38 briduy, Murch 08, 9X8 | Pop classics go ‘best of’ ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES In The Dark join the ‘‘Best of ...”’ packaging bandwagon; the resurrection of ’60s sounds continues unabated in soundtrack form; the suc- cessors to the world, once mankind has blown its chance, are given their own soundtrack; the African in- vasion strikes from Zim- babwe with some new sounds from The Real Sounds. MICHAEL BECKER music reviewer Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark — The Best Of OMD, Virgin Records/A&M 1988 Look beyond the enigmatic name and limp cotton-candy voices and you'll find a string of durable pop classics. Nine years and seven albums give the collection a surprising depth of scope, and show why the band has spawned so many copy- cats. But none of the pretenders have quite managed to match OMD for its ability to turn simple keyboard hooks into riffs which have managed to stand fast against the disposable, fickle tastes of a flash-in-the-pan pop culture. The retrospective opens with the 1979 song that brought OMD out of the dark in North America, Electricity, and closes with a fine new tune called Dreaming . Sandwiched in between are the band’s songs you liked at the time, but didn’t want to risk blowing the weck's allotment of disposable cash on because you knew that these Englishmen had a propensity to heap on the maudlin roman- ticism and you didn't want to get stuck in the syrup. Well, this is the one OMD disc not to miss. The best songs are here, including my favorites For- ever Live And Die and Souvenir, without the really sticky stuff. Hairspray — Original Motion Pic- ture Soundtrack, MCA 1988 This record has arrived for me about 25 years too late. The soundtrack for John Waters’ circa '62 integration com- edy, where black meets white on the common ground of a Baltimore dance floor, is loaded with the tunes the older brothers and sisters of my peer group were listening to. I could only pray for premature hormonal surges to blast me into the club, zits and all. In the mean- time I furtively plugged into the craziness on the old crystal- powered rocket AM radio. If you thought disco was weird, wrap your ears around Jerry Dallman and The Knightcaps’ antennae-twitching rendition of The Bug. For industrial strength schmaltz there’s none that can whine better than Little Peggy March and! Wish I Were A Notth Shore News The music works alone without the visuals and is sometimes moody, sometimes incessant and always interesting. The Real Sounds — Wende Zako, Cooking Viny!/Festival Records 1987 They like to build their bands big in Africa. In this case it’s a 13-piece troupe of musicians from Zimbabwe and Zaire who will have the cappuccino-fuelled Jericho folkies spinning in their Birkenstocks this summer at the folk festival. The sound, beefed up with stac- cato horns, bubbling guitars and exotic vocal phrasing is hypnotical- ly infectious and is guaranteed to give the bones a work out. The real sound in this case is called soukous, a mix of rhumba Photo submitted and other rhythms. Sports fans Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark main men Paul Humphreys and yjfj appreciate a cut called Tor- Andy McCluskey look to the heavens for more bit-song inspiration. do the Roach! Good Morning Vietnam — The Original Motion Picture Sound- track, A&M 1988 Crank the nostalgia clock ahead three years to 1965 and you're far from Baltimore and somewhere in Vietnam with Robin Williams’ im- provisational genius filling the grooves between the likes of Mar- tha Reeves & The Vandellas and Louis Armstrong. Pre-psychedelic tunes enliven this romp through the war before the drugs set in. The persona of Williams as DJ neatly draws together a mixed bag of songs and styles, making the record work both as a comedy album and a period picce. Among the best of the resur- rected gems included are the father of funk James Brown with | Got You (I Feel Good) , Them with Baby Please Don't Go, The Rivieras’ rendition of California Sun. I laughed, I snapped my fingers, it’s real. When's the flick available on video? Startled Insects —- Curse Of The Pheromones, Island Records/ MCA 1987 Nifty, evocative instrumental music from a group of Bristol film-makers and musicians who are an underground hit in Europe with their mixed-media perfor- mances. Calling on the world to insectify, the Startled Insects sound reminds a bit of Penguin Cafe Orchestra mixing with Brian Eno on the frenetic side of the street, The music is culled from sound- tracks made for a number of film projects. Past film collaborations, with pixellator Paco Pacomac on Revenge of the Insects and Moho, have included work exploring the subtle intelligence of U.S. foreign policy and the inevitability of all surface life forms eventually earth’s crust. returning to form part of the nados vs Dynamos (3-3) — it’s a soccer game between the two top teams in Zimbabwe complete with running commentary put to song. ‘Tickets Now, ON SALE! “The ELEPHANT SHOW'S ERIC NAGLER At Centennial Theatre March 30 3:30 & 7:30 pm “Fantastic Family Fun” SPONSORED BY THE NORTH SHORE BRANCH OF Bea ARlicipalion’ PRESCHCOS Get your tickets now at Readers Retreat Lynn Valley Mall BC Playthngs Chrissy’s Fashions West Van North Van Rec Centre Visa and MC. Call 987-PLAY Last year’s marvellous production returns this summer! August 8 - September 10, 1988 QUEEN ELIZABETH THEATRE MONDAY to SATURDAY EVENINGS 8 pm & SAY URDAY MATINEES 2 pm ¢ Orchestra, Mezzanine. Dress Circle $45 * Balcony $37.50 ¢ Rear Balcony $32.50 WEDNESDAY MATINEE 2 pm ¢ Orchestra, Mezzanine, Dress Circle $37.50 © Balcony $32.50 kettes singine I’m Blue. On th ® Rear Balcony $27.50 * Note: $5 Student/Senior discount Wednesday Matinee Oaly newhe recorded cut Rachel only PREVIEW AUGUST 8 ® Orchestra, Mezzanine. Dress Circle $43.00 ¢ Balcony Sweet does an authentic Spector- aN $35.50 * Rear Balcony $30.50 sound girl group send-up with the ; | title tune, Hairspray. Tickets: all VIC/CBO outlets. Eaton's. Woodward's Waters calls the collection the eo outle s Eat ns. V Phone Orders: 280-4444 Princess. The R and B of the period is well-represented by the only known remedy to today’s Hit Parade of Hell. Long live the bechive hairdo. Up with the skirt fines. Turn up the pop kitsch and 1554 Marine, W. Van.