ROCK • A • RAMA

ROCK - A - RAMA

This month's Rock-a-ramas were written by Michael Davis, Joe Fernbacher, and Richard Riegel

YOUNG MARBLE GIANTS: (Rough Trade) :: A breath of fresh air, sure; a minimalist's dream band, definitely; but is it rock 'n' roll? Probably not, but who cares? Just rhythm box, bass, guitar or organ, and (female) voice; little in the way of diversity, dynamics or drama. But the songs are well-written, the singing casual but clear, and the whole project gives new meaning to the idea of understatement. Don't know if I'd want a steady diet of this stuff, but it sure sounds good every time I put it on the box. M.D.

JORGEN INGMANN—The Many Guitars Of Jorgen Ingmann (Atco):: Whilst all those dark aborigines of metal are skirling away in their steaming coliseums and all the immobile daughters of smoldering punk-doom are goofin' on the apocalypse, I'm sitting here in my minivera-lined jockeys listening to the sonic-substance which makes metalholics drool 'n' punk plebes pass out in buzzing jvondrous joy. Ingmann did have an early satellite-rock hit called 'Apache,' and besides the little known 'Khouotek' theme by the even lesser known Gershon Kingsley, his special effect guitar music stands as the best in the cosmos. It's eeemmmmeeennnse! The versions of the 'High Noon' and 'Bonanza' themes are pearls of guitar sweetness that could teach Ted Nugent a lesson or two. And speaking of danes, I've finally discovered where the two hot babes from Abba come from—they were the Mice in Eric Von Zippers' Carbon Monoxide Commandos. Get it? Music to suffocate by.. .1 love it...

JtheF

WILD THING (Lakeshore/Warner):: The Nuggets 4-sided dream machine, as customized by native Midwestern, AM-Top 40 craftsmen, • several hundred thousand miles down the road. Many of the essential primordial-punk cuts Nuggets presciently collected in 1972—the Castaways' 'Liar, Liar,' the Seeds' 'Pushin' Too Hard,' etc.—but Wild Thing also smart-guy replaces Nuggets' occasional fluff (the Nazz, jeez!) with still-more-essential slices of 1966 punk ethos some of us lunkheads still revere: yep, Paul's own 'Kicks,' the Mysterians' '96 Tears,' the Troggs' title cut, the Bobby Fuller Four's 'I Fought The Law,' etc., etc., and more etc. An embarrassment of riches, as seen on TV—$9.98 records, $10.98 tapes, from WILD THING, 930 Remington Rd., Schaumburg, IL 60195. R.R.

CHICO FREEMAN-Peaceful Heart, Gentle Spirit (Contemporary):: Some of these multi-directional jazz guys are getting downright sneaky' when it comes to trying for that ever-elusive airplay. For instance, this record starts out with a lovely flute ballad, about at close to Hubert Laws territory as you're likely to get without plugging in. But just when you start to bliss out (or nod off), you find yourself in Dolphyland, dodging the inspired squeaks and squawks; then it's off to Coltrane Country Safari, as Freeman takes out his saxes and blows up a storm. This may not be the most original jazz album ever made but it's filled with good playing and the track order lets you skip right over the hors d'oeuvres and dig right into the main course.

M.D.

DANCE CRAZE—Original Soundtrack (Chrysalis):: Since none of the British skaderived bands are really dominant in the field, picking out the definitive ska LP has been downright difficult. Until now, that is. This amazing album contains 15 live tracks that are bursting with energy, including three each from the Specials, the Selecter, Madness and the (English) Beat. This is it; wind up your feet and crank it. M.D.

MAMIE—As In Mamie Van Doren (Churchill):: Finding this record was like finding the Shroud Of Turin underneath a pair of ratty jeans in a Goodwill store. For those who don't remember, back in the younger days of rock this here jamboree of seduction rivalled the likes of Jayne Mansfield and Marilyn Monroe. Her nude spread for an old skin mag is a collector's item equal even to this here record. And, terrifyingly enough, she can sing! Her voice is a subtle mixture of Dusty Springfield and Jackie DeShannon and the lead cut on this album, 'You And Me And Tonight,' could've been a modest hit. Good country pop. But it's a song called 'Rub It In' that makes this a real find. All about lying on the beach with Mamie and rubbin' suntan (ahem, there is some metaphor in the title!) oil all over her body. Ahem, reprise, I gotta go to the bathroom. I mean, hubba as in hubba. J the F

707—The Second Album (Casablanca):: Ostensible Motor City natives, but so was the Eagles'Glenn Frey. Old-line, macho-glamour-isit! arena-oriented rock, loud guitars and clicheridden lyrics, retrograde with a vengeance, would've gone treble platinum if Journey's live set hadn't come out at the same time. What's next? Oh yeah, I do look vaguely like Elvis Costello. Why do you ask? R.R.

4 OUT OF 5 DOCTORS (Nemperor):: Lotta bands around trying to steal Ocasek & Co.'s hubcaps and most of 'em just end up eating exhaust. These guys get taken off the assembly line due to their only-adequte musicianship but they just about keep up in the songwriting department. Their air of slightly wacko normalcy sounds unforced and the casual way they dispense both desperation and humor makes their scenarios of suburban schizophrenia that much more effective. Not bad for a band that prefers to cruise its music around in second gear, though I do wish they wouldn't downshift the energy so often. M.D.

LOU REED-Rock And RoU Diary 19671980 (Arista):: Read it, read it good...'cause Lou's the acknowledged sahib of rock scoffing and doggedly adheres to the rules of contradiction that are the foundations of the form. His pharonic insistence upon his own personal rock vision, whether it be in the form of bland, sometimes even silly songs, or songs of shamanistic revelation that leap headlong into the simmering wells of rock consciousness, DO prove that he's the judicator of city-cool and street fiats extraordinaire. Lou's gonna be lost in his bivouac of snotty hooliganism—forever; and that's okay. JtheF

ROCKET 88 (Atlantic):: Ancient British rhythm & bloozers like Charlie Watts and Jack Bruce and Alexis Korner, recorded live in Germany, playing the imported boogie-woogie swing that made them into world class rock 'n' rollers, when it counted. In short, an all-American occasion, faithfully captured by the domestic cross-cultural label that made our whole scene possible. Complete with real grey cardboard on the inner surfaces of the jacket, for that final authentic touch. R.R.

GIL SCOTT-HERON-Real Eyes (Arista):: Gil Scott-Heron persevered with his funk-jazz protest music throughout the Me Decade, and now the times have caught up with him again, what with the Moral Majority flexing their muscles in the faces of silent minorities everywhere. Vocals something like Lou Rawls', but Gil ain't singing about no beer. Scott-Heron's wild-eyed with Neil Young at the barricades, no less. R.R.