album reviews

Fish

Bouillabaisse - The Best Of

(Snapper)

Deep down, even the most fervent Fish fans would have to acknowledge that many of his albums following his departure from Marillion have been erratic. The fine 1990 solo unveiling, Vigil In A Wilderness Of Mirrors, was until recently a zenith that albums such as the dismal Suits and the ruinous collection of cover versions, Songs From The Mirror, failed to contest. You also suspect that many merely purchased these releases because of an unwavering sense of allegiance rather than any genuine optimism that they'd be worthy of repeated listens. Mercifully, the more recent Fellini Days and Field Of Crows were legitimate returns to form, but by that stage his fan base had sadly dissipated. With a new record label though, Fish has constructed a double-disc 'Best Of' set that cutely selects his sturdiest career moments and proves that given the right material, he's always been a tenacious contender.

Bouillabaisse is divided into a disc of his heavier tracks, entitled Rockateer and one of his softer moments, Balladeer, and although initially such a concept may seem clumsy, it works well. Thus, the likes of Credo, Brother 52 and the epic Plague Of Ghosts enliven the former, with stunning drinking song The Company, and both Solo and Just Good Friends being centrepieces of the more mellow disc. The inclusion of the original Marillion versions of Incommunicado, Kayleigh and Lavender is perhaps surprising, but then unlike his former bandmates, Fish has never been embarrassed by, or actively sought to disown, past triumphs.

8/10

Rich Wilson

Q&A

Why did you include some Marillion tracks on the compilation?

"Kayleigh and Lavender clip into the album very naturally. But I think you have to be honest about the whole idea as a "best of" album isn't put out there for your existing fans. It's really the people who didn't realise I was still doing this or who may have lost touch with me after I did the Songs From The Mirror album."

Was performing the entire Misplaced Childhood album live a backward step?

"It was like putting on an old coat that has been hanging in the wardrobe and you find has come back into style. Ultimately, I'm a professional musician and it's all very well taking a stance of just playing the new stuff, but when you've got a great series of songs like Misplaced Childhood, you'd be a fool not to play it."

And you're also writing a book?

"That is still ongoing. I saw a lot of comedians at the Edinburgh Festival and when I finish the book, I'd love to go out and do stand-up comedy shows with it. That would be a challenge I'd relish. I mean, Ricky Gervais never did any stand-up until late in his career . . ."

Saxon

The Saxon Chronicles (DVD)

(SPV)

It's an undemanding task to ridicule Saxon. Biff Byford increasingly resembles Peter Stringfellow's demonic twin; they've dusted off their ludicrous eagle lighting rig that has all the refinement of a Blue Peter project, and their farcical legal battle with Oliver Dawson Saxon over the use of the Saxon name have all colluded to create an image of a band who've overlooked the irony of Spinal Tap.

But throw them in front of a festival crowd (as here at 2001's Wacken) they manage to remain credible, slick and unexpectedly relevant. Tearing through such mandatory songs as 'Motorcycle Man', 'Strong Arm Of The Law' and 'Heavy Metal Thunde' they demonstrate a vigour that defies the age of the material and provides a solid reminder of their irrefutable live reputation.

In addition to the live footage, there's a lengthy (if uncontentious), interview with Byford, a selection of vintage Top Of The Pops appearances as well as a collection of their promo videos. With the exception of the appalling on-tour camcorder footage (a waste of disc space unless you find middle-aged rockers baring their arses and farting funny) this is a lavish and belated release from an overly maligned band.

3/5

Rich Wilson

More

Twelfth Night

'Live And Let Live'

(Music For Nations 1983)

By 1982, Punk may not have achieved is sole aim of eradicating all the so-called "dinosaurs" of progressive rock, but it had at least severely wounded many of the genres protagonists. Yes were in disarray, internal tensions were causing Pink Floyd to gradually disintegrate and Genesis traditionalists suffered the ignominy of facing a hostile, internal pop takeover by Phil Collins. But there were still those who were determined to continue the prog rock tradition in a defiant stand against the short-term nihilism being spouted by Johnny Rotten and his associates.

Formed at Reading University, Twelfth Night were one of a growing number of bands that shared such sentiments. Their early recordings found them clumsily churning out material more reminiscent of The Human League or Ultravox than the prog godfathers. But the much touted prog rock revival (which was more of a momentary recovery than anything more enduring) was developing and, encouraged by the escalating popularity of Marillion, Pallas, IQ and Pendragon, a more obscure and adventurous Twelfth Night emerged on to the live circuit in early 1982.

Like Marillion, with whom they had an unhealthy rivalry (Fish once described them as "unprofessional and a load of bastards"), Twelfth Night peppered their songs with political and pertinent lyrics more in tune with the post-punk psyche; a facet that earned them the unflattering nickname of 'Punk Floyd'. The disappointing 'Fact And Fiction', released in 1982, merely confirmed their new direction and was ultimately flawed by untidy production and defective vocals. And although musically creative and intense, they weren't exempt from the criticisms that they were merely plagiarising the seventies finest moments with Classic Rock's Hugh Fielder accusing them of "reproducing a style that ultimately floundered on its own pomposity". But the strength of Twelfth Night was that they were a formidable and polished live act, and when vocalist Geoff Mann surprisingly announced his departure from the band to pursue a career in the clergy, two farewell gigs at the Marquee were announced for the 4th and 5th November 1983. The Marquee in-house studio recorded those concerts and the result was the potent 'Live And Let Live'.

Opening the album with the 'The Ceiling Speaks', a wonderfully unrestrained and pretentious pseudo-religious tale that hinted at Mann's future intentions, the mix of sadness because of his imminent departure coupled with a desire to ensure there were no glaring mistakes made Twelfth Night note perfect and virtually invincible. Perfectly running through a set that included all their finer moments and which lasted for over 150 minutes, the producer was faced with the daunting and somewhat unusual choice of what to leave out.

Typical of their ability is 'We Are Sane' an expansive social critique which rallies against such enemies as the establishment and television, and which highlights their ability to meld together a showy musical backdrop, packed with flowing keyboards, with lyrics that the listener could actually relate to- even if the subject matter often made for uneasy listening. 'Fact And Fiction' covers the irrationality of the Cold War and the two instrumental tracks ('The End Of The Endless Majority' and 'The Poet Sniffs A Flower') are packed with drifting melodies that proved prog tracks didn't have to drone on for twenty minutes in order to impress. And 'Sequences', complete with a new lyrical theme dominated by the tortures of World War One, was a rightful centrepiece.

Andy Sears replaced Mann, and although he proved a more than adequate replacement, the truth was that Twelfth Night were only relevant when Mann fronted them. A deliberate move towards creating a more commercial pop/rock sound (epitomized on the disappointing 1986 release, 'Twelfth Night') only hastened their decline, and the untimely death of Mann in 1993 destroyed any lingering hopes of a permanent reunion of their most creative line-up.

Rich Wilson

Diving For Pearls

'Diving For Pearls'

(Epic 1989)

Serving beers, buffalo wings and burgers at the Hard Rock Café on West 57th Street in Manhattan would at first glance appear to be an inauspicious and clumsy choice of employment for a struggling musician. But for vocalist Danny Malone and keyboard player Jack Moran it was an astute, if temporary, career move that enabled them to develop an invaluable network of industry contacts, as well as being the place where they stumbled across fellow rock aspirants, guitarist Yul Vasquez and bassist David Weeks.

Within weeks, the newly conceived Diving For Pearls were gigging and, courtesy of their tight AOR song writing and impassioned live delivery, they rapidly created an impact with A & R moguls and the media at such crucial New York venues of the time as The China Club. And it was the combination of their inspired, catchy rock with a textbook late-eighties image of hirsute male-model looks, excessive spandex and an appalling taste in cowboy boots that so engrossed producer David Prater and encouraged him to add his flair to the project.

Taking their name from a lyric in the Elvis Costello song, 'Shipbuilding', they soon signed a development deal with Epic- a cynical arrangement that effectively meant, "sell records or you're back working in a restaurant for minimum wage"- and re-located to a Nashville studio. Significantly, the producer's brief apparently extended far beyond that of twiddling knobs, with recurring rumours circulating that Prater co-wrote and shaped numerous tracks, and more damningly, allegations surfaced that most of Clemente's work was replaced with a drum machine. Whilst there has never been any criticism levelled at any of the band's musical aptitude, it's probably fair to say that without Prater's almost anal attention to detail, 'Diving For Pearls' could have been a meek and blunted collection.

Packed with timeless melodies and effortlessly compelling choruses, the album exuded finesse and the lead single, 'Gimme Your Good Lovin' (which had been written only a week before they entered the studio) made the playlists of the more selective rock radio stations across the US. But, critically, it failed to attract any attention internationally or on the US east coast, and the track's huge success in L.A ultimately proved insignificant. And when their follow-up singles- the wonderful, kitsch-free balladry of 'New Moon' and inspired excess of 'Have You Forgotten'- failed to impact on the charts, Epic's interest stalled and following a label shake up, clauses were invoked and Diving For Pearls were dumped and then disbanded.

After the split, Malone formed the short-lived Band Of Angels along with former Cars guitarist Elliot Easton and recorded an album that, despite the best efforts of legendary producer Roy Thomas Baker, was reportedly so meagre it didn't even manage to hobble to the pressing plant. Vasquez shaved his head, became an actor and has a lengthening list of credits that includes Seinfeld, Sex And The City and the movie Traffic. Weeks is now a prominent LA entertainment lawyer, Moran ran the Paris Hard Rock Café and Clemente made a fortune as an Internet pioneer before becoming Vice President of Creative Affairs at Sony.

But their story appears to have an epilogue. There's talk of releasing a 1989 concert recorded in Louisville which includes blazing cover versions of 'Dear Prudence' and The Cult's 'She Sells Sanctuary', and after an approach from the MTM label, Malone and Prater have teamed up again to record a new album. And although it appears that contributions from the former band members will be limited (only Moran and Vasquez have tentatively agreed to be involved), advance work has already started at a studio in Waco, Texas. But even if it's a stinker, the high calibre of their dignified debut remains.

Michael Monroe

'Whatcha Want'

(SPV)

Amid the anticipation surrounding the recent Hanoi Rocks re-formation (albeit with only Monroe and guitarist Andy McCoy claiming any past membership), the timing of this release seems ludicrous and pre-destines it to under perform. Why Monroe wants this to hit the stores now, when Hanoi's forthcoming album 'Twelve Shots On The Rocks' is set to overshadow it, is bizarre - especially when 'Whatcha Want' is as infectious and deliciously sleazy as anything he hass created in either guise during the last 20 years.

It may be a lack of confidence on Monroe's part, or simply that his song writing energies have been diverted elsewhere, but he has only written four of the tracks on this collection with the remainder being skilfully reworked and typically swaggering adaptations of such CBGB punk standards as 'Do Anything You Wanna Do' by Eddie And The Hot Rods, Casino Steel's 'Jimmy Brown' and 'What Love Is' by The Records. Impressively, the few tracks the haggard Finn has written, such as 'Right Here, Right Now', are equally gripping.

This may be Monroe's 'Spaghetti Incident' but that Hanoi Rocks album will need to be exceptional to surpass this.

4/5

Rich Wilson

Pale

‘How To Survive Chance’

(Defiance)

Perhaps recognising that the marketplace for Emo teenage angst is increasingly crowded and swarming with bands churning out bland, derivative and safe material, Pale have wisely moved away from their original genus in an attempt to detach themselves from the horde. Citing The Jam’s seminal ‘Setting Sons’ as an influence for their new direction (a plucky move given the class of that album and the reality that most of their fan base weren’t born when Paul Weller was cranking out ‘That’s Entertainment’) it takes repeated listens of ‘How To Survive Chance’ before such nuances are noticed and appreciated.

Given their recent tour with Jimmy Eat World, there remain a few hints of their past punk-pop traits, with ‘Goodbye Trouble’ and ‘Sometimes Somewhere’ harking back to their inconsistent debut, ‘Razzmatazz (The Arts At The Sands)’. But the remaining tracks are overflowing with variety and a surprisingly authentic passion. ‘Let’s Get It On’ is an old-school Mod rocker and the instrumental ‘Thank You Finsbury’ deftly links the unlikely combination of keyboard loops with a traditional soulful brass section. Vitally, the album proves that Pale have the potential to transcend passing crazes and become archetypal themselves.

3/5

Rich Wilson

Pram

‘Dark Island’

(Domino)

Celebrated by the pretentious as delightfully avant-garde, Pram have been creating their own oddball, experimental universe for over ten years, seemingly content to trundle along and disregard any criticisms that may be fired at them. But however admirable such motives are, it’s also an attitude that means their quality control is virtually non-existent.

Adapting a similar musical approach as Portishead, Pram relish in chucking every musical influence into the mix and sticking with the consequences- no matter how eccentric or awkward the resultant amalgam sounds. When it works, such as on the opener ‘Track Of The Cat’ or the beguiling ‘Peepshow’, their intermingling melodies are convincing and you can only admire their tenacity. But for the most part, the music dissolves into a clumsy and laboured mess. ‘Sirocco’ sounds like it was performed using a child’s Casio toy (according to guitarist Matthew Eaton, modern keyboards are “too clean”) and ‘Penny Arcade’ is a dirge of resonating, low frequency loops that could break down kidney stones.

The term avant-garde can be a useful idiom for the untalented to hide behind. Pram travel perilously close to being the perfect case in point.

2/5

Rich Wilson

Bon Jovi

'The Inside Story' (DVD)

(Chrome Dreams)

 'Rock & Roll Legends' (DVD)

(Wienerworld)

Given Jon Bon Jovi's rightful reputation for seeking perfection in the manner his band are marketed and portrayed, it will no doubt be a continual source of irritation that low quality interview DVD's such as these are churned out with disquieting regularity.

The opening sequence on 'The Inside Story' (2/5) emblazons a disclaimer across the screen confirming that this sorry release is completely unauthorised and, more damningly, "contains no original music by Bon Jovi". Instead a cousin of Jon Bon Jovi's first guitar instructor, a former guitar technician and a New York recording studio's carpenter treat us to their "valuable" insights into the band's formative years, with fuzzy long shots of a tribute band interspacing these unbelievable soundbites.

'Rock & Roll Legends' (2/5) at least contains promo clips and a lengthy interview 1989 with Jon himself but still manages to be reminiscent of the cheap east European interview picture discs which flooded into the UK ten years ago. Yet the releases is only watchable once due to the "buddy-buddy" interrogation technique which is as incisive and stirring as an Alan Shearer post-match interview.

Desperate stuff.

Rich Wilson

Stevie Ray Vaughan And Double Trouble

'Blues At Sunrise'

(Epic)

They always say that death is a good career move, and the last three decades have been littered with average acts whose work has been elevated to legendary status courtesy of an untimely tragedy. Fortunately, Vaughan is a true exception to that trend, and although his work has received more appreciation in the twelve years following the dreadful helicopter crash that claimed his life, his burning blues have always been worthy of every drop of praise.

Drawing together his more simmering and slower recordings, 'Blues At Sunrise' showcases his natural ability to deliver the blues with a spirit-lifting passion and distinction that should have Gary Moore scampering for cover. 'The Things (That) I Used To Do' is an incisive mixture of textured guitar playing and a dynamite delivery, and 'Leave My Girl Alone' remains endearing. But perhaps the collections finer moments are reserved for the live renditions of 'Tin Pan Alley', 'Texas Flood' and 'Blues At Sunrise'- the latter of which extends over fifteen exquisite minutes and includes a typically intense guest appearance from Albert King.

4/5

Rich Wilson

Jeff Beck

'You Had It Coming'

(Epic)

Anyone familiar with the instrumental excesses of Joe Satriani and Tony Macalpine will be all too aware that albums by such technically gifted guitarists can effortlessly drift into an unlistenable muddle of fast-fingered fretwork. All of which is impressive the first time that you hear it, but ultimately as likely to get repeated listens as a tortuous drum solo. Mercifully, any temptations to display such mechanical flashiness have never ensnared Jeff Beck and 'You Had It Coming' is refreshingly accessible and unpredictable.

Far from relying on past triumphs, Beck has relished the opportunity to encompass influences as varied as Ministry on the industrial opener 'Earthquake' and effectively utilised an unobtrusive techno beat throughout. 'Nadia' is the album's true surprise, with Beck successfully melding his distinctive style to an eastern, Bhangra beat that although sounding pompous, works wonderfully. Those yearning for the more traditional Jeff Beck are also catered for in the fiery blues of 'Rollin And Tumblin'.

Admittedly, the bizarre attempt to mimic the shrill warbling of a songbird on 'Blackbird' is excessive, but in general 'You Had It Coming' is an album that sustains Beck's relevance.

3/5

Rich Wilson

Sophie B. Hawkins

‘If I Was Your Girl- The Best Of’

(Columbia)

Forever associated with the hit single, ‘Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover’, Sophie B Hawkins stint in the mainstream limelight was a brief and innocuous one that lasted for a mere two years. And although she continues to produce more inspired material away from the charts, she has failed to recover the ground lost caused by the four-year delay in releasing her third album, ‘Timbre’.

Describing this as a ‘Best Of’ collection is pushing it. The majority of the material has been compiled from her first two albums, 1992’s ‘Tongues And Tails’ and 1994’s ‘Whaler’, which, although containing her most recognisable singles, gives a disservice to the darker and hit free ‘Timbre’. This album was delayed due to a bitter disagreement with her label over, of all things, the inclusion of a banjo on the proposed single, ‘Lose Your Way’. Although the suits eventually relented, momentum and label confidence had evaporated and the failure to include any tracks from that album here merely proves that in this industry, grudges are kept. Still, her melodious pop remains pleasant enough, but in truth, even now it sounds awfully dated.

3/5

Rich Wilson

DVD Review/ Interview

UTOPIA

Live in Columbus 1980

Sanctuary

Capturing the band at the peak of the live appeal and arguably their creative powers, this DVD will come as a relief to those lovers of Todd Rundgren's more musically excessive moments. The strength of Utopia (apart from their unquestionable musicianship) was that they were always wonderfully unpredictable, and this lengthy live performance illustrates the ease with which they flitted wildly between styles.

'Love In Action' demonstrates their aptitude for late seventies, New Wave pop, 'The Very Last Time' has the aura of a classic AOR stadium rock tune and the substantial 'Overture/ Communion With The Sun' is as wonderfully complex as Yes. But despite the diversity of styles, Utopia somehow manage to maintain a consistency and seamless flow which reinforces the high calibre of the material.

Naturally, given the age of the source tapes (they were originally in mono before being treated) the visual quality occasionally deteriorates and some camerawork is a tad shaky, but this ultimately doesn't detract from the overall effect. As for the obligatory "extras", there's a recent interview with Rundgren and a fairly pointless picture gallery but it's really the live performance that holds the pulling power. And the sight of Willie Wilcox's bizarre, motorbike shaped drum kit in itself makes this DVD worth a purchase . . .

TODD RUNDGREN INTERVIEW:

Did Utopia receive the recognition you deserved?

"Sometimes you feel like your star is in eclipse and there is just something blighting you. We had a run of huge concerts and there are people who saw those shows and they still think it moved the earth for them. Our purpose was to equal our definition of ourselves as 'Musical Big Game Adventurers' and that was why we did it. So why would you want more than that?"

Are there any plans for a future reunion?

"Our principle goal was to achieve things in terms of music and presentation. If it ever go to the point where we were too worried about the music that was the end of the band. Essentially on 'P.O.V' we reached that point. Members of the band were getting too concerned that they wouldn't be able to survive unless the band became commercially successful. We do have our standards. And one of those standards is that we'd never do the dinosaurs of rock thing. We're not going to go out just to be nostalgic and do lukewarm performances of the things we used to do better."

Jane's Addiction

'Three Days'

(Sanctuary)

Given Jane's Addiction's celebrated on-stage frolicking and their renowned partiality for substance abuse, this documentary (which captures the band during their 1997 reunion 'Relapse Tour') should match the billing of a "hallucinogenic haze of mind altering entertainment."

To some extent, the craziness of the band's existence within the tour bubble is exposed, and the live renditions of such songs as 'Mountain Song' and 'Jane Says' possess all the weird energy you'd expect. But far too often, the footage comes across as a band trying to hard to sell themselves as bizarre, with Perry Farrell in particular far too willing to take on the role of babbling space cadet whenever he's aware of a camera pointing in his direction.

Yet there is an inherent and unwitting humour in many of the sequences that make you wonder if Marty [Spinal Tap] DiBergi secretly directed the film. Farrell's pseudo intellectual conversation with a Rabbi over the meaning of life is pant wettingly funny, and his Nigel Tufnel inspired comment on his finances ("I don't give a shit how much money I have-all I know is that if I want a sandwich I can get one in an hour") more than compensate for this DVD's obvious flaws.

3/5

Rich Wilson