Brief looks at recordings on independent or smaller labels:
”Mad Love,” Lush, 4AD Records (British import)-Another variation on combining pop-oriented female vocals with hard, aggressive instrumental work, this four-song EP is at times reminiscent of the Primitives, but with a wall- of-guitar presence that tends to push the vocals farther into the background. Sweet, delicate singing from the foursome`s two vocalists, Miki Berenyi and Emma Anderson, shows traces of New Wave influence and, on the EP`s two more aggressive numbers, is placed cheek-by-howl with a searing, fuzzed-out guitar attack-which, as it happens, is also contributed by Berenyi and Anderson, who double as the band`s guitarists. The juxtaposition yields an intriguing, bittersweet aura on some striking songs. (STAR)(STAR)(STAR)
”Hide Your Eyes,” the Tail Gators, Restless Records, 11264 Playa Ct., Culver City, Calif. 90231-3628-Rootsy rock `n` roll that harks back to the
`50s and twang bands of the era, the Tail Gators` music incorporates blues and R&B accents as well as rockabilly, country and proto-rock strains. While the playing here has the good-times, danceable feel found on past Tail Gators outings, the trio this time shifts to a somewhat harder, tougher sound and a more zealous attack. If past albums had the feel of a good-natured romp through old-timey influences, this one has a kind of glint-in-the-eye edge that seems to signal a renewed sense of purpose on the part of the band (in which, incidentally, Jean-Jacques Barrera has replaced longtime and much-tattooed bassist Keith Ferguson). (STAR)(STAR)(STAR)
”The Best of the Crests, Featuring Johnny Maestro,” Rhino Records, 2225 Colorado Ave., Santa Monica, Calif. 90404-A retrospective look at the Crests` R&B ballads and uptempo tunes-both of which had a strong note of pop commerciality about them-this compilation includes ”16 Candles,” ”Step by Step,” ”Trouble in Paradise” and six other songs that the Crests placed on the Top 100 chart between 1957 and 1960. Lead singer Johnny Maestro, later of Brooklyn Bridge fame, gives sometimes-dreamy/mostly-full-voiced readings to lyrics about boys and girls and eternal love, while the other three Crests supply backup harmonies and doo-wop fills. Prime examples of late-`50s pop/R&B stylings perfect for TV record-hops. (STAR)(STAR) 1/2
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