Record Reviews
“Johnny Comes
Marching Home v
The Del-Lords
EMI America Records
★★★*/*
V\/hen I listen to the Del-Lords
I think this is what Bruce
Springsteen might sound like if
he was brought up in Chicago
instead of New Jersey.
The Del-Lords make working
class music for working class
people — just like Springsteen
used to before “Born in the
tLS-A.” The Del-Lords music is
more blues based and doesn’t
come off sounding superficial
like Springsteen’s recent, more
popular music. But the Del-
Lords don’t have Springsteen’s
gift for lyricism or orchestra
tion.
" j
ohnny Comes Marching Ho
me” is the second album from
the Del-Lords, drummer Frank
Funaro, bassist Manny “Manue-
lo” Caiati and guitarists Scott
Kempner and Eric Ambel. It’s a
good album but there are some
major problems, the first being
the drum mix.
They should have put a huge
wad of cotton in the snare
drum or done something so
that we don’t have to hear the
consistent THUD, THUD,
THUD, THUD, THUD through
every song. It’s almost as if the
drummer is using baseball bats
for drumsticks. The other prob
lems have to do with three of
the songs.
1 rue Love” is a song done in
failed blues stvle with sexist
overtones. “Saint Jake,” a trib
ute to rock music, is a distaste
ful attempt to cannonize a ra
dio disk jockey. “Dream Come
True,” another tribute to rock
music, is a not-too-good story
about a band which has finallv
made it. Aside from “True Lo
ve,” “Saint Jake,” “Dream Come
True” and a hvperactive snare
drum, the album is pretty good.
“Everlovin'” and “No Wait
ress No More” show the Del-
Lords can play the blues when
they want to. “Everlovin’” is a
tender, almost country song, in
which the drums are finallv
subdued so we’re allowed to
hear a delicate interplay be
tween guitar and bass. “No
Waitress No More” is more up
beat and features some excel
lent slide guitar playing.
Heaven” is an optimistic
song about a better world —not
the one we’ll go to after this life
but the one we must make here
for ourselves before we die. Cer
tain Washington wives might
object that this form of secular
humanism has found its way
into rock ’n’ roll.
And those same Washington
wives might also disagree with
the subject matter of “Soldier’s
Home,” a wonderful ’60s style
folk rock song which calls for
peace. The song “Drug Deal,”
even though it has no offensive
lyrics (it’s an instrumental),
might also cause this album to
be banned from Tipper Gore’s
hi-fi. The guitar work on “Drug
Deal,” by the way, is excellent.
A recent hijacking provides
the subject matter for “Against
My Will.” “Against My Will” is a
realistic portrayal of a hostage’s
confusion during the situation
instead of a “Delta Force” fan
tasy. The fanaticism of the ter
rorists as well as a bit of the
ugly American are in the song.
Love Lies Flying” is about a
romance doomed because of
the social conditions in which
the lovers are forced to live.
Something like Springsteen
would write if he hadn’t be
come a yuppie. (Hey, I like
Springsteen but if I see another
13-year-old wearing a Rambo
T-shirt and singing “Born in the
U.S.A.” I’m going to throw up.
Doesn’t anyone remember “Ne
braska” or “The River?”)
“Johnny Come Marching Ho
me” shows a lot of promise.
The Del-Lords have a ways to
go but I think their next album
will be a masterpiece. As long
as I’m comparing the Del-Lords
to another artist, does anyone
remember “Born to Run,”
Springsteen’s third album?
“Primitons”
The Primitons
Throbbing Lobster
Records
There is a musical explosion
happening during the ’80s.
Thanks to the empty-headed
blandness of MTV and top 40
radio, few people know about
it.
The Primitons are a part of
this new explosion which in
cludes R.E.M., the Replace
ments, the Dream Syndicate,
Guadalcanal Diary, the Meat
Puppets, Let’s Active, the Hoo
doo Gurus and the Violent Fem
mes. These bands are able to
take past musical styles and
synthesize something new and
exciting.
The Primitons are Brad Dor
set on vocals, bass, guitar and
piano, Leif Bondarenko on
drums, percussion and accord-
ian, and Mots Roden on vocals,
guitar and organ. Producer
Mitch Easter works with the
band on their first release, a
seven-song EP entitled “Primi
tons.” Easter, who produced
R.E.M.’s first three records,
knows how to capture the spirit
and feel of this musical explo
sion.
F ive Lines” is something of a
tribute to Pablo Picasso and his
art. The cover drawing of the
band is reminiscent of Picasso’s
“Three Musicians” and the
other pictures on the cover and
Ivric sheet are also Picasso- ish
in style.
“City People” is fantastic!
The blend of acoustic guitar,
accordion and voices is undes-
cribably beautiful.
It’s hard to say too much
about these guys. Their music
evokes more of a feeling than
something tangible to discuss.
Even though there is a lyric
sheet included in the package,
it’s hard to. decipher a single
meaning out of the words. All I
can say about “All My Friends,”
“Seeing Is Believing,” “She
Sleeps,” “You’ll Never Know”
and “Stars” is that they are pre
tty good songs.
The Primitons are good but
they still have to work off a few
rough edges. I hope to hear
more from these guys.
by Karl Pallmeyer
music reviewer
Albums provided by KANM