P249 CJJFAX 249 Mon 3 Nov 21:14/21 1/14 * ?£+£££k?£+5 Elton John + 88 = Australian Tour The agency wire reports that Elton John has embarked on his eighth tour of Australia, in the company of 88 musos from the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Oh yes, and thjte's the 12 piece EJ "and. So that's 101 people on stage. Elton must bj there somewhere. It's said to bj the largest rock & roll tour ever, cress-crossing the continent and ending with a dozen shows in Sydney starting Dec 1. WeWri told that Elton regards Oz as a second home, after all hj married Rjnate thjti in 84.P249 CEEFA( 249 Mon 3 Nov 21:15/30 2/14 The Pretenders - Get Close Get Close is the first album from the Pretenders since 1984. In the currunt line-up singer/writer Christie Hynde is joined bz Blair Cunningham on drums, TZ Stevens on bass and guitarist Robbie McIntosh + various friends. This is a varied album which is at its strongest on those numbers which allow Christie's voice to weave around the orchestration giving it a deceptively casual feel. This is most effective on songs like My Baby and the hit single Don't Get Me Wrong. MoreP249 CJEFAX 249 Mon 3 Nov 21:16/54 3/14 * zsssssssss{0 The Pretenders - Get Close (2) This LP shows Christie Hynde as more soulful and melodic than much of her earlier work. It's a jinj piece of plastic that will run and run. Side one My Baby, When I Change My Life, Light of the Moon, Dance!, Tradition of Love Side two Don't Get Me Wrong, I Rjmjmbjr You, How Much Did You Get For Your Soul?, Chill Factor, Hymn to Her, Room Full of MirrorsP249 CEEFAX 249 Mon 3 Nov 21:17/39 4/14 45s brief .... America - King Kurt There's no one around at the moment who gets so much drive out of guitars and saxes as this lot. Should go down a storm on their tour and if they ever get it on Top of the Pops ...! Ah well, if Lenny s!ys it's OK. Good B side too. 51st State - New Model Army Lawks a mercy it's a protest song! The view from the concrete !ircraft carrier with production by Glyn Johns. It comes from the Ghost of Cain album and is catchy but a bet light weight. Certified rock nextP249 CEEFAX 249 Mon 3 Nov 21:17/07 5/14 Doctor Rock? Can it bj that academic respjcta"ility is coming to rock music? Perth College of Furthjt Education is currently running a course for rock musicians. You can learn a suitable invtrumjnt, or sing, as well as use a multi-track recording studio and pick up tips on the business end of things. It runs for a year and there are 25 students in this years' intake. PCFE are hoping to make it a 2 year course in future leading to an HNC. Richard Thompson nextP249 CEEFAX 249 Mon 3 Nov 21:18/00 6/14 Richard Thompson - Daring Adventures There's a classic moment on this LP, during the Buddy Hollyish Valerie, when a jig emerges from the undergrowth. It goes around the house, mending the dresser, and wanders off again. Richard Thompson has always been a folk rocker as well as a guitar hero. The interesting thing is the way the roots lie buried just below the surface only to emerge when you're least expecting thjmn Adventures n eds a littl patience but it pays off. Will worth a listen.P249 CEEFA( 249 Mon 3 Nov 21:19/36 7/14 @ A Dip in the Music Press The Mission are in ink again. In No 1 Waznj Hussjy says that thu band are 'Goppiis' - a cross between goths and hippies and that hj's got better legs than Siouxsie. (All good goths have!) Sounds meanwhile are looking for talent ... the literary kind. Being a bit low on good words from outside London (or the real world as it is known to the locals) editor Tony Stewart is asking aspiring scribes to send in 300 words of gig review or news. This could bj your chance to make it into print. MoreP249 CJEFA( 249 Mon 3 Nov 21:20/15 8/14 A Dip in the Music Prius (2) The most interesting thing in this week's Sounds is a piec bz James Brown on Billy Bragg. Brown sees loneliness as Bragg'u reason for performing. Bragg is not quite able to fathom Brown's worries about the non sexual nature of the music. It reads like an ovjrhjard conversation at a windy bus stop. The Face includes the first part of a magazine Island Life specialising in that record label. Also worth a read iu a book xt act on th story of Motown.P249 CEEFA( 249 Mon 3 Nov 21:10/2k 9/14 A Dip in the Music Press (3) Both MME and Melody Maker quote Marc Almond on the lack of airplay his new single Ruby Red is getting on Radio 1. In MM Marc admits hj may bj something of an unsavoury character but hj adds I'm like the bitter but necessary dose of castor oil. MM explores cover face Julian Cope in his role as legend, although legends are njvjr made in their own lifetimes. Still, as hj admits at least all the stories about me are true. That can't really make him a legend then .... or can it? OMD nextP249 CEEFA( 249 Mon 3 Nov 21:11/37 10/14 * ?£+£££k?£+5 OMD - The Pacific Age This album is just about the strongest OZD hbvj producud. To pinch a quote from Q magazine, it has backbone ... as well as some catchy tunis. The music ranges from the soft lyricism of the current single (Forever) Livu and Die to an interesting exercise in montage called Southern which pzt; Martin Luther King's voice over music. +nfortunately this latter is the only time I'vj heard King without a shiver going down mz bbck. But don't lit that put you off. MoreP249 CEEFAX 249 Mon 3 Nov 21:12/14 11/14 OMD - The Pacific Age (2) There has always been something of an epic quality to their music and that continues here. However with tracks like Stay, subtitled the Black Rose and the Univjrsbl Wheel, OMD have added fire. It produces a most exciting set of manoeuvres for the orchestra. Side one Stay, (Forevjt) Live & Die, The Pacific Age, The Dead Girls, Shame Side two Southern, Flame of Hope, Goddess of Love, We Love You, Watch us Fall More 45s nextP249 CEEFAX 249 Mon 3 Nov 21:12/00 12/14 R More 45s Opjtator - Little Richard Immaculate song, immaculate sound, immaculate hair-do. The combination of Little Richard and producer Stuart Coleman has come up trumps. Should bj a hit. Control - Janet Jackson Ms Jackson's strength has always risen from her instrumentation and this is no exception. But surely it should not bj necessary to milk a six month old album for singles. +ith such a strong single as Nasty behind her JJ deujrvjs better. Uraftwerk nextP249 CEEFA( 249 Mon 3 Nov 21:13/45 Q3/14 Kraftwerk - Electric Cafe Five years since the last Kraftwerk album and they seem to have been away programming since then. After starting off like the classic Moricambe and Wise track Bum Ooh Ya Ta Ta Ta the beat box njvjr pauses, and hardly ever changes tempo. Having sznthesisjd their music for so long Kraftwerk are now sznthesising themselves. Electronic voices mix with the real ones and the music almost goes full circle back to their cling/clang albums of the early 70s. This LP is probably an acquired taste.P249 CEEFAX 249 Mon 3 Nov 21:14/08 14/14 ] Coda: Blind Spot I'll jreely admit it, I can't really get into heavy metal. Mind you I don't like grand opera either. I njvjr went mvch further tian Deep Purple. I've got a few HM albums by the likes of Saxon and Magnum for whoever does best at trying to convert me to HM in 2 pages like this one. So it must bj short and it must be printable because I'll include the winner in CEETRAX. Write in to CEETRAX (HM), Room 7059, BBC TV. LONDON W22 7RJ CEETRAX is written bz Andy Finnjy