THE CATALOGUE

F O B T H E I N D E P E N D E N T M U S I C T R A D E

APRIL 1 9 8 9 N u mb er 6 9 1 . 5 0

DINOSAUR Jr
LU N A CH ICKS P IX IE S SKA
BILLY SRAGG AND THE UTILITY STABLE
DINOSAUR Jr AND THE LUNACHICKS
6 GREAT TRACKS
 A p r i l : 19 B R IG H T O N , Top R a n k . 2 0 S O U T H E N D , C li ff s Pa v i l l i o n . 2 1 N O R W IC H , U n i v e r s i t y o f E ast A n g l i a . 2 3 C A M B R ID G E , C o rn E x c h a n g e .

2 4 B IR M IN G H A M , H u m m in g B ird . 25 N O T T IN G H A M , R ock C ity. 2 7 NEWCASTLE, P o ly te c h n ic . 2 8 G L A S G O W , Q u e e n M a r g a r e t U n iv e r s ity .

2 9 A B E R D E E N , V e n u e . 3 0 E D I N B U R G H , Q u e e n s H a l l . M a y : 2 M A N C H E S T E R , I n t e r n a t i o n a l 11.3 L I V E R P O O L , R o y a l C o u r t . 4 S H E F F I E L D , O c t a g o n .

5 LEEDS, P o l y t e c h n i c . 7 L EICESTER, U n i v e r s i t y . 8 B R I S T O L , S t u d i o . 9 C A RD IF F, U n i v e r s i t y . 1 0 L O N D O N , T o w n & C o u n t r y C l u b .

M L O N D O N , T ow n & C o u n t r y C lu b . J u ly : 5 L O N D O N , K ilb u r n N a t i o n a l B a llr o o m .

 0(9)

THE CATALOGUE
6 1 Collier Street
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Telex: 299579 (RGHTRD G) Product, label and media news
ATT: Catalogue " f IR E H O S E 'S " ,
EDITOR: Stunning third album s
Richard Boon NEW ROUTES
"fR O M O H IO " on S S T Records. Folk-rocking all over the world
RENT BOY:
Martin Aston To
" ... w ith a ll the in tu itiv e g ro u p c h e m is try o f th e (e a rly ) V io le n t DINOSAUR Jr
COVER: Those loverly laconic lads
Dinosaur Jr & Lunachicks Fem m es a n d S o nic Youth, say, the e ffic ie n c y o f The Byrds, songs
(pix:Michael Lavine) such as 'S om e Things' an d the anthem ic 'Liberty For O u r 1 1
F rie n d ' firm ly p la c e them in the tra d itio n o f the G r e a t A m e ric a n LUNACHICKS
CONTRIBUTORS:
Riad Akbur B and. G re a t b a n d , from a n y w h e re , really." Gang girls in scrumrock horror
Russell Brown
Nick Churchill - Richard Boon, The C a ta lo g u e , M a rc h , issue 6 8 1 4
John Crawford
John Crosby
LISTINGS
Guy Hayden
W it h a 1 2 m o n th s u b s c rip tio n to T h e C a t a lo g u e y o u c a n The regular guide to current and
M r Hyde choose to receive this c e leb rated LP, for the price o f only postage forthcoming product available
a ir m a ile d o v e rs e a s ) a n d p a c k in g . S im p ly c o m p le te tne form

Kent Jolly from Cartel Wholesale this month
Pete Keeley ie lo w (x e ro x o r o th e r co p ies a c c e p ta b le ) a n d send it w ith y o u r
Biba Kopf
Steve Morris p aym en t, to: 1 8
Geoff Muncey SINGLES BAR
Liz Naylor Cath Carrol mops up
Harry Russell Subscriptions/ The Catalogue, 61 Collier Street, London N1 9BE
John Shaw 20
Colin Simmons
Marc Swallow ^ ~ "7 . 7 7 7~7 .7 7 7 7 7.".-. 7 7.7
SKA FUN
Everett True Blue beat update
Peter W right (US) COMPANY.
LAYOUT & DTP: POSITION... PIXIES
DECODE DESIGN Martin Aston gets
(0 1 )4 8 7 5225
Black Francis in bed
A D D R E S S ....
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UIC '"'f: Elsewhere MRIB's regular UK report &
of any material, in whole or in : 40 ROCKPOOL's relevant US indie +
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opinions expressed are those of
the contributor and should not be
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RADIO PLAY UK
construed as those of the publish The alphabetical airplay of the
er or editorial staff. it by C h e q u e , P O , IM O m a d e p a y a b le to The
Unsolicited contributions must be UK's most rad radio shows
accompanied by (l)SAE and no ... -
responsibility is accepted for loss provide signature, card no + expiry date) RADIO SPOTLIGHT
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==;;.........:
UB&KtflM-----------nmStmt.Edifibu<9hBV4PS....................(031)226 46)6 (031)226 3133
CJlirraam ._________271 Hjfkmgm Road. YorkY039BR..................(0904)651199 ..(0904)6249 * - .(031)226 3129
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IV
 EXTRA C A T A L O G U E N E W S EXTRA

PIXIES/PRESS PRODUCT PUSH SINGLE S t i l l NOT DEAD SHOCK

Boston's Pixies have their sec M id n ig h t M u sic are the latest ind epen den t to take a positive
ond full-length studio album approach towards single marketing. In the belief that singles buyers
'Doolittle' released mid-month want either all tracks (as on a 12") or only the 7" A-side, future singles
.by 4AD in all formats. Produced releases from the label will be either i2"-only self-titled EPs of (usually)
4 tracks (also in CD format), or singles with regular 12" (2/3 titles) and
By Gil Norton, the fifteen-track
cheap A-sided-only 7" versions, these set to retail at #1.00.
album includes the current single
The successful recent 'Alive Not Dead1 12"/CD by Sun & The Moon
'Monkey Gone To Heaven' and typifies the EP tactic, while this month sees the first four in the A-side
initial vinyl pressings include a only 7" series: Wolfhounds' 'Happy Shopper', Western Promise's 'If You
lavish 12"xl2" l6pp booklet of Tell Me You Love Me', Snake Corps' 'Calling You' and new French
artwork and lyrics designed by
Vaughan Oliver, with photogra
phy by Simon Larbalastier, which
will also be available seperately
as packs of postcards and posters.
These designs will also form the basis of POS and window dis
plays, as well as featuring on the latest marketing innovation for
the 'Chain With No Name' - a collectors item carrier bag avail
able only with purchases from 'Chain' stores. The release and
CWNN campaign are supported by wide consumer media

The Wolfgong Press pic.Simon Lorbalesfier

advertising, with national flyposting for album and 22-date tour,
mid-April through mid-May (see feature & review elsewhere).
Supporting guests on all dates are 4AD's Wolfgang Press
whose recent studio album 'Birdwood Cage' will be repromot
ed throughout the tour period. A 12" rem ix of
'ragtime'/'Bottom Drawer from the LP is set for release
first week of May, available at a discounted price from
CWNN participating stores and similarly supported by
POS material and consumer press ads.
Other CWNN campaigns at this time include repromo
tion of Hugo Largo's recent 'Mettle' album (Land Records) to
coincide with current UK TV and live activity, with POS and
consumer ads, and a further catalogue campaign on SST prod
uct, at planning stage at press-time.
The Wolfhounds picGovin V Woollord
Group Les Enfants Terribles' debut for the label.
Meanwhile, Stateside, D u tch E ast announce P&D acquisition of a
new label, SOL Records. Standing for 'Singles Only Label', SOL will be
only releasing in 7" format. "Singles are quick, fun, dirty and cheap!"
they argue. "What better way to introduce a bunch of great new singers,
new songs and new ideas?" The theory is being tested with the first 5 lit
tle 45s from Warm Jets, David Postelthwaite, Angel Dean, The Zephyrs
and Friction Wheel.
SOL R eco rd s, 6 1 1 B ro ad w ay # 6 l6 , New Y o rk N Y 10 0 1 2 , USA

Spring/Summer releases

from A pril 10th

14 ICED BEARS / M OTHER SLEEP

If you w ant g reat singles, then follow th e Bears.
4 track 12" an d lim ite d 7".
12/7 TBL 2.

KILGORE T R O U T / BAD PU D D IN G S
It never p auses fo r b r e a t h -it ju s t c h a nged g e a r from
tim e to tim e an d injected a fis tfu l of d y n a m ite into the
m echanics.
Ail th is and m o re fro m S h e ffie ld s fin e s t fo rg e s on 12".
12 TBL 3.

from T h u n d erb all R eco rds.,

35, Q u arry S pring s, H arlow , Essex, U S A . C M 20 3H R 0279-451 024
U K an d e xp o rt via R evolver.
 EXTRA C A T A L O G U E N E W S EXTRA

REVOLVER ROCKS STEADY, ROCKS OUT UM BERELLA NEW S

Classic reggae label
Trojan finds what is S n e a k -p r e v ie w e d in t h e s e p a g e s in Ja n u a r y , f u lle r d e ta ils o f
hoped to be one of the ! m hrvUaS third UK S e m in a r are now available D a les rem ain a-,
more stable business rela :i n o w set a s Hai irrMiii
tionships of its recent and v. X::..: p j
somewhat previously che .......................o r is cuncnt
quered past with a new Distribution. Kelt i.tnce, idio. v . -n v. g
distribution deal with export), Copyright law (inch Publishing), Press, TV Hurt satel-
Bristol's Revolver. c.. r t ie s and Imi i i tr: t n ... (calming
With an im peccable experts ,S. personalities from each field, tins year's Seminar will
repertoire and pedigree,
the legacy of Trojan's o f th e in d e p e n d e n t sector: : x1'; r.U vTSi
archives is, in effect, a cru On lighter notes, the night of the 20th will see a number of
cial global resource, and " t ' v .. .............
one which should see w hile th e . i ay w [1 featu re t iolds-n B jo llv ' aw ards present.)
wider accessibility under Lions for label, distributor, album, single & video of the year.
this new, proactive mar U >inciding with the Seminar, ( 'nlbrella will be releasing two o p e r
keting of a series of cata ate compilations ( all three formatsO. one o f guitar-based bands, the
logue compilations that
1 ' n d iir iin g .\ O r d e r . 1 d : d,
concentrate on particular
Jamaican artists, producers
" :i: : o : . ed tra ck :. ;: .o s tl; CM : sr t i i j re\ ousl una\ at I
or stylistic periods.
thle Cddfijns. le n u x e s ot o u t-tak es) to the-p roject,
Kicking off the ongoing
n ib
campaign are a handful of
Umbrella Seminar Office. 14 Theberton Street. Ixmdon N1
LeeScratch Perry pjc: Kishi Yamamoto CD versions of acclaimed
vinyl sets: the double CD OQZ tel: (01) 220 }2 6 l fax: (01) 226 -745*
of 'Rebel Music', previously a celebrated DLP comp with Peter
Tosh, Horace Andy, Big Youth, John Holt and more, including
Dennis Brown and Gregory Isaacs, who each have CD versions of
CATALOGUE CLASSIFIEDS
classic material ('Money In My Pocket' and 'Early Years' respective F ro m n e x t m o n th , The Catalogue introduces a
ly, both with seminal productions by Winston 'Niney' Holness); n e w s e r v ic e - ju s t f o r th e H e ll o f it... Y e p ! Classified 5
DCD from Lee 'Scratch' Perry & pals (latterly a vinyl boxed triple),
Open The Gate', compiled by series consultant Steve Berrow; and Ads. W e t h o u g h t it c o u ld b e c u te to s ta rt a fr e e a d
a DLP comp of awesome slates cut at Studio 1 way back when by s e c tio n f o r u s e rs & s u b s c r ib e r s , d e p e n d in g o n
Clement 'Coxsone' Dodd, 'Musical Fever '67-'68'. r e s p o n s e . W e 'r e s e ttin g a t r ia l p e r io d o f 3 m o n th s to
A great start to a thrilling series and no mistake, all with full
product & promo support and - dig this - all bar-coded! Serious a s s e s s th is s e r v ic e , s o g e t it w h ile y o u c a n . If y o u
t'ing an' t'ing. w a n t to ta k e a d v a n t a g e o f o u r w h im , s e n d y o u r c le a r
(see elsewhere for comments on more contemporary Ska activi ly p r i n t e d e n t r y t o t h e u s u a l a d d r e s s , m a r k e d
ties)...
Revolver also announce worldwide exclusive representation on 'C la s s if ie d '. In itia l c a te g o rie s: R e c o rd s
new releases from much-touted, highly revered Seattle indie Sub W a n t e d / F o r S a le , M u s ic ia n s W a n t e d , P u b lic a t io n s ,
Pop, home of many of the latest wave of serious Yank rockers, S e r v ic e s , F o r S a le .
kicking off this month with the self-titled LP/CD by Swallow. Next
month sees the single-CD release of SUB POP 200, already a col W e 'll s e e w h a t th e re s p o n s e is (& lib e r a lly a s s ig n
lected vinyl box set from a whole bunch of contemporary gnarly B o x N o s .) p r o te rn a n d if it lo o k s lik e s o m e th in g u s e
Yanks (not all from Seattle) and a CD-only comp of nearly all the
recordings to date of critically fetishised Mudhoney (just complet fu l, ta k e it fr o m th e re . M e a n w h ile (a s th e r e q u ir e d d is
ing UK/Euro live work), with more stuff from them and Nirvana c la im e r g o e s ) , w e 'll r e s e r v e th e r ig h t to re fu s e a n y a d
to follow soon... w it h o u t e x p la n a t io n .

this is your brain on drugs.

& .] Later, tycoon te fleets-

P erso n w W e e n t i r e
Yi&ick f e l f e s + e e n ^ < * " N<> j u j ' f p i s a t e x - r . h i e
W c rj-in id * n J ' . lq +r,i ... v)0 c M see i4
weenie tnfe 4ied vp it% ** a v o u f j e j . . . L>wf UJ h 4
4 h e receiving o f -fre e )
re Cordf. x t /xp horn- < t r ip -fv j+ i, T i + x - p i m
Pyin? p e r v e r s io n , Vl' + S I-, orvi e
.fuyijy o+ijet'wiSe normal
l-Poojy i*i+o teJiojy <~

@ tf Crau^rJ
 Monster
7", 12" and CF ~ (MUTE 95)
Fused
ALBUM and CD (STUMM 50)
 EXTRA C A T A L O G U E
IN PRINT IN PRINT IN PRINT IN
Vague makes a welcome reappearance with issue 21 (per
fect-bound A4, ll6 p p ). Subtitled Cyberpunk this issue fea
tures a theoretical discourse on that genre; Jam ie Reid
graphics, text & this issue's cover; in-depth interview with
writer Jon Savage on punk, pop, politics, morality, why he
hates Julie Birchill, and how long it's taking him to complete
his Sex P istols-as-m icro cosm -o f-U K -cu ltu re "England's
Dreaming" for Faber & Faber and much more - essential, real
ly - plus Stewart Home's "Assault On Culture" & "Class War"
and ed itor Tom Vague's continued self-m ythologisin g.
Damned good. Worth every penny of its mail-order p+p
included price of #4.00 (UK), #4.50 (overseas) from:
VAGUE, BCM Box 7207, London WC1N 3XX
Now an eagerly anticipated annual event, the Festival
Supplement issue of Folk Roots (# 70, 88pp), which fea
tures - as well as the 20pp Yellow Pages guide to this years
UK folk/roots festivals large & small with which to plan your
summer hols - Senegalese duo Pascal Diatta & Sona Mane,
John Kirkpatrick, Tymon Dogg & others, Readers Poll results,
exhaustive record & live reviews, news & info.
Folk Roots, PO Box 337, London N4 1TW tel: (01) 340
9651 fax: (01) 348 5626
With ambitious plans to transform itself eventually into a
national weekly with 50K sales, currently London-based
Outlook (A4, 44pp) reaches its third occasional issue, mixing
pop'n'politics'n'investigative news, with US punk, Rhythm
King, Official Secrets Act, comix, film & video, London's
transport crisis & cover stars Voice Of The Beehive.
Outlook, 87 Kirkstall Road, London SW2 4HE tel: (01)
671 7920
This month's Skateboard! (A4, 66pp) sees the increasingly
successful UK cult monthly continue to rival Yank import
skate Bible "Thrasher" and begin to tease with an expanding
appropriate music section tucked away at the back. Apart
from all the rad deck tips'n'crits, frame by frame trick photo
analysis (what the Hell is a 'madonna revert1? - here's where
to find out), there're record reviews, offers & Sore Throat
interview.
Skateboard!, 32 St Paul Street, London EC2A 4LB tel:
(01) 729 3922/3804 fax: (01) 739 3169
The Spring issue of folkzine Rock'n'Reel (A5, 40 crowded
pp) features thorough roots raps with Billy Bragg, Dick
Gaughan, Oyster Band, Chumbawumba and more, with lotsa
news'n'reviews. Free magnifying glass required next ish, but
well worth a squint.
Rock'n'Reel, 8 Dent Place, Cleator Moor, Cumbria
CA25 5EE tel: (0946) 812496
Also notew orth y, latest issu es o f stalw arts Soul
Undeground (#19; De La Soul, Gospel, Sandra Cross, Inner
City) and Strange Things (#5: Zappa, Straight Records, East
Coast Comix and more) - see previous Catalogue's for con
tacts or connect with Revolver in Bristol...
N E W S EXTRA
The first of on occasional series of literal Q&A sessions.
With product support.
# 1 : Mute Drivers
Wire's Bruce Gilbert "Whot's the question you'd most like to be
asked?"
Mute Drivers: "No-one ever asks us about the songs."
MUTE DRIVERS: Waiting For World War III
(Irradiated MD004) DLP
O K - let's g o : three IPs a n d a single u n d e r th e ir belts,
the M u te D rivers n o w surpass them selves w ith a d o u b le
a lb u m o f 2 3 songs w h ic h acts as a c om p re he nsive d o cu 7
m ent o f th e ir stark sights a n d sounds o f the w o rld .
This is a non-stop n ig h tm a re jo u rn e y throu gh this tor
tu re d a g e , s c ra p in g b a c k the skin o f a n a tio n on its
knees. The relentless b a c k b e a t serves as the fo u n d a tio n
on w h ic h they construct songs o f fru stration a n d d is illu
sionm ent.
A n y b o d y c o m p a rin g this w ith those late C h ic a g o lum i
narie s w ill be surprised to see the b oys re a c h in g tenta
cles never e x p lo re d by A lb in i & C o.
Listen to this w h ile d riv in g d o w n the m o to rw a y in the
m id d le o f the n ig h t. Ironic? P ro b a b ly not.
- C o lin Sim m ons
IRRADIATED CATALOGUE
July '87: Two live People; ltd. edn. cassette & bocAief (CASS001)
Nov '87: lighten Up V e il: im m
April '8 8 :2 0 Thousand Milionoiies;
April '88: No-one Feels: Aitonymes: ltd. edn. 7" (ANOOD*
Sept '88: Stop Or 1 Scream: LP (MDQ03)
Dec '88: Boomtown: fid. edn. 12 (12RAD001)
Irradiated Records are distributed by Rough Trade (UK,
West Germ any & Export), A aya Disques (France),
Ixihuluh (Austria), Rec Rec (Switzerland)
 OUT N O W
DIED PRETTY
LOST
(L P & C D C G A S 801)

LOUIS TILLET
EG O TRIPPING AT THE GATES OF HELL
(LP & CD CGAS 802)

POSITIVELY ELIZABETH STREET

11 TRACK SAMPLER
(LP & CD CGAS 803)

PORCELAIN BUS
TALKING TO G O D
(L P & C a C G A S 804)

HAREM SCAREM
LO A N D BEHOLD
(LP &CD CGAS 805)

CO M IN G SO O N
THE MOFFS
LABYRINTH

SCARED COWBOYS
TROUBLE FROM PROVIDEDNCE

NEW CHRISTS
DEBUT ALBUM

DISTRIBUTED IN THE UK BY ROUGH TRADE

IN GERMANY BY N0RMAL/RTG
IN BELUX BY MEGA DISC/DUREC0
IN FRANCE BY CLOSER RECORDS
CITADEL UK PH: (01) 354 0952 FAX: (01) 704 8452

A rtis t: M IC H A E L N E S M IT H

NEW RELEASE INFO T itle : T H E N E W E R S TU FF

F o rm a t: L P /C A S S /C .D .
R e le a s e D a te : 1 0 th A p r il

m ic h a e l n e s m it h
T H E N E W E R S T U F F - F E A T U R I N G RI O
What you have here is a record which contains most of the music I have recorded over the last
decade. Some of it has never been heard outside of my own circle of friends and loved ones. So,
it is with great joy that I watch the romantic and goofy notions contained in these songs once
again get their share of the sunlight.
There are those of you who will always have my heartfelt thanks for sticking with me and this
music. It has meant more than I can say to hear of your searches through the recycled record
bins and the thousands of flea markets and swap meets to find these songs. Now here they are
all dressed up in their new CD or Tape or Whatever, ready to play again, not only for you but for
new listeners. 7 7
O f course, these are not all the songs I have recorded. I chose these because.... well, just
because I did. They certainly aren't the "greatest hits" because none o f them ever really were
They aren't my "favourites" since I never really think of them that way. I suppose they just seem
more appropriate to the times. Whatever the reason, I offer them with the greatest of gratitude
and w ill be satisfied if they w ill return to you just a portion of the good you nave given me over

There are a few tunes which have never been previously released. "Tanya," "I'll Remember
You, and "Formosa Diner," "Dreamer" and "Tahiti Condo" were all written and recorded
around 1980 or '81 as part o f Video Ranch, which was, and is, a movie musical that so far has not
gotten beyond the script stage. I'm not sure if it ever will. Maybe if enough of you write in to . . .
uh, well there's the problem. I don't know who you should write to. Me, I guess, since I always
love to hear from you. Is it possible to start a petition to get yourself to do something? T H E N E W E R S T U F F - F E A T U R I N G RIO
You will note there are no songs from The Prison included on this record. None of them really
stand alone from that LP so I thought it best to wait until, and if, I re-release The Prison for those A L B U M : AW L 1014
songs to come back out as they were intended. C A SS .: A W T 1014 (In c l, 2 e x tra tracks)
One other thing, over the years I have made music videos of seven of these songs and have C .D .: A W C D 1014 (In c l, 4 e xtra tracks) j
just put them all together on a video cassette. If you want it and can't find it at the store send me
a letter or call me at Pacific Arts in L.A.
Awareness Records are distributed in the UK]by Revolver/The Cartel.

N E
/ you look, out o f y o u r
1
window a n d see the sun,
bright a n d cheery, h ear
a w fu l bu t sa tisfy in g
rumours o f the earth warm -
ing-up, but the moment you
step o u ts id e clo u d s sc u d
across the sky, trees snap an d
icebergs fill the Thames, then
you know its the start o f the
Festival Season. For the next 5
m onths, the highw ays a n d
byways o f Britain will be alive
with' th o u s a n d s o f p e o p le
hunting out some o f the best,
most exciting music fro m a ll
over the world in rain and,
sometimes, shine. D efinitely
time to stock-up on catalogue
o f the various artists perform -
ing season ally - w atch this
space fo r details.
So, w hile everybody is w ax
ing their Barbour Jackets and shav
ing the b o b b le s o ff their w oolly
jumpers, does anyone release any
thing? F'sure they do.
C o o k i n g V in y l, w ith th e
biggest release-to-staff ratio of any
label I've seen, bring us both the
excellent C ow b oy Ju n k ies' single
'S w e e t J a n e ' (FR Y 8/T) and the
new O y s te r B a n d album 'Ride'
(C O O K 020/ C / C D ). T h is is the
O y sters' third for the la b e l and
probably the best yet. A group that
knows exactly what it is doing and
is entirely comfortable doing it. O f
all the bands playing roots music
today none sound more contem po
rary, m ixing sounds, instrum ents
and influences with powerful lyrics
and an en th u siasm that sw eep s
on e alon g. T elfer & P rosser are
proving to be two o f the best song
writers around, and the dual attack
o f Jo n e s ' m elo d io n w ith T elfer's
fiddle is so intense that rock audi
ences will have n o problem listen
ing to th is (fo r th e m ) u n u su al
instrumentation. Side 1 is all self-
penned and in 'Tin Cans' the band
start dow n the road on w hich all
English Country D ance music must
fo llo w : c la s s ic fo lk d a n c e , bu t
e n tir e ly re le v a n t and e n tire ly
danceable in the '90s. Side 2 opens
with a brave stab at the traditional
'New York Girls' which, despite its
vigour, does not quite shake off the
spectre o f Steeleye Span's version
(with Peter Sellers on ukelele and
silly v o ic e ) w h ic h w as so
appallining that the song is entire
ly, eternally ruined for me. Those
w ho don't know that version are
lucky, you'll p ro bab ly love this.
'Take Me D ow n1 sees Jo h n Jo n es
re a lly le t rip o n v o c a ls and
'Cheekbone City' has som e marvel
lo u s in te rp la y b e tw e e n A lan
P rosser on guitar and the afo re
m entioned m elodion and fiddle.
GUY HAYDEN
W R
O Y ST ER BAN D
The last song on the album is 'Love
Vilgilantes', a brave co v er o f the
New Order song, which is actually
much better than the original and
is d e s tin e d fo r a irp la y , I'll b e
bound. 'Ride' is a very fine, confi
dent album which sets the standard
for any English group, folk or oth
erwise, to aim at and w hich marks
the O ysters as a potentially very
big-selling act indeed. Look out for
them with various label-m ates on
the 'Treat Your Feet' tour across the
n ation ov er th e n ext few w eek s
(dates from New Routes on appli
cation).
tay in g w ith
S
folk/dance side o f things
fo r a m in u te, R o g u e
R e c o r d s b rin g us th e
long-waited new album from C ock
& B u ll (FMSL2015/C). Now a 3-
p ie c e o f P e te L o ck w o o d , P aul
Martin and Jean-Pierre Rasle, this
hardw orkin g group from M ilton
Keynes has com e up with an excit
ing b le n d o f E n g lish & F ren ch
country dance. 'C o n crete R outes,
S acred Cow s' is an hugely enjoy
able record and, as produced by
Nigel Pegrum, their best to date.
'Stony Brawl' stands out, as does
the m edley o f 'Fine Companions,
T h e R h in e, R ond e Du Q u ercy '.
There is both an international and
a Barogue feel to this record. See
them if you possibly can.
FOLKS OF F
O U T E
pic Andrew Cleal
From no tio n al 18th Century
Europe to the nowaday USA, with
the first release this d ecade from
M ik e N e s m i th , th e re lu c ta n t
M o n k e e . 'T h e N e w e r S tu ff'
(AWLP/TC/CD1014) is a com bina
tion o f new and unreleased songs
on one side and 5 o f his best from
as far back as 7 6 on t'other (extra
track s o n b o th c a ss e tte & CD).
Nesmith's songs are whimsical and
ro m a n tic and lu sh ly p ro d u ced ,
d e liv e rin g w h at c a n o n ly b e
d escribed as a charm ing r e c o r d .. p re s e n te rs . In th e p re tty b u t
T he new er songs stand very well
alon g sid e the old, sh ow ing that
although not many peo p le got to
hear it w hen h e got it, he's never
th e
lost his touch. Many will rem em ber
'76's Top 30 hit, the classic 'Rio',
the full version o f w hich is includ
ed. Certainly Nesmith's finest com
m ercial m om ent, but w hen heard
in context in no way overshadows
his other songs. A tribute indeed to
th e s tre n g th o f h is w ritin g .
Congratulations to Awareness for
making this available.
'New Country' was an expres
sion o n e heard a lot o f a w hile
back, as was Independent Country,
to d escribe Country-tinged music
th at co u ld b e d is so c ia te d from
Nashville. O ne such act was, and
is, T h e L o n e s o m e S t r a n g e r s gramme waiting to b e made. This
w h o se s e lf-title d n e w albu m
(S P D / C 1 0 2 3 ) is o n S p e c i a l
D e l i v e r y (rid in g h ig h w ith
S
G reg so n & C o llister). 'G o o d b y e
L o n e so m e , H e llo B a b y D o ll1 (I
think!) is currently in B ilbo ard 's
Top 30 Country Singles Chart and
is a good taster for the album. This
is definitely country that ow es a lot
to rock 'n'roll and, w ith its en ter
tain in g lyrics and w ry delivery,
could b e one o f those rare things -
a crossover hit.
n e o f the m ost co n sis
O
tently good world music
labels is W orld Circuit,
w h o c e r ta in ly h a v e a
b u sy su m m er ahead.
'In d e p e n d e n c e ' (CD /PIR012) is
the first album from Mozambique's
O r c h e s t r a M a rr a b e n ta S ta r, a
15-piece band that is that country's
most popular group. Drawing on
the many traditional rhythms that
have survived Portugese colonial
ism , th e O rch estra p lay m od ern
M arrabenta m usic that is so alive
and vital that o n e can easily see
how it was considered a 'danger
ous' m usic b efo re ind epen den ce.
There are many nuances that may 9
sound fam iliar to W estern aud i
ences, but the overall impression is
unique and joyous. The excellent
sleeve notes explain all you could
want to know about the songs, and
have you wanting to know much
m ore, about the country, culture
and h isto ry o f th e hom e o f th e
Marrabenta rhythm. Brilliant.
Well, with all this great music
around and a TV show apparently
dedicated to bringing it to a wider
a u d ie n c e , w hat o f 'B ig W o rld
C a fe '? Sad ly , th is se e m s to b e
somewhat o f a missed opportunity.
The main problem is that to bring
m usic to a w ider au d ien ce, you
must attract that audience, w hich
m eans, in part, having the right
m oronic and intensely narcissistic
Eagle Eye Cherry and th e pretty
but m oronic what's-her-name BWC
undoubtedly had none. The show
therefore has had nothing to hold
it together and has b e en rem ark
able for not exacting one interest
in g s n ip p e t fro m an y o f th e
interview s or featu res seen . T he
id e a o f m ix in g h ip h o p , ro c k ,
world and avant-garde is a sound
one. However, that it now appears
to b e eschew ing any or all inde
p en den t m usic is an exam p le o f
h o w u n c o m fo r ta b le th e p r o
gramme makers have been in try
ing to m ake the show live up to its
a d v a n c e cla im s and id e a ls. A
shame, because I'm sure there's a
w o rk a b le an d w a tc h a b le p r o
has been very much less than the
sum of its parts.
Roots? Check 'em out!
 THE C A T A L O G U E F E AT U R E PROFI LE

------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------

BYRON COLEY DOES LUNCH

A small, birdlike hand, with fin
gers unfurled, com es snaking fast
across the table. SMACK! It deals a
resounding blow to my cheek and
people at other booths turn toward
ours. "W ake up, girl!" Ja y M ascis
sn eers. "We w ere a lw a y s into the
Cure."
"It's true," Lou Barton adds, toss
ing a glass full of strawberuy yeast-
shake into my lap. "My dad's cousin
used to go out with Robert Smith's
mom. Robbie even spent a summer
with my family once in the early sev
enties."
"Northampton has always been a
10 Cure tow n," som e m oron pipes in
from near my left elbow. Just at that
moment the turbanned, clog-wearing
waitperson decides she doesn't like
my looks and clocks me with a huge
ceramic teapot. I go out like a god
damn gigolo.
When I come to, a pixie is holding
my hand and I'm floating somewhere
ab ov e cen tral M assachu setts. "It's
true," she says. Her eyes tw inkle.
"Even when they were younger those
boys were very into the Cure."
She waves her little wand and I
"see" Ja y and his lu m berjack dad
w alk in g into N ortham p ton,
Massachusetts' Main Stret Records. Jay
tugs his dad's beard and whispers
something in his ear. His dad takes his
axe and splits the sales desk in twain.
"Do you have a copy of B oys D on't
Cry!" he bellows. "You need a n o th er,
Mr. Mascis?" a meek clerk asks. Jays
dad puts his hands on his hips, throws
b a ck h is h ead and lau ghs lik e a
steroid-packed burro.
A sprinkle of pink dust gets in my
eyes. W hen I rub it away the scene
has changed. Four figures with long
dreads, each lock capped with a large
clothespin, are huddled around some
musical instruments in a subway sta
tion. Three of the huddlers are skinny
as picks, the fourth is rather more sub
stantial and has a paint-splattered backsliding. Next you'll be wanting to
homemade shirt that reads "Mr. Pink do that stupid Frampton cover again."
Eyes". The three thin ones smile patheti-
"Look," Pink Eyes says, pointing caly and my eyes get dusty again.
his finger at one of the smaller guys. Now the setting has altered, but
"If you fuck up that change in 'Love the faces are the same. Pink Eyes is
Cats' o n ce m ore you'll b e playing sitting behind a huge oak desk, wear
Western Mass. Hard Core m atinees ing a three p iece suit. His girth is
your whole life." impressive and his hair is beautifully
"It's simple," he adds. Picking up a shaped. The rest of 'em are still skinny
guitar he strums some notes. "What's and hairy (though lacking cloth es
the problem, Mascis? Maybe you're pins) and they cower in rickety fold
just not cut out for street busking in ing chairs while Pink Eyes fires up a
Cambridge." He kicks a little pair of cigar with an ornate crystal lighter.
b o n g o s that have the w ords "You see this baby," Pink Eyes says,
"Clothespin Jr." stencilled on their gesturing with the huge trinket. "This
side. Striding b ack and forth, the was a little token of affection from
clothespins in his 'doo clack against Salem. You think those gals would
each other menacingly. "Jesus, you bother to stay with me if I w eren't
guys are pathetic. Do you want a big alw ays right? Kee-rist, they'd walk like
ger cut of the food, is that it? 'Cause if jailbirds the second I gave 'em a bad
that's it, forget it. I get half. That's piece of advice. And they're still here
final." and that means I'm always right. Read
"No, Gerard," one of them finally my lips No Frampton covers."
mumbles. "It's just..." "B -b-b-bu t Gerard," one o f the
"It's just whaft" Pink Eyes growls. rakes sputters. "Fram pton and the
"We just want to do some of the Cure... they're like the same thing
earlier Cure stuff. Stuff from B o y s only at different times."
Don't Cry." It comes out as a sniffle. Pink Eyes sights down his stogie.
"Fuck that," says Pink Eyes. "No "No Frampton. Period," he says as the

scene fades out.
My vision clears in a record store.
It smells like New York City and I'm
hovering over the divider card marked
"CURE". Two hands reach out for the
section simultaneously. One belongs
to M ascis, clad in R ob ert
Sm ith./Sm ash H its T-shirt, the other
mitt is attached to a gangly blonde
wearing a huge Madonna button on
his tails-ou t B an io n button-dow n.
They look at each other as their hands
touch.
"Guh head," mascis mutters.
"Thanks," the blonde says, pawing
through the sectio n like a hungry
goat, pulling about half the records
out of the bin while muttering, "Oh
shit. Great. Great. Etc. Etc." Finally he
has a stack o f about twenty LPs. He
turns to Mascis and says, "Your turn."
Mascis begins to poke tentatively
through the remaining discs, but he's
realy trying to get a surreptitious peek
at what he missed out on. Eventually
he gives up, looks up at the tall guy
and says, "The Cure rea lly rock .
Y'know?"
"Y eah. T o ta lly ," the b lo n d e
answers. "It's like they rock the way
SCREAMING TREES
B u s Factory. Complex machinery operate all night
long, creating a deafening drone. Thle eonlc aaeembfy line
oompoeee the soundtrack to a eeneory overload - with Black
Sun Morning, Rower Web, the amazing End of the Univerve
and eight oftere. SST 248 (LP/CA $7.50; CD $13.00)
Make check or money order payable in U.S. funds to SST Records P.O. Box 1, Lawndale, CA 90260. VISA, MasterCard & C.O.D. For merchandise call SST
Mail Order (213) 835-5810. For tour and general Info call the SST Hotline (213) 635-4955.
D I N O S A U R JR
F ram p ton w ould if he w as still
around. Or the way Madonna does.
It's like they're Frampton-The Group,
and Madonna is Frampton-The Chick.
Its just..."
"I know," Mascis says. "I know..."
"Hey man," the tall one says. "My
nam e's Thurston and I've got this
band . You sh ou ld co m e see us
ton ig h t. W e're lik e Fram p ton -era
Humble Pie mixed with the Cure back
in the Small Wonder days."
Mascis' eyes roll back in his head
and he sinks to the flo or. I start
towards him, but the pixie grabs my
wrist and shakes her head. W hen I
turn around the scene's changed agan.
Mascis and the two other skinny
guys are standing on a huge stage,
bathed in coloured spots, taking bows
while the air is split with applause.
They depart for the wings and a gale-
fo rc e roar fills the hall. Flam ing
lighters and matches are held aloft by
thousands of invisible hands and the
p u lse o f fe e t stom ping in u nison
makes everything quiver.
After endles, thudding minutes the
three emerge from behind the cur
tains. Accompanying them is a shock
E /\V 'ii\iG T rR i j \ i S
Transportation! D. Vie*. Po-f>ucK Thtery
101: The good die young and go to heaven; the bad, If
they're luoky, get to spend etemiy with the Leaving Trains.
The operating rule hero Is brevity: TO THE POINT. 1 a song
doesn't need to be longer than a minute, leave II The 15
tunes on this album say It short, sweet, and fart. This
consistency holds up through the anthemlo 'Payday, the
self-deprecating Worst', plus "Favorite Bar* and store*
(mindless & terrific). SST 221 (LP/CA $7.50; CD $13.00)
ingly pasty man wearing a dark suit,
precariously balancing a head of hair
as large as a small cow.
"Thanks people," Mascis shouts in
the microphone. "Thanks a goddamn
load. W e're back. And it gives me
enormous satisfaction to introduce a
good friend of ours, Robert Smith.
Now, Robbie and I..."
At that moment a horrendously
loud ringing, like an air-raid siren but
worse, cuts the aether. It pauses for a
second then starts again. Ja y starts
screaming obscenities and a frothing
Smith follows suit. The lights slowly
darken.
I open my peepers and the phone
is ringing. I pick up the receiver and
look at it. Finally I put it to my ear. It's
Pistol Pat Naylor from Blast First US.
She sounds drunk and she wants me
to guess what band Dinosaur Jr. do a
cover of on their next record. I tell her
I've got no fuckin' idea and slam the
phone down.
Y'know, I'll bet it's Madonna.
B yron C oley is Jazz E ditor o f Forced
E x p o s u r e (P O B o x 1 6 1 1 , W a lth a m ,
M A 02254, U SA ) and a u th o r o f biog rap h ies
of C h u ck N orris and M o tley C rue, b o th . 11
f I R E H O S E
fROMOHK). The fire rages on, as splslmeletens Watt,
Hurley and (bangl) Crawford roll over a spare rook In the
Midwest. Thunderbrooms beoome Ironing boards, the
drummer has some fun and Ed gate his name back by gMng
It up. Inoludee Time With You, In My Mind, Understanding,
eleven more. SST 235 (LP/CA $7.50; CD $13.00)
 A ndrea K usten introduces N ew Y o r k s
L AT E S T F L AME S
t I ^ >

rock'n'roll needs a good kick

E very f e w years, nal 'Sugar Love', the first song wrote that together." "Yeah,"
in the ass. When the final waves of last year's they ever wrote. continues the "Squidley one",
"latest" trends are being absorbed by the brain- Female bonding is an inte "we wrote it together then we

dead masses, those that really love and under gral part.of this group's mys both forgot it - we each

stand the potent art form known as rock'n'roll

tique, as Lunachicks, the gang
of friends, preceded
are anxiously sifting through the sounds bub Lunachicks, the band. Singer
bling up from the underground, waiting and Theo explains, "Me and
hoping to tap into something real... something (bassist) Squid got to be best
remembered it a different way,
so we just put the two parts
together and had a song..."
Once Luna-pal Sindi was con
vinced to dust off her long-for-

genuine that reminds them just why their life friends at like the end of gotten electric guitar and

revolves around a drummer's beat and the eighth grade. Gina (the lead Theo's (then) boyfriend, Mike

sound of a loud guitar.

guitarist) I had met like the Fasaro, was recruited to play
summer before... Squid was at drums, The Lunachicks were
(the High School of) hatched. This was in mid 1987
o many thousands of "Brady-Partridge Generation" Performing Arts and me an' and by Jan '88 The Lunachicks

S words have been

written trying to
describe the some
times elusive "spirit of rock
'n'roll", but one thing can be
said for it: you know it when
you see it; that sheer all-
encompassing passion for the
music and a lifestyle that
means freedom to express
oneself. It's a powerful thing,
especially in the hands of a
new generation.
Meet The Lunachicks, five
girls from the streets of
Brooklyn, New York, who live
and breathe the spirit of rock
'n'roll with a vengeance. They
represent the new wave of
folks just reaching their 20s;
the kids that were born in the
mud of Woodstock, who felt
the shockwaves of Glam and
Kissmania only to reject it for
the excitement of the p-
unk/hardcore movement.
They're a strange breed, these
children that grew up singing
along with the Partridge
Family and undoubtedly iden
tifying with one of the Brady
kids, while being subjected to
heavy doses of made-for-TV
movies and "after school spe
cials" about teenagers with
problems. The spirit of this
couldn't have embodied itself
in a better set of spokesper
sons than The Lunachicks. The
results of the combination of
musical and cultural influences
conjure images of what might
have happened had The
Runaways kidnapped the
Brady girls, force-fed them lots
of acid, let them rummage
through a Slade groupie's
wardrobe for something to
wear, and turned them loose at
a Motorhead concert.
Yes, folks, The Lunachicks
are bubbling up from the
underground and their melt
ing-pot sound should reach a
boil with the release of their
four song debut on Blast First.
The package is set to be
released as a gatefold double
7" set containing three origi
nals and one cover, 'Get Off
The Road' (from the film 'She
Devils On Wheels'), a nod to
girl gangs of the past. The orig
inals, which provide a good
introduction to The
Lunachicks' wild'n'wacky
worldview, include the hard
and fast ode to imagined bes
tiality, 'Makin' It With Other
Species', an upbeat rdcker
about spiritual possession by
'Jan Brady', and the phenome
Gina were at Music and Arts
and the schools merged..."
Rhythm guitarist Sindi, the
eldest original member of the
group, remembers meeting the
others "one day I was having a
party at my apartment..." Theo
interrupts, "No, that wasn't the
first time. The first time was
Jennifer's birthday party when
I was passed-out." Sindi con
tinues, "That was the first time
I met you... but you were
passed-out. And then the sec
ond time I met her she came to
a party at my house. She was
on quaaludes and there was
like these 14 year old girls in
my house and they were
soooo wasted I was like, oh-
my-God, who are these little
girls?!*1'
The four became fast
friends and the core of the
group was formed, though it
was several years before the
idea to have a band was seri
ously considered. "It started
with Gina and Squid, 'cause
Gina was learning guitar, so
Squid bought a bass," recalls
Theo, ever the extrovert, "so
naturally I volunteered to
sing."
Gina: "Our first song was
'Sugar Love'. Me an' Squid
were ready to explode onto
the NYC club scene.
Unlike the glut of all-female
groups inspired by the likes of
The Go-Gos, Bangles, et al, or
the ultra-serious, image-con-
cious metal girlbands, The
Lunachicks are a mega-explo
sion of glitter'n'gloop, blood-
'n'cookies and platforms'n'per-
sonality, with the roar of a
four-way, high speed collision
between The Ramones,
Stooges, Motorhead and Black
Sabbath. The guys who
showed up at Lunachicks gigs
expecting the usual heavy
metal leather'n'lace T&A dis
play were in for quite a sur
prise when confronted with
the sight of Theo in a blood-
spattered hospital gown, one
arm hooked to an IV bottle,
waving a rubber chicken in
their faces while singing about
roly-poly TV icon Mabel King.
New York audiences may have
been caught offguard by The
Lunachicks but the response to
the band was phenomenal.
Within months of their debut,
the girls were gigging regularly
on the club circuit, playing to
packed houses of ardent fol
lowers and curiosity-seekers
alike.

The one drawback The
Lunachicks faced throughout
1988 was the lack of a perma
nent drummer. Mike left the
girls to fend for themselves
when his own band,
Nevermore, was approached
by Rick Rubin and signed to
Def Jam. What followed was a
seemingly neverending pro
cession of temporary drum
mers, mostly friends in other
bands that could only obligate
themselves for a gig or two.
While the chore of breaking-in
a new drummer every few
weeks wore on everyone's
nerves, it gave the girls a
chance to fine-tune the
arrangements of their original
material and improve their
musicianship by leaps and
bounds. By the time they were
introduced to future perma
nent drummer Becky Wreck in
the fall of '88, they had devel
oped into a truly competent
band with a unique twist in
their strong sense of songwrit
ing.
Becky, a true rock'n'roll
gypsy, spent a decade globe
trotting and drumming with
such diverse acts as San
Francisco hardcore outfit
Clown Alley and La Muerte, a
death-rock band based in
Belgium. Becky remembers
Karen Carpenter as her first
inspiration to pick up the
sticks: "She was like the only
female drummer back then.
My folks took me to see The
Carpenters when I was a kid
and I was like so impressed
with that clear lucite drumset...
and Karen's purple granny
dress. I wanted that purple
granny dress."
In a typical Lunachicks set,
Theo brings the songs to life
by running through a gamut of
personalities, utilizing her
chameleon-like vocal chords, a
wide variety of facial expres
sions and a bag of stage props
for added clout. A highlight of
this Lunachick in action is her
dual role-playing in the audi
ence fave 'Babysitters On
Acid', which features her cari
cature of a suburban house
wife ("Hello dear, there's some
popcorn in here. There's soda
and ice-cream, but don't touch
the beer") interacting with her
THE L U N A C H I C K S
interpretation of the tripping
babysitter that inadvertently
cooks the baby in the oven
("Walls are melting. What's that
funny smell?").
It's quite a trip, surpassed
only by the tour-de-force per
formance that the band give
on 'Theme Song'. This pure
anger packaged as music is
like a ritual exorcism for The
Lunachicks. Theo is so con
vincing running around the
stage, wielding goop that
resembles coagulated blood
and screaming "I was gonna
kill you! I was gonna kill
you!", that the weak-hearted
usually run for the door. The
strong stay lined at the stage
banging their heads in rhythm
with this tribal release of
unadulterated rage that usually
culminates with Theo lying on
the floor, sobbing, while the
band creates an almost intoler
able swell of feedback.
When queried about the
inspiration for 'Theme Song1,
p ic : M ic h e a l L a v in e
Theo giggles and responds,
"Oh well, one day I was on the
subway and I was imagining
how mad I'd be if someone
took a permanent marker and
Gwrote all over my Ace
Frehley jacket."
All of the girls are surpris
ingly upbeat people. When the
authouresses of such anti-sta
tus quo anthems as 'Glad I'm
Not Yew' and 'Born To Be
Mild' are baited into an antici
pated tirade on yuppies and
middle Americans, the surpris
ing response is, "We don't hate
anybody... But we'd like to
wake them up."
The Lunachicks' music is so
much their own that attempt
ing to describe it is almost
pointless, but it is interesting to
examine their influences. With
parents ranging from moder
ates to out-and-out hippies, all
the girls grew up with a home
listening environment full of
'60s and '70s classics. Sindi
evan recalls meeting Jimi
Hendrix as a toddler, and
Becky claims to have been
introduced to Janis Joplin "at
some music fair in Atlantic
City." The all-important, first
adolescent absorption into a
rock'n'roll scene, however,
occurred for the girls during
the punk rock explosion.
Sindi: "I was in England during
the summer of 77. I was 13."
'Nuff said.
Theo: "The first shows I
went to in NY were like hard
core and stuff..." thus the
hard/fast element of The
Lunachicks sound.
What about the 70s influ
ence, both musically and visu
ally? Theo: "I don't believe all
this stuff about a 70s revival. I
mean, these were the influ
ences we grew up with, a part
of our life", though both she
and Sindi admit that the band's
fixation on Kiss, Alice Cooper,
etc., was largely a process of
discovery.
As far as their relationship
to the NYC music scene, The
Lunachicks continue to share
the bill with such diverse
bands as Da Willys, Freaks,
Sloth, Sharkey's Machine,
Raging Slab, PMS, Krave and
even Sonic Youth, who pro
duced one of the band's earlier
demos and introduced them to
Blast First.
In an attempt to slap a label
on a new generation of bands
busting out of the Lower east
Side, some opportunistic pro
moters have coined the term
"scumrock", to which Sindi
points out "I don't know why
they have to put a label on it.
What they're calling scumrock,
I think, is mostly people that
were punks that are now out
growing it."
With a successful tour of
California under their belts and
an impending trip to England
fast approaching, Sindi is opti
mistic about the band's future
in the new music scene. "We
want to be considered the
forefathers, er, foremothers of
whatever it's going to be
called."
Andrea K listen is a member
of N Y group The Freaks and a
contract ninja killer for V illage
Voice.
A P R I L N E W

R E L E A S E S
INFORMATION CORRECT BOLD LISTINGS: OUT NOW
AT PRESS TIME ITALIC LISTINGS: DUE THIS MONTH

ALBUMS
AUTOPSY: SEVERED SURVIVAL........................ ......................PEACEVILLE (VILE012)
BAND OF SUSANS: LOVE AGENDA................. ...................... BLAST FIRST (BFFP43)
BARBARIAN LOVERS: THE FATAL EMBRACE .....................................AURA (AUL735)
From Long Island, NY
B L U R T : KENNY ROGERS GREATEST HIT (TAKE 2 ) ............................. TOEBLOCK (TBLP666)
B O IL E D IN LEAD: FROM THE LADLE TO THE GRAVE........ COOKING VINYL (C 0 0 K 0 1 5)
G L E N BRANCA: SYM PHONY NO. 6 .....................................................BLAST FIRST (BFFP39)
R H Y S CH A TH A M : DIE DONNERGOTTER...................................... HOMESTEAD (H M S 120-1)
C O W B O Y JU N K IES: THE TRINITY SESSIONS.........................COOKING VINYL (C 00K 011 )
P E T E R C O Y L E : I'D S A C R IF IC E 8 O R G A SM S W IT H S H IR LE Y M A C L A IN E JU ST
TO BE THERE...............................................BIG BIG MASSIVE (BBM LP001)
C R U E L LA : VENGEANCE IS M IN E ................................................................. U S . METAL (US013)
D E A T H IN JUNE: OH HOW WE LAUGHED...............EYAS MEDIA (EYAS011) Live in 1982.
DE ATH RA G E: SELF CONDITIONED - SELF L IM IT E D ............................ SHARK (SHARK011)
D E C A D E N C E W IT H IN : THIS LUNACY.....................................................PEACEVILLE (VILE10)
D E S T IN Y : ATOMIC W INTER............................................................................U.S. METAL (US014)
D O O M /N O SEC U R ITY (SW EDEN): BURY THE DEBT
PEACEVILLE (VILE011)
E D W A R D II & THE RED HOT POLKAS: TWO STEP TO HEAVEN...........COOKING VINYL
(COOK019)
FR E A ko H O W : S /T .......................................................................................................AURA (AUL734)
T H E FROGS: IT'S ONLY RIGHT & NATURAL................................. HOMESTEAD (H M S 169-1)
R O Y HARPER: FLASHES FROM THE ARCHIVES OF OBLIVIO N......................AWARENESS
(AW LP1012) Dbl. LP.
H O L E : OTHER TONGUES OTHER FLE S H ............................................ EYAS MEDIA (EYAS017)
Debut mini LP.
JA IL C E L L R EC IPES: ENERGY IN AN EMPTY TANK ............................ FIRST STRIKE (FST3)
M A H E N D R A KAPOOR: FROM BIRMINGHAM TO SOUTHALL....MULTITONE (M U T1069)
Bhangra from one of India's biggest male artists.
S E X CLARK FIV E : STRUM & D R U M ..................................................SUBWAY (SUB0RG007)
S H A V A SHAVA: BACHKE RAHEYO....................................MULTITONE (M U T1067) Bhangra.
N IK K I SUDDEN & THE FRENCH REVOLUTION: GROOVE CREATION (CRELP041D)
Mid price dbl. LP.
S W A L L O W : S /T .................................................................................................. TUPELO (TUPLP001)
TO R A N A G A : BASTARD BALLADS.......................................................... PEACEVILLE (VILE005)
V A R IO U S : NORTH ATLANTIC NOISE.................................................. M ANIC EARS (ACHE017)
V A R IO U S : TECHNOLOGICAL...................... BLUE CHIP (BLUETEC1) Detriot Techno-dance.
V A R IO U S : TOTALLY W IR E D ...................................................................ACID JAZZ (JAZIDLP013)
V A R IO U S : W ORONZOID......................WORONZOW (W 010) Dbl. LP budget priced sampler.

A S M S TIETCHENS: A.BFLEISCHUNG H AM STER .............................................. (HAM25)

Experimental/ambient. Early Apr.
BULLET LA VOLTA: ................................................................................... TAANG! T029) Apr
TERRY BURROWS: THE WHISPERING SCALE ....................................HAMSTER (HAM26)
Experimental/ambient. Early Apr.
CASINO ROYALE: SOMEONE SAYS ................................................. UNICORN (PHZA032) 1
talian ska/soul. Early Apr.
CHAM PION DOUG VEITCH: T.B.A............................................... BONGO (CDVLP001) Apr.
COCK & BULL: CONCRETE ROUTES SACRED COWS........................ ROGUE (FMSL2015)
Anglo-French roots. M id Apr.
COLBCUT: WHAT'S THAT NOISE ............... AHEAD OF OUR TIME (CCUTLP001) M id Apr.
CRANES: SELF NON-SELF .................................................................... BITE BACK! (BBI017)
M in i LP o f dance noise terror. Late Apr.
THE CREEPS: NOW DIG THIS ............................. RE-ELECT THE PRESIDENT (KENNEDY3)
Swedish garage rock. Early Apr.
CURRENT 9 3 : EARTH COVERS.................................... UNITED DAIRIES (UD029) M id Apr.
DAW N AFTER D ARK: T.B.A.......................................... CHAPTER 22 (CHAPLP41) Late Apr.
DEEP FREEZE M IC E : LIVE IN SWITZERLAND ............................................. LOGICAL FISH
(LOGICALFISH1) Early Apr.
EASTERHOUSE: WAITING FOR THE RED BIRD ............. ROUGH TRADE (R124) Early Apr.
8 0 8 STATE: T.B.A....................................................................... CREED (STATE004) M id Apr.
BARBARA JE A N ENGLISH: EXPERIENCE..................................BLUE CHIP (BLUEBJLP1)
House/soul by veteran NY songstress. M id Apr.
GIBSON BROS.: ....DEDICATED FOOL ........................ HOMESTEAD (HMS141-1) Late Apr.
THE GRISWALDS: T.B.A..................................... NERVOUS (NERD047) Rockabilly. Late Apr.
H ALF JAPANESE: THE BAND WHO WOULD BE KING ................... 50SK ID ILLI0N WATTS
(HALF8-1) M id Apr.
HONOR ROLE: RICTUS .................................................HOMESTEAD (HMS102-1) Late A pr
JA D FA IR 8 DANIEL JOHNSTONE: S/T. ......... 50 SKIDILLION WATTS (JAD9-1) M id Apr.
JERRY'S K ID S : KILL, KILL, K IL L ............................................................TAANG! (T027) Apr.
JU S T IC E : THE DESOLATE ONE ........................... SLEEPING BAG (SBUKLP005) Early Apr.
LEMONHEADS: LIC K ............................................................................... TAANG! (T032) Apr.
LONESOME STRANGERS: S/T ........................................... SPECIAL DELIVERY (SPD1023)
Raunchy country-tied guitar band from LA. Late Apr.
 THE MONOTONY COM MISSIO N: ONE HAND TURNS TO HEAVEN..... MIDNIGHT MUSIC
(CHIMEOO.46S) '60s meet. 80s head on.Late Apr.
M U T E DRIVERS: WAITING FOR WORLD WAR I I I ............. IRRADIATED (MD004) M id Apr. '
M ICHAEL N ESM ITH: BEST OF .................................................... AWARENESS (AWL1014)
Comp. inc. h it "R10 single. M id Apr.
OYSTER B AND: RIDE................................................ COOKING VINYL (COOK020) M id Apr. PROUDLY PRESENTS
PARADISE VENDOR: THIS IS PARADISE ............................. PLASTIC HEAD (PLASLP020)
Very K illing Joke. M in i LP. M id A pr
PASTELS: SITTING PRETTY .............................................................. CHAPTER (CHAPLP43) KITCHENS OF DISTINCTION
1st studio LP fo r over 18 months. Late A pr "The 3rd Time We Opened The Capsule"
PIX IE S: DOOLITTLE .......................................................................4.A.D. (CAD905) M id A pr
REZILLOS: T.B.A....................................................... DAMAGED GOODS (FNARR4) M id Apr. One Little Indian (12/TP019) 7/12
APNA SANGEET: CHAKDEYPHATTAY........................................... MULTITONE(MUT1072)
Big bhangra group. Early Apr.
SPRINGFIELDS: T.B.A.....................................................SUBWAY(SUB0RG6) M in i LP Apr. THE PASTELS Sitting
SUGAR RAY & THE BLUETONES: KNOCKOUT!.................................SPECIAL DELIVERY Chapter 22 (CHAPLP43)
(SPD1021) Boston bar-room R & B . Late A pr
THE SURF RATS: STRAIGHT BETWEEN THE EYES................ LOST MOMENT (LMLP069)
Rockabilly. Late Apr. THE BODINES "Decide"
M O E TUCKER: LIFE IN EXILE AFTER ABDICATION ......................... 50 SKIDILLION WATTS
(M 0E7-1) Early Apr. Play Hard (DEC18) 12"
VARIOUS: ......................................A TACKY SOUVENIR OF PRE-REVOLUTIONARY NORTH UlL 4K tB *
OF ENGLAND BOP(BIP501) The future o f house! M id Apr.
VARIOUS: AMERICAN ROCKABILLY - THE COMPILATION ............. NERVOUS (NERD048) VARIOUS "Ska-Ba-Dip - Essential King
Rockabilly. Late Apr. Edwards"
VARIOUS: EDWARD NOT EDWARD.....................................WOODEN (W 00D007) M id A pr
VARIOUS: PRIDE OF INDEPENDENTS................................................. BEECHWOOD (TT06)
Icicle (KELP002) LP
20 independent chart hits. M id Apr.
VARIOUS: SKA-BA-DIP ESSENTIAL KING EDWARDS ............................ ICICLE (KELP002)
VARIOUS "Edward Not Edward"
Follow up to "King Edward Presents". M id Apr.
WOLFHOUNDS: BRIGHT & GUILTY .............. MIDNIGHT MUSIC (CHIME00.48S) Late Apr. Wooden (WOOD007) LP
XYSTER: IN GOOD FAITH ............................. CMFT (CMFT2) Thrash/death metal. M id Apr.
12" SINGLES CASINO ROYALE "Ten Golden Guns"
AND ALSO THE TREES: LADY D'ARBANVILLE......................................... REFLEX (RE015T) Unicorn (PHZA32) LP
DAT SOUND & KOTA: I LIKE THE WAY YOU DO IT.....................SHELL SHOCK (SSR001)
DJ DZIRE: BAD PLACE TO GET H IT ..............................FURIOUS FISH (FFD002) Rap/funk.

GONZALEZ: HAVEN'T STOPPED DANCING YET.................. DANCE ON WAX (DANCE112) NINE MILE DISTRIBUTION
Hi-NRG reissue.
GROOVE FARM: HATE US & WE'LL LOVE YOU TO DEATH EP.......................RAVING POP 6 New Street
BLAST(RAVEOOIT) Warwick CV34 4RX
IN MOTION: AINT NOBODY............................................................BLUE CHIP (BLUECHIP15)
Dance re-working of Chaka Khan hit.
LAY-ZEE MUTHAS: CUT & R U N ....................................................... ACID JAZZ (JAZID011T)
MAROON TOWN: POUND TO THE DOLLAR................................ STACCATO (12RUDE002)
THE MOMENT: READY TO FALL.............................................................BIG STUFF (STUFF1)
RORSHACH: 2 BUSTED FLIPPERS.................................................. BIG TRUCK (TRUCK001) NEW FROM BACKS DISTRIBUTION
SIXTH COMM: THE TASTE OF FLESH.............................................EYAS MEDIA (EYAS005)
First ed. of their debut 12". BLUE CHIP
SICA VILLE TRAIN: COOL IT O U T................................................ TOP BEAT (TBUK002) Ska. BARBARA JEAN ENG LISH - EXPERIENC E
TRU FUNK POSSE: BREAK THE BEAT........................................ THREE STRIPE (SAM1115)
LP/CD - BLUE BJ L P /C D 1
IN MOTION - AINT NOBODY
ANGELS IN A S P IC : ....................... DRIVE M E TO THE CENTRE OF M AXIMUM PLEASURE- 12" - BLUECHIP 15
SUSPENDED JELLY (SJR2) Second single. Late Apr.
BEAT HOTEL: HEY HEY AUDACIOUS................................. HOUSEHOLD (H0LD006T) A pr
PUBLIC DOMAIN
H E ID I BERRY: BELOW THE WAVES....................................CREATION (CRELP48) M id Apr LITTLE RED S C HO O LH O USE
THEBODINES: DECIDE ...........................................................PLAYHARD (DEC18) M id Apr. G RO O VY - LP - DOM 3
CHESTERFIELDS: FOOL IS A MAN. ..................HOUSEHOLD (HOLD005T) 4 track EP. Apr.
DAW N AFTER D AR K : HABIT ........................................CHAPTER 2 2 (12CHAP40) M id Apr.
PLASTICHEAD
DINOSAUR J R : JUS HEAVEN ................................................BLAST FIRST (BFFP47) TH E G ADGETS
1 sided, etched on flip, extra track on 12". Early Apr. - INFANTREE - LP - PLA S LP12
D JD Y N A M IX : T.B.A.......................................................................... G-ZONE(TBA) M id Apr. - G ADG ETREE - LP - PLASLP 13
ECSTACY CLUB: T.B.A........................................................ SWORDFISH (DROP3) M id Apr. - LOVE C U R IO S ITY FRECKLES & DOUBT
FIESTA: BRILLIANT .......................................................... VCN (12VCN6) Hi-NRG. Early Apr. LP - PLASLP 14
H IT THE ROOF: CONTACT.................................... ONE LITTIE INDIAN (12TP I5) Early Apr
INSPIRAL CARPETS: PLANE CRASH ........... COW (M 0 0 1 ) 1st single reissued. Early Apr. - TH E BLUE ALBUM - LP - PLASLP 16
KILGORE TROUT: T.B.A.................................................. THUNDERBALL (12TBL3) Late Apr. WAX
K LF: LOVE TRANCE.......................................................................... KLF (KLF006T) M id A pr
L KAGE: LIKE A BUTILRFLY .................................................. G K G II2 2 ) VeryFYC. M id Apr. ARNOLD C O R NS (Bowie) - HANG O N TO YOURSELF
LAR R Y & THE ACTORS: CRASHING THE GATE......................................... PLASTIC HEAD 12" - 12 WAX 5

LEOERNACKEN: WHEALIN' & DEALIN'................................ DEUTSCHLAND STRIKEBACK

(PLASS010) M id Apr. SOUL SUPPLY
(SBR26T)Late Apr. VARIOUS - NORTHERN SO UL STORY Vol.16
PRINCE BUSTER & THE TROJANS: STACK-O-LEEGAZ'S ............................ (12GAZ010) *' D bleLP - L P S D 135
Ska meets New Orleans. Early Apr. VARIOUS - TH E SO UL O F D ETROIT
R H YTH M M ODE D : FLEX WITH THE POSSE ........................... BLUE CHIP (BLUECHIP18) Dble LP - LPSD 136
H ip hop. Early Apr.
SINS OF THE FLESH: FLESH & BLOOD ................................. PLASTIC HEAD (PLASS011) SUSPENDED JELLY
Popular Goth band. M id A pr ANGELS IN ASPIC - DRIVE ME TO TH E C ENTRE...
THESHEETCHES: SOMETIMES THAT'S ALL WE HAVE ..CREATION (CRELP043) M id Apr. .12" - S JR 2
SYN-DEE: WHICH WAY IS UP ............................................. BIG ONE (VVBIG014) Early Apr.
2 B A D : S/T................................................................ SLEEPING BAG (SBUK009T) Early Apr. BACKS DISTRIBUTION
- '
ST. M ARYS WORKS, ST. MARY'S PLAIN,
NO RW ICH, PHONE: (0603) 624290
ALL R ECO R DS D ISTRIBUTED BY TH E CARTEL
 VjoWDY! The Sarae asked me clue HMAfW
>A FR IC A: SIMPLE WORDS................................ RED RIVER (MRC096) Late Apr.
you -folks ro w ith what's new
" , his pals at FAST 7" & 12" SINGLES
:9 r Wa B D , E dinburgh's, BIRDLAND: HOLLOW HEART/THE BIRDLAND E P ................................. LAZY (LAZY013(T))
COWBOY JUNKIES: SWEET JANE........................................ COOKING VINYL (FRY008(T))
rock'n ro ll M otorTbol! MOMUS: HAIRSTYLE OF THE DEVIL.................................................CREATION (CRE063(T))
SHIMMYDISC is Budget price ltd. ed. 7", extra track on 12".
distributed in-the PACIFIC: SHRIFT.................................................................................. CREATION (CRE064(T))
Budget price ltd. ed. 7", extra track on 12".
UK exclusively WESTERN PROMISE: IF YOU TELL ME YOU LOVE ME........................ MIDNIGHT MUSIC
w these critters. (DING/DONG049) Budget priced 1 sided 7".
Thatincludes
[3 6 WATERS IAN BROUDIE: PURE & SIMPLE..................................................... GHETTO (TBA) Late Apr.
: r ix x je i DANIELLE B A X : WHITE KNUCKLE RIDE ......................AWESOME (A0R023(T)) Early Apr.
pTSUMMERalbwn 14 ICED BEARS: MOTHER SLEEP........................................THUNDERBALL (7/12TBL002)
Budget price 7". Early A pr
j'andthe'D B.TlU i KITCHENS OF DISTINCTION: T.B.A................ ONE U H L E INDIAN (7/12TP19) Early Apr.
CPTLikewisel/ LATIFAH: WRATH OF M Y MADNESS ....................................... GEE STREET (TBA) Late Apr.
[exclusive are-ltese LESENFANTS TERRIBLES: T.B.A............................ MIDNIGHT MUSIC (DING/DONG051)
Budget price 1 sided 7 ' from French group. Late Apr.
JP A M C ertR IA M IRAC LE LEGION: YOU'RE THE ONLY..................... ROUGH TRADE (RT(T)226) Early Apr.
rtio 0 ie s b y OYSTER B AND: NEW YORK GIRLS ....................................... COOKING VINYL (FRY009(T))
Prev. unavailable B-side. Extra track on 12". Late Apr.
^THEftJUEN' R ICHIE R IC H: ROCKING ON THE GO-GO SCENE ...... GEE STREET (GEE(T)012) Early Apr.
'C tW ffC lS 'm in iL P P M M LfO O J SNAKE CORPS: CALLING YOU ................................ MIDNIGHT MUSIC (DING/DONG050)
r M cCARlHY- la 6uillotine^,, Budget priced 1 sided 7". M id Apr.
WOLFHOUNDS: HAPPY SHOPPER........................... MIDNIGHT MUSIC (DING/DONG046)
^y&JUS ftV T f^P - M ars' dawmlp on Budget priced 1 sided 7". Early A pr
olXCdMM(^O-TurnofThe Wh^fp YAZZ: WHERE HAS ALL THE LOVE GONE ...........................BIG LIFE (BLR008(T)) M id Apr.

1<3 >(10 ONE-T>anpfttiQ>w3i*S

A fFB3kft2UZfsh... IW9 CP1)
ROKAAAA:The 9ecre+Eyeof LaylaH*
(LP-PEf?aog)
and last but not lea st OALAXIE SCO 's
Todayip(Auioefl Au<y>2)repafte4 /a|ave
^Collectivespin atSomeYouiH HQ A ll-froM ..
l r\w> i FORWARD
RKX -031 226 3133/-PH0UE- 031220 3129
7 " SINGLES
DR & THE CRIPPENS: LIVE...............................................................FIRST STRIKE (FST004)
FASTBACKS: IN THE WINTER...............SUBWAY (SUBWAY024) Seattle's best pop outfit.
GREAT PLAINS: EXERCISE.............................................................HOMESTEAD (HMS129-7)
HERESY: WHOSE GENERATION?.................................................. IN YOUR FACE (FACE004)
BASTRO: SHOOT M E A DEER..................................... HOMESTEAD (HMS131-7) Early Apr.
THE BUSTERS: SOMEONE SA YS ........ UNICORN (PHZ037) New ska pop single. M id Apr.
EM2 4PS
H AP P Y FLOWERS: BB GUN ........................................HOMESTEAD!HMS i 35-7jfa riy Apr.
LEMONHEADS: LUKA .............................................................................. TAANG! (T031)Apr.

f lr 4 A S T ***-*'
CASSETTES
A U T O P S Y : SEVERED SURVIVAL........................................................ PEACEVILLE (VILEC012)
THf SECOHP f*Hl,K B A N D OF SUSANS: LOVE AGENDA....................................................BLAST FIRST (BFFP43C)
- ) ] B O IL E D IN LEAD: FROM THE LADLE TO THE GRAVE...... COOKING VINYL (COOKC015)
Co m ?U.AT?H / '
| / > /Crr O G L E N BRANCA: SYM PHONY NO. 6 ....................................................BLAST FIRST (BFFP39C)
* ' /y R H Y S CH A TH A M : DIE DONNERGOTTER...................................... HOMESTEAD (H M S 120-4)
C O W B O Y JU N K IES: THE TRINITY SESSIONS..................... COOKING VINYL (COOKC011)
E D W A R D II & THE RED HOT POLKAS: TWO STEP TO HEAVEN...........COOKING VINYL
(COOKC019)

' S Sja /&

v
g S T H E FROGS: IT'S ONLY RIGHT & NATURAL................................. HOMESTEAD (H M S 1 69-4)
R O Y HARPER: FLASHES FROM THE ARCHIVES OF OBLIVIO N ...................... AWARENESS
(AW TC1012) Dbl. play cassette.
H A T S H E P S U T :.....................................................................BOP (BIP504) Parisienne world jazz.
M A H E N D R A KAPOOR: FROM BIRMINGHAM TO SOUTHALL .MULTITONE (C M U T1069)
T H E M A N FR O M DELM O NTE: BIG N O IS E ...........................................................BOP(BIP503)
(5 ? B A l Live at the Broadwalk, Manchester.
K : ' R E B A : RAGASANGEET................................................. BOP (BIP402) N. Indian classical vocal.
S H A V A SHAVA: BACHKE RAHEYO................................................... MULTITONE (C M U T1067)
S IX T H C O M M : A NOTHING LIFE...........................................................EYAS MEDIA (EYAS003)
Ltd. ed. of 990 w/hand mounted sleeve.
-JUUIt ^.w T O S S THE FEATHERS: LIVE AT THE 3 2 ................................................................BOP (BIP304)
I1M W t H H K - l t f g # T H & v r T H E UKULELE ORCHESTRA OF GREAT B R ITA IN : UKULELE VARIATIONS.....DISCETH-
NIQUE (EFNIZZZ002)

BETAAB SANGEET: CHALLA CHALLA .................... BOP (BIP405) Bhangra beat. Early Apr.
BULLET LA V O LTA :.............................................................................. TAANG!(T029C) Apr.
COCK & BULL: CONCRETE ROUTES SACRED COWS ........................ ROGUE (FMSL3015)
Anglo-French roots. M id Apr.
COLDCUT: WHAT'S THAT NOISE ............... AHEAD OF OUR TIME(CCUTMCOOI) M id Apr.
T lf l / GIBSON BROS.: ....DEDICATED FOO L ........................ HOMESTEAD (HMS141-4) Late A pr
GORE TO EARTH: VEGETARIAN BULLFIGHTER...................... PROBE PLUS (PROBE015C)
v ftAis aiUieji ^ Cass, version w/extra & longer tracks. M id A pr
HALF JAPANESE: THE BAND WHO WOULD BE KING ....................50 SKIDILLION W AHS
(HALF8-4) M id Apr.
HONOR ROLE: RICTUS ................................................. HOMESTEAD (HMS102-4) Late Apr
JAG FA IR & DAHIEL JOHNSTONE: S/T.......... 50 SKIDILLION WAWS (JAD9-4) M id Apr.
JER R Y'S K ID S: KILL, KILL, KILL ......................................................... TAANG! (T027C) A pr

^ lY i N G i
JU S T IC E : THE DESOLATE ONE......................... SLEEPING BAG (SBUKMC005) Early Apr.
v < LEMONHEADS: LIC K .............................................................................TAANG! (T032C) Apr.
LONESOME STRANGERS: S/T......................... SPECIAL DELIVERY (SPDC1023) Late Apr
M ICHAEL N ESM ITH : BEST OF..................................... AWARENESS (AWT i 014) M id Apr
^ s r i S k * f m .
THE OH SET: THE POOL OF LIFE .............................................PROBE PLUS (PROBE019C)
Country/roots mersey beat now on cass. w/extra tracks. M id Apr.
OYSTER B AND: RIDE.............................................. COOKING VINYL (COOKC020) M id Apr.
PASTELS: SITTING PRETTY.............................................. CHAPTER (CHAPMC43) Late Apr.
V O LU M E 6
P IX IE S : D O O LIITIE ..................................................................... 4.A.D. (CADC905) M id Apr.
APNA SAHGEET: CHAKDEY PHATTAY.......................MULTITONE (CMUT1072) Early Apr.
M O E TUCKER: LIFE IN EXILE AFTER ABDICATION ............................ SKIDILLION WATTS
(M 0E7-4) Early Apr.
VARIOUS: A TACKY SOUVENIR OF PRE-REVOLUTIONARY NORTH OF ENGLAND BOP
(BIP501) M id A pr
VARIOUS: PRIDE OF INDEPENDENTS............................ BEECHWOOD (TT06MC) M id Apr
WOLFHOUNDS: BRIGHT & GUILTY ........... MIDNIGHT MUSIC (CHIME00.48CC) Late Apr.
XYSTER: IN GOOD FAITH.............................................................. CMFT (CMFT2C) M id Apr.

COMPACT DISCS
A U T O P S Y : SEVERED SURVIVAL......................................................PEACEVILLE (VILECD012)
B A N D OF SUSANS: LOVE A G EN D A ................................................BLAST FIRST (BFFP43CD)
B L U R T : KENNY ROGERS GREATEST HIT (TAKE 2 ) ............................ TOEBLOCK (TBCD666)
B O IL E D IN LEAD: FROM THE LADLE TO THE GRAVE ....COOKING VINYL (COOKCD015)
G L E N BRANCA: SYM PHONY NO. 6 ................................................BLAST FIRST (BFFP39CD)
R H Y S C H A TH A M : DIE DONNERGOTTER..................................... HOMESTEAD (H M S 120-2)
C O W B O Y JU N K IES: THE TRINITY SESSIONS.................. COOKING VINYL (COOKCD011)
P E T E R C O Y L E : I'D S A C R IF IC E 8 O R G A S M S W IT H S H IR LE Y M A C L A IN E JU ST
TO BE THERE...............................................BIG BIG MASSIVE (BBM CD001)
D E S T IN Y : ATOMIC W INTER...................................................................... U.S. METAL (US014CD)
D O O M : TOTAL DO O M ............................................................................. PEACEVILLE (VILE011 CD)
E D W A R D II & TH E RED HOT POLKAS: TWO STEP TO HEAVEN............ COOKING VINYL
(C 0 0K C D 019 )
R O Y HA R PER : FLASHES FROM THE ARCHIVES OF O BLIVIO N ......................AWARENESS
(AW CD1012)
T H E HO RSEFLIES: HUMAN FLY............................................ COOKING VINYL (COOKCD013)
M A H E N D R A KAPOOR: FROM BIRMINGHAM TO SOUTHALL .MU ITITO N E (D M U T1069)
N IK K I SUDDEN & TH E FRENCH REVO LUTIO N: GROOVE....CREATION (CRELPCD041)
S W A L L O W : S / i .................................................................................................. TUPELO (TUPCD001)
TO R A N A G A : BASTARD BALLADS.....................................................PEACEVILLE (VILE005CD)
T H E TRO JANS: A LA S K A ................................................. GAZ'S (CDGAZ002)Ska, extra tracks. OUT NOWON DOUBLE ALBUM
V A R IO U S : NORTH ATLANTIC NOISE.................................................. MANIC EARS (ACHE017)
V A R IO U S : ACID BEAT.................................................................. TEMPLE (TOPYCD041)
V A R IO U S : TOTALLY W IR E D ..................................................................ACID JAZZ FJAZIDCD013)
AVAILABLE AS DOUBLE ALBUM
(GATEFOLD SLEEVE) CD DOUBLE PLAY
H E ID I BERRY: BELOW THE WAVES.......... . CREATION (CRELP48CD) Extra track. M id Apr.
CASSETTE FEATURING
BULLET LA VOLTA: TAANG! ............................. (T029CD) 7 extra songs. Apr. 17
C H AM PIO N DOUB VEITCH: T.B.A ................................ BONGO (CDVMC001) Apr. 20 OF THE BEST INDIE HIT
SHEILA CHANDRA: THE STRUGGLE ........ ...........M NW (SCHCD3) N ow on CD. Early Apr.
COLDCUT: WHAT'S THAT NOISE................ .AHEAD OF OUR TIME (CCUTCD001) M id Apr.
SINGLES AROUND
BARBARA JEAN ENGLISH: EXPERIENCE. ...... BLUE CHIP (BLUEBJCD1) M id Apr.
FLA M IN G GROOVIES: ONE NIGHT STAND ........... ABC (ABCD010) Apr. SHAMEN VS BAM BAM THE WEDBIN6 PHESENT
GUN CLUB: THE BIRTH, THE DEATH, THE GHOST ...... ABC (ABCD001) Apr.
HALF JAPANESE: THE BAND WHO WOULD BE KING. 50 SKIDILLION WATTS
LOOP A GUY CALLEO GERALD SPACEMEN 3
(HALF8-2) M id Apr. BRADFORD INSPIRAL CARPETS SANDIE SHAW
JAD FA IR & DANIEL JOHNSTONE: S/T... 50 SKIDILLION W AH S (JAD9-2) M id Apr. CHRISTIAN DEATH THE SNAPDRAGONS
JER R Y'S K ID S : KILL, KILL, K IL L .............. ............................... TAANG! (T027CD) Apr.
LEMONHEAOS: LIC K ................................ ................................ TAANG! (T032CD) Apr. THE SCREAMING TREES THE PARACHUTE MEN
MEKONS: ORIGINAL S IN ............ .............. ......................RTD (RTDCD105) Comp. Apr. THE COLOURBLIIO JAMES EXPERIENCE
M ICHAEL N ES M ITH : BEST OF. ......... AWARENESS (AWCD1014) M id Apr.
OYSTER BAND: RIDE ...COOKING VINYL (COOKCD02O) M id Apr.
THE JAMES TAYLOR QUARTET RAPEMAN
PASTELS: SITTING PRETTY ...................... ............... CHAPTER (CHAPCD43) Late Apr. SUICIDE THE YOUNG GODS THE WOLFHOUNDS
P IX IE S : D O O L im I .................................. ...................... 4.A.D. (CAD905CD) M id Apr. THE ROSE OF AVALANCHE FRONT 242
APNA SANGEET: CHAKDEY ..... ......... MULTITONE (DMUT1072) Early Apr.
SEX PISTO LS: M INI ALBUM PLUS .......... CHAOS (AP0CA3CD)
Extra studio & live tracks from '76. Early Apr.
THE SNEETCHES: SOMETIMES THAT'S ALL WE HAVE ......................................CREATION
(CRELP043CD) M id Apr. Visual & Audit
M O E TUCKER: LIFE IN EXILE AFTER ABDICATION... ............ 50 SKIDILLION W A nS
(M 0E7-2) Early Apr.
Experience
VARIOUS: PRIDE OF INDEPENDENTS ........................... BEECHWOOD (n C D 0 6 ) M id Apr.
VARIOUS: SONGS OF INDIA .................................................. M NW (MNWCD156) Early Apr.
VARIOUS: STOMPING A T THE KLUB FOOT VOLS. 1 & 2 .................. ABC (ABCD036) Apr.
VARIOUS: STOMPING A T THE KLUB FOOT VOLS. 3 & 4 .................. ABC (ABCD008) Apr.
V A R IO U S :............................ STOMPING AT THE KLUB FOOT VOL 5 &THE JAMES DEAN
OF THE DOLE QUEUE.ABC (ABCD015) Apr.
WOLFHOUNDS: BRIGHT & GUILTY.. ....MIDNIGHTMUSIC (CHIME00.48CD) Late Apr. vvd q
V^ ry s o o j j
SOUL UNDERGROUND:ISSUE 18
MISCELLANEOUS
...... ............................................SOUL U (S O U L018)
COMING Vt *
featu rin g 14 of th e best at
Full contact a g re a t price! in c lu d in g :-
WEDOING PRESENT, THE SUGARCUBES,
POP WILL EAT ITSELF. THE DARLING
information on page 3 BUDS, LOOP, SHAMEN, DANI ELLE DAX,
NEW ORDER, THE NEPHILIM . . . AND MORE
AND MORE
 CATH C A R R O L 45 M O P S UP THE

ING
Which leads you to wonder further
LEFT FOR DEAD BY LANGUAGE about its origins. Maybe it6s a cultural
prank from Champion Doug Veitch. So
ne of the many virtues of this world music busi
O
what? It would still be great. Then para
ness are those cute-sounding foreign words. As we noia set in. What if it were another

all know. It's not so much that you don't know incarnation of Spizz?.. Just suppose. I

what they're on about. If that were the case, Mike mean the bawdiness would definitely

'El'Alway would certainly qualify as world and would find

lose its enchantment of otherness if you
knew it was bloody Spizz at the other
himself dogged by Andy Kershaw begging to have his end. You see, language can make you
Weltanschauung in session. Nah. You can bet your pixie lose all sense of the here and now. A
boots that all these charming musics are as equally nddled call to Rhythm King gave the assurance
with folksy cliches and bad word-play as the stuff sung in that these were indeed French people.

England's blighted mother-tongue. It's just that there's some Some kind of Gypsy Kings set up. .

thing enchanting about the fact that the most mundane

Acrobats? M on frere!

concepts suddenly acquire this aural unfamiliarity.

Authenticity. It can screw you up.
Another multi-cultural corker manifests
itself with UNKNOWN CASES:
Having said all that, there's nothing some peculiar flam enco interludes. M asim ba B ele 8 9 (R o u g h T rad e
mundane about LES NEGRESSES Over the top is this rowdy communal Deutschland RTD044T) which appar
VERTES: Zobi La Mouche (Rhythm bellow ing which could either be a ently takes us to the north of Brazil
King LEFT033/T) though there does bunch of fired-up cajuns laying waste to (B ah ia, or Byrne Country to us
seem to be a fair bit of sauciness going their culture or a French punk band try Gringos). Over a most delightful rhyth
on there. It's easily one of the best ing to get on the Andy Kershaw show. mic grind there is some gimpy Afro-
records of the last 12 months, an elas- The bit where they appear to be draw chanting going on. Ha! We're not stupid!
tene Bo Diddley stomp powered by ing the listeners' attention to the nice This is the Nolan sisters in league with
accordians which break into some girl with the jolies fesses (my dictionary the Devil. Satan is making them sound
strung-out solos that come straight from translates this as 'pretty buttocks'. What like men! Actually that's not far off...
Buzzcocks' 'Another Music...' era plus do you say?) sort of suggests the latter. another phone call secured the info that

ONLY THE A MIDNIGHT MUSIC

ANNOUNCES A SPECIAL SERIES OF SPECIALLY PRICED
LIMITED EDITION A-SIDE ONLY 7-INCH SINGLES:
W OLFHOUNDS
Happy Shopper (DING 46)
A ls o o n 1 2 -in c h w ith 3 m o r e tr a c k s (D O N G 4 6 )

W EST ER N PR O M ISE
If You Tell Me You Love Me (DING 49)
A ls o o n 1 2 -in c h w ith 2 m o re tr a c k s (D O N G 4 9 )

TH E SN A KE CO R PS
Calling You (DING 50)
R e m ix e d & e x te n d e d v e rs io n s + 1 m o re t r a c k o n 1 2 -in c h (D O N G 5 0 )

L E S EN FA N TS T E R R IB L E S
Paths Of Glory (DING 51)
A ls o o n 1 2 -in c h w ith 2 m o r e tra c k s (D O N G 51)
N ew LPs d ue soon from all th e above artists
S u g g ested retail price of A -side o nly 7-inch sin gles is 1/10F/3DM

P.O. BOX 333, BUSHEY, WATFORD, WD2 3UN

| TEL: (0)1-950 9507 FAX: (0)1-950 3 80 6 TX: 9419501 M ID M U S G

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TEL: (0)1-4029 96 26/42 6 7 2 9 53 FAX: (0)1-40 2 9 9 6 2 7

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TEL: (0)10-413 5454/413 7217 FAX: (0)10-4713 7344
 C A C A R R O L
SI NGLES
this is a German perpetration headed by
the late Reebop Kwabu Bah (formerly of
Can, Traffic, the Nolans...) and it was
recorded in 1983, one year b efore
Reebop went to heaven. It rocks! To hell
with these phone calls.
BEATMASTERS FEATURING MC
MERLIN: W h o 's In T he H ou se
(Rhythm King LEFT31/T) is a belter
that brings us closer to home. It's a hi-
octane, non-eco friendly ankle-blaster
with the m agical bad-dude-go-any-
where enunciation of Merlin who can
say 'Don't be shy, take o f f y ou r top' and
still sound endearing. My, I'll never tire
of that Conway Twitty Plays The Best of
Benzedrine piano riff. YAZZ: W here
Has All The Love Gone? (Big Life
BLR008/T) has an interesting linguistic
moment when she pleads 'Get rid o f
the ghettoes' as if communicating via a
ventriloquist's dummy. I liked that. That
apart, she's added a wispy candy-stripe
to her voice, found a folksy social con
science and made her best single ever.
It's not often that children make
good records... hah. No challengers to
that statemrent. But soft! Here are TRU
FUNK POSSE (aged 11 and 13 years)
w ith Break The Beat (T hree Stripe
SAM1115) setting a pert precedent. It's
one of those great boxy sound
thumpers with a hipsy-massive bass
undertow and cavernous break beats.
The great thing is that the boys sound
their age. In a p recise, m alevolent
squeak one of them announces they're
'co-produced by Smith a n d Mighty' as if
it happens to kids in Bristol every day.
No swagger. Just facts. Over in the big
boys' league RICHIE RICH checks in
w ith a f u n k ie r e n o u g h f l ie r in
R ockin On The GoGo Scene (Gee
Street GEET12) but in the end it's really
quite dull.
Unlike Canada. Don't you just love
the advert for it? After years of being
laughed at for Rush, Canada is certainly
wreaking its revenge chart-wise. The lat
est ambassadors are THE COWBOY
JUNKIES: Sweet Jan e (Cooking Vinyl
FRY008) which is a fine falling-asleep-
forever rendition of our Lou's song. In
fact our Lou is everywhere. He pops up
more tangibly with old mate MOE
TUCKER: Hey Mersh! (5 0 Skidillion
Watts MOE6-0) doing some gonzoid T-
Rex lead axe and Lou-ish backing vox.
It's a racing garage two-step with Moe
shouting indignantly. I'd like to think it
was recorded in a supermarket but it
probably wasn't. The additional track
'Talk So Mean' features Kim and
Thurston from Sonic Youth but they
don't really get to vent their sonic
M O P S
Photo Robert Mapplethorpe
spleen. We can hold Kim and Thurston
sort of responsible for the next two 'cos
legend has it that both THE
LUNACHICKS and DINOSAUR J r are
their secret love-children. YES. ALL OF
THEM. Why else would they have nur
tured their careers so lovingly? I had this
horrid dream the other night wherein I
was being teased and bullied by
Fuzzbox and just as I was about to start
crying in burst The Lunachicks. They
trampled Fuzzbox to a pulp. If I hadn't
have woken up they'd have done the
same to me, I expect, but with Get Off
The Road (Blast First BFFP044) they can'
really go wrong either way. The
Ramones with runny mascara. Oh girls,
how can I ever thank you? Dinosaur
J r 's Ju s t Like H eaven (B last F irst
B F F P 047) has the drowsy lads from
Syracuse weaving wide-awake wonder
with this auld Cure song. It's hard to
believe that those spacey, tangential
guitar lines come from a man too lazy to
climb a flight of stairs to the toilet. Well,
not too lazy... he just couldn't be both
ered, like. But that's another story. And
The Lunachicks dream is true as well...
So. What's out-there, rocking and
gorges itself nightly on the blood of
french poodles? DANIELLE DAX of
course. Actually the poodle blood bit is
a lie but like Moe Tucker and the mythi
cal superm arket, La Dax she-rocks
through White Nuckle Ride (Awesome
AOR23T) like a woman riding on a
poodle-chariot to an icy Hades. Get the
picture? Oh, well... Forget the poodles.
Here's AND ALSO THE TREES with
their versh o f L ad y D 'A rb an v ille
U P T H E
B A R
(Reflex 12RE15) which was originally
done by Ayatollah Cat Stevens. AATT's
make it sound statlier and more remote
than ever but it's too full of posture for
you to contemplate it taking steps any
where. Buying this record would result
in giving Cat Stevens more money with
which to persecute Salman Rushdie, the
man who thought up the 'Naughty But
N ice1 cream cakes slogan. Hey, Mr
Bartender. For that reason alone I'll take
20 ...
14 ICED BEARS: Sleep
(Thunderball 7/12T B L2) is a niced,
old-fashioned lovely for y'awl. A kind of
hovering somnambulent Sonic Youth
with lofty crooning. This record reminds
you that Ian Curtis always seemed to be
singing with the wrong voice. I think he
should have had this one. THE HEART-
THROBS: B lo o d F ro m A S to n e
(Profum o PROS/T2) is another cutie
that chimes with the bells of yesteryear,
the singer has a self-flanging voice and
despite the clarity of the song structure
it still makes me think: N o o sh a F o x
thru' a rain bow lightly. On the other
hand, WESTERN PROMISE: If You
Tell Me You Love Me (M id n ig h t
M usic DIN G /D O N G 49) makes me 19
think of The Pleasers which is unfair on
them since they sound nothing like
them, more like early Van Morrison with
Cilia Black's vowel sounds. They actual
ly do sing of auburn hu u r and beg you
to cu u r which doesn't happen a lot in
pop.
THE WOLFHOUNDS: H ap p y
Shopper (M id n ig h t M usic
DING/DONG46) sounds very much
like that band The Wolfhounds, spikey
and spritely whilst PACIFIC: S h rift
(Creation CRE046T) is simply baffling.
Some kind of New Age disco sampler.
Oh god, I don't know. Put those excel
lent shouters SNUFF on the turntable
with their EP (W o rk e rs P la y tim e
PLAY008). Boisterous guitarama, the
sort that has you waking up bruised for
no fathomable reason. A wonky axe ref
erence to 'Hey, Girl, Don't Bother Me'
kicks the whole thing off very winning-
iy-
Finally KITCHENS OF DISTINC
TION: The Third Time We Opened
T h e C a p su le (O n e L ittle In d ia n
19TP12) is one with a winsome twist to
it. The song passes itself o ff as a
resp ectable tribute to Bowie/Petty
except that when it builds up to the
inevitable chorus, the chorus just disap
pears. It eats its own words. You are just
left with these spiralling clouds of radi
ated guitar. Ooh, matron. My geiger
counter...
 RICHARD BOON GETS RUDE, SORT OF
"SID LIVES!"
- graffito, East London, 1989
A
nd, one is fo rced to
presum e, he does.
Ju st as Elvis does
(a n d we're talking, like
the punk Gnostic rhetoriti-
cian Bishop o f D u rh a m ,
in n a sp iritu a l sense,
here). Or, are we?
Whatever, one must admit that
the consequences of the irruption
into history of any particular youth
cult, whether of P re sle y or Vicious,
are certain to include, at least, its sub
sequent fetishisation.
Just as ageing Teds holiday at
weekend conventions, with 'The
King' lookalike trials, big buckle-and-
hairdo competitions, Priscilla home-
movie out-take screenings and mem
orabilia stalls and contests, so one
can readily fantasise all of the Sid
clones of the last decade reuniting
ten years h e n ce to sw ap original
Westwood 'Vive La Rock' T-shirts and
ratty hair tips, their ripped'n'zipped
Osh Kosh-clad wains in tow, drool
ing over 'Swindle' off-cuts and Nip
p ic -s le e v e 7 -in c h e s o f 'C 'M on
Everybody'.
It's happening - in seed form, at
least. Like last year's 100 Club Pistols
festival, the recent Cult'n'Smiths fan
d angoes, the perpetual D ylannual
e v e n ts h o ste d b y 'W an ted M an'
cultzine... It can only get worse, or at
any rate, get m ore.
As W estern co n su m erism ,
increasingly represents the triumph
o f f a c tio n a lis m over any form of
accepted consensus notion o f p lu
ralism , the myth of "authenticity" is
celebrated in the persistence of such
stubborn disavowals o f the process
of history as these.
As much as the underlying trend
of progressive popular culture o f the
late 20th century has b een its own
refutation - an admittedly incoherent
programme o f activity dedicated to
leaving the present for the premise
of the future, w hether by the post
m odernist tactic o f believing in the
mins (and dancing on them), or by
SKAOS
the struggle to transcend such con
straints b y a n y m ean s n e ce ssa ry -
this referral to im m ediate history
determ ines, as much as it requires,
co n serv atio n .
Take 'Rock & Roll is h e r e to stay,
for one. Too damn right. And just to
make sure we d o n 't leave too soon,
a slew of UK domestic radio stations
now endlessly reinvent the '60s (at
least) for us, effectively monopolising
cultural m em ory w ith 'G old' p ro
gram m ing in an attem pt to, if not
defray, then brake the imperative of
progress (to Yanks, this is old hat.
Under perestroika, our Soviet com
rad es kn ow n o th in g e lse , having
b e e n similarly totally colon ised by
the '60s beforeh an d , if only by its
in accessibility at the time. As they
must believe, it's n o w . Talk about
dumping redundant technology onto
the 3rd World - w haddabout dead
culture?. I f on ly tim e sto o d still...
Take 'Rudy', for another. O nce
the archetypal Staggerlee figure hit
m ythical T rench tow n w orldw ide -
form er C arib c o lo n ie s reassertin g
their culture as modified by ex-colo
nial Yank R&B forms (the modified
Afro-beat that saturates Western pop,

after all) - slavery days seemed over.
From m ento to lovers rock , roots
w ere rev ea led , tra n sfo rm ed , and
effectively relocated.
As w ith 'T ed ', as w ith 'p u n k 1,
SKA becam e part of the grammar pop
walks like it talks. Rudy may have
grown up and got married (s h o tg u n
w ed d in g or not) but, f sure, was here
to stay.
So, typically, from time to time,
this essential part o f the chatter of
pop appears to speak louder. We had
it with Two Tone,a decoade ago pro
gressively rehabilitating w hat had
eventually becom e the soundtrack to
closed skinhead culture - itself oper
ating by a set of dress codes as rari-
fied as that o f gay key- or handker
ch ief-sig n allin g (and, confusingly,
crossing-over and merging with such
signals) - w hile its root com m unity
w as driven to the u topian ism s o f
either Rastafari or else assimilation.
And, -it would seem , there's an
8 0 's g ra s sro o ts sw e ll o f A n glo-
Am erican b lu ebeat revivalism. Not
that it ever went away, natch.
"Ska is sk a ," a ss e rts Roddy
M oreno o f Ska Records, "whether
it's Prince Buster or Fishbone playing
it. Any 'revival' is only a revival of
media interest. And while that might
b rin g 2 0 0 0 p e o p le to a fe stiv a l,
there'll always be the hardcore fans
w ho've always b een there and will
still b e th ere w hen the m edia get
bored and move on."
His v iew is sh a red by M ark
Johnson o f modernist label Unicorn:
"What's happening now is a culmina
tion of all the influences o f the past.
Ska is exciting and to younger kids its
new, but with the new groups there's
more of a fusion thing, with groups
starting from '60s covers but adding
R&B, soul and jazz influences. It's
'new ska', if you like."
While such phraseology may be a
sop to the recen t presum ption o f
'revivalism', as lauded by the UK pop
w eeklies, Mark admits that the cur
rent activity is "as much of a surprise
to us as it is to anyone". The issuing
o f contem prary ska m aterial was a
natural part o f Unicorn's avowed rep
resen ta tio n o f the p o st-m o d ern ist
Mod scen e, not a sp ecfic, but "we
fou n d o u rselv e s h a n d lin g 2 o r 3
things a month and their sales war
rant co n tin u a tio n o f that lev el o f
releasing."
While the bulk o f sales achieved
by labels dealing with 'new ska' are
a b ro a d , M ark id e n tifie s last
D ecem ber's London ska festival as
"fo cu ssin g a tte n tio n on E ngland ,
ev en th o u g h m ost b an d s playin g
SKA
w e re n 't from th e UK. T h e re 's a
tre m e n d o u s o u tp o u rin g from
Germ any, right now. It must have
som ething to do with the 'oompah'
tradition in music over there, that off
beat, because Tw o Tone wasn't as
much o f a hit there as here." Ranking
UNICORN RECORDS
Skaos as the m ost significant band
from G erm an y, fo llo w e d by T h e THE TOASTERS: ..'Pool Shark......... ......(PHZA-5) LP
THE TOASTERS: (PHZA-18) MLP
Busters and The Braces, Unicorn are VARIOUS:
considering opening a German wing. The World Vol 1... (PHZA/C/CD-21)LP/MC/CD
SKAOS:
"France has a few bands," he contin THE DONKEY SHOW: Bali Island. . (PHZA-26) MLP
ues, "though, as ever, they're quite THE BUSTERS:
NAPOLEON SOLO:
insular." THE BRACES:
How To Steal The World (PHZA-29) MLP
(PH7A-30) i P
However, it was France that culti THE DELTONES: . Nana ChocChoc In Pans . (PI17A 31)1 P
vated the UK's Deltones, a 9 girl, 1 VARIOUS: . Skankin'Round
The World Vol 2 ............ ....(PHZA-33) LP
boy com bo formed way back in the CASINO R0YALE: ...Ten Golden Guns......... ....(PHZA-32) LP
m id-'80s. "They spent a long time THE DELTONES:
Mr REVIEW: ... Walkin' Down Brentford Road.... (PHZA-36) LP
plugging the majors, who as we all
know always follow and never lead," Unicorn Records
Mark explains, "but French indepen 191 Seven Sisters Road
London N4 3NG
dant label Boucherie took them over tel: (01)281 2821
to record in Paris out o f necessity, Distribution: Nine Mile
recognising the follow ing the band
had e s ta b lis h e d by liv e w o rk ." SKA RECORDS
Licensing to Unicorn followed. VARIOUS: ...................SkavilleUSA Vol t ................ (SKAR001) LP'
Hand in glove with this resur BIM SKALA B IM : ......... Boston Bluebeat.....................(SKAR002) LP
g en ce o f contem porary m usicians' VARIOUS:................... Skavitte USA Vol2 .................. (SKAR003) LP*
NY CITIZENS: ............. Pounding The Pavement.......... (SKAR004) LP
interest in ska is the revitalisation of THE BOILERS:............. Flockin' Stead/........................ (SKAR005) LP
classic catalogue material, whether it VARIOUS: ......................Skaville USA Vol 3 ..................... (SKAR006) LP
SHOT BLACK & WHITE: Understand......................... (SKAR007) LP
b e Trojan's or that o f sem inal '60s BIM SKALA BIM: ........ Tuba C ity .............................. (SKAR008) LP
producer King Edwards on Brian GANGSTER FUN: ........ Come See Come Ska ...............(SKAR009) LP
VARIOUS: .................. SkavilleUSA V ol4 .................. (SKAR010) LP
Harris' Icicle label. Harris echoes THE TOASTERS: ........ EasISideBeal.................(SKAT001) 12 EP
previous comments that Europe pro
(combined CD-SKACD001)
v id es a m ore p o p u lar m arket for
Ska Records
even archive ska m aterial than the 3 Machen Street
UK where, he feels, "There's appar Grangetown
Cardiff CF1 7NT
ently a lot of interest, but it's not bro Wales
ken nationally. It's still an u nd er tel: (0222) 221825
Distribution: Revolver
g ro u n d in te re s t, m ed ia o v e rk ill
aside."
That said, the current spate of UK ICICLE RECORDS
label activity bodes well for the con VARIOUS:.......................King Edwards
tinuance of the ska form, at whatever Presents - Skavolution.............(KELP001) LP
VARIOUS:.......................Ska-Ba-Dip-
lev el,, w ith ev e n v e te ra n JA star Essential King Edwards.............(KELP002) LP
Laurel Aitken, now in his sixties
Icicle Records
and demonstrating more energy than 80 Ruskin Chambers
people one third his age, being suffi 191 Corporation Street
Birmingham B4 6RP
ciently enthused to record with such tel: (021) 233 1256
young upstarts as Potato 5 (for Gaz's Distribution: Nine Mile
Rockin' R ecords). "He loves it!"
cites Johnson. GAZ s ROCKIN' RECORDS
The Second London International
POTATO 5 :..................... Western Special.............................(GAZ001) 7"
Ska Festival takes place over May 27- LAUREL AITKEN: Mad About You (GAZ002) 7"
29 at Finsbury's Sir G eorge R obey LAUREL AITKEN:
TROJANS:
(d e ta ils (0 1 ) 281 2 8 2 1 ) w ith th e TROJANS: Gaelic Ska (GAZ12/006) 7/12'
crea m o f E u ro p ea n a cts, plus TROJANS: Phocmx (GA712006) 12
FOREST HILLBILLIES:....Munslers Theme . (GAZ12/007) 7/12"
A m erican h igh ligh t T h e T o asters. TROJANS: 1GA71200R) 1?"
Sure to b e opinion making, media SKA FLAMES: .....Ska Fever................. ..................(GAZ009) 7"
attracting and, consequently, another PRINCE BUSTER
& THE TROJANS: (GAZ12010)12
stage of the perpetual 'revival'. POTATO 5: .............(GAZLP001) LP
It's hard to argue with Moreno's TROJANS:
TROJANS: .....Spirit........................ .............(GAZLP003) LP
who-gives-a-shit attitude - "Well, the SKA FLAMES: ............Ska Fever................................ (GAZLP004) LP
more people who buy these records,
whoever they are, the more we can Gaz's Rockin' Records
c/o 8 Orme Square
put out" - when all's said and done. London W2 4RS
And, when all's said and done... tel: (01)241 2075
Distributor: Backs
RUDY LIVES!
 THE C A T A L O
---------------------------------------------
T
he Pixies, in the space o f time it takes to skin a Bros, have been hailed as rock's saviours,
Those That Will Save Us From Retrogression. Music press euphoria - or should that be 'eure
ka!!'? - has been matched by the group's mixture o f bemusement an d glee; "lean talk fo r
days if you want", offered Pixies' singer/writer Charles Francis at the end o f 75 early-morn
ing minutes with an audible, giggly shrug, bless him. But Pixies' music is a revelation, as their netv
"Doolittle" album makes even clearer - rock as urgent, melodic, unpredictable an d possessed specta
cle again, possessed by perversity an d punchlines you can sing. Plus interesting m ugs, obvious atti
tude in the shape ofm ucho irreverence, black comedy, punk, surrealism, unpredictable views on
weird sex an d religion, a wierd little Espanol bent an d that sharp sense o f anecdotal user-friendli
ness we expectfrom Americans.... Yes, but what does Charles Francis m ake o f all the commotion?
6 p m w as c o n sid e re d a d e ce n t
e n o u g h tim e to c a ll h im ; 1 p m fo r
h im in B o sto n USA, tim e en o u g h to
re g iste r a n d re sp o n d to q u estio n s.
B u t n o , h e h a d to re m ix a n o th e r B-
side o r su m m at an d co u ld w e ca ll
7 a m h is tim e? Uh? R ep o rts o f T h e
P i x i e s ' s u p e r h u m a n e f f o r t s to
r e b ir th r o c k w e re o n e th in g , b u t
th is d ed icatio n fo r 2 4 h o u r serv ice
w as su m m at e lse. 9 am th e n .....
Am I interrupting an important Pixies
day by phoning at ninp?
C h arles: "No, n o t at all. I'm still in
b ed ." O h."A nd I'm read in g Sounds
m a g a z in e . I'v e a ls o g o t NME a n d
M elody M aker h e re . R igh t now , I'm
r e a d in g an in te r v ie w w it h
A n th rax."
Does the article tell you anything you
need to know?
"Nah, n o n e o f th is s tu ff ev er te lls
y o u a n y th in g , h a h a h a . It's alw ays
u s e le s s i n f o r m a t i o n b u t I e n jo y
2 2 read in g it. 1 alw ays go d o w n to th e
r e c o r d s h o p a n d g e t t h e B r itis h
m u sic w e e k lie s. It's g r e a t b e c a u se
its a ll u se less b u t th e y c ra m to n s
o f in fo rm a tio n in to th e pages. It's
m u c h b e t t e r th a n th e A m e r ic a n
m u sic m ags."
lo you like to read what they say
about The Pixies?
"O h , c e r t a in ly . I t 's a m u s in g ,
y'k now ."
Does any of it make any sense to
you? Do you agree with comments
like, "surreal phonetic poetry", or,
"natural fluid chaos, not a contrived
aesthetic notion of same but...."
"A h , y e s , t h a t s o u n d s l i k e t h e
B r i t i s h to m e , t h e m a s t e r s o f
h y p e r b o le ." ( l a u g h s l i k e a s m a ll
d r a in ) . T h e y 'r e f in e . I ju s t re a d
th e m an d so m etim es I ev en g et to
re a d w h at I said."
Do their comments sum up the feel
ings you get?
"Som etim es it d oes. H ey, I h a te to
give su c h vague, sh itty a n sw ers to
y o u r q u estio n s, y 'k n o w . B u t I guess
I'm cu rio u s ab o u t h o w w e sound . I
lik e, to read d e fin itio n s o f w h a t w e
a re lik e, 'o h , th a t's w h a t w e so u n d
like!' I've n e v e r th o u g h t a b o u t 'su r
re a list p h o n e tic p o etry ' b e fo r e b u t
I gu ess th a t's w h a t it's like."
Don't worry about it. Do you con
sciously think about what you're
doing? Like, as people are saying,
The Pixies take rock music and
twist it, redefine it?
"I gu ess so , b u t h a lf o f th a t is th a t
I'm n o t re a lly a m u sicia n . I'm k in d
o f a n erd , b u t I lik e r o c k m u sic an d
I alw ays h a v e s in c e I w as a young,
y o u n g b o y . I lis te n to a ll o f it. In
m y o w n n a iv e w ay, I w a n t to m ak e
r e c o r d s a n d b e a r o c k s ta r a n d a ll
th a t stuff, s o I d o it an d th a t's h o w
F E AT U R E
* ^ * -----------------------------------------------
i t c o m e s o u t. I g u e ss it is k in d a
tw isted b u t th a t w as m y w ay in to
th e c irc u it. It's e a sie r to b e avant-
gard e th a n it is to b e m ain stream
a n d still b e good . I f you d o n 't k n o w
h o w to p la y th e g u ita r v e ry w e ll
an d y o u 're try in g to b re a k in to th e
lo c a l clu b circu it, th e n y o u gotta b e
lo u d a n d b e a little e c c e n tr ic o r
s o m e th in g , th e n e v ery o n e
g o es,(p u ts o n sn id y v o ice), 'oh , did
y o u h e a r th a t n ew band?', an d th e n
y o u 're in th e c irc u it h ah ah a."
Does that mean that when you've
learnt to play, The Pixies will sound
all slick and professional?
"T h a t c o u ld b e , b u t I d o n 't th in k
it'll h a p p e n b e c a u se w e 'v e h ad to
r e h e a r s e to g e t th e s e gigs a n d to
p u t to g e th e r th e s e r e c o r d s . We
h a v e o u r o w n little d ic tio n a ry o f
P ix ie ru le s , h o w w e a r r a n g e th e
m u s ic , a n d I d o n 't k n o w i f i t 's
g o in g to g et b o rin g a fte r a w h ile,
th a t's a ls o a p o s s ib ility , b u t w e
s tic k to o u r o w n u n w ritte n ru les,
lik e I su p p o se a lo t o f o th e r bands
do."
Give me an example, say, Pixie rule
number three.
"R ule th re e is ju s t th at, th e n u m b er
th r e e a n d th e p a rt it p lay s in th e
a rr a n g e m e n ts an d h o w I p u t
c h o r d s to g e th e r a n d re a rra n g e
lin e s. I u se th re e a lo t. Y ou c a n put
th e fo u rth c o rn e rs to n e c h o r d in a
p r o g r e s s io n b u t it's b e t te r w h e n
y o u tak e it o u t an d it flip -flop s o v e r
itse lf, lik e (fu rio u sly ) "1-2-3-4, 1-2-
3-4, 1-2-3-4, b a c k again!, 1-2-3-4, 1-
2 -3 -4 . T h e n it a lw ay s so u n d s lik e
y o u 'r e p la y in g t h e e n d in g o f a
so n g! U h, I d o n 't k n o w i f you c a n
get w h a t I'm sayin g. We also do lots
o f 6 -4 (sta rts o f f y a b b erin g in w h at
m u st su rely b e 6 -4 tim e), an y th in g
to ja r it u p a little."
'I'm impressed. You're singing and
entertaining me while you're lying
in bed. Are you really all snuggled
up, with three pillows under you?
'Y ea h , I g o t m y g irlfrien d 's p illow ,
w h ic h sh e 's h a d sin c e b irth , an d I
g o t m y o w n , a n d a ll th e B r itis h
m u s ic w e e k lie s h e r e in b e d . I'v e
a lrea d y ta k e n m y sh ow er."
And then you get back into bed
again (aghast).
Y e a h , p re tty m u ch ev ery day. I get
u p r e a lly e a r ly b e c a u s e m y g ir l
frie n d h a s to b e up a t 6 .3 0 to go to
w o rk . I f I'm n o t to ta lly dry, a fte r I
to w el d ry m yself, th e n th e pillow s
a n d th e sh e e ts ju s t so ak up a ll th e
e x tra m o istu re."
So you don't use Johnson's Baby
Powder?
"No, I d o n 't u se an y th in g lik e th a t
a t a ll! I 'm a lw a y s a m a z e d a t th e
n u m b e r o f m e n w h o u s e th in g s
lik e m o u sse o r a fte rs h a v e o r
PROFI LE
d eod eran t. I t b low s m y m ind."
The Pixies strike me as a pretty
sweaty group, no deodorisingeris-
ing.
"I do sw eat a lo t, th at's true. And I
e a t a lo t o f g a rlic a n d p eo p le te ll
m e th a t I sm e ll lik e garlic."
That's not quite what I meant,
but...do you think rock should be
sweaty, like a kind of bodily func
tion rather than something clinical
and intellectual?
"Well, I se e it b o th w ays. I lik e Iggy
P op b u t I lik e XTC to o . I p ro b ab ly
p r e f e r a ll th e sw e a ty s t u f f m o r e
o fte n th a n th e c l in i c a l stu ff, b u t
so m e o f it c a n b e g o o d . It a ll
d e p e n d s . I d o n 't u s e d r u m
m a ch in e s o r a rtificia l types o f sam
p lin g gadgets, b u t I lik e b an d s th at
d o th at, i f it's d o n e righ t."
You said that, 'nothing beats vol
ume, lights and drunk people
"Well, b eca u se th a t is th e stand ard
r o c k 'n 'r o ll se t up , b ass, drum s and
o n e o r tw o gu itars an d th e n ig h t
clu b , an d th at's th e m o st trad itio n
al, u n le ss w e go a n o th e r 60 y e a rs
o f k ey b o ard ban d s."
People nearing 30 (approx defini
tion) might fe e l th at rock is
approaching redundancy, with the
rise of newer rhythms like hip-hop,
acid house, world musics. Are you
personally bored with most rock?
"Y eah . I w a tc h MTV e v e ry sin g le
m o rn in g , I p u t it o n w h e n I d on 't
h a v e to t h i n k to o m u c h , a n d it
b lo w s m y m in d h o w b a d it is! I
used to b la m e it o n MTV o r so m e o f
th o s e b ig r e c o r d c o m p a n ie s th a t
p u t o u t a ll th a t m ed io c re crap , b u t
as I've g row n a little b it o ld er and
m o re m atu re p erh ap s, I'v e re alise d
th a t th e y a r e g iv in g p e o p le w h a t
th e y w an t, an d th at's w h at p eo p le
w a n t. A n d p e o p le a r e m e d io c r e
an d b lan d ! A nd i f y o u tr y to play
th e m w h a t p e o p le l ik e y o u o r I
w ould c a ll gro o v y r o c k m usic, th e y
w o u ld t u r n o f f a n d g o fin d , o h
m a n , o h m a n ...th a t's w h y th o s e
b an d s c a n play a t W em bley an d a ll
th e c o o l b a n d s a re so m e w h e re
else."
But isn't even most cool rock'n'roll
getting stuck too? Or do The Pixies
prove otherwise?
"I g u ess w e p ro v e o th e r w is e , b u t
w e 're n o t playin g a t W em bley. B u t
r o c k m u s ic , o r p o p u la r m u s ic ,
ra d io m u sic, is re a lly , r e a lly fr a c
tu re d , a n d th e r e a r e a ll d iffe r e n t
th in g s y o u c a n b u y n o w . I gu ess
th a t's tr u e an d th a t r o c k 'n 'r o ll is
k in d a dead, b u t I d o n 't th in k ab ou t
it to o m u ch . I still lis te n to th in g s,
b u t I 'm r e a lly o u t o f it. I k n o w
w h at's available a n d w h a t I lik e to
pu t o n m y little b o o m b o x . I p u t o n
T h e B e a tle s ' 'W h ite A lb u m ', a n d
pic:AndrewCotiin
t h e n I m ig h t p u t o n P a ilh e a d
b eca u se I th in k it's n eat. I f I w as a
r e c o r d re v ie w e r o r a c r itic , th e n
m a y b e I'd b e b u r n t o u t b e c a u s e
t h o s e g u y s l i s t e n to s o m a n y
fu c k in ' r e c o r d s . A re th e s e b la n d ,
b o re a ss an sw ers? I d o n 't h ave m y
T hesauru s h ere ."
Does it disappoint you that people
generally avoid asking about the
music but more your opinion about
AIDS?
"Y e a h , i t 's u n f o r t u n a t e b e c a u s e
th at's th e o n ly th in g I fe e l p a ssio n
ate about really , ro c k 'n 'ro ll re co rd s
an d m a k in g th em . T h at's a ll I ca re
a b o u t a t th is m o m e n t in m y life .
T h in gs alw ays get o f f th e su b je c t in
interview s. B u t I lik e ta lk in g about
m u sic. I'm a fa n an d th a t's w h y I'm
m akin g th e m a n d th at's a ll th e r e is
to it. A ll th e o th e r stu ff is in te re st
in g and it a ll fits in to w h a t y o u 're
w r itin g a b o u t, b u t i t a l l c o m e s
d o w n to a b u n c h o f p e o p le w h o
lik e reco rd s.
So let me ask you about the album
cover, hahaha..does the monkey on
"Doolittle" take over from "Surfer
Rosa'"s nude, like, a theme maybe...
"T h e o n ly th e m e th a t w e h ave ru n
n in g is th a t w e lik e fig u res o n th e
cover. We te ll V aughn O liver a t 23
E n v elo p e to do w h at h e w an ts, and
h e d e scrib e s w h a t h e 's d o in g a n d
s e n d s m e p a c k a g e s in th e m a il,
y'k no w , p ro o fs o f th e artw o rk , and
th e n in th e en d, I a g ree w ith h im . I
d o n 't w a n t to get in to th e artw o rk
really . B u t I lik e it, I th in k h e's an
i n t e r e s t i n g a r t i s t , s o I t h i n k it
w ou ld su ck i f I w as to w o rk h an d
in h a n d w ith h im an d p u t in a ll m y
stupid ideas."
But does the monkey signify any
thing?
"W ell, h e p ic k e d it o u t fr o m th e
'M o n k ey 's G o n e T o H ea v en ' so n g
a ft e r I s e n t h im th e d e m o s . T h e
m o n k ey is a b so lu tely m ean in g less.
T h e so n g an d r i f f is tw o y e a rs o ld
an d I n e v e r h a d a n y w o rd s fo r it,
e x c e p t fo r (s in g s ), 'th is m o n k e y 's
g o n e to h eaven ', w h ic h I w as stu ck
w ith."
Is 'Doolittle1equally meaningless?
"We alw ay s ta k e s o n g title s o u t o f
th e ly rics. 'D o o little' c o m e s o u t o f
th e s o n g 'M r. G r ie v e s ', m e a n in g
D o cto r D o o little. I t h a s so m e sig n if
ic a n c e in th e so n g b u t n o t as an
a lb u m tit le . A c tu a lly , th e a lb u m
title w as g o in g to b e 'W h o re a n d
th e n I g o t a little fla k fo r it a n d I
said, I d o n 't give a sh it, th at's w h at
it's goin g to b e called , b u t Vaughn
ch an g ed th e a rtw o rk id ea a n d said
h e w a s g o in g to u se th is m o n k ey
an d h a lo , so I th o u g h t p eo p le w e re
g o in g to th in k I w as so m e k in d o f
a n ti-ca th o lic o r th a t I'd b e e n raised
C atho lic a n d try in g to g et in to th is
C atholic n augh ty-boy s o r t o f stuff,
l i k e K e n R u s s e l l d o e s i n h is
m ovies. A m o n k e y w ith a h a lo , ca ll
in g it 'W h ore', th a t w ou ld b rin g a ll
kin d s o f sh it th a t w ou ld n 't b e true.
So I said I'd c h a n g e th e title."
That doesn't seem quite right, that
the change was pretty much put on
you.
"But it's a lo t m o re fu n to see w h at
th is gu y s e n d s u s in th e m a il
lik e ,'o h , th a t's w h a t h e d id ..', lik e
it's so m eb o d y else's album . We lik e
h is a r t w o r k . W e'd r a t h e r t h i n k
a b o u t m a k in g re c o r d s . H e d o e sn 't
r e p r e s e n t u s in a c o r n y o r b ad
w ay."
Did you find the change between
Steve Albini and Gill Norton drastic?
"K in d a , lik e , h e r e 's S te v e A lb in i
fr o m B ig B la c k a n d t h e n th e r e 's
G ill N o r t o n , f r o m ... O r c h e s t r a l
M an o eu v res In T h e D ark, h ah ah a,
o r E ch o & T he Bunnym en,
T h r o w in g M u s e s , W et W et W et!
T h e y 're c o m p le te ly d iffe re n t p e o
p le an d ta stes b u t I lik ed th e w ay it
w o rk ed ou t. We h a d to fig h t a lo t
w ith G ill in p re -p ro d u ctio n in o u r
re h e a rsa l studio, b u t a fter h e h ung
o u t w ith u s fo r a m o n th a n d lis
te n e d to us p la y o u r so n g s..it w as
s o r t a , 'h e y , y o u k n o w , m a n , h e
h u n g o u t i n A m e r ic a a n d a te
A m erica n s t u ff ..it's a plu s to have
s o m e o n e lik e u s, o u r p o p s tru c
tu r e s , m e lo d ie s a n d th e w a y w e
p re sen ted o u rselves, w h ic h h e did.
I th in k h e w an ted us to play a little
m o re tig htly . H e's m o re in to u sin g
c o n te m p o ra r y te c h n o lo g y in , i f I
m ig h t sa y so , a v e ry B r itis h w ay,
w h ic h is fin e b eca u se h e's B ritish .
B u t w e h a d to fig h t w ith h im to
re m a in sim p le. B u t w e k e p t to th e
sa m e P ix ie se t o f ru les. W e're a lit
tle less h yper, i f yo u k n o w w h at I
m e a n . W e 'r e g e ttin g m o r e i n t o
p la y in g , w e ll, a g r o o v y k in d o f
r o c k as o p p o se d to h y p e r (im p e r
so n a tio n o f h y p e r cat). At th e start,
w e s e n t d e m o s o f f to th e r e c o r d
co m p a n y , w ith ly rics m ade up o n
th e spot, th e w ro n g ly rics, y'know ,
a n d t h e n S te v e A lb in i r o lls in to
to w n, lik e, 'yeah, m an , let's m ak e a
re co rd ', tu rn in g ev ery th in g o n and
th a t w as it, a s o p p o sed to th is, sit
tin g d o w n w ith a guy an d p layin g
t h e s o n g s w i t h h im f o r t h r e e
w eeks, eig h t h o u rs a day, an d fin e-
tu n in g ev ery little n ic h e and c ra n
ny!"
You've talked about The Stooges and
especially "Funhouse". If that album
is a barometer of the true spirit of
rock'n'roll, (and, hey, it is, OK?) does
it m a tte r th a t 'D o o little ' is less
"Funhouse", than, "Surfer Rosa"?
More groovy than sweaty?
"N ah , i t d o e s n 't b o t h e r m e . T h e
m a in r e a s o n is th a t th e p ro d u c e r
w e used d o e sn 't s it arou n d an d lis
t e n to 'F u n h o u s e '. H ey , i t 's s t il l
loud , it's s till b ig b a r c h o r d s an d
w e still u se M arsh all am p s. It's still
gu itar-rock! A ll w e've d o n e so fa r is
b e sw eaty really , a n d I d o n 't th in k
w e 'v e e v e r b e e n a s s w e a ty as
'Fu nh ouse'. I d o n 't th in k w e 're bad-
a rsed h a rd r o c k m u sician s. We play
it loud. W e've n ev e r tried to an aly se
th in g s b e f o r e , a n d m a k e a r o c k
re co rd . B u t w e n e v e r got b lan d o n
anybody! W e ju st try an d c o m e up
w ith so m e to o n s th a t sou n d good
to us a n d th e y ju st go, 'yeah y eah !
th a t so u n d s n eat!'. T hat's us liste n
in g to th e playback!"
What's your current listening list?
"L e t me s e e .. h o l d on a and-out pop songs on the new album.
s e c o n d ...(s o u n d o f g e ttin g o u t o f
b ed ) Am K u rious O ran j', b y T h e
F a l l , t h o s e u n r e l e a s e d V e lv e t
U n d e r g r o u n d s o n g s , 'A n o th e r
V ie w ', a n d P a ilh e a d . I p la y th e
B u lg a ria n v o ic e s o n c e in a w h ile.
A nd h e y , I e v e n lik e a c o u p le o f
t h o s e G y p s y K in g s o n g s ! W e
lice n se d th e alb u m to E le k tra h e re
so w e raid ed th e ir CD vau lt. I've got
t h e c o m p le te C u re CD c a ta lo g u e
h e r e . T h e y 'r e o n e o f t h o s e b ig
a re n a b an d s I actu ally like."
Does working w ith a major label
change your approach?
"N ot re a lly , e x c e p t e v e ry o n e is as
h y p e r as sh it b eca u se th ey 're goin g
to p rin t up 5 0 ,0 0 0 o f th e m o th e r
fu ck ers, a n d m a k e su re eveythin g's
d o n e ju s t r ig h t . B u t w e 'r e o n ly
lice n se d to E lektra. W e're sign ed to
4AD, w h o w e h ave a frie n d ly an d
c a s u a l r e la t i o n s h i p w it h , s o w e
d o n 't r e a lly a n sw e r to E le k tra . I f
th e y put it out, great, i f th e y don 't,
w e 'll m ak e less m on ey. M aybe after
w e s e ll so m e re co rd s, th e p re ssu re
w ill b e o n . B u t w ith 4AD, th e y lik e
o u r m u sic an d p re tty m u c h le t us
do w h at w e w an t. T h e y o ffe r lo ts o f
su g g e stio n s w h ic h w e so m e tim e s
d e clin e o r a cce p t. It's good fo r us
b e c a u s e a t le a s t in A m e ric a , 4AD
h a s t h e C o c te a u T w in s k in d o f
im age, a ll th a t k in d o f m usic, and
w e 're n o t, so it's n o t lik e p e o p le
t h in k w e 'r e o n 4AD s o w e m u st
s o u n d l i k e T h e C o c te a u T w in s,
b e c a u s e t h e y k n o w w e d o n 't ,
u n less th e y n ev e r h ea rd us. (e x a c t
ly, C h arles). I d o n 't k n ow w h at it's
lik e to b e o n a n o th e r la b e l a n y
w ay."
How appreciative is America right
now?
"We a re n 't re a lly to o h ip ov er h ere.
T h e y t h i n k w e 'r e s o m e s t u p id
u n d e r g r o u n d c o ll e g e b a n d . We
a r e n 't h ip at a ll. I gu ess w e h ave
fa n s b u t w e d e fin ite ly d o n 't h av e
th e r e s p e c t. We g et a ll th e n e rd s
an d stu ff, n o t th e h ard er, u h ....w e
g e t t h e r e g u la r J o e - t y p e p e o p le
w h o ju s t lik e to o n s, th a t d o n 't sit
aro u n d an d w o n d e r i f w e 're play
in g loud o r w ie rd en o u g h . P eo p le
w h o d o n 't ev en fu ck in ' k n ow w h o
S o n ic Y o u th is, y o u k n ow . 'H ey, I
h e a rd T h e P ix ie s o n co lle g e rad io
today, y o u guys a re GREEAATTT....'.
T h e y ju st d o n 't c are."
But you're surely too weird and way-
out for Mom's apple pie stadium-par-
tying guy...
"I fin d th a t o u t e v e ry o n c e in a
w h ile. So m etim es I lau g h b eca u se I
th in k w e 're so fu ck in ' stra ig h tfo r
w a rd a n d e a s y to sw a llo w , b u t I
g u e s s t h a t w e 'r e k i n d a w i e r d
b e c a u s e th a t's w h a t I h e a r fr o m
p eo p le . I guess I'm so used to m y
ow n m usic."
Play "Mr. Grieves" to them and the
way you sing "everything is alright'1
(like with a ruptured diaphram).
"I n e v e r e v e n t h i n k a b o u t it. I
alw ays th o u g h t th a t w as k in d a lik e
T h e K in k s o r so m eth in g ! I guess it
don't!"
Way off, Charles, way off.
"O h m an , I gu ess th at's w h at it is,
I'm ju s t w ay off. I'm ju s t a fu ck in'
cock-up!"
To you, it's straightforward, isn't it;
sex and death and religion...
"Yeah, I d o n 't th in k I'm th a t w ierd.
We d o n 't so u n d lik e B ig B lack. You
c a n sn a p y o u r fin g e r s to o u r
tu n es."
There are a couple of sublime out-
"Y eah, th e m o st p o p p y so n g o n th e
w h o le album , w h ic h w e c a n 't ev en
p lay live i f w e tried , 'H ere C om es
Y o u r M an ', I w r o te w h e n I w as
a b o u t 1 5 , an d so m e h o w it en d e d
up o n o u r firs t d em o. P oep le h ave
b e e n te llin g u s to r e c o r d it e v e r
sin c e so w e fin a lly did. We w ould
n e v e r p lay th a t so n g live, w e 're to o
f a r r e m o v e d f r o m i t . I t 's to o
w im p y -p o p p y . W e're n o t u se d to
p la y in g so sin g -so n g y ...I lik e th a t
k in d o f m usic, y'k n ow , b u t ..I c a n 't
ev en liste n to fu ck in ' rad io, co lleg e
ra d io , a n d th e b ig u n d e r g r o u n d
altern ativ e rad io to tally sucks, an d
o f c o u rs e m a in strea m rad io su cks,
an d e v e n th e s ta tio n s th a t say
th e y 're p ro g ressiv e a in 't. T h e o n ly
th in g I c a n liste n to is O ldies 103,
in B o sto n , WCOD, a ll th e y p la y is
e a r ly s ix tie s a n d la te fiftie s s tu ff
an d th a t stu ff is g reat, lik e 'Telstar',
( s i n g s f a m i l i a r 'T e l s t a r ' g u ita r
so u n d ) an d 'M r P ostm an ', a ll th a t
stu ff sou n d s great, an d th e y 're a ll a
m in u te an d 2 0 se c o n d long."
Nothing on 'D oolittle' breaks two-
minutes or thereabouts does it?
"T h at's w h a t w e d o anyw ay. E ven
th e so n g s th a t w e do long , b asically
w h at you 've g o t is th e m eat o f th e
so n g h ap p en in g in th e firs t m in u te
o r 9 0 se c o n d s an d th e re s t is th e
o u tro . lik e th e en d in g c h o rd s ov er
a n d o v e r. I lik e s h o r te r s o n g s . I
th in k ju s t a b o u t e v e ry b o d y p lay s
th e ir son gs to o long."
Our editor was particularly taken
w ith the tw angy g u ita r in 'Here
Comes Your Man' to the point of ask
ing me to ask you, and I quote that
famous question, 'just how do you
get that fantastic sound'?...
"T hat w as a 12-strin g R ick en b ack er,
w h ic h w e w ou ld n e v e r ev en play.
W e c a n b a r e ly h o ld o u r f in g e r s
d ow n o n th a t s o r t o f fr e tb o a r d . I
d o n 't e v e n lik e 1 2 -s trin g s u n le s s
t h e y 'r e e l e c t r i c . I h a te 1 2 -s tr in g
acou stics, th at s ju st lik e a p rod u c
tio n th in g . We do lik e a lo t o f su r f
m u sic to o . I th in k so m e o f o u r
s t u f f s o u n d s k in d a s u r fy s o m e
tim e s . T h e s o u n d is r e a lly b a s ic
an d totally involves c h o rd p ro g res
s i o n s a n d a c u te l i t t l e r i f f , a n d
th a t's o n e o f o u r r u le s to o , th e
c h o r d p r o g r e s s io n a n d th e so n g
itself, an d th e n w h atev er cu te little
riffs w e can put on to p o f it."
The Spanish influence has always
distinguished T ie Pixies, but is it
being phased out? The only notice
able b it of E s p a iiil is on Crackity
Jones", who you get to call 'Jose
Jones', plus tine song sounds like an
evil little Spaghetti Western theme.
"H eh h e h . T h a t s g o t a c o u p le o f
S p a n ish lin e s i n it. I w ish I could
w r ite m o re so n g s in S p a n ish b u t
it's n o t n atu ral fo r m e. I d on 't live
in P u erto R ico a n y m o re. I f I h ave
to f a c e c o m in g u p w it h o n e o f
th o se S p a n ish tu nes, y k n o w ...o b v i
o u s ly I 'm n o t g o in g to f o o l a n y
b o d y b y c r e a t in g th is n ic h e f o r
m y se lf, lik e 'o h , h e s th a t w a c k o
w h ite guy th a t sin gs th o se Sp an ish
so n g s..'. It's re a lly c o rn y . U n less fo r
so m e re a so n I sta rt talk in g S p an ish
again b eca u se o f w h ere I m livin g
o r s o m e th in g , it w o n t c o m e up
n atu rally ."
The Puerto Ricani part of your life
hasn't come minder such scrutiny.
"T h e lo st y ears, hahaha!! P eo p le ask
b u t th e y d o n t k e ep o n . It's lik e ,'
w h a t a b o u t th e w h o le S p a n is h
th in g?' an d I go.. I used, to live in
P u erto R ico 1, and they go O h ' and
o n m ove to t h e n e x t question.
OK....what Ad ym ; ha im Puerto Rico,
Charles?
"I w en t to sc h o o l fo r six m o n th s. I
m anaged to drop out o f m o st o f m y
cla sses an d h u n g ou t w ith an odd
g r o u p o f p e o p le a n d liv e d i n a
slu m m y little se c tio n o f to w n and
w e n t to th e b e a c h a l o t I did n't pay
m y r e n t an d I ended up d rop p in g
o u t o f sc h o o l after th a t an d startin g
T h e P ix ie s, so it d id n 't serv e an y
acad em ic pu rp ose."
Shall I ask you more about Puerto
Rico or go on to the next question?
I f y o u s ta y e d o n t h e b e a c h a n d
d ro p p e d o u t, th e n th e o n ly q u es
t i o n l e f t is w h a t d r u g s y o u g o t
cau g h t up w ith . "I did n 't u se drugs
th e n . I w as n e v e r to o m u c h o f a
drug user. I used to p lay p o o l a lo t
an d I d ru n k a lo t o f b eer, I guess,
w h ic h I d o n 't r e a lly do eith er."
 In a British interview, when you were
asked if you had any goals, you
replied, wannna do some heavy,
heavy hallucinogenics in Peru1.
"Yeah, tak in g E cstasy w ith a b u n c h
o f b o z o s s lo s h e d o u t o f th e ir
m ind s, I w ould fr e a k out! I w ou ld
n 't e n jo y th at, b u t ta k in g so m e se r i
o u s h a llu c in o g e n ic s o n th e
m o u n ta in to p , eatin g so m e r ic e and
b e a n s a n d d a n c in g so u n d s O K to
m e. T h at seem s th e w ay to d o it, to
h av e th e e x tre m e s . B u t I d id tak e
s o m e h a llu c in o g e n ic m u sh ro o m s
r e c e n t l y a n d I w a t c h e d 'T h e
B e v e r le y H illb illie s ' w ith m y g irl
frie n d , h a h h a h a !"
Did the characters leap out the
screen at you?
"Well, th e o n ly th in g th a t happend-
ed w as th a t th e rig h t-h n a d c o r n e r
o f th e s c re e n k e p t b en d in g . I w as
c o n v in c e d t h e r e w a s s o m e t h in g
w ro n g w ith th e tap e th a t th e y w ere
playin g o v e r th e air! I w as fo cu ssed
in o n th a t v e ry u n im p o rta n t b it o f
detail. But m y g irlfrien d lau g hed a
lo t a n d I to ld a lo t o f jo k e s . S h e w as
m y au d ien ce a n d I w as th e co m ed i
a n an d th is w e n t o n fo r a b o u t fo u r
h ou rs."
Who would you take to Peru with
you?
"My g irlfrie n d . We h a n g o u t a lo t
to g e th e r. I'm v e ry e n te r ta in e d b y
h e r p re sen ce ."
So you wouldn't take The Pixies up
the mountainside with you?
"O h G o d , n o ! W e s p e n d e n o u g h
tim e w ith e a c h o th e r in h o te l
ro o m s, b a rs a n d re co rd in g studios.
We h a rd ly e v e r h a n g o u t to g e th e r
w h e n w e 're h o m e . I m frie n d s w ith
ev erybody in th e b an d b u t it's o n ly
Jo e y w h o I k n ew outsid e th e b an d
an d w e ju s t a rtificia lly pu t a b an d
tog eth er, it w a sn 't lik e, 'h o ly sh it,
w e 'v e b e e n h a n g in g a ro u n d h e r e
ev ery Saturd ay n ig h t playin g to o n s,
h ell, w e've g o t a b a n d h e re , let's get
th is th in g o n th e road !!!' It w as defi
n itely , 'let's sta rt a b a n d a n d try to
m ak e a re co rd a n d play a clu b '.
So when do you plan to go off to
Peru? Have you got enough money
yet?
"Uh, I b lew it a ll o n ta x i ca b s and
re sta u ra n ts! It's b e tte r th a n a m a s
sage. I'm addicted to th em . It's like,
't a x i ! '.. .. i f I'v e g o t c a s h , I ta k e a
c a b .'T a k e m e h e r e , t h e r e ..', a n d
th e y ta k e you to a re sta u ra n t an d
you say, 'b rin g m e th is fo o d ', and
y o u e a t it an d th e y take y o u r plate
away! T hat's great.
Are you bone idle by nature?
"I am w h e n I'm in th e city. I d o n 't
lik e th e c ity th a t m u c h , a n d th e
o n ly th in g I lik e a b o u t th e c ity is
r e s ta u r a n ts a n d m o v ie t h e a t r e s ,
an d to a le s s e r d egree, n ig h tclu b s. I
w ou ld ra th e r live in th e co u n try . I f
I w as, I w ou ld b e o u t w a lk in g th e
c o u n tr y s id e a n d g o in g u p l i t t l e
m o u n ta in s an d lo o k in g a t little a n i
m als, m ayb e h a v e a g a rd en (a squil-
lio n sq u a lid fa n ta s ie s o f C h a rle s
'E r a s e r h e a d ' F r a n c i s q u ic k ly
ru in e d ) b ecau se I e n jo y v e ry quiet,
o u td o o r life w h ic h I d o n 't d o very
m u ch b eca u se o f th e w o rk th a t I'm
in , so a s a re su lt, I'm a fa t slo b th a t
ta k es ta x i c a b s to re sta u ra n ts an d
gets h ig h w ith m y frien d s a n d talk s
a b o u t r o c k 'n 'r o l l r e c o r d s . T h a t's
w h a t I d o , I g o o v e r m y fr ie n d s
h o u se, sm o k e a b o n g an d go , 'hey,
let's liste n to th is!'. It's ju s t m e lis
t e n in g to th e s o u n d o f m y o w n
v o ic e , p o n tific a tin g a b o u t th e
fu ck in ' C lash o r so m eth in g . It's ju st
ab ou t o n e o f m y fav o u rite th in g s to
do, sit a ro u n d an d p lay re co rd s. A
lo t o f p e o p le d o n 't h ave th a t k in d
o f p atien ce.
Thinking of nature, the birds, green
fields, little lambkins etc, are you
planning acoustic roots record?
"No, never, n ev er..(su d d en to n e o f
h o r r o r ). As m u ch as I lik e c o u n try
a n d q u iet th in gs, I d o n 't live th ere,
b u t i n t h e c i t y , w h e r e I g o to
m o v ie s a n d l i s t e n to r o c k 'n 'r o l l
re co rd s an d th at's v ery, v ery u rb an ,
a n d I d o liv e in th e U n ited States
a n d I d o liv e in 1 9 8 9 a n d it's a ll
u rb a n d e ca y an d a ll th a t sh it, an d
th e w orld is gettin g w a rm er b y th e
m in u te , a ll th a t s t u f f th a t su c k s ,
a n d th at's w h ere I live. I h ate it and
e n jo y as m u c h as ev ery b o d y else,
m akin g c o m m en ts o n w h at's goin g
o n a ro u n d th em ."
Has it surprised you how quickly and
venemently Britain has reacted to
you? Do you
ever think The
P ixies are
overrated?
"Y o u m ig h t b e
righ t. We m ig h t
be o v e rra te d
b u t th e n w e
m ig h t b e good .
We do w ell o v er
th ere. We a re n 't
p la y in g at
W e m b le y , b u t
th e y p a c k o u t
th e c lu b s an d
ev ery on e's
enthusiastic.
O v e rra te d or
n o t, I do w h a t I
d o a n d t h a t 's
all. I d o n 't p r o
fe ss to b e a n y th in g great. I'm ju st a
gu y w h o lo v e s re c o r d s an d w an ts
to m ak e th em . I'm in c o m p etitio n
w ith m y fa v o u rite r e c o r d s o f a ll
tim e . I 'm n o t a s g o o d a s t h o s e
re co rd s b u t th at's w h at I try to do.
Y o u th in k w e 'r e o v e rra te d , d o n 't
you, h a h a h a ."
W elllll...no, actually. I always start
off thinking the new Pixies record is
overrated but end up glued to it.
" T h is r e c o r d 's s l o w e r t h a n t h e
o th e r tw o r e c o r d s . T h is gu y G ill
N orton did p o lish us up a b it b u t h e
re a lly got in to w h a t w e w e re doing,
an d in th e en d , w e w e re in ag ree
m e n t o n tak es. He slow ed us dow n
a b it a n d m ade us fe e l m o re co ck y
an d p o m p o u s ab o u t w h at w e w ere
p la y in g ..'d o n 't ju s t p la y th e son gs,
w h a t a r e y o u p la y in g , y o u d o n 't
n e e d to r u s h th r o u g h th in g s , b e
c o n fid e n t a b o u t th o s e c h o r d s , b e
c o n f id e n t a b o u t th e m a n d p la y
th e m o n tim e a n d in tu n e !'. T h a t
w as th e m a in th in g h e did, talk in g
ab o u t w h a t w e w e re p layin g. I t was
kin d a schm altzy , w h ic h I liked."
Talking schmaltz, is "Doolittle" as
preoccupied with sex as the last two
Pixies records? The one lyric I noted
down was, "lips like Cinderella".
" I t 's h ip s a c tu a lly . I d o n 't e v e n
k n o w i f I lik e th e ly r ic s to th a t
so n g . T h a t so n g is ju s t a b o u t a ll
th e s e fu c k in ' stu p id a r s e fu c k in '
a rse stu d ents th a t live aro u n d th is
n eig h b o u rh o o d . M an, o h m an, th ey
a re th e ru d est m o th erfu ck ers in th e
w o r ld . T h e y 'r e a l l f u c k i n ' r i c h ,
w h ic h is fin e , I d o n 't c a re , I w ish I
w as to ta lly ric h , b u t th e y sup posed
ly c o m e f r o m a n u p p e r m id d le -
c la ss b ackgro u n d , th e y 're educated,
a n d th e y 're g o in g to p riv ate u n iv er
s itie s , m e a n in g p u b lic in th e UK,
a n d th e y a r e th e ru d e s t, m o s t
u n co u th , m o st d isresp ectfu l p eo p le
I'v e e v e r m e t o n th e fa c e o f th e
earth !! Law stu d ents a re th e w o rst
f u c k i n ' v e r m i n i n t h e w o r ld !!!
S o n g s a b o u t t h e s e g ir ls a r o u n d
h e re a re ju s t lik e ..., m an o h m an ,
w h at's w ro n g w ith th em , th e y keep
p e r m in g t h e i r h a ir !!!! A n d th e y
w ear aw ful c lo th in g an d act aw ful..I
h a te to p u t th e m d ow n b e c a u se I
d on 't lik e p u ttin g p e o p le dow n, b u t
th ey 're aw ful!!!!! T h ey cou ld b e se x y
b u t t h e y 'r e n o t. T h e y c o u ld b e
in te r e s tin g p e o p le b u t th e y k e e p
stu ffin g th e ir fa c e s w ith M ozzarella
s tic k s an d B u ffa lo w in gs a n d g et
tin g totally d ru n k ev ery n ig h t an d
s h a k in g th e ir a r s e s a ll o v e r
C o m m o n w e a lth A v e n u e !!!!!!"
(w h o o aah h , C harles!!!!!!!)
"Doolittle" starts off with "Debaser", then
the torrid tale behind Tame", swiftly fol
lowed by "Wave Of M utilation" and "I
Bleed", plus the ten million tons of pollut
ed sludge dumped on New York and New
Jersey in "Monkey's Gone To Heaven",
which sounds
lik e enough
decay and disin
tegration for the
fans...
"I g u e ss I d o
w r ite a lo t
about th a t
k in d o f s t u f f
b u t it's a ll, I
h a te to say it,
v e ry s p o n ta
n eo u s, and
h a s m o r e to
do w it h
rhyming
w ord s and
gettin g th in g s
to m ath em ati
c a lly f it in a
n ic e w a y in
m y so n g s. I d o n 't th in k a b o u t th e
w o rd s to o m u c h , I ju s t c o m e up
w ith th em , th in g s th a t ju st p o p in to
m y head. T h e y 're trad itio n ally su r
r e a l, I g u e ss. T o s it a r o u n d a n d
au tom atically w rite an d n o t w o rry
to o m u ch ab ou t w h at it m ean s, and
kin d a h ave a n id ea b u t n o t b e too
c lo se to it, an d n o t n e c e ssa rily have
a p o in t o r a m essage, an d ju st get it
fr o m y o u r o w n l i t t l e m in d , y o u
d o n 't c la r ify th in g s to o m u c h fo r
anybody, w h ic h I th in k is w h at su r
re a l is. It's also c o n n e c te d to w h at
y o u r d r e a m w o r l d is m a d e o f ,
w h e n y o u sleep ."
Hence good, tw isted lyrics about
s e x ....it seems a lot of people are
afraid to w rite about sex because
they'll be branded sexist, or they're
too tainted by the spectre of AIDS.
Some people would have disliked the
nude on the cover of "Sufer Rosa",
and the fact you were considering
calling the album, "Whore".
"B u t t h e r e a r e m a le a n d fe a m le
p r o s t i t u t e s , a n d t h e y 'r e b o t h
w h o res. I o n ly m ea n t it to b e In th e
m o re trad itio n al se n se o f th e w ord,
th e m o re o p e r a tic , b ib lic a l s e n s e ,
y o u k n o w , "W H O RE!!", as in th e
g reat w h o re o f B ab y lon . W h o re is a
g rea t w o rd w ith a lo t o f c o n n o ta
tio n s...m e rc a n tile c o n n o ta tio n s an d
p o litics, ev ery th ing."
But most people shy aw ay from
broaching the s ubject of sex
although people like sex (our survey
said...). I reckon they like the fact
The Pixies write about sex, especial
ly in your own depraved, twisted way,
with the right amount of dirt. Woody
Allen when asked whether sex was
dirty, replied, "only if you're doing it
right"....
"Sure. S e x is p re tty dirty. P oep le go
( i n M in n y M o u se v o ic e ), 'o h s e x
isn 't dirty, se x is c lea n ', an d th at's
o n e sid e, b u t th e o th e r sid e is it's
dirty. You go to a p o r n sh o p an d
th a t is fu ck in' dirty! Y ou 're talk in g
g ru n g y ! It's p a th e tic , it's tw iste d
an d it's sad an d its d e p ressin g and
it's w o n d e r fu l a n d e x c i t i n g a n d
aw ful, a ll ro lle d in to o n e . It's d is
ease-rid d en an d fu ck s w ith p eop le's
m in d s o v e r r e l a t i o n s h i p s w it h
o th e r peop le, an d it's aw fully tw ist
ed. And fo r h a lf o f th e p eo p le w h o
w alk th is earth , s e x is a n ev il an d
h a s w re c k e d th e m in o n e w ay o r
a n o th er. It h as w ith m e, y o u know ?
It's a g lan d u lar re a c tio n . L ik e get
tin g h ungry."
If people say you write twisted lyrics
about sex, you haven't written yet
about fetishes, like scatology or
something...
"I c a n 't ev en re m e m b e r w h a t sc a
to lo g y m ean s rig h t now ."
It's the study of excrement, (thinks,
do I really want to he encouraging
Charles?)
"O h. It's n o t in m y m u sic b u t it's
d e fin ite ly in m y h u m o u r. I m ak e
p len ty o f sh it jo k es! D o you know ,
m y g ir lf r ie n d to ld m e la s t n ig h t
th a t w h e n sh e w as young, h e r sib
lin g s an d h e r w ou ld w a tc h te lev i
s i o n a n d t h e w a y t h e y w o u ld
w a tc h , th e y w ou ld ta lk a b o u t th e
c h a ra cte rs o n th e sc re e n an d re la te
w h a t t h e i r f a r t m u st s m e ll lik e !
I s n t th a t g rea t? I th in k th a t's so
am azing! So fu n n y , lik e,'o h , h is fart
m u st s m e ll lik e a sp a ra g u s, uu ur-
rg g h h ..."
What's your favourite TV programme?
(subliminal question..)
'At th e m om en t, it's 'Car 45 , W h ere
A re You?'. B u t B ritis h TV is great,
p r o b a b ly b e c a u s e I'm A m e r ic a n
an d it d oes se e m a lo t stran ger"
And is 'Blue Velvet' your favourite
film?
"O n e o f th em . It's up th e r e in th e
top 10. B u t I h a te to ju m p o n th e
ban d w ag on. It's ju s t th a t it's good."
The film and The Pixies seem to have
something in common in that both
uncover, in a supposedly freaky and
twisted way, the gunk beneath the
accepted face of normality that in
truth, is as normal as what lies above
it (did I just say that??).
"Y ea h , to ta lly . B u t y o u p r o b a b ly
k n o w b e tte r th a n I. Y o u 're o n th e
o u tsid e lo o k in g in . W e're ju s t s it
tin g h e re ju st th in k in g ab ou t w h at
c h o r d w e 're playing."
Do you think the main difference
between American and British bands
is that you have the daily presence of
MTV to rally against? If we had MTV,
we'd put it on every day, like we
w atch 'Top Of The Pops' as a
masochistic ritual, to see what's on,
and watch the pretty colours.
"W ell, y o u se e it, an d re a lis e h ow
m assive it is, an d h ow it sells in so
m a n y m illio n s o f u n tis, a n d h o w
b a d it is , a n d h o w u n r o c k 'n 'r o l l
an d ev ery th in g. It d e fin tiely m akes
y o u fe e l lik e m o re a ro c k 'n 'ro lle r ,
lik e it's lik e re b e llin g again st w hat
is r o c k 'n 'r o l l i t s e lf h e r e , h a h a h a !
You c a n 't ev en te ll i f y o u 're w atch
in g a v id eo o r a TV c o m m e r c ia l.
Y ou h ave to w ait an d see, h ah ah a!
B u t th e th in g is, th at's w h at p eop le
w an t, an d I d o n 't b la m e MTV o n e
little b it, y'know ?"
This is it, The Pixies are manna from
heaven, come to save rock'n'roll!
"I h o p e w e h ave th a t rep u tatio n . In
th e e n d anyw ay." en d s
Martin Aston
 Ready to revolutionize the world of european modern music...
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 N E W A L B U M
RI A D A K B U R ,
Maureen Tucker
MAUREEN TUCKER
Life In Exile A fte r Abdication
(5 0 Skidillion W a tts Recards) LP /C D
Is there a more elegible cult
queen on the premises? The ex-
Velvet Underground beat-keeper's
twenty years in the wilderness hasn't
been totally silent, re the totally self-
made "Playing Possum" album in
1982 arid the "MoeJadKateBarry" EP
four years later, but "Life In Exile.." is
the most cogent and important letter
from Mo's mid-American exile yet.
For several possible reasons - her
isolation, taste, or wish to work out
the past - after bringing up her five
kids without recording schedules
and budgets, Tucker has retained the
spirit and graces of the original
Velvet blueprint, which for our
younger readers, is...oh, come on,
not even one per cent of readers
here doesn't know that sound. Its
retrieval is touching, accurate and
lovingly so, proving Tucker was an
intuitive co-driver of 'the sound' and
not the passenger.
Mo debuts her first songs too,
adding to that unique tub-thumping
trademark, while friends Half-
Japanese - the JadKate connection -
and ultra-special guests help out.
"Life In Exile" subsequently checks
out the housewife's choice for once,
you know, shopping, food, chores,
as told by "Hey Mersh!", "Spam
Again" and "Work", Lou Reed himself
adding an archetypal ostrich guitar to
the former's cemented two-chord
spiral. Naturally, there's garage and
there's garage minimalism, and
"Chases" rumbling instrumental
R E L E A S E S
A L B U M S R E V I E W E D
MARTI N A S T ON, NICK CHURCHI LL, KENT
MORRI S, LIZ NAYLOR, JOHN SHAW
eight minutes stretch lets Lee,
Thurston and Kim from Sonic Youth
- obvious Velvets heirs - imagine they
were the Velvets. The rerun through
"Pale Blue Eyes" is dewy-eyed, again
distinguished by Reed's uncannily
Frippertronic guitar; "Bo Diddley" is
a five minute lock groove;
"Goodnight Irene" - a jukebox or
radio favourite from Anytown - a
missing, crushed Velvet 3rd album
song a la "After Hours" and "Andy",
Mo's harmonious Warhol lament
coloured by a simple, repeated, "I
lost an old friend today". For rock
archivists, Tucker's return is like an
older sister and family coming home
after emigrating. The European tour
will only increase all the attention. A
chance to experience a part of The
Velvets we never had? Go along and
see. M A
VARIOUS
North Atlantic Noise Attack
(M anic Ears A CHE017) LP/CD
Manic Ears give us a very varied
compilation that spans the whole
spectrum of UK hardcore at the
moment (as well as a bonus 12 of
North American bands). You get
bands like Intense Degree, Dr & The
Crippins, Extreme Noise Terror,
Heresy, Napalm Death and Concrete
Sox, who are all very popular at the
moment and are considered by some
to be the voice of UK hardcore at the
moment. Then you get what I con
sider to be more of the real sound of
the UK - strong and powerful tracks
by Ripcord, Visions Of Change and
Civilised Society?, as well as the rela
tively new Jailcell Recipes who I
think put in the real stick-in-your-
head standout tracks. A little some
thing for everyone on this LP - plus
the excellent bonus 12" with all
North American bands - Septic
Death, Transgression, Adversity, Fear
Itself, No Fraud and Desecration. All
packaged up in a great spoof cover,
this is definitely worth grabbing. KJ
HEIDI BERRY
Below Ik e W aves
(CREATION CREEP 0 4 8 )L P /C D
I hope Heidi Berry, unheralded
co-star of Creation's 'Kids' comp,
won't be offended to read about
obvious Other Voices in the first sen
tence, but in naming the late, great
haunts of Sandy Denny, the ground
"Below The Waves chooses to occu
py might be hallowed but Berry
doesn't suffer by the comparison.
33 R E V I E W E D
T HI S M O N T H
Maybe the word 'Witchseasori is
broader, as in Joe Boyd's late-sixties
alliance with the first full flowering
of British folk, and especially Nick
Drake's aching, still waters. "Below
The Waves" is equally and unnerv-
ingly calm; Berry's unforced,
unstretching quaver is still as vulner
able as more possessed, diva voices,
but this collection of ballads, marked
out by acoustic guitars, violins and
pianos, is almost disengaged, in
retreat, hardly showing a ripple or
tear (as in 'rip', but...). Such a well of
melancholy never overflowing into
doleful misery, and don't you believe
that's an easy achievement. One
potential industry snag is that Berry
should be fearsome competition, but
since most of the late-eighties rising
and risen women singers are 'charac
ters' of sorts, her reticence - at least
as you hear her - might be a prob
lem. But the roots scene must surely
take to her openheartedly. M A
TORANAGA
Bastard Ballads
(Peaceville V IL E 00 5 ) LP /C D
Well, I reviewed this a few months
back and Toranaga seem to be the
darlings of the Metal world now. So -
nothing new to say from the old
review except this is now re-released
in a spiffing "sinister black sleeve
OR in CD format! As with Manic Ears'
compilation, CD fever hits the punk
labels! Crazy. KJ
THE PIXIES
Doolittle
(4A D C A D /C /9 0 5 /C D ) L P /M C /C D
Once you're fist-deep into
"Doolittle", you won't miss Steve
Albini's bag o'spanners production
touch on "Surfer Rosa", nor maintain
that Gill Norton's cleaning up of their
rhythm section is off the mark, as it's
more than balanced by his concen
trated campaign to sharpen those
serrated, pointy Pixie parts, leaving a
newly unleaded, but pure perfor
mance bone machine. If "Surfer
Rosa" had one gigantic forward
punch, "Doolittle" is a contortion of
gleaming hooks. The Pixies are
garageland in excelsius, with knobs
on, and have no equals.
All their trickeries are present and
correct; the scouring guitars pound
ing down yet another of Black
Francis' adhesive, angst-beaten,
blue-black gut-pop Beantown
melodies, Kim Deal's backing wail,
REVERED REVI LED
BY:
JOLLY, STEVE
the sex, blasphemy, shrieks, bile,
surreal cartoonery, manic laughter
etc, but "Doolittle" is 15-track non
stop ecstatic crunching. The slash-
and-run Pixie world of "Mr Grieves,
"Crackity Jones" and "Tame" is famil
iar, but there is plenty of diversity: 1)
the lame reggae riff prising open "Mr
Grieves"; 2) the outrageously cool,
sarcastic surf bubblegum of "La La
Love You1', sung by hunk drummer
David; 3) the cutest Shangri-La teen-
pop of "Here Comes Your Man"; 4)
Kim's parched ballad-with-spurs,
"Silver"; 5) the ongoing redefining
and reclaiming of the Noo Wave Riff.
With The Pixies, rock '89 isn't just a
historical compilation, and that in
rewriting the chapters, The Pixies
have drawn up a new textbook.
Totally worthy saviours. M A
PETER COYLE
I'd Sacrifice 8 Orgasms W ith Shirley
Maclaine Just To Be There
(Big Big M assive B B M L P /C D 0 0 1)L P /C D
THE SNEETCHES
Sometimes That's All W e H ave Creation
C R E L P /C D 4 3)L P /C D
Peter Coyle has certainly come a
long way since his days in the Lotus
Eaters. So far, in fact, that some
might say he has lost it altogether.
Not so, however, on this evidence at
least. Coyle insinuates and tricks his
way into hearts made flabby by too
much pop pap. He nudges and
winks and makes obscene sugges
tions and we forgive him every time
because he has something special.
That something is talent! A rare com
modity in any shape or form. Here it
is given expression in a set of jagged,
unhinged, even beautiful songs. In a
few years time this will be a land
mark of sorts.
The Sneetches are a departure for
Creation, geographically at least.
Hailing from Statesville they look set
to continue the label's impressive
roster and build upon a back cata
logue that reads like a history of our
time. The Sneetches snort and growl
and breath fire in an odd individual
kind of way. The Sneetches have a
way about them that is winning, and
of course we all know where that
will get them. SM
MEAT BEAT MANIFESTO
Storm The Studio
(S w eatbox S D X 0 4 0 /C D ) L P /C D
After receiving rave reviews for
their live shows, Meat Beat Manifesto
 NEW ALB
now present their 80 minute debut
double album, 'Storm The Studio1,
which could well be an apt title doc
umenting their approach to record
ing, containing the two singles Got
The Fever' and 'God OD' among its
four, four-part tracks.
By all accounts the stage shows
were (short) monstrous orgies of
video and physical displays that
would take rap from the confines of
the turntable and implant it in the
depths of your worst nightmares.
Meat Beat Manifesto's ability to emu
late this on vinyl is questionable. I
guess all the right ingredients are
here: the dislocated samples, the
slimeball beats, the gross-out rap
attacks, but it comes over as a riot
with no purpose, like their name, a
clinical policy for something natural.
This is Death Disco at its most dis
membered - a House upheaval that
rubs out razor blade precision
replacing it with a sewer-rusty sword
hack that can never delight, only dis
turb.
Current dancefloor safety clearly
needs a kick in the as.s, but that can
only be achieved with a regeneration
of beauty in dance music not
through the starkness of the distorted
drum machine. Saddle technology to
melody, not rip the two apart.
Frustratingly, lurking behind the
aural assault could be something
more; they may really be saying
somethin' only they lack the subtlety
to say it loud. Sad. NC
SWA
Winter
(SST S ST238) L P /M C /C D
Again a guitar-based alternative
rock that, here, is a more basic,
frontal thrashsound. Power chord
songs like "Goddess" sprinkle
straight slabs of headbanging rock
that suddenly fly off on a completely
unsuspected tangent. Use of fine
time changes in a classic DK's mould
find songs like "Conquest" and "King
of the Pit" fitting a structure that
thrash chicken-dance fanatics should
be pleased with. It's not at all subtle,
screaming overdrive guitars, hard
core drums and sneering vocals pro
viding upfront rock grooves in a
Californian dream style. "Wastin' My
Time" almost conforms to a straight
contender for the Heavy Metal
charts. In general side 2 is a side of
far more blues-influenced rock, with
"Talking Behind Your Back" an
example of guitar solos and scream
ing "...baby, baby..." vocals. A band
very much in the Californian style of
progressive punk that hasn't pro
duced a classic album but one sure
to appeal to such devotees of this
sound as there are.JS
REBA
Raga Sangeet
(BOP MIC B IP 4 0 2 )
Isn't it about time Bop's quiet cata
loguing of minority and world
musics should be amplified? Such is
the lot of 99 per cent of cassette
33
operations, and brave ones to boot.
Reba Bhaduri, with her late husband
Tribib, is a vastly experienced lectur
er, demonstrator and performer of
the Indian classical vocal music that
has taken third place to instrumental
music and modern vocal film sound
tracks, which misses the fact that it is
the classical vocal traditions that are
the basis of the instrumental music.
"Raga Sangeet" redresses the balance,
compiling four different genres of
North Indian vocal music, sung over
the sitar and percussion in the style
of raga but not in the familiar high-
pitched singing style o f Indian films.
The music pulses and sways without
moving toward the complexities of a
Ravi Shankar, while Reba and
Tribibs voices criss-cross overhead.
Indian classical music - or folk music,
of course - is less ecstatic than
Qawwal from neighbouring Pakistan
but its ebb and flow is equally hyp
notic. Maybe we are too used to our
own, and Indian music is unexotic
and familiar. Bhangra similarly suf
fers. But that would be a mistake.
Start here. MA
Toss the Feathers
TOSS THE FEATHERS
LIVE AT THE 3 2
(Bop B IP 3 04 ) MC
Toss The Feathers are an 8 piece
outfit with a nice line in modern
interpretations of traditional Irish
songs using a mixture of acoustic
instruments underpinned by a solid
bass and drum. It would be easy,
unfair and thoughtless to make any
comparison with Camden Town's
finest. Their's are different shenani
gans altogether. In fact,
'Lisdoonvama' name-checks The
Chieftains, Mary O'Hara and Christy
Moore, with whom Toss The
Feathers undoubtedly have a closer
affinity than Shane's motley crew.
Recorded live at Manchester's 32
Club, this cassette-only release gives
the listener a chance to hear Toss
The Feathers at their live and lively
best, working with and for their
appreciative audience. They dont
stray too far from their source materi
al, though 'Skidoo' is almost funky at
its outset, with the banjo, flute and
tin whistle keeping the music splen
didly tied to the Old Country. 'Rock
On Rockall' and Nation Once
Again' infer political content but any
would-be rebels looking for a Party
Line will be disappointed.
With self-determination such an
issue, it is fitting that the music
retains its national identity justly
proud of the noble legacy it comes
from, yet Toss The Feathers have a
distinctly youthful and modern feel.
If you've been put off by Foster &
Allen and other phoney folkies,
brave a listen to this and remember
the music of the Emerald Isle has a
beauty and majesty that belies and
transcends Ireland's troubled history.
Just listen. NC
BAND OF SUSANS
Love Agendo
(Blast First BFFP 4 3 /C /C D ) L P /M C /C D
When the Susans supported
Rapeman last Ocober, they enter
tained me under the guise of the
loudest band EVER in the history of
this planet, so I approached this sec
ond album from the safety of the
next room but one. Their raison d'e-
tre-to rub/build/agitate x amount of
guitar progressions with a split ratio
of three parts to two parts minimalist
repetition ( amateurish approxima
tion) to overwhelm and unleash the
receiver- seems to depend on vol
ume, which is always a slight cause
for concern. Argue accordingly.
Their bombardment of energy works
for their punkish stairway grooves,
but The Susans still lack diverse
melodies, and as such, don't carry
the same gravity's pull as, say, Sonic
Youth's expansive "Daydream
Nation". Cruel or not to directly line
the two up, both forge music by way
of an 'intellectual garage' approach,
and where Sonic Youth soar and
buckle with an unpredictably
dynamic flux, Love Agenda" is too
weighed down by its density, like it's
trying to arm-wrestle you into sub
mission. The "Hope Without Hope"
debut still sounds like the Susans'
most emphatic blaze to date. But
when they turn it up, well, expect to
be trampled underfoot. M A
THE BRACES
Prime Cut
(Unicorn P H Z A -30 ) LP
The much-vaunted New Ska
sound only hints at its internationalist
nature with West German ensemble
The Braces' debut release. 'Prime
1
Cut' contains several incisive exam
ples of the blossoming monster
sound explosion showing a keen
grasp of pop values ('Julie Julie',
'Girls Of Today'), acknowledgements
of the instnimental tradition of the
Jamaican ska masters ('Something
Special' being the best example), as
well as a modern addition to the
sound - Thomas Orth's violin on
'Riding West' and @it's OK' in particu
lar.
It's not all lightweight bounce,
though. 'In Ska Mood' with its kitsch
intro has a big band Jump influence
and 'No Reason' is a fresh-faced shot
at social comment on race relations,
low pay and autonomy, with as
accomplished a reading of the ska
form as you're likely to hear from
any of their peers.
A thin vocal line lets down some
tracks, especially 'Guilty', but in all
cases the harmonies are strong
enough to carry it. However, the
main gripe is the horn section,
sounding weak in places that
demand full-blown brass punctua
tion. Musical grammar aside, 'Prime
Cut', with its barber imagery, is a
clean-shaven first ska-chievement for
The Braces who, having been well-
received at the first London Skafest
last year, are promising (threaten
ing?) to return for the second in May.
NC
RUN WESTY RUN
Run W esty Run
(SST SSTT99) L P /M C /C D
'Run Westy Run' is an LP of pleas
ant enough US Rock; none of its
tracks sound unfamiliar, none of
them grate, but then none of them
pin down your pinnas and demand
movement.
The set kicks off with 'Mop It Up',
a '60s garage-style ramble of major
chord patterns not without commer
cial appeal, progresses through the
next three tracks in much the same
vein before 'Rags-X-Bones' erupts
with a riffin' sniffin romp through
the heritage (?) of Hard Rock, side 1
closes with the album's best song,
'Heaven's Not That Far Away', which
sounds like everything your '60s-
casualty of an uncle assures you was
great about that time and conjures up
unfocussed photos of autumn wood
land, purple scarves, brown floppy
hats and unruly hair. Open' on side 2
does just that with little finesse or
appeal. I fancy buyers o f this album
will be most impressed with tracks
like 'Bad Guys', 'Bad News Wagon1
and 'Gee' with their Page. Blackmore
et al riff references, but they're far
too derivative ffor this reviewer to
enthuse.
In their favour. Run Westy Run
play a workmanlike, if somewhat
Luddite approximation of a variety of
styles; side 1 sounds fairly encourag
ing a foundation, unfortunately
copyist Progressive Rock wins the
genre battle over on side 2. NC
THE LEAVING TRAINS
Trunsporlational D. Vices
(SST SST221) L P /M C /C D
A previous release thoughtfully
dubbed 'Fuck1, a lead singer assum
ing the moniker Falling James (after
an unsuccessful negotiation of a
flight of stairs), gigs where fists fly,
guitarists walk and phlegm accrues
in the throat gathering momentum
for the moment of appropriate dis
charge, a reputation prompting
visions of gnarly, grungy thrash pre
cedes them. Hellraisers to a T.
Rawk'n'Roll, Daddiol!
However, halfway into the first
tune - yes, tune! - of this, fourth, LP
by this LA four-piece, I'm flounder
ing. The ominous phrase 'curious
departure' in the press release con
firms my suspicions.
'Transportational D. Vices' is very
 NEW A L
much that, The Leaving Trains,
regrouping, maturing, moving on.
The feedback is kept to a minimum,
the songs relying on traditional struc
ture with few deviations. A song like
'Dude The Cat1, an exuberant stomp,
though lyrically crass is undeniably
cuddly; or 'Everybody Loves A
Clown', steeped in parody with
snarly bohemian Cave-isms, and the
recklessness of 'Pay Day', conjuring
up fast girls, cheap perfume, smoke-
filled bars and vacated motel rooms,
display The Leaving Trains fine pop
sensibilities lying somewhere
between the angst of conscientious
post-punk pop and '60s garage.
Steadfast tunesmiths of the old
school, their music is strong and
vibrant, albeit clumsy and uninnova-
tive. it is ultimately light relief from
the cosmic meanderings of Brit pop
and for that alone I am grateful. RA
JAMES
One M an Clapping
(One M an U P ) L P /M C /C D
M A N FROM DELMONTE
Big Noise
(Bop B IP 5 03 ) MC
'One Man Clapping' is a master
piece. Hard to believe from a band
who've had more than their fair share
of ups and downs. James take the
pop beast in all its stubborn, one
dimensional, primary baseness and
insist on adding to it. In their capable
hands it becomes a feast, a riot of
colour, a tragedy, a cure and just
about everything under the sun. With
a glint in the eye, a skip in the stride
and the slightest hint of menace they
have presented to the great ungrate
ful, narrow-minded public a gem
quite unworthy of just being a pop
record. With the best title ever for a
live record this will surely see them
elevated to the heights they fully
deserve. This one will run and run.
The Man From Delmonte are a
definite shit sandwich. A stinker on
an almighty scale. Twee to the point
of idiocy, they grin and prance and
caper and generally end up being
students of the worst kind. Just some
times critics should say when things
are rubbish. Punches should not be
pulled. Eventually, the truth will out.
The Man From Delmonte. This man,
he definitely say "No. SM
HOLE
O ther Tongues, O ther Flesh
(Eyas M edia EYAS017) LP
Hole release a mini-LP this month
as a prelude to some single releases
later this year. Side I features two
high-powered dancefloor slabs of
energy based around dead-wakening
drum tracks and use of samples and
sequencing to enhance the mesmeric
quality of rhythm. "Discordia forcing
the feet to move through sheer per
sistence, a prime example of this
style, followed by "Breaking The
Circuit". An aural landscape of elec
tronic wasteland, almost convincing
one that we all ought to get the old
rusting acoustic out by its total use of
the powers of destructive sampling a
la Young Gods. "Shrine", "Coprolalia",
"War On Sleep" and "Rising" are all of
a different nature. Subtle mega dub
mixes of soft sounds, almost serene
strings, drums and bass interjected
with vocal stabs, glass smashes and
electronic overload. This all culmi
nates in the oriental feeling of
"Rising", vast plains of sound using
bells tympani, a thousand voices and
single steady drumbeat,'taking us
away from the turmoil of the previ
ous sounds and Firmly laying us to
rest. JS
RHYS CHATHAM
Die Donnergotter
(Homestead H M S 1 2 0 ) L P /M C /C D
Stockhausen or Burt Weedon?
Genius or Boring Bastard? Can Rhys
Chatham play the electric guitar?
Does Rhys Chatham require a hear
ing trumpet?
Gentlefolk and elves, this is the
enigma of Rhys, they call him Mister,
Chatham. The answers are: some
where in between, somewhere in
between, possibly and probably.
Within that rather daunting brittle
shell of music academia; the centre
pieces date from 7 7 to '86. The
scream is rock and rawl decibels, the
line-up features Nina Canal (UT),
Wharton Tiers (cf.Ciccone Yoof
sleeve notes), Karen Haglof and sexy
Bobby Poss (Band Of Susans);
Chatham's role as instigator and inno
vator in all that is New York becomes
apparent.
Musically it's identified by an unre
lenting and constantly building
soubd that leads the listener to a
series of false climaxes - flooding a
sense of unwitting expectation and
eventual anxiety, rhys Chatham is a
sex god. You can't hum the tunes
either.
With the coinciding Blast First
release of Glen Branca's "Symphony
No 6" (and Glenny baby was an early
member of Rhys' ensemble), the
recent South Bank show on the
Archies/Sonic Youth... well, in a fair
world (guv), Chatham should receive
the acclaim he's been a long time
cornin'.
My (badly recorded) review tape
was recorded over some New Order
swill. I heartily approve. LN
SLOVENLY
W e Shoot For The Moon
(SST S ST209) L P /M C /C D
From the USA, Slovenly present an
album of raw excitement. The inter
est lays in the use of basic musician-
ship to create originality. Rock as in
Beefheart guitar-based songs, deli
cate rhythm changes that slide like
Smiths ditties but go on and in differ
ent directions. "Running For Public
Office" and "Self Pity Song" being
prime examples of this balladeering.
The vocals are integral but gain a cer
tain seperation, as in lyrical Fall,
expressive and unique, but part of
the overall feel - illustrated by the
title track, searing with disjointed gui
33
tars, vocals and drums, all manic indi
viduals but contriving to create an
alternative pop. Including a token
Surf-punk track, "Spy Surf", followed
by the Zappaesque "No Unlawful
Sex" and the surreal "She Was
Bananas", using accordian sea-
shanties and confusion equal to a
Bunuel bar scene, it is an album of
extreme interest and diversity, which
as far as I am concerned these days
has got to be a good thing. JS
Glen Branca
GLEN BRANCA
Symphony No 6
(Blast First BFFP39) L P /M C /C D
Glen Branca produces a vast work
. of intriguing sounds set out in a five
movement piece that stretches the
imagination and concentration to the
extremes in musical terms. Sitting
salespoint = Mark E. Smith).
alone save for my trusty bottle of
Guinness, strange discordant systems
start emerging from the speakers. A
straight compound time is beaten by
the star drummer to guitar mono-
tones that gradually, over a matter of
minutes, build with a metallic grind
that weaves into plucked piano,
zither timbres, suggesting a thousand
more interwoven instrumental
sounds by staggered use of rhythm.
This builds fanatically, with the
drums starting to lay. down more
counter rhythms to which the guitars
react wildly with their own sermon of
cacophony. The effect is dazzling, a
mesmeric feeling where melody is
found within the layers of rhythmic
juxtaposition, always moving forward
and upward for whatever release the
movement's discordant, collapsing
end brings. The second movement
has more of the plucked, single-note
sound, rising painfully by quarter-
tones to land firmly with a choir, sub
dued on one chord, that then builds
with the drums to create the sound
one could imagine hearing if your
head were to explode. Stirring stuff
indeed. Movement three takes stock
know the meaning of the words
of the by now heightened senses by
"tune" and "melody"! These are skill
descending on them with a
vengeance, more wild, but strangely
subdued drum patterns with fanatical
loads of live energy. Can't wait to
guitar screams and again the great
sense of strict rhythm. This is taken
further by the counterpoint echoes of
movement four, strong drums with a
more subtle wash of flighty guitars
scurrying from small melodic frag
ments to chords creating an overall
layer of pure energy. The fifth and
final movement echoes all that has
gone before, but with a monumental
aspect of retrospection, being far
calmer within its own method of
madness. Manic guitar washes
swathe through the drums, creating
an orchestral feel that builds to mas
sive proportions, forcing one to for
get all ideas of the rhythm, etc, and
just become totally enveloped by the
monolithic, inspiring music. Well, I
did find this unique music to listen to
and not to label it avant-garde should
be a triumph. JS
COLDCUT
W hat's That Noise?
(A Head O f Our Time C C U T L P /M C /C D 00 1 )
L P /M C /C D
Well, well, well; would ye take a
look at the featured vocalists on this
here pop disc. Why! there's yum-
some Yazz on "Wallpaperin' The
House" (as featured on "That's What I
Call Music Vol 758"); Gosh! it's
jumpin' Junior Reid on "Stop This
Crazy Thing"; Make way! steamin'
down the tracks here comes tootin'
rootin' Lisa Stansfield on the super
Godspelly, gospelly "People Hold
On" (sales point = 3 singles, so let's
have those stickers on the cover);
Yikes! what's this? it's mealy, weaselly
Mark E. Smith guesting on a dis
cotheque record - "(I'm) In Deep",
pouts Mark E. over a pulsating, throb
bing beat, and you know he's just a
girl who cannae say nae (crossover
Well.,. well, what do you expect?
Lucidity? It's pop music daddio and
further proof of the funsome, frolick-
some talent currently residing in
Britain. The land that spawned
Freddie & The Dreamers and Mark
Moore will not let you down.
It's grand. And grown-ups can join
in the fun too. LN
JAILCELL RECIPES
Energy In An Empty Tank W orld
(First Strike FST003) LP
Ah - what a change to get 12 well
played fun thrashy punk tunes
instead of the usual (these days) 60-
70 crap songs that speed by (thank
fully) in a blur.
Jailcell Recipe are a sprightly
young $ piece from the north west,
this is their debut LP (though you've
probably heard the name as they've
been on a few comps and done a few
tours, most recently with Youth Of
Today), and thank goodness they're
here! J.R. play in a style akin to US
hardcore - and by this I mean they
aren't afraid to let us know that they
fully blended with a harder-edged
punk to give us an excellent LP with
hear more! KJ
 UK INDEPENDENT CHARTS MARCH 1989 RADIO SPQTU5HT
Compiled for The Catalogue by MRIB, 3 Montague Row, London W1 Tel: (01) 935 0346. Fax: (01) 935 0111.
Youth Radio DT64
East Berlin
SINGLES
FM 93.1 MHz
1 Too Many Broken Hearts........... Jason Donovan ............. ,PWL
2 Round And Round..................... New Order....................... Since December 1987 Youth Radio DT64 has featured two 2
........................ Factory hour weekly shows covering the broad spectrum of internation
3 Monkey Gone To Heaven.......... .Pixies.............................. ..............................4AD
4 Power Of Lard............................ al independent music, including broadcast materialfrom the
.Lard................................. .Alternative Tentacles increasingly important East German underground scene.The
5 People Hold O n......................... Coldcut............................
6 Made Ot Stone........................... Stone Roses
..A Head Of Our Time
...................Silvertone
most established show is Parocktikum Saturdays, 22.00-
0.00) hosted by Lutz Schramm covering "die rock,with
7 Voodoo Ray................................ A Guy Called Gerald..... ...........................Rham! occasional live gig transmissions and domes:material, with
8 Ticking Timebomb..................... Tackhead........................ .......................... World no irritating interruptions to songs to interfere .. th fie home-
9 Touch Me I'm Sick/Halloween.. Sonic Youth/Mudhoney ................... Blast First taping that's an essential means of disseminating information
10 Hollow Heart.............................. Bird land.......................... .............................. Lazy
around East Germany, where the bulk of records r ayed are
11 Hey Music Lover...................... S'Xpress.......................... unavailable. Lutz also hosts V ib ration s every other
..............Rhythm King
12 I'd Rather Jack.......................... Reynolds G irls............... Wednesday, 23.00-0.00), a show for reggae, Africa' arid world
.............................PWL dance music.Ronald Galenza hosts Trends (Sundays,
13 Everything Counts (live).......... OepecheMode.............. .............................Mute
14 Less Than Senseless............... 22.00-0.00), a show devoted to special themes, with in depth
Mega City 4 ................... ...........................Decoy artist and label profiles. Recent spotlights have included Sonic
15 Trainsurfing EP......................... Inspiral Carpets............. .............................. Cow Youth, Go Betweens, Creation Records and Flying Nun.AII
16 I Havent Stopped Dancing Yet. Pat & M ic k ..................... ............................. PWL shows produce (impressive) playlist reports and narrative tran
17 Never Stop................................. Front 2 4 2 ........................ .............................. RRE scripts.
18 This Is S ka ................................ Longsy 0 ......................... ..... Big One Contact:
19 Baby You're Just You............... Pastels............................ .Chapter 22 Lutz Schramm
20 Destroy The Heart..................... House Of Love .Creation Jugend-Radio DT64
Nalepastrasse 10-50
ALBUMS Berlin 1160
DDR
1 3 Feet High & R ising........ De La Soul................... ................ Big Life
2 101................. ........ or directly:
Oepeche M ode........... ......................Mute Moosdorfer Strasse 6
3 Original Soundtrack.......... S'Xpress...................... ......Rhythm King Berlin 1193
4 Technique........................... New Order................... .................Factory DDR
5 Superfuzz Bigm uff............ Mudhoney................... ....... Glitterhouse or:
6 Daydream Nation.............. Sonic Youth ............Blast First Ronald Galenza
7 Playing With Fire.............. Spacemen 3 ................ ....................... Fire Rlgaer Strasse 23
8 Ecstasy And Wine............. My Bloody Valentine ......................Lazy Berlin 1035
9 Trinity Session................... Cowboy Junkies........ ....Cooking Vinyl DDR
10 One Man Clapping.......... Jam es.......................... .............One Man
30 11 Holocaust In Your Head... Extreme Noise Terror ....Head Eruption Access to material depends very much on the DJs' private con
12 Moss Side Story.............. Barry Adamson.......... ....................Mute tacts and opportunities to travel and, of course, on labels sup
13 Bug..................................... Dinosaur Jr.................. ............Blast First plying samples and information.
14 Never Another Sunset...... Rose Of Avalanche ............. Avalantic
15 The Fear............................ Acid Reign.................. ..Under One Flag
16 fromohio............................ firehose ....................... SST
RADIO CHARTS
17 A Change In The Weather Gregson & Collister .Special Delivery
18 Surfer Rosa....................... Pixies........................... ......................4AD The only UK poll of alternative radio play from the
19 Vini Reilly......................... Durutti Column........... ................ Factory best new music shows in the land
20 Hunkpapa.......................... Throwing Muses ......................4AD Barry Adamson Moss Side Story
(Mute LP)
(c) 1989 MRIB Ivor Cutler Peel Session
(Strange Fruit 12")

US INDIES De La Soul 3 Feet High And Rising

(Big Life LP)
Easterhouse Come Out Fighting
Compiled for The Catalogue by Rockpool from its Power Radio,College Radio, Retail & Club Charts (Rough Trade 12")
fIREHOSE fromohio
(WOC: weeks on chart/LC: last chart/TC: this chart) (SST LP)
Charts compiled 23rd March 1989
Front 242 Never Stop
(Red Rhino Europe 12")
WOC LC TC
Head Of David Saveanna Mixes
(Blast First 12")
1 . ...D eLaSoui......................... .3 Feet High And Rising ............Tommy Boy
4 3 2 ------- Bruce Cockburn................ .Big Circumstance........ ............Gold Castle
Jimi Hendrix Radio 1 Sess :
4 7 3 ------- Full Fathom Five............... ,4A.M .......................... (Castle Communications LP:
...........................Link
4 ....................My Bloody Valentine.. .isn 't Anything ............. .Creation/Relativity Hugo Largo Mett -
5 ....................M iracle Legion............
.Me & M r Ray.............. ....Rough Trade US (Land LP)
6 ---------------- Thelonius M onster___ .Stormy Weather........... .................Relativity Lard Power Of Lar:
7 ---------------- Black Sun Ensemble... .Lambent Flame........... ..................Reckless (Alternative Tentacles 12 )
8 ---------------- They Might Be Giants_ .Lincoln ....................... .Bar None/Restless NIC Buzz B How Sleep The Bra. e
22 1 9 -------- Front 242..................... .Front 242.................... ................. Wax Trax (Play Hard 12 i
10 ------Morphy's Law .................... .Back With A Bong!...... ......................Profile Mudhoney Superfuzz Biigmofi
(Glitterhouse LP)
Prong 3rd From The Sun
US IMPORTS (Spigot 12")
Michelle Shocked When I Grow Up
WOC LC TC (Cooking Vinyl/London 12")
4 2 1 .. ................... Pay It A ll Back Vol 2 ...... Lakim Shabazz Pure Righteousness
- - 2... (Tuff City LP)
8 1 3 .. Manufacture........ Sonic Youth/Mudhoney Touch Me I'm Sick/Halloween
- - 4 .. .......Ceta Jauu...... ................................ Have In M ind ..................... 7YX (Blast First 12")
- - 5 .. Death In June___ --------------------------- 93 Dead Sun Wheels........................ ...........................NER Stone Roses Made Of Stone
- - 6 ... Parachute M en......................__ The Innocents.............. (Silvertone 12")
- - 7 .. ___The Sundays They Might Be Giants Lincoln
4 5 8 .. Bigod 20...'._____ ...............________ America.............. 7YX (One Little Indian LP)
8 9 S.. Baby Ford....____
4 Throwing Muses Dizzy
10 1 0 ........S M stian D eath... ................................ Sex & Drugs & Jesus Christ.............. (4AD 12")
Rockpool, 83 Leonard S treet, 2nd Floor, Hew York NY10013, USA te l (212) 219 0777 What? Noise Vein
(Cut Deep 12")
OH NO! NOT ANOTHER CATALOGUE ADVERTISEMENT FROM
ROUGH TRADE & REPUBLIC RECORDS
After her much acclaimed LP release, Rough Trade Records
are ru s h -re le a s in g a s in g le by Lucinda Williams

The s in g le is "I Just W anted

To See You So Bad" (RT224 RT(T) 224)
a n d is o u t o n M a y 2 .
Lucinda plays the Mean Fiddler
on May 3 & the Bloomsbury Theatre May 21,

SHELLEYAN ORPHAN release

their new album on Rough Trade
records/tape & CD on A pril 24.
The LP is called "Century Flower"
(R137). They tour worldwide with
The Cure culminating at Wembley
A re n a o n 1 8 ,1 9 & 2 0 J u ly .

REPUBLIC have a new single by

M .D .E M M (featuring Nasih).
"G e t Hip To This" (LIC(T)22)
r e le a s e d A p r il 2 4 .
ARNOLD JARVIS "Take Some Time
Out" (Tommy Musto Breakin Bones
Mix/Shy Boys Rugged Riddim Mix)
(LIC (T )2 2) re le a s e d M a y 2.

T h e s e r e c o r d s a r e h o t! !
 THE CATALOGUE
F O R T H E I N D E P E N D E N T M U S I C T R A D E

APRIL 1 9 8 9 Num

DINOSAUR Jr PIXIES