ROCK • A • RAMA

ROCK • A • RAMA

This month’s Rock-’A’Ramas were written by Billy Altman, Mitchel Cohen, Richard Grabel and Craig Zeller

FRIDA—Something’s Going On (Atlantic):: Sure is, as Anni-Frid Lyngstad proves conclusively that there is, indeed, life after ABB (or is that BBA?). Frida’s sharp, clear “it’s still Sven ’n’ Lars to me” vocal enunciations only serve to help heighten the tension on the smash title track (RUSS BALLARD?? AGAIN???); of course, that screaming-mimi guitar solo and producer Phil “How’m I doin’?” Collins’ ominous Excedrin headache no. 4173 drumming don’t hurt none, neither. Other highlights here include Phil’s perfectly executed Robin Gibb falsetto swam dive on the Frida/Collins duet, “Here We’ll Stay,” a rather robust reading of Bryan Ferry’s “The Way You Do,” and the lilting “Threnody,” with lyrics taken from a poem by the combination Joan Rivers/Lydia Lunch of yesteryear, Dandy Dot Parker. B.A. THE MORELLS-Shake And Push (Bor rowed):: As the Skeletons in ’81, this band made “Trans Am” the cruising anthem of the year. And while nothing on Shake And Push can quite surpass “Trans Am,” it still gets down as The Great Lost Party Hearty LP of ’82. Relying chiefly on obscure and fascinating covers (like Roy Montrell’s incendiary “That Mellow Saxophone”), they deliver the goods with a maximum of uninhibited enthusiasm amidst an everpresent atmosphere of let-the-good-timesroll-roll-roll. My current faves are “Gettin’ In Shape” (the definitive Gary U.S. Bonds tribute) and “Go Ahead” (sung with spring chicken fervor by pianist Maralie who’s a grandma in her spare time). (Available from Borrowed Records, 2820 West State, Springfield, Missouri, 65802.) C.Z.

THE SPONSORS (Plexus):: You could say that looks are deceiving, except that the Sponsors’ album cover doesn’t even have much of that anyway, just some vague graphics and naty a mention of either song titles or band personnel. But beneath this unassuming exterior beats an impressive little record with a heart full of intensely fragile songs worn right out on the band’s pop pure sleeves. Bob Kern’s quirky, introspective vocals move haltingly (and I mean haltingly—this guy turns “Situation” into a 10 syllable affair) over a lean, hungry instrumental backdrop, resulting in the kind of bittersweet, troubled music that’s sure to stick to any Left Banke-leaning psyche. Case in point: the haunting, caught-between-the-lines “Love I Can’t Wait,” with a sound so spare that its guest star tambourine seems like manna from 1966 heaven. B.A.

MELODY MAKERS-What A Plot (Sha nachie):: Young (age 14) Ziggy Marley has something of his father Bob’s commanding authority in his voice, and that authority, mixed with a pure high-pitched sweetness, makes for an incredible combination. The Melody Makers, a vocal group composed of Bob and Rita Marley’s children, have oodles of teen appeal, but they’re no Jamaican version of the Jackson 5—the two Bob Marley-penned songs on this 12-inch single are both serious social commentary. The B-side, “Children Playing In The Street,” is actually the better song, a plaintive, bitter-sweet evocation of growing up in the ghetto that’s emotionally provocative and musically irresistible. And Ziggy, if and when his songwriting comes into its own, will be a star in his own right. R.G.

SIC F*CKS (Sozyamudda):: The Sic F’cks are so cool, they once turned a CBGB’s show into a mock hippie protest rally to the chant of “All we are saying/is give us some press.” So cool that their leatherlunged lead screamer Russell Wolinsky got his big break in show business when he landed a job at the Bottom Line escorting people to their seats. So cool that if you think sidekick warble-ettes Tish and Snooky look hot in their nun’s habits, wait’ll they flash their custom built Burger King uniforms. So cool that they performed in that nifty splatterathon, Alone in the Dark, which means they actually met Jack Palance! And so cool that their slambang EP is easily the most refreshingly good-humored rock ’n’ roll record to come out of New York in years. Five cuts, all great, from the mush-mouthed bad rap of “(Take Me To) The Bridge” and the squirming “Insects Rule My World” to the succinct “Chop Up Your Mother” (total verbiage: “Chop up your mother/Use her for meat/Chop up your mother/Don’t use her feet”) and the ultimate rites of passage epic, the Hava Nagilah meets the Lonely Bull “Spanish Bar Mitzvah.” Couplet of the decade—“We’ll invite the Garcias and the Schwartzes/Drinking Manischewitz and tequila by the quartzes.” (Available from Sozyamudda Records, P.O. Box 139, Village Station, N.Y. 10014.) B.A. FREDDY CANNON-14 Booming Hits (Rhino):: Freddy (“Boom Boom”) Cannon, sporadic hitmaker fom ’59-’66, had the disconcerting trademark of letting out a “whooo!” at every conceivable opportunity, as though someone snuck into the studio and brushed a feather duster between Freddy’s legs. Cannon’s strident eagerness to please could make you want to throttle him, but his records did include “Palisades Park” (by Chuck “Leave It To The Girls” Barris), such a natural chart-topper that it became a national hit even though its subject was a New Jersey amusement park; “Action” (the theme from Where The Action 7s); “Buzz Buzz A-Diddle-It” (a chukka-chukka obscurity); and a rollicking “Way Down Yonder In New Orleans.” This record has all those (but not his “Muskrat Ramble,” dammit, or “Happy Shades Of Blue”), and while the world was not clamoring for a Freddy Cannon compilation, a lot of it is a couple of notches above standard Philly pop. (Cannon was a Boston boy, sponsored by legendary local deejay Arnie “woo woo” Ginberg, but recorded for Swan Records in Pa.) Tinny, shrill and crass (“Transistor Sister” glad hands radio; “The Dedication Song” drops the names of typical high schools: Lincoln, Central, Jefferson; “Beechwood City” is second hand surf stuff), 14 Booming Hits rates a listen, if only to reacquaint you with that history teacher with the hi-fi chassis, the one, the only, Abigail Beecher. Whoooo! M.C.