ROCK•A•RAMA

ROCK•A•RAMA

This month’s Rock-A-Ramas were written by Michael Davis, Jeff Nesin, Richard C. Walls and Jeffrey Morgan.

JOHNNY MacLEOD WITH THE YOUNG PIONEERS

Dynamite In The Stove (True North/CBS)

Even though I live in Toronto, you can count on one hand the number of times I’ve bent your ear about Canadian talent in the 10 years I’ve been writing for CREEM, so bear with me on this one because Johnny is the only singer/songwriter I’d put serious money on. He released one album (Every Twist Reminds) in 1980 with his former band the G-Rays, and has spent the last half decade leading up to this triumphant moment. The man’s lyrical and musical depth and perception knows no equal, so I’m not going to even try to give you a comparison against which you can judge him. But considering the current value of the U.S. dollar against the Canadian dollar, I’d say that a trip across the border to buy this album would be more than worth your while. J.M.

LOUDNESS Thunder In The East (Atco)

Have the Japanese learned their heavy metal from the Germans? Listening to Loudness’ U.S. debut makes me recall that the Scorpions have been big in Japan for a long time now; I hear their echoes in these song structures, guitar tones, even the Klaus Goes To Tokyo vocals. But these guys are not mere Scorps clones; guitarist Akira Takasaki is faster and makes nastier noises than his German counterparts and there aren’t really any weak links anywhere. They may not be the first decent Japanese heavy metal band, but it looks like Loudness will be the first to really make their mark in America. M.D.

WEATHER REPORT Sportin’ Life (Columbia)

WR is pretty predictable by now and its many fans as comfortable as an old shoe. Any rhythmic or textural quirkiness the band might have once produced has been lost in a blanding-out process that has left them one of our more sophisticated purveyors of mood music—in a word, fuzak. And, as usual, Wayne Shorter is pretty much missing in action, with the notable exceptions of the bright pointillistic melody for “Pearl On The Half-Shell” (nice eight-second tenor solo, too), a passing reference to “Nefertiti” in the middle of the group’s light-as-a-feather rendition of“What’s Going On,” and some poignant delineation on “Face On The Barroom Floor,” another Shorter original. Otherwise, zzzz. R.C.W.

ART BLAKEY &

(5 THE JAZZ MESSENGERS Album Of The Year (Timeless/Zebra)

The well-regarded Dutch jazz label Timeless is once again enjoying expanded U.S. distribution and one of the benefits to us is the wider availability of albums like this one. Many Wynton Marsalis fanatics already know it as one of his hottest record dates prior to going out as a leader, but this is not Kid Trumpet and the Jerk-Offs; this is a band triumph from start to finish. The whole rhythm section matches Marsalis in suss, sass and class. Blakey’s been a drumming legend since the ’40s and he still picks playmates, like bassist Charles Fambrough and pianist James Williams here, who challenge him and keep his batteries charged. Well worth searching for. M.D.

RECONSIDER BABY Elvis Presley (RCA)

Reconsider Baby is the perfect title for this, the best posthumous EP LP yet. Under the estimable leadership of RCA VP Gregg Geller, the mountain of tape and records left behind by El—among other superlatives, the greatest interpretive singer in rock ’n’ roll history—is being winnowed with intelligence and enthusiasm, yielding first the six record Elvis—A A Golden Celebration, then the essential remastered mono reissues, and now this brilliant all-blues collection pressed on blue plastic. Previously unreleased gems include the scabrous original lyrics to “One Night” (Hint: It’s not about herpes), the breathless teen tremulousness of “Tomorrow Night,” and a racing “second line” rhythm for “Ain’t That Loving You Baby.” The closer is an incredibly low down “Merry Christmas Baby,” with superior string wrenching from guitarist James Burton. Blue Xmas, indeed...the way our boy sings “I want to kiss you, baby/underneath your mistletoe” makes me wonder where the sprig is hanging. Before Otis Blue, before David Blue, even before Blackie “Blue” Lawless, there was Elvis blue. Reconsider, b.aby, reconsider. J.N.

FLEETWOOD MAC Jumping At Shadows (Varrick)

Odd that at a time when the current edition of Fleetwood Mac has relaxed into an onagain/off-again plaything for superstars, this live document of the original F. Mac at its peak sneaks into the stores. Peter Green was not long for this band nor the world or rock ’n’ roll at this point—hear him sing, “I’ve been jumping at shadows, thinking about my life,” with such utter conviction that you don’t disbelieve him for a second—but he was sure here this night, along with both his guitar-slinging sidekicks, Jeremy Spencer and Danny Kirwan. The way they casually plug in and lean into a brain-blistering version of “Oh, Well” to start things off is the stuff legends are made of— and though they never hit that height again, there’s plenty of hot playing to be heard before they fade away with an everyband boogie. If it had been released 15 years ago, this album probably would have been regarded as a fine final testament from an underheard band; as it is, well, here it is. M.D.