“5 «Commercial materialism i is. «

A CHILD: of the ’6Cs speaks with a an assured musical
‘authority in the twilight years of the 80s; the Woodentops |
, wobble through some hits and misses; that old-time TV
\religion i is soundly smacked in a movie music collection; a
Texan band rustles up some beefy tunes; a shrewd group of
Swedish rockers prove to be rubber barons in the making.

Joni Mitche!l — Chalk Mark In A
Rainstorm, Geffen/WEA 1988

No matter how many Marlboras
| she manages to absorb a day,.the

’ voice remains lithe and resilient.

‘A brief vocal incursion on the
’ album by Billy Ido! passes, leaving /
the fluid signature tone set by Mit-
chell unscathed. ,

: MICHAEL. |
BECKER _

a music reviewer

. Her. 15th ‘album: 2% years in the
“making, features a stellar cast of.
guest musicians including Idol," -.:

: Peter Gabriel; Gabriel’s drummer:

«© of choice Manu Katche, Tom Pet- /
. ity, Thomas Dolby, Willie Nelson i
aa and Don Henley. . a

“The lyrics’ ‘play out ‘the grand” | -
“hemes of love and death with‘deft
:. detail. The ethical sweep is wide /

“>with Mitchell addressing Indian,

land claim issues in Lakota.
- ‘dissected ina stream-of-. - ”
: consciousness, diatribe, The Reoc-

mployed i in the ‘albums’, ‘title, M
‘cheil’s latest is the rich. fh
‘of an artist in

rowsing through the musical style

section i in n search © of a sound color- °°"

ing scheme that. works. The shades
clash here and there, but you know

- that a littl more fiddling will in-

evitably pull it all together:

Lots of neat ideas are tossed out

and when the creative centrifugal
force spun by Tops front man
Rolo fuses, the result is vibrant.
At its best, the group recalls an
updated installment of Gang of
Four without the political
ramifications. ee
The exuberant They Can Say
What They Want and Stop. This
Car portend how good the band

"can be,

> At its, worst: Ane excrutiatingly
luggish : Wheels Turning and the
Queen-like You Make. Me Feel (1 -

‘/ see Freddie Mercury clutching his

crotch, to squeeze out the high *
notes on a cover version of this
one) the band comes s off as
lightweight ee .

; Various Artists, Original Sound.

track — Salvation!, PolyGram ‘
1988

Strike one fi r being a ‘concept .
. album built around a movie. The
"*, cuts‘are loosely tagged on to a sat-.

< ire of.television,cvangelists and
~ many. of the instrumerial cuts in-

cluded cry out for.visual support.
“But there are some precious”

a nuggets to be pulled | from among.
the dross, -

You Can " Blackmail Jesus, by a

band ‘called Jumpin’ ‘Jesus, isa

country howler. Salvation! uctor

fe +
Stephen McHattie’ yodels sor
ly. rowful testament to stalw art

religious conviction.

New Order’s Touched By The
Hand Of Ged and Salvation! Have
You Said Your Prayers Today?, by
The Hood, offer surefire dance
Noor i inspiration for the black on
blonde sct. It is written that the
tunes will wear well at high |
decibels.

‘If you're partial to robotics;
you'll appreciate the fact that there
are five new songs by New Order
included on the disc.

". "The Wild Seeds — Mud, Lies &

Shame, Passport Records, 1988
The band was fired in the
cauldron'of Austin, Texas when
the town was bubbling over in
1983 with new bands Ste Rank &
File. This LP is the gi ulp’s se-

cond.

The song writing is smart. Singer -
Michacl Hall's voice sounds like T

Bone Burnett with tight nostrils.

Band member Kris McKay

” Showcases a strong new country
voice on All This Tinse, a slow-
. burning country-blues number.

Jack's Walking With The Kirig
features a churning boogic ..
workout,

The music is dominated by
(wangy guitars fuclled by the ir-
repressibly raucous spirit of a

semi. -eivilized Barage band. -

, ‘The Leather Naw — Force Of

Habit, IRS/MCA 1987, 0
The country that foisted Abba.

- upon the world has done it again.

‘ But this Swedish offering is...

‘much fess marketable. No buxom’

HANDSWORTH SECONDARY’S: award- -winning

junior and senior jazz bands will be performing in The ..
‘Just Jazz. Concert at the North Vancouver school next © -

bands took’ top honors recently in the. "New

Westminster and Surrey jazz’ festivals, coming’ in first”

d second place in thie categories they entered.

., Drummer Rob Somerville was named best drummer. ,
, Blair
Schellenberg, ,won a $1, 000. Scholarship at, the other .

the’: Surrey” festival, “and .sax -player -

festival.

Invited to: ‘compete: in the, B. Cc. provincial champi-

“nadian National “Championship in Calgary next

month.
- The Just Jazz Concert starts at 7: 30 p.m. April 25

Edgewood Rd school. Info: 987- 3381.

eon

Works. by North Vancouver. composer Michael
Conway Baker, who was featured in the News’ North
Shore Now section April8,:will be performed at CBC

17 - Friday, April 22, 1988 -

North Shore News

JONI MITCHEL £°S latest release is the product of a meticelons artist in.
her prime. ‘Mitchell was recently in Vancouver: to promote, her new ~

album.

beauties here but The. Leather Nun
have two things going for them —
a'scurrilous group name and
album-title combination and a .
socially responsible concert souve-

nit item,

The titles speak for themselves.
The marketing ploy, a designer:
Prophylactic, is so outrageous it
simply merits mentioning as a mat-
ter of record. A Leather Nun con-

1373 Marine Drive |
7 West Vancouver

926-4913 fo}

"BURNABY e

dom, basic black with a hot pink
skull and cross bones, is being sold
jat the band’s live dates. |
| The group's sound is a tepid |
‘Nordic helping of mainstream rock
cliches. But these boys aren’t too
dumb. They've done their Finan-

cial Post homework. Condom sales «|

are up. Hf the music fails them, —/
there’s always a Future i in the rudy
ber market. . a

“Come and enjoy: the’ a :

finest French cuisine. ‘and :

a beautiful’ ocean, view .

‘Lunch ‘and Dinner :
Monday to ‘Saturday

"Best French Food’ .
Timothy Renshaw °°
reoeairont critic.

IHORTZONS|

HANVER ELIT L x el | °
aj JON

and will be held in the school’s large gym at the 1044 |

AS

MOUNTAIN

A stunning: panorama of.the Vancouver area. Superb.

service.

-warm and relaxed. Innovative cuisine

featuring the’ finest of regional foods &: wine.
“- 3: DINNER: FROM 5 O'CLOCK:
y - LUNCH & SUNDAY BRUNCH

F : ‘100 Centennial I Way, Burnaby Reservations’ 299-4155
Radio’s /A™ Little. Lunch : Music: at . the Orpheum a.
4 Theatre i in Vancouver April 26 at 12:30 PeMe wee,