SIMPLE MINDS

Sparkle In The Rain (A&M)

Whether by coincidence or not, Simple Minds have connected up with producer Steve Lilly white, and their sound has moved noticeably closer to U-know-2. Singer Jim Kerr is now cutting his Ferryfied approach with some blatant Bonoisms, resulting in some moves towards an original synthesis, while the rhythm section has left behind its pseudo-funk plod for a more fluid, yet still physical, method of movement. Not everything works—they wipe all the grime off Lou Reed's 'Street Hassle'—but when they inject enough energy into their colors, they do make 'em sparkle; 1 just hope the change don't cost 'em their dance/trance fans._M.D.

PLATINUM BLONDE

Standing In The Dark (Epic)

Roll over Herb Alpert and tell your lad Sting the news: This new Anglo-Canadian group puts out the kind of semi-decent powerpop we've semi-heard dozens of times before, but it's the band's look that's truly noteworthy. Get this, now, there's three of them, and they've gone bottleblond so that they all look devilishly alike, and they jump around a lot in the photos... Yep, you guessed it, and not a moment too soon to (hopefully) begin to deflate Mr. Sting's ever-moredeadly seriousness of purpose. See how silly peroxided artistes really look?!? Thought you'd agree. R.R.

THE KINKS

A Compleat Collection (Compleat/Polygram) If it's struck you as strange that the Kinks' early hits haven't been available on an American label during their current period of popularity, you might wanna investigate this repackage. As the Kink Kronikles did for a later era, this two-record set combines obscurities, like both sides of their first two singles, with the hits, all the major ones from their first five LP's except for 'A Well Respected Man,' which is curiously absent. So it's not exactly 'complete' but it is certainly welcome; the range of Ray Davies's songwriting abilities were impressive even as far back as '66 and yes, the band could rock. M.D.

TRACEY ULLMAN You Broke My Heart In 17 Places (MCA)

Listen to Tracey Ullman's delightful album long enough and you'll be believing that it's once again 1963 and that the girl group heyday is still in full swing. Ms. Ullman has certainly done her homework—there are snippets here of everyone from Dusty Springfield (the melodramic extravaganza, 'I Close My Eyes And Count To Ten') to the Chiffons (the version here of Jackie DeShannon's 'Breakaway' has more shoopshoops to the bar than anything similar done in the last 18 years) to (!) Eydie Gorme ('Long Live Love'). Anyone not bowled over by Ullman's outBlondieing of Blondie on the cover of ('Touched By Your) Presence Dear' or the Spector-ial splendor of the sureshot hit, 'They Don't Know,' simply doesn't know. Lesley Gore Lives! B.A.

WANG CHUNG

Points On The Curve (Geffen)

Wang Chung are yet another group of modern Englishmen who've learned the lessons of '83 and are reaping the rewards in '84. Thomas Dolby's Wireless broadcasts must have come in loud and clear as numerous tunes here bear several T.D. stamps—chord progressions, clipped vocal stylings, mix stategies—without quite being candidates for clonedom. Other songs wish this way and wash that way, from stiff Human League-like proclamations to finger poppin' dance ditties, without establishing much of an identity. The band consists of three multi-instrumentalists augmented by sessionsaxman Mel Collins and two programmers; nobody's haircut is particularly attentiongetting. Wang Chung are one of many but they are contenders. M.D.

ICICLE WORKS (Arista)

Latest thing out of Liverpool (Echo & Bunnymen old rabbits out of old hats by now), these Icicle Works blokes are as achingly serious as many given clutch of vid-house Limeys, but their rhythms are much more loose and open than you'd ever expect. Their songs are rife with some kind of mystico monotheism a bit to the East of T-Bone Burnett, mebbe a type of zen pantheism (sike-a-dylic any way you slice it). Songs both semibucolic and sometimes not so much so ('I'll love you as a factory in the desert'). Twenty extra points if you can call their haircuts without scoping the jacket. R.R.

PAUL YOUNG

No Parlez (Columbia)

When yet another English soul revival came and went a few years ago it took with it the QTips, a neo-Northern horn band, leaving behind the memory of lead singer Paul Young and a sublime version of 'Some Kind Of Wonderful.' Young has now resurfaced as a solo, his smokefilled pipes as strong as ever, offering a record that's my candidate for headphone album of the year. Judiciously choosing songs from the Everly Brothers, Stax, Motown and Joy Division, and arranging them adventurously (lots of psychedelic juju with panning scat polyrhythms everywhere), Young tempers the lyrical gritty pop of a voice I can't resist with a fine appreciation for noise. You may think No Parlez is overdrawn in spots, but me and my Walkman like it jes' fine. J.N.

THE RODS

Live (Combat)

A heavy metal band only Count Floyd could love. Dig that straggley hair! Dig that sweat! Dig those titles: 'Hellhound'! 'Speed Demon'! 'Rabid Thunder'! 'Devils Child'! Dig the unaccompanied guitar atrocities on 'The Viper'! Dig the Grand Funk-y drum solo on side two! Dig the singalong chorus on 'Cold Sweat And Blood'! As a comic reviewer in all seriousness, though—do a blindfold test on your favorite Judas Priest freak with this record. Guaranteed, they'll never know the difference. B.A.