July 1980
CREEM
Re: “Women In Revolt” . May 1980 Issue of CREEM Lulu is not “little.” She only remains less visible today, less “tall” in the crowd of contemporary female vocalists, than in those “Shout”/“To Sir, With Love” days. No. She is not “little.” If you require more than my word for the truth of that statement, listen to the full-of-ironic-understatement interpretation of her cover of Tarney’s “Bye Bye Now My Sweet Love” on her 1978 Rocket Records, “comeback” album, Don’t Take Love For Granted.
CHRISTGAU CONSUMER GUIDE
Robert Christgau
This is the last CG I’m going to write for a while. Not the last capsule record review, God knows— I’ve been on leave from my job at the Voice since February I trying to transform the past 10 years into a book, which means that every day I write between five and 10 entries.
ROCK 'N' ROLL NEWS
So Graham Parker teamed up with Bruce Springsteen for a song on Geep’s new LP, “Endless Night” (a synthesis of “Hold Back The.. ” and “Prove It All...”?) (Well, at least it’s not about gambling or the streets)... so what, you say? The real news surrounding the new Parker album is the absence of keyboardist Bob Andrews in the Rumour as it appears on the album; Nicky Hopkins is apparently on most of the album in his stead, and has been telling folks in NYC about the album in great, knowing detail.
THE BEAT GOES ON
Richard Riegel
CINCINNATI—Like all other geriatric CREEMsters, I waltzed into this biz believing to the death in the ca.-1971 BangsMarsh party line that postulated Dee-troit Rock ’n’ Roll as nearer my God than the outlanders could ever be. Forget that I never got around to seeing the mythical MC5 or the surreal Stooges on stage—Lestronic Bangs gave me the word on both groups’ immortality when I was still a cub crit, and I’ve always been more than ready to embrace any spark that flew off the smouldering remains of those two ultragroups.
THE AGONY OF BEING XTC
Walter Wasacz
While Andy Partridge searches through his travel bag to show me books he has purchased at a sale in New York, it gives me precious few moments to think through the history of XTC, a group tagged with labels that range from “difficult” to “cute” to “coy” but who are actually in the vanguard of making a new pop.
BURBANK CALLING
J. Kordosh
They were six fine English boys Who knew each other in Birmingham They bought a drum and guitar Started a rock-roll band. * —Randy Newman, “The Story of a Rock and Roll Band.” ...England has the music scene that is so far advanced from anything here.
SQUEEZE: PERFECTING THE FINE ART OF ARGYBARGY
Rob Patterson
argybargy (arr-gee-bar-gee): “If you’re in a crowded bar and the barman says ‘Drinks are free for the next 30 seconds,’ what you get is argybargy...lots of argybargy... shoulders knocking into each other...” Defined by Gilson Lavis and related by Glenn Tilbrook In fishing about for a good premise, one can easily cast the Squeeze story in the charming mold... A sort of modern-day rock ’n’ roll Gilbert and Sullivan operetta.
Letter From Britain
SONGS THAT AREN’T FUNNY
Penny Valentine
The casualness of the first line of Peter Gabriel’s “Biko” is deliberately shocking.
Creem Profiles
THE SPECIALS
(Pronounced “Boy Howdy!”)
JUKE JOINT JIMMY IN MIDLIFE CRISIS
Richard Riegel
Don’t ask me where we were going, as I can’t remember now, but I know it was the Saturday morning before the Sunday evening J. Geils concert.
REWIRE YOURSELF
Richard Robinson
A friend of mine called me in a panic this week, his Sony Betamax was playing pictures full of white lines and ripples on his TV set. “Sounds like drop-out,” my friend said. “Wait a minute though, the cassette that made the white lines on the screen was sitting on the window sill for two days before I used it.
Tenement Steps To Glory: The MOTORS Tune Up
Rob Patterson
The sky cracks open and fat raindrops cascade noisily onto city, pavement. Suddenly awake, alone, in a crowded New York City apartment, he hears the soundtrack to his day (rock ’n’) roll into his ears. It’s a matter of flicking on his stereo. The disc—Tenement Steps by the Motors.
BELGRADE OR BUST
Mark J. Norton
BELGRADE, YUGOSLAVIA— The plane landed in Belgrade at noon, Yugoslavian time. What I saw when we landed stunned me. It looked like Toronto! Everyone disembarked for the customs and immigration check. The woman who was inspecting was wearing the Yugo military uniform, her blonde hair pulled tightly into a bun on the top of her head.
EXTENSION CHORDS
Allen Hester
Guitar players are constantly in search of elusive sounds, sounds that they have either heard on record, or at a concert, or just in their own unique imagination. This endless search for a musical identity, a unique “trademark” sound, has led guitarists off in search of the Holy Grail, and there appears to be no end to the chase.
Features
IF YOU HATE VAN HALEN YOU’RE WRONG
Dave DiMartino
Remnants of the flash hangover.
CREEMEDIA
Rick Johnson
Little Darlings is a great film if you like a lot of shots of young girls admiring their budding breasts in the bathroom mirror, young girls getting hot ’n’sweaty playing volleyball, young girls dreamily riding big horsies bareback in the hot afternoon sun and young girls just plain getting wet, both figuratively and literally.
CREEM DREEM
CHEAP TRICK
Rick Johnson
Prime Time
Richard C. Walls
Sooner or later, if you’re writing a column about television, you have to watch a little TV. So. This month’s installment is a clearance house of recent observations, elongated capsule rantings, irresponsible epigrams and vague but heartfelt conclusions.
Confessions of a FILM FOX
The 1980 Carmelita Pope of jeans, Gloria Vanderbilt, is going to be joined in pushing Murjani jeans by none other than Debbie “A-Line” Harry, who’s proposed to tout a new line of jeans on the tube, to appeal to the younger set. Debbie’s not exactly known for her denims, but so what?
Records
SONS OF ONAN UNITE
Jim Farber
Up until now, it’s been relatively easy to ignore Van Halen, or to confuse them with Van Johnson.
RIM BOYS & GIRLS ROCK STEADY!
THE MAD PECK
ROCK • A • RAMA
J. Kordosh
ADRENALIN—Gimme Good Lovin� b/w Change of Heart (Musical Signature Records 45):: Can you resist buying a record by a bunch of guys described in their own liner notes as �messengers from the streets,� �sensitive artists,� �natural street survivors,� and possessors of that unbeatable combo of �overwhelming personality and a welcomed sincerity?�
Backstage
BACKSTAGE
Where the Stars Tank Up & Let Their Images Down