ROCK • A • RAMA

ROCK A RAMA

This month’s Rock-A-Ramas were written by Michael Davis, Richard C. Walls, Richard Riegel and Jon Young.

JAMES BLOOD ULMER Part Time (Rough Trade)

Now that Ulmer doesn’t have to deal with being “the next big thing,” he can concentrate on his music which, coincidentally or not, has been improving of late. Basically, he’s found the right band members: electric violinist Charles Burnham and drummer Warren Benbow are not only distinctive players in their own right but they listen so well, knowing when to lay back and when to cut loose. The absent bass isn’t even missed because of Benbow’s busy bass drum and Ulmer’s chunky funk chording. This live LP is exceptionally wellrecorded and shows off the full spectrum of the band’s sound, from the constantly exploding “Part Time” to the more conventional song structure of “Mr. Tight Hat.” True, Ulmer’s voice, which sounds sorta like Hendrix with a mouth full of John Lee Hooker, is an acquired taste, but I don’t care if I understand every word or not; the music comes through loud and clear. M.D.

KEITH JARRETT Changes (ECM)

Despite the listless pun of the album’s title (I mean, as Robert Armstrong said to George Zucco in The Mad Ghoul: “That gag’s got whiskers!”), this is a better than average Jarrett effort, a trio record (with Gary Peacock, bass, and Jack De Johnette, drums) and follow-up to last year’s Standards, Vol. 1, though the focus here is on Jarrett originals (Namely “Flying Pts. 1 & 2” and “Prism,” titles no doubt culled from the same dusty notebooks as Changes...) The emphasis here is on impressionistic interaction, often with a steady pulse, and, if you like that sort of thing, few people do it better than these guys. Be warned, though, that Jarrett’s tendency to make weird duck-like noises when he plays (creative abandon and all that) is well-miked this time out, and is a mite distracting.R.C.W

THE DANSE SOCIETY Heaven Is Waiting (Arista)

Ever notice how much most of today’s “dance-oriented rock” sticks to delicately augmented disco beats? I bet the drummer in Danse Society did ’cause he often layers in powerful counterpunches that recall the kick of early Killing Joke. Hooked into the synth player’s creative keyboard patterns, he can send you out to the dancefloor in a hurry. Where it’s a good place to stay, incidentally, ’cause if you sit down and listen to this stuff, you find out that the singer is unexceptional and so are the band’s tunes—things you didn’t necessarily wanna know while you were boogieing down. M.D.

THE WILD LIFE Music From the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (MCA)

Didn’t catch the flick, but this sleeper of a soundtrack is brimful of tasty aural d’oeuvres, most new to LP. On the axe deity front, Mr. Edward Van Halen checks in with “Donut City,” a dirty, snarling instrumental that’s plumb funky, and Andy Summers takes an agreeable vocal turn on the wispy “Human Shout.” The distaff contigent comes forward as toughtalkin’ Louise Goffin (Carol King’s kid) and the Go-Go’s’ Charlotte Caffey declare “No Trespassing,” to a punchy street beat, while Bananarama makes the title track their most enthralling outing yet. (For the pennywise, the latter comes on a 45.) Less essential, unless you’re a Stones completist, is Charlie Sexton’s suitably slurred version of “It’s Not Easy” produced by Ron Wood with creaky Keith Richards himself on guitar. There’s more worthwhile stuff, too. All in all, The Wild Life is a fine dose of hip commercialism, neither earth-shaking nor insulting. You could do worse. J.Y.

JACK DeJOHNETTE’S SPECIAL EDITION Album Album (ECM)

DeJohnette not only drums on a substantial proportion of the worthwhile LPs in the ECM catalogue, he’s also turning out to be the label’s most musically consistent band leader, and this is one of his strongest albums ever. David Murray of the World Saxophone Quartet is back, blowing his brains out in the tenor chair while the guest horn spot goes to Howard Johnson, whose baritone sax and tuba help keep the bottom end burning. DeJohnette himself continues to amaze by remaining both “in-the-tradition” and “up-to-date” while expanding into new areas. Here, he overdubs synthesizer parts to create Ellington-like textures with the horn and even effectively integrates a drum machine into the exuberant “New Orleans Strut.” Good good. M.D.

MADAM X

We Reserve The Right (Jet)

Two women, two guys, and at least that many chords distinguish this metallic-cartoon version of what Heart maybe should’ve been. You might go for Bret Kaiser’s hoarse vocals, which combine Noddy Holder and Jim Dandy Mangrum and various other early-’70s influences, but I’m more partial to Roxy Petrucci’s percussion. Simply put, she drums like a gurl— as a drummer friend of mine once complained about Maureen Tucker, when he thought he detected her lagging on the beat. Be that as it may, Madam X’s metal has a tasty plodbrain tension that comes from Roxy soundly thumping the backside of each beat, as her sis Maxine’s guitar thrusts ahead like an erect you-know-what. The lyrics are as puerile as you’ll already figure when I mention that Madam X wear lots of leather. But the group sounds almost hardcore in spite of itself, and that’s good. R.R.