ROCK · A · RAMA
STEVE HARLEY & COCKNEY REBEL - A Closer Look (EMI) ::They couldn't exactly call this instant repackaging of Steve's last three albums a "Greatest Hits" collection, so they took the easy way out by calling it A Closer Look, complete with enough glitz promo to make it look like a live album — that is, until you read the small print.
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ROCK · A · RAMA
RECORDS
STEVE HARLEY & COCKNEY REBEL - A Closer Look (EMI) ::They couldn't exactly call this instant repackaging of Steve's last three albums a "Greatest Hits" collection, so they took the easy way out by calling it A Closer Look, complete with enough glitz promo to make it look like a live album — that is, until you read the small print. Still, if it'll make you feel any better, you can take heart In the fact that the cover alone is worth the price of admission (what with Steve doing his best Alex/Lou/Bowie/Iggy posing yet, this LP will replace Young Americani on your coffee table as the sleeve of '76) and, besides, any album that has "Sweet Dreams/Psychomodo" on it is worth youii hard earned bread in the first place. As for the rest of the material here; well, file under futile. J.M.
DONNA SUMMER - Love To Love You Baby (Oasis) :: This album is to the disco scene what "In A Gadda Da Vida" is to rock 'n' roll and what "Autobahn" is to electronic drone. Side one is seventeen minutes of the title track being repeated over and over again in a throaty gasp as Ms. Summer experiences orgasm after orgasm, live in your living room. Just what you always wanted: music to read Penthouse by. P.S: This album also suffers from the Gloria' Gaynor/ "Never Can Say Goodbye" syndrome, all of which means that you can forget about side two automatically. J.M.
THE SENSATIONAL ALEX HARVEY BAND - Live (Atlantic) :: Without a doubt this live offering of Alex's is the most cleanly and crisply recorded in-concert 'album of the year. Unfortunately, much of the impact that Alex has live is visual, and without those visuals all we're left with is music that is merely competent as opposed to exceptional. Unless you've seen the
Alex Harvey Band live I'd suggest that you save up your money instead and (a) wait until Alex brings his show back to our shores, or (b) wait until you can\get a video cassette of this album.
J.M.
ENO - Another Green World (Island) If Here Come The Warm Jets was Eno's gettingup-in-the^morning-and-getting-raring-to-go album and Taking Tiger Mountain was Eno's wide-awake-and-working-in-the-afternoon album, then this must be Eno's ^oming-homeafter-wor,k-and-relaxing-in-the-evening album. Very few vocals as Old Uncle Een'slips into his smoking jacket and slippers and retires for the rest of the night. The lull before the storm. J.M.
HELEN REDDY - Greatest Hits (Capitol) :: Don't you think she looks like something they'd deliver washing machines in? R.J.
SPARKS - Indiscreet (Island) :: A must for that cute child psychologist down the hall, ) R.J. LUCIFER'S FRIEND-Banquet (Passport) :: The krazy Krauts go commercial and invent space-wop-rock. Like Pink Floyd interperting the Buckinghams. R.J.
RAMSEY LEWIS - Don't It Feel Good (Columbia) :: Brazil '84 (or whatever the hell year they're up to by now) meet Earth Wind and Fire minus Earth Wind and Fire. Charles Stepney is synthesizing and co-producing here but if you thought that That's The Way Of The World was overproduced and filler filled (tho this critic opines that it was excellent) then you should check out this misty mess. Lewis used to have the distinction of being the best jazz popist extant, even better than McCann or Jamal, but his style seems to have disappeared in the international interlockingcatagoriesconspiracy. Pity. R.C.W. BLUE MITCHELL - Stratosonic Nuances (RCA) :: Pssf... hey kid — wanna buy a jazz/rock version of Monk's "Nutty)*" That's right, T. Monk .. it's right here on this album. Not half bad either. Lotta Blue Mitchell here too. RememberJtim? Plays straight ahead, very nice. Right, no Donald Byrd shit. Worth a dollar anyway. You'll take it? Fine. See you in thd neighborhood, kid. Anytime. * R.Q.W.
ANN PEEBLES-Tellin'It (Hi):: She can be a daring Vocalist, and is capable of getting, under your skin like no other. But here she's burdened with recycled songs and lackluster charts that she seldom even tries to rise above. J.X.M.
(This month's rockaramas were written by Jeffrey Morgan, Rick Johnson, Richard C. Walls and John X. Morthland.)
