Record Mirror, September 24, 1977

Bibliography   72 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 UK & Ireland weeklies UK & Ireland magazines UK & Ireland newspapers US newspapers US rock magazines US music magazines US magazines US alternative weeklies European magazines European newspapers Canada  •  Mexico  •  Asia Australia  •  New Zealand South America  •  Africa Blogs  •  Fanzines  •  Books Online publications Record Mirror   1974 March 16 1977 March 19 1977 March 26 1977 April 16 1977 May 28 1977 July 16 1977 July 23 1977 August 6 1977 August 13 1977 August 20 1977 August 27 1977 September 3 1977 September 17 1977 September 24 1977 October 8 1977 October 15 1977 October 22 1977 November 5 1977 November 26 1977 December 3 1977 December 17 1977 December 31 1978 January 14 1978 January 21 1978 February 25 1978 March 4 1978 March 11 1978 March 18 1978 March 25 1978 April 15  1978 April 22 1978 May 20 1978 June 24  1978 July 8  1978 September 16  1978 September 30 1978 October 21  1978 November 18 1978 November 25 1978 December 30 1979 January 6 1979 January 13  1979 February 3 1979 March 3 1979 May 12 1979 May 19 1979 June 2 1979 October 13 1979 October 27 1979 December 15 1980 January 12 1980 January 19 1980 January 26 1980 February 2 1980 February 16 1980 February 23 1980 March 1 1980 March 8 1980 March 22 1980 April 12 1980 May 10 1980 August 23 1980 September 6 1980 October 4 1980 October 18  1980 December 6 1980 December 27 1981 January 3  1981 January 10 1981 January 17 1981 January 24 1981 January 31 1981 February 28 1981 March 14 1981 April 4 1981 June 13 1981 July 4 1981 August 8 1981 September 12 1981 October 3 1981 October 24 1981 November 7 1981 December 26   1982 January 9 1982 January 16 1982 March 27 1982 May 1  1982 June 5  1982 June 12 1982 June 19 1982 June 26 1982 July 3 1982 July 10 1982 July 24  1982 September 4 1982 September 18  1982 October 9 1982 October 16 1982 November 27 1983 January 1   1983 June 4  1983 July 2 1983 July 16 1983 July 30 1983 August 13 1983 September 10  1983 November 19  1983 December 10  1984 January 7   1984 March 24 1984 March 31 1984 April 14 1984 April 21 1984 May 5 1984 May 12 1984 June 2 1984 June 9   1984 June 16  1984 June 30 1984 October 20  1985 May 11  1985 June 15  1985 July 20  1985 September 21 1985 November 9  1985 December 7  1985 December 21  1986 February 22 1986 March 8 1986 April 26 1986 May 17  1986 May 31 1986 June 28  1986 July 12  1986 August 2 1986 August 23  1986 September 20 1986 November 8  1986 November 29  1986 December 6 1987 December 12 1988 February 27  1988 November 12 1988 December 17 1989 January 7  1989 February 4  1989 February 11 1989 February 18   1989 March 4  1989 April 29 1989 May 6  1989 May 13  1989 June 17 1989 July 1 1989 July 29 — Stiff it! (We don't mean it really) Tim Lott Stiff recording artists Hits Greatest Stiffs Listen, there's no love lost between Stiff Records and this rag. Andrew Jakeman, aka Jake Riviera who runs Stiff, hates RM with a vengeance and it's not entirely unreciprocated. I mention this for one reason: In reviewing Hits Greatest Stiffs there's no cow-towing, no cool-chasing. Eighty per cent of critics would give this album a good review if it contained two 20-minute sides of Nick Lowe picking his nose. It has hip value. I, on the other hand, would quite savour massacring it. Unfortunately Jakeman's too smart. Sure, he's put a couple of stone cold duffers on the album — accomplished pseud Richard Hell struggles with a very wet "You Gotta Lose" and Plummet Airlines dribble a "B" side that sounds like "C" side, "This Is The World." But the rest is at the very least interesting and at the very most even more interesting. The entire album sounds as though it was recorded in a small plastic tea-chest, which is half of its charm. The other half is in quirk and strangeness. For instance can you imagine the Damned doing "Help." You don't have to! It's right here, track four side two. Beautiful chaos. Motorhead, the world's most terrible band ever, come up with a perfectly insensitive "Leavin' Here" which has got to be the least dislikeable thing they've ever done. My personal fave is Nick Lowe's "Heart Of The City." Now I'm not a blind Lowe disciple. If he put out an album of nose-picking — which isn't entirely unlikely — I wouldn't buy it. An EP yes, but an LP takes the concept just a little too far. However, nothing could he further removed from nose-picking than "Heart Of The City" which is typically inspired slip-shod pop 'n' roll. Other bonuses are Elvis Costello's "Radio Sweetheart" complete with pedal steel guitar, Sean Tyla's lurching "Styrofoam," "Texas Chainsaw Massacre Boogie" and the wonderful Lew Lewis's "Caravan Man." I can take or leave Roogalator's "Cincinnati Fatback" and the Pink Fairies "Between The Lines" but a Stiff album wouldn't be a Stiff album without a bit of filler. Besides who needs an album anyway with a cover like that — trashy sixties' rip-off with a totally useless Stiff album voucher. And that's not the only gimmick: you get wacky sleeve notes and a list of recommended albums on other labels — ABBA, the other Elvis, even Lee Dorsey. If I hadn't got this album free I'd have bought it were it not for the glaring omission of Yachts, Stiff's new signings who knock prats like Rooglator into a cocked trilby. And remember — if it ain't no use to no one, it ain't Stiff. Is that right? Tags: Hits Greatest Stiffs  •  Radio Sweetheart  •  Jake Riviera  •  Nick Lowe  •  Heart Of The City  •  You Gotta Lose  •  Richard Hell  •  Cincinnati Fatback  •  Roogalator  •  The Damned  •  Stiff Records  •  ABBA  •  Elvis Presley  •  Lee Dorsey  •  The Yachts << >> Record Mirror, September 24, 1977 Tim Lott reviews Hits Greatest Stiffs. My Aim Is True is No. 22 on the album chart (page 2). Images Clipping. Cover, clipping and page scan.

External links

• Wikipedia: Record Mirror
• Wikipedia: Tim Lott
• worldradiohistory.com 
• scans.chartarchive.org