ROCK 'N' RAMA

ROCK 'N' RAMA

This month’s Rock-a-ramas were written by Joe Fembacher, Richard Riegel, Michael Dauis, Mitchell Cohen and Richard C. Walls.

THE VANDALS-Peace Thru Vandalism (Epitaph Records):: Oddly enough, this record occurs in that waxy twilight zone existing between “Weekend” and “(I Live For) Cars And Girls,” on the first Dictators album. It’s a kind of subconscious homage tongue with velocity. Especially the dirty version of “Heartbreak Hotel,” and the Sergio Leone-influenced “Urban Struggle.” Political, sure, just cast an earlobe towards “Anarchy Burger (Hold The Government),” with its great line: “Say no to your parents/go to school naked.” This is sumthing punkers should explore with more frequency; humor and' rock ’n’ roll have always gone together nicely, even though everybody ignores that fact. Oh, well. (Epitaph Records, 22458 Venture Blvd., Woodland Hills, CA 91364)

j thef

JOHANNA WENT-Hyena (Posh Boy):: Fergit Laurie Anderson,s Johanna Went has gone & released the fantastic performanceartiste disc everybody else claims for Ms. A (lies, lies!), and has done it with economic & stunning panache. Publicity alleges Went wears homemade masks 'on stage and throws generic garbage into the audience, ho-hum, just gimme her recorded sound; she, skips Anderson’s boring buzzword cliches and robo structures, and gets right down to sense-or-no syllables, freely drooled out in a snippy little Yoko-OnomeetsClareGroganHopsonLydiaLunch voice, as many boho-jazzy guys meanwhile lick at every inch of Went’s exposed-flesh vocals, with itchy saxes, guitars, Chapman sticks, all that good stuff. Net effect suggested to the casual listener is of a blonde-ponytailed teen mongoloid humming an aria to her beloved Tom Selleck. Quick & fine & highly recommended. R.R.

GIRLSCHOOL—Screaming Blue Murder (Mercury):: They may have avoided the dreaded sophomore jinx last* time around but these heavy metal honeys sure bottomed out on this one. What went wrong? You name it No presence in the production, assembly line songwriting and an all-too-obvious straining for the strength that came so easily before. The exception: “Push,” recorded a year earlier with different producer and bass player. Sorry to say it, but if you want two great Girlschool albums, skip this one and get the imports of Demolition and Hit And Run. M.D.

ORIGINAL CAST ALBUM-Little Shop Off Horrors (Geffen):: Keeping the Faust-in-aflower shop parable and lower-class Jewish ambience’of the Roger Corman quickie-classic and subtracting some of the film’s quirkier shtick (Dick Miller’s flower-nosher, Seymour’s hypochondriac mama), Little Shop Of Horrors is a pop-roqk operetta with a nutty zing (if without much of a second act). Alan Menken’s melodies are savvy pastiches of early ’60s pop, soul and R&R styles, Howard Ashman’s lyrics carry the plot along and are rhymed in true theatrical tradition (“Thanks to you, sweet petunia/Mushnik’s taken a junior”). But the affection the play feels for its characters slips into campy cohdescension (would an upwardly-aspiring “dumb blonde” really describe her dreams in terms of Donna Reed, Betty Crocker and plastic-covered furniture?). And is giving Audrey II, the blood-eating plant, the voice of a menacing black man a commentary on the racial attitudes of the civil rights era, or is the motive more insidious? In spite of these dubious departures from the screen original, it must be registered that any score wherein the lovers discover each other to the strains of a ballad called “Suddenly, Seymour” has a giddy tquch of inspiration, and the chorus of commentators throughout the play is a trio—Crystal, Ronnette [sic] and Chiffon— that sounds authentically girl-groupy on the rewrite' of “Uptown,” titled “Skid Row (Downtown).” M.C.

DEWEY REDMAN QUARTET-The Struggle Continues (ECM); DON CHERRY ED BLACKWELL-El Corazon (ECM):: What these two have in common besides the label and the Old and New Dreams/Ornette connection is drummer Blackwell, one of the most melodious of percussionists, and ,one who can hold the attention of those who (like myself are not keenly appreciative of; solo drumming. Blackwell’s swingability is partially responsible for tenor sexist Redman’s set being his more straight ahead yet, the emphasis being on Tranish post-bop (with a stab of blues) played with such assuredness that when he approximates Albert Ayler’s quavering intonation and banshee syntax for one brief cut, it seems gratuitous. Excellent, nonetheless, as are the Cherry/ Blackwell duets where the rhythms and textures are shjfted often enough for the feeblest of attention spans, some of the highlights (among the many) being Cherry’s puckish piano on Monk’s “Bemsha Swing,” the Miles-in-Spain “Solidarity” (Sketches of Poland?), and Blackwell’s witty bump-de-bump throughout. ( R.C.W. TALAS—Sink Your Teeth Into That (Relativity Records):: If Rush is a sophisticated, techno-edition of Creapi, then by all means Talas is the ’80s answer tq those proto-metalunatics, Blue Cheer. Some may pick their noses at the mention of Blue Cheer, but decibel for decibel they were better at metalese than most of the so-called new wave metalmaniacs. Talas has been playing the bar/small hall circuit in much the same fashion as Van Halen did before they made their Run with the Devil and, like Van Halen, Talas will be leaving their pink ice and stale beer tour very soon and taking up their righteous place in the pantheon of metal gods. My fave song here is “NV43345,” which does for bass guitar what “One Red Rose For You” A did for slide guitar. Also, many thanks to the lovely young lady who delivered this record to my front door (a dangerous task to be sure).

jthef

ASSOCIATES-Sulk (Sire):: These Britty boops sound even more precious and nervous than Depeche Mode & Japan put together, which is where it’s at this year, I suppose. Helium-fruited vocals,‘ self-explanatory lyrics like “We’re always sickening at the Country Club,” the usual tiddlywink keyboards bringing up the rear, etc.,’ etc., nice melodies and brilliant jacket colors make up for a lot with these simps. How mournful can ya get? Doom-a-dozen falsetto^ may be the answer you need. R.R.

PAT TRAVERS’ BLACK PEARL (Rolydor) :: Travers has always been a rock musician first and a rock ’n’ roller second which is why his stuff is always well-played, well-arranged and, well, rarely amazing. The guy deserves credit for no' using his abilities to form another formulau Boreigner band, but by the time you get to “Th. Fifth (Beethoven’s, natch), a piece of classical rock that would have been cliched 10 years ago you might begin to wonder how much credit.

M.D.

BPEOPLE (Faulty):: For several years, BPeople were one of LA’s best bands—.saw ’em wipe the stage with a lim'pTMew Order myself—and by the time these six songs and two jam snippets were recorded in ’81, they’d come up with an intense, brooding music that, even today, stands toe-to-toe with the likes of U2, Teardrop Explodes and King Crimson. That these tracks have been sitting in the can since ’81 and that the band itself broke up a year ago doesn’t stop this stuff from leaping out of the grooves at you.

M.D.