University of Wollongong Research Online

Roadrunner Historical & Cultural Collections

1-1983 Road Runner 6(1) January 1983 Donald Robertson Editor

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Recommended Citation Robertson, Donald, (1983), Road Runner 6(1) January 1983, East Sydney, New South Wales, 64pp. http://ro.uow.edu.au/roadrunner/49

Research Online is the open access institutional repository for the University of Wollongong. For further information contact the UOW Library: [email protected] Road Runner 6(1) January 1983

Description Contents: 2. Upfront—The sP ychedelic Furs/ The ainS ts/ Great White Noise/ Ya Ya Choral/ Iron Maiden/ Zoo. 7. Singles Reviews/ The Belle Stars. 8. The Reels. 11. Go Ask Alice. 14. Mental As Anything. 16. Dexy’s Midnight Runners. 20. The eN w Cabaret. 24. Tim Finn. 28. Ivan Lendl. 32. Sounds from Senegambia. 36. King Sunny Ade. 40. Beatnix. 41. John Cooper Clarke. 42. Simple Minds. 44. Film Reviews. 46. Recording an Independent Single. 48. Les Bean (Fashion). 49. Casio Keyboards. 50. New York, New York. 53. Album Reviews. 61. Home On The Road (Fiction). 64. Black Power.

Publisher East Sydney, New South Wales, 64pp

This serial is available at Research Online: http://ro.uow.edu.au/roadrunner/49 JANUARY 1983

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G2ADOO QOE7 ROADRUNNER PUBLISHER. Donald Robertson . •* EDITOR. Donald Robertson SUB EplTOR. Larry Buttrose DESIGN AND LAYOUT. Simon Penny. ASSISTANT EDITOR. Jodi Hoffmann. . V CORRESPONDENTS. ADELAIDE. Giles Barrow. 1; Toby Cluechaz. * BRISBANE. Jenny Eather. • MELBOURNE. Jinian Burt>. Adrian Ryan/Tyrone Flex. LONDON. Chris Salewicz, ‘Keith Shadwkk. NEW YORK Keri Phillips. CONTRIBUTORS. Mkhael Ladd.,: * ryupNiCxH-r o il Phot-O Patricia SheaHan. ; *' ■ Ed wiria Shannon. 'Ib t V^vue , J(?e Tdm Thompson. Arch Brown. ■ ADVERTISING SALES CONTENTS. MANAGER. Andrew Say age. UPFRONT ...... TYPESETTING. Authotype ...... 2 Photosetters Pty Ltd> 397 Riley THE REELS' ...... ,. 8 St. Surry Hills. 2010. < •GO ASK ALICE MENTALS RETURN ...... • 14 PHpTOREPRODUCTIONv DEXY’S MIDNIGHT RUNNERS .... 16 Rick B.alzan >/ . 4 20 Printed by Oft set Alpine j THE N^W CABARET .....;...... 24" • Printers. Cnr* Derby & ; INTERVIEW —TIM FINN ...... Wetherili Sts, Silverwater. .* TENNIS — IVAN LENDL ...... 28 ' ..,182 N $ W ; : ' • K *.;/.' - • AFRICABEAT ...... BEATNIX ...... 40 DISTRIBUTION. Network JIM KERR — •' Distribution Company, 54 A NOT SO. SIMPLE MIND ....• 42 Park St. Sydney. NSW, 20Qp. FILM ...... /.,...... '44 • • RoadRunner is NEW YORK, NEW YORK, ...... 50 registered fo r posting .Qz albums ’82 .... 55 AS PUBLICATION N o . SBF 1813; • " • FICTION ....*...... Y ...... 60 HEAD OFFICE: 56 Yurong St. .•{ ; : v East Sydney. NSW, 20^0. Ph. 33T69Q9. 331 6776, 331 6644; 356 1186. * • ... 4 * '-V ..-;v Recommended Retail Price.' ■ $1.80 (Australia!-

Roadrunner 1 The Psychedelic Furs A Bit of Forever, Now.

A phone-call's as good an excuse as any for Top 10 singles in the Land of the Long White a Furs roundup I guess. Its 2 am in New Clud and "Forever Now" is already doing well York, 6 pm in Melbourne. I'm hanging out there. for dinner, and no doubt Tim Butler's in I ask about the state of the band, general need of some sleep, but, it's to be a conver­ feelings, line-up, the usual guff. Things in sation nevertheless. Before the bells, I'm the Furs' past have been quite tense, but the pondering why most of the stuff I've read last reshuffle has left an air of ease in its lately has been kept bogged down in five wake. Touring's getting better, band mem­ year old questions, like "Why 'Psychedelic' " bers are getting along surprisingly well and and equally diversionary drivel. Well I mean, all is set for a period of healthy growth. at long last, P.F. have an album out that Apart from the core of Tim on bass, Richard should joyously excite the masses, and the Butler on vocals and John Ashton on guitar, lads are coming out in January, fresh on the the touring band includes a cellist, a new sax crest, boarding on to even greater heights. player, a keyboard person, and the latest ad­ Tim does sound a little battered but says dition of interest, Phil Calvert (ex-Birthday he's O.K., "just the bass player" indeed. Party) on drums/percussion. The rehearsal They've just finished their last performance period will be the first chance the new team in New York, at Radio City — went well ap­ will have to get down to some writing, to parently. A solid three weeks of rehearsal feeling the new shape out. Tim describes starts soon, in preparation for the Aust­ Phil as "sort of avant-garde, with some weird ralasian leg of the tour, a major date being sounding rhythms running across things," the Sweetwater Festival in N.Z. Tim's quite but seems pleased at the propsect. I must excited with the prospect. They've had five admit after hearing "Forever Now” as the first

2 Roadrunner Todd Rundgren/P. Furs collaboration, I'd be quite chafing at the bit to hear what Todd's transparent production could bring out of this new combination. On the question of the recent vinyl effort, the matter of stand-out choruses comes up ("Forever Now” being full of the brazen be­ asts). More than previous songs, these have quite simply been written from the chorus out, keeping Richard's rambling phrase list­ ings to a minimum. “The earlier stuff was more abstract, but you should talk to Richard about that.'' Things keep swinging back to the upcom­ ing tour, with a strange set of references to Tim's curiosity about the layout of Australian cities. He wants to know if everything's as square as in the U.S., or more interestingly structured, like London. As usual, he has the impression that this is quite a 'fun' place, and relative to Britain, or even the States, it could well be. The impression will probably be helped along with Phil Calvert's impend­ ing engagement, to be celebrated during the tour, “a chance for a good piss-up!“ On the final leg of the conversation, Tim “ We’re pretty pissed off with a from the tedium of live electronic music, above very closely echoes Jim Kerr's sentiments lot of music being played around, searing heavy metal and clone rock ’n roll. It's a about breaking thru in the U.K. and the U.S., especially funk bands. They’ve just nice change. radio-wise. “ People are starting to listen The group has no vocalist, no semblance of a taken that rhythmic idea, more and more, and its just been mounting prescribed treatment to their music and an over the last five years and three albums. simplified it and made it dead and almost offhand approach to a performance. And now its starting to break thru those bar­ boring to the point where there is John Gillies assures me that Great White riers, where people that never took any no energy.” Noise don’t expect an audience of well-informed notice are having to, because of the sheer It was this disgruntled feeling, shared by jazzites ready to scrutinise and pressure." In the U.S., the College radio seven musicians which led to the formation of compartmentalize. network has been the key to a wider audi­ Great White Noise, according to the band’s ‘‘Great White Noise means a lot of things, ence, and at last that's starting to shift the drummer, John Gillies. really it’s a bit confused.” “ Categories don’t Furs from the 'small time' circuit of recogni­ Great White Noise are inextricably linked with seem important." tion to the more rewarding 'international' jazz, but play like few groups you’re likely to Often found playing in small city pubs, Great level that bands like Simple Minds and encounter at jazzy haunts like The Paradise Jazz White Noise assemble themselves a bit like an Human League now (well, at least for the Cellar or The Basement. orchestra. There’s soprano, alto and tenor moment) work on. Buy the record, catch the Groups like Kill The King and the now saxaphone, trumpet, guitar, bass and drums. tour, and as for the superlatives, time will London-based Laughing Clowns have also been The members originally come from tell. noted for their passion for jazz, but Great White Toowoomba, Brisbane, Melbourne and New Noise are a lot purer. Zealand, and now call Sydney their musical TYRONE FLEX The sound is fresh and spontaneous with a home. subtle order that carries you over yonder, away Patricia Sheahan

The Saints have just completed their spare time in the pub. The tour kicked Return of the Son of Grogg’ tour. But it off with a wild party at the North Sydney looks like Chris Bailey and bass player offices of Ogilvy and Mather, the large Janine Hall will be staying in the country advertising agency, where the Saints for at least a little while longer. played a loud and enthusiastic set on a The tour certainly lived up to its name Chris Bailey in interview poses. Photos: Jodi gravel floored balcony above the traffic with Bailey spending just about all his Hoffmann. (shades of ‘Let It Be’!) Roadrunner 3 YA YA CHORAL Squared could well become an important breed­ I found an ordered run of the mill eight track rocks off. ing ground. studio, surrounded by the built up domestic disar­ PATRICK — Or you don’t play it to get angry at TC — Do you find that Australian audiences in ray of the M Squared office and adjacent living the government or something .. . general still resist and attach some sort of stigma areas. An industrial street, Surry Hills Sydney. TC — When’s the perfect time to play your to electronic bands? One purpose overrules all others in this office, music? PATRICK — We haven’t played to Australian that of idiosyncratic work. YA YA CHORAL have PATRICK — In the shower.. . audiences in general. the means of artistic production firmly in their FIONA — We haven't got a shower. .. TC — Could you play to Australian audiences grasp, and the necks in which to bear the con­ PATRICK — .. . Because we made it for our in general? sequences. The unfairly hoisted banner of elitism own enjoyment and hopefully for the enjoyment PATRICK — I don’t know. If they saw the the flaps above M Squared should at least be of other people, I suppose you can play it when humour in it then maybe we could. lowered for this enterprise. YA YA CHORAL you want to enjoy yourself. MICHAEL — I think that what helps us is that comprise: Fiona Graham on Keyboards and TC — Do you think YA YA CHORAL would we don't approach it like Gary Numan, or any­ Vocals, Patrick Gibson on Keyboards, Rhythm have surfaced if M Squared never existed? Is the body like that who has attached this image of Box and Vocals, and Michael Tee on Keyboards, development of your music linked to other bands robots of the future sent back to the twentieth Guitar, Vocals, and benevolent fund. under the M Squared umbrella? century to play electronic music. I think if only TC—/ must admit I'm in two minds concernng PATRICK — If M Squared never existed I people realised just how accessible it is in terms your music. The temptation is there to call it would have probably never met Michael Tee. of buying a rhythm box or synthesiser, when purely decorative music, however a niggling And Michael Tee would have never met Fiona. compared to buying a guitar or getting a drum­ amount of depth and substance pulls me back MICHAEL — That's one good thing M Squared mer. Less hassles all round. And coming to the from dismissing it in that way. Undoubtedly it has could possibly become, if some of the bands on realisation that it’s not a cerebral wank or what­ rhythm and soul, are you releasing soft cerebral the label don’t initially come up with the goods ever, just because we are using different instru­ disco on the populace or something? they may form new combinations with other ments. Then I think we would become more ac­ (Laughter occurs, and leads to general snivel­ musicians on the label. It signifies that M cessible. ling and sniggering). PATRICK — It has a beat so it’s disco. It’s soft new york comes to Sydney AGAIN because it’s soft. It's cerebral because we thought about it. You defined it very well. A Revolution in Sydney Real Estate! sleeping area “overlooking the apartment”, MICHAEL — We all like rhythm, everybody Brand New ‘Loft Style’ Apartments! ‘New a living room (a sort of off-gourmet kitchen, can tap their feet to it. York’ Living Comes To Sydney? So run the cum dining room), and a private PATRICK — We all like melody too. I suppose pamphlets, so it must be .. . bathroom/launcry. Cat-swinging areas are it’s decorative in the sense that it gives off an Haysons of Mosman are offering apart­ optional. Priced between $67,950 and atmosphere of feel. ments in the heart of East Sydney — $81,000, they’re a steal. MICHAEL — Did you get much feeling off of “They’re dynamic, they’re exciting” — a re­ Just walk the red carpet into “ New York”, the EP or was it just something to fill up the room? vamped four storey building, two blocks and check out the avante-garde interiors — TC — / got a very warm feeling from it, a very peaceful feeling. from Hyde Park. On the corners of Crown why there’s a David Hockney print of Celia, PATRICK — We are nice people aren’t we? Street and Stanley Street, amidst Cafe and there’s a David Voight! Perhaps the MICHAEL — I guess we are. We’ve got no Society (Reggio’s, Bill & Toni’s etc), a major helpless cosmopolitan New (York) Wave contempt for the world so that would manifest thoroughfare, the squatter’s domain and a has already hit your immaculate three- itself in the music. warm-red light district — New York! bedroomed brick veneer! Don’t be dis­ PA i RICK — I suppose it’s decorative in the Eleven flats (sorry, lofts), have been sold turbed. Loft-style apartments need loft- sense that it isn’t functional. already. These apartments offer an open- style paintings . .. MICHAEL — Yeah. You don’t play it to get your style gourmet-style kitchen, a large raised 4 Roadrunner M IDNIGHT q

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N e w A l b u m N o w A v a i l a b l e r " " 4 LP SBP 237868 Cassette PC 7868 Roadrunner 5 I WOULDN’T ADVOCATE WANDERING AROUND SLAUGHTERING GOATS . . Bruce Dickinson, Maiden’s Iron Lungsman

Since the days of Deep Purple, Black thing since sliced bread — still is actually. I Sabbath, Jethro Tull and others, there have really wanted to be able to play the drums like been many bands trying to follow in their Ian Paice who was then Deep Purple’s footsteps. Most have failed, and it’s only drummer. But — that was never to be.’ recently that Heavy Metal has started to make a Since its beginning, Heavy Metal has been comeback in Australia. Credit has to be given linked with Devil Worship and the Black Arts to English band, Iron Maiden, who have in general. With album titles like ‘The Number strived to reach their goals and done things Of The Beast’, Iron Maiden are continuing the their way to achieve their current success. connection. I asked Bruce what he thought of The 24 year old frontman, Bruce Dickinson, the link. ‘I think it’s a load or rubbish! As far as has only been with the band since September any belief goes that I have, I wouldn’t advocate of last year, replacing Paul Di’anno who left wandering around slaughtering goats or stuff because of personal problems which stemmed like that. But, at the same time, I don’t think from being on the road too long. ‘He wasn’t you have to be involved in Heavy Metal or really into the kind of music that the band was anything else to see that there are elements of playing. That obviously screws you up if the supernatural that people don’t understand you’re on the road for six months doing fully. And obviously there are things that something that you don’t want to do.’ happen that people can’t explain or abilities Before joining Maiden, Bruce was with a that people possess which are not explicable band called Samson after leaving college in the by conventional science. I’m not a worshipper summer of ’79. ‘I haven’t always wanted to be a of devils or a practitioner of the Black Arts, and photo Jodi Hoffmann singer though. When I was 14 I passionately neither is anybody in the band at all. It’s great satanic as a good Dracula movie!’ wanted to be a drummer. I’d just got hold of for a bit of publicity, but the thing is that we Deep Purple In flock, it was like the greatest didn’t even initiate it. Our albums are about as Jodi Hoffmann

In an idle moment I dredged the pile of local albums I’ve acquired this year and I made a personal top ten. Zoo’s debut Cowboys and Engines was very close to the top of my list. It came as a suprise then to find that editors of rock magazines, this one included, aren’t keen on Zoo stories. The reason for the media aversion stems from the problems Zoo have had over front men, their name and their connections. The fact that the original four members continued in the face of media contempt and public ig­ norance and were able to make an outstanding album is interesting. The appearance of Pop Mechanix in Sydney with a CBS contract and the single Jumping Out A Window brought a Sydney band with a very similar name jumping out of the closet waving legal documents. The name changed to NZ Pop and Ritz, like Window was ignored by commercial radio. Again there were no golden eggs. NZ Pop were the uncoolest band in town. Andrew Snoid left in frustration to join Phil Judd and fledging Swingers. The name changed to Zoo and the album went ahead. Andrew’s voice was removed and unlike Bob Geldof’s. Private Military, the single And then we played live and it’s very hard to Paul’s replaced it. due in January, is a glorious uplifting anti-war explain to people who haven’t played live, but Keep It Up, the first single from the album, anthem, and one of the songs Andrew Snoid you have one of those nights where it’s like a has unaccountably been totally ignored. didn’t want to do. series of frozen moments . . . everything else: Window was Donovanish; dreamy, melodic But why in the face do it all odds, do they record contracts, the press, are subsidiary to and whistful. Ritz was bright and jumpy. Keep persist? Paul: “ We enjoy it. It obviously got to the whole motivation of being in a band and It Up has a reggae air with a melodramatic Andrew, but the fact is that when we started enjoying playing music.” ghost house organ; Paul Scott’s voice is not we enjoyed sitting around and writing songs. Arch Brown 6 Roadrunner singles

SINGLES

Culture Club: 'Do You Really Paul Carrack: 7 Need You'. Want To Hurt Me.' (Virgin) (Epic) An achingly poignant British Warm and soulful solo single No. 1 which seems destined to from the ex-Squeeze keyboard go all the way here too. Boy player with help from drinking George is the latest and most mates Dave Edmunds, Nick extreme case of androgynous Lowe and Martin Belmont. British pop stars but given the Musically it's pure and won­ fast fashion turnover in the UK I derful Tamla, vocally, well Car- get the feeling that this is the rack proved on Squeeze's only 15 minutes of fame he's 'Tem pted' that he can croon likely to enjoy. Still, it's a lovely soul with the best of them and song. his Smokey Robinson-inspired effort here is nothing short of Human League: 'Mirror Man' wonderful. Deserves to be a hit. (Virgin) Mega-success always raises fol­ Divynals: 'Science Fiction' low up problems. The Human (Chrysalis) League have opted for con­ Pummelling drums carry this solidation rather than innova­ mixture of rinky-dink keyb- tion with a Tamla-Motown voards and Lene Lovich vocal flavoured upbeat synth-rocker, inflexions. Chrissie's little girl complete with falsetto har­ vocals sound like they've been monies by the gels. Different influenced by her on-stage enough to sound fresh, but not costume. A disappointment. too radical a departure from past glories, 'Mirror Man' does Die Dancing Bears: 'Drug Dance' its job well. (Independent) Adelaide-based Birthday Party clones' debut single. Unfortu­ Sacred Cowboys: 'Nothing nately the Birthday boys have Crows In Texas' (White Label) already worked this mine dry. Immediately reminiscent of early Models, which isn't too Young Homebuyers: 'She's A much of a surprise as Sacred Girl' (Rough Diamond) Cowboys boast the Models' Impeccable pop song, verse/ early rhythm section, Mark Fer- chorus/harmonies, all that stuff, rie and Janis Freidenfelds. The with a flavour not a million song trots along in authentic miles removed from Paul Kelly. Cowboy fashion with a metallic Commercial as hell though, and ring and catchy chorus. Pure should hit high. Melbournism. Donald Robertson

dustry in the 70's, and now even NEW more so in the 1980's. 'New WOMEN IN Women In Rock’ contains their hardships and achievements as ROCK they faced their struggle to a (Omnibus Press) seemingly impossible success. The Shattering and sometimes But — at the same time, it pro­ humorous truth has been re­ ves that there is no longer a vealed about female Rock Stars barrier between men and in a colourful paperback re­ women in rock and roll, as The Belle Stars are an all-female seven piece whose leased through Omnibus Press. women have overcome what All you ever wanted to know was once there, and are now as latest 45, the infectious ‘Clapping Song’ seems poised for about female singers — and competent as many of today's summer chart success. Formed in London two years ago more — is all here in 'New leading male stars and enjoy from the ashes of 2-Tone group The Bodysnatchers (who Women In Rock'. Some of the equal status. had a minor hit with ‘Do the Rock Steady’) the new aggre­ names include Blondie, Nina This book, compiled by vari­ gation combined ska, soul, funk and pop into a highly Hagen, Kate Bush, Hazel ous writers, would make in­ dancable musical concoction. Record company interest O'Connor, Joan Jett and Grace teresting reading for any rock was immediate and strong and the Belle Stars signed with Jones. These are just a handful fan. It also contains a wide Stiff Records four months after they formed. of over 70 women whose selection of colour and black Despite support spots with Madness, the Clash, the careers have been traced in this and white photos in it's 96 pages book. and a complete discography of Police, the Beat, Pretenders and Elvis Costello, it wasn’t Women have managed to all the artists is included. until their fourth single, ‘Iko Iko’ earlier this year that the make their mark in the previ­ Belle Stars showed up in the British charts, but ‘Clap­ ously male dominated music in­ Jodi Hoffmann ping Song’ and the follow up ‘Mockingbird’ have both done well there. _ , Roadrunner 7 That the Reels have never had massive popular success is perhaps one of the great injustices in Aust­ ralian music over the past ten years. Despite critical acclaim of the high­ est order and a string of classic pop songs, stunning live performances and an attitude of equal parts fun, intelligence and subtlety, the Reels have never really cracked it. Well, all that may be just about to change. In what could be seen as a 'sell out' (whatever that means) of the highest magnitude or a piece of inspired strategy, the Reels have re­ corded an album of straight MOR covers called 'Beautiful'. 'This Guy's In Love With You' is only the tip of the iceberg, as 'Beautiful' contains slow reverential versions of 'The Last Waltz', 'He'll Have To Go', 'Where Is The Love', 'La Mer' and other evergreens. What's more, al­ though the Reels signed with RCA at the beginning of 1982, 'Beautiful' is released on the K-Tel label, and is being marketed just like any other of that company's 'TV Special' releases. What gives? David Mason called into the ROADRUNNER office to explain. RR — Well David, tell me when you first had the idea for this beautiful record. DM — When I had the idea? Well, it's been ah idea for a long time, ever since we started, we always wanted to make a K-Tel album. It wasn't till we did This Guy, that we thought, well, it worked so wonderfully, that we thought, this is the best time for us to do it. Let's do it. Get it out of our system. RR — And how did you go about choosing David Mason. Photo: Jodi Hoffmann the material? DM — Well, we all sat around and brought RR — Who bought in La Mer, was that Ste­ way? Doing it that way instead of doing cov­ in our favourite records and worked out fan? ers. whether it was Beautiful enough. If the struc­ DM — Stefan yeah. He used to sing it with DM — It was going to be half covers — half ture was beautiful, everything had to pass the his sister when he was a kid, he said. That our stuff. Then we decided not to do that. It beautiful standard. Otherwise we wouldn't was a last minute one. wasn't K-Tel's idea, to do all cover versions. accept it. RR — Why do a slowed down version of Even though it sounds like it would be. RR — What is the 'beautiful' standard — Pre Fab Heart? Did you feel that was your RR — How has it been working with K-Tel? can you define it? most beautiful song to date? What's different between them, and say — DM — It had that really strong melodic DM — No, cos we were playing it live for RCA or Polygram? melody. Where verses, chorus and bridge so long. And we had to get out own royalties DM — Well, the three of them are all really worked. The chord structures had to be in there somehow. So we had to get some of different. K-Tel are very straight compared to beautiful to the ear. No clashing chords. Lyri­ our songs in there. the others. Which I sort of like better, because cally, it didn't matter. The more mushier, the RR — Did you ever consider perhaps just they're sort of more down to earth, realistic. better. There's all the standards. re-arranging a lot of your other songs? In that They've sort of got a chip on their block about 8 Roadrunner that, we didn't want that album, we wanted other tracks that we recorded on it, rather than the singles. A lot of it didn't go our way, but still, overall, it's still quite a reasonable album. It's still in the alternative charts in Melbourne which is good. It's gone up to number 5, it was number 1. It just stays there, it's been hanging there for two years. RR — That's kind of the gist of what I was getting at. There are a lot of people out there that really really like the Reels music. But not enough to make you really rich. being K-Tel too. DM — To do, oh it was easy, it took us 10 DM — I think lack of exposure has got a lot RR — From lack of credibility? days to do. to do with that. Commercial radio acceptance, DM — Yeah. That sort of thing. Like — RR — And what about all the negotiations commercial television acceptance. Which that's a K-Tel record, ha ha ha . . . And they and all that kind of thing? hopefully the Beautiful Music album might feel really bad. They've got this complex DM — Well, that sort of all fell into place. change a little bit, I don't know. A lot of the about it, which they're trying to overcome. RR — Once you'd actually done it? commercial stations think it's too bland for RR — Any idea how many they expect to DM — Yeah. We did This Guy, and we them to play now. Instead of it being too sell — K-Tel? took that to K-Tel and said — this is what the weird, now it's too acceptable. So what can DM — I don't know, 100,000 probably. album is gonna sound like and that was it. you do? It used to worry me a bit, doesn't RR — A lot more than any of your other al­ They went for it, they didn't want to know worry me any more because we know that bums have done isn't it? anything else, just, give us the album that we'll just keep on going anyway. It doesn't DM — Yeah, but it's a lot more open sounds like that and we'll be happy. So we matter what people think, or if they buy it or- album. It's aimed to a bigger market. It's not did. don't buy i{. Even if we lose our record com­ aimed to a rock market so to speak. Whatever RR — It does sound as though you had a pany, we'd just form our own. It's not a pro­ a rock market is. It's aimed to kids and to fair degree of control over it. blem. We can still keep on going, no matter everybody. DM — That's one of the things with joining what happens. It's basically up to the band, if RR — What do you think of a 45 year old RCA, they've given us freedom and they're they still want to go, if the band doesn't want married couple will think of it when they buy amicable to our ideas and marketing and all to keep on going, if it got any less than the 3 it? If they buy it. strategies and stuff. piece, I don't think we'd carry on. DM — I don't really know, cos I'm not 45 or RR — What about on stage? What sort of RR — Well, what do you think about being married and living in suburbia. But I think instruments do you use? Are you using tapes? in this music industry at the moment, with it they'd like it. If they have a nice little intimate DM — Yeah, tapes and keyboards. I sing being so depressed? dinner for 2, sitting around listening to it, you mainly, I play keyboards in a couple of songs DM — I don't know. We're sort of sorting know. They'd probably get into it. I don't and Craig plays bass, guitar and keyboards, everything out so that we can survive in this know. It's hard to say. Stefan plays drums and keyboards and then sort of environment. It's probably harder for DONALD INTERVIEWS DAVID RR — It's great hang-over music. we'll probably expand on that too. We might major bands, than for new bands. DM — Is it? see Stefan playing a bit of guitar, he's sing­ RR — With all the overheads and every­ RR — Yeah, I had a stinger of a hang-over ing La mer of course, which is a start with thing? the other day, and I put it on. getting him out the front and doing things. DM — Yeah, it's really hard to go on the DM — It soothed you right out. Well, that's Swapping roles is really neat. I quite like that. road. We find that we earn about $10,000 a good, that means it's working. If we can keep our interest going and keep on week, getting paid for gigs, and that's work­ RR — I take it that the album is a special doing different things, then we can last ing 6-7 nights a week. And it's costing us project, sort of a tangent to the main thrust of longer. Cos we won't get bored and if we ex­ $8000 to run the show, so we make a $2000 your career. Would that be an accurate as­ pand ourselves and our various companies profit, then that all gets dispersed into percen­ sumption? into working for us, we can keep on going as tages to managers and that sort of thing. So DM — Every year we want to do a project long as they make money for us. we don't end up with hardly anything. And like this whether it be a Beautiful Music album RR — What do you think about — going then we're paying off so much gear, so we or whatever. But put out something different back to the past again, are you at all annoyed end up with nothing really. As long as we can as well as putting out a Reels product. I sup­ or angry that you, even though you've had still survive, that's the main thing. $8000 a pose we'll probably keep in the form of the great critical acclaim with the music that week is just ridiculous. I get paid $150 a week. Reels, I don't know, I hope so. I'm sort of you've done in the past, that you've never re­ RR — Have you written many songs of toying with a Christmas album for next year ally had . . . your own recently? and we're also toying with gospel music. It's DM — Record sales? In a way, a lot of that DM — I've written one. By myself. I find it sort of open, we can do whatever we want. is our fault. very hard to write now, mainly cos my stan­ The whole world's open really if you want to RR — In what way can it be your fault? dards have gone up so much. The Beautiful get into that sort of thing. DM — With the 2nd album, a lot of it was Music album is sort of, made me realise a few RR — In a way, when the band started, you our fault. We mucked around a lot in the things about songs. A whole sort of format of started out as a normal sort of rock band studio. We'd been too adventurous probably writing a pop song has gone down the drain doing the normal sort of rock thing, but that on that album. Then Polygram really fucked it for me. gradually seems to have dissolved and crum­ up for us in the marketing sense and in RR — That's strange, cos I mean, this year bled away as you've sort of expanded out in pushing the album. And it was my fault, cos to me, seems to be the renaissance of the pop all sorts of directions. I'd bad mouthed the album to the press. song. With people like Hot Chocolate and DM — Yeah, we sort of think that we're ac­ Which didn't help. But now looking back at it ABC. tually doing something now. It's sort of hard I think it should have sold lots more than it DM — But it's all formula pop. for us to believe that this actually pulled off. did. It could have been a really big seller, that RR — I wouldn't call ABC formula. And that we can do these things. album. The marketing behind it, there was a DM — Ooh Don! Come on . . . I wouldn't RR — Was it harder than you thought it big argument between the band and the re­ call Hot Chocolate formula. ABC are fucken would be? cord company. Like, we didn't want to call it horrible. Bunch of cretins. Roadrunner 9 and stuff like that. But I think we're on the RR — You really don't like them? the album, my voice is real about twice. right track with the 3 piece. And using the DM — Oh I love them! They're really great RR — So is that any kind of problem when computers and everything. marketing. Their marketing is just fantastic. you re re-producing it live? RR — So what computers did you use? Is They're a prime example of doing everything DM — With songs like, Last Night I Didn't the whole album done on computer? Get To Sleep At All, Where Is The Love, right except for the songs. I mean, the songs DM — Yeah, this album is. 50% you're which I sing very low on record, I have to are really good, but they're just so formula. probably hearing is. The Chinese song is all sing low live, which is a bit of a hassle. With You know? computer. the live stuff too, we're just starting, so we've RR — How do you mean? RR — Is that a Chinese cover version? got to up-date and perfect them too. Just from DM — They've got all their pop sensibilities DM — Yeah, it's a Chinese cover version. playing 4 times we know what mistakes we've together and that guy's writing the songs, 1958 or something. The thing with the 3 of us made. they're just rip offs — one line from here too, is that there's not much prejudice in the RR — So how flexible is the show? Will you and another line from another song and studio. One song I don't play on. At all. And take it on the road for an extended period? sticking it all together. It's like getting a com­ there are a couple of songs that Stefan doesn't DM — The idea is to get a show that we can puter and writing 5 songs, putting 5 songs in play on. Craig being the multi instrumentalist play for a long period of time, that's easy on there and saying — right, now jumble them and mainly in charge of music, plays on most us. People don't even notice that we've got all up together and write me a song. things. There's a couple of things he doesn't tapes. And we've got the tapes sitting right in I like the way ABC market their stuff. play on, it's just computer, a Fairlight — front of us, it's just sitting there. They've really got their heads together and I which actually plays the music in sequence We've being really honest about it. The only think bands sort of have to be that way now. how you want it. So that cuts down our re­ thing with the tapes and the computer is that Bands have got to be more than just musical cording costs as well. Because you've got an it takes you right away from- rock and roll. groups. If you're just gonna be a musical 11 piece band, you know. 8 of them are on And we're finding that our whole set is be­ group then you can play around Darlinghurst computer, and it's all one tape. If it was a coming really clubby. Very cabaret, in lots of all you like or whatever, just play to your band, you'd have to spend hours and hours ways. To me it is pop music, it's what pop friends. And put out your little independent getting that part down on a tape and it's good music should have always been, and not pop records that sells $500, that's 500 copies, that's that you get it clear and cleaner, sound too. bands making pop records and then going out really good. But when you want to survive, I RR — It's a very slow album in a lot of and being a rock and roll band. For me, it's think it's a different matter altogether. And ways. the first time it's ever worked for us that we're make a living and a career for yourself. Spe­ DM — Yeah, well we pick the songs and a pop band on record, and we're a pop band cially a career that you like. If I didn't like we've got the records of them and we play on stage as well. It's great. It's just like being doing what I do, then it would be ee waste of around with the feel. We just use a Varispeed. on Countdown. For an hour and a half. Basi­ time. But now if you want to make a career, This Guys In Love With You is almost the cally. you've got to think about survival and money exact tempo of playing the single at 33. On

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The Laughing Clowns have just released a Party, Models etc) and the band will be doing a compilation album in the UK. It is similar to the tour of psychiatric hospitals in Feb ruary prior ‘Throne of Blood/Reign of Terror’ compilation to some more normal performances around that was released in Australia last year. The Sydney (true!) Clowns recently toured Scotland with the Birth­ “A disquieting study of the lost tribes of Lon- day Party and are currently touring England with the Fall. Expect them back in April. Goanna Band album ‘Spirit Of Place’ de­ buted at No. 1 on the 3XY album chart. Anyone remember the last time that happened for an Australian band’s debut album? 2JJJ-FM will be broadcasting a radio play by James Griffin, lead singer and songwriter for Sydney band, The Agents, sometime in mid January. The play is called Rumours and Whispers and features the voices of Angela Webber and Adam Bowen, with songs by James Griffin. Film to watch out for in early ’83 is ‘Party Party’, an account of a New Year’s Eve party that gets rather out of control. The soundtrack album, recently released by Festival, features wll known people like Dave Edmunds, Mad­ ness, Bananarama, Sting and Midge Ure doing cover versions of pop evergreens (Bananarama doing the Pistols’ ‘No Feel­ ings'\\?) Divynals debut album Desperate released on Chrysalis on January 17th, produced in New York by Mark Optiz with Bob Clearmountain mixing. FACT. Andy Summers, of the Police, and Robert Fripp, who have just collaborated on an album of guitar music, 7 Advance Masked', were rival teenage England guitar heroes in their home town of Bournemouth. Shame. Shame. Due to complaints that ‘Derek and Clive’ are obscene, all records featuring the Peter Cook and Dudley Moore characters will be deleted by their distributor on 31st January. Stock up now! The Church, back home after a successful European assault, will record their third album in January, prior to performances at the Narara Festival, north of Sydney and the Sweetwater Festival in New Zealand. Exhibit A, ex-Adelaide and Darwin combo, have their first single ‘Confusion’ released by Green Records in early January. The single LAUGH iN(r OOWIV/S was co-produced by Tony Cohen (Birthday L*n John Peel, Stiff Little Fingers, A Certain Ratio, and Sham 69. On the same bill are two short films on the Models and the Swingers, which, using interviews, live performance and animation, examine aspects of the groups’ re­ lationship with the music industry. Also com­ mencing a three week season at the Paddo is ‘Burning An Illusion’ a contemporary film about black life in Britain. It concerns a young black woman, Pat, who becomes an ambitious militant as a result of her experiences with the legal and prison processes. Hunters and Collectors recently signed a release deal for the UK and Europe with Virgin Records. Virgin are to release an album by the band, comprising most of their Australian debut release, plus some tracks from their new E.P. ‘Payload’ in January. The band fly to England for a month in mid-January and according to percussion man Greg Perano, will probably base themselves in Hamburg for a while after that. The Numbers, whose record contract with Deluxe Records has now expired, are playing live again with a line-up of Chris and Annalise Morrow (d’accord), Craig Bloxam recently of Spy vs. Spy on bass, Marcus Phelan, late of Brave New Works on guitar and one time drummer Simon Vidale behind the kit. The band plans to record in January. AUSTRALIA DAY WEEKEND JANUARY 28, 29, 30, 31. SOMERSBY N.S.W. (NEXT DOOR TO OLD SYDNEY TOWN) GOSFORD EXITSYDNEY-NEWCASTLE EXPRESSWAY 75 KM NORTH OF SYDNEY.

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Greedy & Reg chronich

recerrr Mentals Canada. We split up with Men At Work for a week and did some shows in Chicago, Detroit, New York and Wisconsin, and then travel saga it was backto Toronto and Montreal (where we sang Let’s Cook in French). The journey Greedy Smith and Reg Mombassa, of contined to Atlanta, Florida, Dallas and famous Australian band Mental as finally back to LA.” Anything, aresitting here telling methatthe “Phew.” band members are now officially citizens of “We worked it out. We covered QV2 the world. thousand miles during the 2 month, 2 day The lads we love are fresh from the tour.” United States of America and do I mean Most of the time we travelled in this fresh. beautiful piece of junk called a Winnibago Untainted, enthusiastic — just as frothy — a sort of a mini-bus with a few beds and a as ever, and playing as well as ever. stove.” But then again they were only supporting “Eating, sleeping and driving — that’s all that other famous Australian band, Men At we did.” Work. “Yeah, there wasn’t much of a chance to see anything, ” Reg laments. “When we were in New York for two nights we had to “Yeah, it was pretty hard digesting food squash all the sightseeing into one from motels and truckstops, and the beer afternoon, because we didn’t get up till 3 there is very weak, but it was good for o’clock. playing, y’know a bit of a change from The Mental’s album was released one touring Australia. When we go back next week after they arrived. year it will probably all seem different.” Greedy Smith says people seemed to But there's no time to get blase about like it but compared the band’s sound to touring, recording and playing. The Lovin’ Spoonful, 10CC, Squeeze and Mentals have a new album featuring, Mungo Jerry. according to Greedy, unusual songs — a “ It never occurred to me, but I suppose lot of moody sensitive numbers, a bit of there are some vague similarities between country and western and a smattering of us and Lovin’ Spoonful,” says Mr hard rock. Mombassa. And there’s a tour of Eastern Australia “All sorts of people came to see us, beginning on 27 December. basically just a straight, average pop So what is America? Reg Mombassa: audience, perhaps in their mid 20’s, but “ It’s really hard to buy meat pies in America most of them would’ve been coming to see except in New York, so when I’ve retired Men At Work.” from rock’n’roll I’m going there to open a “As far as the record’s success goes, few pie shops.” there really is good reason to expect And the Americans are talking about the nothing to happen. America is such a big Australian music invasion. place with so many bands and radio st ations. But since we left we heard the album is really picking up on radio stations.” The itinerary went something like this: “The album was called If You Leave Me “The first time we played in America was Can I Come Too and had most of Cats and in an LA car park — it was actually the Dogs, plus Egypt, Nips are Getting Bigger record company’s car park. Then we flew and / Didn’t Mean To Be Mean.” to Seattle. From that point we travelled by Reg and Greedy agree that it was pretty road — up to Vancouver and right across good to get back.

14 Roadrunner A L L T H E I 16TRACKS "HITS!i

SIDE ONE SIDE TWO BOYS! (WHAT DID THE DETECTIVE SAY) WEDDING RING (p r e v io u s l y u n r e l e a s e d v e r s io n ) WALK IN THE ROOM (p r e v io u s l y u n r e l e a s e d v e r s io n ) THE LOST AND THE LONELY RECKLESS (PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED VERSION) PERHAPS DON'T THROW STONES STRANGERS ON A TRAIN SUSPICIOUS MINDS BLACK STOCKINGS (FOR CHELSEA): A ; LIVE WORK AND PLAY BLUE HEARTS BIG SLEEP STOP THE BABY TALKING HOW COME WHO LISTENS TO THE RADIO RM 53027 ARROGANT? EGOCENTRIC? INSPIRED? OH Y E S . Ladies and Gentlemen, Kevin Rowlands of Dexy’s Midnight

RunnersBritain called the ‘Projected Passion you to change your attitude? Revue’,. complete with change of costume, KR — What, that we’re now talking to the Dexy’s Midnight Runner s which ended with a series of dates at Lon­ press? Er . . . Let me think . . . Well, I exploded onto the British rock don’s famous Old Vic Theatre. dunno. Just purely to promote the record. circus in 1980 with a look, an at­ This year he added three fiddlers, The We now do interviews. Perhaps that’s the Emerald Express, to the line-up and started only reason that we now do interviews. Be­ titude and some tough, exciting incorporating elements of Irish music into fore, it was important for us not to talk to the reworked R&B/soul. Singer, Dexy’s soul base. The clothes changed again, music press. But now we’ve made an LP that to overalls, scarves and berets. we want everybody to hear. Yeah. songwriter and visionary Kevin ‘Come on Eileen’ was released and shot to RR — Was there any one event that de­ Rowlands immediately became the top of the charts. The album “ Too- cided you to include Celtic music influences in the focus of media attention, but Rye-Ay’ did likewise. Rowlands started what you’re doing now? talking to the press. KR — No, not at all. I mean, I’ve got a distained talking to the ‘dishonest Even on the telephone, Rowlands’ impati­ basically Irish background. hippy music press’, prefering in­ ence and barely concealed contempt for the RR - So, when you were growing up, did interview process shone through. His mood your parents have records or did you go out stead to release ‘statements’ swung wildly from sardonic aloofness to pas­ and see people playing Irish music? which EMI, his record company sionate declarations of intent. Any attempt to KR — Yeah yeah. They had a few records, of the time, paid to have inserted get him to analyse his music was met by cold they used to sit around singing Irish songs. rebuttal. Arrogant? Definitely. Egocentric? But I didn’t sing very much, they didn’t have in the said music papers. For Sure. Inspired? Oh yes. Ladies and many records, really. They had a few, you A picture emerged of Rowlands as a hard gentlemen, Kevin Rowlands. know. It was just always there. It was an man. The original Dexy’s left him, claiming RR — When the original line up of Dexy’s influence, and I suddenly thought, oh let’s he was driving them into the ground. Un­ were together, quite a thing was made out do it. It was a very natural influence, I just daunted, he replaced them and did a tour of of not talking to the press. What caused found myself turning to it really. It’s a very 16 Roadrunner instinctive thing, you know. It wasn’t like it you know. And it just comes out that way. lot of different things. Into something that is was so much a planned thing. I think it’s That’s what’s actually happened now. Ad­ very much yourselves. How important is it to just the roots really. We don’t go around mittedly, we have chosen to use a framework have those sources? listening to Irish or Scottish music, it would of basically soulful and acoustic and maybe KR — I ’m not really sure I understand be a waste of time really. Celtic instruments, like fiddles and banjo’s. what you mean. RR — Right. Did you listen much to the But, I don’t know . . . Yeah. Anyway. RR - Perhaps, I haven’t expressed it ac­ electric folk people, when that was really RR - Do you know much about the Tin­ curately, but on the first Dexy’s album, big about 10 years ago? kers? Have you heard o f the Tinkers? Sort o f Searching for the Young Soul Rebels, there KR — Never did actually, no. I’ve never like Irish and Scottish gypsies. seemed to be a celebration of a certain style heard any of that stuff, no. KR — I do yeah, I know a little bit about o f music and this (album ) seems to be a RR - Its interesting that you’ve included them. celebration of a broader range of music. But the Van Morrison song, Jackie Wilson Said. RR - Yeah, I just thought that the photo in the innovation is in the synthesis, not in Cos Vans probably the only person I can the album insert, you looked like photos of anything that you’re doing that’s new. Do think o f that’s m anaged to combine Celtic Tinkers I’ve seen. you know what / m ean? and black soul music. And make it work. KR — Yeah? I spose we do look a bit like KR — No. What does synthesis mean? KR — Yeah, well I ’ve gotta say, I don’t Tinkers, you know. There’s lots of elements RR - The combining of different things. know how Van Morrison looks at it, but I just in there. There’s bits of gypsies, there’s bits KR — But surely its combining different look at it now as a very natural thing. Obvi­ of Tinkers, there’s bits of hillibilly even. It’s things to make something new. Surely that’s ously I’ve got a lot of respect for Van Morri­ the same with the music really. I wouldn’t all one can ever do, you know. son. And I like the song, Jackie Wilson Said. call it any one thing. Admittedly, it is a bit RR — You think that is all one can ever do? But I don’t look at it as combining soul and tinkerish. You can never do anything completely new? Celtic music. I just look at it as a natural thing RR - What would you say the importance KR — Well, what can you do? I mean, I now. I don’t write a song and try and write it of roots are to you then? You seem to have think it is completely new. It is. Have you a bit Celtic and a bit soulful. Just, I write it, taken, you seem to have synthesised a whole ever heard a sound like that before? Roadrunner 17 By Donald Robertson.

RR - No, I haven t. I must admit. RR — Do you think you have the power would have like to have corrected. KR — Well, there you go. People have an and the capability to change yourself KR — I must admit, to tell you the truth, idea of what is new. I t’s just people’s through using your will? when we made the first LP, Searching For threshold of what is new. People automati­ KR — Yeah. Yes definitely. The Young Rebels I played that for about 3 cally relate the future to synthesisers and RR — I mean, it does seem to crop up as months non-stop. I couldn’t stop playing it. I bleepy noises. recurring lyrical theme if you like. thought it was the best thing I ’d ever listened RR — I wouldn’t say that that’s new. I KR — Yes. to. think that’s a very old thing, just done with RR — Like in Let’s Make This Precious. RR - I think you had quite a lot o f com­ different instruments. I wouldn’t say that KR — Uh huh. Let’s Make This Precious pany in that respect. It really did land and the sort o f synthesiser music that’s around at is about striving . . . go on, carry on, what make a very big impact at the time, didn’t it? the moment is in any way innovative really. were you saying? KR — Yeah. I think it stood the test of KR — It’s totally old hat. RR - Well no, I was just trying to get you time. RR - Yeah, in fa ct it has very little roots. talking about the importance of will, be­ RR - Is there anything else you’d like to Well, very little soul, I suppose. Rather than cause I think particularly today, a lot of particularly say? roots. people almost have given up with their life. KR — Um . . . No, I don’t think so. I can’t KR — Yeah. They lack will power. really think of anything. I ’m really pleased RR — The concept of soul does crop up that the LP and the single are doing so well quite a lot on the last album, and this one. KR — E r, I don’t know about that. I just here, because it’s a personal victory to me to What does soul mean to you? know about ourselves. I can only talk about come through with something that is new and KR — Soul — I ’ve got to be honest, I myself. Let’s Make This Precious was just fresh. And also gain commercial success. hardly would ever want to use the word. I ’m like, I don’t know, it’s not just like one thing Without having to go along with all the other very wary of using the word soul. I would just where you have will power. It was last year stuff that’s happening, cos as I said, I don’t say, it’s not soul and it’s not Celtic, I would that Let’s Make This Precious was written, like what’s currently happening here. So I just say its Dexy’s Midnight Runners. Soul is and there was a line in there that said — think it’s really good that we’re cutting such a cliche now. Every fucken group you From now on I refuse to listen to the radio, through. hear is talking about soul and passion and I’ll take earplugs everywhere I go. Those RR - Without having to make any com­ everything. So, I’m really reluctant to talk lines got taken out because I couldn’t fit them promises? about those things. It’s not a kind of music, in. But that’s just how I felt about all the shit KR — Absolutely, without having to have you know. that was coming out of the radio and I wanted to many any compromises. RR — No, I wasn’t meaning in terms of a to make something that was pure and pre­ RR - Well that’s very praiseworthy. style of music. The song on Side 2, Until / cious. And I wanted to pledge myself to do KR — Well, its a personal victory. It Beleive In Soul. that. To do something that was brilliant. No makes one feel good. It’s very encouraging. KR — Yeah? bullshit, just fucken truth. Do good things Our record Celtic Soul Brothers was released RR — What do you see as your soul? and just really strive to make perfect, bril­ here before Come On Eileen, its the first What is it you’re w anting to believe in liant, powerful, beautiful music. I wanted to track on side 1, and it flopped, you know. It’s there. do that. And I really wanted to do it so badly. the sister record to Eileen, I was really dis­ KR — Well . . . That’s what I wanted to do. I wanted the appointed . I was beginning to think there was RR - Is it a religious concept? group to swear to it. I wanted them to pledge no hope. I was very disappointed. But any­ KR — No it’s not really religious. It’s just that they would do this and they would work way, I’m really pleased now. Things are more of a self thing, you know. until they’d achieved it. Tht’s what Let’s working well here. RR — A self thing — right. Make This Precious is about. RR - How far ahead are you thinking KR — Yes, it definitely is just more of a RR — And do you think you are achieving about what you’re going to be doing say, for that? Do you think you’re getting the mes­ the rest of this year? And next year? Have RR — An essence? sage through? you any idea? KR — Well, I do believe in the soul, you KR — Yes, I think so. Obviously yes. We KR — Yeah, but is not good talking about know. I do believe in the soul, I believe it’s haven’t got there yet, I still think we can do it. there for something. But I don’t know quite better. RR - What are the two lines of Irish at the what. I do feel some force from the soul. RR - Yeah. end of All in All? Within, you know. But I feel like it should be KR — But yeah, I’m really pleased with KR — Oh, it just means, won’t you join me channeled somewhere, I don’t always know the LP. I play it, you know. in one last wild waltz. which way. RR — That’s quite unusual. I’ve talked to RR — I was just wondering, it’s a lovely HR ~ How important is will power in your quite a few musicians and most of them, once language, Irish. scheme o f things? they’ve done an album, they’re already KR — It is. KR Yeah, it’s very important. Yeah, I thinking about the next. And they always do really believe in determination. kind of see a flaw somewhere. That they

"To come the by Larry Buttrose

Monday night in Newcastle, and the city centre shows all the marks of a company town whose company has fallen on hard times. The pubs are almost empty, the restaurants devoid of diners, and even the candy-coloured child-attracting lights of the American fast food chains fail to haul in the paying public. At one end of town, a restaurant shows most clearly the battle for survival. New, smart, spacious, it has a handful of diners and a couple of people at the bar. A slow start to a slow Monday night. It's seven o'clock and a police paddy waggon cruises down the centre of town, the deserted Hunter Street shopping mall, inducing an eerie 3a.m. feel. In a taxi, the driver tells the B.H.P. story over and over, the familar tale of lay-offs and threatened lay-offs. An industrial centre of Australia, 1982, makes pretty bleak listening. His own trade is shot to pieces, too, because no-one has the money to go out any more. He motions towards the empty pubs and cafes. But there is an exception. It's a place called the "Castanet Club", off Hunter Street. The doors opened at 6.30 that night, and closed ten minutes later, the "Full House" sign on the door. Inside were 170 young people, eating good, cheap food, drinking, but mainly there for the four hours of non-stop, live, new cabaret. This is the sort without strippers, and without the endless tired club jokes about penile dimension or bowel function; without all the things that have tainted "cabaret", and have turned off the young and intelligent until recent years. The bill comprises two comedians, including one who cut his teeth in the fertile Melbourne scene, a vocal ensemble from Sydney called Quietly Confident, and the resident orchestra, the Castanet Club Combo, young and highly energetic, eight piece with brass, violin and vocals whose remarkable sixties repertoire includes Presley's "Viva Las Vegas" and the Sinatra-Hazlewood evergreen "Jackson". Around midnight, satisfied if not exhausted, the clubgoers step from the cabaret and back into the real world of declining Newcastle, with its empty streets in silence.

The new cabaret, what does that really mean? It's essentially a movement that takes its style and form from the youth culture which developed in Australia in the seventies, with a different (Max Harris would perhaps sneer "trendy") perspective on the way society works, and the individual's rose in it. This meant a new perspective on work, the political process, sexual relationships, drugs. The new humour is informed, critical, and invariably black, because for many of its exponents this society is riddled with contradiction and Steve Kearney and Neil Gladwin — Los Trios Ringbarkus 20 Roadrunner J New Cabaret

hypocrisy. Feeling unable to change it, and that the crowd might have seen the best new cabaret is ultimately to succeed in Sydney as it often even barred from participation, the young comedy act in Australia, Los Trios Ringbarkus, has done in Melbourne for years, these smaller can at least laugh at it.,Some of the style of new or the fast, dark Chris Windmill, from clubs, as well as Kinsela's, will be the builders of humour comes, too, from the New Wave Melbourne, or heard Speedboat, the brilliant both the talent, and the audiences. movement in Britain of the late seventies, with jazz fusion band. Among these more modest venues is the Dry its full-on, aggressive music, and its dark, The new format was so successful during the Dock Hotel, which like other pubs has sought to jagged fashion. winter that diehard clubbers were known to replace ailing rock music with cabaret. The stumble into the grey at around eight o'clock. Kirribilli Hotel is another venue. In Jamison The resident band, Crab's Cocktail Hour, had Street, near The Rocks, there's the Comedy Store Thursday night in Adelaide, and only given up playing a couple of hours earlier, currently drawing crowds, especially on after four nights of being near-deserted, and Wally Sellis might have buoyed the last weekends. Like its London namesake, it Hindley Street in the city centre begins to bustle patrons out of the door with a parting glass of devotes one night a week to a gong show. as the weekend approaches. The restaurants, champagne. On mornings like that, they found There's no cover charge, and dangerous M.C. cafes and amusement halls do their share of themselves alone in the cold air of a deserted Rodney Rude conducts aspirants onto stage," trade, as do the occasional nightclubs along this brass quarter mile, but one club is consistently packing them in. This is Adelaide's new cabaret venue, " Lark & Tina's". A year ago it was a basement restaurant, ''La Cantina", which served better than average European food, and eked out a living alongside the other Hindley Street restaurants. Then Wally Sellis had the idea of converting it completely. This came perhaps from the unqualified success during the Adelaide Arts Festival in March of a venue called the "Focus Club", which hauled in hundreds nightly with Wendy de Waal and Mark Trevorrow — The Globus beer, comedy and song. Sellis opened his doors Hindley Street, Adelaide, capital of the either to momentary fame, or to gonged in May, just as Adelaide people were beginning Shrinking State. oblivion. A restaurant in Darlinghurst, the to wonder whether there was entertainment to "Blue Cockatoo”, is also in on the cabaret act with be found anywhere by those unexcited either a show called "Low Life Cabaret." by Heavy Metal or the Bull 'n Bush; and his idea S y d n e y has a somewhat grander flagship became an immediate success. for the new cabaret. It is Kinsela's, formerly a The place is a cavern affair, with a tiny, flat funeral parlour. Just off Taylor Square in The birthplace of all this, however, stage area cordoned off by a crush of tables. On Darlinghurst, it's been converted into a Was Melbou me. During the seventies it was Friday nights perhaps 80 people jam into this salubrious restaurant-theatre-cabaret which the only centre that had an indigenous limited space, with another 80 or so further appears to aspire to bring in the young movement, and that is still largely the case. It back, crowded around the bar. On most nights, well-heeled of the eastern and northern' has been growing and developing since John many of the young, often Bohemian clientele suburbs. But despite the gloss, the late night Pinder, the "Big Daddy" of cabaret, opened a don't make their entrance until around 2 shows at Kinsela's bring to Sydney the same little shopfront theatre-restaurant in Brunswick o'clock. By that time the noise from the bar has new, sometimes challenging entertainment. Street, Fitzroy called the Flying Trapeze. risen to such a pitch that the only entertainment A mass of smaller, more intimate venues The "Fly Trap" as it was affectionately worth providing is background jazz. But before have also sprung up. If this new concept in known, took on the standard format of dinner Roadrunner 21 cabaret world of Melbourne. Virtually every week this year, one of the new wave of performers made his or her way onto the Darryl Somers or Don Lane shows. Alan Pentland, the New Cabaret former director and compere of Le Joke, is a gag writer for the Darryl Somers show. On a more modest scale, the Open Channel in Melbourne runs an occasional video show called ''Sunday Live'' where performers and musicians try out new mterial in front of the cameras. Radio 3 RRR provides a medium for comedy on radio, and is a general switchboard for the Fitzroy scene, the eighties generation version of the seventies Carlton of ''Monkey Grip'' and the world of the Pram Factory. Women are involved in new cabaret. Sue Ingleton is regarded as the precursor, through her work at the Last Laugh and the Pram Factory. Wendy Harmer writes and performs for “Catch A Rising Star", while Tracy Harvey plays two character parts well known to Melbourne audiences, Teresa O'Reilly, the naive Catholic girl, and Tammy Whittle, with the country singing Whittle Family. The Salomon Sisters Mandy and Melanie have performed for the past six months at Le Joke, with their routines about ocker Australian girls overseas (ocarinas?) and Shere Hite-style American feminists. Wendy de Waal, from the Globos is probably the best known woman in cabaret at present.

The spread of this sort of scene to Sydney has been slow in coming. Argument has raged for years about whether it's the different intellectual climate — or is it just the climate? Anyway, perhaps there's little surporse that Quietly Confident Photo: Liza Campbell one of the top acts at Kinsels's has been the Phil Stine Revue, with Gary MvDonald as Phil Stine. and a show, but the acts were predominately macciatoes. Henry Maas, now turned cafe The Conway Brothers, from the old Captain young inner-city Carlton-Fitzroy performers proprietor, clicks his fingers to the jazz records Matchbox, are popular with their brand of jug, who brought to the stage a combination of and brutally works the espresso. spoons, kazoo and Ukele Lady. Perhaps more contemporary lifestyles, a verified Australian Among this newest generation of performers innovative are Puny Stories, who like Los Trios culture, and standard theatre-circus skills. Yes, is Mark Little, with his Australian pantheon of Ringbarkus appear in ill-fitting (but in their case there was still a strip act, but beneath the outfit Doug God and Jeff Christ; Chris Windmill, who nicely-pressed) dinner suits. Their brand of of the pouting transvestite was a bloke in exposes his artists' soul in a race on stage with humour is anarchic, with chanting, chatter, and stubbies and footy jumper. clock and onion; and Polyphony, a choral act tangent in a performance derived from the roots Some nights were set aside for impromptu who are on the bill at Pinder's current venue, of classic comedy. Then there's Austen sketches. Performers worked with new the Last Laugh in Collingwood. Many new acts Tayshus, a big bloke with wrap-around dark material, and complete newcomers were perform upstairs in a small club there called "Le sunglasses and an American accent. Half his encouraged to try out something, anything. Joke”. Downstairs, in the main auditorium, the routine is built around Azaria jokes, the rest There's the storybook tale of two odd-looking people from the suburbs are arriving in group around an Aussie creek of consciousness. He's men who came off the street, got up on stage bookings to see the more established acts. the love him or hate him stand up comic, with that night, and took it from there. Within Among the Last Laugh successes are Los Trios an awful lot of stage presence provided he months Henry Maas and Sam Angelica had Ringbarkus, two men in ill-fitting, filthy dinner keeps the sunglasses on. joined sultry pianist Peaches la Creme and were suits who present a programme of classic black New to Sydney are Quietly Confident, touring the nightclubs of Europe and North comedy, slapstick and mime. They begin too nightclub act ex Adelaide, described by America with a musical comedy act called the frightened to make their entrance, funny but “Sydney Morning Herald" writer Tom Busby Berkeleys. also genuinely pathetic. During the Thompson as an "act to watch out for". Three performance, through a range of new and men croon to piano about Love — its Births, Whereas Sydney is now seeking its cabaret classic routines, the pair grow in confidence Deaths and Miscellaneous. roots, and is attempting to establish something and stature until they are in a position to bully These, and performers like them, are the core of a circle of cabaret artists, Melbourne is their audience. The performance ends with of the movement which this year spread away watching the third generation of its performers their remarkable version of Eleanor Rigby, with from Melbourne to other cities, and is slowly begin to make their way. A centre for this guitar and piano accordion to recall the Zoot's making its way into the mass media as well. As newest generation is the Black Cat cafe (Le Chat Heavy Metal version of the Beatle classic. yet it's far too early to say whether it will Noir?) in Brunswick Street, ironically just up Steve Kearney and Neil Gladwin began succeed in every place it tries, but early the road from the now empty shell of the Flying evolving the act three years ago, and it is still indications are that Australia is looking for Trapeze. There, Melbourne comedians, and developing brilliantly for them and their something new and black enough to match its theatre, music and art fringe dwellers pass audiences. A film is now being planned for Los mood of depression. This may well be the around fantastic scripts over their hot Trios, an aspect of the newest phase of the funny story it needs. 22 Roadrunner yin awunv rummry tucvervsmiau JocaJc. wicmusia ofiSo&L>(Ejtuj

THE VERY BEST OF SPLIT ENZ 1975-1982 FEATURING 14 TRACKS ^ ALL THEIR HITS ^ * INCLUDING^——— I GOT YOU I SEE RED SIX MONTHS IN A LEAKY BOAT I HOPE I NEVER DIRTY CREATURE LATE LAST NIGHT HISTORY NEVER REPEATS

^BONUS FULL COLOUR POSTER 24 Roadrunner Tim Finn — Photo and hand tinting Eric Algra "As long as you can fall in love you can stay young forever." Tim Finn at 30. By Larry Buttrose at 30.

"lapping at his heels", and that last great success 1982 produced two landmarks for Split Enz in which has not evaded the perhaps less creative and their continuing reign among the most creative pop less honest, like Air Supply, or AC/DC, or the Little music bands in Australia. "Time and Tide" was one River Band, still eludes him. We talk at length, but of the year's successful releases, and singer Tim he rarely looks the interviewer in the eyes. Finn recorded his 30th birthday. RR — How does it feel to be 30? The decade since Split Enz arrived in Australia TF — Pretty good. I didn't experience any traumas or anything. from New Zealand has been marked with the highs I think I'm gonna have a better time in my 30's, it was a bit and lows one would expect from a band whose miserable in my 20's. By putting all those songs down, I've really initially bizarre work has come to be more and more got a lot of bad things out of me. And I really look forward to my 30's. Age is irrelevant anyway. Nigel Griggs, our bass player, accepted, and acceptable. In the interview that always says that unless you know the exact day you're gonna die follows, Tim Finn says that had it not been for the — age is irrelevant. And I sort of believe that. You have to arrival of his younger brother Neil five years ago, rationalise it that way anyway, as you get older. with "I Got You" in his song folio, the band would RR — Yes, I think there are endless rationalisations. You did have broken up. Neil breathed new life, youth, into work a lot of those bad things out in the Time and Tide songs. The thing that was interesting for me, was that Six Months In A a band which otherwise appeared to be on an Leaky Boat and Haul Away are both very beautiful songs, and inevitable downward path. One only has to see the they're about such terrible things. band on stage now to realise that Neil and his TF — Well, I mean, Haul Away has got a bit of humour in it. It's energy are things that saved, and do still save, this not entirely a bleak song. It talks about lost love and growing old band from eclipse. and what ambition has done to me, and all sorts of things. I think it also has a positive sort of buoyant attitude. The music is quite But in the years before Neil arrived, it was Tim soothing and has a fairly happy sound to it. The lyrics can be that was the sole focus, and the foundation. He quite bleak. Split Enz do that a lot. We're trying to cover both wrote, sang and performed, giving everything in things. Cos we've always believed that there are two sides. pursuit of his ambition of national and international Nothing's ever that black, and nothing's ever light. success. Like most people who try for that, the RR — One gives an edge to the other perhaps. TF — Yeah, you need one to have the other. So that's about the ambition got him part of the way there, but after ten size of that one, but I think there's a lot of positive spirit on Time years at it there are still the unrealised dreams, the and Tide, despite the way I was feeling. We were very emotional unsatisfied desires, and bitterness at what has been during that album really. Rejoicing almost inwardly that the band sacrificed in the attempt. was still strong and we sort of felt young again. With Noel on the drums and a lot of that comes through I think. At the interview, his prepossession and self RR — Six Months In A Leaky Boat — is about a nervous confidence dominate, but the face is no longer that breakdown as well? of the ambitious youth who started his run a decade TF — No, not really, no. Not so much. It's more about various back with some good acid songs and a collection of things. It starts off with — When I was a young boy and talks costumes we all found pretty fucking weird. Now about that, and how you lose those sort of feelings. It's a song about the spirit of adventure, that's still alive in everybody, but the new generation of young performers are sometimes it gets a bit supressed. And also it does talk about a Roadrunner 25 relationship. Any bad time can be referred to as six months spent one. But the most creative moments are when it's quiet and in a leaky boat. It's sort of general in a way. Dirty Creature is more you re off the road, and you're in your own home. And you've to do with the dark side of my psyche if you like. That's more of a got your piano there and you wake up in the morning and you darker song. Six Months is quite a jaunty positive song. feel good, and you sit down and write a song. Those are the RR — You say you were brought up as a Catholic. Have you moments that, when you're totally away from the whole show biz got any sort of residue influence from that? side of it. There's two very separate sides to this life. TF — I think so. I have a certain openness to spirituality. To RR — Do you find time to live outside of the industry? any thoughts or feelings or opinions that people might offer, TF — You have to yeah. I didn't used to. That's part of the about God or religion. Or man's destiny and the world's destiny. reason that I perhaps screwed up. You have to look outside it and Whatever — the deeper sorts of subjects or the bigger subjects. try and develop friendships with other people. Although it is an I'm very open to all of that and I'm less open to wordly obsession. I was talking to Nigel the other night about it, saying persuasions really, so its helped shape my personality. But "we are very obsessed aren't we" and he said "yeah, but so what. organised religion leaves me cold. There's lots of side aspects to What else would you rather be doing?" religion that can be really useful and beneficial. I believe in love RR — Has there ever been a possibility of incorporating and loving your fellow man, and basically being good. And I women in the band? believe the world will eventually improve and become a much TF — We've never auditioned anybody for Split Enz. It's better place. I am an optimist about it all. Whilst recognising the always been somebody who knew somebody or somebody came dangers. along. So we've never known, at the stages when we needed RR — You spoke about ambition earlier, are there enough people, we never knew any women who could play. Of course rewards in the rock music business for you? they were there, but we just didn't know any. We just happened TF — The rewards come almost by accident, you don't even to go with the people we knew. I would love to have a girl in the notice them half the time. Coming back to Australia and having a group. If we needed somebody and there was a girl there who single and album doing so well, is a real reward, gratification. could play, fine. There's no difference really these days, I don't Although, it's not just that — because we really pour our hearts think. It's good and healthy that a lot more women are involved. out on the album and it seems like the fans or the people who, It's about time, its been a pretty butch sort of affair for 30 years. follow us are appreciating the openness almost. Of the album. So RR — What about raising political matters? In your songs. How do you feel about that? "I believe in love and loving your TF — We're not afraid to anymore. I used to think that it was pretty corny. I remember being almost embarrassed when the first fellow man and basically being good. wave of punk came along with the sloganeering aspect to it. I almost felt Yuk — how tacky — or something. Cos I'm pretty And I believe that the world will opposed to all that for some reason. It just reminds me of when I used to go to University. They had open forum every Wednesday eventually improve and become a and all the Wackers would get out and give forth about this, that much better place." and the other. It was entertaining as hell, it was really funny, but completely meaningless. Almost. But we talk about things we see there's a reward in that. And there's a few financial rewards perhaps that are wrong, and the world. Perhaps just try and give obviously. I'm better off than I used to be, because of music. I our viewpoint about it, but politics is pretty boring, as a specific. don't like being too ambitious, I think ambition can be quite a The workings of politics are of course, just about 99.9% deadly sort of virus almost. You have to realise what you can bureaucracy and it's slow and torturous to get things changed. But achieve and lower your sights a little sometimes. You can't always there are causes that bands have come out and spoken against. hope for the best. I'm not really clear on ambition because I've got Nuclear disarmament is one. a lot of it. And I can't really be objective about it, because it still RR — Would you, for instance, consider doing a benefit for governs my life, to a large extent. My ambitions are for the band, Chile or El Salvador or; for the African National Congress? Or and for my music. something like that. RR — What are your ambitions for the band? TF — Yeah, I'd consider it. I doubt very much whether we TF — I still think that eventually we'll be accepted would be the instigator of that particular cause. I'm more internationally. Hopefully the same way we are here. That's been interested in things that are closer to home. Like the French my dream right from the start. That we'd be seen in a larger nuclear thing — that makes me angry. Chile and El Salvador, it context, of the international music scene. But I'm not busting my seems, are that far away. I know its all part of the same global guts over it, and I'm not obsessed with it like I used to be. I think struggle though. But I'm more interested also in things like now I'm more calm because I accept that it is gonna happen. And developing alternative energy sources. Like developing solar it's not a sort of arrogance, I just really believe that it is going to energy, and wind energy, and harnessing the ocean. And all happen. I can't see anything stopping us now. It may take longer those ways that we could be powering the world. than we think, it always does. I find all that really fascinating and interesting, and really RR — What do you aspire to musically now? important because it will change the economic structure of the TF — Honesty and truth. I just want to get purer with the world too, if the ways of developing other energy were music. I'm a real believer in the theory that's been said many developed. For example, you wouldn't have this one big nuclear times, that musicians, or song-writers I should say — are like reactor and employing, say, 500 people. You'd have 500 factories vessels waiting to be filled up. And the music is there already. all over Melbourne or wherever, creating solar panels or And I believe that very much and I just want to make myself as whatever, and it would just create jobs and break the stranglehold open as possible. So that the good songs can come through. Cos of the oil, etc etc. But you can't just come out and do a benefit for the world needs good songs. It's almost a healing thing. A good "solar energy". I don't know — maybe you could. song can be a healing thing for people I think. And for myself. I RR — Landrights for instance. don't want to sound too profound or anything, but that's what I TF — Landrights, in New Zealand too, with the Maori people. hope, just that I get more and more free — so that the songs will They're angry deep down about the way they've been treated. It's come through simpler and simpler. not as severe as here with the Aboriginals. There's a lot of RR — There's a beauty and an edge to your music which I injustice in the world. think is very unusual in rock. How do you find that, given the RR — But you'd have to be approached to do something like day to day requirements of working in the rock world? that? TF — When you're on tour, you're pretty much a puppet in a TF — I think so yeah. Yes and no. We've talked about it enough way. You're sort of shunted around from town to town. The times, we really want to do it, we feel guilty almost that we showman side of us comes out on stage and we enjoy that. We haven't yet come out and done anything like that. And we are in love to entertain people and make the audience feel like they're a position to be quite powerful, in that field. And raise money. So 26 Roadrunner I think we will do it. But, somehow you do get caught up in the nastiness or trying to supress each other, which there used to be a treadmill of ambition. And it's like, we're off to America now, bit with me and Phil. We're brothers and we can say anything to we're off to Canada now, then we come back to Australia and do each other, and half an hour later we'll be friends again. Or a tour, and then we've got to rest. You don't necessarily think brothers again. You can't beat it. Also, Neil's provided that about planning a benefit. Maybe that's a cop out, I don't know. youthful aspect and he came out and wrote some simple good RR — What are your favourite Split Enz songs? pop songs and he saved our arse. I Cot You, if that hadn't come TF — I don't want to go right back cos its another Split Enz along, we would have broken up. That would have been the end almost. My songs — I would say, Charlie, I Hope I Never, Poor Boy, of Split Enz. So he really saved the band — it's quite amusing. Dirty Creature. RR — If that hadn't eventuated? RR — Roughest Toughest Came? TF — Yeah, before "True Colours" we were facing the end. We TF — Yeah, there's quite a few on that “Frenzy" album. That were floundering really badly for a while. Really desperate one almost got overlooked. I think that one could be done by people. It was terrible, an awful period. I can hardly remember some other artist. I could almost sell that one. now how bleak things looked, but they really did. RR — Like Body and Soul? RR — Now, you're wearing lots of orange today. Is that TF — Yeah, sort of simple and gutsy. It could be done quite significant? well. TF — I'm one of the ORANGE People, (laughs). No — I just RR — What did you think of Jo Kennedy's version of it? love orange. Three years ago I used to get away with purple, but TF — No comment. now there's a few guys wearing purple. So I'm just clinging to orange because it's the last bastion of originality. Orange People — the whole idea of it is so amusing. Wearing orange clothes and "I don't like being too ambitious. I having as much sex as you can, wearing this thing around your think ambition can be quite a deadly neck that say's you're a holy person. I don't know, I don't knock it. I like orange, its a good earthy colour. It's of the earth, of the sort of virus." world. RR — What about costume in general — on stage. You've sort RR — Could you ever forsee playing with Phil Judd again? of dispensed with all of that. TF — Yeah, we've talked about it, we're still mates and if it TF — A lot of it yeah. We're not sure where we're going next happened, it would happen. I'd like to do it, it would be good though. We might go violently extreme again in the next album. fun. But only if we both wanted to do it and if there was a reason We're really not sure. Who knows! At the moment we're just for it. Like, if there was an EP or just a single or something. And wearing what suits "Time and Tide". We always go with the we decided for the hell of it — 10 years anniversary — let's do a album. Whatever the album suggests. single, I wouldn't mind. Be quite good, but I think we've realised RR — Is Noel dreaming something up? over the years, we've probably grown apart quite a lot. We were TF — Yeah, he's got a gleam in his eye I think. obviously very close in the early days. RR — At the age of 30 do you feel completely open in your RR — What's it like to have Neil in the band now? directions and ideas? Have you closed in at all? TF — Oh it's great. I thank my lucky stars every day. He's right TF — No, I feel very open. As long as you can fall in love up there and away with me writing songs, but there's no ego, no you can stay young forever. No comment. 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28 Roadrunner Courting Bucks With Lendl Ivan Lendl, the bouncing Czech, seems poised to topple McEnroe, Connors and Borg as the No. 1 in world ony Parsons and Julie Burchill T were a mean writing team, tennis. JiIlian Burt profiles Lendl and examines the sinking the boots deep into rock and roll. They wrote “The behind the scenes machinations of big tournament Boy Looked at Johnny — The tennis. Obituary of Rock and Roll” after just two years of active duty on players command performance the final of the Super Challenge worst in the world? the staff of New Musical Express, fees, just like entertainers. this year, with Lendl triumphing in The Challenge is a ‘special denouncing perfect punk credi­ John McEnroe and Vitas straight sets 6-2, 6-2, 7-5. Lendl event’, a series of exhibition bility. Gerulaitis, no slouches on the was completely the champion, matches in the guise of a tourna­ Tony poured everything he court, are genuine would-be rock topspinning ground strokes on ment. Players receive no points knew about the rock industry into a stars; seizing every opportunity to both sides of the court, repeatedly towards their world rankings, but punchy novel, “Platinum Logic” — leap onstage with rock bands. breaking Gerulaitis’ serve and can command the big appear­ a gutsy, hard and fast read. He While in Melbourne for the 1982 placing remarkable passing ance fees that they are not allowed barely caught his breath and Mazda Super Challenge, Vitas re­ shots. Gerulaitis’ own game wasn’t to accept for Grand Prix tourna­ lunged into the just released follow newed a friendship with a band really at fault, he rallied and served ments. Grand Prix tournaments up novel “Winners and Losers” called the Racket — that nobody well enough, but Lendl was in are about reputations and exhibi­ (Pan paperback, $4.95). It is far else in Melbourne has heard of. another realm. tions are about bank balances. more pessimistic and unpleasant A photograph of Vitas and his The smooth, incident free final The genuine competitiveness of than “Platinum Logic” and betrays band buddies, posed Status Quo was a marked contrast to the pre- this sort of event is questionable, carelessness of prose through style, appeared in the Melbourne ceeding days of the tournament. but the hand-picked limited field of haste. Sun. Vitas gushed about wanting As it progressed John Brown had the world's top players promises Thorn Sayre — fashion model to appear on Countdown with only to stand in the press room entertaining tennis nevertheless. (at least partly Jerry Hall) and them. Well, you saw Molly Mel- grinning wildly, rubbing his hands The names Donald Dell and Johnny Sangster — tennis champ drum and John McEnroe in the together and announce “I think its Mark McCormack don’t mean (equal parts Jimmy Connors and milk ad. John McEnroe and Carlos time for another beer” to have us much, if anything, to the man on John McEnroe) are the “Winners Santana are in Rolling Stone look­ scattering for tape-recorders and the street, but one of these two and Losers", in what the author ing buddy buddy, and the first notebooks. It was our signal that names is behind virtually every describes as a “ vicious love chapter of the premature biog­ the tournament director was about major tennis player on the circuit. story”. raphy of McEnroe, “A Rage For to unfold another drama in the They’re agents — ‘super’ agents I telephone Tony Parsons. We Perfection” reviews McEnroe soap opera. — that manage players, tourna­ talked about his books .. . the film sweating out Rolling Stones cov­ On finals day a cartoon ap­ ments, television rights for events rights to “ Platinum Logic” have ers with a band at a small New peared, tacked on the wall of the and more . . . Mark McCormack’s been sold ... the new novel (yes Years Eve party. Every inch the V.I.P. Lounge. Captioned Mazda International Management Group another novel!) is to be called kid with stars in his eyes, who, Super Headache 1982, it made (IMG) even handles the affairs of “ Limelight” and is about mods . . . with his guitar in the privace of mirth of the first three and a half Captain Mark Phillips, Michael but mostly we talked about tennis. this own room IS a rock hero. I days worth of drama . . . Ivan Parkinson, royal dressmakers the Tony revealed that he used the have a vision of McEnroe and Lendl was drawn chained to the Emanuels, and — surprisingly — N.M.E. writers major perk, the trip Gerulatis in the dressing room net for unpunctuality, Jimmy Con­ the Pope! And a hefty slice of the to New York, as a front to see before a match, with a radio nors was crumbling under a hearty tennis market. Jimmy Connors play tennis. Tony turned up loud strumming away slap on the back, Vitas Gerulaitis Donald Dell’s nickname is ap­ would accompany some dodgy on their racquets. To be a rock was tearing off court after the call parently “Donald Deal”, his com­ band like Thin Lizzy and slip out of star is a genuine old fashioned was “two blondes in the dressing pany Pro Serv, was responsible for the back door of Madison Square ambition. room”, Johan Kriek had fashioned the situation that had Johan Kriek Gardens and hot foot it down to the The pop star treatment was ac­ the net into a hammock and was crumpling under the pressure of Flushing Meadow Tennis Stadium. corded tennis champs in Honey snoring through his service .. . it three major tournaments in 14 He disclosed, sheepishly, in his Magazine. Honey, an English was almost like that. We all days (he’d been in Naples, come gruff Sarf East London drawl, that teenagers equivalent to Dolly, laughed like crazy, but it was no to Melbourne and was en route to a he had joined the John McEnroe carried a breathless, giggly pre- joke really. John Brown had tournament in Tokyo). Pro Serv, it fan club — the only fan club he’s Wimbledon feature this year. It adopted the laugh-and-the-world has been alleged, provided Ivan ever been in! doesn’t tell you that the fast afoot laughs-with-you attitude and Lendl with scant details about the There’s a general feeling that Vitas Gerulaitis doesn’t mind the earned unanimous admiration for Super Challenge schedule and the pop stars of tomorrow are the grass surface at Wimbledon, but his unflappable calm manoeuver- didn’t make sure that he caught his tennis celebrities of today. Con­ prefers something speedier like ing of each disaster into a winning plane. He started his matches cert promoter Paul Dainty is on supreme. Honey says: “Vitas may shot. three days into the tournament. record saying just that when not be the world’s number one Bubbling under the surface of One could be forgiven for explaining the rationale for mov­ tennis ace, but he’s certainly the some great tennis were three charging Pro Serv and IMG with ing from touring ABBA and David tennis circuit’s number one heart major issues: treating their players as merchan- Bowie to Bjorn Borg and John throb. A still dishy 27 . . . etc.” 1. Management groups — a disable commodities before McEnroe. It makes sense. Good Honey has been entirely dismis­ necessary evil or just plain treating them as perfectly human tennis is magnificent entertain­ sive of the player destined for evil? tennis players. Connors, Mayer, ment and tennis champs are number one, 22 year old Czech 2. Injury to players through over­ Lendl, Kriek, Teltsher .. . all ad­ young, rich, jet setting and sup­ Ivan Lendl because: “he’s some­ commitment to tournaments. mitted impossible schedules of erbly athletic (as if to compensat thing of an also ran in the pin-up 3. The annual Vits Gerulaitis around 30 weeks of tournament for not being — on the whole — stakes (buck teethare a problem). chaired debate, Australian tennis this year. Lendl’s guess was wildly handsome). And tennis Lendl and Gerulaitis played out umpires and linesmen — the closer to 40 weeks. The players, Roadrunner 29 spurred on by their agents, are the tournament. He doesn’t have Lendl all announced that they point I just got it, with an ace or a cartwheeling around the world to worry about his racquets, his would significantly curtail their passing shot or whatever.” It reads collecting an enormous amount of clothes, his airline bookings or tournament commitments next like conceit, but is merely the pro­ money, but are the public or the anything. The management group year, cutting back to about 25 duct of his extraordinary mental tournaments getting value for does everything for him. So all the weeks of playing, cautioned by strength and icy self control. money? player has to do is play tennis. Not their injuries. Lendl is a fascinating character, Tournament director John only is all of that taken off his Gene Mayer responded humor­ mysterious and unfathomable. Off Brown comments on the man­ hands, but most times the player is ously to questions about his back: court he exhibited a great deal of agement groups issue: “ I think that not competent at handling that sort “ I felt it go when I was talking to boyish charm, a devastating smile as far as the management com­ of situation. The danger is when Jimmy Connors on the phone," and an unexpected sense of panies are concerned, although the groups step outside of that and Lendl was asked whether his humour, but still held a lot in re­ they now exert tremendous influ­ role, and start to exert influence in elbow problem would cause him serve. ence on the game, there’d be a areas other than just that — man­ too to withdraw, “just for fun I’ll say Polish tennis player Wojtek danger of that being to the detri­ aging players.” yes" he replied mischievously. Fibak, Lendl’s coach, advisor and ment of the game if they became The joke became that the final Lendl was the undisputed star of close friend, is reputedly respon­ tournament organisers, tourna­ would be played between the the tournament. He rose to the oc­ sible for softening Lendl’s ment promoters and also mana­ "last two men left standing” . . . casion — jet lagged or not — and character and encouraging his gers of the players as well. They’d “This is ABC Sport, bringing you went a long way to dispelling the reading in arts, languages and have a very nice little cartel type the final of the Mazda Super Stonefaced Ivan the Terrible politics. During the tournament operation going and that wouldn’t Challenge. Live from St. Vincent’s image that has built up around Lendl confirmed that Fibak has be too good.” Hospital.” Gerulaitis hugged an him. He smiled a lot on court, and been campaigning for him: "Since "IMG in particular run a lot of ice-pack to a groin injury after joked with his opponents even, but Wojtek as been saying it many their own tournaments and Pro coming off court (a slipped the final was another matter. On times, around and around, that I Serv also run tournaments. The disco?), Gene Mayer exhibited finals night Lendl was an im­ enjoy tennis and like having fun, difficulty at the moment in that (the the back brace that he is forced penetrable wall of aggression and people notice it now. Before they cartel) occurring is that the two to wear during every match he determination, working for the would not see it.” management groups don’t get to­ plays, Jimmy Connors limped quick, clean kill. There’s an unbridgeable gulf gether. If those two management about with sciatica, Paul The Lendl style of tennis is mer­ between Lendl and his com­ groups started doing joint exer­ McNamee was back after a long ciless. His presence suggests that petitors with pop-stars in their cises then that could be a real bout with his back, Eliot Telscher he believes that it is his God-given eyes. Solitary pleasures . . . golf, danger.” was suffering mental exhaustion, right to destroy the game of his chess, solving a Rubiks Cube . . . "We're tending to paint the pic­ and Johan Kriek physical opponent. He has the demeanour are Lendl’s forms of relaxation. He ture of the management groups as exhaustion. of a champion and the ability to doesn’t join McEnroe, Gerulaitis ogres, but really they are a very The Melbourne doctor that summon even more drive and (and even Borg of late) et al at essential part of the tennis organi­ treated Connors said that his con­ precision if the game should wan­ disco and rock concerts with sation. The players need the man­ dition was not an unusual one, and der from his control. After coolly armfuls of blondes, and it could agement groups just as much as that tennis players are particularly wrapping up Vitas Gerulaitis in the well be that Lendl’s iron will and the management groups need the susceptible to back injury be­ final, Lendl commented: "I was dedication to task will be the factor players. Ivan Lendl, all he really cause of the enormous stress and playing really well. I missed how that will move him past Connors has to do is say “yes, I'll play this, pressure of the amount of tennis many shots I don’t know — not too and McEnroe into the number one no, I won’t play that” and turn up at they play. Mayer, Connors and many, and any time I needed a position and hold a firm grip on it.

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Roadrunner 31

hael Senegambia, reet, people d at the foot gs, while in the arter lepers beg from pers buying imported Beaujolais days are hot and t night when the sea s in people go out onto the to radios, sit and play at small meat brochettes over timers. The night air is full of of crickets, cockerels, the cries from the mosque, and s playing kora music, and Central circle around three drummers, one of whom Some of the first music we heard in Africa Extremely intricate rhythms were played the 'lead' drum, the one that gives the compounded by the fourteen drummers, and was "Les Etoiles de Dakar”, (the Dakar Stars), main cues to the dancers' feet. This lead drum a popular, local highlife band, featuring the girots rasped out their histories and was higher pitched than the other two, which praises of their Muslim chiefs into battered electric guitars with a Carribean influence, a acted as a constant rhythmic background. blaring celebratory brass section, and African loudspeakers powered by a line of car drums handmade from wood and skin. batteries. The Wolofs (perhaps due to strong However, to the Africans, it was not the Muslim influence) did not get their kicks out Among these drums was a 'tama' or 'donno', pitch of the lead drum which differentiated it, an hourglass-shaped drum with a top and of dancing, but by walking up through the but the ''maleness'' of its voice. They classify crowd, dressed in their finest silk or printed bottom skin, connected by loops of leather the drum notes in terms of their timbre, the thonging. The tama is held under one arm cotton robes, and putting money into the male drum is the one whose timbre is the performers' pockets. and hit with a curved stick held in the other more forceful and penetrating, while the hand. By squeezing the thonging under the female drum is the one with the more gentle W ith our collection of recordings already armpit the tension is altered on the timbre, regardless of actual pitch. drumheads, and the pitch of the drum is growing, we decided to head south towards made to rise and fall. Bottlegs of the band T h e women, dressed in long robes and the more tropical region of Senegal. Crossing were available everywhere, the music turbans, and the men, wearing traditional the Gambia River, we were invited to stay in a advertised by being blared out of the boo-boos and suits, waited their turn to do tiny village of mudbrick houses with thatch massively distorted portable cassette players brief solo dances in the centre of the ring. roofs, without electricity, or running water — one finds throughout the developing world. They performed a rapid pulsating dance, arms though even here was to be found a portable flying out behind them like bird wings. cassette with a collection of tapes, mostly Anyone who wanted to could dance, reggae. I remembered seeing "Vivre Bob W e spent out days in Dakar going back and though there was a definite style of dancing to Marley" painted on a mud wall. forth from the Ministry of Cultural Archives. go with the style of drumming. Later we The ministry was a marvel of nepotism, and learnt that styles vary between regions and In the Gambian village of Tendaba, one night we were always being introduced to groups. Tremendous excitement rose as the down by the river we came across an unusual someone's brother or cousin or auntie. But at whole community danced and celebrated the sight. Three women drummers were the same time the institution was very open baptism of the child who was shown to us. performing on tin drum, wooden barrel, and and we were allowed to listen to their a drum made by floating a gourd upside collection of recordings and even to dub O u r contact in the cultural archives told us down in a basin of water. They were backing samples from all the language groups of the of a meeting of the Wolof to take place in the a male singer, but grew tired of him and country. These included a Diola exorcism, a desert in a week's time. It was a "fete des suddenly broke into a racing beat, at which Serer and Peul praise singing, a Wolof girots", — the girots being an ancient caste of sign the singer was swamped by fifty young marriage, a Badik fecundity ceremony, and poet-praise singers who sing or speak, often girls dancing wildly, forgetting the day's hard songs from the Bambara, Bassaris and accompanied by drums. Because the Wolof work: In these villages the dawn is Mandinka peoples. The archive music language was oral, they were often the accompanied by the sounds of roosters introduced us to a fact that was to be historians of their people, telling of old wars crowing and the steady thump of the women reinforced wherever we went in the and kings. They praised people who paid pounding rice, one of their heavy round of Senegambia: That music, and more them well, and also had licence to abuse chores. particularly drumming, pervades community publicly those who didn't. We waited for four life, from births and marriages, to exorcisms days at Richard Toll, a town near the From the Gambia we travelled down to the and death. It is not performed elevated on a Mauritanian border at the southern extreme of Casamance river and stayed in the town of stage above the people, but occurs naturally the Sahara. Eventually the centre of the town Ziguinchor which was alive each night with on street corners, in town squares, in housing was closed off with long sections of cloth, and music. One evening I was lying on my bed, compounds, and at soccer games and fourteen drummers arrived in a truck, along when my ears were astounded by beautiful wrestling matches. with the girots and some khalam players. music floating through the window. Sitting Many of the players and some of the girots on a mat in the courtyard outside was a man O n e evening in Dakar we attended a Serer were in their twenties, indicating a healthy called Abdoulai Cissako, playing a kora. The baptism dance in a dusty besser block tradition. kora is made from a large gourd covered with compound. We had been invited by a Serer calf hide — this section being used as a musician friend. The whole community was W h en the townspeople had gathered, the sounding box. From the sounding box, gut gathered out in the dirt road and formed a music began and continued all night. strings of different thickness are stretched up to a central pole, two or three feet long. This kora had twenty one strings. The strings are played with a plucking motion by the thumb and first finger of each hand, one hand producing a bass line on the thicker strings, and the other hand working a melody.

I asked Abdoulai to play for me, and paid him as was the custom. The first song he did was a standard piece for kora, but the following songs were more particular, and good examples of the "Casamance Style", with a strong syncopated bass line. Sometimes he sang in Mandinka and was joined by his wife who tapped on the side of the kora and also sang. The kora is an instrument unique to the Mandinka's. To western ears it often sounds out of tune with itself, but in fact has been scrupulously tuned to sound just as it does. The kora is the most "classical" of the Afridan instruments we came across, and seems to have some faint echoes of Arab music.

A s we progressed further towards the Guinea Bissau border the forests grew taller, the country more lushly tropical, and we entered the territory of the Diola. We built a camp on the beach at Cap Skirring and tried 34 Roadrunner to accustom ourselves to our visitors, who right angle to this on each side was a small followed by a train of drummers who changed would sometimes form a ring around us and lateral pipe. Baba got eight different sounds to an especially fast celebratory beat. This was mutely stare. One day we heard drums in the out of the flute — although it only had three also a sign to give money to the winning distance and rushed into the village. The holes — by half stopping the holes, and using wrestler and the drummers. music was coming from a celebration held to overblowing techniques. Baba Dieudhiou mark the birthday of the Diola village chief. bobbed up everywhere in the Casamance, It was always treated as the "done thing" to wearing his head dress of white horse hair give money to musicians, and all but one of Th e party lasted for three days and nights, and was something of a magic man, being the events we saw was free to watch, the though most of the drumming was done at hired for many different occasions. musicians depending on the "donation" night to avoid the heat. The palm wine was principle for a living. They almost never had flowing, and powerful trance-like mental A s we explored the Casamance region we to ask for payment, people considering it states were produced by the non-stop encountered different groups of Fetishists. In normal and natural to pay for such a drumming. One man, Malamin Gaudieby, the village of MLomp we saw a talking drum community service, although we recorded an played drums and was partnered by Baba and near it, in a mud brick shelter, a death example of some Serer drummers playing a Dieudhiou, a magic man playing a unique drum which was only used to send messages beat that meant "give money now". cross-shaped flute. Groups of women beat of bereavement. Both these drums were tapping sticks made from palm tree wood, taboo, and not to be touched by strangers. W e next headed off for a small island called and once again the dance style was the The talking drums were large hollowed out Carabane, located where the Casamance river frenetic shaking bird dance. wooden logs with a slit in the top. Different comes out to sea. We lived on the beach not hollowing under each side of the slit gave the far from old slave buildings, crumbling and I was taught to dance here, but my first drum a high toned lip and a low toned lip. It overgrown with bouganvillia. One afternoon attempts were so stiff and jerky that I earned is by imitating the tone pattern of the spoken we heard music coming from across the the nickname “the chicken". Dancers entered language with drumming on the high and low water, and saw three long boats approaching the centre of the ring one or two at a time, toned lips, that messages are sent by talking the island. The drummers were seated in the often carrying handkerchiefs in order to give drum. Traditional poetic phrases are used, to back, playing, and we recognised the flute them to other dancers waiting on the help the listener interpret the tone patterns in playing of Baba Dieudhiou. The islanders put perimeter of the ring. Giving a handkerchief the drumming. on their best robes, picked up their tapping meant “I'd like to see you dance". We began sticks, and gathered in the town square where to notice the mental effects of long repetitive L/rums are still religious objects to certain a dance was held. A man wearing a devil sequences of drumming. The ear begins to people, and an English friend spoke of how at mask terrorised the young children with his hear different parts of the beat, and a fetishist party recently he had tapped lightly dancing. After some hours of intense music recomposes them so as to hear rhythms on a drum he found lying around, and the we asked a bystander what the occasion was. within rhythms. After hours of continuous owner of the drum had jumped up instantly He said it was a meeting of the Socialist Party dancing and drumming and palm wine and demanded a pig from him in repayment of Senegal. drinking, everyone forgets their background, for interfering with the drum's spirit. The Michael Ladd has produced an hour long their money, their problems, and simply man was eventually talked out of it with the cassette of recordings, including becomes part of the beat; of the dance. aid of some of the fetishists. the Diola village chief's birthday party, kora by Abdolai Cissako, cross-shaped A t the chief's birthday party we also A fter returning to Ziguinchor we recorded flute by Baba Dieudhiou, Mandinka women recorded a solo performance of Baba Diedhiou drumming involved with common social drummers, the Wolof girots and other items. playing cross-shaped flute. Back in London at events such as soccer games, wrestling Those interested in obtaining a copy should the British Institute of Recorded Sound they matches and child naming ceremonies. At the write, enclosing name and address, to told us that this was probably a unique flute. wrestling matches the entire programme was Matjara Music, 6 Alison Ave. Blackwood, They had never heard of it before. The flute set to drums, and whenever a wrestler won a S.A. 5051! had a large vertical pipe in the centre and at a bout he danced around the sand arena Roadrunner 35 NIGERIAN BOMBSHELL KING SUNNY

ADE King Sunny Ade has made

otwithstanding the twin tribal scars that rise up 40 albums. These days none vertically from around the chin-line of his moderate beard to just below each eye, the trim-haired King of them sells less than 200,000 SunnyN Ade is an unassuming, mild figure. His synthetic serge trousers are in that powder blue that is so copies. In London, CHRIS popular a colour of the safari-style suits worn in tropical countries. They make a sort of match with his navy-blue cotton anorak, which is worn over King Sunny's only exotic garment, a SALEWICZ meets the man collarless, floral-patterned, pink and grey shirt. When I climb up to the top floor of Island Records' West who is spearheading a cultural London offices, and suddenly come face to face with a devastatingly imposing, grey-bearded, tall man in traditional revolution. African robes I assume that he is King Sunny.But he is only one of the Nigerian juju musicians' several managers — he has a full complement with him of such people, a contract of managers is, I suppose, the collective noun.

n fact, this sudden espousal of Africa is understandable. ing Sunny Ade himself really does look rather too nice to After all, the Back To Africa theme is part of the be someone who is spearheading a cultural revolution. iconography of reggae, and Jamaica itself was one of the K For following Island Records' statement of intent with Ivery hippest countries of the seventies. Malcolm McLaren its two Sound D'Afrique compilations, King Sunny Ade And The himself also partially instigated what will be the inevitable African Beats have become the first African artists to whom the plundering of African culture through his lending failed punk label has given a full LP release — namely, to the 'juju Music' starlet Adam Ant a collection of recordings made by The Warrior album. Island intends to push African music with the same Drummers Of Burundi — which, almost predictably, McLaren passion it devoted to reggae ten years ago. had acquired in Paris. Meanwhile, the British Funk movement Certainly Africa is the current hip continent. has no doubt gone some of the way to persuading British In England this is only now becoming apparent. But in France musicians and music fans to look to the source of the music they it has been unquestionably evident for at least eighteen months. are playing: the rhythms in most Western popular music having A French journalist friend recently told me that these days you come from Africa in the first place — though despite the notion's can hardly turn round in the darkest heart of Africa without appeal to liberal consciences, Africa is by no means the only tripping over whole editorial teams of Gallic newshounds, all inspiration of Western pop. searching desperately for the true pulse of a continent. True to It is apt that Island Records, who nearly bankrupted form, the next French writer I ran into informed me that the themselves in breaking Bob Marley, should be leading the field purest form of music — its very primeval essence, as it were — is with the Sound D'Afrique records — attempts, one suspects, at only made by Zairean pygmies. It is not believed that Zairean offering an African equivalent of what the label's 'Harder They pygmy music is as yet widely obtainable on record. Come' LP proved to be for reggae. 36 Roadrunner Roadrunner 37 ing Sunny Ade has released forty albums in Nigeria over the past twelve years, and these days none of them sells under 200,000 copies. Rather than just the title of his firstK English LP release, juju Music is a mass market genre. The liner notes of his Island album state that juju is "a tough modem music freely drawing on the traditions of the Yoruba, Nigeria's largest tribe, juju Music is rooted in the complex call-and-response between the talking drums and the singers." Those sleeve notes do not prepare you for the elements of salsa and jazz and dub and Western pop that fuse together in the music of The African Beats. Nor do they ready you for the sense of calm and clarity thai descend upon you as you listen to the record. It is inspirational stuff, as is much of the Sound D'Afrique music. It was to find out more than those sleeve notes offer that I talked to King Sunny Ade during the visit he was making to London to supervise the cutting of a further LP — this will only be released in Nigeria, much of King Sunny's prolific output as yet being reserved only for domestic consumption.

his is what I learned: juju was first heard of sometime in the 1920s. In the late 1950s Western instruments began to T be used by juju musicians. But "talking drums" remained the basis of the music, fulfilling the function in Western pop of the bass guitar — all the same, electric basses have now been introduced into juju groups to supplement the sound. juju is a music that appears to be peculiar to the Yoruba tribe, of whom there are eighty million in and around Nigeria: the whole of Western Africa, incidentally, is influenced by the music that comes out of Nigeria, whilst Southern Africa takes its sounds from Zaire. (From pygmy music? . . .) Fuji Music is big in Nigeria as well, and has been since the sixties. Fuji also consists ? the sound of talking drums, but with very complex rhythms, o which vocals are laid. Fela Ransome Kuti's nt oic is no longer as popular as it once was, its sound now being regarded as rather dated. There is a connection between Fela and King Sunny Ade that is not just due to the former's decline and the latter's ascendancy. Appropriately enough, it is a French Connection. Last year French record producer and entrepreneur Martin Meissonnier put on a Fela show in Paris. But he did not reckon on the musician bringing with him a seventy-strong entourage, whose upkeep bankrupted him. Attempting to return to solvency whilst at the same time removing himself from the attentions of his creditors, Meissonnier disappeared down to Nigeria. There he teamed up with King Sunny Ade, arranging his deal with Island, and also producing the 'juju Music' LP as well as playing keyboards on it. King Sunny himself hails from the Nigerian town of Ondo, and he is a crown prince of the Ondo tribe. In 1963 he first took up the guitar. He was inspired by I K Diaro, the founding father of juju, and in 1966 formed a group, The Green Spots, who based themselves in Lagos, the Nigerian capital. The line-up of this eight-piece consisted of guitar, conga, maraccas, native maraccas, samba, bongoes, short conga, talking drums, and bass drum. In 1967, King Sunny tells me, "I waxed my first record." name was changed from The Green Spots to King Sunny Ade It was called 'Allamu Mi Oluwa' which translates as 'God Is And His African Beats. Merciful'. But, King Sunny says with a laugh, "we only sold "A cigarette company named a new product, 'Green Spot twenty or thirty copies." Cigarettes'," explains King Sunny. "I really didn't want to be Obviously calling on what seems to be a shrewd commercial associated with it. It meant that every time our name was sense, The Green Spots' second 45 was entitled 'The Flaming mentioned it was like a commercial for the tobacco firm. Flamingoes', the name of one of Nigeria's most popular football "At the time we were introducing a lot of Western instruments clubs, to whom the record was dedicated. It was a big hit, at into our music. As we had to change our name, we called least with Flaming Flamingoes' fans, of whom King Sunny ourselves The African Beats, so that we wouldn't seem too himself is one. Westernised. In fact, the sound was itself becoming much more A succession of hit singles followed. In 1970 The Green Spots African, so we took a name that would actually describe the recorded their first album: side one consisted of just one piece of beat. At the same time we really expanded the line-up." music, whilst a number of songs made up the second side. "It In keeping with this image re-fit, the group leader also altered was the first time that juju Music had been stretched like that his own name, from Sunday — the day on which he had been over one side of an LP," proclaims King Sunny proudly. The bom — to Sunny! record was one of the year's mot successful albums, selling These early recordings were all for the African Sounds Ltd 130,000 copies. From then on, King Sunny Ade has made three label. But in 1974 King Sunny set up his own company, which in albums a year. "I work very hard," smiles the King. "But in Nigeria has released his records ever since. There are at least 600 those early days there weren't any multi-track machines in independent labels in Nigeria, he says, as well as eight or nine Nigeria, so we would just record the band straight. Now that majors. there are multi-tracks, everything takes much longer. There are The music on their records is written by The African Beats. twenty-two musicians now, so we need at least sixteen tracks." King Sunny's function is to write the lyrics that, as lead vocalist, This transition in size came about in 1973 when the group's he sings himself. 38 Roadrunner //nr hey are philosophical songs," he says. "They preach for love. Occasionally a song may be dedicated to an J L attempt to heal some aspect of society, like eradicating tribalism or corruption. But they are not political songs." However, as most of his songs are sung in King Sunny's native Yoruba tongue — one number on the 'juju Music' LP is in English — there will presumably be considerable difficulty for Europeans who want to understand them: though the spirit of the music certainly comes through. "As time goes on," stresses King Sunny, "I will include more tracks in English. But English is not my mother tongue, and I don't think I speak it as well as I speak Yoruba. But at the same time to pass through the communication I will be singing in English occasionally, though never entirely. "I think," he suggests, "that I might sing in Yoruba and write lyrics in English, so that you can sing along with them." "Anyway," he adds, "music is a communication on its own. It's an education, as well as an entertainment."

uring the Biafran war of the late sixties, in which the Ibo tribe attempted to secede from the state of Nigeria, King Sunny says that his music attempted to reflect what was reallyD happening: "It was important to point out that the people in charge of the two sides must know for sure that wherever the battle is taking place, the young ones are there who know nothing about why it is going on. The average people didn't understand why there was a war — none of them ever expected it to happen. So we tried to remind them that whoever faces your gun is supposed to be your brother. Any war I take to be a bad war, even the war of words." In the Island Records press office much emphasis was being made of the supposed fact that King Sunny Ade will have to retire from music on the death of his father, the reigning king, whose position Sunny will then take over. This proved a handy hook on which to hang a story for the angle-hungry Fleet Street newspapers. Unfortunately, it turns out to be utterly untrue. In fact, King Sunny looks rather amazed when I innocently quiz him about this. "No," he denies this scurrilous attempt at PR/ "I have chosen my way, and it is music. You can never leave music, because it is in you. The moment you get involved in it you can't get out. Even on your dying day you will still find yourself singing. And when you are laid down in your coffin they will sing to you. I would never believe anyone who said they were going to retire from music. Even if you just have a radio you will continue to think about it.

/ / T am automatically a prince, King Sunny continues, "but I I was also crowned Best Musician Of The Year since JL.1976: so then I turned into the King of Musicians. So I'm King of Music instead. If you have a household name as a Cnr. Frome St & Rundle St musician, you can be much more popular than a tribal king. Adelaide "By birth I am a crown prince, but I am not interested in becoming a king. I wouldn't be able to perform onstage, or do the things I like, or sleep outside the city. "Anyway," he comes to the crux of the matter, "there's a lot of other brothers before me." If things go according to plan, King Sunny Ade And His African Beats will be undertaking an extensive tour of Europe um lyello before Christmas. What sort of stage show should we expect, I ask him. m u/ic "Well, I don't like to blow my own trumpet until you see it. But I have won so many awards for being Nigeria's best performer and showman. "I can play for six or seven hours nonstop. In my country, you know," he chuckles benignly, "we always enjoy ourselves from ADELAIDE’S MAJOR SECONDHAND morning to night." RECORD STORE Always buying & selling quality used records. English Import Service Large shipment of American deletions just arrived!!

Roadrunner 39 h is t o r y Cl a s s before Charles Ruckmaster and Nigel . A loo" at a pHoto of James Dean in his Roberts, before "Tubular-Bells" and "5001",- room will show you die was one. .That Remember to back when Zen wasn't ju$l. Hard to think none of them Existed in 1959, half-mocking look ip the eyes. Later it was . 'another brand of laundry detergent that isn't it? But'they didn't.* Peter, Paul and Mary on the record player or didn't get your clothes white? You should. It ' 1 • ' ’ • ' . ' ; .-• ' perhaps some savagery from Lenny Bruce or was the 1950's'. Some of us were bbttj then. .-< ?' ; WHAT DID THEN? 1 the more light hearted Trim Lehfer. 1 Those who weren't will be. able to recall the • • . • ''•A- ■ .. . v-. ' I- ,.- ‘ • - *rhe Beatniks were so many things that the I era bwdiAt,of th^ fact thatthe decade since . Here we had bodgies and widgies. We had hippies became, except thej*were ten y^ars the Sha Nah Nah's.haS|done its worst to. • , mass migration and racism. .We had massive earlier and were interested in "ideas". They - harness the supposed, naivete of .those years i ; . anti-Italian feeling, and we still have it, v ■ liked Buddy Greco, they went to see "A - to sell everything from motorcycles to Chicd ' - despite.all efforts*to make this country less Streetcar Named Desire" and loved-Vivieij Rolls. A look at the 50'sy* minus the Chico racist. We had the destruction of Aboriginal Leigh as much as Brando. JTiey drank coffee • ' >V: * 4 •" *-v.'• Rolls,-then, \ Society, and we still have that one#oo. We've ,*n shpps, late at night, even in Adelaide. . ; Eisenhower, De Gaulle, tJleniies. John \ had that aa Official policy-, for 200years, But , . • Their clothes were old-, they 'made l0ve%ot Wayne (pre the idiotic sentamentalism for the wie'did-have something else, something , war. They were, invariably, politically naive. contaminated virgin giinman), McCarthy ai\d . ' v interesting. We had. beatnix. beatniks. It And,-probably., like Keiouac himself, still • the black lists. ^i» attempt, to outlaw' the ... rhymes with Sputniks for those ^f you bom. Catholics. They lived in 'pads', they'd walk •.. '.Australian Communis!Party. The D.L.P. The . .a^fer I960 but Svith a great interest in the ten miles to hear a poem if it was rapped Australian film a nd mu sic -industry.in a state of the Russian space programme. V:. ; . ; ; ••,? ng*1*- of total collapse.lMarrlinga and the* British WtlERE ARE THEY NOW? ' A-Testi (fpllovying;^Krchill's policy of 1915 >' of.."/ending in the Australia/^ . . /'I and still . ' In the suburbs mostly. At best, htixefl up - v . - on cricket, Bradman was gone and we Were with media resource or ublic radio, but much ' vulnerable ag!fi^, World politics weren't ; changed if so. Their world, though beat ai\d exactly bright either. The USA was doing its bent, was the 50's and the movement to v best to destroy the Chinese .revolution tit • liberate wojnen (and all of us implicit) had , •!*■'. . failed put developed the method Vt iW 70's been dead sihcO the.ZO's on a mass level. So with.operaH6ns^uckas.Chile and Portugal);;.' they married each other, and the women The USA and the USSR-were holding the* ; raised the children and the men went out to ' bopib at each other's 'heads, and if's styi not ' Wqrk. The berets, tjghts and.Ruffle coats, the dear why war didn't start in 1957. The fifties “ ••>>'.. *.‘.V .■ were bri-nylon, uglinesfc, an age qf ' v- *'The beatniks are everywhere", he.

• ' V \ > unparallelted optiipism for those- with the ...r - ■groaned. -"igotta get word to the V '. greatest'greed. As'soon as the rough an$:eptl6ns> expression, philosophy and Vt . tpe things the kids wanted, "chicks" became :• .. - all seemed: to cpme to a full stop.-^-af the C , a generally allusive term for ypurig women, same time a9 the rfiass media-began to realise and that was where the beatnik movement - ; ’,V' ^oebbete'dream of total control. / ' - WHO WERE THEYf and lifestyle rested for 20 years — dead. X Cy~. Renlembet,. (his was Before the Beatles. I. •Until the affluent west had b/sen 'through' . • Before Guba. B^fbre' G6ughvWhitlam br- ' In Australia, -theytyvere a pretty hippies and yippies and decadents and ^McMahon dr even Harold Holt.. QoiVMax* i Jhsignificant fringe group, but not $6 in punks. Now the Lemon Tree is in bloom Britain and fHevUSA. They \vei;e again, and the desolation angels are all out *' * V \± y\And'h& has come.back with hik YoU.might pot have but look close and beatnik have returned!

ECONOMIC ANALY6IS . ,

Part of -the.reason: for the Beatnik Revival isr - ' •flijitthe western world is thy Depressions The •, Arabs no longer get skinned for their oil, and / just running itself costs-the industrialised- r world more all the time. The cybernetic ' -.. * revolution is cutting the jobs heeded to be done by our hands.- The dole is becoming the . ,: new wage of the masses - t 'and this situation But tRe The Bard of Salford John Cooper

Nineteenth century clobber in a twentieth century hotel room. Surrealism, baby.

"I lean towards the nineteenth century Clarke poets,” says John Cooper Clarke, who also happens to dress like them. ”Percy Shelley, all them. I want an all female audience, y'know.” What, Shelley used to read live? “Oh yeah, yeah, he used to do gigs. When he wasn't 'anging around graveyards, or trying to drown himself.” On stage, John Cooper Clarke is a mass of hair and suit and shades with a million mile an hour mouth. Offstage, and to be specific, in his hotel room at the Cosmopolitan Inn, Bondi, people who art in this^osition art far better . he's an even bigger mass of hair, suit and educated than their unemplc^ed predecessors shades. His mouth doesn't move as quickly, . . . and have <|jfferent cultural aspirations. but he can still be very funny. They art also different from those around Other favourite poets? Baudelaire, yup, and them in that they'fl spend their dole cheque Coleridge. "In fact,” says Clarke, in his on a new paij of runnels or an old coat plus a . unmistakeable Manchester drawl, "When I cinema ticket, rather than a chenille first started in this business I was thinking of bedspread.. calling myself John Kubla Khan."

' 'Ja ck Keromcsat befide me on a •,. Popular poets are a rare commodity in the machine age, but then John Cooper Clarke is ; busted drofi poie; companion, we: '• very much a machine-age poet. He reads 'em thought ihe, same thoughts'of the fast, a veritable torrent of words and images soul, bleakpnd blue and sud-eyed,- punctuated only by gasps for air. You have to surrounded by the gnarled steel roots : strain to catch them all — a valuable asset in

■v » ’ o f trees of machinery". ■ holding an audience's attention, and one that a new generation of punk/skinhead poets in the UK have adopted with alacrity. For example: fo m "Sunflower Sutra", Allen, "Seethings Wells, 'e's from Leeds. ‘E's a skin i # • ’Ginsberg;.:' : 'ead. He does poems about.. . beer. Atila the Division, before singer Ian Curtis committed Stockbroker, 'e's from Harlow New Town. 'E's WHERE TO SEE THEM suicide and the remainder of the band became alright, but 'e's a bit of an obvious Trotskyist. New Order. Cooper Clarke sees the two acts as He wears 'is political heart on 'is sleeve." «, Any street. MM ^ffee shop, but .especially complementing each other, but adds wryly As well as the new poets, who like Clarke, "Reggio's”, Black Cat”. They'rt the that he can be as depressing as them if he perform in rock pubs, the 'established' poetry people in secor^^Bnd record Shops combing scene have sought JCC's patronage. British wants. tht baskets of 5 0 ^ n d early 60's, discs. as they The tour has been an undoubted success for poet Michael Horovitz organised an event seek out fP&M or Buddy Greco. Th^conrt JCC, large crowds everywhere responding called the Poetry Olympics last year which saw in all shapes and sizes, and the only adjective enthusiastically to his word skill and new and established poets sharing a bill at that can really link them is 'beaP. No, beat performance. In fact in Perth he did his longest Westminster Abbey, "That's where the Queen • ' isn't just something that XTC use to convince set ever, one and a half hours, because the gets married, y'know.” It was a success, says : young people they're making music, it's a crowd wouldn't let him go. Clarke, in as much as the established poets are whole way of life. IPs like Young. But yoy Clarke confesses he's going through an working and making a living again. don't have to be young to be a beatnik. indolent period at present, but isn't too Cooper Clarke's favourite new English poet -* Sydney for instance, is crairimed with older worried as his muse is an erratic one. One plan is Lynton Kwesi Johnson, a young black whose , beatniks. Socialites with tatty jumpers, he has is to rent an office and write poetry 9 to poetry, like JCC's, is strongly laced with social politicians who want to colonise the moon, comment and reality. The two poets did a 5. they're all here. It's on in your.city tcs. You ”I'm a great believer in routine," he states British tour together, the best tour he's ever just haven'rjTOticed it yet. Australia is being seriously. "It puts you in the frame of mind done, according to Clarke. , peopled by a silent army of beatniks, with where you recognise inspiration when it "We complemented each other perfectly, cos • Vv £oft eyes and cashd^^e jumpers. Go out and ’ happens. I respond very well to deadlines.” he's a slow, intense, moody reader and I'm, look.. Beatniks arer ^Prywhert, with Kerouac Another (half serious?) project is a recording y'know, fast.” under their arms>^n$l the .brooding verve of of Shelley's 'The Mask of Anarchy’. "That's a Cooper Clarke came to Australia with fellow • Neale Cassidy, They ar^ the energy resource real long one that. A double album. Or even a Manchunians, New Order, some of whom . of tomorrow. See them click their fingers. boxed set!” he laughs. ^ , . _ , *'• i’.-:- -V -i • • V: :'V-C have played on the Bard of Salford's albums. ° Donald Robertson - , ■ Felix Ward In fact Cooper Clarke often supported Joy Roadrunner 41

A never seen the fucken sky before, or the sea. McNeill the collective mantle of 'brains of the Growing up in Glasgow you're told that band'. Derek Forbes' bass is the band's main Jim Kerr sprawls across his bed at anyone looking at the sky is a dreamer, or propulsion unit, although Jim candidly states the Coogee Bay Hotel, the largest mad. They teach you to look right, and look that Derek's main motivation is to be a pop capacity rock pub in Sydney. In his back and look sideways to make sure that star, rich and famous. The drummer at the distinctively Scottish brogue, no-one else is coming, but don't look up at moment, Mike Ogletree, is more or less a punctuated by a stammer when his the sky. But I found myself looking up and hired hand and provides a much less thinking, fucken hell, we live!” dominant sound than that provided by mouth can't quite work as fast as his The boost of self confidence generated by previous drummer Kenny Hyslop, whose very agile mind, he says, "Quite conquering such a far away place at their first playing was such a highlight of Simple Minds' honestly Donald, I feel more at attempt also had a relaxing effect. As Jim puts last trip down under. home here than I do in London." it, “Before I was always confident we had But if the live performances this time didn't Outside his room, as the late good ideas, but we were possibly trying too quite live up to the shocking intensity of 1981, hard. A bit too forced. And this time, things, I or the precision and depth of 'New Gold afternoon sun splashes on the don't know, we just seemed to get things Dream', there were still precious memories to courtyard below, the queues of much more in perspective." treasure. The mass sauna that was Cronulla people for tonight's performance are Getting a perspective on Simple Minds is Workers Club reverberating to the chants of already hundreds long and making no easy task. On one level, the surface, they 'The American' from a thousand sweaty more than enough noise to drown run with the contemporary electro-pop pack. throats; the eerie hush during the 'Big Sleep' at But look closer and there's a wildness, Sydney's Capitol Theatre; the rush of pleasure out the sound of the Pacific Ocean something old, very old, strange and yet at Selina's during the first bars of 'Glittering crashing onto the beach fifty yards familiar in their music. It's almost as if they Prize', and many others. away. The feeling is strictly tap into some primordal wellspring of And now they've gone, there's still 'New reciprocal you see. Jim Kerr likes knowledge, or at least energy. Trance bnd Gold Dream'. Sydney and Sydney definitely likes dance. "With this album," states Jim, "there was a "Earlier this year," says Jim, "we were on desire to make an album that just shone. Jim Kerr. television a couple of times and my parents Whether it was getting played on the radio, in A NOT SO SIMPLE MIND Jim Kerr in Sydney by Donald Robertson

A year ago when Simple Minds first really freaked out because they didn't recognise a discotheque or just sitting at home, it really ventured down under, Jim recalls reading an me. And I can never recognise the look in my had to shine and be bright. And have a article on the day he arrived. It said, 'Toss a eyes either. The same with the way I move. feeling of hopefulness and optimism. coin to decide who are the most unknown, I'm really quite a stiff person and yet playing I "I remember when we recorded 'Promised Simple Minds or Echo and the Bunnymen'. seem to loosen up and I can get into any form You a Miracle'. We had two days to go before There was no doubt who was the most I like. I don't know what it is." going to Europe and we had the song and we popular when both bands left the country Strange states are not limited to stage rang Virgin, our record company and said, however. Quite simply Australia took Simple performance for Jim either. His oblique lyrics, 'We think we've got this hit single.' And they Minds patented brand of Caledonian funk to phrases and images darting out of the heavily said, well you'll have to demo it first and its large heart, whereas the Bunnymen stayed rhythmic music, seem to bypass the surface Martin Rushent's busy at the moment so . . . buried underground. consciousness of the mind and touch deeper, and we said 'No, we want to do it now, fresh, The turnaround in Simple Minds' fortunes hidden levels. Unlike the more contrived trust us this time.' And they said O.K. It was this year, with the shining success of 'Promised Bowie/Burroughs 'cut up' technique, where a real rush job — I remember we had three You a Miracle' and ‘Glittering Prize' and the different phrases are combined randomly, hours to catch the boat to Sweden, the sun burnished brilliance of 'New Gold Dream often by shuffling pieces of paper, Jim Kerr's was coming up when we were doing the final 81-82-83-84' is traced, in Jim's mind at least, lyrics seem to come spontaneously. mix and I was thinkin 'This isn't us.' And directly back to last year's Antipodean "I can just sit and look at a blank page for then I thought, 'Well, what fucken is us? adventure. hours and suddenly these lines come. I don't Because if we're this and that and tied up in a "At the start of the eighties I think lots of think about them — I don't analyse. When I box then we should quit right now." people, including ourselves, got carried away look at them later I often think, 'What the 'Promised You a Miracle' was the first glimpse with the idea of the world being a truly fucken hell made me write that? What is it of the butterfly breaking out of its cocoon. To modern place. Technology, machines, that came through? Because a lot of the complete the metamorphosis, the band retired synthesisers. A detachment, a coldness. But language I would never normally use." to an old farmhouse in the Highlands of when we came to Australia last year I became Although Jim Kerr is the most Scotland. With previous albums Jim likens the a lot more concerned about earthy values. recognisable element in Simple Minds, its bands attitude to that most students feel About people that I met and feelings . . . just obvious that the combination of elements before an exam. 'We almost felt we had to things I hadn't thought about since I was very within the band is what provides its crucial please everyone else first.' To psyche each young. chemistry. Jim is quick to concede to guitarist other up the band used to stick up huge signs "It just actually dawned on me that I'd Charlie Burchill and keyboard player Mick with mottos such as: 'WE MIGHT HAVE 42 Roadrunner SMALL LEGS BUT OUR HEARTS ARE AS monkey having its picture taken. Because had anything like that degree of recognition BIG AS CABBAGES!' we're people first." from N.M.E. then. We really were knocked “We really willed ourselved into making What's more, through the services of OUt. jf, things happen." garrulous and jovial manager Bruce Fndlay “I mean, we're just getting into a money Success brings pressures as well as and efficient and unflappable tour manager making situation now, but we couldn't afford rewards, but because Simple Minds have Lenny Love, Simple Minds seem very to bring Bruce, our manager out with us. evolved gradually, Jim Kerr seems aware of much in control of their own destiny. Their Bruce had to borrow the money to come. And the dangers of going overboard on popular decision to kick off their world tour in he came because he wouldn't fucken miss it acclaim. Australia caused some raised eyebrows at for the world. He knows what it's like, he “We're very very selfish. We want to be up home, but the band felt like demonstrating knows the buzz here." there on the top, we want to be on the front their gratitude for last year's welcome. The crowd noise from the courtyard below pages, but we want to be private people too. I "You all gave us a chance last year. Every increases as the interview draws to a close. can never understate the importance of the other country we've been to, we've had to We walk to the balcony and gaze out at the fans or the kick we get when people identify fight like hell for the chance. And even then throng. With the sea in the background it's a with what we're doing. But having to live up sometimes it felt begrudged. We came here, quintessential Australian scene, yet Jim Kerr, to what is expected of us, after the show, is a we got the attention of the record company, the young man who still lives with his parents lot. I don't want to be ignorant, and I don't we got the attention of JJJ, we got the big in the Gorbals area of Glasgow, doesn't look at want to be rude, but I don't want to be a spreads in ROADRUNNER, and we hadn't all out of place. Roadrunner 43 movies-go to the movies goto the movies-go DARK SIDE OF THE WALL THE WALL (DIRECTOR: ALAN PARKER)

‘‘So ya thought ya might like to go to the show To feel the warm thrill of confusion That space cadet glow Tell me is something eluding you, sunshine Is this not what you expected to see?" In the Flesh Part 1 The Wall

The Wall is not for your average cinema goer seeking escapist entertainment. Even avid Pink Floyd fans may well feel cheated and disap­ pointed at being subjected to Roger Waters heavy handed binge of paranoia. However, ‘The Wall' stands on its own as an alienated, disturbing masterpiece. It is a com­ pelling and extremely demanding audio-visual experience. The film is set in the crumbling, hallucinating brain cells of a hung up and strung out rock star called Pink, played surprisingly well by Bob Geldof. We join Pink just as he realises he’s skated too far — right into the cracks in the thin ice of his psyche. We are about to witness his nervous breakdown. Without compromise or consolation, Pink’s mind claws through itself, tearing at the most fragile and basic of emotions and instincts — loneliness, parental obsessions, sexual paranoia, self doubt etc. Intense and heavy ‘‘The bleeding hearts and the artists make If you’re willing to make the effort, and are stuff, which is remarkably portrayed on screen their stand not afraid to see how your own wall measures through superbly crafted camera work and And when they’ve given you their all up, then you’ll find The Wall a worthwhile ex­ graceful, symbolic animation, courtesy of Some stagger and fall, after all it’s not easy perience. Recommended for all would be Gerald Scarfe. The Wall’s sheer technical im­ Banging your head against some mad explorers, shrinks, anarchists, lunatics and agination and excellence is hard to frault. bugger’s wall.” geniuses. It’s a thin line after all. The Wall contains a minimum of dialogue, — ‘Outside the Wall’. relying almost totally on the score and lyrics Eilis Ni Thuathail. from the Pink Floyd album of the same name for soundtrack. This device works extremely well and is a crucial factor in grasping the film as a whole. I LOVE YOU E.T. Pink's mental vomiting throws up many bleak and critical views on modern day living. Paral­ Take every major insecurity of twentieth century temporary spititual crisis; the desire for manifes­ lels are drawn between the horrors of World Western middle-class society, add the plot of tation of the powers of the intuitive mind in the War II and the war zone lifestyle of modern big ‘Lassie Come Home’, the worst scenes from Mary face of the oppression of rationalism, and the cities. The power of figures such as politicians Poppinsand breakfast cerealbox style sci-fi imag­ yearning for love both in adult and child. or supergroup pop stars is likened to Naziism ery, and there you have it. It makes Star Wars look Even the running dogs of patriarchy are there, and modern day fascism. While some of the like a literary classic. every male adult in the first three quarters of the blows are off-balance and will relate only to An appallingly pointless story about a cutesy movie is shown headless, (hardly subtle), until shoulders with corresponding chips, others do extra-terrestrial being that walks and talks I ike one one man appears as a pseudo father figure. The hit the proverbial nail on the head. of those battery powered life size baby dolls that domestic setting itself typifies all the excesses of The traumatic journey through the vortex cries Mama and wets itself. A being with awe over-wealthy Californian failed family life. ends with the inevitable destruction of Pink’s inspiring psychic powers like the ability to make Spielberg engineers all this, but to what con­ identity as a sane individual but also, positively, BMX bikes fly. structive end? This is pure cinematographic with the explosion and destruction of his wall. Spielberg manipulates our emotions with the Onanism in the interests of profit. A thoroughly We hear him emerge on the outside at last, precision of a sniper. He preys upon the main depressing movie. crazy but triumphant and as if with a wry grin, anxieties of our age; the search for God in con­ SIMON PENNY

44 Roadrunner % > e to r Their fi[sta3bum includes White boy {dance mix) Do you realty want to hurt me O iwG iiB

VC 2232 AN INDEPENDENT SINGLE copies, with EMI. The exact number of pres­ So you’re in a band, you’ve got a pretty sings can't be controlled and due to a man­ ufacturing problem only 1,135 were delivered. good live following and you feel it’s time Meantime the printing of covers and labels had been underway. you had a record out. Two labels, one for each side are needed. The labels need to be at the record factory What do you do? when the order for the first run is placed. The labels are moulded onto the surface of the re­ Arch Brown details the production of cord. EMI can arrange printing and artwork of the Hoodoo Guru’s first single, ‘Leilani. ’ labels, but Phantom prefers to arrange their own. The stock Phantom label is kept in quan­ Phantom Records is an in­ time as an advance against the band's royal­ tities at a printers (at $221/1000) Specific de­ dependent label run from a specialist import ties. tails of each release are overprinted at $19/ record store in Pitt Street Sydney. Their first Dare concedes that from the label's purse 100 0 . single was released May 1980 and since then pocket point of view, this was a mistake. "We Phantom singles are distinguished by their the label has earned a reputatio of being an A thought they'd be quick" Dare tells, "But as covers, always colourful and made of durable and R department for the major record com­ soon as they thought someone else was pay­ cardboard. Jules: "It exists that way forever panies, a tag the label and store partners don't ing they got overindulgent . . . they redid and so we make them so that they'll look mind having. guitar bits and had masses of visitors in the good forever." The label and store partners are Dare Jen­ studio to do backing vocals. Usually the good Artwork is left entirely in the hands of an nings and Jules Normington. Jules looks after thing about independents is that people have artist. Dare: "They're paid a token amount, the store and Dare runs the T-shirt factory. a strict budget and they get into the studio but we allow them to do what they want. The label has been a great promotion for the and make them quickly." They do it for the enjoyment and a chance to store and achieved its own credibility and via­ They went about ten hours overtime in the see their work printed." bility. Dare and Jules are quick to point out 24-track studio, which means the label will Four plates were needed for the covers at a though that the label is not big business. Even have to sell up to 5,000 copies to break even. cost of $130. The printing and cardboard came big independents with runaway sales of up to Martin Fabinyi expressed an interest in XL to $346/1500. 5,000 copies, which some Phantom releases Capris at one time. So when Kimble Rendall The posters too, were printed with four col­ have done, are not money earners. asked Martin if he'd like to produce the ours. Dare: "They cost a packet, but it's all in Dare and Jules have seen the limitations the spirit we approach it." and risks involved in trying to make best sel­ The covers and the records were delivered ling records and don't see the risk and effort to the store where they were packed by the being worth the trouble. Besides, the business staff. When the work load is too great helpers of the store and factory are sufficiently re­ are hired for this process. warding and time consuming. By middle October it had sold 841 copies; Dare's only too aware of the total dedication 150 in the shop, 352 elsewhere in Sydney and required to push bands to the top and the kick 189 interstate. in the teeth from unsatisfied artists, who'll Manager Stuart Coupe decided which radio move onto another label as sure as there'll al­ stations and magazines to send the record to. ways be taxes. Phantom mailed a copy to New York Rocker. Phantom operate on tape lease deals. "We Reviews were all kind, although Juke only deal in finished tapes," said Jules. The magazine failed to review it. Phantom deal is 10% of 100% of sales minus JJJ-FM Sydney and RRR-FM Melbourne Sales Tax and 5% of 100% for publishing. both picked the record up immediately. In These terms are roughly double those offered Adelaide, not only did the progressive alter­ in standard major label and publishing deals, native MMM-FM play it, but the record rose but obviously total sales are limited. high on the charts of SSA-FM, a commercial Dare and Jules go out and see a lot of station. bands. Jules keeps a diary of who he sees and Phantom have more releases planned, in­ he, may see 100 bands in a year. Earlier this cluding a Flaming Hands live EP. year one of the bands they saw were le Jules said the label is unaffected by the gen­ Hoodoo Gurus. eral slump in record sales. "People don't The clouds of fortune were gathering above mind paying $3.50 for a record of a band they go the Hoodoos, a bassless/Cramps like band. and see," he said. But independents have lost "They were riding their initial city hipness," the importance they had two or three years ago. Dare remembers, "They were at the stage in Hoodoo's single, he agreed. The recording Interest in them outside the hard core band every band's career where they didn't know if took place in May and the band was there the followers has diminished. they were going to be the next Beatles." whole time. Dare wishes that bands could be more clear This was before Stuart Coupe began man­ When the band approved the mix a lacquer sighted in their approach to making their own aging them. They were headstrong, inexperi­ was cut and the test pressings arrived at the records. Given that someone has resigned enced and manager-less. Dare and Jules liked shop two and a half weeks later. Test pres­ themselves to making an independent, he feels them and offered to release a one off single. sings are the first records pressed from the they should approach the process as a quality As Jules already pointed out, the label only plates which stamp the records. One test promotion to take to a record company. To this deals in finished tapes provided by the artist, pressing went to the band and the other was end he feels the high cost of Phantom covers at the artist's expense. However, it so hap­ kept at the store. and posters is directed. pened that at the time, the label had a credit After the test pressing was approved by the Both Dare and Jules agreed: "Our criterion at the EMI 301 studios and they offered the band an order was placed for an initial 1,500 46 Roadrunner is whether we'd buy the record ourselves. THE NEW FOUR-TRACK 12" 'PAYLOAD' EP JUST RELEASED LINN VAN HEK's DISCO Hl-^ 'INTIMACY' AVAILABLE AS 7 AND 12 INCH BY HUNTERS AND COLLECTORS - ONLY $4.99 SINGLES WITH EXTENDED DUB 'B' SIDE."'. X S S 88 w e a k RECORDS X 1 4 0 0 2 This is pop porn, says Les Bean, her autum n after the c marraca earings flapping against the fashion/furniture‘9SjdJ>, fridge as she reaches for a teapot coated in which she was a part in the same green, blue, purple and grey Before that she was invp brushstrokes as is every visible surface in tica, a Mod antique sti6j3' the flat. which she ran dressed in More than just livig with your work, this Besides studying pcoripmj is "living conceptualism" — where ev­ U rii, Les Bean says she^/fdiac erything matches. Face, hat, clothes, few books arid hasn^ seen am shoes, furniture, apartment, crockery for years. She confesses to being an art Reptile, a Kings Cross chameleon cum and ornam ents. Even the pop porn re­ world neophyte. The rest of the world pre-cursor of style). Les Bean considers it cord cover has been painted. she's seen a bit of, starting with a trip to important that hand finishing be carried' "Bloodless Coup Decorating" is Les England in 1968and then to Japan in 1972. on in a technological age. Bean's "combat against urbanity" — a Nowadays travel is beyond her means. A minimalist's opposite, she says she's sort of palliative assault on the landscape. But her clothes travel. She painted a suit annoyed by the "banality and commer­ Armed with paint, she hires herself out for Tiny Tim which he wore onstage here cialism of Sydney's established people." as a stylist and defines her field as fashion and at the Confetty Club in Dallas. "I feel I'm creating a fashion which I and furniture. In D arlinghurst she's done a door and a don't expect people to want to under­ The urban combat concept began last wall outside a compound and was hired stand or in any way be absorbed in." Edwina Shannon The CASIO Keyboards Let’s get down to business. You’re con­ templating making some noise of your own. But you want something a little less phallic than a guitar, less linear than brass and not quite as basic as stick on skin. This tends to leave you in front of the keyboard section — a grinning array of creatures that seem 'all teeth’ and not much bite. The way most salesmen demonstrate them, I’d tend to agree, but the shape and price of keyboards in general is getting much be­ modified. For a mere $140, it can be made come across the 101, a chintzy but full- tter. capable of two separate sounds per note sized version of the MT-30, and the horrifi­ The ‘shape’ being more functional and (attack/decay), 4-stage vibrato (and cally comical ‘automated’ models. Starting accessible, and the price more in terms of sustain) on each sound, and 2 individual with the rather lame 403 (dinky rhythm a few weeks pay (if you have a job) than a outputs. For details on these and other machine, ‘auto-chords’ and ten so-so home loan. Companies like Lowrey, modifications, contact Robin Whittle (03) sounds) at $460, things escalate up to the Yamaha and now Technics will be vying for 819 8191,42 YenedaSt. Nth. Balwyn. After super-whizzy 701 ($820). your consumership, but as far as sheer that is just a matter of finding a reliable Not only does it simultaneously arpeg- quality of tone and playability go, Casio’s technician to do the job. You can carry the giate, bassline and ‘auto-chord’, but it also the one to search out.This is no sales pitch 202 under your arm, it sounds good at reads/stores tacky arrangements of pop by the way, just a personal recommenda­ home thru the built-in speaker, holds up tunes with its very own light-pen, and even tion born of many hours spent with the in­ excellently on stage and is very quiet as far lets you programme in (after a fashion) a struments in question. as studio use goes. Every home should tune and arrangement of your own. Very To start at the top of the fully-fledged 'real have one. exciting as tepid variations on blandness musical instrument’ line, dig up a 202, new Enough of the pet rave, on to the rest of go. I really wish these designers wouldn’t ($510) or secondhand, matters nought. the menagerie. Fast becoming a classic insult the average person’s intelligence/ You’ll have in front of you a spartan, com ­ workhorse for the unwealthy among us is creativity with such trade-offs. pact unit — a full-sized 8-note polyphonic the MT-30, well worth picking up second But, in keeping with Casio’s progressive keyboard with simple controls. Take little hand, as the new model (MT-31, $140) policies of integrating ‘good’ ideas and notice of the preset sound names, they isn’t quite as good, although $50 cheaper scaling down prices, there is now a 501 range from silly to almost accurate,\ but than the original. Its basically a cream model, more compact, better designed note the goodly supply (49, one per key) plastic pint-sized version of the 202 - half­ and a tad gutsier than the 701, For $595, an and the simple memory access system. sized keys (payable thol), on/off vibrato ideal Chrissy prez for the family. The only other controls are an on/off sus­ and sustain and a single silicon chip to A cut-down version of this is also availa­ tain switch and a three-step vibrato slider. generate the 22 sounds. The tones aren’t ble in the MT-30 format. As usual, the Being digital means that these machines as crystalline as its bigger brother’s, but drum-machine and basic woolly tones let run on specific programmes, which makes sounds like ‘piano’ and ‘clarinet’ are actu­ the side down, but at $348 it's a better tone and sound shape more a matter of ally a little richer. Because of the short proposition than its nearest Yamaha ‘on/off than ‘continuously variable’, but keyboard, useful modifications to have counterpart. then you can’t have everything, well, not all done involve adding an ‘octave drop' and a The next model down, the MT-60 ($256), at once. No rinky-dink drum-machines ‘half speed’ (effectively another octave actually has more (better) tones, stronger here either, or other automated bits to drop). A ‘filter bypass’ also doubles the rhythms, plus the standard left-hand one make things ‘easier’. This is a successful number of potential sounds and adds a finger tricks — a reasonable buy for those attempt at a ‘professional’ machine in the razor-sharp top edge, emminently useful. who wish to plonk along under head­ budget range. Casio’s don’t really function as proper phones on the bus or train. All in all, these To get the most out of any Casio, you synthesisers, but there are quite a few machines aren’t bad, but if your a little more should at least use a chorus pedal (a Boss good sounds they’re capable of that are serious about things, you’d be better ad­ CE-2 or Electro Harmonics 'Polychorus’), difficult to find even on synths ten times vised to invest in a MT-30, a Roland TR-606 but, especially with the 202, to really open their retail price. drum-machine and a TR-303 Bassline up the device’s potential, get it properly More in the home organ line, you may (both $395). TYRONE FLEX

records & tapes ^ / / Roadrunner 49 by keri phillips

New York was dramatically shaken out of the musical doldrums manages to meld her glorious tones to a rock and roll attitude and into which it had fallen over the last couple of months by the arrival come out with something (gas, choke) new. of Nina Hagen. The temporary closure of the Peppermint Lounge had Unashamed of rock’s tackiness, she and her band (a motley col­ left the Ritz as just about the only place in town where anything lection of waifs and strays from around the globe) work their way seemed to be happening. And even there, on most nights, you could through a bunch of songs, impenetrable not only because I have ap­ be forgiven for thinking you had stumbled into an undertakers’ con­ parently not heard any of them before, but also because they are vention by mistake. Nina Hagen changed all that. Solidly built East sung in German. German women who are classically trained sopranos are rather rare in the rock world. And Hagen’s formidable voice, filtered through an ultra-modern punk sensibility, makes Siouxsie Sioux look like Lady NINA HAGEN — MAKING SIOUXSIE LOOK LIKE LADY PI I’m not too sure how Hagen managed to get to the West, but I’m sure as hell the authorities didn’t put up much of an attempt to stop her. She landed up in Amsterdam and fell into a much publicised liason with Herman Brood, a lumpy Teutonic junkie and would-be pop star. When rumours of a marriage began to rumble through the European underground, one or both parties panicked, and Nina, none the worse for her association with such a terminal degenerate started to infiltrate the English-speaking world via some cinematic experiences with that other delightful (and under-rated) eccentric, Lene Lovich. Sporadic and generally frightening recorded works revealed Hagan to be rather confused as to which side of the beast to assault first. She tried a version of the Tubes’ White Punks on Dope, long after Hagen allows her voice to try anything within the range of the pos­ they were fashionable, and made a sometime hit out of a travesty of sibly imaginable, and then some. The orbit of her vocal chords is ex­ Jamaican music called African Reggae, which is definitely her panded by some electronic doo-hickey she twiddles throughout the crowning recorded moment to date. For the rest, it’s mostly Ger­ show. The yelps and growls, operatic strainings and full-throated manic punk thrashings of no great note. Which is why her perfor­ roars astound. The accompanying facial contortions are positively mance was such a blast of unexpectedly bracing air after all the pre­ gripping. Just what is all this ruckus about? Some words manage to dictable stodge and synthesiser cuties that have paraded through fight their way out of the miasma — God, religion, the cosmos and here of late. God only knows what it was she sang about, but it was other matters metaphysical. But what she thinks of them is impossi­ certainly exciting, absorbing and funny. Unlike Australia's Jean ble to discern. One thing is for sure, though. This portly figure, with Lewis who never seemed relaxed when her uptown voice found itself the elaborately cut and decorated meta-punk haircut and sash bear­ slumming downtown among rock’s threadbare trappings, Hagan ing the legend “ Dr Death” , isn’t afraid of much. 50 Roadrunner Someone else who made some pretty bold moves on an NY stage leavened the whole affair (at one stage, she flashed on the screen the recently is home-town girl Laurie Anderson. Like Hagen, Anderson words: “ I am only doing it for the money” ). comes to rock and roll from across the tracks, having been comforta­ While it was hardly a big test of Anderson’s potential as a bly ensconced in the international world of art (as a performance ar­ mainstream rock performer, the concert did show that whe is not so tist) before coming to rough it in the sweaty beer-halls of the nation. far removed from the pop world that she could not carve out an odd It was not so much Anderson seeking out a rock audience with work but legitimate niche for herself. Rock music is nothing if not electric. tailored to please,-, more a case of discovering that what she did Laurie Anderson may not challenge Foreigner for their crown, but (make music with a variety of instruments and devices, illustrated those rock fans who do fall into her clutches will have an evening of with films and slides) could find an interested audience beyond the intriguing music at the very least. The more perceptive will look into confines of art galleries and museums. a mirror, subtly reflecting, in a way that leaves interpretation quite Capitalising on the surprise success of her independently released open, their own society. As for me, I await with anticipation the pre­ single, 0 Superman, in Britain (thanks to the gumption of the BBC in sentation of the entire United States Parts l-IV (the opus from which going with an eight minute single), she signed with Warner Brothers all Anderson’s “ numbers” are drawn) at the Brooklyn Academy of and is now touring in support of the album she has put together sub­ Music in late October. sequently, Big Science. Following on the heels of these two unusual members of the rock community, came the long awaited NY reappearance of Marianne LAURIE Faithfull. Last time she was here (1980), she was musical guest on ANDERSON — COMING OUT OF THE GALLERIES It’s hard to imagine how her record has been received in the American hinterland, and impossible to contemplate her reception at the Boise, Idaho, Palladium (if such a thing occurred). Here in New York, the impact of Laurie Anderson in an actual venue usually hosting Miller Beer concerts with the likes of Ozzie Osbourne, was softened by the presence of many who would rarely find themselves at the Palladium, but who have followed Laurie Anderson from art gallery to rock venue with unwavering devotion. For such fans, the show offered little that was new. Anderson concentrated on material from Big Science (in itself a good sampler of the Anderson oeuvre), but ran the full range of her on-stage arsenal. Vocoders altered the pitch of her voice, brass players, singers and even a bag-pipe player augmented the sound, and synthesisers combined with slides on the big screen to create everything from the mundane sounds and images of everyday life to the eerie howl of a wolf in the depths of a desolate night. Small vig­ nettes were ceated with just a mike and a telephone, and, when ev­ erything threatened to get a little too serious, a dash of humour

I'l// NEW ALBUM ' \SMJ0IN THE aMI winners circle

RECORDSAM

/ the then booming Saturday Night Live. Whether she had, as she her band was great, too. A couple of the players had worked on her claimed, a voice laid low by influenza, or whether it was simple terror LP’s — guitarist and song-writer Barry Reynolds and drummer Terry that held those vocal chords firmly constricted, she certainly made a Stannard. Fernando Saunders, a highly regarded bass player, added very poor showing, in spite of the good press she had received for her his share of rhythmic punch to the ensemble. While it is unlikely that ‘‘comeback’’ LP, Broken English. Marianne Faithfull will sustain a commitment to live work that will That she has survived at all, let alone put out (now) two albums take her much beyond the occasional gig her and there, the chance (one stunning, the other merely good) is a testament to Faithfull’s to see her must not be missed. Ecstacy of a different kind was to be found at a recent gig by Nona Hendryx, veteran of Labelle (whose substantial success in the seven­ ties included the disco hit Lady Marmalade) and, more recently, the MARIANNE expanded line-up of Talking Heads. I’m not too sure of all the per­ mutations of Hendryx’ career since she, Patti LaBelle and Sarah Dash parted company, but I do know that following the break, she FAITHFULL — attempted to establish herself as a rock performer with at least one album of competently executed but unexciting material. I lost sight of her until she reappeared on Remain In Light with the Heads and subsequently joined them for their 1980 tour as a nine piece. She UTTERLY can be seen in the snaps on the cover of The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads, along with another superb singer, Dolette McDonald and ace percussionist Steve Scales, who are both now working with Hendryx. TRANSFIXING In the twenty months I’ve been her, Hendryx has appeared with a perseverence . . . or perhaps just good luck. From the frittering of variety of outfits and, until a couple of months ago, I had always put her talents in the sixties as part of the Swinging London scenario, to off seeing her, bowing to the “ she lives here, I’ll catch up with her sooner or later" philosophy. Having seen her with her present band, her suicide attempt while in Australia for the filming of Ned Kelly with Mick Jagger, to her persistent involvement in heavy drug use Propaganda, I have become an instant convert and must say that this musical aggregatin is the most exciting local act treading the boards (leading to her arrest on a heroin charge as late as last year) she at the moment. seems to have been determined to throw away whatever chance she Hints of this can be glimpsed on her (sadly) meagre vinyl output had for a successful career as singer, actress and even just plain old during this time. There is Busting Out with a band called Material on human being. Perhaps such excesses are what have made it possible the ZE records sampler Seize The Beat, and two twelve inch singles for this latest upward twist in the story of Marianne Faithfull. She has — her version of the Motwon classic, Love Is Like An Iching In My certainly exploited her troubles to considerable effect on disc. Bro­ Heart, produced by Jerry Harrison and Busta Jones and available ken English and Dangerous Acquaintances reveal Faithfull’s experi­ here as a French import, and Do What Ya Wanna Do, produced by ences on the dark side of the street — failed relationships, the gh­ Rusty Egan, London Blitz kid and featuring a band called The Cage. astly realisation of the passing of time, and sexual jealousy at its ug­ This rag-tag collection of names and connections illustrates Ms Hen­ liest. dryx apparent modus operandi for the eighties — do what you want to Such gloomy concerns however, did not prevent large numbers of do — and although it's early days yet, news of her signing to WEA NY glitterati and real people from turning out to the first of Marianne means that a wider audience than New York will have the good for­ Faithfull’s three nights at the Ritz. Even David Bowie and Dustin tune to be able to find out just what that is. Hoffman were reported in attendance at this most unexpected event. As with any Johnny Thunders “ performance” , there was an element of ghoulish curiosity in the air. Would this wreck of a human being be able to hold up through the rigours of a live show, especially one which required such exposure of emotion to be convincing? NONA HENDRYX Unlike a Thunders’ show, though, this was not the ONLY thing of interest to the audience, and, as the singer picked up confidence through the set, the increasingly warm response held none of the — JUST DO prurient interest that would have turned the night into some sort of freak show. Faithfull started off unsteadily, smoking cigarette after cigarette, trying to calm herself. The early part of the set came largely from Dangerous Acquaintances, and although her attitude WHAT YA was uncertain, her voice was easily as good as it is on disc, putting paid to the rumours that she “ couldn’t sing". Surprise covers of the night included Springsteen’s Because The Night and the old Buffalo WANNA DO Springfield number, For What It’s Worth. The turning point of the night came about half way through the set when she unleashed a I’ve seen Nona Hendryx and Propaganda three times in the last two powerful rendition of John Lennon’s Working Class Hero. While you months and each time has been better than the last. The most recent can’t complain about Lennon’s version of the song, in Faithfull’s outing was in a small downtown club, and was one of those rare, joy­ hands it became absolutely overwhelming, a moment of intensity ous occasions when band and crowd communicate on a more “ real” that was almost terrifying. She became positively superhuman, deliv­ level than the usual going through the motions that passes for a rock ering a performance that transcended just about anything I’ve ever “ experience". And everyone, including the performers, seemed to seen on stage. It was utterly transfixing — an experience that sears recognise that it was a special night. There’s no real point in my dis­ the memory forever. cussing the songs since so few of them are on disc, but this was one After that, anything else had to be almost anti-clim atic. of the most exhilarating moment since . . . well, since Marianne That's not to say she relaxed her grip on us, though, She even delived Faithfull sang Working Class Hero the week before. a convincing Why D’ya Do It, a courageous gesture I hadn’t ex­ pected from so fragile a live performer. Almost as an added bonus, 52 Roadrunner Roadrunner looks at just about all the Australian albums AUSTRALIAN CRAWL Davies would. His melodies are and mini-albums released in 1982. Sons of Beaches infectious and the material is (EMI) populated by unassuming and endearing characters. Little Later material such as Black §1 After the sophistication of Heroes are the unlikeliest of JO JO ZEP Stockings for Chelsea despite romantics. Cha lyrical and recording refine­ 'The Boys Light Up' and 'Sirocco', AB (Mushroom) ments lacked immediacy. This the Crawl engaged top **** collection of singles, album cuts pop producer Mike Chapman to Joe Camilleri has been about and rarities is the best possible drag their sound down to its live VARIOUS ARTISTS for yonks, he began as an R 'n' B Sports collection imaginable. level. Perplexing. The Mushroom Evolution DR singer, but when The Falcons AB Concert dabbled in uptempo ska in 78 (Mushroom) they cracked the Australian charts. 'Cha' is the most in ­ A triple album momento of teresting work since 'Screaming last February's Woodstock on Targets'. It's infused with Latin, the Yarra, lavishly packaged, soul, dixie-land and funk. The but, with very few exceptions, album contains Joe's first ballad, none of the tracks equal or ex­ the excellent 'Walk On By'. ceed their studio versions. AB DR

FLASH AND THE PAN SAINTS Headlines Casablanca (Alberts) (Lost) *** Basic rehash of previous The whole range of the Saints' ideas; slick, smooth and simple output is on this album, from constructions overlayed with the slushy Irish-style title track, dry repetitive monologue. to the Chuck Berry style 'Come AB On' to the brass and breeziness of 'Follow The Leader'. Re­ THE SPORTS corded in February but not re­ leased until the end of the year. All Sports DR (Mushroom) ***** The now defunct rockerbilly CHEETAH band before it's time. Their first Rock'n'Roll Women two albums were by far their (Alberts) best work . . . when each song *** was full of fresh melodies, In a nutshell, this is a great danc ing beats and simple lyrics. HUNTERS AND THE EUROGLIDERS rock and roll album. Lyndsay COLLECTORS (Polygram) and Chrissie Hammond have REVIEWERS KEY Hunters and Collectors A TV commercial producer's idea great voices, their rightful spot (White Label) is out front of a hard cooking AB — Arch Brown of a new wave band with a girl singer; very soft and innocuous. rock'n'roll band, singing a brace DR — Donald Robertson An improvement on the first AB of fine Fanda and Young CNP — Craig N. Pearce maxi-single, but almost impos­ melodic stompers. LB — Larry Buttrose sible to listen to all the way DR TC — Toby Cluechaz through due to the Hunter's LITTLE HEROES main asset/drawback — their Play By Numbers BC — Ben Cheshire repetitiveness. If you're in the (EMI) RUPERT-B JH — Jodi Hoffmann correct mood — fabulous, if not **** (RCA) it's a bore. Best track, 'Moto AR — Adrian Ryan Singer, writer Roger Hart pro­ Sweaty young jazz-funk amalgam ER — Earl Grey Chant' is actually on the bonus duces some of the most in­ from the plush north shore sub­ Span — Span. 12" single. teresting commercial material urbs of Sydney. DR but never polishes it the way Iva AB

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54 Roadrunner BILLY FIELD WARD 13 UN TABU EP Try Biology Too Much Talk Un Tabu-E.P.) (Green) (WEA) (Mercury) (Larrikin) A tepid mixture of the Spiritless and bland cocktail Allnighters and INXS. The ar­ hour reggae. rangements could have shown a DR bit more imagination, still it's good for washing up or playing at the height of some sweaty party. EG

JON ENGLISH Beating The Boards Mercury)

Perhaps a little monotonous after all four sides have been played through. One of the highlights is the powerful ballad ______ood Seven". Jon's voc­ als never falter and the song is sung wlWi emotion. JH

G AND EMUS

This is rockabilly, solid and simple, ana Gary Y

;sn't real any new m sM ^ ontends it- "self with consolida tion — refin- ing the sound by retching and )erimenting htly with ar- ran* production. E S S E N D O N k Sunnybc^s have managed Palimpest to turn themselves halfway around, the third album must (Innocent) ** necessitate a complete change Two producer team with an of view or else the band will The sound of jaffas roflinj album of fillers. suffer the consequences of the down a theatre aisle. AB IGNITERS listeners familiarity. TC

/ / T NEW ALBUM / / JOIN THE WINNERS CIRCLE THE SHERBS ROSE TATTOO TACTIS JEWEL BLANCH Shaping Up Scarred For Life The Bones of Barry Harrison Send All The Ghosts Away (Razzle) (Alberts) (Larrikin) (CBS) ** Former teeny bop heroes dis­ Loud, clean and solid, rabble A skeleton that would have Gentle Country soporific for hing out their usual dull songs rousing rock'n'roll. been better left in the closet. lonely young girls. about dull little girls. DR DR AB AB HEAVEN THE KEVINS SAMPLE RECORD Twilight Of Mischief not for sals C lub Rome (Deluxe) (White Label) Macho, Mad Max outfitted Simple pop with pretty words. Adelaide band who are both The Kevins lack fire. unimaginative and unashamed AB AC/DC clones. Heaven's real control rests with its manage­ THE HITMEN ment which has complete hiring It Is What It Is and firing authority of lineup, (RCA) alb um w a s^je co rd e d *** ancL it Longest surviving Radio shows Birdman offshoot, still soldier­ AB ing an unfashionable rock sound. MIDNIGHT OIL AB 19-9>7-6-5-4-3-2-1 DO-RE-MI Do.Re.Mi One or the^great things about (Green) Midnight Oil is^he way they **** combine power with intellij Recorded before this Au gence. 70-9-8 etc is undoubtedly Pairs-ish sounding lineup took their most subtle ana intricate to playing live. Social commen­ offering to date and white it ma\ tary lyrics and the song 'Stand­ not have the straiflhftlsnl^d ing On Wires' attracted much crashing power oU-teaa injuries alternative media attention. The it is still a very powerful record. recording is unusually stark and It's as if^ during the band's sparse. It was recorded on a time i(L themJK, the whole four track recorder and the structure of th e ir music was line-up includes former Thought completely dismantled into its Criminals guitarist Stephen Phil­ individual components and then lips. reassembled in a different way. AB 10-9-8 e t^ s very definitely Mid­ night O il, b j^ it 's unlike any SILENT MOVIIE manifestation of Midjright Oil to Silent Movies (Polygram) DR

A band in dire straits? DR

MOTHER GOOSE This Is The Life A br’ITTlant evocation of neo- (Parole) sychedelia with Steve Kilbey's haunting love and reincarnation A band out of time. songs superbly captured by Bob DR Clearmountain. A mature and MIDNIG original work. DR ROCK DOCTORS Now Hear This (Mushroom^ ** DON WALKER Freedom Close your eyes and you're (WEA) immediately in the Station Hotel, Chapel St, Prahran. Hot JIMMY AND THE ON ■ ^ ■ ^ H ^ |u ^ rig u in g and oddly com- and heavy blues rock. mainly instrumental DR BOYS In Hell W itF^ou Mothe® (WEA) soundtrack album from Cold Chisel's piano man. Various (Avend^ d d s m a s h Somewhat of a comeback for Chisel's, INXS' Michael Hutch- Cool Bananas Leav< the paunchy one. Extremely well ence contribute to a collection (Mushroom) this is ju produced but the songs don't of tracks that more than stands without an quite measure up to his classics up on its own merits. Shame the Incredibly ordinary. at all. of yesteryear. movie was so bad. DR DR DR DR

56 Roadrunner SPLIT ENZ PEL MEL MIGHTY GUYS Warren Zevon . . . fodder for Time and Tide O u t O f Reason Be Cool Be Smart the neon night-time army. (Mushroom) (Gap) (Festival) AB

Very much a positive ste]| for luirky funk for inner city Competent but basically un­ the Enz, with Tim Finn literally is. inspired rockabilly. XERO baring his soul on the alburn^ ) R ' ^ ^ . A DR Lust In The Dust standouts, 'Six Months In A (M Squared) Leaky Boat' and 'Haul Away' and *** the Enz getting into a bit of so­ Vapid mood pieces from the cial comment in 'Small World'. Brisbane desert. The folk component provides an AB interesting parallel with XTC's 'English Settlement' which Efugh THE CLEAN Pasbam also produced. Boodle Boodle Boodle (Flying Nun)

RICH PTON ’ J t Sharp and intriguing new Kiwi T h e ^ ^ ichard pop. Claptor Festival) GO-BETWEENS Send Me A Lullaby Like Australian rock and Tol­ (Missing Link) lers of the fifties, Clapton in the *** seventies was prepared t^ d o Self conscious and evocative more than just take

Blam Blam Blam are a very casual group whose songs have a string and cellotape sound to MIKE RUDD AND CRACKAJACKS them. They throw their collec­ tive energy into the mainte­ Little Heart Attacks THE HEATERS nance of a steady jarring beat, T h e *irs t (Missing Link) Thecln realist (WEA) full of deliberately slipped discs Mushroom^^ and sharp edges thrown like fctralians have shown a real A Birbman farKs paradise but for re-creating period knives. Sometimes they hit, timeJBero still sometimes they miss, some­ ona can'tmelp feeling the tour, piecel )ver the last ten years or new niche. times they just nick the corners and mis album, were basically a so. Tl |le Crackajacks not only of your earlobes and make you ^ n ic a l exercise to fan the uplioli this fine tradition of re­ flames of the Birdman Qeath prodduction i they bring vigour swear. Span INXS Cult . . . Burn My Poc/ce^H new life to this brand of Shaboo Shoobah 1950's music they choose to (WEA work with. MONDO ROCK TC LISA BADE Their best album to date, Nuovo Mondo consolidating their high stand­ Suspicion (WEA) GOTHAM CITY (EMI) ing among Australian groups. •kick The album is consistently high Radioactive Super packaging of a slick and quality and contains their best (Boulevarde) Australian answer to Janis smooth bunch of songs. single " Don't Ever Change” . Joplin, without a weight pro­ DR DR Polished adult rock with a blem but ten years too late. voice between Al Stewart and AB

y ^Chrysalis

Roadrunner 57 MELBOURNE'S JUST NOT NEW YORK NOTICEABLE ONE • WINDOWS • IT • SATURDAY AFTERNOON INSIDE AIN'T NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS • SOMETHING'S GOT TO HAPPEN • DESTINATION UNKNOWN • RUNNING ROUND IN CIRCLES • WALKING IN LA. • U S. DRAG • OPHELIA • ONE PERFECT DAY ■ TEARS • HERE AND NOW • WORDS • SOUND AND VISION • PRETTY • BAD STREETS • ROCK AND ROU SHADOW • YOUNG HEARTS • TO BE SUSPENSION • NO WAY OUT HER CAT • STAY AWAY FROM SARAH • DUSSELDORF THE LITTLE HEROES - PLAY BY NUMBERS

ROCK ’N' ROLL SOLDIER • SECRETS VOYEUR • LOOKER • SAY YOU DON’T KNOW ME • DOES IT MAKE YOU • SUMMER IN THE CITY • ONWARDS AND UPWARDS • A CRY IN A JUNGLE REMEMBER • BREAKIN’ AWAY FROM BAR • VILLAIN OF THE PEACE • ANGRY SANITY • UNDERTOW • MERC MAN • THE ARRANGEMENT • THRILL OF THE WORDS • MARTINIQUE • DO IT ANYWAY • WILL YOU STAND WITH ME GRILL • TAKE IT ON THE CHIN

RUNAWAY GIRLS • DAUGHTERS OF THE SCARRED FOR LIFE • WE CANT BE NORTHERN COAST • MID-LIFE CRISIS BEATEN • JUICE ON THE LOOSE • SHUT DOWN • KING SAP • LETTER ■ WHO'S GOT THE CASH • BRANDED FROM ZIMBABWE • DOWNHEARTED • TEXAS • IT’S GONNA WORK ITSELF • LIVE NOW, PAY LATER • DIANNE OUT • SYDNEY GIRLS • DEAD SET • GRINNING BELLHOPS • WAITING • REVENGE • (Not So) HAPPY SONG FOR PROBLEM CHILDREN

AUSTRALIAN CRAWL SONS OF BEACHES

INVADERS • CHILDREN OF THE TURN YOUR LOVE AROUND • LETS DAMNED • THE PRISONER • 22, GROOVE • BOBBIE SUE • SHAKE IT UP ACACIA AVENUE • THE NUMBER O f • M AM A USED TO SAY • FREEZE THE BEAST • RUN TO THE HILLS FRAME • JESSIE'S GIRL • TITLES • GANGLAND • HALLOWED BE THY NAME

CAROL HENSEL THE NUMBER O F EXERCISE AND DANCE VOLUME 3 -"STRESS"

BAD REPUTATION • MAKE BELIEVE r-™ 0 KNOW WHAT YOU'VE ^ • Y O U DON'T OWN ME • TOO TySyPuB,RTHDAY * DO YOU ^ ! i A T°y,CH ME (O h Yeah) • LET

BOYS • JEZEBELSSK® • Aa DON’T RIGHT ABUSF WITH MF THE • WOOLY BULLY • HANKY PANKY

JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS BAD REPUTATION 58 Roadrunner NO FIXED ADDRESS REDGUM From My Eyes VARIOUS ARTISTS BOYS Cut To The Quick (Rough Diamond) Rockin' Australia Live Inside The Cage (Epic) (Mushroom) Truly Australian sounding record (Parole) by the Aboriginal sextet led by Mini album sees Redgum re­ A very dated concept, proba­ writer, singer and drummer Bart suburban garage's dream, turn to their folk/acoustic roots, bly aimed at those too going to Willoughby. White oppression of 5f sound and fury but sig- ending a never totally successful gain admission to hotels. the Aboriginal people is mixed ig nothing. flirtation with rock 'n' roll DR with reggae, country, mid-70s amplification. New member guitar riffs and didgeridoo. A rare Hugh McDonald weighs in with instance of a successful mix of a traditional ballad, but the music and serious politics. standout is John Schumann's AB sensitive portrait of a King's Cross prostitute, 'Working Girl’. DR LAUGHING CLOWNS Mr Uddich Scmuddich Goes SWANNEE To Town This Time It's Different (Prince Melon) (WEA) **** An all too painful coupling of A well crafted album of high extraordinary grace, guts, in­ musical quality which somehow nuendo and pulverising reason didn't spark the general public in motion. On this record the into mass fits of acquisition. Clowns better, more precisely Unfortunately the subtlety exhi-’ effective than I've every heard bited on vinyl didn't show up on them before. The Clowns are stage where things were defi­ laughing louder and more ma­ nitely 'wham bam, thank you turely and more excitedly than ma'm'. Still worth a listen how­ anyone around right now. ever. CNP DR Dl VINYLS WILDLIFE Monkey Grip DOCUMENTARIES (WEA) (M Squared) *** The only band since The Band was led by the original Easybeats to infuse successful Saints drummer Ivor Hay. Their radio pop music with excite­ success was limited to the inner- HUNTERS AND ment and toughness. city of Sydney and Melbourne, COLLECTORS Cowboys And Engines AB , J with interest from alternative Payload (CBS) radio. Music refreshing and a lit­ (White Label) DECKCHAIRS tle different, with a slight jazz in­ **** Originally from NZ with sev­ fluence. Feature of the band was This Mike Howlett produced eral well publicised name and OVERBOARD the two piece brass section. (Regular) mini album is their most fully lineup changes during the last **** Broke up late this year. realised effort to date. Howlett eighteen months. Strong so­ AB has cleaned up the sound re­ cially and personally aware lyrics Debut mini album of considera­ markably by giving the different combined with eclectic pop ble merit from a Talking Heads JO KENNEDY AND elements more separation, and borrowings. The album sounds inspired group of ex-university 'Tow Truck' and 'Drop Tank' very much like The Boomtown students. Vocals are shared CAST manage to avoid the monotony Rats and was extremely well equally and they defy the laws of Starstruck that marred their previous ef­ produced. the compulsory front person (Mushroom) forts. 'Tow Truck' in particular AB with some success. Producer displays an unprecedented wil­ Cameron Allan delivers a plush All light and frothy, like the lingness to experiment. hi-fi mix. film. DR AB DR / / NEW ALBUM \ JOIN THE WINNERS CIRCLE

/

Roadrunner 59 sacked the band and recorded DUGITES Housebreaking COLD CHISEL almost the entire album alone. No M oney (Native Tongue) Circus Animals AB (WEA) (Rough Diamond) *** Debut album for this quirky Mini-LP. No M oney is less wimpy and clever Melbourne three­ Unmistakeably Australian. SCATTERED ORDER than either of their previous al­ some didn't really find a recep­ They revel in their Australian- PRAT C ulture bums, however Crosbie's real ness, and seem to capture a lot (M Squared) tive audience, but its a worthy calling, the writing of advertising of the hard edge of this country first offering. Very much like the german band jingles, continues to deny the without pretending or overdo­ DR Can, who recorded in the cor­ Dugites any chance of becoming ing it. ridors and halls of an old Bavarian anything other than a poor man's YOUNG LB castle, except that this curious ABBA. Lead singer Linda Nutter's HOMEBUYERS nasaly strine continues to give music emanates from the depths Young Homebuyers them non Scandinavian accent. of Surry Hills' terracescaped ter­ (Rough Diamond) DYNAMIC rain. The mostly instrumental AB sound collages pass for sound­ HEPNOTICS An epynonymous debut album track music. SERIOUS YOUNG Strange Land from a Melbourne based AB (Missing Link) INSECTS Adelaide pop band. The content varies from uplifting danceables It's very difficult for a red hot to reflective light ballads. A sense R&B outfit to make it in the big of humourous intent and the oc­ vinyl jungle, but the Hepnotics, casional excellent lyric gives the with the help of Ross 'The Boss' simple almost sixtiesish pop Wilson, manage to capture at some substance. least some of their live swing AB and sway on this mini-L.P. DR WENDY AND THE PAUL KELLY AND ROCKETTS THE DOTS Live (Mushroom) Manila *** ; (Mushroom) Sultry voiced Wendy Stapleton Kelly possesses a hedonistically and her suburban-sounding, exhausted voice in the vein of guitar-obsessed, pub-rock Roc­ Keith Richards. Th is second ketts are captured live with all the album is less commercial, less atmosphere previously missing tight and not as structured as its on their studio recorded singles. predecessor. The arrangements The simple 'girl lusts after boy' are almost informal and the material does nothing other than songs progress lazily. To date suggest that Wendy is Renee only the cheery single Alive And Ceyer's logical successor and W ell, untypical of the album, has that she can write her own mate­ found popular approval. rial. AB AB

NUMBERS MEO 245 39.51 Rites O f Passage (Deluxe) (Mushroom)

A largely misunderstood band Burt Bacharach meets the Mod­ with the uncompromising ap­ els. Meo's second album is a lot proach of primary influences The more abrasive than their first. jam and The Banshees. To their Paul Northam's voice and guitar credit, but counter to their possess the fiery edge reminis­ chances, they have voided voy­ cent of Sean Kelly. However, the euristic marketing of singer An- band is more orderly and nalise. Instead, unlike typical melodic than The Models. entertainment people, they AB choose to stand solely by the merits of their music. AB

ICEHOUSE Primitive Man (Regular) Over derivative but consumately executed pop that crosses the teen and adult FM markets. Apart from the masterful Great South­ ern Land, Iva's lyrics really do sound as if written at the last mi­ nute in the studio. Astute handl­ ing disguised the fact that Iva had 60 Roadrunner HOME ON THE ROAD FICTION by Andrew Mills

It was time to be gone. Of that, there was no question. In the city, it could be said that the writing was on the wall. And it would be. Oul here in the pastoral regions, walls were few and far between, and there was little to be learnt, even from those that were to be found. It had been explained to me that my services were no longer required. A redundant station-hand, at twenty three! I should have finished my degree, as my mother continues to point out, and become one of the mythical Philadelphia lawyers. I'm told they find it hard to hold down a job these days too. To be honest, my redundancy was a merciful release from an unhealthily stagnant social puddle, from which no new life could be encouraged to evolve, let alone be forcibly evicted. Time to put the old maxim “portable is flexible" into a reality like context. With my customary distaste for goodbyes, I nevertheless endure the farewell rituals, and depart the station compound, my home for the last two months. Driving past the landmarks that had become as familiar as suburban street signs, I mouthed blasphemous obscenities into the blameless countryside. Ripped off again by rapacious lieutenants of industry. Forever ungrateful, these people. Assuming command in the absence of the corporate body, the

ILLUSTRATION: PHILLIP REES

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\ Chrysalis V records & tapes * / Roadrunner 61 privates are always in for a hard time, because eyelids were sagging with weariness. There were female. Some appeared to be dressed in the office-bearers are more vicious than their was nowhere to stop and spend money on that national dress type civilian uniform, while masters. road, and I had no enthusiasm for pulling over others were in more glamourous apparel. This I drove to my final rendezvous. Farewell to the roadside and slowly freezing, so I drove display did not fit with the other surroundings. drinks with Maurice and Roy, at Paradise. An on. While I waited, I felt a strong wash of unlikely venue for such an occasion. The place I drove, it seemed, in a half-world of impressions flow through me. It was as if my was the reverse of what its name implied. A semi-consciousness, paying only superficial dulled consciousness had become sensitised to deviant fetishist named this place. However, it attention to the ghost towns it appeared I was such feelings, that, in a more normal state of is a refreshing change of atmosphere to be passing. Even the bigger country towns on this mind would be ignored, or absorbed without sitting, drinking and talking with these two. We road were deserted at this hour, so it was with detection: — Loneliness, resignation, neatness, talk, as "mates” talk at the end of a working surprise that I noticed a petrol station in a — indeed fastidiousness borne of boredom, — day, about work and my lack of it. Straight hamlet, with lights on. In my stupor, I drove service as a work ethic, a dark past of stories ahead, a beautiful sunset materialised on the straight past, reasoning that no one would be untold and gladly forgotten. As I attempted to horizon, and to my left, the lights of Woomera crazy enough to attempt business on this reconcile this impressionistic montage, my flicked on. We talked and passed the time backroad, especially at such hours. No one else coffees were delivered in silence. comfortably, drinking beer with the relish of had thought it worth the effort, so why here? As the man bent and placed the cups in front errant school-boys in the shadow of guilt Maybe this was the proprietor's secret. But the of me, explaining in the process the location of telepathed by Roy's wife Lois (Roy hasn't had a lights were definitely on, so in desperation I the sugar bowl and spoon, I studied him. His drink for ten months, ask Lois). Nightfall, and it turned around and found that, yes, the face was friendly, as was his manner. Interested was time to be gone from this place. Roy and roadhouse was open. but not intrusive. I looked for indications of the Maurice back to their lives at the station, and Not only was the roadhouse open, but it source of the impressions I felt so strongly me, to the road, that cuts across this country had prompt, almost urgent service. I bought seconds before, but there were none like a welt. petrol and talked with the proprietor. He had forthcoming. The proprietor returned to the a curious accent, vaguely East European, but privacy of his kitchen, leaving me to drink my As I restarted the drive, I wondered about the very hard to place. coffees alone. For some reason I expected environment to which I was returning, hoping "Are you still serving coffee?" I asked, an conversation, about the dolls or something, but that it wouldn't be the one I left behind. The undercurrent of pleading in my tone. no, this was not included in the price. I drank moon-rise distracted me from my maudlin "Yes, the cook has gone home, but I can make and thought, and wanted to be gone. Having pre-occupation. The moon first appeared, as a you a cup of coffee, if you would like to wait a finished the lukewarm second cup, I picked up bush-fire like emanation in the distance, and little while", he replied. the cups and saucers, and walked them then slowly revealed itself as a deviant orb, "Great," I sighed. "Have you got a large towards the counter. floating above the Flinders Ranges. The vista coffee?" I whined. As I placed the crockery on the counter I uncovered brings home to me what it is that I'm "What do you mean, a large coffee?" he looked up, and was struck- by a three leaving behind. As if I needed reminding. asked. dimensional picture, framed in the doorway, of Still the road stretches before me, hours into "A mug, a large cup, aaahh," I stammered, the proprietor pouring himself a beer over an the future. I ponder the dialectics of a detour as gesticulating what I thought was the opened out newspaper, and the LOOK, the the stock-grids and road signs flash past. If appropriate sign language. look on the man's face was devastated. This synchronicity should be in rhythm with my "Oh, I don't like these things, mugs you call private viewing returned me to the trip, then I would converge on a friend, and if them — no, we don't have mugs here. This is impressions which had startled me earlier. I not I would be going miles out of my way. I had not that sought of place. If you want, I can give have seen that face before, on the living and met this friend under similar circumstances the you two cups for eighty cents," he offered. the dead. It is a haunted, haunting look. It is last time I made this trip. It seemed worth the I assented. It seemed a reasonable the look on the face of the woman in the risk, so I opted for the detour. compromise, so I went with the proprietor, painting by Degas, called "L'Absinthe". I drove through Horrock's Pass and the inside the roadhouse, to wait for my coffees. I watched guiltily, as if this event was one wheat-sheep belt. Upon arriving, I found a Apart from the headlines in the newspapers, that I had no right to witness. My presence was party in progress at what I knew as Kay's old displayed on a low counter by the door, this unsuspected, so I scuffled nervously in order to house, but no Kay. I wouldn't want to spend a roadhouse could almost have existed anywhere attract his attention, my restlessness returned. weekend in Orroroo either after my experiences in Australia in the last decade. The only wall He accepted the payment without looking at of country social life, so I sympathised with her, decorations were poster advertisements for me, engrossed in the magic of his cash register. and returned to the claustrophobic confines of Coca Cola, Chico rolls, chocolate bars, I noticed he was a little drunk. He smiled, and my crowded little Japanese vehicle. ice-creams and cigarettes. In the dining area, gestured farewell, returning to his beer and I've tired and become bored with the partitioned from the other half of this front newspaper in his kitchen, his home on the night-time road. Satisfied at least that I've room, stood about ten tables with their road, and I left his front room feeling managed to avoid the traffic of Highway One, companion green vinyl chairs, all empty. unnourished by the coffees, bewildered by my but rueing the lack of road side attractions, I I sat down, looked around and noticed an old experience. Again, it was time to be gone. counted the cost of my detour: No fast food, fast glass-fronted shop refrigerator that separated Again, there was no question. I no longer felt conversation or fast gratification of any kind. the dining area from the serving area. The old indecisive about returning to a familiar For this I would normally be grateful, but not refrigerator was filled with colourfully dressed environment. I pissed on his side-lawn, and this night. It was cold, bitterly cold and my hand-made dolls of various sizes. All the dolls was glad to be going.

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The cream of December's new releases if all black, you cats. Put aside those pale pom- mie imitations for the moment, and cock your ear to the source. Funk, sex, groove, smooth, these dudes and dudettes have got the whole scene wrapped up with a big black bow.

Take Marvin Gaye for exam­ ple. Been a little quiet since his magnificent early seventies run (What's Goin' On', 7 Heard It Through The Grapevine' etc.) but his new platter, 'Midnight Love', featuring the red hot single 'Sexual Healing' finds him once again at the height of his considerable powers. As well as putting his magnifi­ cent vocal chords through their paces, Gaye demonstrates the pleasures of total control by writing, arranging and produc­ ing the whole album which was recorded in a piecemeal fashion in studios in Belgium, Germany and California. With Gaye play­ ing all synthesizers and keyboards as well, the only other musician on the album is one Gordon Banks, who pro­ vides guitar, bass and drums. Equally pleasureable as a lis­ tening treat or a slow dancing hip swivel, 'Midnight Love' is a must for lovers everywhere. I suppose it is possible to sit still while Nile Rodgers and Ber­ nard Edwards of Chic strut their stuff, but it takes more self control than I can muster. Ever since they exploded onto the scene with 'Le Freak' and 'Good Times' (which by the way, Syd­ ney's Machinations cover sup­ erbly) there hasn't been anyone to touch Chick for sheer funk and 'Tongue In Chic' (love that title!) maintains that reputation. Prince is the self acclaimed master of black sexual funk. He's been called the new Jimi Hendrix, but on his latest (dou­ ble) 7999, he reminds me more of a young black Springsteen — the same obsession with love, Michael Jackson's latest, Thril­ there are no cover versions And last but certainly not cars, freedom — except where ler, is very much a slick and here. Grace wrote, or co-wrote least, a feast for the ears. Donna Springsteen's songs often sound smooth exercise, sitting very all the material. The tightly con­ Summer's 12" version of 'State of like they were written in cars, comfortably (complacently?) on trolled image, 'feels like a Independence' is five minutes Prince's songs sound like they the pop/MOR borderline. Like woman, looks like a man', is and fifty seconds of heaven. were written in bed. the Reels' Beautiful, a perfect relaxed enough to allow us a Production by the mighty With Prince, sexuality is accompaniment to a romantic peek within, and not surpris­ Quincy Jones, backing vocals by unashamed and explicit and di­ dinner, candlelight and wine, ingly 'Living My Life’ is as a re­ Michael Jackson, Stevie W on­ rect. The croons, moans and but unfortunately no monster sult a significant number of de­ der, Dionne Warwick, Kenny other vocalizations of the sexual dance tracks in the vein of grees warmer than its pre­ Loggins, Michael MacDonald act are the crucial cornerstone 'Don't Stop . . .'. Ah, well. decessor. With Sly and Robbie (Doobie Brothers), and about of a lot of his songs. Rather than After the austere, diamond at the controls again it doesn't ten others and a vocal perfor­ viewing his guitar as a phallic sharp 'Nightclubbing', voted sound that different; the mance by the lady herself that is symbol, I would venture to album of '81 by N.M.E., Grace rhythms are definitely Compass nothing short of cataclysmic. suggest that Prince regards his Jones' follow up, 'Living My Life' Point, but 'Living My Life' is a Hear it! phallus as a musical instrument is, as the title suggests, a more very positive step for the lady in its own right. personal record. For a start, with all the angles. Donald Robertson 64 Roadrunner I*- WISHING YOU AND GIVING YOU THE BEST FOR ’83. s p