Q./lAcIlemeetsg• . 33 EDITED BY T IM NICHOLSON

SOUL II SOUL inch with the album sucks, and the Until now perhaps? It's avery lush COLDCUT 'Club Classics Volume l' casual designer epic production album, aquality album with spitoons 'What's That Noise' It .ORDS currently in highland vogue always of polish. Not that producer Stephen AHEAD OF OUR 1IMES Soul Il Soul have produced one of the looms large in the mix. Much of the Street has varnished the edge away. Coldcut has always been Britain's finest ever British soul albums just by sulky, punchy pop here brilliantly No, it's all very crisp, if alittle too most creative DJ crew. Their early having their heart (and soul) in the recalls past Associates triumphs — neat. The stops have been pulled cut-up records showed afinesse at right place. That's not to say that all check the spooky Rankinesque alright, it's as if the Triffs couldn't the decks that most jocks could not the singers and musicians involved are fretwork on the incredible 'Goodwill bear to make an average record. envision more or less do. They also not talented, but without that special City' — so, are we in fact talking 'Bottle Of Love' is the drinker's came up through pirate radio and vibe that comes from everyone really Hello Mr Billy Mackenzie here? lullaby, hardly a bar-room brawl made the cross over to the national believing in what they are doing, this Whatever, let's face it, it's a (there's some operatic choral effect charts with their melodic big dance album wouldn't possess the rich straight play-off between this and the somewhere) more a sing -song. production pop hits. They've given texture and powerful undercurrent tame, prude soul trappings of those There's asea -shanty here too, forgotten singers like Lisa Stansfield a that makes it stand out from other Deacon dudes. Score settled — for 'American Sailors' and a tango. 'The chance and introduced new talent like British and American artists. honest Mr Mackenzie the good dead; Clown Prince' and a couple of Yazz. In almost everything they do 'Club Classics' is a beautifully pure for untrue Blue the dirty rags. A numbers that attempt to distill a real they are right on and very interesting, statement of underground soul. A big, rattling great collection.MII« Pete sense of Oz. 'Too Hot To Move, Too but because of their DJ background simple plodding bass thumps out Paisley Much To Think' provides all the dirt, they also have atendency to shuffling rhythms which are straddled sweat 'n' swelter you can handle. No meander. by the crooning voices of Rose PIXIES Foster's 'ere mate. 'Butterflies Into 'What's That Noise' seems more a Windross, Caron Wheeler and 'Doolittle' Worms', is the album sleeve song, document of the dance styles of the 4AD Do'Reen, with the occasional flex of sort of out of focus poker joint haze. last two years than an album in its There are various ways to describe guitar, piano and flute. "It's all about Smokey eyes and soft bass shuffle. own right. Make no doubt about it, Pixies' music, most of which have the expression" sings Rose in 'Fairplay', a If the Triffs played it simpler they'd the grooves are solid, but in certain word 'noise' in there somewhere. line that neatly sums up the Soul 11 be coining it in. As it is you'll have to songs they don't go far enough. '(I'm) Justifiably so, for the Boston band Soul philosophy. work to make this the LP of this In Deep' is an experimental voice and come on like the Beach Boys meets Uncluttered by technology and spring. But it'll be worth it.I111111113 atonal exercise with the Fall's Mark E 'Driller Killer', all snarling, mad man embracing elements of hip hop, Tony Beard Smith. He wails and they lay an acid vocals, chainsaw guitar and spine- reggae, soul and African, Soul II Soul track underneath. 'Fat (Party & bending bass. have created a distinctively British HURRAH Bullshit)' is their political comment They're at their best on the sound that reflects the experience and 'The Beautiful' that makes the Last Poets positively current single, 'Monkey Gone To cosmopolitan urban culture of anew 1CHENWARE/ARISTA danceable. Heaven', and the opener, 'Debaser', generation of black youth. 33111113 Not quite as sensitive as Prefab Throughout, there are good sounds that's combined with a head-shakingly Tim Jeffery Sprout, not quite as pompous as U2, and incredible samples, especially the good tune. At worst, like the messy Hurrah inhabit that quite sensitive, clean ones for smart B-Boys to steal. 'Tame', they just come on like the GOODBYE MR MACKENZIE quite pompous zone of British rock But then there is also the filler, like B52's with fluff on the needle. 'Good Deeds And Dirty music that lies between what is the TV theme songs from 'Big World It takes only three listens to this, Rags' generally perceived as 'indie r ' and Cafe' and 'Reportage'. 'My Telephone' their second proper LP, to realise ot more American-influenced r. It's shows what the Coldcut do best. that there is method in their madness. Unlike most of their peers' chart agraveyard strewn with corpses. No They sampled great answering Yes, the lyrics border on college kid produce, GMM songs will not force other genre is more likely to inspire machines and diabolical beeps, and shock horror provocativeness — and helpless, bitter showers of spew out the words 'quite good'. married that to an addictive hook line. sometimes just plain silliness ("We're of you on first hearing. Indeed, 'The Beautiful' is a Quite 'th the right balance, the result is apin rapin tapin catharsis" indeed). Superficially, the six -piece are Good LP. From the opening track a gettable. When wrong, it's notable for two things: the ill-fitting And yes, the mainly snarling vocals can current single, 'Big Sky', you can tel roaway whimsical.MIBB /14 Mallu largesse of big John Duncan's guitar wear a little thin come track IS, but Hurrah have made notes in all the (ex -Exploited and still beefy with it), 'Here Comes Your Man' is positively right places in the pop textbook, and the testicle-poaching whistle- traditional pop, and wouldn't sound particularly the Beatles chapter and W.A.S.P down-the-wind sensuality of Shirley amiss on The Monkees'. 'Mr Grieves' the Seventies American rock chapter. 'The Headless Children' Manson's backing vocals. Very good slides idiotically from reggae to In places the rhythm breaks down CAPI 10l gear indeed. Against all odds — something reminiscent of the Smiths' into a jollier, Corn Dollies-isk jaunt, If you really enjoy listening to this battling with the seventh worst band 'Frankly Mr Shankly', while the best is like on 'Velveteen'. Occasionally the record, then you must be aspotty. name in recorded history, aglut of definitely saved 'til last with the vocals drift into dreamier spaces faced troll who lives in a hole in ruinous Scottish outfits submerging in brilliantly dirty sound of 'Gouge normally occupied by bands like Shack Neasden. each other's sounds — significant Away'. (especially the final track 'She Said'). God knows, Ilike a bit of manic portions of various songs on this There's no better way of getting all The best one is Troubled Brow' with metal now and again, but WASP just album are bloody good. A lick of a the pent up anger and frustration out its "don't ever let it get you down" produce a horrible noise that riff, afresh splash of melody and cif your system than putting this on chorus. Like so many Quite Good crunches through your eardrums and songwriters Metcalfe-Kelly keep a loud, and screaming along indulgently. LPs, it improves on acquaintance. scrapes uncomfortably at the recesses pretty good handle on avoiding the Musical insanity to keep you But Hurrah are probably the sorts of your brain. From 'The Heretic easy compositional option. sane U• Eleanor Levy who'd say, "Ah well, that's only the (The Lost Child)', which appar is 'Goodbye Mr Mackenzie' could LP — to really appreciate us, you some kind of comment on gro have been Rod Stewart before the THE TRIFFIDS have to see us live, where we kick up today, to 'Rebel In The F.D.G.', trousers tightened terminally; 'Rattler' 'The Black Swan' a STORM!" On record, at least, you is no let-up from the demented (worst thing on the LP) is the ISLAND can't help thinking bands like Deacon bullfrog vocals of Blackie Lawl Waterboys with bones to pick and 'The Black Swan' is the sixth Triffids Blue and Skin Games do this sort of Damn it, I'd rather be locked in fiddles to burn; and the Baghdad LP, which just goes to show how pig- thing with rather more panache; let's small room and be forced to listen to bizarreness of 'Generous Thing' is a ignorant the Great British public can hope Hurrah can skip over the Metallica for 24 hours than endure a noisy knee-trembler. be. The Triffs have, so far, been a decomposing skeletons and escape moment of WASP. It is unfortunately true that a little too meek about things, their from the graveyard. Don't listen to any of this garbage. patented U2 guitar solo occurs on wayward and whisper-it-quietly Not beautiful, but quite Be kind to your granny instead.B 'Open Your Arms', the giveaway 12 brilliance never quite appealing. pretty ••• David Giles Robin Smith

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