ROCK • A • RAMA

ROCK 'A' RAMA

This month’s Rock-A-Ramas were written by Michael Davis, Richard Riegel, Mitchell Cohen,\ and Richard C. Walls

GRACE JONES—Warm Leatherette (Island)" Disco’s dying, so they say, so what are all these ex-fashiori models to do? Now Grace ain’t standing still; gotta give her that; She’s hired a first-rate reggae band, picked some great tunes, and recorded them with none other than Chris Blackwell. Too bad she’s come upjvith such & load of fake cowhide. The problem is that no matter how Striking a figure she cuts onstage foith her whips and all, her voice has all the life of a recycled zombie. Unless you’re looking for j Dawn of the Dread, pass on this one. M:D.

SHAKIR STREET (Columbia):: With the .novelty-value of female-dominant hard rock outfits like Heart long since discredited, ro)e-reversal kicks just keep getting harder to find, unless you’re fortunate enough to stumble upon the French Shakin’ Street and lead vocalist Fabienne Shine,'something of a Blue Oyster Cult obsessive. Not that S.S. producer Sandy Pearlman would have it any; other way, as he’s > been searching for a new global-domination vehicle ever since jealous rock critics hounded him and his applied-rockcritical theories out of B.O.C. a few years back. No Pfarlmanic thesaurusbanger lyrics for Shakin’ Street, but Sandy did bring ex-Dictator Ross the Boss over to lead iguitar for’em, and the combination is just about as damn fine kinetic as the international H&M gets these days. Stun-guitars meet vocal screeches better’n Plant’s, and it’s nowhere i near 74—you can enjoy this metal right thru your short hair and straight-legged pants. R.R.

CHUCK WILLIS—My Story (Columbia);: Not a revelation for those in constant pursuit of unheralded pioneers, but this compendium of early ’50s pre-“C.C. Rider” Willis ruminations is good, hard evidence that before he laced up his rock ’n’ roll shoes, the King of the Stroll was an R&B singer-songwriter of some consequence. Particularly eloquent are the title cut, two extended metaphors (“Charged With Cheating” and “Two Spoons Of Tears”), the sexist “1 Rule My House” and the version of “I Feel So Bad” that taught Presley how to sing it. M.C.

SECRET AFFAIR-zfGlory. Boys (Sire):: But these English lads have real chips on their shoulders over wearing such carefully mod clothes—the music’s fine: worshipful R&B/pop, in the best mod tradition, but the lyrics are paranoiac, moralistic attacks on any other hapless duffers who dare to be punks or even fellow mods. Secret1 Affair’s portrayal of the sleaze and sin in today’s hip London could almost have been written by some old-line American band reporting from Los Angeles — “Soho’s unoriginal sin/’ Jeez! But/Secret Affair have also come up with a deathless cavil of a line, in “I’m Not Free (But I’m Cheap)”: “[I’m] sick of hearing original songs.” And their own saxy/ stylish album’s nothing but originals, except for a neat remake of the Miracles’ “Going to a GoGo”! Gan Pete Townshend explain these new mod -schizophrenics to us? R.R.

JOANNE BRACKEEN—Keyed In (Tappan Zee)::It’s a pleasant wonder that this is on Bob James’ TZ label and pianist Brackeen’s technique and imagination are above reproach (as are the t & i of her cohorts, bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Jack DeJohnette) but her playing is a tad cold in the Bill Evans manner. Still, gratifying, in the abstract manner. R.C.W

WILLIE NELSON & RAY PRICE-San Antonio Rose (Columbia):; I know what you’re thinking: who needs another album on which Willie Nelson whines his way through “Night Life,” “Funny How Time Slips Away” and a couple of Patsy Cline chestnuts? Me, I’d grab this one for Price’s mellifluous baritoning on “This Cold War With You,” a plea for domestic detente that canters along just fine, and for “Don’t You Ever Get Tired (Of Hurting Me)” and “I’ll Be There (jf You Ever Want Me),” but then, I’m a sucker for masochism within parentheses. M.C.

SCOTT WILK & THE WALLS (Warner Bros.)::For fans of Television, Steely Dan, the Cars, maybe even Blue Oyster Cult. Scott Wilk & The Walls don’t sound exactly like any of those other bands, but it seems to me that Wilk’s inventive keyboard mejodies qould provide enthusiasts of said groups many of the same neurological messages. Lotsa movement in place, lyrics just intellectual enough for disciplined Newsweek readers. The Gary Nu■man-equivalent,for 30ish types who don’t care to run with the young rabble any longer? Yeah, right. Michael Omartian produced, too, l R.R.

STANLEYTURRENTINE-Inflation (Elektra):: Last year Turrentine got lost in the disco drivel and overproduction of his Elektra debut Betcha (it #was typical of the label’s “fusion” releases, most of which seem aimed at pimps with bad taste). This is more like it. It’s still lightweight stuff but if you like Turrentine’s brand of funk at least this time out you get to hear him play. R.C.W.

EMMYLOU HARRIS-Light Of The Stable (Warner Bros, import):: As jubilantly secular as was A Christmas Gift Tor Yoy, that’s how pristine and pious is this issued-in-the-U.K.-only yuletide effort. And the singing is gorgeous enough to make even this reprobate yid misty-eyed. An acapella “The First Noel,” Crowell’s “Angel Eyes,” and the' best “Little Drummer Boys” since Richie; Petrie’s are just a few of Jesus’s faves on an exquisite set that

should arise domestically before the next snowfall, God willing. M.C.

'SILICON TEENS—Music For Parties (Sire):: This group and/or album are so trendily inevitable that they’re probably two-three years behind the times already. Yeah, you and I coulda thought of putting dear old, chestnuts like “Do You Love Me” and “Memphis” to Electronics 101 synthesize^ spasms, too, but since we never got around to that, let’s give the Silicon Teens where credit’s due etc, Siliconinflated syrfth-bounce arrangements (and vocals) so bubbly they’re almost more basic than the originals, which is going some when "you’re working with toons like “Red River Rock” and “Judy In Disguise.” There’s something patently fraudulent about this whole enterprise (especially the part about all four “Teens” being just 17 or 18; maybe they’re lying about being English, too), but, as usual, the record sounds great no matter what. Sorta like how Dayid Bowie looked good in dresses tho’ not really a transvestite. 1 R.R.

WANDA JACKSON—Rockin’ With Wanda (Capitol import):: “When I start eruotin’,” she sings, “ain’t nobody gonna make me stop.” Until I heard such now-obscure manifestos as “Hot Dog! That Made Him Mad,” “Mean Mean Man,” “Rock Your Baby” and “Honey Bop,” I thought Brenda Lee was the closest thing to a country/ rockabilly queen. British Capitol, knowing better, has unearthed a mixed bag of Wanda Jackson sides c. 1958-60 that burn with pre-feminist release: “Don’t dish me out the cool love/It don’t move me at all.” Her later (’64) covers of “Yakety Yak” and “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” suggest an early decline, but the best of these 16 cuts are a sheer pleasure. M.C.

RAN BLAKE-Film Noir (Arista Novus):: Confessed third-streamer Blake has come v up with an interesting concept—an album of 12 programmatic pieces, the themes either inspired by or taken from those obsessively shadowy American entertainments - that have become designated film noir. Blake’s favored dissonance weilds an unflinching scalpel on the (almost lush) melodramatic movie themes while the original sketches are predictably chilly. But the music isn’t too difficult to get into and if you’ve ever been moved by film noir’s spunky pessimism, you’ll want to check out this unfriendly but engrossing album. With liner notes by Andrew Sarris. R.C.W.

AL JOHNSON—Back For More (Columbia):: Yahhs, yahhs, Johnson’s definitely in the A! Green 1 tradition, as Norman Connors says somewhere in these liner notes: mellow and tough all at once, punchy arrangements perk up some rather flaccid lyrics. Except for “School of the Groove,” of course, which contains goofklassic words that would do certain postgraduate punks proud. Ya lissenin’, Frank Zapper? R.R.