45 REVELATIONS

45 REVELATIONS

by

Ken Barnes

Sometimes it's frustrating when you know you've found a classic record, but other people (reviewers) don't agree. The entire British press must have been in a royal snit when Bananarama's 'Rough Justice' (and the sumptuous album it's taken from) came out—not one good notice on a single that's patently smashing. Bananarama are a superb modern girl group— they sing appealingly and write most of their own generally excellent material ('Rough Justice' even shows some sociopolitical awareness, and if it's not the revolutionary manifesto I thought it was before I saw the lyrics, it's a long way from 'Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye').

In the hallowed girl group tradition, Bananarama's producers, Tony Swain and Steve Jolley (who also do Imagination and Spandau Ballet and join Trevor Horn on my producers-towatch list), play a substantial role in crafting the records. 'Rough Justice' 's irresistible melody is supported by a foundation of massed strummed guitars (their forte), trim sax fills, and world-class dancefloor drum crashes. Single of the month. So thrill to their new U.S. single, 'Cruel Summer' (in my top 5 last year as an import), check out 'Rough Justice' on the LP or the import single, and see if I'm not right.

FLYING GUITARS

If the Byrds were the rock translation of jet travel, then Husker Du's version of 'Eight Miles High' threatens the speed-of-light barrier. What a guitar blast—with most of the intricate picking of the original revved up so staggeringly that you don't even mind the vocal being one long yowl. Another terrific guitar outing is the Droogs' seventh single, 'Change Is Gonna Come' (not the Sam Cooke classic). Roger Clay stretches out on a long Yardbirds-style solo, and the song also benefits from the usual killer tune and their best production yet. (There's also a loose and funny live flipside version of 'Waiting For The Man' that, for once in the chronicle of Velvets covers, delicately refrains from thrashing the poor song half to death.) And from Australia, the Hoodoo Gurus muster a strong guitar attack on 'I Want You Back' (not the J5 classic), a melodic rocker that's a bit of a cross between the Pretenders and the Zombies.

Closer to the mainstream, the Greg Kihn Band veer tantalizingly close to '60s garage rock with 'Reunited' (not the Peaches & Herb number), which consists of snarling vocals and guitars, a riff loosely based on the Them/Troggs/MC5 colossus 'I Can Only Give You Everything,' and not much else. X issue their best record yet in tackling the Troggs' 'Wild Thing'; the booming drums and bulldozer guitar make up for the lack of their customary incisive lyrics...and for the presence of their usual flat unison vocals.

How about Bruce Springsteen? He's gone and made himself a real radio smash in 'Dancing In The Dark'—without becoming almost unrecognizable in the process (as on 'Hungry Heart'). We'll be hearing this one all summer, and that invigorating chorus will make it a pleasure. Meanwhile, crony Little Steven continues to overcome an awesome lack of innate singing ability with stunning productions, rousing tunes, and inspiring sentiments like 'Out Of The Darkness.' Sounds great! Dwight Twilley has his second good one in a row with 'Little Bit Of Love,' even better than 'Girls' thanks to a classic pop-rock chorus. His sometime songwriting associate Pat Robinson is also handy with a chorus on 'Eye For An Eye,' which sounds something like Elvis Costello singing Tom Petty's 'I Need To Know.' And rounding out the American rocker this month, Rank & File capture a Creedence meets the Everlys spirit" on the high and lonesome 'Sound Of The Rain.'

THE PRODUCTION LINE

One of the hot new production teams to watch for in the black/urban/dance field (where following producers is a good way to lock onto the sound) is Terry Lewis and James Harris (Jimmy Jam), who did the meltingly magnificent SOS Band hit 'Just Be Good To Me' last year. Their first production for Change, 'Change Of Heart,' is uncannily similar to the group's brilliant 1981 hit 'Paradise,' freshened up enough to be newly delightful. Patrice Rushen, who co-produces herself, latches on to the classy midtempo groove the SOS Band, Mtume, and Yarbrough & Peoples use so effectively, achieving pleasant results on 'Feels So Real.'

Narada Michael Walden learned his Chic tricks well, and they show up on one of my longtime favorites Margie Joseph's new single, 'Ready For The Night.' The contrast between her Staxschooled vocals and the up-to-the-minute backing is electrifying. Leon Sylvers III helped invent the influential pop-dance hybrid Solar label style (Shalamar, Dynasty, the Whispers), but he moves into a more electronic/hiphop realm on the pretty 'Nobody's Gonna Get This Lovin' But You' by Krystol. And Motown grandmasters Eddie and Brian Holland return with an attractive track on girl group Lipstick's 'Rain Song.'

Speaking of Motown grandmasters, Smokey Robinson has perhaps his strangest record ever. 'And 1 Don't Love You' is full of tricky wordplay, oxymorons, and improbabilities, plus an almost psychedelic funk sound. Amazing. One of Motown's younger leading lights, Michael Lovesmith, deserts funk for a pop-rock-dance sound on 'Gotta Get Out Tonight' that reminds me of Prince when I liked him better (circa 'When You Were Mine'/'Uptown'). Eddy Grant is an acknowledged whiz in the dance-rock genre, and the upbeat 'Romancing The Stone' (nothing to do with 'Love Me Like A Rock') is catchy in a 17-year tradition dating back to 'Baby Come Back.'

The new breed of electronic dance music producers are getting their shots in pop and rock now, too. Arthur Baker of Planet Patrol/New Edition fame uses a lot of his crisp production techniques and gimmickry to transform Face To Face's '10-9-8' into something extraordinary. And Mark Liggett and Chris Barbosa, who made those ultrasharp Shannon singles, help give Robin Gibb (who helped define the '70s dance beat with 'Stayin' Alive') the modern dance pulse on 'Boys Do Fall In Love.' I'm not familiar with Mark Berry, but he's produced a sparkling melodic hiphopper called 'All Night Passion' by Alisha.

ENGLAND: DEWDROPS IN

I never heard a Cocteau Twins record before the current 'Pearly-Dewdrops Drops,' but 1 might have been missing plenty. It's a stately, shimmering, mystical creation that sounds like nothing else and is my U.K. fave of the month. Eurythmics keep using the same basic formula to come up with astounding records—'Who's That Girl,' with at least three separately fascinating sections, is a more-than-worthy successor to 'Here Comes The Rain Again.'

Elvis Costello assumes his 'Imposter' guise to wax ironic about world affairs on 'Peace In Our Time,' a thoughtful and polished performance, but I'm even more taken with the flip, a low-key and chilling take on the spectacularly bleak Richard & Linda Thompson song 'Withered And Died.' Roger Daltrey's new single 'Parting Would Be Painless' also exposes an undervalued British singer-songwriter, Kit Hain (whose wondrous 'Looking For You' is also present on Daltrey's new LP). 'Parting' is a subtle, sedate rocker that should grow on you.

One of my favorite obscure U.K. bands, Katrina & The Waves, put an infectious number called 'Going Down To Liverpool' on the flip of their new 'Plastic Man' single. (L.A.'s fab Bangles have also just covered it, and I bet Lindsey Buckingham wishes he'd done it.) Billy Bremner singlehandedly reincarnates the much-missed Squeeze with a new DiffordTilbrook song called 'When Love Goes To Sleep.' Simple Minds' 'Up On The Catwalk' make three galvanizing singles in a row (after 'Waterfront' and 'Speed Your Love To Me') in their new grand-scale guitar licks among the synths, a further signal of the new ascendancy of the guitar in British pop. And that's fine by me. (Addresses for independent U.S. releases: Husker Du, SST Records, P.O. Box 1, Lawndale, CA 90260; Droogs, Plug TV' Socket Records, Box DH, Van Nuys, CA 91412-1520.)