Glasgow University Guardian, January 15, 1987

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Glasgow University Guardian

UK & Ireland newspapers

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’86 Rock and Pop – Every Which Way We Loose


Allan Brown

1986 was a year that saw the compact disc mentality take an even greater stranglehold upon public taste; bands who should have been wiped off the face of the earth by punk in 1977, like Genesis and Queen , have returned like mutant breeds of super bacteria totally immune to any form of opposition and, this time, they’re back for good. The release of his three-album box-set has seen Bruce Springsteen achieve a degree of omnipotence previously accorded only to member of the Holy Trinity (and perhaps Bob Dylan) Dire Straits have been shifting so many ‘units’ that the record company don’t know where the next compact disc is coming from and if you add to this a chart full of soap stars and disco-dross it seems we face a fairly gloomy future. But hasn’t it always been like this? Has there ever been a time when 45 revolutions per minute referred to more than the current backlash rate in the N.M.E.? When your parents groaned at every second group on Top of the Pops? I doubt if there ever has, but you can’t help feeling that in 1986 we got a fairly raw deal.

Thank Christ then for Elvis Costello. In a year that has seen media darlings like the Shop Assistants and Andy White collapse under the weight of their own influences, Costello battled on ably proving himself to be the real claimant of Springsteen’s crown. His Blood and Chocolate album was the fiercest yet, love and hate held in perfect equipoise by Britain’s finest songwriter since Ray Davies. The unequivocal adulation of his recent live shows vindicate Costello’s talent in a way that his record sales still refuse to do.

The only contenders for Costello around today have to be The Smiths who produced an admirable effort with The Queen Is Dead which was short on playing-time but high with a black sense of humour. ‘So I broken into The Palace with a sponge and a rusty spanner, she said eh I know you and you cannot sing. I said that’s nothing, you should hear me play the piano.”

It remains to be seen just to what extent the wheels of industry will grind them down now that they have left Rough Trade and joined E.M.I. Elsewhere it was left to Kate Bush and her greatest-hits package, The Whole Story to prove that music can attain chart success and still appeal to higher forms of life than pond weed and teeny boppers.

Over the Atlantic, several decent albums managed to escape the shackles of FM radio and MTV. The ever idiosyncratic REM released their fourth album “Lifes Great pageant” and have managed to broaden their Rickenbacker fuelled thrash without sacrificing the mid-west aura that makes them so unique. Michael Stipe’s ramblings on coyotes and rivers may not make much sense but the Velvets cum Stones thrash of a track like “Begin the Begin” puts it all into focus.

Another Stateside combo, the much-neglected Lets Active, released their second long player “Big Plans For Everybody” this year to critical apathy, which is rather a shame because Mitch Easter’s intensely complex songs have a charm all their own and it can’t be long before the music press picks them up (and then dumps them – Que Sera Sera).

Bob Dylan, now into his 25th year of rockin’ and rollin’, unleashed a new platter in 1986, the lack-lustre “Knocked Out Loaded” an album which displayed little of the flair which in his day made him almost as famous as Broooce!! However, I shan’t be too harsh of Mrs Zimmerman’s son; after all, he did give us Blonde and Blonde and Highway 61 Revisited which is good enough for me.

Apart from these 1986 provided a fairly weak crop; Paul McCartney gradually slipped further into musical senility; the Eurythmics returned with a few good tunes burned in a layer of instant Amerikana, the only “difficult” thing about Billy Bragg’s third album was attempting to stifle a giggle, and the long awaited fifth Bunnymen album was still unforthcoming.

To paraphrase Morrissey We’ve got the 21st century breathing down our necks. We’ve also got large hoards of compact disc wielding savages clad in tour T shirts and satin jackets after our blood, and I think I know who’ll have the upper hand.


Tags: Bruce SpringsteenBob DylanDire StraitsNMETop Of The PopsBlood & ChocolateRay DaviesThe SmithsR.E.M.The Velvet UndergroundThe Rolling StonesBlonde On BlondePaul McCartneyEurythmicsBilly Bragg

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Glasgow University Guardian, January 15, 1987


Allan Brown writes about the previous year's music releases including Blood & Chocolate.

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1987-01-15 Glasgow University Guardian page 15 clipping 01.jpg
Clipping.

Page scan and cover.
1987-01-15 Glasgow University Guardian page 15.jpg1987-01-15 Glasgow University Guardian cover.jpg

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