a hit, how many records it sells."
ships almost four times as many LPs as the had the brash optimism of inevitable success. The difference in perspective between
UK. A comparative glance at both countries' What went wrong? "Basically, we didn't London and ew York was also confusing.
record charts hows that what goes down a sell enough records," explains Charlie Dimont recalls that "there was a certain
storm in London rarely plays in Peoria, but Dimont, US Virgin's 28-year-old vice presi- amount of concern in England that we
that hasn't affected British determination to dent and general manager. "I think when we weren't putting out enough records. I came
grab a piece of the Yankee dollar. came over here we thought that people in over here and found we were putting out too
In the past English act merely signed general sell more records than they do sell. many." (Virgin released 38 albums during its
(when they could) to US labels and that was We came to America at the time a recession American residency.) Clark sympathetically
that. The advent of the new wave, however, hit the business; the number of records being acknowledges the problem: "I'd say that
gave rise to record companies that had as sold was down radically this year over last given the dual territory, with us nominally
much "image" as the artists who actually re- year's figures. Secondly, we believed that calling the tune on one hand and America to
corded for them . Stiff records led the way, American radio is slightly more liberal than deal with on the other, the American office
but Virgin Records was never far behind . in fact it is-that we would have wider radio ju t got on with things as best they could.
The latter predated new wave-its first re- acceptance. The conclusion was unfortunate but neces-
lease was Mike Oldfield's hugely successful "When we came over here we believed sary."
Tubular Bells in 1973-but with the acquisi- that we had on the roster not any particular That conclusion arrived when the time
tion of the Sex Pi tols (on the rebound from artist but a breadth of material that would be came to renegotiate with Atlantic. "Atlan-
EMI and A&M) Virgin threw itself firmly be- right. People looked at the Police, Joe Jack- tic's wishes and ours were out of sync,"
hind tht: neo-punk battalions. son, Elvis Costello-these were the success Clark says, citing "differing intentions and
The US, with its gargantuan appetite for stories. We've got acts just like this, so let's ambitions." Dimont says that Atlantic's dis-
vinyl, naturally became the object of the En- go be successful." tribution worked very well, but his enthu-
glish new wave's affections (the record What Virgin served up included two al- siasm didn;t cross the ocean . Clark notes,
companie ', if not the artists'). Both Stiff bums by the Records, XTC's Drums and "To be involved with Virgin and bands
and Virgin opened up branch offices in New Wires, Cowboys International and Maga- that are new to America demands the atten-
York, the betrer to monitor stateside activi- zine. The Flying Lizards had a hit novelty tion and involvement of whatever label is
ties. After shopping around (and a brief with "Money," but the greatest radio representing them. I felt at this distance that
liaison with Arista), Stiff signed a manufac- airplay was reserved for the Motors (Tene- Atlantic didn't have the time to give them
turing and di tributing deal with CBS. Vir- ment Steps) and heavy metal band Shooting that attention. I'm sure they're fanta tically
gin, having li.: ensed Atlantic and CBS to re- Star-"the least typically Virgin releases we good to whomever they choose to give
lease its 1cc rds in ·the past, returned to At- put out." attention."
lanti · (anJ " ub idiary arrangement with Dimont, who joined Virgin over three Virgin president Richard Branson went to
Jem Record'> ) for manufacturing and distri- years ago a, a bookkeeper, takes a pragmatic the US to seek a new licensing deal. He made

32 TROUSER PRESS/January 1981

 1·
an immediate arrangement with the Robert I Gallagher). By hyping Caesare (17, looks 30)
Stigwood Organization for new albums from to success through tantalizing publicity, the
XTC and Ian Gillan, with the company I Idolmaker creates another Frankenstein
presumably issuing other Virgin recordings I monster incapable of appreciating the man-
afterwards. "RSO seemed confident and I ager's megalomania . Finally, after a suitable
convinced," Clark says. He adds that I period of depression (walking around by
'.'one of the aspects of RSO involvement I himself, not turning lights on in rooms),
like most is that because they don't have I Vacarri grasps his demon by the horns and
many people, they don't have a lot compet- I decides to sing his songs himself-which, ac-
ing for attention . Right now it's Times t cording to the film's time frame, should put
Square, Bee Gees lawsuits and XTC . That's I The Idolmaker him in the vanguard of an emerging singer/
very encouraging to know.'' songwriter movement. It also, the film im-
Dimont mentions that one advantage of Ii - I (Taylor Hackford, director; United Artists) plies, solves all his psychological problems.
censing is that it entails zero overhead . "You I rockIn the 1950s, Hollywood's movies about The /do/maker's most interesting episodes
walk away with a nice fat advance but you I presenting
'n' roll were lamebrained excuses for
a series of musical turns on the
show Vacarri-or Vinnie, as most Bronx
don't really get much control. Obviously, Italian-Americans are ca11ed-establishing
having received money and a recording roy- I screen . Ten years later, a more sophisticated his proteges via bribery and sheer nerve.
alty, you're not going to spend a damn pen- I film industry dispensed with flimsy plots al-
together and produced straight documen-
(Technical advisor Robert Marcucci foisted
ny in the marketplace; it's all done by the li - Frankie Avalon and Fabian on the public in
censee." Such was the case with Virgin's taries. Now, with the children of the rock the late '50s.) A local DJ-hosted sock hop
prior US licensi ng deals in the mid-'70s . Now generation(s) behind the camera as well as in scene and peek inside the pop magazine
once again the label is hoping an. American front, we are getting fictional behind-the- world seem true-Tovah Feldshuh provides
record company will put across its brand of scenes looks at the music industry-but they slight romantic interest as the editor of some-
music . Clark comments of RSO , "I sense tend to be safely removed back to the original thing called Teen Scene-but anachronisms
that they are completely involved.'' era of rock hysteria . destroy tbe film's verisimilitude. This is the
ln retrospect, Virgin's own attempt to es- The /do/maker opens in the Bronx in 1959 sort of movie in which vintage cars upstage
tablish itself in the US can be viewed as a (apparently that borough's Golden Age). actors, so why does Vacarri drive a 1963
noble failure. "I think it's very important for Neurotic Italian-American Vincent Vacarri Thunderbird between 1959 and 1961?
Virgin that they did this," Dimont says, "be- (Ray Sharkey), frustrated in his desire to be a More to the point, the film's two-dimen-
cause they would never have known other- singing star by a receding hairline (he's 27, sional characters act out stereotypical roles·
wise. I don't feel particularly sorry-sorry looks 40), becomes a schlock-rock Svengali: rather than evoke our sympathies. As with its
we didn't have hits and everything, but I He turns a pretty, vacant bar-band saxo- songs, written by Jeff Barry (who was there
wouldn't say it's a terrible shame we're clos- phonist (Paul Land) into instant idol the fir t time around), The /do/maker is weU-
ing down . It would be much more of a Tommy Dee (didn't anyone look up the real- crafted, not quite convincing and a bit
shame if we kept [the New York office] life Tommy Dee-also a pseudonym, for empty. It'll look good on TV. Scott Isler
open. We ' re engaged here in busi ness; it's country songwriter John D. Loudermilk-
very rationaL I imagine we'll be around a few who had a 1959 hit with "Three Stars"?).
years from now and have another crack at it. Dee conveniently disappears from the film
We'll be in a much more realistic position as far when he gets too swell-headed for the domi-
as knowing exactly what will be involved .'' neering Vacarri, who supplants him with the
"I think that the general quality of the rec- even prettier and less talented Caesare (Peter
prison camp, laying th e fami ly ghost (what
ords we released in America was pretty estate is complete without one?).
good," Clark says. "It just seems that in a Apart from scattered episodes, there's
given time the particular combination of our little or no plot to Sir Henry ar Rawlinson
intention, the records in question, the exis- End; such thinking would violate the film's
tent staff and whatever could be achieved I hermetic universe. It does offer a wealth of
through Atlantic simply didn't yield a cock- I Henry's irascible personality on a series of glorious language , in tanshall's tumbling
tail of ingredients that turned into success. I radio programs, Stanshall released a brilliant voice-overs (he also appears as Sir Henry's
We had enough to encourage us but not so
much that we can afford to be cocky about I as
musical/ narrative LP (same title this film) in even more eccentric brother Huben) and the
1978 and subsequently gave live readings. rapid-fire speeches-the cast rarely engages
it. We haven 't succeeded immediately but I I The movie-written by Stanshall with direc- in meaningful conversation with one another.
think we will succeed." ■ I
------~------~---
tor Steve Roberts-draws heavily on the rec- The entire film is classifiable as whimsey,
ord, but can be appreciated on its own with particular lines and situation s more
merits . openly hilarious than others. Stanshall is ob-
Appreciated, that is, if you share Stan- viously intrigued by bodily functions and the
shall's bizarre sense of humor. Sir Henry is failings of the flesh , so Rabelaisian ta tes
descended from a long line of English eccen- should feel right at hom e.
trics whose rank allows them to indulge their Those unfamiliar with the Rawlinson End
fancies. Judging from the film, his estate's saga are sure to be lost by the film's swirling
name is symbolic; Rawlinson End reeks of st; ucture; more likely they'll stay away from
seediness, and Martin Bell's camera (aided the theater in the first place. Too bad, be-
Sir Henry at Rawlinson End by Jim Acheson's art direction) captures the cause Sir Henry repays close attention with a
(Steve Roberts, director; Charisma Films) grubby servants and decrepit environment. loving production worthy of even its name-
Sir Henry Rawlinson is no towering figure Yet there's a warped integrity to Sir Henry, sake's grudging admiration. The entire cast
in British fiction, yet a more lovably disgust- played to the rusty hilt by Trevor Howard. -including Patrick Magee and ex-Bonzo
ing coot would be hard to find in any coun- ("He couldn't bear to see even the lowliest of Vernon Dudley Bohay- owell (a cameo ap-
try's literature. Strictly speaking, Sir Henry creatures in pain," one character ays, prais- pearance)-is perfect in their roles, and Rob-
doesn't even belong to the printed word; that's ing Rawlinson's shooting a gardener with a erts's stylish technique almost makes Stan-
just about the only medium he has yet to broken leg.) His life is a series of non sequi- shall 's fantasy world believable. (In a typical
conquer . The character wa adumbrated by turs worthy of Lewis Carroll: hosti ng surreal touch, Technicolor is employed solely to tint
ex-Bonzo Dog Band founder Viv Stanshall dinner parties, interecepting the halfhearted the monochromatic film in a couple of
on the Bonzos' 1972 reunion LP, Let's Make escape attempts of two German World War shades.) You don't have to be British to enjoy
Up and Be Friendly. After fine-tuning Sir II vets comfortably housed in his grounds' Sir Henry al Rawlinson End. Scott Isler

TROUSER PRESS/January 1981 33

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34 TROUSER PRESS/January 1981

 Then and Now Jone " is about from it title and leeve pie wordless collection of mostly percussive
Rockpile: "Wrong Way" b/ w "Now and (a man in a bowler hat, after Magritte), i.e . noise with a mechanical yet tribal feel to it.
AJways"-(UK) F-Beat XX9; Magic Mich- the hollowness of homogenized urban living It sound like they sat down with tape loops
ael: "Millionaire" b/ w "My Friend"-(UK) blah blah blah. Lyric. worthy of quote: of variou ounds my radiators make and
Atomic MAGICl. Remember the wacky "Movie stars and dance and radio/ Define had a jolly old time cutting and splicing. (By
day when Stiff was o anti-"hip" it was romance/ Don 't turn it on / I don't want 10 theby,theCupol'sa 12" .) ·
hip? It. econd LP, A Bunch of Stiffs, fea- dance ." Guitar chime, drone and . cratch, Various Arti ts: Pre age(s)-(UK) 4 AD
tured oddball. and . odballs; a couple of vet- all effective texture . . Gets under your . kin. BADll. Lots of strange folks on thi 12"
erans named Dave Edmunds and Nick Lowe ow if I can only get the image of Richard collection-almost an LP's worth. Spas-
appeared in various capacities, and even Butler'. embarras ing Rotten-cum -Bowie modic Caress's archetypal garage punk i
played together as the Takeaways (with gui- po. turing out of my mind . . .. good for a laugh. ("Hit the Dead"? Really!)
tari. t Edmund. on drums!). CVO, the La. t Dance and Modern English
It 's taken until now for the duo to sur- Modern English and Related Subjects all dribble on too long with their bleak sce-
mount contractual obstacles and record Modern English: "Swans on Glass" b/w narios; the la t-named projects more angst to
together as part of their real band, Rock pile . "lncident"-(UK) 4 AD AD6; Bauhaus: le purpo e than on it 45 reviewed above.
(Before thi Rockpi le would play back-up on "Terror Couple Kill Colonel" b/ w Psychotik Tank (from Germany) deliver a
Edmunds and Lowe " olo" albums.) "Scop~ " & "Terror Couple Kill Colonel pointle but mighty wipe at "Security Idi-
Wouldn't you know it, they didn't write their (2)"-(UK) 4 AD AD7; In Camera: "Final ots," and mercilessly send up "party-down"
fir t Rockpile A-side; it was donated by Achievement" b/ w "Die Laughing"-(UK) rock cliche with a deadpan "Let' Have a
queeze. " Wrong Way " (called " Wrong 4 AD ADS; Medium Medium: "Them or Party ." Red Atkin clo e the proceedings
Again" on Rockpile's econds of Pleasure Me" b/ w "Freeze"-(UK) Apt SAP0t; The with a heart felt, barely accompanied tribute
LP) almost sound too . moo th, but is re- The: "Controversial ubject" b/ w "Black to a "Hunk of a Punk." Definitely one of
deemed by a catchy chorus and wryly "re- and White"-(UK) 4 AD ADI; Cupol: the weirde t collection of 1980.
igned" lyrics about journali ts, managers and "Like This for Ages" b/ w "Kluba Cupol"
other bizarre creature of the mu ic biz. The -(UK) 4 AD BAD9. Modern English i as Mini-Empire Report
flip (a Lowe/Rockpile composition, also on the good a way as any to describe thi lot of On the Two-Tone (UK) front, we have the
album) pays he8:_vy dues to the Everly Brothers. mondo artso discs. The group Modern En- second 45 from the Bodysnatchers and the
Also on A Bunch of Stiffs was a quaint glish typifie a newer breed of so-called new fir t from the Swinging Cats. The 'Snatchers
chappie named Magic Michael, sounding ike wave art rocker . It playing i precise and fall short of their initial effort. "Easy Life"
Gomer Pyle trying to be Eric Carmen . He's accompli hed, with crisp production, tight (TI CHS12) has a chorus that threatens to
back after years of silence, taking us on a arrangement and minimal melodies . What it happen but never doe ; on "Too Experi-
rowdy romp through moneymania. The all mean i beyond me; "Swans" contains enced" the femmes try st raightforward R&B
flip' . the real treat, with those di. tinctive evocative images, while "Images" so unds but only lumber along. The Cats concoct a
vocal cords exercised on what might have (regrettably) more schoolboy existentialist. melange of wonderfully banal bits-from
been a Raspberries ba ement demo for Start- Bauhau is less exciting. The band has a the Ventures to "Never on a Sunday"-type
ing Over. (Except for the lyrics: "Remember way with a song title, employ halting synco- schmaltzy stuff-on the keyboard-based
when you were a girl/You used to pull the pation on drums again t thrumming ba s to throwaway in trumental "Mantovani" (TI
wings off flies.") Back-up is by the Damned, convey suspense. That's as far as they take CHS 14). The flip, "Away," i a bouncy,
who. e debut album wa. al. o Stiff's first! "Terror Couple"; the B-side ver ion i less vaguely oriental ka tune. Every label has its
Cuddly Toys: "Madman" b/ w "Join the focused and more abrasive. "Scopes" i a slow season.
Girls"(UK) Parole/Fresh PURL7/FRESH10. brief exercise in a similar mold . . .. But not IRS, recently. There's some
Back in '77, an EP by Raped inaugurated In Camera offers guitar discord and mo- dross among it relea e , but two little
the Parole label. The band is till on that notonous vocals dwelling grimly on bargain- known bands come up with nice 'uns. Berlin,
label , with the same per onnel (plus one) and basement Beckett blatherings about deat h . despite a tupid name, offers appealing syn-
look but a different name . They've dropped Styli hly paranoiac. the izer pop-rock (fine female vocal) on "A
the Stooge-ism in favor of Bowie-ism (Man Medium Medium is more direct lyrically Matter of Time" (Zone-H/IRS IR9015) .
Who old the World variety). Yup : still than either of the above. "Freeze" 's urgen- The B-side , "French Reggae," is a spiffy li'l
shamele sly derivative and amateurish. cy is more appealing than the weird-as funk instrumental perfect for late night listening.
of "Them or Me," but both indicate as The real knockout is the Introducing the
Now and Then
much potential as the Modern English sides. Payolas EP (IRS IR7701): Imagine a band
Gen X: "Dancing with Myself" b/ w Rounding out this extet are a band pro- somewhere between more tuneful Sham 69
"Ugly Rash"-(UK) Chrysalis CHS2444. duced by ex-Wirelings Graham Lewis and and first-album Clash, but without the polit-
Glad to have 'em back-I th.ink . This new B.C. Gilbert and a band that is GL and BCG . ical overtones. All the song have instantly
edition eems to be testing the water. The The, not to be confused with the New memorable choruses, and the disc closes in
Gone i the sen e of risk, excess of ani- York band of the same silly name (you fine fashion with a tune about a walking
mal guitar, Billy Idol's snottiness and dime- couldn't po sibly, if you heard them side by "Jukebox" who imply oozes with enthu-
novel rock romanticism. "Dancing" is a . ide), plays beat music that will have you siasm for rock. So do the Payolas.
imple good-time rocker , "Ugly Rash" re- thinking you're on trong STP and yot1r
laxed, funny near-reggae (Gen X has the Also ...
.head is being squeezed in a vise. Familiar
feel, which is more important than preci. e chords, bits of melody, and rhythms are pro- Femme trio Dolly Mixture offers the Shi-
metric execution). Jury's till out. ce ed into queaky wail or taken out of relles oldie "Baby It's You" ([UK] Chrysalis
The Psychedelic Furs: "Mr. Jones" b/ w ync; the unsettling results are more intrigu- CHS2459), produced by Roger Bechirian .. ..
" usan's Strange"-(UK) CBS 9059. The ing than most of the record in this section. The Rude Kids portray Swedish meatballs on
Furs are big on ersatz decadence and st reet Cupol's A-side is not o much a song as a "Next Time I'll Beat Bjorn Borg" ([Swed-
life pose-a-rama, but thi single shows they recitative; the words are intoned in two ish] Sonet T-1006); the title says it all. Al-
at lea t do .it well . You can guess what "Mr. pitches . The flip, good for one play, is a most memorable hard rock. ■

TROUSER PRESS/January 1981 35

ROBERT JOHNSON / The Memphis Demos NICK GILDER/ Rock America THE CARPETTES/ Fight Amongst Your-
([UK] Ensign ENRJ12) (Casablanca NBLP7243) selves
This must set a record for premature Far more than a one-hit wonder , Gilder ([UK] Beggars Banquet BEGA21)
vault-robbing. Two years ago Johnson re- has been responsible for some of the most You need quality dispo ables as well as
leased a boppin ' debut; now, for a follow- brazen low-rent bubblegum since Sweet's art, and the Carpettes fill the bill . This li vely
up, come the demos that preceded it! This prime. On his fourth LP he curbs the sensa- trio delivers semi-hummable rockers with an
disc more than justifies itself, though. With tional tendencies somewhat, which is a mis- agreeable roughness, and without establish-
his smokin' guitar and wailing vocals, RJ re- take unless he' s got something better coming ing their own identity. They may be good
captures t he freewheeling pirit of early rock up . Gilder and guitarist James McCulloch live, but this is an expendable LP.
' n ' roll while deftly sidestepping camp and st ill compose superior pop tunes, especially
nostalgia. The crude soun d quality helps. fast ones. BRIAN BRIGGS
Home run! Get it! Etc.! Brian Dama~e
SAILOR/Dressed for Drowning (Bearsville BRK6996)
JERRY LEE LEWIS/Killer Country (Caribou NJZ36746) About all you can do with this intention-
(Elektra 6E-29 I) Sailor has a history of trying to blend Ab- ally light creation i pat it on the head an·d
DELBERT McCLINTON/The Jealous Kind ba's melodic elegance and Roxy Music's wish it luck. Briggs' mock-serious vocals
(Capitol ST-12115) high-life anxiety-not an easy task. As pro- (jabbering, mo tly) and airy, jokey instru-
Jerry Lee continues to be one of the best duced by Jim Guercio (Chicago, Beach Boys), mentals explore new dimensions in inoffen-
rock 'n' roll si ngers alive, even though he' s they less ambitiously settle for replicating sive pointlessness. Modern-day pop hack s
ostensibly a country artist. If anyone else can the BB's vocal intricacies. Such undeniably like Buggie and the Korgis seem like serious
exhibit such dandy, upbeat arrogance, it's a gorgeous epics will appall many, but some of artistes by comparison .
well-kept secret. Listen to "Over the Rain - the old wit is still there for those willing to
bow" for a good giggle. dig a little . BRIAN BRAIN /U nexpected Noises
McClinton can be just as rousing a good ([UK] Secret Brain I)
old boy as the Killer. Here he overcomes a KEITH SYKES/I'm Not Strange I'm Just Brians make si ll y record , apparently.
slightly antiseptic Muscle Shoals production Like You Like the above-mentioned Briggs, thi Brian
to deliver another blistering, so ul-savi ng te t- (Backstreet MCA-3265) -actually ex-PIL drummer Martin Atkin -
imonial. Hi "Take Me to the Ri ver" tops Sykes belongs to a new generation of tra- has created an LP almost too slight to gener-
Talking Heads' and even Al Green's. So ditionalists who are infusing sleepy country ate any response. Over a bubbling, effect-
there. blues with a badly needed dose of humor. laden backdrop he mutters and yells in an ef-
Cool and sly, he seem s to be struttin' in some fort to sound kooky. It could be a send-up of
THE CLASH/Black Market Clash sleazy dive when he hits his stride, which is Public Image-not that it matters.
(Epic 4E36846) about half the time . Dire Straits need a tune
An LP masquerading as a ten-inch EP , like "I'm on a Roll." Can Sykes rock as well CRITICAL MASS/ It's What Inside That
BMC is a generous, relativel y inexpensive as he rolls? Counts
gathering of tracks previously unreleased in (MCA3260)
America. Some ("Cheat," the original BLUE ANGEL Power pop meets heavy metal, one more
"Capitol Radio ") have to be heard; others (Polydor PD-1-6300) time. This quartet gets up a good head of
(dub attempts) may be too left-field for re- Shoop shoop, anyone? Blue Angel want steam, Cheap Trick style; without distinctive
cent converts. One brand-new cut, a version to ynthesize golden debris into something material or performances, however , ·they're
of Booker T's "Time Is Tight," is no match " new" the way Blondie did, only with more forced to fall back on routine chord-grind-
for Elvis Costello's (recorded under the title of an accent on '50s grease. Cyndi Lauper's ing. Great for arenas, not discs. At least they
"Temptation"). This is a good deal, re- self-conscious vocal mannerisms are good have a positive attitude.
gardless. for starters; the others need to learn how to
cut loose. PETER GREEN /Little Dreamer
NRBQ/Tiddlywinks (Sail 0012)
(Rounder 3048) JOEY WILSON / Going Up Of course Green is a brilliant, subtle blues gui-
Unpretentious to a fault, NRBQ will never (Modern MR38130) tarist and a haunting singer-when he wants to
make it commercially; their goal is little more Wilson's debut (slickly produced by Blon- be. His latest uffers not from the expected ec-
than old-fashioned fun. The boys' stylistic die's Jimmy Destri) conjures up a romantic centricities but from a mellow, slack approach
range is too great for easy classification; they fantasy world, and might appeal to Rascals that makes you wish he'd get weird again.
really do play everything from cocktail or Badfinger fans. He sings with a pleasing One Eric Clapton is more than enough.
lounge ballads to rockabilly. If homely good emotional twist, like a little McCartney, but
vibes don ' t get you off, well, they probably nothing here tugs at the heartstrings the way THE ALAN PARSONS PROJECT / The
don't care. it's supposed to . A respectable start, though; Turn of a Friendly Card
don 't count him out. (Arista AL95 I 8)
Ml-SEX /Space Race BILLY THORPE/ 21st Century Man
(Epic JE36744) THE ROMEOS/Rock and Roll and Love (Elektra 6E294)
Forget the dumb techno-futurist trap- and Death These two clowns should be forced to lis-
pings. On Space Race Mi-Sex largely drops (Columbia NJC36544) ten to nothing but Ramones records for a
the " progressive" guise to pursue main- The determined swagger of this Southern few weeks; maybe so mething wou ld rub off.
stream catchiness, and they acquit them- quintet raises hopes that they'll match the Parsons' effort is more movie-sound track
selves admirably. At their sleekest these dirtiest of mid-'60s Stones. If only! An un- preciousness-"art-rock " at it s mo st
Aussies resemble the new Ultravox; at their willingness to come across as genuinely nasty complacent. Thorpe's disc, part two of a tril-
most conservative, Elton John . Sure, the keeps the Romeos in the "good idea" cate- ogy (egad!), relies on guitars and cheap the-
words are drivel , but that's what makes the gory for now . It takes time to develop an ut- atrics, while maintaining the same high level
lyric sheet fun to read . terly macho sensibility. of pomposity . This is progress?

36 TROUSER PRESS/January 1981

ALBERTO
Death of Rock
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doo-wop "A na eed glorio ly.
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a punk age revue, no doub I
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(Casabla nc a N B LP 72 40)
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(Capitol),
of cl um sy balla 's. Criss sings cr ed ib ly in a uinn-HiJlman Face (Blue I I
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couJd be anybod ; he 'd be well-advised to ELDERS: McG to
erringer's Face I I
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37
ESS/Ja nuary 1981
TROUSER PR
 WANTED CONCERT TAPES for sale/trade.
Write for free catalogue. Lone
SLADE: First " Ambrose Slade"
album, " Flame" film or book, sin-
gles, imports, sheet music, pic-
tures, live tapes. Will buy any-
CLASSD'IED ADS
Ouslftecl ads cost .50 per word for one Insertion
Star Tapes, 10149 Hammerly #159,
Houston, TX 77080.

th ing semi-rare! Danny Klober- OVER 1000 shows! Live rare cas-
danz, 307 S. Main, Danville, IA
(minimum cbuge S8.N) or S1.75 per word for sette tapes. Punk, heavy metal,
52623. four Insertions (minimum charge $28.N). Name new wave, mellow. Will trade or
and address are free. Display classifieds are S15 sell. Send two stamps for cata-
MULTI-MEDIA communication logue. Bruce Kernan, 67 A Salis-
per column Inch (1 ¾" by 1" tall). You can provide bury Rd., Wayne, NJ 07470.
company looking for one hot camera-ready art or copy-no more than 35
band to take all the way. If you 've
got it, send tape to: New Line En- words per Inch. Deadlines are the ftnt of the month, OHO: You 've heard them on
tertainment, 853 Broadway, New two months before cover date. " Waves II " and " Balto's Buried"
York, NY 10003. LPs. Catch the rest on cassettes.
15¢ stamps for free catalogue COLLECTORS: " Some Girls" ori- Write: Gohog Records, PO Box
CONCERT TAPES of Jimi Hen- now ! Mod Tapes, PO Box 420, ginal cover, Skynyrd Flame cover, 10625, Towson, MD 21204.
drix, Gary Numan, Blondie. Write Bardonia, NY 10954. Costello with single, others. Send
for my tape list. Shane Gates, SASE for list; enclose wants.
FREE CATALOGUE: Rock LPs Boyd, Box 376, Clarksville, VA PHOTOS
9769 Tappenbeck, Houston, TX
77055. and 45s. We offer monthly list- 23927. COLOR concert photos! Queen,
ings of set sale mint '60s and '70s Kiss , Eagles, Journey, Cheap
WANTED: Anyth ing on LA bands
records. Titles are in stock in ELVIS COSTELLO, Nick Lowe, Trick, MSB, Babys. Illustrated
X, Germs or the Go-Go's. Cash quantity at very low prices. No the Clash and more British and catalogue, sample photo, $1 . Sat-
paid. Send lists to: Chloe, 2966 La boots. R.C. Ill Records, PO Box American albums, EPs and sin- isfaction guaranteed. Ron Mur-
Carlita, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254. 29, Clifton Hts., PA 19018. gles. Big selection of British and rey, 2951 Chippendale, Massillon,
American publications. Send 15¢ OH 44646.
COMPUTERIZED have/want lists, stamp for list. Cross-Country,
RECORDS great articles and video. World- Dept. 119, PO Box 3584, Washing- CHOCOLATE WATCHBAND: Six
" IRS RECORDS Gr~atest Hits": wide collectors ' magazine. ton DC 20007. different 8x10" glossies: three
10 cuts. Promo only. Stranglers, Sample, $1 . Twelve issues, $6. promos, three live at Pandora's
Buzzcocks, Kla rk Kent , more. Audio Trader, 2000 Center, Suite BRITISH LPs, EPs, 45s. Any year, Box. $5 each, $25 set. Stephen
$7.60. Send SASE for free cata- 1336C, Berkeley, CA 94704. any artist. Send us your want lists, Braitman, 552 25th Avenue, San
logue of rock stickers, records to: we'll shorten them. Rock Revela- Francisco, CA 94121 .
Collectors Items, PO Box 76T, N. JOURNEY through the past and tions, PO Box 151 , Kingston, KT1
Hackensack Sta. , River Edge, NJ into the future. Canadian and 1HU Surrey, ENGLAND. COLOR ROCK concert photos,
07661 . American collectibles and the only $1 ! Blondie, Bowie, Stones,
latest i ndependent releases . SQUARE DEAL Records: 100 + Cheap Trick, Pistols, PIL, Cars,
THE NUMBERS new single ! Send for our bi-monthly auction pages of cut-out bargain LPs Fleetwood, Clash, Pretenders,
" Trigger Fingers" b/w " Stand Up and set sale list. DEF Records, $2.99 or less. 50 pages of rare LPs Talking Heads, Who, Costello,
and Shout," picture sleeve, $2 PO Box 574, Postal Station 'A,' under $5, import singles and LPs Queen, Zeppelin and every rock
postpaid . Straitjacket Records, Kingston, Ont. K7M 6R3, Canada. from $1 .99. 100 + pages of inde- and new wave band from Abba to
2304 Jamaica Drive, Wilmington, pendent labels, new releases Zappa! Professional quality
DE 19810. LOW PRICES/LARGE SELEC· from $4.95, buttons, patches, photographs; all only $1 ! Rush $1
TION: New wave imports and posters and morel $1 (refundable) for catalogue, free photo offer:
BOMP'S Greg Shaw: " Really like independent records. Also col- for the best .mail order catalogue Front Row Photos, PO Box 484-
new Dark Side stuff. LP has good lector's items. Send stamp for anywhere. Fast service! PO Box TP, Nesconset, NY 11767.
grasp of updated '60s ideas; re- catalogue. Venus Records, PO 1002, San Luis Obispo, CA 93406.
cord ing quality just right. " 13 se- Box 166-TP, Cooper Station,
lect ions, lyric sheet. Send $6.00: New York, NY 10276. 100 BEST rock records of the BUTTONS
Gohog Records/OHO Music, PO '70s. Send SASE for list to Rock- TROUSER PRESS BUTTON: Free
Box 10625, Towson, MD 21204. ingchair, PO Box 27, Philadel- while supplies last. Send stamped
AUCTION/set sale lists, record
finding service. Records, posters, phia, PA 19105. self-addressed envelope (one per
THE PENETRATORS 45s. Many customer) to Trouser Press
promotional items, books, memo-
new/used/rare LPs and 45s for FREE monthly list of set sale LPs Badge, 212 Fifth Ave., New York,
rabilia. Send requests plus stamp
sale. Send for free catalogue. and 45s. Hard-to-find records NY 10010.
for catalogues. Collectors Enter-
Fred Records, PO Box 1422, Al- from '60s and '70s. Collectors'
prises, PO Box 160603, Sacra-
bany, NY 12201. Records, 10115 Aurora Ave. N., HEY YOU! Don't read that, read
mento, CA 95816.
Seattle, WA 98133. this! Badges: Punk, mods, others.
BARGAIN LPs and tapes by Yes, Send 15¢ stamp for list. RA Pro-
SOUND EXCHANGE mall cata-
ELP, Rundgren, Black Sabbath, ductions, PO Box 24604, Philadel-
logue. Jersey's largest distributor
Spirit, Jopl in, Hendrix, Lou Reed, TAPES phia, PA 19111.
of collect ible records. For your
Scorpions, etc. Special: Beatles, COLLECTIBLE record ings! Rare
" Sgt. Pepper" picture disc: $7.99 catalogue of over 800 selections,
send name, address and $1. Also concert tapes on cassette, S- PUNKS & MODS! Colorful 11/• "
+ $1.50 handl ing . Send 15¢ send your wanted list. Sound Ex- track. Much new wave, MOR. buttons for 50¢ each. Over 100
stamp for free list ! Pack Central, Highest quality ! Two stamps for styles. Great designs, super qual-
change, 80 Ringwood Ave., Ring-
315 W. 5th St., #704, Los Angeles, ity. Send 50¢ for giant poster cat-
wood , NJ 07456. 201-839-8566. catalogue: Collectible Record-
CA 90013. alogue illustrating all the but-
ings, PO Box 128, Dept. TP, Golf,
SOUNDS DEMENTED lives again! IL60029. tons, T-shirts, ties, sunglasses
LISTS World's largest progressive/Euro- and more. Once you order, all
pean collection finally available RARE ROCK recordings from the future catalogues mailed to you
again; also huge selection of 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Please free. Wholesale rates available
PIC SLEEVE 45s, incl. Kate rock. Two 15¢ stamps for list. send two stamps for- catalogue on request. Poseur, Dept. T, 7154
Bush, Lene Lovich, Costello, Sounds Demented, 4130 Texas to: Acme, PO Box 14438, Minnea- Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90046.
Billy Joel, etc. List, $2. Uwe St. , San Diego, CA 92104. polis, MN 55414.
Weineck, Taubenstr.1, 4800
LP MANIACS note ! Well pre- LIVE RECORDINGS on cassettes. T-SHIRTS
Bielefeld 1, W. Germany.
served! Private collect ion! Rare, Old, new, permanent wave. Two NEW CLASH T-shirts; also Psy-
old and odd imports/domestics. stamps gets complete list. K.M. chedelic Furs, Elvis Costello,
HOLIDAY SALE. Low, low prices Catalogue, $1. Cow Pie Platters, Vasilio, 72R Central St., Peabody, Keith Moon, Gang of Four, B-52's,
on concert recordings. Send two Box 495, Azle, TX 76080. MA01960. Keith Richards, Sid Vicious, Mag-

38 TROUSER PRESS/January 1981

 azine, Johnny Rotten, Sex Pis- Dave Davies, Ray Davies, Stones, BECK/PAGE/CLAPTON: The gui-
tols, Syd Barrett, Marc Bolan, Doors, Zappa , Beatles , Who, MUSIC ATTORNEYS: tarists who made the Yardbirds.
Buzzcocks, Wire, Pete Town- Bowle, Monkees, Rockplle and a NYC law firm will handle copy- Read the complete Yardbirds
shend, Eno ("For Your Pleasure"), commemorative line: Holly, right forms; publishing, man- story In an exclusive Trouser
Eno (robot), Fripp and Eno, Pub- Hendrix, Keith, Vicious, Jones, agement and recording agree- Press publication. $1 .50 per copy
lic Image, Ultravox, Peter Gabriel, Morrison. All are silkscreened on ments; partnership or incor- (Including postage); $2.00 from
Brian Jones, Nick Lowe, XTC, a 50/50 shirt and are $6 each, two poration, etc. Ten years CBS overseas. Order from Trouser
Heartbreakers, Undertones, for $11, three for $15 postpaid. Records executive experience. Press, 212 Fifth Ave., New York,
Bowie, Velvet Underground, Talk- Send stamp for illustrated cata- Contact Hutzler & Charne, NY 10010.
ing Heads, Lou Reed, Roxy Mu- logue. T-shirts make a great gift (212) 864-6169. By appoint-
sic, Peter Hammill, Iggy and so order early for Christmas. Sa- COLLECTORS! Why aren 't you
ment only.
more. $6 each; three for $16. Spe- lem Screen Printers, PO Box 248, reading Trouser Press Collectors'
cify size. 6-8 weeks delivery. 50¢ Salem, NH 03079. Magazine? Articles, discographies
1981 new wave photo calendar. and dozens of auction ads each
for shirt and pins catalogue. Send Original photos: Clash, Heads,
to: Burning Airlines, 530 Pingree issue. $5 for one year (six issues),
NEW YORK DOLLS shirts, Chris- Pistols, and more ! 11x17" big. $10 for overseas airmail, from
Ave. , Trenton, NJ 08618. sie Hynde, Nazz, B-52's, ska, "Sex, Check/M .O. $5. Star Art, 233 N. Trouser Press Collectors' Maga-
Drugs, Rock & Roll, " " Who Killed Pleasant St., Amherst, MA 01002. zine, PO Box 2450, Grand Central
TROUSER TEES: We had a few Bambi?," Eno. All designs silk-
shirts made for the TP staff, and Station, New York, NY 10163.
screened on high-quality Hanes ABOUT FACE. The 2nd Annual
wound up with some extras. Yel- 50/50 T-shirts. Won't shrink! $5.50 Calendar by T.P. photographer READ the story on punk in LA
low Trouser Press logo on a royal + .50 postage per shirt. Califor- B.C. Kagan. Portraits of: Lene that Roll ing Stone refused to
blue shirt-the official one and nia residents Include 6% sales Lovich, J. Lydon, Ramones, H. print. Send $5 to D. Vargas, 3423
only! $6.00 each; specify size. tax. Sizes, S, M, L. For catalogue Devoto, B-52's, Orch. Manoeu- W. Victory Blvd ., #9001 , Burbank,
Trouser Press, 212 Fifth Ave., send self-addressed stamped en- vres and more! Send $8.00 to: CA 91505.
New York, NY 10010. velope. Fungo Bat Graphics, PO About Face, 83 Pinckney St. ,
Box 461, Woodland Hills, CA 91365. COLLECTIBLE rock magazines
Boston, MA 02114.
QUALITY new wave shirts: Elvis from 1964 to present featuring all
C., Clash, Pistols, PIL, B-52's, bands. Write for list, specifying
mod bullseye, "Mods Return," " If favorites. Mike Burns, 67 Brook-
It Ain 't Stiff," Stiff logo, Jam, MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATIONS view Place, Brockville, Ont. , Can-
Devo, Undertones, Beat, Spe- MAGAZINE ARTICLES sold in FREE Eric Carmen newsletter. ada K6V 4P7.
cials, Selecter, Madness, Iggy, "packs." Also records, tapes, Four pages monthly. Interviews, NME reference tables of con-
Numan, Buzzcocks, Pretenders, photos, etc ... Send wants. Fast reviews , features, contests , tents. $4/6 months , mailed
Heads, Blondie, Rock Lobster, Service and CO D's accepted. Sev- photos, Raspberry history. Send monthly. Send stamp for sample.
Silicon Teens, Ultravox, 999, XTC, enth Sense Records, PO Box 337, SASE: The Carmen Connection, P. Stenerson, PO Box 214, Moor-
Squeeze, Members. Also Kinks, Marshall 's Creek, PA 18335. PO Box 24, Fortuna, CA 95540. head, MN 56560.

" L i sten to what happ e ns when humans,

not humano i ds,
THERE'S NO
make electron ic music ... "

GRATIFICATION
DIGITAL
WITHOUT
DIGITAL
STIMULATION,
the f i rst a lbum

by Sa n Franc i sco's

UNITS,

STIMULATION
Is now ava il ab le

on 415 Records.

Send check

or money order

for $7 .00

(Inc lu des us postage)

to:

415 RECORDS

PO Box 14563

San Franc isco

CA 94114

TROUSER PRESS/January 1981 39

 Steve Reich Wrestles with Time
t isn't easy to be a modern-day "serious" drum lessons in high school. Later, at Cor-

I
terms it a practical consideration: "I found
composer, e pecially in today's climate nell University, he drummed in a orted that, in dealing with woodwinds and voices,
of dispo able pop and anti-intellectual pick-up bands for frat parties and the like. if you want a long, full ound like a breath,
songwriting. Composers must either kowtow Although he graduated with a philo ophy then you literally have to measure it to the
to popular taste and risk critical corn or degree from Cornell in 1957, Reich' di cov- breath ." Without pausing to catch his own
stick to their convictions and be virtually ery of Balinese music three year earlier breath, he then verbalize the effect of
ignored by the public. Steve Reich, who has prompted hi decision to study composing . bringing repetition and breath together.
been exploring new musical avenues since the He sub equently earned his M.A. in 1963. "There's something interesting about tak-
'60s, sums up this imbalance when he de- The first edition of Steve Reich and Musi- ing that kind of time, which is like wave.
clares, "If you're a livil)g composer, you're cians was formed in 1966 with three players. washing up on the beach, and at the . ame
simply a novelty. " Reich formed the ensemble after encounter- time have that happen against what is really
Fortunately-for Reich, at least-it's a ing composers whose works looked good on happening with as great a regularity as musi-
statement made in hindsight. When his paper but proved unplayable by anyone, in- cians can muster up. So you have two differ-
Music for 18 Musicians was released in 1978 cluding their creator. Reich maintains that ent kinds of time: one which is traight,
on the prestigious and idiosyncratic ECM composing and performing should be rhythmic, straight-ahead beat, and at the
label, Reich suddenly acquired a whole new united, further rationalizing it as "the thrust, same time some people are doing something
audience for his work. In New York City which 1'm sure you've experienced as a rock that just washes over that for the length of
alone, Steve Reich and Musicians-an en- player. The idea of music coming out of a whatever their breath will ustain."
semble formed by Reich to perform his com- band, both mentally, in terms of it being the Initially, Reich wrote relatively simple
positions-have played to sellout crowds not band's creation, and physically seemed over- parts as a reflection of hi own instrumental
only at Carnegie Hall (where he debµted two whelming as a model.'' limitations; these days, though, he devises
of the three pieces on his most recent album, more complex parts to accomodate the
Octet / Music for Large Ensemble/Violin players in his ensemble. "They want to be
Phase) but also at the Bottom Line, the city's challenged. The musicians in my ensemble
leading record industry showcase. are virtuoso . A simple part played in a
During his career, Reich has experimented closet is one thing; a simple part played by
with uch avant-garde techniques as tape someone while someone else i playing
loops and John Cage-like exercises in acous- another simple part in a very subtle rhythmic
tic feedback. The music he i most common- relationship makes both parts difficult to get
ly associated with, however-at least since clean .''
the success of Music for 18 Musicians- (He's right. At the Carnegie Hall show, I
might be described as synthesizer music with- was close enough to the stage to watch en-
out synthesizers. Banks of mallet instru- semble percu sionists Bob Becker and David
ments (marimbas, xylophones) set up repeat- Van Tieghem at work; the endurance re-
ing, sequencer-like riffs that slowly fade in quired to play a rapid melody over and over
and out of phase with each other while again, with only minute variations, for 20
voices and wind instruments rise and fall minutes without pause is inconceivable.)
with the regularity of breathing. To the Although Reich and group have toured
listener, the combination of pulse and igh is the US twice, they're currently gearing up
both hypnotic and exhilarating. for their eleventh European tour. Since he
After being raised on botl:1 the East and sells as many records here a overseas, why
West Coasts, the 44-year-old Reich now lives the disparity? Simple: money. In Europe,
and works in lower Manhattan. His Warren Reich's en emble plays primarily at radio
Street loft is neatly bisected into an apart- Probably the two mo t stations; unlike tate ide studios, which are
ment for his family and a rehearsal room concepts in Reich's recent little more than small rooms with a micro-
(complete with 8-track recording facilities) repetition and "breath" (in which the phone, record and tape players, the Euro-
for his sizable ensemble. In per on, he bal- duration of the player' breath determine pean counterparts have their own concert
ances an appearance of scholarly intensity the duration of the part). The idea of imple, halls. Additionally, European radio is social-
with a convivial frankne s and enthusiasm in repeating phrase had its root in several ized: everyone who owns a radio pays a year-
discussing his work, launching into rapid- sources: African and Balinese drumming ly tax , just as we pay chool tax whether we
fire, detail-crammed monologues at the drop (which Reich studied between 1970 and like it or not. Radio-span ored festival pre-
of a question. Had he not been drawn to 1974), tape loops (tape experimenter Luciano sent everything from symphony orchestra
music, he might have made a first-class Berio was one of Reich's post-graduate in- to new wave to the Reich/Cage/ Terry Riley
raconteur . structors) and, interestingly enough, the axi of modern music. By touring European
Reich nearly didn't choose music as a life music of John Coltrane. Reich ays that, radio stations, Reich can pay alaries for up
career. At age seven, he began about four while other jazz players were moving into to 18 musicians, transportation fee for 2000
years of what he terms ''standard middle- polychording and noise, "it was Coltrane's pounds of equipment, and end the tour with
class piano les ans" that did little to awaken discovery that you could make quite a lot of a modest profit. However , ju t to live and re-
his interest. It wasn't until he was 14 that he music with very limited harmonic hearse in the US-never mind touring-re-
succumbed, from the combined impact of resource . " quires a plethora of grants and fellowship
Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring," Bach's Bran- The "breath" concept, on the other hand, funding.
denburg Concertos, and the jazz of Charlie was first employed in the piccolo trills at the Reich can find ome solace in the succe. s
Parker; the latter sparked a love of bebop end of "Drumming" (1971) and brought to of Music for 18 Musicians , which wa as
that continues to this day. Reich took snare fruition in Music for 18 Musicians. Reich Continued on page 50

40 TROUSER PRESS/January 1981

 and metaphors that are tenuous at best. All
Springsteen's songs are about those same
dismal lives in one way or another, just as
the highway metaphor runs through his
work . Almost all The River's themes, in fact,
could have been consolidated into one song.
With a few exceptions, the album's music
Bruce offers little excitement and less novelty, rely-
ing on fairly routine Springsteen moves. The
songs can be classified as lightweight,
in the uptempo party tunes with familiar phrases
and Jukes-like joviality; slow, somber work-
outs that sound (at worst) like Jackson
Midnight Browne; and medium-tempo numbers in the
vein of "Tenth Avenue Freezeout" which

Hour work about half the time. Number that

seem likely to survive include "Two Hearts,"
"Independence Day," "You Can Look (But
You Better Not Touch)," "Cadillac Ranch,"
"Fade Away" and "I'm a Rocker." The re-
mainder adds up to precious little, and all of
side four is simply awful.
The ultimate failure of The River lies with
its language. When he started out Spring-
steen's songs were embarrassing fairy tales
populated with foolishly named characters
and crammed full of juvenile clevernes . By
the time of Born to Run he had developed a
knack for scene-setting and story-telling re-
plete with poetic descriptions and insights.
With each successive album it appears le s
likely that Springsteen will ever match tho e
tales of urban lives and individual fortitude .
For this outing, he's reduced to writing trivial
nonsense in the guise of good-time rock 'n'
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN hype. His ethics, overall accessibility and roll on one hand and ponderous pomp on
The River commitment to maintain self-imposed stan- the other.
Columbia PC2 36854 dards are both rare and commendable. Springsteen 's reliance on a limited vocabu-
By Ira Robbins Now, if only the results were more interest- lary points up his artistic limitations. Out of
ing. Throughout his recording career, he's 20 tracks, 13 use "night"; nine use "street"
A Saturday Night Live sketch of a few sea- repeatedly done things that repel my sense of and there are four with "highway" and two
sons back poked fun at Roy Orbison by re- rock esthetics and reduce his music to laugh- with "avenue"; "drive" turns up in 10
ducing him to a caricature: motionless stance able bombast. songs, as does "heart." And these few word
and ever-present shades. With this overdue Springsteen has two major stumbling appear constantly throughout many of his
collection-given added weight by being a blocks: stunningly bad vocals and peren- previous songs as well. Repetitive language
double album-Bruce Springsteen has nially flawed lyrics. His wounded buffalo might be forgivable if the ongs dealt with
proven himself to be equally typecast. Un- noises should be reserved for football grand- different subjects, but Springsteen just goes
able or unwilling to cast off the cliches of his stands. He also repeats lines mercilessly and back over the same ground, neither refining
past records, The River's attempt to Make a meanders into a high register that is not his nor elucidating-merely restating.
Statement is buried in an avalanche of repe- domain; the sound of his voice cracking and AU that said, I'm sincerely glad Spring-
tition and evident lack of inspiration. straining destroys any mood he might have steen exists. He's had a tremendous (and I
Like a painter with a monochromatic built up (e.g., "Drive All Night" on side think positive) effect on the rock community;
palette, Springsteen is limited to working four). Lyrically, Springsteen is capable of fan , mu icians and industry people have all
with his too-familiar "street" character. As powerful tableaus and stories, but he insists been inspired by his work . His dedication,
a result, we get a batch of undynamic tracks on tossing in his crutchwords-"night," principles and heart have reawakened a lot
lacking both the urgency and clarity of past "street," "darkness," "drive"-as if he of dormant enthusiasm among ex-rockers
successes . Instead of impact or emotional ur- were totally unable to imagine a sunl,it world who thought themselves beyond the music's
gency, Springsteen substitutes a ridiculous not moving along a thoroughfare. that sort · magic grip-and that's no mean feat. Disre-
"party atmosphere." The River adds up to a- of monomania might be okay for an entire garding overzealous fans and generally bor-
water-treading exercise that neither upholds album, but not a career. ing records, I respect Springsteen for proving
his standards of excellence nor explores any The River paints a bleak picture of the you don't need to trade your soul for star-
new avenues. American dream gone sour: kids forced into dom (even if people try to do it for you). But
Springsteen deservedly commands a lot of marriage and adulthood; people disgusted that doesn't make The River a better record.
respect; despite all the drumbeating done on with their lives and jobs; lovers and families It's a clear sign of a stagnant talent who
his behalf, nothing he's ever said or written who know they're doomed to grow apart. can't or won't dig himself out of the mud.
would suggest he believes any of the messiah Everything is wrapped in automotive settings That's a shame. D

TROUSER PRESS/January 1981 41

 TALKING HEADS vocal acrobatics), its most, powerful mo- able, ska-tinged sounds of their debut, One ,
Remain in Light ments blend words and music. "Once in a Step Beyond. The carnival atmosphere re-
SlreSRK609S Lifetime" questions reality and illusion in mains intact as songs bounce along almost
Not to denigrate lalking Heads' well-de- the verses, and a chorus employing plaintive without letting you pause for breath. If the
served popularity, but as Remain in Ught thirds introduces a water motif-one of the album has a fault, it may be that a general
goes zooming up the record charts one is most powerful images in the poet's arsenal. uniformity of tempo can be too much of a
forced to ask: Just what are its purchasers Byrne is certainly a poet, if poetry can be good thing after two sides. Madness is best
going to do with it? Will it be taken as dance considered the juggling of language for ex- appreciated in small doses.
music with a college education, the spear- pressive purposes. This album taps a prime- . When the band does change pace, how-
head· (probably no pun intended) of 'an Af- val vein in the subconscious: You'll tap your ever, they do it with style. Secret weapon
rica-chic movement? Or will the consumer, toes but you won't be able to shut out what Chas Smash (he joined Madness as a dancer/
, stumbling over the enclosed lyric sheet, be these songs mean. Like the inverted A's in its rabble rouser) commits musical mayhem
caught up in David Byrne's metaphysical name on the cover, Tulking Heads has stood with "Solid Gone," a brilliant parody of
challenges? , the dance concept on its head. Their music '50s rock 'n' roll. But enough verbiage-get
Most people who care about such things gains in meaning with each listen. our your pork pie hat and start dancin'.
know by now that 1980 was the year Talking -Scott Isler -Dave Schulps
Heads doubled in size, went bi-racial and de-
clared "back to Africa" (even though they'd THE SPECIALS MADNESS THE POLICE
never been there in the first place). Byrne More Specials AbsolQtely Zenyatta Mondatta
and Brian Eno first dabbled in black art for a Chrysalis CHRS1303 Sire SRK6094 A&MSP4831
long-delayed solo LP, and Eno is all over The musical trend of the year in Britain, a When the Police first hit with "Roxanne,"
Remain in Ught-as songwriter, vocal ar- nation which obviously relishes its fads, was they were welcomed and hated by opposite
ranger, producer and mixer, and on bass, the emergence of the neo-ska bands. Buoyed camps for the same reason: making 'new
keyboards, percussion and vocals. The band by a visually arresting black-and-white aes- wave accessible to Top 40 audiences. Their
on this record is not the multi-headed beast thetic, the Two-Tone craze took off like a use of reggae elements provoked a similarly
that's been wowing 'em live; Eno· is not Ber- rocket in early 1979 and is just now begin- split reaction; did they co-opt and dilute the
nie '.Vorrell, Buster Jones is absent, and only ning to decelerate. form, or were they introducing ii to new lis-
Adrian Belew's grungy lead guitar-plus a Unfortunately, enormous media attention teners who might then become interested in
plethora of percussion-adds a ew ingredi- has attributed all,sorts of Undue significance real Jamaican riddim? The band's credibility
ent to the Heads' sound. to what is primarily a musical phenomenon. wasn't helped by its members' past lives as
What is most striking about Remain in Two-Tone's progenitors, the Specials, have art-rock or jazz musicians (nor by their
Ugbt, however, is what tends to be over- been thrust into the role of messiahs or at bleached-blonde hair).
looked live due to the rhythmic wallop: the least spokespeople for a new generation of What everyone missed in the ensuing tur-
vocals. The album's songs are almost all di- multi-ethnic rockers. If More Specials is any moil-and what the third Police album, Zen-
vided between half-recited verses and more indication, a good band is being ruined by yatta Mondatta, continues to illustrate-is
strophic, sing-songy choruses. (Nona Hen- too much too soon. This is a depressingly that this is a band of three extremely inven-
dryx helps out Byrne and Eno in the larynx bitter, self-righteous and self-important rec- tive, smooth and technically gifted musicians
department.) The sections intertwine and ord, with little of the understanding or com- whose individual abilities add up to a seam-
overlap each other in a contrapuntal manner passion displayed on their extremely enjoy- less, symbiotic whole. New wave or reggae
alien to most pop; "The Great Curve" fea- able debut. • they're not, nor do they claim to be, but the
tures at least three strains deftly weaving in Instead of the kind of constructive plea Police's unique brand of pop definitely
and out. for racial tolerance put forth in "It Doesn't raises the level of AM (and even FM) radio
Rhythmic complexity, both vocal and in- Make It Alright~" or the call for solidarity of several notches.
strumental, suffuses the songs; without it "It's Up to You," More Specials promotes a Bassist Sting is still writing catchy, reggae-
we'd be left with a dire bunch of one-chord simplistic us/them attitude which can only inflected tunes. "Don't Stand So Oose to
thumpers. Byrne doesn't write throwaway be divisive-cowboys and Indians for Now Me" is deceptively simple, but contains
lyrics, though, and the tension between a People. "Rat Race," "Hey Little Rich tricks like a contrapuntal vocal over the
funky groove and agonizing words is part of Girl," "International Jet Set" and the aptly chanting chorus at the end. Occasionally, as
the Heads' unique formula. Eno receives · titled "Stereotypes" sneer smugly at effects, in this song, cleverness isn't enough; here,
specific lyric credit on two numbers: rather than try to understand causes. When what we really want to know is what happens
"Born Under Punches" and '.'Crosseyed the Specials stop attacking long enough to to the older man and the Lolita he's lusting
and Painless," both earthier than the usual observe, the results are palpably better. after-and we don't find out.
Byrne soliloquizing. ("Facts don't stain the "Man at C&A," "Do Nothing" and Social commentary or "relevance," how-
furniture/Facts go out and slam the door" is "Pearl's Cafe" are worthwhile because they ever, is not what the Police is about, al-
a random couplet from "Crosseyed and show a concern the band is supposed to though on this album they· do try. "Driven
Painless.") Words drip with allusions and be about. to Tears" deals with the band's tour to Bom-
situations just far enough out of reach that we On a musical level, the Specials have also bay, Bangkok, etc. "Too many cameras and
exercise our iJna8inations reaching for them- gotten a bit over-indulgent. Most of the al- not enough food," Sting observes, hiding his
. but that was always a Tulking Heads specialty. bum's second side showcases a watery bossa face in his hands as he declares that "protest
Not all of Remain in Ugbt adheres to the nova style that Jerry Dammers has referred is futile." On the next (answer?) song he de-
new musical rule-book. "Seen and Not to as "airport Muzak" (or some such thing), cides to a discoish beat, "When the World Is
Seen" is less a song than a Borges-like tale but I doubt you 'II ever hear it in an elevator. Running· Down, You Make the Best of
read matter-of-factly by Byrne over a synco- It's only bland enough to make you wonder What's Still Around"-which for him con-
pated beat. "The Overload" surrenders the why they bothered. Elsewhere, the playing is sists of watching James Brown in the TAMI
metronome for a dread-filled vocal intoned as inventive and fresh as ever. More compas- Show movie. -
over a drone; the title could refer to a physi- sionate songs and less of a mocking attitude Not that we should care about the Police's
cal event or psychic stress. "Houses in Mo- would help the Specials live up to their world view; they're too much fun to listen
tion" is distinguished by Byrne's steely tim- name. to. At their best, on a bouncy number like
bre (he sports a relaxed lower register Madness has no such lofty heights to "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da," they're
throughout the LP) and Jon Hassell's ululat- maintain; they never pretended to be more catchy and creative, with a controlled way of
ing horns. than a goodtime dance band, playing "that putting sounds together. Even at their worst
While Remain in Ugbt can be appreciated nutty sound." Absolutely, it follows, is no -the rambling throwaway "Voices Inside
as sheer sound (as in "The Great curve" 's great leap forward from the super-dance- My Head," for example-there's always
42 TROUSER.PRESS/January 1981
 Sting's slightly raspy, wailing voice. Stewart style-wonder will have to reconsider upon Stones, and now he has an LP out.
Copeland's light touch on cymbals makes hearing Making Movies. To paraphrase an The ·week Emotional Rescue was released,
him one of rock's classiest drummers, and admonition coined by another band with a radio stations (in New York at least) began
Andy Summers' thoughtful guitar parts are dominating lead presence, Dire Straits is a playing the shit out of a song by the hereto-
always custom-tailored-from spacy chords group. And a good one. -Marianne Meyer fore unknown Jim Carroll Band. Could the
on "When the World Is Running Down" to fact that his album was then due to appear
tastefully brief psychedelic lead on "Driven JOE JACKSON BAND on the Stones' label possibly have had any-
to Tears." Beat Crazy thing to do with the airplay it received? (Of
As a trio, the Police can be airtight for A&MSP4837 course not.) "People Who Died"-a
driving rhythm or a pop feel, or loose to Credit Joe Jackson for refusing to stag- heinous bit of juvenile nihilism-was played
show off their chops. They avoid, or at least nate after establishing a commercially viable about once every hour-and-a-half for two
rearrange, cliches (by putting them into a sound. Beat Crazy is the first album to come weeks on New York radio, then disappeared.
new context), and they just sound so damned out under the Joe Jackson band designa- Rolling Stones Records chief Earl McGrath
good. And that's the whole idea, isn't it? tion-a minor point, but indicative of Jack- departed, taking Carroll with him, so the
-Jerry Milbauer son's wariness of the star system. As if to label politely demanded that the preview
drive the point home, the opening title tune track stop being played. Four months later
DIRE STRAITS features not Jackson but bassist Graham the album is out on the affiliated Atco label.
Making Movies Maby on lead vocal. Carroll's band provides better-than-ade-
Warner Bros. BSK3480 Taking on the producer's role for the first quate new wave back-up noise. Carroll him-
Whatever subtleties Communique may time, Jackson leans heavily on reggae studio self is not a singer per se, but poets seldom
have possessed, Dire Straits' second album techniques-heavily echoed vocals and in- are, and that's never stood in anyone, else's
was most frequently criticized for a permeat- struments, sudden fade-ins and drop-outs, way. Some of his songs sound good, but
ing sense of deja vu. It was as if both audi- use of aural space, crisp· highs and booming others suffer from pretentious lyrics or emo-
ence and band were content to accept Mark bass-although the band rarely plays any- tionless vocals that hint at the real futility of
Knopfler's fluid, J .J. Cale-inspired guitar thing one could call reggae. Instead, there is this recording project. A poet, perhaps. A
style as the focus and sole foundation of Dire a distinct reggae/eel courtesy of isolated mu- rock 'n' roller? Not really. -Ira .Robbins
Straits' work. Even Knopfler's evocative sical elements: high-hat cymbals on "In
narrative lyrics, obviously no throwaways, Every Dream Home (a Nightmare)," ska- THIN LIZZY
tended to be subjugated to the gentle strength like strummed guitar on the ·title track, or Chinatown
of those melodic guitar lines. Jackson's Linton Kwesi Johnson-style vocal Warner Bros. BSK 3496
Making Movies, then, is a surprising de- (acknowledged with a dedication) on "Bat- Thin Lizzy, under the direction of singer/
parture on a number of levels. Knopfler's tleground.'' songwriter/bassist Phil Lynott, usually falls
guitar, while still a graceful guiding force, The approach differs from the white reg- somewhere between urban rock balladeering
rides througll the songs instead of sitting on gae of the Police or the Ruts because, pro- a la Springsteen or Seger, and boogie-ish
top of them. There is a new energy and aggres- duction aside, the songs are not all that dif- harder rock, with an occasional dose of pop
sion in both vocals and playing that will ferent from those on Jackson's first two al- in there, too. Chinatown serves up more of
probably surprise anyone who hasn't seen bums. If the melodies are increasingly fa- these elements, with mixed results.
the group in concert. Producers Jimmy Io- miliar, at least Beat Crazy is fresher sounding 1\vin harmony guitars (used to fine effect
vine (Tom Petty, Graham Parker) and Knopf- than either of Jackson's prior efforts; you . on the hit "The Boys Are Back in Town")
ler have brought the sound out to meet the can now throw the Elvis Costello and Steve are an immediate calling card on the opener,
audience, instead of leaving one with the Miller comparisons out the window. "We Will Be Strong." This and "Sweet-
feeling (as did the last two releases) that the Three songs have extended instrumental heart" are the album's poppiest tunes; the
music was bleeding through a neighbor's endings in which the trio (sometimes bol- latter features wordy verses typical of early
thin walls. stered by Jackson's keyboards) works varia- Springsteen, and a bridge whose breathy har-
With only seven tunes on the LP, the tions on a rhythmic groove; the idea is dance- mony actually flirts with prettiness.
majority over five minutes long, Knopfler's ability, not a rock jam's ego gratification. Drummer Brian Downey emphasizes the
songwriting walks a fine line between rock Guitarist Gary Sanford's playing in particu- punkish boogie of "Sugar Blues" and "Killer
tunes and grand statements, yet rarely slips lar stands oi.it for its tasteful restraint. on the Loose," yet he's adept enough to in-
and falls. "Tunnel of Love" (over eight min- Lyrically, Jackson is still mining old terri- spire dancing rather than head-banging.
utes) runs through a few dynamic changes tory: silly prejudices and the effect of the lib- "Genocide," however, a preachy diatribe, .
which give' it an epic quality in theory; in erated woman on a threatened male psyche. falls flat, as does the semi-ballad "Didn't I."
practice, the number speeds by thanks to He occasionally descends to triteness ("One Thought-provoking material doesn't seem to
melodic hooks and an assured, sensitive for One") but just as often hits the mark be Lynott's strong point.
vocal. In "Solid Rock", and "Expresso ("Biology"). Jackson most effective with his "Having a Good Time" (more light-heart-
Love," Knopfler trades his vignette style for tongue in cheek, which is why the forced atti- ed boogie) is the first chance to compare gui-
simpler, uncluttered lyrical structures that tudinizing of "Battleground" falls flat on its tarists, as Lynott calls out in tum for new
derive their power from the band's sheer biracial face. It's the music that makes Beat member Snowy White (replacing Brian Rob-
exuberance. Crazy go, and if Jackson and Band can keep ertson, who left the group for the second
That's the key to the album's success. expanding this fruitfully they should be time) and Scott Gorham. The two use similar
With the departure of rhythm guitarist worthy of attention for some time to come. guitar tones, but White is soaring and
Davitl Knopfler, the remaining trio has -Dave Schulps melodic, whereas Gorham is more staccato.
reached a new and necessary equilibrium. Chinatown is quite a listenable effort.
Knopfler's guitar and low, rumbling vocals JIM CARROLL BAND Thin Lizzy has found its own niche by com-
still set the tone, but bassist John Illsley and Catholic Boy bining several styles (boogie, pop, rock an-
drummer Pick Withers have gained in sta- Alco SD 38-132 thems) that would otherwise seem too played
ture and intensity; they are no longer mere Considering he was a snot-nosed juvenile out by now. -Jerry Milbauer
support mechanisms for Knopfler's personal thug in 1963, Jim Carroll has done alright for
romantic visions. New textures are provid~ himself. The Basketball Diaries, his novel JON & THE NIGHTRIDERS
by the E-Street Band's Roy Bittan on key- chronicling a New York City adolescence full Surf Beat '80
boards (playfulness on "Les Boys," emo- of violence, drugs and sex, has been a cult Von VXS200.002
tional majesty elsewhere), and background classic for years; another, Living at the NIKKI AND THE CORV~
vocals from all involved. Movies, was nominated for a Pulitzer. He's Bomp BLP-4012
Anyone who wrote this band off as a one- a friend to Patti Smith and the Rolling Trends come and go while Bomp Records

TROUSER PRESS/January 1981 43

 and its subsidiaries Quark and Voxx ener-
getically tum out instant cut-outs. What's JIMMY REED THE METERS
funny is how some Bomp products use com- Upside Your Head Second Line Strut
mercial elements without coming up with Charly CRB 1003 Charly CRB 1009
anything even vaguely commercial.
LEE DORSEY BETTY HARRIS ELMORE JAMES JERRY BUTI..ER
You probably don't remember surf music
Gonh Be Funky In The Saddle One Way Out Up On Love
from its heyday in the early '60s. In his liner
Charly CRB 1001 Charly CRB 1002 Charly CRB 1008 Charly CRB 1005
notes to Surf Beat '80, guitarist Dick Dale,
who claims to have invented the form, de- BETTY EVERETT GENE CHANDLER JOHN LEE HOOKER DEE CLARK
fines it as "heavy staccato picking with the Hot To Hold Just Be True This Is Hip Keep It Up
flowing sound of a reverb unit to take away Charly CRB1006 Charly CRB 1007 Charly CRB 1004 Charly CRB 1010
the flat notes on the guitar and make the Since 1975 Charly Records have well as a sprinkling of other tunes fea-
notes seem endless"-in othei; words, wob- pumped out a steady stream of rock 'n' turing and/or written by Mayfield. Rich
bly, guitar-dominated instrumentals like roll , rockabilly, blues, country and '60s and smooth, yet too forceful to be dis-
"Pipeline" by the Chantays and "Walk, rock albums. They've made long-unob- missed as merely mellow, Butler's voice
Don't Run" by the Ventures. Surf music in- tainable material accessible to a wide is synonymou with romance in the
fluenced the Beach Boys, who covered public and scored a notable coup in li- most complimentary sense of the word.
Dale's "Let's Go Trippin'," and it died out censing the entire Sun Records cata- Up on Love will make you feel just that.
quickly. logue (Presley excepted). Now these mu- Gene "Duke of Earl" Chandler turns
Jon & the Nightriders is the brainchild of sical philanthropists aim to perform out to have had a lot more to him than
John Blair, compiler of the well-researched the same service for R&B, beginning that infectious and much-covered piece
and thoroughly obscure Illustrated Disco- with 10 superbly compiled, annotated of soul fluff (much of it, again, from
graphy of Surf Music 1959-/965. So you and packaged 16-trackers from the cata- ,the Mayfield pen). An exuberant,
know what you're in for: faithfully played logues of Vee Jay and Allen Toussaint's whooping singer with a touch of Sam
oddities that sound just as archaic as their in- Sansu label and its offshoots. Cooke, Chandler's attitude is summed
spirations. Small doses of this stuff can be The role of the assertive woman has up in titles like "Nothing Can Stop Me"
delightful; an LP's worth is the equivalent of been played to caricature by everyone and "(Gonna Be) Good Times." He is
eating a whole bag of sour candy (urp) unless from Janis Joplin to Millie Jackson, but perhaps Charly's best example of an
you're as crazed as John Blair. An enclosed in the mid-'60s Betty Harris pitched it artist with an impressive body of work
questionnaire poses the question, "Does about right in performances like "Show who never became a fixture in the charts.
surfing music have any hope as an art form It" and "I 'm Gonna Git Ya." Her resi- Betty Everett falls somewhere be-
in the 1980's?" Sheesh! lient spirit is ideally suited to Solomon tween Chandler's extroversion and the
Nikki and the Corvettes revive another Burke's "Cry to Me" and she responds grittier Betty Harris. "Getting Mighty
'60s tradition: the short LP. Their 12 songs accordingly, exuding strength and Crowded" recently received Elvis Cos-
total under 24 minutes. To be fair, the brev- pathos in roughly equal proportions. tello's attention; "You're No Good"
ity fits the form; this utterly amateur female The sleeve notes mention that she re- and "It's in His Kiss" are predictable
trio offers a variant on early Ramones, only cently wrote a song about her truckdriv- high spots. (Incidentally, Jerry Butler's
without comparable drive . Rudimentary ing experiences. Here's hoping for a Bet- "I Stand Accused" is not the song on
playing and stiff vocals could use a sonic ty Harris resurgence. Get Happy!!, despite what the back
boost, but producer Peter James prefers a Charly has its hopes pinned on Lee cover says.) She seems in search of a
thin, chintzy sound. "I Wanna Be Your Dorsey as the commercial ace in the style on the rest of the album, but tackles
Girlfriend" and "Summertime Fun" pack. The sparse, loose-limbed groove some commercial ditties in the process.
(among 10 others) are probably destined to of "Working in the Coal Mine" With the soul/R&B revival a relative-
remain in basement rehearsals, where Nikki (among others) remains a joy, and ly recent phenomenon, it's the blues trio
and crew no doubt have a good time. Fair handsome Toussaint ballads like "Free- of Jimmy Reed, John Lee Hooker and
enough. -Jon Young dom for the Stallion" suffer nothing by Elmore James whose influence on rock
comparison. However, I still find the is most evideht. Reed's songs are prob-
ANGEL CITY man a somewhat uninvolving singer- ably the most familiar. He's been cov-
Darkroom nor are mat ers helped by a guitar sound ered by Presley, the Stones, Yardbirds
Epic JF.36543 occasionally so emaciated it could be on and Bryan Ferry, but his own easy, con-
Angel City was difficult to figure the first loan from a Francoise Hardy session. fidential style deserves acquaintance.
time around: easy to dislike but hard to dis- "In the second coming of soul," runs Ah boogie, what sins have been com-
miss. On Face to Face, a compilation of their Joe Strummer's stream-of-unconsciou s- mitted in thy name! Unwitting donor
first two Australian releases, literate, angry- ness testimonial (printed in the original of a hideous legacy, John Lee Hooker
young-man lyrics competed for attention scrawl), "the funk incubation of 1980, ets the record straight on This Is Hip.
with chomping AOR guitar chords, flat mel- Lee Dorsey must have a chair, for he is Though not the originals, there are
odies and frenetic singing from spooky-eyed one of the chairmen of the board." Can crackling versions of "Boom Boom,"
showman Doc Neeson. The music didn't you dig it? "Crawling King Snake" and others; an
keep up with the lyrical conceits, yet wasn't - The Meters (foussaint proteges, like earne t confessional like "Take Me as I
destructo enough to join the Foreigner/ Jour- Harris and Dorsey) and Dee Clark Am" proves he i far from a one-trick
ney gang. Even with heavy label support don't seem up to the general level here. pony. Similarly, Elmore James lays the
Angel City didn't stake the FM turf that The former, for all their rhythmic mag- ghost of Jeremy Spencer and shows
seemed to be their natural territory. nificence, pall over two sides. Clark is him elf to have been a delicate guitarist;
Darkroom removes Angel City from that simply too derivative (the model his fine, hoarse voice was echoed in
confused contender status. The omnipresent changes from song to song) to cut really John Fogerty's rugged tones . Even
4/4 crunch that killed any musical subtlety deep; he is a born singer, but then so are "Dust My Broom" sounds fresh and
on Face to Face is greatly subdued. Guitar most of these artists. some fine piano makes the lack of credits
solos don't burp in and out; now they hang Besides Toussaint, Curtis Mayfield (as throughout) a mild cause for com-
around, sprucing up the band's harsh six- also plays Svengali on two albums. Jer- plaint.
string landscape. One- or two-chord builds ry Butler's LP contains the Impressions' Truly, ten steps to heaven ... well,
are briefer, more interesting and definitely first hit, "For Your Precious Love," as seven or eight at least. -Harry George •
more functional. Additional keyboards and
a less strident mix on Neeson 's voice further
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amend the hard-roe kin' image intimated last Adamson's guitar playing now owes a Jot to
time. What hasn't changed is an overriding
lyrical concern with futility and despair, al- IMPORTS Bill Nelson, and much former lyrical preten-
sion is absent (although the overall vagueness
though there's a new sense of understatement. JOE "KING" CARRASCO AND THE can be a bit frustrating).
Even though Darkroom saves Angel City CROWNS The first side packs most of the record's
from an arena-rock reputation, it doesn't Stiff SEEZ28 power; tunes like "Out of Town" and "A
quite reconcile their obvious intelligence with The main argument against Joe "King" Woman in Winter" are among the Skids'
an urge to boogie the night away. Happily, Carrasco seems to be that he's doing nothing best. A clever "Circus Games" contrasts the.
that crucial development seems only a matter original and his music has absolutely no re- ever-popular children's chorus with an ace
of time. -Laura Fissinger redeeming social value. His critics may -be guitar figure. "One Decree" is 'the most ac-
justified within their standards, but they're cessible of some ponderous plods on side
SNAKEFINGER FRED FRITH missing the point-and a lot of fun. Would two, and there's even an extra album of new
Greener Postures Gravity you expect relevance from a performer who material (self-produced) tossed in free with
Ralph SN-8053-L Ralph FF-8057-L wears an Imperial Margarine crown, an initial copies. (Has any band ever done this
Whaddaya do with two English guitar equally tacky cape, paisley or leopardskin before?) The bonus LP, Strength Through
weirdos whose music exists light-years to the pants and dirty sneakers? Even his Stiff al- Joy, reveals an even Jess pleasant side of the
left of "safe" rock? If you 're Ralph Rec- bum cover (we won't count Carrasco's pre- band, with angular music and synthesizers.
ords , the only logical thing to do is give them , vious LP, a well-intentioned but tepid Whether or not the Skids have anything to
recording contracts. attempt at more traditional Tex-Mex music) say, they make unique and intriguing music,
Snakefinger's major problem is that, for a is tasteless, with acknowledgments and song and continue to develop in unexpected ways.
Ralph artiste and associate Resident, he just titles printed on the front! Sheesh ! They've got me hooked. -Ira Robbins
isn't weird enough. One would think that In case you've been away, Carrasco and
having the Anti-Fab Four as co-producers the Crowns play sprightly rock 'n' roll with ROKY ERICKSON & THE ALIENS
and co-composers would make anything at- an occasional south-of-the-border touch-no- CBS84463
tractively bizarre, but Greener Postures ticeably on "Buena" 's cloudless horizon When cult figures make comebacks, most
squashes that theory flat. The album on the and in the polka downbeat of "Federates." people usually don't have the foggiest what
whole suffers from underproduction; He approaches rockabilly turf ("One More the adulation was about in the first place. (If
Snake's upside-down guitar riffs alone Time") but specializes in silly (if not stupid) they did, it wouldn't be a cult, would it?) Er-
cannot support his ordinary voice and over- Jove songs set to jumpy rhythms as irresis- ratic as the Thirteenth Aoor Elevators' re-
use of "disco" and "reggae" settings on his tible as a breeze across the Texas plains. Billy corded output might have been, Roky Erick- ·
drum machine. "The Man in the Dark Altman 's production is as simple as the mu- son was at the heart of the best of it, which
Sedan" and "Living in Vain" are intriguing, sic, in which Carrasco's squeaky vocals and was mighty good. It's gratifying, then, to
but Snakefinger's finest hour remains the B- Kris Cummings's cheesy Vox organ domin- report that although he's now gone farther
side of his first Ralph single: a cover of the ate. (The "King," an athletic guitar player, out than ever before, the resulting vision is
Residents' "Smelly Tongues ." soft-peddles his virtuosity.) just as intense (if not more so). Roky Erick-
Fred Frith; on the other hand, has been re- There's nothing to analyze here; if this son & the Aliens' music is in some ways more
cording solo and in group contexts long music doesn't hit you where you live, maybe conventional than the Elevators', but laid
enough to prove he can do both with style you should relocate. Sure, Doug Sahm and? back it's not.
and creativity. Ostensibly an album of dance and the Mysterians did it first: the roller-rink Erickson's world is populated by devils,
music, Gravity fuses both ends of Frith 's organ and one-chord four-to-the-bar exer- demons, goblins and other monsters;
guitar spectrum (music and noise) into a cises. Carrasco's sassy innocence is his own, however awesome their visages, he considers
free-fall zone of rhythms and textures, however, and nothing this fresh can be them pals. Ugly can be appealing, scary can
"found" sounds and minutely arranged termed a revival. be consoling, black can be whjte, and bad
compositions. A frantic version of "Dancing What stands out about this album is its might actually be good. "White faces always
in the Streets" is almost worthy of The Third total transience; few records are this dispos- haunt me so beautifully . . . bring out the
Reich and RoU, and Frith's expertise on able and enjoyable at the same time. Wear white of the devil in me," he sings ·in "White
violin and keyboards, as well as his other- the grooves out in a week; don't worry, you Faces." Reality is reversed, symbols are
worldly guitar technique, continue to won't want to listen to it after the flush of interchangeable. Images and titles are taken
astound. -Robert Payes excitement has wom off. That 's what pop from horror and sci-fi flicks-for Erickson,
music is all about. -Scott Isler newsreels and dramatizations of real events.
YIPES!! Rather than attempt a spacey Elevators
A Bit Irrational THESKIDS sound or appropriate hyperthyroid new wave
Millenium BXLl-7750 The Absolute Game tempi, the Aliens recall the grittier side of
A Bit Irrational is ahead of its time. By Virgin V2174 Creedence Clearwater Revival (the album
1984 you should be hearing its predigested The Skids have Jed a busy and convoluted was produced by CCR drummer Stu Cook!).
power pop in Ramada Inn lounges all over career in the two years or so they've been Erickson sings like a preacher after a few too
the free world . Hang onto it for that reason making records. Line-up changes have left many whiskeys, sweetness with an edge and
alone. only Richard Jobson (voice) and Stuart some good old Texas soul.
Yipes!!'s premiere long player was saved Adamson (guitar) as the band's backbone. One cut, "Two Headed Dog," has been
from mediocrity by wry lyrics, voiced by a lrnagewise, there have been several phases, released previously in two different versions
cheeky persona. from pimply punks to debonair pop idols to on small labels (once on English Virgin). The
There is no such wit, insight or thematic a flirtation with crypto-fascism-vide the version here isn't quite so loud or rabid, but
unity this time. Save for one, all the songs cover of their second album, Days of Euro- then Erickson has the opportunity to smear
are garden-variety boy-girl boo-boos. Under pa. That record, produced by Bill Nelson, his vision across 10 songs. He still makes
producer John Jansen, the band sounds as was a strange musical sidestep, downplaying working in the Kremlin with that mutant
bland as before, but without the former energy. the anthemic power of their debut in favor mongrel sound like a bitch. -Jim Green
Is this just sophomore jitters? Yipes!! in- of synthesizers and other sophisticated tech-
criminate themselves with two non-originals: niques employed by Nelson in his post-Be COLIN NEWMAN
the Supremes' "Come See About Me" and Bop Deluxe existence. A-Z
the Beach Boys' "Darlin' ." Every note is in For The Absolute Game, the Skids are Beggar's Banquet BEGA20
place; the chill could give a person frostbite . back with producer Mick Glossop. The early Following Gilbert and Lewis' Dome a few
Oon't feel it? Then it's time to drink up, tip might has returned, but lessons learned in months back, the rest of Wire has checked
the waitress and go home. -Laura Fissinger the meantime have not been forgotten. in. A-Z features not only singer Colin New-

46 TROUSER PRESS/January 1981

 man but drummer Robert Gotobed as well; these experiments before they reached disc, On's "Today Is the First Day of the Rest of
for further credibility it's produced by Mike since more ears would have been involved in My Life"; the genuine interplay between
Thorne, who performed the same duty on the editing process. Is it too late to get them trumpet, trombone, sax and funky rhythm is
the Wire LPs. While A-Z appears to be the back? -Jon Young a refreshing change from the solipsism of
result of far more thought and effort than "Blood Repression" (recited in a mock-
Dome (which was just high-class doodling), JAHWOBBLE Jamaican accent, so it must pe funny) or
it doesn't transcend curiosity status, and re- V.I.E.P. "Something Profound," Wobble's protest
affirms the old tenet about groups being Virgin VS361-12 against existence.
more than the sum of their parts. Jah Wobble's second solo album followed The slapda5h approach to musicmaking
Colin Newman can be genuinely frighten- almost immediately upon the first (The on his two albums could indicate Wobble's
ing. Blessed with a melancholy but unemo- Legend Lives On ... , reviewed in TP 55). · contempt for his audience or for himself. In
tional voice, he often creates the illusion of a But before marveling at the lad's prodigious the tawdry tradition of B-movie producers,
man who knows horrible things that he's un- output, consider: There's a reason why he is grinding them out to fill a void; any en-
willing to divulge. That's probably why he V .I.E.P. ("very important extended play," tertainment is purely coincidental. Where's
can get away with such obnoxiously vague of course) retails for half the price of an LP, the top of the bill? -Scott Isler
lyrics. Newman transforms "& Jury"-"1 although it has a normal album's running
felt a need, to be closer to the rea5ons, And time. Virgin even assigned the record a 45 PAULINE MURRAY AND INVISIBLE
what I saw I can't describe"-from gibber- catalogue number. GIRLS
i h into a graceful hallucination. He's not Perhaps this corporate generosity has to Illusive 2394 277
bad at playing the crazy, either, when at the do with the opening cut, the same four- As the singer for Penetration, Pauline
end of "But No" he slips into quite believ- minute slaughter of "Blueberry Hill" that Murray fronted a band that had absorbed
able hysterics. appeared on the earlier Wobble effort. Or enough influences to go in any number of
Too often, though, Newman and com- the next four minutes, taken up with "Blue- directions, yet never got around to choosing
rades succumb to a kitchen-sink mentality. berry Hill" minus the vocal track. (OK, it one. By no stretch of the imagination could
As with Wire, the music's simple, strong mel- was cute on the first album .) The rest of she have been called a punk singer. With her
odie are subjected to discordant arrange- V.I.E.P. is similarly innovative. "I Need smooth delivery and self-confident aura,
ments and unusual transitions-only here You By My Side" features more somnolent Murray always seemed better suited to the
there's too much of everything. "Troisieme" crooning throµgh a filter (' 'Oh baby don't sensible stance of a Steeleye Span than heavy
pile on noises until the structure collapses. ever leave me," etc., as bloodless as possible) rock.
More than once, trance-like instrumental with rhythm box for accompaniment. "Mes- On Pauline Murray and the Invisible Girls
passages go on so long that any connection sage from Pluto," which follows, is a dub she's come a long way towards establishing a
with the original tune (and hence the ten~ion) version. End of side one. context for herself. Working with produc-
is lost. More doesn't neces arily mean better, The second side has a bit more meat to it, ers/arrangers Martin Hannett and Steve
and Newman doesn 't always stop in time. if no surprises. "Sea Side Special" stands Hopkins (who are the Girls), as well as former
A-Z is an honestly experimental work : out for its tasty brass work (no musicians are Penetration bassist Robert Blamire, she cre-
challenging, stimulating and all that. Wire listed this time around). It's obviously drawn ates cool, elegant music, far more subtle and
would presumably have scratched some of from the same source as The Legend Lives polished than anything Penetration did . This

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oldies, pie discs, out-of-print LPs, Beatles : disc Spanish promo $159 : Boy w/bonus EP UK $9.98
I • Beatles Double 45 Poland PS $15 • Elvis Aron Presley (promo sampler from
45s *reissue : David Bowie Beauty & the Beast Hol- : 8-record-set) $25
Who The Relay/Wasp Man $4 • land PS $8 : David Bowie Interview from Scary
Rundgren I Saw the Light/dj blue $4 : David Bowie Be My Wife Holland PS $8 • Monsters US/dj $25
Yardbirds w/Page Goodnight Sweet
Josephine/Think About It $4
••
• LPs
••• McCartney Interview 2 LP US/dj $50
Rolling Stones Sticky Fingers Span. $17.98
Who Anyway Anyhow Anywhere/ : · David Bowl-, Ashes to Ashes 12" : Miscellaneous
Any Time You Want Me $4 • US/dj PS $15 • The Police File fan club mag. issues 1-6
Mudcrutch (Tom Petty) Wild Eyes/ : Bruce Springsteen UK box set (first : 3 ea., set of 6 for $15
Depot Street $4 : three LPs) $25 : Bruce Springsteen Steel Mill program $5
Rockpile Wrong Way yellow vinyl UK $4 • Beck Bogert Appice Live in Japan • ACJDC tour program $4
Tom Petty Refugee Spain PS $6 : 2 LPs/Japanese $25 : Tom Petty tour program $4
Elvis Costello Honky Tonk demos EP • Bowie 1980 All Clear RCA promo $25 • Beatles Monthlies issues 1-43 & 47-54$3 ea.
(inc. 6 rare unrel. cuts) PS $8 : Boulders Vol. II $7.50 :
• Todd Ballad of Todd (Dutch) $12 • Movie Posters
Eno Baby's On Fire PS $4
David Bowie Memory of a Free Festival : Todd Runt (Dutch) $12 : David Bowie The Man Who Fell to Earth $7
Sex Pistols Very Best of (incl. 2 unre- Yes Y essongs $7
Parts 1 & 2 PS $4 : :
• leased tracks) Japanese Rockers (w/Peter Tosh, Junior Murvin,
Elvis Costello New Amsterdam + 3 $15 •
$6 : N.Y. Dolls 1st LP Dutch $12 : etc.) $7
EP UK PS $4 pie disc
e N.Y.DollsTooMuchTooSoonJap. $15 • Rocky Horror Show $7
Zappa (early) Ned & Nelda/Baby
$3 : Just a Gigolo so~dtrack German $8.98 : Roadie (w/Debbie Harry, Meatloaf,
Ray & Ferns EP
• The Who My Generation UK (reissue w/ : Alice Cooper) $7
Richard HeWNeon Boys Love Comes
$3 : I'm a Man. great orig. cover) $8.98 • Pink Floyd $7
in Spurts plus 3 EP E.L.P. Rock 'n' Roll Your Eyes
: Talking Heads Cities/Cities & Artists : $7
Police Six Pack (set of six UK 45s
e Only(bothlive)UKPS $5.98 • No Nukes $7
with PS) $25
J1mi Hendrix 6-pack (set of 6 UK 45s) $15 : Black Sabbath Live at Last UK $8.98 : Min. Orders $6. Money order, or check, (held /or clear-
• SVT Extended Play (12" w/seven • ance). Overseas · cash (US currency) or lMO's only. NO
David Bowie All the Young Dudes/Bomb- BANIC DRAFTS. Postage S2/order (US). $3/order (Canada).
ers (vers. 2)/1984-You Didn't Hear It : cuts) PS $5.98 : Overseas $3/LP (air). 45 's-S2 for first. .75 each add'I.
From Me PS $4 : Pebbles Vols. 9 and 10 $7.98 each :
.. Please PRINT a.EARLY fuJl name and address on all or-
ders. Want Usts welcome .

TROUSER PRESS/January 1981 47

 is "serious" pop ala Steely Dan: catchy but
not obvious .
Those not receptive in the first place may
.. sQ\Ji\Rf .
\\Mt-~ : .4103
·o R~-l .
Samplers on find Murray overly detached. Becau e she's
so poi ed, he tends to glide along the sur-
face of too-compatible material. "Judge-
R~
s·o\
.. H .:.pi,:Ofl(
r ;,• Boosters.ot ,r\ c·"-
1

(\ JK) Bratn
...
. ·N O '"" .0
/ / Parade ment Day," for example, eems to convey
fear or desperation, but Murray's even per-
formance leave it up in the air. Hannett and
1:~ ~,. ·\\'· i:w,
· .. \\0
.. Hopkins are equally enamored of creating
~o•\ . o\\l\Of .. . JOHN'? flawless soundscapes and letting plenty of
\\~_,) \0\ /\l . Al"'S Al,L I HIS, I· 064-45993 chances for excitement pa s by. When Mur-
\ll-' WH . . I / Electro a
ray come down off her pede tal, however,
((~crman) t .M HOMEGROWN AtBUM VOL II sparks fly. "European Eyes" 's muddy pro-
(Canada) Basement BASE6002 Q I07 duction and excellent rhythm section threaten
to drown her out , and she responds with a
dynamic, impa sioned display that is easily
Lately it seems that each day's mail -listener well-known UK bands who the album's high point.
brings a new batch of collection rec- might otherwise have gone unheard. No one involved in this record ha done a
ords. Wonderful! The more the mer- Cockney Rejects, Toyah Wilcox, the bad job, if craft be the yardstick. But once
rier. This month's selection is a dis- Flys and Punishment of Luxury have all you've heard the tempest of "European
parate batch, ranging from real good to released albums, yet are fairly unknown Eyes" and sensed the possibilitie , it'. hard
real bad. They also have distinctly dif- outside their native country. Wire, Fisch- to settle for mere competence. -Jon Young
ferent reasons for being . er-Z, Gang of Four and Electric Chairs
Times Square, for instance, cashes in have issued records and toured in the COMSAT ANGELS
on Robert Stigwood's entrance into new US, but don't quite hog headlines. The Waiting for a Miracle
wave filmdom. Typical of the genre, Motels are defunct, the Buzzcocks are Polydor 2383 578
this double album contains full-length still on the rise, and the Shirts are, well, Roll over Gang of Four, and tell Wire the
versions of incidental (mostly) music the Shirts. The only surprise guests here news! While those two bands' moody intro-
used in the film. As such, it benefits are the Monks, actually ex-Strawbs version might seem to be more an aberra-
from having little to do with the movie . Hudson/Ford in punk disguise, with a tion than a style, the Comsat Angel ' stimu-
The few novel track include the Pre- poppy bit of nonsense called "Johnny lating debut holds out hope that such stark
tenders' "Talk of the Town," previous- B. Rotten." The Electric Chairs offer a rock beauty can jell into a valid tradition.
ly unreleased in the US; XTC's new French-language version of "Waiting Hailing from Sheffield, the Angels start
"Take This Town"; and a not-so-fabu- for the Marines" with a vocalist who with Wire's personal stance (minus some of
lous David Johansen duet with the . isn't Wayne County; the backing track the obscurity), and add Gang of Four's
film's star Robin Johnson. Not as unu- is identical to the version on County's straightforward urgency (minus much of
sual but interesting nonetheless are well- Things Your Mother Never Told You the politics). As this quartet juggles the sim-
chosen tracks by the Cure, Roxy Music, album. Otherwise, these are all album plistic and the selfconscious, they create
Joe Jackson, Gary Numan, Patti Smith tracks, and generally good ones. evocative mood pieces that resonate and in-
Group, Ramone , Talking Heads, Ruts, Brain Boosters, Portsmouth, En- sinuate long after the record stop .
Lou Reed, D.L. Byron and Suzi Quatro . gland's own label , has released South The Comsat Angels' sound is disarmingly
Also in attendance are Marcy Levy and Specific, a home-brew compilation rec- simple. Mic Glaisher's elementary drum
Robin Gibb, Garland Jeffreys and Des- ord featuring eight local bands. This un - bashing sets up a solid pulse that would be
mond Child, as well as a couple more assuming package delivers interesting maddening if it weren't so graceful. Key-
Robin Johnson numbers. The good music that would otherwise not have boards and guitar do little more than em-
stuff more than atones for the bad. made it onto vinyl. Ingredients : the bellish the clockwork rhythm section, but
Band'its, clever title and all, is a col- Devolike Renaldo and the Loaf, Toxico- the Comsat Angels distinguish them elves
lection of (mostly) previously unreleased mane' s femme pop, the Piranhalike from other brainy art-rockers by relying
cuts (with a few exceptions) by minor- spunk of the Nice Boys, the musically heavily on vocals. Guitarist Steve Fellows'
league bands associated with London's diverse Dance Attack(x), Anna Blum's singing is unforgettably expressive-pro-
101 Club. There's little consistency and heavy pomp, and a couple of other out- foundly weary one moment, tentative and
only a few real winners among the fits who distinguish themselve to a hostile the next. Whether he's dealing in
dozen. The thinking behind this project lesser degree. A very nice surpri e. pseudo-literary allusions or wistful confes-
seems shaky at best. (A forthcoming The final entry comes from Toronto sions, Fellows injects the group's tea ing
live 101 disc will at least contain new re- through the combined work of Attic melodic fragments with a comprehensible
cordings.) Some of the familiar names Records and radio station Q107 , who sensibility. Anxiety surfaces more often
and sounds include Holly and the Ital- gathered 200 tapes from area bands and than is healthy, but Fellows usually man-
ians' "Chapel of Love" B-side, the whittled them down to a dozen. A high ages to create the illusion that you're eaves-
Comsat Angels' " Independence Day" percentage of listenable and competent dropping on a real live person-even when
(also on the domestic Made in Britain material indicates the Toronto scene you're not sure what he's talking about.
LP), the Piranhas' "Yap Yap Yap" and must be a pretty lively one. Some of the Sometimes he's so believable it's em bar-
the Hit Men's "She's All Mine" (pre- better cuts are by the Flaming O's, Trixie rassing.
CBS). The only pleasant surprises Goes Hollywood, the Mike Fleming Waiting for a Miracle is proof of how
among the lesser-known bands come Band, Rax Chanibelt and Popular much rock has changed and broadened.
from the V.I.P.'s ("Causing Complica- Spies . There's nothing overwhelmingly The "weighty" concerns-romance, aliena-
tions," produced by Mike Leander) and original, and a lot isn't even vaguely tion-are the same as in the good old day ,
the Electric Eels ("Thoroughly Modem"). new wavey or hip, but the music is but the presentation has changed signifi-
The German What 's This All About, goodnatured and well-played. So what's cantly. If there were more new bands like
John? adds little to existing recordings, not to like? this, nostalgia wouldn't be necessary.
but offers the Teutonic-and American - Terry Rompers PS: Four Angel cuts are featured on Pol-
ydor's reasonably-priced domestic compila-
tion Made in Britain. -Jon Young
48 TROUSER PRESS/January 1981
 ~
ctors' ~zine
Regular readers of this magazine probably are
aware that, for two years, Trouser Press has had
a sister publication for vinyl junkies: Trouser
Press Collectors' Magazine. Created for fans of
rare, historical, and valuable vinyl, each issue
delivers well-researched collector-oriented articles,
discographies, lists of new UK 45s, and page after
page of auction/set sale/trade/want listings from
all over the world.
Past issues have featured career histories of
such bands as the Doors, Yardbirds and
Remains, as well as interviews with su·ch notables
as Tony Stratton-Smith of Charisma Records,
Richard ~ranson of Virgin, Stones' producer
Jimmy Miller, and Lenny Kaye. Also covered are
special subjects like colored vinyl and pie discs.
If you haven't seen an issue of T.P.C.M.
recently, you should know that things have
changed a lot-there's a new editor, a redesigned
look, and new columns and features that will
make T.P.C.M. more informative and interesting.
Also, T.P.C.M. is now available by First Class
mail for almost-instant delivery. Don't you think
it's time you started getting T.P.C.M.?

I -------------------~-------
Send to T.P.C.M. , PO Box 2450, Gr.and Central Stn., NYC, NY 10163.

I
I OK-count me in! I enclose:
0$5 for a one year (six issues) domestic sub
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0$10 for a one year foreign sub by airmail
I
I Name_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
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I
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I I

I 02

l---------~-------------~---1 TROUSER PRESS/January 1981 49

 to tape-based composition along the line of
..,l RF -\CI· '\01..,l·./Conlinm·d from page<, Ol I l'R 1.1\111.., C'ontimll'll from 11.1gl' .io his earlier work.
of the EngHsh rock media. You couldn't much a fortunate accident as anything. Who knows-maybe someday Steve Reich
switch from artist to critic (and back) and Originally recorded for the classical and Musicians will invade your favorite bi -
till be trusted. Others experienced the same Deutsche Grammophon label, it was leased tro. You definitely won't pogo, or even
problem. Charles Shaar Murray did both, to jazz-oriented ECM over Reich's initial re- boogie, but fading away and radiating never
but under two different names. Lenny Kaye sounded better. ■
sistance (he doesn't consider himself a jazz
gave up criticism. Nick Kent never quite got musician). What eventually convinced him
his rock act off the ground, despite having to "cross over" was his personal experience
been in on the formation of both the Sex as a contemporary composer; had Music
Pistols and the Damned . Chrissie Hynde been released on Deutsche Grammophon, STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGE·
old her typewriter to Julie Burchill and be- the company would merely give it a serial MENT AND CIRCULATION
came a big star. number, press a nominal number of copies, (Requ ired by 39 U.S.C. 3685)
The crash came around 1978/79. Amid and just maybe keep it in print. 1. Title of publication: Trouser Press.
panic and confu ion, corporations axed acts "Going to ECM suddenly meant going to 2. Date of filing: September 26, 1980.
3. Frequency of issue: Monthly.
·and conducted blood purges among their a company that would help me get into the 3a. No. of issues published annually: Twelve.
employees. When the dust settled we had an Bottom Line, advertise the record , put an ad 3b. Annual subscription price: $12.00.
industry that could encompass both Charlie in Rolling Stone, send me around the coun- 4. Location of known office of publication:
Daniels and Lydia Lunch, but it now told us try to meet members of the press .... 11 He 212 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10010.
5. Locat ion of headquarters or general
it had run out of money. On the other side of sounds incredulous. To date, the record has business offices of the publisher. 212 Fifth
the footlights was increasing fan lunacy that sold about 35,000 copies worldwide . "For a Ave., New York, NY 10010.
trampled people to death for a good look at rock record, that's not much. For new 6. Publisher: Ira A. Robbins, 212 Fifth Ave.,
the Who or destroyed a Black Sabbath show music, that's astronomical. It's unheard of. New York, NY 10010; Editorial Director: Ira A.
when it didn't like what the band was play- Ifit had been marketed on a classical label , it Robbins, 212 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10010·
Editor. Scott Isler, Room 1310, 212 Fifth Ave.,
ing. would have had very little impact. 11 New York, NY 10010.
All this is the basis of the unease I talked Impact or no, Reich is still hard at work 7. Owner: Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press,
about at the start of this column. I have putting his music on paper. He is currently Inc., 212 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10010.
traveled a long road with rock and right now laboring on a piece entitled "Tehilleem 11 Stockholders holding or owning 1 percent or
more of total amount of stock: Ira A. Rob•
it sure seems to be at a crossroads. For the (Hebrew for "psalms"), for women's voices bins, 212 Fifth Ave., NYC, NY 10010; James
first time in my life I wonder if it really does and tuned percussion; it grew out of his Green, Rm. 1310, 212 Fifth Ave., NYC, NY
have a future. Which way it will go is any- studies of Hebrew chanting of scriptures. 10010; Dave Schulps, Rm. 1310, 212 Fifth
one's guess. ■ Reich notes with bemused irony that the Ave. , NYC, NY 10010; Scott Isler, Rm . 1310,
212 Fifth Ave., NYC, NY 10010; Susan
piece was commissioned by several German Weiner, Rm. 1310, 212 Fifth Ave., NYC, NY
Next month: Some guesses groups. Also in the planning stage is a return 10010; Karen Rose, Rm. 1310, 212 Fifth Ave.,
NYC, NY 10010.
8. Known bondholders, mortgagees, and
other security holders owning or holding 1
percent or more of total amount of bonds,
mortgages, or other securities: None.

ATTENTION RETAILERS: 10. Extent and nature of circulation (Aver-

age no. copies each issue during preceding
12 months): A. Total no. copies printed (net
press run): 47,881 . 8. Paid circulation 1. Sales
With the recession hitting the record business through dealers and carriers, street vendors
and counter sales: 32,117. 2. Mail subscrip-
tions: 3182. C. Total paid circulation (sum of
harder than most, you may be considen'ng car- 1081 and 1082): 35,299. D. Free distribution
by mail , carrier or other means/samples,
rj,ing_ related items in your store(s). If that's the complimentary, and other free copies: 631 . E.
Total Distribution (sum of C and D): 35,930. F.
Copies not distributed 1. Office use, left
ca,se, Trouser Press may be just what the ac- over, unaccounted, spoiled after printing:
873. 2. Returns from news agents: 11 ,078. G.
countant ordered! Total (sum of E, F1 and 2-should equal net
press run shown in A): 47,881 .
(Actual no. copies of single Issue pub-
Trouser Press requires little display space, lished nearest to filing date (A. Total no. cop-
ies printed (net press run): 50,973. 8. Paid clr-
increases traffic, and aids in the sale of new rec- culatlon1 . Sales through dealers and carriers,
street vendors and counter sales: 34,138. 2.
Mail subscriptions: 3630. C. Total paid circula•
ords, thanks to the 100-plus reviews in ea,ch issue. tlon (sum of 1081 and 1;82): 37,768. D. Free
distribution by mail , carrier or other means/
Free display racks and easy terms make it samples, complimentary, and other free copies:
657. E. Total distribution (sum of C and D):
38,425. F. Coples not distributed 1. Office use,
not only profitable to carry Trouser Press, left over, unaccounted, spoiled atter printing:
451. 2. Returns from news agents: 12,097. G.
but also trouble-free. Total (sum of E. F1 and 2-should equal net
press.run shown in A): 50,973.
11 . I certify that the statements made by
me above are ~orrect and complete. Signed,
Call David Fenichell at 212-889-7145 or Ira A. Robbins, publisher.
12. For completion by publishers mailing
at the regular rates (section 132.121 , Postal
write Trouser Press, 212 Fifth Ave., Service Manual). In accordance with the pro-
visions of USC 3626, I hereby request permis-
New York, NY 10010. sion to mail the publication named in Item 1
at the phased postage rates presently auth-
orized by 39 USC 3626. Signed, Ira A. Rob-
bins, publisher.

50 TROUSER PRESS/January 1981

 IF IT AIN 'T STIFF
IT AIN'T WORTH A FUCK
(in black or white)
FUCK ART LET'S DANCE
STIFF WORLD TOUR 1980
WE CAME, WE SAW, WE LEFT
(artist list on rear)
STIFF ROUND LOGO
SEX & DRUGS & ROCK & ROLL
(with Stiff logo)

In black, specify size, S-M-L-XL

$7.00 ea. 2 for $13.00
(incl. 75¢ postage & handling)
Send check or money order to:
STIFF TEE'S
157 West 57th Street, New York, N.Y. 10019

Limited Sclltloft

"~l't."°+ ~ . ••.so
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wiH\ audiJhone,; bcitt1e t,9Ht
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TRANSFIX ION WAIT-IN

TROUSER PRESS/January 1981 51

 l-t(tra/v\an- in Surf Ui(la
.J 6mTMI If you've released a record, or
if you're just considering it, you
should know that Trouser Press
offers special bargain rates for
bands releasing their own
records. An ad in TP reaches
••• fans who are openminded about
indie releases, and who should
•• know about yours. If you'd like
•• an information package detailing
•• all the rates and sizes etc., all
•• you have to do is write us for it .
•
••• There won't be a salesman to
bother you, and there is no obli-
•• gation at all .
••• If you're interested in giving
• your record some real. good
!• exposure, there's no better deal
than ours. Get in touch!
•:
New Rooter 45/Send $2.50 ($3 for color vinyl) to: ROOTERS,
34 N. Maple St., Woodbury, NJ 08096.
Trouser Press Band-Aids

::••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
212 Fifth Ave./NYC NY 10010
.
: : .·.

Tremor Records, 403 Forest, Royal Oak, Ml. 48067

52 TROUSER PRESS/January 1981

 ~~~-
1/J,---' o---
-\ -
~
-~ l .

~ ~ ~ - ~ ~ ' / : ) , 0 bl◊/
1//
-::- Skonking Towards Happiness -::1 sizer drone with buzzing, amelodic g~itar al-
most reminiscent of the Psychedelic Furs.
~ J~: "S!"" Iti!~. Now" b/w "Psycho"
+ Flectnc Thud Rail -Subterranean Sub4 .
. The Off~: "My, Wo rld " b~w "You Fas- This is far less boring than what I'd come to The Jars' Farsisa-laced po;"erpop is a ?ice
cmate Me. -~ax s Kansas Cit~ MKC-lOOJ. expect from Tuxedomoon, particularly after change from Subterranean s other offerings
~
, San Francisco s Offs ~ere playing ka when the tedious No. 1 EP. this month. All three of their tunes ar~ neat
most bands were trymg to figure out the , MX-80 Sound: "O-Type (pt. 1)" b/w "0- examples of Nuggets-era garage-band raunch,
chords to '_'New ~ose." Now they've ~ome Type (pt. 2)"-Ralph MX-8055-S-B. "0- with "Psycho" and "Start Rite Now" out-
thr?ugh with _ their be t-an~ most hght- Type" purports to be from the soundtrack standing. Not the most original thing in the
we1ght-offenng. ~et. Gone 1s the heavy- of an upcoming movie; it must be a horror world, but it won't hurt either.
h~ded, _very Br~~ish punk / r.~~ae feel of film. The music is noisy, aggre sive in a sin- Bay of Pigs: "Addiction" b/w "Aliens"
their earlier 45s. My W_orl d is a bou~cy ister sort of wa,y, and plodding. It doesn't - ubterranean SubS. BOP's weirdness
ska tune ~hat smac~s neither of emulation really have a beginning, middle or end; the seems a bit affected, but they're entertain-
nor t~endmess, unlike nearly . every 0th er fade-ins and fade-outs could be entirely ran- ing . Bass and drums power the songs, with
American ska 45 to date. It easily equals (or dom choices on the engineer's part. Guitars lots of bizarre guitar, percussion and vocals
betters) any of the offhand work of th e U.K. wail and roar over a hesitant beat and occa- on top. The band ha ome interesting rhyth-
2-Toner · "You Fascinat~ Me" is fine, al o; sional vocal. Cohesive and even attractive; I mic ideas-the B-side's jungle beat is amus-
slick but loose funk, easily as danceable as wi h I knew why. ing-but overall leaves something to be de-
the A-side and just as bright musically. Yello: "Bimbo" b/w "I.T. Splash"- sired. (Subterranean Records, 912 Bancroft
(Max's Kansas City Records, 213 Park Ave. Ralph YL-8058-S-A. Ralph's newest artists Way, Berkeley, CA 94710.)
South, New York, NY 10003 .) provide the most accessible record of the Odds and Ends
Twin/Tone Revival bunch. "Bimbo" is busy synth-funk - too
bu y for it thin content. The st raight-ahead Impatient Youth (Six-song EP, no name
The Overtones: "Red Checker Wagon " "1.T. Splash" is le s contrived. Instead of or label info). Impatient Youth plays simple
b/w "Surfer's Holiday" + "The Calhoun MX-80 or Tuxedomoon's conceptual arti- but sensitive pop, like a more basic Shoes or
Surf"-Twin/Tone TTR8018. Surf music ne s, Yello opts for Snakefinger's mutated Richard Lloyd . The first side of this 7-inch
from Minneapolis? These swi ngin' sides will pop. This i the most cloying of the three 33 ½ disc-"Definition Empty," "Working
make you want to jump into your woody Ralph discs, but at least it's upbeat. (Ralph Girl" and "Wasted Life"-is solid punk
and head straight out into the Twin City traf- Records, 444 Grove St., San Francisco, CA pop; the second side's three tunes aren't bad
fic. Doug Amis penned two of thi disc's 94102.) either. Definitely this month 's most promi -
three tunes, and he clearly know what ing record. (Billy Martin, 226 Woodrow,
makes up a good '60s surf-pop ong. "Red Not More Records from San Francisco! Vallejo, CA 94590.)
Checker Wagon" could hold its own in any Tools: "Hard Work" b/w "The Road You've got to figure that Cinecyde would
Jan and Dean/ Beach Boys segue; "The Cal- Forever"-Subterrane an Sub6. With Amer- want to cover roughly the same musical
houn Surf" is. a surf instrumental that's ac- ica turning towards the right, punk threatens ground. ("Tough Girls" b/w "You're Drag-
tually original! Let's hope there's more from to become the protest music of the '80s. ging Me Down," Tremor TR0IO) works as
where this came from. After Toxic Reason's "I Don't Wanna Be both pop and punk. The band's tough
Curtjss A: "Afraid" b/w "Lycanthropy No War Hero" (America Underground, TP veneer places them somewhere between the
(Larry Talbot's Disease)" -Twin /To ne 55) come the Tool , who employ violent '76- Dickies and Wreckless Eric. They seem to
TTR8019. Curti s A's latest is another sear- era punk rock to vent anti-war sentiments in have improved now that they no longer play
ing, twisted rocker: whizzing guitars (some "Hard Work." And it works: The music at 90 m .p.h . (Tremor Records, 403 Forrest,
from a couple of old Suicide Commandos) sounds like revved-up Professionals, and the Royal Oak, MI 48067.)
dart all over the place, anchored by booming lyrics are too unintelligible to be embarrass- And then there's always Blotto. It's easy
bass and drums. Thin production keeps this ing. The B-side has more of a melody, even to dislike this band , considering all the sup-
45 from being the aural blitzkrieg it should sounding suspiciously like a Mamas and port and publicity they've received over
be, but both songs and band are superlative. Papa update. l per onally respect any band other (perhaps more deserving) underground
Curtiss continues to write distinctive, ham - that play music fast and loud enough to kill groups. But they actually happen to be fairly
mering ditties not quite like anyone else's- small animals, yet manages to be appealing entertaining, even if they're not cool. Blotto's
maybe better production and pressing next and somewhat tuneful. second EP (Across and Down, Blotto 002) is
time can bring out all he has to offer . A gold Society Dogs: "Working Class People" silly, diverting pop that holds together quite
star to the B-side for best title of the month. b/ w "Bad Dreams"-Subterrane an Sub2. well. All four song are worthwhile to some
(fwin/Tone Records, 445 Oliver Ave. South, Society Dog's music isn't as powerful as degree or. another, from the pseudo ska/reg-
Minneapolis, MN 55405.) labelmates the Tools'. The catch here are the gae of "Gimme the Girl" to the put-on punk
Is There a Ralph in Your Future? lyrics; "Working Class People" is an on-tar- of "H.S.H." Particularly noteworthy is the
get put-down of bleeding hearts who try to fine "She's Got a Big Boyfriend'.' (probably
Tuxedomoon: "Dark Companion" b/w sympathize with the poor but know they this EP's "Lifeguard") and the melodramat-
"59 to 1 Remix"-Ralph TX 8054-S-B. De- really can't. "Bad Dreams" is a more tradi- ic tearjerker, "My Baby's the Star of a
ceptively simple melody and rhythm hide a tional smash-'em-up, reminiscent of "Neat Driver's Ed Movie." As long as they put out
complex, layered structure on "Dark Com- Neat Neat." If it' good ol' punk adrenalin records like this, it's okay to like Blotto.
panion." T. Moon replaces its usual synthe- you're looking for, start here. (Blotto, Box 1786, Albany, NY 12201.) ■

TROUSER PRESS/January 1981 53

 I
Box836TP
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Madison Square Station I FAST, Cars Crash, PS $2.50
SCRUFFS, When Donna Romances $2.50
New York, NY 10010 I WILLIE "LOCO" ALEXANDER , Gin $2.50
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wt IIY Cl.lECTIIIS DAVID BOWIE, All the Young Dudes+ 2, PS $4
DAVID BOWIE, Memory bf a Free Festival , PS $4
4Ss: All items new and as priced. * Reissue DAVID BOWIE, Alabama Song Spanish PS $7
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I
 I
I IMPLOG, Holland Tunnel Drive (w . D. Christensen of Contorti ons) $4 .50

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PROUDLY ANNOUNCES
THE DEBUT OF ~

'little Ricky" Records &

1<i
ITS LOADED!
THE
ZANTEE S
ROCKIN' IN THE HOUSE
$3 .25 ppd . • } ' • $4 .00 overseas

MORNIN ' LIGHT

'i\s good as any rock & roll classics of

w/WhiteBo y Rock any era" -N.Y. Rocker

"They alone sound like they're simply
playing the only kind of music they
think worth playing- not a pose in

DONN Y FURY SEND $2.50 FOR SINGLE TO

sight" -Ira Kaplan, Soho News
"No band, rockabilly or otherwise , has
been able to achieve this original
energy and sound better than these
C. CEE 18 SPRING ST., NYC 10012 people " -Goldmine
 I
I
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I
The S pectres
iJk. The y comd ~ o e oa~ tage s hav -
play ing =·=t::. Tak.e .Me·
.
,ng a I fne ol um
mus ic they love w~
·th tota lly unp re-
ntio us ferv or. Sing~r
Bill Tor y
..
Che ap Trick by any oth er nam
te des the cha rism atic - e
coo l as o wou ld be the Hor ny Bull . The
exu . he Brit i h mo d era, ban d wa et to tou r mall mid
dat ed w1tdh \ike a cros s betw -
and oun een we tern club . in early Oct obe
dd Gar - r to
Joh n Ent wi tie a~d o~: :tu; e help bre ak in new ba si t Pet
e Co-
l rity . The gro up a e
b ba i t who cha ng his hat and
a jum · mit a, but called it off when
thei r
I d
iden tity bec ame widely kno wn.
The Shades I
o
glas e
afte r eac h num ber an
tom ps aro un rI ke an elep han t in
d
. How eve r, on Oct obe r 21 they
lipp ed quie tly into Ma di. on,
Alt ho ugh alm ost any nig ht
New Yor k's Hur rah loo k like
Hal low een , this one actuaJly
at

wa ,
I hea t.
You hav e to a
a son g (
"It Pay
.
s
dmi re a ban d with
to Be Coo .
\")
s "Jer -rY Lei ber /
Wi scon sin und er the au pice
ano ther Ken Ada man y-m ana
ban d, Tak e Me.
Again the wor d got out . At
s of
ged

and the ban d had to com pete w~o she re\frS~~\~~~• Cat ch the five
eve n Mi-c ae p.m ., road ie beg an unl oad ing
har der than u ual with the aud
i- Sha des if you can . Che ap Tric k' wel l-id enti fied
enc e for a bit of the spo tlig ht. Dave Sch ulp
The y equ ipm ent on the . tree t, incl
de erved bett er. The Spe ctre udin g
s, 50 pou nd. of gui tar pick . By
Glen Ma tloc k' late. t out fit, nine
p.m ., the sma ll Hea dlin ers club
played thei r hea rts out to a cro
that did n't seem to care , bein
wd Stiff wa jam med . The cha rmi ng
if
mor e inte re i.ed in par adin g
g Little sug ary Tak e Me ope ned with
a long
in cos tum e than Ii teni ng to
abo ut
the Fingers et of cov ers, dra win g from Tom
my Jam e , the Ra pbe rrie s and
-
ban d .
d like Stif f Litt le Fin ger even the Beatie . The y are a
Wh at tho e who did wat ch the tale nt-
Ban s d to ex.i t any mor e. ed pop ban d but the sing er and
tage aw wa a ban d with terr are n't sup po e
ific hav e regr e sed lack of orig inal mat eria l wor
pote ntia l. Ma tloc k ha cred enti •
0 ng1 ·nal pun kste r . k
als d eith er way \ea mg again t them .
as son gwr iter and bas ist , but he or prog'.e~ e '
is itm ent and Fol low ing a hor t inte rmi . ion
al o a natu ral fron t man , con ,
fide nt thei r or~ g;~ d~ 0;'~ ern thra Che ap Tri k roa red into two
and che erfu l, and a fine lead I h
sing er sou nd .e h 'Co ckn ey Rej leng thy . et . Com ita was aura
who will pro bab ly get eve n bett ban ds like t e ect , lly
er S ·mu lato rs are too elf- indi tingui hab le from pred
with tim e. Hi upp orti ng cas Cra ss_or u eces or
t- not to be suspect. Tom Pet erso n. Gui tari t Ric
guit aris t Dan ny Kus tow , key consciously ~unkY talgic nor k iel-
boa rd too sen , as u ual, wa the focu
play er Ma rk Am bler (bo th from SLF is neit her no of at-
. \y tent ion , jerk ing and twit chin
the form er Tom Rob inso n Ban high ly evo \ve ' d· they are s1m p g
d), fero ciou \y ince • ene r- mad ly aero s the !age. Sin ger
Art hur Col lins on ax and re,
SL~ , a \ati\e fou r-pi ece fro: n Rob in Zan der loo ked bewilde
dru mm er Gra eme Pot ter -i red
, on a geu c and vo 1 d tha t blew as he trug gled lo be hea rd ove
pur ely musical level, the be aud1- r
t ban d orth ern Ire an rt at bot h Trax. iel en's oni c atta ck. The volu
Ma tloc k has had yet. ences and sta_ges apa y k Fro me
m incr ea ed thro ugh out the per
Wh at set the Spe ctre s apa rt
from the Rich Kids, Ma tloc
k's pre-
and the Ritz. in N~w
the ope nin g cho ~e :ou rem
f~: .obo dy' s anc e, which beg an with a slick
ion of "Ar e You Rea dy to Roc
form -
ver-
vious atte mp t at a pop -roc k emb er k"
ban d, Her o," they ma · · The y and mov ed thro ugh most of
are Collin and Pot ter. Col lin why you love d pun kfm ~d1 ~fb hea p
eing Tric k' repe rtoi re, incl udin g
f "Ca li-
add s con side rabl e colo r to the are not or any oneda The ra1
ban forn ia Ma n" and a vaguely
ban d with a vari ety of axo pho tram pled or bas he . d cou n-
ne from gui- try- we tern ver ion of "Ta ke
(sop ran o to bar iton e). Pot ier' mem ber s lead the w~y, usic Me
al\y I'm Your . " ·
tead y, spa re dru mm ing is a . Hen ry Clu ney s m
perf ect tans~ . d ·nin g and thra shin . BY the middle of the con cert the
sett ing for Col lins 's and Kus precise ~in mi Bur n 's gru g sou nd leve l- et for a hall rath
tow ' ff teno r
mu ical nigh ts. The latt er is er
not to voc ah t Jak e b o\u te com mit - than a clu b-w a. alm o t unb
only a fine play er but acts a ear-
\ . Theirs i anand a s able , and ;n uch of the mu sic
foil for Ma tloc k. Kus tow 's clic
visual yep inte n ity, an d col-
hed men t to ene rgy ·f the fate of lap ed into metallic fuzz. . Eve
guit ari t po e. and facial con they play every not e a i_ n
tor- Zan der ' voice was clip ping
tion s seem so earn est that one \d dep end ed on it. . notice-
the wor de per ate pas sion ably on the loud spe ake rs. Dur
dou bt bot h his san ity and ing
erio u - The sam e . the K ,, the eco nd et they intr odu ced
ness. Given a little mor e tim spa rke d "An arc hJ 1:,, and son g fr m the new LP, but
e to "in the ,
dev elop , the Spe ctre cou ld "Cl ash City Roe er aga in t the din the new mat eria
do and l
grea t thin gs inde ed. Wh ere' Cit y." SLF ' leap s, urg ;~~ h sou nde d muc h like the old ,
the in a

1I
albu m? rath er
Nearly a goo d as the Spe ctre
pow er rejuvenatefd m\rs pas
· me may ee e. You than the bre akth rou gh it' tou
to be .
ted
mus ic .0 . S . ff Litt le Fin ger
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 All 45's, 7" & 12" E.P.'s have COUNTRY (A) Australia (G)Germany
(8) Belgium (HI Holland
picture sleeves CODES:
(C) Canada (I) Italy
unless noted by an • (DI Domestic (I) Japan
P.O. Box 607-B Carrboro, NC 27510 USA (Fl France (UK) England

ALBUMS 7" 4S's 7" E.P.'s

AC/DC - Dirty Deeds Done Cheap. (A) $9.35 THE BEATLES - Helter Skelter/ Go t To Get You lntoMy life (I) THE BEATLES - Paperback W ri ter/ W e Can Work It Out/ Day
AC/DC- T.N .T. (A) $9.35 $3.95 Tripper/ Norwegian Wood. (A) $3.95
THE ATTRACTIONS- Mad About The Wrong Boy. Contains BLONDIE - Union City Blue/ livi ng In The Rea l World. (U K) THE BEATLES - Help/ She's A Woman/Ticket To Ride/ I Feel
free 7• EP. (UK) $10.15 S3.00 Fine. (A ) $3.95
THE IEAnES- Hear The Beatles Tell All. Interview LP on Vee BLONDIE - Kidnapper/ Cautious lip. (I ) $3.95 THE BEATLES - Yesterday/ Its Only love/ You like Me Too
Jay. (D) $-4.85 BLONDIE - Sunday Girl / I Know But I Don ' t Know. (I) $3.95 Much/ Dizzy M iss Li zzy. (A) $3.95
THEIEARES - Beatles No. 5. (I) $13.-40 BLONDIE - Heart Of Glass/ Rifl e Range. (I ) $3.95 THE BEATLES - No Reply/ I'm A loser/ Words Of love/Eight
THE IEARES- Greatest Hits, Vol. I (1963-64). (A) $8.75 BLONDIE - Drea mi ng/ living In The Rea l World . (I) $3.95 Days A Week. (A) $3.95
THE IEAnES- Greatest Hits, Vol. II (1963-65) . ((A) $8.75 BLONDIE - Call M e/Call M e (instrumental ). (U K) $3.00 THE BEATLES - Slow Down/ M atchbox/ Till Th ere Was You/ I
THE BEATLES- For Sale. (A) $8.75 DAVID BOWIE - Ashes To Ashes/ M ove On (U K) $3.00 Wanna Be Your Man. (A ) $3.95
THEIEARES-With The Beatles. (A) $8.75 DAVID BOWIE - Young America ns/ Suffragell e City (live THE BEATLES - Sh e l oves You/ I Want To Hold Your Hand/
THE IEARES- The Essential Beatles. (A) $8.55 version ). (I) S3.95 Roll O ver Beethove n/ Can ' t Buy M e love. (A) $3.95
ILACK SAIIATH - live At last. (UK) $12.20 DAVID BOWIE - Starman/ Suffragette Cit y. (I) S3 .95 BEATLES - Pape rback Writer/ Norweg ian Wood/ We Can
DAVIE IOWIE - Davie Bowie Special. 2 LP anthology. (I) DAVID BOWIE - Boys Keep Swin gi ng/ Fantastic Vo yage. (G) Work It Out/ Drive M y Car. W / lyri c sheet. (I) $4 .15
$23.25 $3 .00 BEATLES - Yellow Sumbarine/Tax man/ Here. There And
JAMES BROWN - live And lowdown At The Apollo, Vol. 1 KATE BUSH - Babooshk a/ Ran Tan Walt z. (U K) $3.00 Everywhere/ An Your Bird Can Si ng. W / lyric sheet. (I )
(D) $6.30 JOE KINC CARRASCO - Buena/Tuff Enuff (U K) S3.00 $4.15
JAMES BROWN - Solid Gold: 30 Golden Hits/21 Golden CARLENE CARTER (w / Dave Edmunds) - Baby Ride Easy/Too BEATLES - Help/Ticket To Ride/ I'm Down/ D izzy Miss Lizzy.
Years. 2LPset. (UK) $12.10 Bad About Sandy (U K) $3.00 W / lyric sheet. (I) $4.15
ALEX CHILTON - One Day In New York. (I) $12.95 THE CLASH - The Clash Singles Box Set. 8 4S's w / orig. U K BEATLES - Bad Boy/ Strawberry Fields Forever/ Penny l ane/
THE CLASH - Pearl Harbor '79. Japanese release of 1st Clash Picture sleeves. (I) $35.25
Good Day Sunshine. W / lyri c sheet. (I) $4.15
LP. Contains free 45. (I) $15.50 THE CLASH - Bankrobber/Rockers Galore ... UK Tour (w / M . THE BEATLES - long Tall Sa lly/ M atchbox/ I Feel Fine/ Slow
DAVE EDMUNDS- Subtle As A Flying Mallet. (1975). (UK) Dread) (UK) S3.00
Dow n. w/ lyric sheet. (I) $4.15
$7.25 CLASH - London Calling/ Armagideon Time(3 :49). (I) $3.95
DEAD KENNEDYS - Fresh Fru it For Rotting Vegetables (UK) ELVIS COSTELLO AND THE ATTRACTIONS - Radio Radio/ THE BEATLES - M agical Mystery Tour. 2 E.P. set w it h 24 page
$9.40 Tiny Steps. (U K) $3.00 booklet. (U K) $6.65
GENESIS- The Story Of Genesis. 2 LP anthology. (I) $23.95 DEYO - Jocko Homo/ Mongoloid. Gatefold sleeve. (UK) BLONDIE - Rip Her To Shreds/ In The Flesh/ X Offender. (I )
CRUPPO SPORTIVO - Back To 78. Has picture label. (H) $3.00 $4.75
$11 .60 DEYO - Girl You W ant/Turn Around . (U K) $3.00 CHEAP TRICK - O ver Th e Edge E.P. (I ) $4 .45
CEORCE HARRISON - Electronic Sound. Zapple/ Apple. (I ) DEYO - Satisfaction /U ncontrollable U rge. (I) $3.95 ELVIS COSTELLO - New Amsterd am/ Dr. Lut her's Assistant
$12.95 IAN OURY AND THE BLOCKHEADS - I Want To Be Straight/ (non-LP)/ Ghost Tra in (non -L P)/ Just A M emory (non-LP).
THE HEARTBREAKERS- live At Max 's Kansas City (D) $5.95 That's Not All (U K) $3.00 (U K) SJ.00
JIMI HENDRIX - War Heroes. (I) $14.25 FLEETWOOD MAC - Go Your Own W ay/ Silver Springs (non- FREE - The Free E.P. (A ) $3 .25
JIMI HENDRIX - Elect ric ladyland. 2 LP set . Diff. Cover. LP). (I) $3.95 THE JAM - Going U nderground. Doubl e disc set. (F) $7.20
graphics. (A ) $14.15 GENESIS - Misunderstanding/ Evidence Of Autumn (U K) TOMMY JAMES AND THE SHONDELLS - Mony M o ny/
JIMI HENDRIX - Band Of Gypsys. Has puppet cover. (A) $3.00 Crystal Bl ue Persuat ion/ I Th ink We're Alone Now/
$9.15 DAVID GILMOUR - Th ere's No Way Out Of Here/ Crimson and Clover. (U K) $3.00
JIMI HENDRIX - The Very Best Of ... (I) $13.40 Deafinit ely. (I) $3.00 THE KINKS - The Kings live E.P. (UK) $3.00
IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY - White Bird LP. (H ) $11 .90 JIMI HENDRIX - The Jimi Hendri x Ex peri ence Si ngles Pack. 6 THE KINKS - W aterloo Sunset/ David Watts/ A Well Re-
lrS A BEAUTIFUL DAY - Marrying Maiden. (H) $11.90 4S's. (U K) $16.00 spected Ma n/ Stop Your Sobbin '. (U K) $3.00
,rs A BEAUTIFUL DAY - At Carnegie Hall. live. (H ) $11 .90 JIMI HENDRIX - Purp le Ha ze/ Sl st Anni versary (rare 8-side) . THE MONKEES - I'm A Bel iever/ last Train To Clarksvi lle/
JOY DIVISION - Unknown Pleasures. (D ) $7.20 (I ) $3.95 Daydrea m Bel iever/ A Lillie Bit Me A little Bit You . (U K)
THE KINKS - The Village Green Preservation Society (U K) ICCY POP - loco Mosquito/Ta ke Care Of M e (U K) $3.00 $3.00
$9.40 JOE JACKSON BAND - Mad At You / Enou gh Is Not Enou gh CARY NUMAN - Complex/ M e, I Disconnect From You
THE KINKS - Kinks. 1st UK release. (U K) $8.75 (no n-LP) (U K) $3.00 (live)/ Bombers (live) (I) $3.95
THE MONKEES - Monkeemania : 40 Timeless Hits. 2 LP set. KLARK KENT - Rich In A Ditch/ Grandelinquent. GREEN PRETENDERS - Kid E.P. Kid / Stop Yo ur Sobbing/The Wa it. (A)
(A) $14.85 VI NYL. (U K) $3.00 $3.00
NEW YORK DOLLS- 1st LP. (H) $9.70 LED ZEPPELIN · Immi grant Song/ Hey , Hey . What Can I Doi PRETENDERS - Brass in Pocket/ Sw inging London/ Nervous
NEW YORK DOLLS - The Best Of .. . (I) $15.75 (non-LP). (I) $3.95 But Shy. (U K) $3 .00
NEW YORK DOLLS - Too Much Too Soon . (I) $11 .95 JOHN LENNON - Imagine/Work ing C lass Hero . (I) $3 .95 THE ROLLING STONES Pai nt It Black/ As Tears Go By/ Ruby
PEBBLES, VOL. 9: ORIGI NAL PUNK ROCK FROM THE JOHN LENNON · Stand By M e/Move O ver M S.l. (I) $3.95 Tuesday/ lady Jane (Russia) $8 .25
PSYCHEDELIC SIXTIES. 16 tracks. (0 ) $6.75 MX-80SOUND - 0 Type (Pt. 1)/ 0 Ty pe (Pt. 2) (DI $1 .95 THE ROLLING STONES - Tell M e/T ime Is On My Side/ Satis-
PEIILES, VOL. 10: ORIGI NAL PUNK ROCK FROM THE CRAHAM PARKER - St upefaction/Women In C harge (non - faction / l et's Spend The Night Together. Delu xe sleeve. (I )
PSYCHEDELIC SIXTIES. 16 tracks. (0 ) $6.75 LP). (U K) $3.00 $4.85
PINK FLOYD - Rel ics. Contains on-stage photos, lyrics, biog. TOM PITTY - Don ' t Do M e like that. Double single. 2 sides THE ROLLING STONES - Jumpin ' Ja ck Flash/ Honk y Tonk
intro. (I) $12.95 l ive. (U K) $3.40 W o men/ She's A Ra inbow/ l et It Bleed. Delu xe sleeve. (I)
PINK FLOYD - A Saucerful Of Secrets. (U K) $9.40 PINK FLOYD - One Of These Days/ Sea mus. (U K) $3.95 $4.85
PINK FLOYD - Animals. (I) $16.05 PINK FLOYD - Another Brick In Th e Wall , Part 2/One Of M y TRAFFIC - The Traffic E.P. (A) $3.25
PINK FLOYD - The Wall. 2 record set. (I ) $25.95 Turns. (U K) S3.00 XTC - Making Plans For N igel/ This Is Pop (live) / Are You
THE PLASMATICS - New Hope For The Wret ched. M U LTl - THE POLICE - Nothing Achieving/ Fallout (U K) $3.00 Receiving M el (live) . (I) $3.95
COLORED VINYL. (UK ) $9.40 THE POLICE · M essage In A Bo11le/ l andlord. (I) $3 .95
THE PRETTY THINGS - 1st LP. (H) $9.45 THE PRETENDERS-Cuban Slide/Stop Your Sobbing (I) S3 .95 12" E.P.'s
SUZI QUATRO- live And Kickin '. 2 LP set. (A ) $17.85 THE PRETENDERS - Brass In Pocket/Sp ace Invader. (I) S3.95
J MARK AND THE MYSTERIANS - 96 Tears: Reissue. (I) PRETENDER~ - Kid /Ta ttooed love Boys. (U K) $3.00 BLONDIE - Atom ic 12". Atomic/ Die Young Stay Prelly/
$12.75 KEITH RICHARDS - Run Rudolph Run/The Harder They Heroes (live). (H) SS .85
ROCKPILE - Seconds of Pleasure. Includes free 7" EP. (U K) Come. (I) $3.00
KATE BUSH - On Stage 12" . (I) SS.50
$10.75 ROCKPILE (w / lowe & Edmunds) - Wrong Way/ Now And BUUCOCKS - The Amazi ng Bu zzcocks 12" . CO LORED
THE ROLLING STONES - Gold Superdi sc. 16 track compila- Alwa ys (U K) $3 .00 VI NYL. Maxi Si ngle. (A) $6.30
tion (I) $16.40 THE ROLLING STONES - Honky Tonk Women / Jumpin' Jack CLASH - London Calling 12" . (H) SS.35
THE ROLLING STONES - A Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss. 2 Flash. (I) $3 .95 DEVO - Be Sti ff 12" . 6 tracks. (I ) $9.75
LP compilation . Obscure material. (I) $26.90. THE ROLLING STONES - Emot ional Rescue/ Down In The JOE JACKSON BAND - The Harder They Come 12" . (U K)
THE ROLLING STONES - Discover Stones. 2 LP com pi lat ion - Hole. (U K) $3.00
$4 .SS
1963-1969. (I) $23.95 ROXY MUSIC - O ve r You/ M anifesto. (U K) $3.00 JUDAS PRIEST - The Ripper 12" 45. (U K) $4 .55
THE ROLLING STONES - Stones Story. 2 LP anthology. (H) STIFF LITTLE FINGERS - Back To Front/ Mr Fire Coa l-Man •PAUL McCARTNEY- Tempo rary Secretary/Secret Friend
$17.10 (U K) $3.00
(non-LP) 12" (UK) SS .15
THE ROLLING STONES - Stones. Compilation - 1964-66. Has SUBURBAN LAWNS - Gidget Goes To Hell/ My Boyfriend. MAGAZINE - " Sweetheart Contract" 12" (U K) $4 .SS
several alternate takes. (A) $7.95 (D ) $2.25
THE ROLLING STONES - ltd. Ed . Collectors Item. (Al $9. 35 CRAHAM PARKER AND THE RUMOUR - The Pi nk Parker.
RACHEL SWEET - Jea lous/ Fools Gold (H) $3.55 On PINK VIN YL. (A) $6.50
SEX PISTOLS - The Very Best Of . . . (I) $13.45 RACHEL SWEET - Fool' s Gold/ I 've G6t A Reason. (U K) $3 .00
SEX PISTOLS- Flogging A Dead Horse. (U K) $9.40 PLASMATICS - Butcher Baby 12". (U K) $4.SS
RACHEL SWEET - Spellbound/ lover' s l ane. (U K) S3.00 "THE SON Of STIFF TOUR 1980" 12" - S tracks. (UK) $4.00
THE SHADOWS Of KNICHT - Gloria/ Back Door M en. 16 PETE TOWNSHEND - Keep On Work ing/ Jools and Jim (U K)
track comp. (UK) $9.15 $3.00
THE SHANCRI-LAS- Golden Hits Of .... (H) $10.10 PETE TOWNSHEND - Rough Boys/ And I Moved . (U K) $3.00
SNAKEFINCER - Greener Postu res (0 ) $6.75 THE VAPORS - Turning Japanese/Here Come The Jud ge( live)
THE STRANGLERS - X Certs (live). Contains ltd. ed . 7" 45. (I)
$14 .25
THE TROCCS - live At Max's Kansas City. (0 ) $6.SS
(U K) $3.00
FRANK ZAPPA - Stick It Out/Why Does It Hurt When I Pee
(H) $3.55
to-date catalogue In the U.S. Write '°'
SCHEHERAZADE RKORDS hu the most complete and up-
our free catalogue.
THE WHO - My Generation. Reissue of First LP on Virgin. FRANK ZAPPA - Bobby Brown/ Baby Snakes. (H) $3.55 ORDERING INSTRUCTIONS
(U K) $9.15
7• E.P.'s
Minimum Order: $7.00
THE WHO - The Who: Perfect Collections. 24 cut , 2 LP set. (I) Payment: Money Orders, VISA & Mastercharge (shipped
$22.45
within 24 hours). Payment by personal checks are accepted
THE YARDBIRDS - The Yardbirds. Japanese issue of Over, THE BEATLES - Michelle/Run For Your life/Dri ve M y Carl
Under, Sideways, Down. (I) $7.80 but need 21 days for check to clear before processing. All
Girl. (F) S3.95
ZOMBIES- Rock Roots. (A) $7.75 payments in U .S. funds on a U .S. bank.
THE BEATLES- Rock And Roll Music/ Eight Days A Week/ Mr. MasterCharge & VISA customers include Card•• Expiration
7" 45's Moonligh t/Kansas City. (I) $4.15
Date and Signature as it appears on card.
THE BEATLES- long Tall Sally/ M atchbox/I Feel Fine/ Slow Postage: Add $1 .75 for each order.
AC/DC - Rock 'N ' Roll Damnation/ Sin City (U K) $3.00 Down (I) $4.15
Canadi,m: In addition to the $1.75, add $2.00 for the 1st
B-52's - Give Me Back M y Man/ Give M e Back M y Man (dub THE BEATLES - Sgt. Pepper's lonely Hearts Club Band E.P. item and 50c for each additional item.
version) . (UK ) S3.00 · (I) S3.00
Foreign : In addition to the $1 .75, add $2.10 for the 1st item
THE BEATLES- Matchbox/Slow Down (I) $3.95 THE BEATLES - Penny lane/ Eleanor Rigsby/Strawberr y Fields and 60( for each additional item.
THE BEATLES - Kansas City/I' ll Follow The Sun (I) S3.95 Forever/ Yellow Submari ne. (A ) S3.95
~ Who are
THE KINGS and
What are
THEKORG IS?
[A:[ They are purveyors
Of kinetic music.
~Huh?
~ They play dynamic
ROCK 'N' ROLL!!

THE KINGS
ARE HERE
featuring
"Switchin' To Glide"
Produced By Bob Ezrin

THE KORGIS/
DUMB WAITERS
featuring
"Everybody's Got
To Learn Sometime"

n~ ~n
Y.iQ~
1980 Elektr Asylum Rec0fd5 0 A W,1Jtflttf Commun r...it,ons Co P, nled "u s A