Archives for September 1984

The Rolling Stones – Rewind

September 27, 1984 by Jim Connelly

(Rolling Stones)

What? Yet another Rolling Stones’ “best of” album? Wait, I know! Maybe the Stones signed a pact with their sympathetic friend that requires them to put out an album every year even if Mick and Keith don’t have any songs. That might explain why The Stones have about six greatest hits albums and four live albums in their 20 years. But for a hardcore Stones fan like myself, none of these records are really essential, and the latest album, Rewind, continues in that tradition.

So what I am going to do here is give you a retrospective of the Rolling Stones’ history, mentioning the 11 or so albums that are essential.

Hüsker Dü – Zen Arcade

September 19, 1984 by Jim Connelly

(SST)

In the past few years, metal and corporate rock bands like Journey and Loverboy have claimed sole title to the description “Rock and Roll” That claim, in fact, is a myth that has been forced upon the American public by reactionary and conservative radio stations. There is not only one way to rock, so to speak. There are as many styles of rock and roll as there are bands. Just because a band isn’t being played on the local “rock” stations doesn’t mean it isn’t rock and roll — it means that it isn’t commercial enough for mass appeal.

Hoodoo Gurus – Stoneage Romeos

September 19, 1984 by Jim Connelly

(A&M)

In the past few years, before corporate and metal bands tried to corner the market on what was considered “Rock and Roll,” Australia’s Hoodoo Gurus would have been considered by the general public as just and rock and roll band. Yet, nowadays, it is much more complicated to classify music with meaningless terms like “new wave” and “new music” being used to describe anything that doesn’t sound like Journey or the Scorpions. So, the Hoodoo Gurus’ debut album Stoneage Romeos falls into the un-category of “Guitar Bands That Play Loud Pop Music That Is Sort Of Familiar If You Like The Sixties But Is Still Fresh And New For Right Now. Oh Yeah, Lots Of Fun, Too.”

The Hoodoo Gurus might even have a genuine hit if they get any commercial airplay. “I Want You Back” (not the old Jackson 5 song) is the sort of sing-along pop song that is impossible not to like. Songs like “Tojo,” “Arthur,” “Death Ship,” and “Dig It Up” are variations of classic rock themes, both musical and lyrical. “(Let’s All) Turn On” is a recounting of their influences that boasts the lyrical punctuation of “that’s what I like” after almost every line. And the album’s closer, “My Girl” (not the old Temptations song), is yet another offshoot of rock’s “Louie Louie” family tree.

There is nothing earth-shattering on Stoneage Romeos, but most of the songs are exciting and refreshingly unpretentious. No wonder it’s the number one album on nationwide college radio this week. It’s also a good indication that the Hoodoo Gurus might crossover to commercial radio, since the last two number ones have been Lou Reed and R.E.M. In any event, the Hoodoo Gurus are certainly an example of a group that makes rock and roll that may never be heard by the millions of people who profess to like it. But that’s what I thought about U2, also.

. . .

As published in the Daily Collegian on September 19, 1984

Echo and the Bunnymen – Ocean Rain

September 10, 1984 by Jim Connelly

(Sire)

Echo and the Bunnymen are four guys from Liverpool, England who have been called one of the best rock ‘n’ roll bands in the world. On Ocean Rain, the Bunnymen’s fourth album, they stake their claim to that title with some grandiose, dramatic music. Though a couple of the songs fall flat, Ocean Rain contains enough strong, well-arranged songs to make it a fine album, if not one of 1984’s best.

The Untouchables – Live and Let Dance EP

September 10, 1984 by Jim Connelly

(Twist-Enigma)

The Untouchables are a seven-piece multi-racial band from Southern California that has garnered a huge following down South with their infectious, dance-oriented music. Initially typecast as just a ska band, The Untouchables’ new EP Live and Let Dance shows them expanding their repertoire to include soul, reggae and flat-out rock ‘n’ roll.

Side U opens with “Free Yourself,” an Otis Redding homage down to the horns. But at the same time, it is also unquestionably the UT’s song because of the unmistakable vocal harmonies. The other two cuts on Side U, “Lebanon” and “Whiplash,” are ska-stompers with “Lebanon” getting extra points for being political.