MUSIC WEEK JULY 7, 1984 Flesh 4 Lulu Status Quo TWENTY-TWO
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MUSIC WEEK JULY 7, 1984 suggest a solid base to build upon and, and have since been playing some more Flesh 4 Lulu Were Here — the title track of which was certainly, the charts could do with more dales in and around London recent y. The Status Quo quite outstanding. The climax came well material of the quality of Perfect Skin. signs certainly seem favourable for FLESH 4 LULU strode on stage to launch through Pros And Cons, the second half DANNY VAN EMDEN Liaison and their following seems to straight into a powerful set that certainty TWENTY-TWO years on and about to of the set, and all too soon it was over consist of the usual mix of hard rock and blew the cobwebs away from a gloomy call a hall to touring, Status Quo remain, following one encore. progressive fans. THOmpSON but packed Venue. to crib from the NME Book Of Rock, as In all, an excellent evening's music Distorted guitars screamed out as Nick subtle and graceful as a Centurion tank. from a rare collection of talented artists. Thomas Dolby Marsh's elegant vocals brought a And their denim-clad fans remain as vocal CHARLIE JEFFREY WITH TRIPLE video screens and other petulant bite to their dark, mysterious and fanatical as ever. theatrical props, Thomas Dolby, teetered songs. A wild exhilerating version of their At their Hammersmith Odeon dangerously on the brink of going over Brass Construction debut single Roman Candle, performed "farewell" concerts last week — the final Neil Diamond the top to entertain his Dominion BRASS CONSTRUCTION'S packed with Rocco lurching across the stage with farewell is scheduled for July 14 at Crystal IN BOTH his songwriting and performing audience. three nights at The Venue as part of the his guitar ringing out in full primeval Palace FC where they'll have no problem careers. Neil Diamond has experimented But due to the sheer panache with Capital Radio Music Festival showed just glory, was followed by the slow, haunting getting a bigger response than the in various directions since the mid-Sixties which his glossy extravaganza was how popular the jazz-funkers have Coming Down and then the thrashing football team ever do — Quo blitzed and and scored considerable successes along carried out - and the undeniable calibre become over the years. drums and staccato guitars of Lame bulldozed" their way through two-and-a- the way. of the material itself - boredom did not UK record sales have never been Train. half hours of their hits and favourite For his recent series of Earls Court set in for an instant. particularly high, but Brass Construction The band unveiled some fine new album cuts to the near hysterical delight shows, he was out to entertain, Like mechanical toys wound up for have cult status in jazz funk circles. songs, one based on a fragile acoustic of the audience. presenting the audience (ranging from action, Dolby and his eight-piece band The 10-piece played a fusion of many guitar sound, to show that they've got a Francis Rossi's voice was not at its best drooling housewives to hardened C&W maintained maximum hyperactivity different musical styles including reggae, lot to offer. They roared through a full- which might have had some bearing on fans complete with lumberjack shirts and throughout the set. The running order of salsa, blues and rock in a set which drew blooded, emotional version of their why we were subjected to some over- stetsons) with a two hour-plus set of hits the numbers was well balanced, ranging from various past albums and included impressive latest single. Subterraneans, long instrumental {musical ?) pieces, the and patter. from slow and introspective songs such The single Can You See The Light from with a pounding bass and heart sheer volume of which must have Fans got what they came to hear — as Radio Silence to the hard-hitting their new LP Renegades. inflicted severe damage on the Odeon's Song Sung Blue, Sweet Caroline, jerkiness of New Toy. And when the NICK ROBINSON wrenching screamed chorus. foundations and on the hearing faculties Cracklin' Rosie, Forever In Blue Jeans video screens flickered into life they It all climaxed with a wonderfully manic of the fans. etc, plus a few tasters of his upcoming succeeded in enhancing the music rather version of Sister Ray, complete with Quo might be quilting the tour circuit CBS material which seems to be firmly in than overwhelming it. snarled vocals and screaming, shifting for a while at least, but they plan to go on the safe MOR-style that is obviously Dolby referred to Dissidents, from The guitars from which they launched into recording: "If you keep buying the appealing not only to his fans, but also to Flat Earth album, as another of his Tik & Tok Why Me, which saw Marsh and drummer records, they'll 'kin let us go on making his bank manager and record company. "struggling singles", but judging from the AFTER BEING brought into the spotlight James Mitchell swopping roles and them." the eloquent Rossi told the Diamond is now a professional audience's rapturous reception he should through their appearances with Gary ending with the latter writhing and faithful thousands. entertainer of the highest calibre, but it have new confidence in its potential Numan's band, and popping up on a screaming on the floor to finish a highly JIM EVANS would be good to see him writing again success. KAREN FAUX number of TV ads, Tik and Tok have now dramatic and atmospheric set. along the more alternative lines of Tap embarked on a solo career. JERRY SMITH Roger Waters Root Manuscript. JIM EVANS The two lads, who are perhaps best ROGER WATERS, the untypical rock Liaison known for their impressive robotic Shango star, brought a well-drilled band to Earls IT'S NEVER easy to review a band of a dancing, have put their heads together Court to play a selection of old Pink Floyd Lloyd Cole & fairly progressive nature without having and developed a number of ideas on NO LIVE band — not a gig at all, in fact. material and the complete Pros And Cons heard their material first, or having seen record and on stage. Just giants of the New York funk scene, Of Hitch-hiking. them before. The Venue saw the London debut of Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmixer DST Being heavily Floyd orientated, it was The Commotions However, Liaison played a good the latter and the reproduction of a plus attendant cronies, spinning what fair to expect an extravagent visual show WITH PERFECT SKIN finally making its enough set at the Marquee to warrant a number of the new album tracks in a presumably were the latest crucial cuts, in addition to the music. But what was way up the singles chart after a worrying full recommendation. Three songs, The spirited but sadly unsuccessful attempt at while track-suited fans amused shown visually was unimpressive — and spell of inactivity, Lloyd Cole & The Man They Never Knew, Only Heaven showcasing the band's wide variety of themselves and the less gifted and worse irrelevant to the music unless I Commotions' recent sedate Marquee Knows, and best of all, & Start The talents. extrovert amongst the crowd with what missed some deep allegorical meaning. date was more like a Polydor showcase War Without Me showed much promise. While Tik and Tok are excellent mime amounted to some fairly lukewarm The movies and graphics which were run than a regular gig. On the latter track, the bass player artists - and the scenes that they popping, breaking and rapping. on a huge screen behind the stage, were Like so many of his Glaswegian added keyboards to the sound, a ploy performed in between most of the songs There didn't even seem to be any only intermittently entertaining and contemporaries, fresh-faced Cole writes Liaison might well consider using more were interesting and enjoyable — the tracks from their Funk Theology LP mostly distracting. unabashed pop ditties without the self- often. show came unstuck when the band (Celluloid) cropping up, but then after a Still, the brilliant drumming of Andy conscious fashionable stance that Only Heaven Knows was recently began to play their own songs. while, it all began to sound like one long Newmark, soulful sax of Mel Collins and plagues so many bands south of the released as a single which must have Their pulsating brand of electro-pop drum-machine search for the perfect even better guitar by Eric Clapton rose border. helped to increase their following. At was simply bland, boring and finally, beat; bypassing the conscious mind and above all else. Clapton seems to have The major flaw at the Marquee was the times they sounded a bit like Rush or annoying. Mind you, the same musical going straight for even the most resistant shed his lounge lizard image and is lack of control in Cole's voice which Magnum, but their own identity looks formula has succeeded for many of feet. playing like a natural and enjoying it. sounded noticeably weaker than on vinyl. sure to develop rapidly. today's chart acts so why shouldn't it for Still, more than a few felt they'd been The first half of the show relied heavily The jingle jangle West Coast feel, plus the The band played support to some of Tik and Tok? lured there under slightly false pretences. on Dark Side Of The Moon and Wish You odd Lou Reed references in the music the dates on the Marillion tour in March NICK ROBINSON JOHN BEST Edited by moniiT CHRIS WHITE r.