ROCK A RAMA

ROCK A RAMA

This months Rock-A-Ramas were written by Billy Altman, Mitchell Cohen, Michael Davis, Richard Riegel and Richard C. Walls.

JULIO IGLESIAS — Julio (Columbia):: Menudo por las madres. In the romance languages, Iglesias projects a sleek sincerity and calculated intimacy (the female breathing that punctuates De Nina A Mujer" makes you wonder just what aspects of the child-to-woman transformation Julio is investigating), and this compilation of multi-lingual intl hits has such choice numbers as Amor," Nostalgie" and Ou Est Passee Ma Boheme?" (Ou indeed?). German (Wo Bist Du"), however is best left to Hannah Schygulla, or Falco. Tip to Richard Perry, whos producing Iglesias official Anglicized debut: every song should have the word accidental" thrown in somewhere. His pronunciation of those polysyllables on Hey" is a breathtaking moment. Actually, accidentally" would be even better.

M.C.

MICHAEL BOLTON (Columbia):: Yet another grizzled rock n roll vet in a black leather jacket, singing from the gut and aiming for a mainstream thats receding slowly into the distance. The kind of guy who would put together a sound sorta like Eddie Money fronting Toto. And mean it. The kind of guy would want Aldo Nova to play on his record. This kind of once-dangerous species now haunts the Grammys; can a place at your local museum be far behind? M.D.

MILES DAVIS—Star People (Columbia):: After the tentative Man With A Horn and the intermittently (as becomes a live" album) brilliant We Want Miles, one is tempted to overrate this latest installment of the comeback trilogy, even though it turns out to be less that unimaginable forward step that so many still seem to expect than a refinement of past accomplishments—much of this seems a tighter, more experienced version of the sprawling scorched-earth funk of the early to mid-70s. For the rest, Miles reaches even further back, less for refinement than to extend his metaphorical visiting rights (you might say), to wit, the title cut, an 18-minute slow blues, beautifully basic with just a hint of the old edginess, and the delightfully banal U N I," the closest Miles has come to penning a pop tune in about two decades. May not be a masterpiece, but just to have the old boy crank out a solid one is immensely satisfying...maybe the next one will even be challenging (its not impossible). R.C.W.

HANK CRAWFORD-Midnight Ramble (Milestone):: The lowdown on alto player Crawford has always been his southwest bluesiness but so many of his recent records have been watered down by big city sweeteners that its been too easy to think of him as just another crossover casualty. This record changes all that; although it was recorded in New York City, it has a distinctly Southern R&B flavor to it, helped out, no doubt, by Dr. Johns and David Fathead" Newmans presence at the sessions. Its not an innovative album by any means, just solidly satisfying roots music played by pros who know theres more to making music than professionalism.M.D.

MARTHA AND THE MUFFINSDanseparc (RCA):: Talking Heads takes on Grace Slick as lead vocalist? And then moves to Canada? Well, kinda, but while youre trying to figure out just what whiter than white really means, Martha and her refurbished Muffins neatly demonstrate that they sure know which funky side their toast-r-cakes are buttered on. Plenty of great noise abounding here, especially on the aptly titled Obedience" and the bongo-driven Boys In The Bushes." And plenty of smarts, too, with the breezy instrumental Whatever Happened To Radio Valva Road?" and the sleek World Without Borders." I am using you, am I amusing you?" coos the cucumberly Ms. Martha while keyboards swirl, guitars scratch, and guest saxophones wail all around here. Yes, my dear. Anything you say. Just stay hungry and move those rhythm muscles. B.A.

GRAND MASTER FLASH AND THE FURIOUS FIVE—New York, New York" (Sugar Hill 12"):: Im not really bothered by the fact that NYNY duplicates the strategy of 82s single of the year without representing an advance; Get Off My Cloud" didnt exactly top Satisfaction," after all. But Flash & The Fives latest finger-pointing tour of Mondo Koch is only intermittently as unflinching and grim as it wants to be, and Too much/Too many people" isnt much of a grabber of a chorus. The grizzy denouement of an abandoned baby in a garbage can is simply there for shock value, and it works, but the litany of urban horrors and curiosities begins to sound like a sweeps-week teaser for Eyewitness News: man on ledge, a look at village transexuals, cop kills stickup kid, sex in the discos. Film at 6 and 11. M.C.

GARY MOORE—Corridors Of Power (Mirage):: I never really listened to journeyman guitar hero Moores singing before so imagine my surprise when it turned out sounding a lot like Bostons Brad Delp. He might have noticed it too since hes put together an album of polished, layered hard rock, leading a group of veterans including former Deep Purple drummer Ian Paice. There are several moments of erratic inspiration here, but, for the most part, this project comes off too controlled to be very inspiring. Major irritant: Moores jerkoff solo/intro to End Of The World," which, once it gets going, features a strong, soaring guest vocal by Jack Bruce.M.D.

OUTSETS (Plexus EP):: Ivan Julian and Bob Quine were the two remarkable guitarists on Richard Hell And The Voidoids remarkable Blank Generation (one of the best-guitared rock albums ever), and Julian has continued that amazing sets thick, jumpy, hypertuned guitar rhythms on this record by his own band, the Outsets. Julians vocals are less punk" than Richard Hells, if more desperately achy in their sweet cracked soulfulness, leading to absolutely blue-white,-icy stuff, chilling from the original Arctic Horn" to the manic control of those clipped-twang guitar punches. Absolutely recommended, too. R.R.

THE YOUNG LIONS (Elektra/Musician):: This is the kind of album that occasionally happens when a genuine jazz buff heads a major record company. Seventeen youngish, underheard jazz virtuosos—including trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, flutist James Newton and cellist Abdul Wadud— were gathered together to perform a concert of their own music, resulting in this live two-record set. The playing is uniformly excellent; the tunes exhibit a healthy variety; and theres no trace of fusion anywhere; so this would seem to make a fine introductory package to a lot of different artists and directions. Unfortunately, its priced at an ouch-and-a-half so itll probably wind up more as a token coffee table jazz purchase by the wouldbe-hip elite rather than an ear opener for the curious but budget-bound. M.D.

GIL EVANS—Priestess (Antilles):: About a third of the success of this record depends on how well you can get behind alto saxist David Sanborn. He still sounds like a hack to me, albeit an energetic one, what with Evans arrangements adding some subtle propulsion to his comball soul" stylings. Fortunately, Arthur Blythe is also here, careening in and out of the changes of the title cut and George Rip This Joint" Adams does his tenor thing on a version of Mingus Orange Was The Color Of Her Dress Then Silk Blue" (great title, that). And the Evans arrangemental touches, though sparser than in days of yore, still supply the same individualistic, bittersweet caress. Not the great G. Evans album the world is waiting for, but itll do for now. R.C.W.

LITTLE GIRLS—Thank Heaven! (PVC):: Still more bright, snappy 60s styled L.A. female rock in the great Go-Gos fallout tradition by button-cute sisters Caron and Michele Maso, who sure know a good cliche when they twist one. To wit, the decidedly Valley-ish outlooks of Bandana," about being hit on by a metalheaded hippoid (Youre not even my type, anyway!" gag the girls) and Rich Girl," which pits our upper class heroines against an unswayable by material wealth poor boy (If money talks, why wont you talk to me?"). And, speaking of fallout, theres the Richter worthy Earthquake Song"—Its always fun living in L.A.," chime the Masos, My surfboards ready for the tidal wave!" Inspirational bad pun verse: Its gonna kill my mom and dad/They are the only folks I have/But they better not blame me/Cause its not my fault." Like, civil defense me out, OK? B.A.

THUMBS—No Price On Earth (Ramona):: Thumbs debut filtered Dylans sneering, careening post-Newport phase through Mott the Hoople and the Midwestern lets turn the rec room into a rehearsal studio" school of neighborhood rock. The gift for rhyming-dictionary verbiage and folk-punk a la Mouse And The Traps is intact on LF #2, and No Price On Earth extends the sound and attitude of this Kansas band to include such Costelloisms as Sure theres gonna be controversy/I dont bow and you dont curtsy." The mix is arbitrary and smudgy, the songs (It Wont Satisfy," Who Wants This Sadness," Jennie Says") are puckishly impudent and, while theres no lyric sheet (send them a S.A.S.E.) the following verse is indicative of their slant: Its a pretty stirring sermon/Even woke up Uncle Herman/Look, theres Bing and Ethel Merman!" Even their Youve Got A Friend song hedges its bets: Anyday youre feeling defeat/.../You can call on me, baby/And I might be around." (P.O. Box 701, Lawrence, Kansas 66044) M.C.

THE CREATURES—Feast (Polydor import):: Another vocal/rhythm duo from Britain but these Creatures are none other than Siouxsie and Budgie on vacation from the rest of the Banshees so the results are more distinctive than most. Theyve taken the primitive schtick about as far as possible—to the jungles of Hawaii—and come back with a stark, elusive, yet fully-realized album. The unlikely combination of enigmatically-detailed lyric§, predominant percussion and specific background atmospheres helps this music to breathe more freely than recent Banshees material. But what is Siouxsie saying? Ha, Siousxies not saying; shes playing. M.D.