Page 92 - Classic Rock (January 2020)

The Beatles Variations, Zappa’s still brilliant
Mick Ronson
Only After Dark: The Complete
MainMan Recordings CHERRY RED
Roger C Reale
And Rue Morgue
The Collection RAVE ON
Bowie’s star man’s 70s solo work collected, and
a new wave album that Ronno guested on.
t’s hard to believe that Only After Dark
(9/10) is the first truly definitive
Icollection of Mick Ronson’s classic
1970s solo work, and it’s to Cherry Red’s
credit that this is a comprehensive
collection with both MainMan albums,
live material, demos and even a flexidisc
interview from Teen magazine. And
having all this music in one place for the
first time enables the listener to discern
the thread that links the often overly
diverse strands of Ronson’s music. Here
are Bowie collaborations (Growing Up And
I’m Fine, Hey Ma Get Papa) and Bowiesque
numbers (Ronson’s superb Only After
Dark, the Pin-Ups-slated White Light White
Heat), and also dramatic ballads (Music Is
Lethal, This Is For You) and unlikely covers
(Love Me Tender,). Ronson himself admitted
his records were “a bit of a mixture”, and
this, combined with the fact that he
seemed more comfortable as a sideman
than as a lead singer, meant that his solo
career never really took off as expected.
That said, this collection – remastered,
annotated and excellently compiled
92 CLASSICROCKMAGAZINE.COM
– shows that Ronson’s brilliance lay in his
diversity. An astonishing guitarist,
brilliant arranger and fine singer, he
brought the same passion and
commitment to covers like The Girl Can’t
Help It as he did to underrated songs of his
own like Billy Porter. Over three discs, you
can’t help but admire his many abilities.
However, it’s no surprise that Ronson
decided to carry on his career first as
a (temporary) member of Mott The
Hoople, and then partner with Mott’s Ian
Hunter in the Hunter Ronson Band, as
well as producer and collaborator for
younger acts such as Rich Kids, Slaughter
And The Dogs and The Wildhearts.
It is in his capacity as collaborator that
he appears on the second album by
Massachusetts new-wavey rockers Roger
C Real And The Rue Morgue (7/10),
apparently after hearing the band’s debut
and being blown away by it. In truth it’s
a lesser work, and is outclassed by the rest
of the material here: energetic rock’n’roll
chug of the superior kind.
David Quantick
The Singles Collection arrangement of Peaches En
APPLE/CAPITOL/UME Regalia… It was rock-meets-jazz
Why we’re all here. in a head-spinning, often
So what more breathtaking fashion, as exciting
do you need to as it was groundbreaking.
know? Here This 50th-anniversary issue
again are the comes loaded with works-in-
tools with progress pieces, feet-finding
which four Liverpudlian lads takes, tracks of isolated
conquered the world and gave instruments and more, which
us all something to both live for offer a fascinating fly-on-the-
and spend our money on. wall view of the finished album
Obviously, whether you like it taking shape: Natasha is effectively
or not, over the past five decades Little Umbrellas with just rhythm
you’ve been force-fed these 46 section and piano; Prototype,
newly remastered (what, really? Section 1, Jam and others show
Again?) singles tracks – the laying of the groundwork for
re-pressed on 23 180-gram Peaches; there’s a greasy
seven-inch vinyl discs, presented unedited Willie The Pimp and a
in rare picture sleeves from couple of guitar overdubs for it,
around the globe – to a point and a rollicking unedited master
where you know them like of Big Legs, later edited and
members of your own family. re-titled The Gumbo Variations.
Some (Strawberry Fields Forever), There are also tracks from the
you may have grown to love like sessions which didn’t make the
a first-born son, others (Yellow cut. Basically, everything
Submarine) like a fly-blown son- recorded at the July ’69 sessions
in-law, but they’re constants. In is here. And it’s fantastic.
a world gone decidedly online- Scoring is difficult. While this
Brexit-social-media-bugshit- box set is a must-have for Hot
nuts, life on Penny Lane will
Rats fans, its appeal to the
always remain the same: uninitiated (apart from carrying
familiar, reliable, timeless, it under their arm) is minimal.
brilliant and, ultimately, fringe- QQQQQQQQQQ
shakingly fab. They’re all here Paul Henderson
(Love Me Do, She Loves You, Help!,
Rain, Rigby, even Real Love), and Iron Maiden
all ridiculously fit for purpose. Reissues PARLOPHONE
And in a box. And who, at this Final batch of reissues charts
stage of the game, doesn’t like latter-day purple patch.
a box? If only it were big enough With the Ed
for you to actually hide in, while Hunter tour
reading its 40-page booklet on and Brave New
December 25th, it’d be the ideal World, Iron
Brexmas gift. Maiden allayed
QQQQQQQQQQ any fears that their 1999 reunion
Ian Fortnam with Bruce Dickinson and
Adrian Smith would disappoint,
Frank Zappa establishing a pattern of
The Hot Rats Sessions celebrating their legacy and
ZAPPA/UMC pushing ahead with new material
Pioneering jazz-rock classic that has characterised their
expanded. subsequent career.
In the late 60s/ Dance Of Death (2003, 8/10)
early 70s, proved the reunion had legs,
when carrying with convincing headbangers
a bunch of vinyl (Rainmaker, No More Lies) and
albums under a deeper, three-guitar exploration
their arm the ‘I’m hip and I want of their progressive side
you to know it’ rock fan always (Paschendale). Refusing to coast,
made sure Hot Rats was the one the band ramped up this latter
on the outside (that or aspect and intensified the
Beefheart’s Trout Mask Replica). aggression, edging their
Many of them didn’t actually like trademark sound forwards with
the music. Those who did A Matter Of Life And Death
thrilled to a record bursting with (2006, 9/10), a bold move
inventive songwriting and which paid off with a formidable
virtuoso musicianship: the collection of songs (Different
acute-angled melody of It Must World, Brighter Than A Thousand
Be A Camel, the complex but Suns) to rival those revered early-
warm instrumental harmonies of 80s albums. Dickinson’s claim
Little Umbrellas, the jaunty Son Of that The Final Frontier (2010,
Mr Green Genes, the expansive 8/10) was “probably the greatest
and evolving The Gumbo departure from our sound” was GETTY