New Wave music reviews

Rising to public awareness during the midst of the UK punk scene in 1977, it was inevitable that Dury, with his bawdry lyrics, would be branded punk alongside the Sex Pistols and Clash by the ignorant press. Of course Dury was anything but. Crippled from polio as a child (Ian Dury - Injury, geddit?), Dury was an accomplished artist and friend of Pop Art guru Peter Blake (Beatles Sgt Pepper's sleeve), as well as being a long-time live pub-act under the name of `Kilburn And The High Roads'. `The High Roads' becoming `The Blockheads', Ian's debut album crackled with the underproduced sound of the punk era, but his wordsmithery elevated him above the wholesale riff-raff that were spitting their way across England. Witty, astute, and often risqu�, Drury's songs were part working-class folk-tales, part vaudeville extravaganzas. The New Boots And Panties set highlights Ian and the Blockheads testing out their ever-increasing musical talents, looking punk straight in the eye, and easily outdoing it. A non-punk punk-classic.

Ian Dury was one of the most original performers of all time. He was so British that he could never break through to American audiences. However, to a Mod American like me, he is essential. This album contains all of my favorite Dury songs such as "Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll", "Billericay Dickie", and "Blockheads". This is a fine rock album that was not truly recognized as being great until after Dury's death from cancer. He was truly an original talent.

I was going to see Deke Leonard the Man band guitarist at Salford University's rec bar and the support act started tuning up. This little old man, I was about 22, wandered on wearing a black Crombie and a bowler hat. Duh! Aaarlow ! He said, then they kicked into one of the most unbelievable sets I have ever heard or seen. Budoom boom boom boom boom boom boommmm Sex and drugs and rock and roll budoom boom boom boom boom boom boommmm. My jaw dropped. NB&P easily in the top five records ever made.

Deke Leonard ? Can't remember anything about his set.

Rising to public awareness during the midst of the UK punk scene in 1977, it was inevitable that Dury, with his bawdry lyrics, would be branded punk alongside the Sex Pistols and Clash by the ignorant press. Of course Dury was anything but. Crippled from polio as a child (Ian Dury - Injury, geddit?), Dury was an accomplished artist and friend of Pop Art guru Peter Blake (Beatles Sgt Pepper's sleeve), as well as being a long-time live pub-act under the name of `Kilburn And The High Roads'. `The High Roads' becoming `The Blockheads', Ian's debut album crackled with the underproduced sound of the punk era, but his wordsmithery elevated him above the wholesale riff-raff that were spitting their way across England. Witty, astute, and often risqu�, Drury's songs were part working-class folk-tales, part vaudeville extravaganzas. The New Boots And Panties set highlights Ian and the Blockheads testing out their ever-increasing musical talents, looking punk straight in the eye, and easily outdoing it. A non-punk punk-classic.

Ian Dury was one of the most original performers of all time. He was so British that he could never break through to American audiences. However, to a Mod American like me, he is essential. This album contains all of my favorite Dury songs such as "Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll", "Billericay Dickie", and "Blockheads". This is a fine rock album that was not truly recognized as being great until after Dury's death from cancer. He was truly an original talent.

I was going to see Deke Leonard the Man band guitarist at Salford University's rec bar and the support act started tuning up. This little old man, I was about 22, wandered on wearing a black Crombie and a bowler hat. Duh! Aaarlow ! He said, then they kicked into one of the most unbelievable sets I have ever heard or seen. Budoom boom boom boom boom boom boommmm Sex and drugs and rock and roll budoom boom boom boom boom boom boommmm. My jaw dropped. NB&P easily in the top five records ever made.

Deke Leonard ? Can't remember anything about his set.

Some would say this unconventional quintet is truly out to lunch. Others may lay it down to something in the water in Come On's local reservoir. But these people are obviously unfamiliar with the sparse, underground genre of nonsense pop. A dead pan modus operandi, yet brimming with outlandish ridiculousness, seems to be the general hallmark of this genre. As can be seen from the cover photo of "The Come On Story", Come On have taken to it like a fish to water and the same ethos permeates every note of this undeniably outre outing.

It's hard to pin-point the forefathers of this genre, with bands like Talking Heads and They Might Be Giants being substantial contributors of such superlative arrant cobblers over the years. Earlier rock contemporaries, Zappa and Spinal Tap, could also be attributed with such forefather honors. Either way, Come On picked up the baton and carried on this intriguing marriage of music and twaddle.

Come On's music adopts quirky melodies and techniques such as staccato chording to accentuate the eccentric nature of their oddness. Some very amusing social commentaries in "Old People" and "Housewives Play Tennis" completely cracked me up with observations such as "Housewives play tennis/They have weak backhands" -- not when you come home lager'd up and forget to call they don't.

Oh yeah, these guys would have been a hit with the PE department in high school. "Physical Ed", being their tribute to this compulsory fun and fitness institution which musos the world around hold dear to their hearts.

"The Come On Story" concludes with my personal favorite "Disneyland". "I hate Disneyland/Mickey didn't shake my hand" being the general theme of the song, it includes a quality parody of Mickey Mouse casting coital aspersions upon Snow White and Donald (Duck I presume). "Mickey Mouse is a Rat!/Mickey Mouse is a rat!" sees the band dishing out possibly the harshest derogation one could conjure up for a mouse. I'm inclined to cut Mickey some slack here. He was probably far too scared to shake these guys' hands. They weren't snubbed by the mouse, they were fled from.

Whether this band is a going concern today is really neither here nor there in assessing the merits of this album. "The Come On Story" is a brilliant collection of nonsense pop tracks -- give it a burl!

David Rogers

COME ON CD IS REALLY GOOD

As I write this newsletter I am listening to Come On, who sent us their CD this month. They played in NYC clubs more than 20 years ago, to fans including David Byrne and Brian Eno. As I listen I'm reminded of the Talking Heads, Eno, Devo and other people and bands who played around with stocky rhythms juxtaposed against odd, fast, clipped vocals and lyrics that consist as much of "hah!"s and "ugh!"s as of words and images. Their CD packet reminds me of Bauhaus, all black and white and full of stark circle graphics and such. They are part of the "non-sense" musical genre, and I like their straight yet complex mix of guitars, drums, all the basic instruments but put together in a way that still sounds fresh. Why don't bands today experiment like this, and take up where bands of the late '70s and early '80s left off?

Most of their songs seem to be "concept songs": Mike's mother looks like the Mona Lisa; Where do you keep the silver in a kitchen in the clouds?; Housewives play tennis and drive station wagons; but sung against their jangling, fast guitars and drums the songs seem to hold warnings--"Don't walk on the kitchen floor!!" is sung with as much barely controlled agitation as anyone could sing about love or death or anything else "important," and behind the words the music marches on insistently like an army troop toward its death.

The CD I have is "New York City 1976-80." I don't know if there are others available, or where; I think Come On is pretty rare stuff, but get your hands on it if you can.

RE-SEARCH

if you've always looked for something between "the Talking Television" and "the Television Heads", Come On!

First off, I would like to correct Kelly Faltmeyer. Robin Scott is NOT from Germany, he is from England... where the culture and history comes from. :) Anyway, now that I have got that off my chest, let me proceed with my review. I thought I actually printed one but I guess I hadn't. So, here I go.
The first track off this disc, Pop Muzik, was the song that defined the whole 1980's muzik scene. It is well written, brilliant and catchy. At one point, Mr. Scott sings to us and says "listen to the countdown/they're playing our song again". During the 80s, there was a song for everyone in the weekly top 40 countdown. This is actually my favourite song in the whole world... no... universe!
Track 2, Woman Make Man, is a clever play on words. When Mr. Scott sings "There is a woman behind every man", he is describing the woman of the 80s. The woman, not the man, is the real brains in the machine of life.
Track 3, Moderne man/Satisfy Your Lust, describes the man of the 80s; he's "Here today/gone tomorrow" and always trying to satisfy his own lusts. He does not care if he has love. He asks "Are you a woman/or just a machine/An inflatable doll/from a magazine?" Moderne Man, Mr. Scott says "...is vacant/he is hollow".
Track 4, Made In Munich, is another catchy tune about Muzik being a part of everyone's life "from the east to the west"
Track 5, Moonlight and Muzak, is about meeting an international girl "from behind the Iron Curtain" and how the Moonlight And Muzak brought them together.
Track 6, That's The Way The Money Goes, shows that Mr. Scott saw how the economy of Thatcher's England and Reagan's America would change the world.
Track 7, Cowboys And Indians, simply describes how the characters in this title were portrayed on the telly.
Track 8, Unite Your Nation, has Mr. Scott telling everyone to unite together and not to let the government and the powers that be control you.
Track 9, Fanfare, plays as a 10 second introduction to the 13 bonus tracks on the rest of the disc.
Track 10, Cry Myself To Sleep, is a song about a relationship that has died.
Tracks 11 and 12 are interesting remixes of track 7
Tracks 13 and 14 are seperate remixes of track 3
Tracks 15 and 16, M Factor, is the B-Side to the song Pop Muzik when it was released as a single both here in the U.S. and across the pond in the U.K.
Track 17, is a remix of track 5 done in 1992
Tracks 18, 19 and 20 are remixes of track 1
Track 21, Finale, is just that. A nice 18 second finale that closes a great recording.
Well, that is my review of what can be called one of the most brilliant albums ever recorded; and not only that, but this recording is the birth of the whole New Wave movement. Groups like Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, The Cure, Modern English and the rest of them should tip their hats to Mr. Scott. In fact, I told him as much when I spoke to him on the phone. Mr. Scott is a very nice man and a brilliant performer. Thank you.

Now, I first want to get this on the record. I have been and always will be a die-hard Duranie; but I will always have a special place in my heart for Robin Scott. This is my favourite album in the entire world. Every track on this album/CD is absolutely brilliant! Not only that, but this is officially the first New Wave recording ever! Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, XTC, Modern English, A Flock Of Seagulls and everyone else should tip their hats to Robin Scott; he opened the door to what is probably the best genre of rock ever... I also talked to him a few times and he is totally a really cool person and one of the artists that inspired me to follow my dream in muzik.

If one takes the archaeologist approach to the History of the 20th century, one discovers that like any other period in time it is composed of many discursive formations: Political, Sociological, Scientific, Philosophic, etc. This is actually how I came across "M".

My interest, specifically, is on the discursive formations of the late 70's. The emergence of "disco" is a social phenomenon that gave rise to a few very interesting discourses. Women's Liberation reached even the most remote countries as did the Gay Rights Movement. The Hedonism of the 70's is unparalleled in History. And the emergence of androgyny (David Bowie, Philip Oakey of the Human League) and gender-bending (Celi Bee, The New York Dolls, Sylvester) was pretty new in our beloved and traditionalist western culture.

And it is to this climate of androgyny, gender-bending, and sexual ambiguity that Robin Scott of "M" made his contribution. Of course everyone knows the mega-hit POPMUZIK which was catchy and sold very well. But if you look and listen beyond that song into the rest of the album you'll discover a song called MOONLIGHT AND MUZAK. Here's a man singing "...are you the girl I wanted to be?" and later on he switches and says (presumably to the girl he addressed before) "...am I the man you wanted to be?"

(Hmmmmmm! )

The tune is also rather hypnotic, it'll take back to the 70's when amyl nitrate was commonplace (and legal) on the discotheques' floors. And how about the song WOMAN MAKE MAN in which he sings "...there is a woman behind every man." It's a clever play on words. Especially when you think about the song's intro "...Why can't a woman be like a man...why can't a man be like a woman?"

MODERNE MAN/SATISFY YOUR LUST questions the meaning of masculinity. "...from the BOTTOM to the TOP man, this is a moderne disease," "sometimes I sit and wonder, am I too just another clich�?", "...a moderne man with a head for heights?" (HEIGHTS?, I think we know what he means!), or how about "...am I a man or just a machine...an inflatable doll from a magazine..."

I'd tell you all about it but it's better if you discover M for yourself. Remember HISTORY is a backdrop that shows you why things are the way they are in OUR world today. The 70's are part of our history, and in a seemingly obscure way, so is M. Thank you Robin Scott for being a man with the guts to be like a woman!

It's difficult to adequately describe the massive impact Soft Cell has had on me ever since I first heard this album on cassette all those years ago.

They just blew me away! Like most people, I got the album because of "Tainted Love" and then I found out 1) they didn't write it and 2) it was one of the weakest tracks on the album!

Every track was totally unique and totally unlike anything that I'd heard before. And then the "Bohemian Rhapsody" or the "Day in the Life" moment of the album, "Say Hello and Wave Goodbye" comes on and almost brings a tear to my eye; what a great way to end an album.

Now, this disc comes with extra tracks which sometimes makes an album sound worse and less cohesive but here the opposite is true. Especially if you consider that fact that the single "Torch" is here; another one of my favourite Soft Cell tunes.

This album is by far their best and the sound quality of the recording is also quite good. What they could do is to have the same tracks remastered and housed in a cardboard mini-lp replica sleeve and my life would be complete!

One of my all-time favourite albums by a mile!

This recording does not disappoint, it excels. This is the same as the original vinyl release in content. I find myself skipping over "Seedy Films" and "Secret Life" from time to time, but thats just because "Youth/Sex Dwarf" and "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" are just THAT good. They even throw in "Tainted Love"... perhaps you've heard that one before? I would highly recommend this release, BUT they released this with BONUS TRACKS and if you can spare the dough you will not be disappointed as their B sides and remixes compare with their other material and also come highly recommended by me. Enjoy!

When I first heard Soft Cell so long ago all I knew was "Tainted Love", but when I heard "Sex Dwarf" I was blown away. Yes it's very strange & unusual. Much like Roxy Music's "In Every dreamhome a heartache". Soft Cell I thought was tame until I listend to this album & I would recommend it to as many people as I could. "Seedy Films" also another unusual song. There is also "Say Hello, Wave goodbye" really good song. Overall a good album & I listen to it a lot.

It's difficult to adequately describe the massive impact Soft Cell has had on me ever since I first heard this album on cassette all those years ago.

They just blew me away! Like most people, I got the album because of "Tainted Love" and then I found out 1) they didn't write it and 2) it was one of the weakest tracks on the album!

Every track was totally unique and totally unlike anything that I'd heard before. And then the "Bohemian Rhapsody" or the "Day in the Life" moment of the album, "Say Hello and Wave Goodbye" comes on and almost brings a tear to my eye; what a great way to end an album.

Now, this disc comes with extra tracks which sometimes makes an album sound worse and less cohesive but here the opposite is true. Especially if you consider that fact that the single "Torch" is here; another one of my favourite Soft Cell tunes.

This album is by far their best and the sound quality of the recording is also quite good. What they could do is to have the same tracks remastered and housed in a cardboard mini-lp replica sleeve and my life would be complete!

One of my all-time favourite albums by a mile!

This recording does not disappoint, it excels. This is the same as the original vinyl release in content. I find myself skipping over "Seedy Films" and "Secret Life" from time to time, but thats just because "Youth/Sex Dwarf" and "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" are just THAT good. They even throw in "Tainted Love"... perhaps you've heard that one before? I would highly recommend this release, BUT they released this with BONUS TRACKS and if you can spare the dough you will not be disappointed as their B sides and remixes compare with their other material and also come highly recommended by me. Enjoy!

When I first heard Soft Cell so long ago all I knew was "Tainted Love", but when I heard "Sex Dwarf" I was blown away. Yes it's very strange & unusual. Much like Roxy Music's "In Every dreamhome a heartache". Soft Cell I thought was tame until I listend to this album & I would recommend it to as many people as I could. "Seedy Films" also another unusual song. There is also "Say Hello, Wave goodbye" really good song. Overall a good album & I listen to it a lot.

The year 1981 was very strong on synthpop and that is why one finds Ultravox, Soft Cell, Human League, Visage and OMD on this hits compilation. It was also the year of Under Pressure, David Bowie's brilliant collaboration with Queen, and the British Two Tone ska movement was still going strong in the shape of The Specials, UB40 and Madness. Great new rock bands like The Teardrop Explodes were emerging, whilst older established artists such as Godley & Creme, Phil Collins, Roxy Music, Steve Winwood, Lionel Richie and Smokey Robinson were still making exquisite music. This year also impresses with the diverse styles of music that made the charts, like the true blue country of Elvis Costello's Good Year For The Roses and Squeeze's Labelled With Love, both of them amazing story songs. Good old pop was doing well in the form of Kim Wilde, Barbara Gaskin and Blondie's pop reggae ditty The Tide Is High plus of course, there was the atmospheric theme from the popular movie Chariots Of Fire by Vangelis. The lovely ballad Endless Love by Lionel Ritchie and Diana Ross rounds off this superb collection of UK chart hits from 1981.

Like my title says, if you were there, shut your eyes and these songs may take you back twenty years or more. thats' the beauty of this CD-its filled with great songs that you don't hear very often, if at all, anymore. Hard to believe now, but when they were new and fresh (as were we all at some point) they were cutting edge stuff. For a middle-aged Boomer like myself, this CD is magic. Like I said, I closed my eyes and for a few moments I was back in college again, papers were stil typed, Cable was a luxury, all my friends were still alive, and the world was full of sweet, endless possibilities,. Great stuff...

DISC 1

Queen And David Bowie:Under Pressure:Funky,base-lifted hit.***Ultravox:Vienna:Nauseating,overly sombre dud.*The Specials:Ghost Town:Thoroughly enjoyable ,utterly memorable.****UB40:One In Ten:Engrossing,sweeping saxaphone track and important social lyrics.If only Bob Dylan could have made it like this.****Blondie:The Tide Is High:An unforgettable classic.*****Duran Duran:Girls On Film:Swinging,fast paced from Duran,Duranng.Did anyone really think Simon Le Bon could really sing?***Soft Cell:Tainted Love:The kind of song you want to seduce girls with.***Human League:Love Action (I Believe In):Sheffield's finest got the dancefloor's of the early eightie's rolling with this hit,and understandably too.****Starsound:Abba Melody:Imaginative but flawed infusion of Abba tunes.***Spandau Ballet:Chant No.1(I Don't Need This Pressure on):This Spandau track certainly runs on a tune,but isn't really their finest work.***Philip Lynott:Yellow Pearl (Top Of the Pops Theme):Atmosphere lifted title track.***David Bowie:Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps):The certainly weird,but maybe not so wonderful,David Bowie with this repetitive and unswelling track.**Godley And Creme:Under Your Thumb:Takes a while to get there,but this song certainly holds your attention to the end.***Visage:Fade To Grey:Another sexy French tune.***ABC:Tears Are Not Enough:Haunting,deep ABC track.****Dave Stewart And Barbara Gaskin:It's My Party:Slurred,pointless and downright horrible reworking of the classic Leslie Gore '60's hit.Says a lot about their talent.*Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark:Souvenir:Another haunting track from OMD.***Vangelis:Chariots Of Fire:Inspirational,uplifting,enlifting,unforgetta da da da,ah SHADDAP.*****

DISC 2

Phil Collins:In The Air Tonight:The ever admirable,talented Mr Collins with this superb,awesome melody.*****Roxy Music:Jealous Guy:Never been a big fan myself,but I suppose they've got their fans.***Elvis Costello:A Good Year For The Roses:I thought there was only one legend in the music trade with the name Elvis.**Squeeze:Labelled With Love:Starts well,but ,sorry,takes too long to get going.Sorry,next please.*Jam:That's Entertainment:Pales in comparison to Going Underground.**Madness:The Return Of the Los Palmas 7:Incredibly atmospheric,good time song.Truly gets the party swinging.****Kim Wilde:Kids In America:Sorry Kim,you fail to set my pulses racing with this.**The Teardrop Explodes:Reward:Wonder what these guys are doing these days?***U2:Gloria:The ever impressive U2 with this powerful rock balled.***XTC:Sgt.Rock (Is Going To Help Me):A cult classic.***Steve Winwood:While You See A Chance:Fun track.***Four Tops:When She Was My Girl:This engrossing track is almost as good as Loco In Acopoco,released eight years later.***Kool & The Gang:Get Down On It:My second favourite,a funky,infectously fun groove.*****Quincy Jones:Razzamatazz:Not the most gramatically preliferating of tracks,but a groovy tune nonetheless.***Smokey Robinson:Being With You:Another of those kinky,seductive tunes,this one probably the best on the whole compilation.****Imagination:Body Talk:Great stuff.****Michael Jackson:One Day In Your Life:Beautifully sung off the pervert himself.****Diana Ross & Lionel Richie:Endless Love:Another top hit.Why isn't music like this nowadays?****

I had the original imported "record" and loved it then. The US release was cleaned up, damaged. If this is the import it is simplistic, perfect. Saw them in Manhattan doing these pieces, great show. Does anyone know if they are still together?

This album always puts me in a happy mood. It's songs are all simple pop, with fun lyrics and a whimsical character.

If you love New Wave sung in 3rd-grade level English (and who doesn't?), then you'll go crazy for this! Nobody does American rock and roll better than the Japanese! It's no wonder their economy is whipping the pants off our's--just listen to this CD and you'll understand why. Hey, even Pizzicato Five covered them, so they MUST be great!

For all you ignorant American kiddies raised on Motley Crue and Metallica, better buy this album and start a whole new life. If you're looking for the quintessential heavy metal album, want to know what metal was like at the height of its glory, well you finally found it.

No other metal band ever did any better than Motorhead on this dark, grinding, and super-cool killer album. Overkill, Stay Clean, Metropolis, Capricorn and No Class are the top classics but the whole album will blow you away start to finish.

If you're starting your 70's/80's European metal collection from scratch, the other classic albums to buy are Unleashed in the East (Judas Priest), Piece of Mind (Iron Maiden), Restless and Wild (Accept), Blackout (Scorpions), Don't Break the Oath (Mercyful Fate), Black Metal (Venom), Infernal Overkill (Destruction), and Morbid Tales (Celtic Frost).

I have to admit, I haven't heard all of the tracks on the album, but what I have is more than enough. Tracks like "Overkill," "Damage Case," and "Too Late, Too Late" kept this album on top long after it's release. If you like metal, this one's a keeper!

Behold! This album was rocking the world while Metallica was still in their diapers! This album is what got the ball rolling for this legendary band and features the first and arguably the strongest line-up of Motorhead with Lemmy, Fast Eddie (Guitars), and Phil Taylor (Drums). If you like your music "good and loud", tracks like "Overkill", "Damage Case", "Capricorn" will only make you come back for more and make you wonder why no one makes music like this anymore. Don't hesitate! Just get it!