DoyGlo Revisited

DoyGlo Revisited

RECORDS

ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN Crocodiles (Korova/Sire)

THE TEARDROP EXPLODES Kilimanjaro (Mercury)

U2

Boy

_(Island)

By

Michael Davis

The months move by and the next generation of British rock emerges with a sound and mood of its own. Many groups use the simplicity and musical directness of their punk predecessors as a starting point, but restraint and subtlety have replaced all-out assault, and the anger is muted or has mutated into unease. Since a lot of this music is quite tasteful on the surface, it’s surprising that the major U.S. companies have been kinda slow to pick up on it but they have, allowing albums like Young Marble Giants’ Colossal Youth and the Cure’s 17 Seconds to languish in the import bins. And I’ve gotta mention Joy Division, who took the musical fcontrol/emotional anguish dichotomy as far as possible before self-destructing just days before their first American gigs.

But as ’81 arrives, Shaking its head in disbelief, so does some of the new British rock, in the form of these three LPs. Echo and the Bunnymen and The Teardrop Explodes both hail from Liverpool and their respective frontmen, Ian McCulloch and Julian Cope, used to collaborate, and wrote “Read It In Books,” which appears on both albums, together. But lest you think Liverpool sports a supportive scene, I should maybe mention that the two are now openly at odds; Cope not only attacks Echo in the British press but he admits to constant fighting with Teardrop keyboard player David Balfe who also played on Echo’s record and co-pfoduced both albums. Just one big, unhappy family.

U2, on the other hand, comes from Ireland and though they share a ringing guitar sound and an ability to revitalize pop song structures with Echo and Teardrop, their approach is generally more open, even wide-eyed afTimes. “Into the heart of a child/I can stay awhile,” sings vocalist Bono and over the album, he’s pretty convincing. This is young music, evoking a sense of wonder and imagination that is rarely touched on by crotch-oriented rock ’n’ roll. Comparisons with the Undertones are inevitable, but U2 are more into prepubescent musings and fleeting impressions in contrast to the Undies’ normal teen stuff. j

But if U2’s stance is naive, their music displays controlled exuberance. Steve Lilly white’s production is brilliant, adding delicate bits of percussion without losing dynamic impact and working with The Edge (the group’s guitarist) in layering multi-guitar parts in without cluttering up the sound.

While much of the album is of a piece, the final tune, “Shadows And Tall Trees,” points towards maturity as doubt enters the picture. “Do you feel in me anything redeeming/ Any worthwhile feelings/Is life like a tightrope hanging on my ceiling?” questions Bono. Welpomp to the real world, kids; working through those questions oughtta inspire plenty of material for the next record.

Now those are the kinds of questions Echo and Teardrop have obviously been grappling with for some time now. Doubt, determination and crazy cross purposes/ promises are scattered throughout their material and irony seems a constant companion of both Cope and McCulloch.

I don’t mean to imply that these bands/albums are interchangable ’cause they’re not. Teardrop are more pop-oriented: in their Forever Changes-like use of trumpets-, in Cope’s more cultured voice, and in the material itself, which is usually directed to some lover or other. Echo favor a darltter sound; McCulloch’s voice has more of an edge to it and his lyrics seem aijiX more personal and distressed. But their family-inspired songs, “Brave Boys Keep Their Promises” and “Pride,” imply that Ian and Julian shared enough early experiences to bring them together in the first place.

When I say that Teardrop are more pop, I don’t mean to imply that they’re more superficial, just that they have a lighter touch. When Cope sounds jauntiest, he’s often covering for himself, like on “Ha Ha I’m Drowning” or “Went Crazy”: “We’re in love with beauty/ We’re in love with wealth/We’re in love with mental health/Going crazy.” And none of his love songs here descend into easy cliches..

Neither do McCulloch’s, but he doesn’t writfe that many love songs anyway, vacillating as he does between distrust (“I’ll take the chance/ If you’ll take the blame/Forget it”) and need (“Won’t you come on down to my rescue”). More often, he’ll build a song around a few terse phrases, like the evocative nightmare of “Pictures On My Wall” or the implied political upheavals of “All That Jazz,” which could stand proudly beside the Jam’s “Eton Rifles.” And when Balfe lets his keyboards space out on “Happy Death Men,” there’s more than a pasing sonic resemblance to the Doors.

As far as chart potential goes, I’d say that all three of these bands could make it big over here. Teardrop’s “When I Dream” and “Treason” and U2’s “A Day Without Me” and “Another Time, Another Place” sound like possible hits to me and even if Echo’s LP isn’t filled with gold singles (maybe “Rescue,” though), there’s plenty of power and charisma in the band. Besides, McCulloch’s the prettiest frontman of the three. And keep in mind that these bands are just the tip of the iceberg; The Sound, The Passions, Monochrome Set and dozens of others are waiting in the wings for their chance too. Even if ’81’s as weird a year as ’80 was, there’ll be a lot of good music to listen to.