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Daily Nebraskan
Wednesday, March 31, 1982
Arts & Entertainment
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77? Survivors
Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins
Columbia
"The King is gone but not forgotten."
-Neil Young
In 1956 these three guys and Elvis re
corded some gospel songs at Sun Studios
and were dubbed "the million dollar quart
et." Since that classic era when these rock
abilly maniacs ruled the world, they have
each enjoyed success in varying degrees.
Today they are pushing 50 and they are
still soulful and yes, they can rock.
The Survivors was recorded live in
Stuttgart, West Germany, apparently
through the imagination of Johnny Cash,
whose band was used. Cash's son-in-law
Rodney Crowell produced the record.
Cash wrote the liner notes which in
clude an interesting story about Perkins
and Cash, drinking and driving through Ne
braska. That was a long time ago, though,
as both Cash and Perkins have found Jesus .
since and given up their wicked ways. Jerry
Lee's relationship with the Lord is now
problematical.
The Survivors is a mix of rockabilly,
country and gospel. Side one is dominated
by Johnny Cash as he opens the show with
out Perkins or Lewis doing some convent
ional country songs.
The most notable is "I Forgot to Re
member to Forget," which Elvis originally
made famous. Cash may not be the genius
that his peers are but he seems so down
right genuine that he holds the record to
gether. There is something about Cash's
baritone voice that is perfect for country
songs.
Carl Perkins next joins Cash for a couple
of medium-tempo numbers that threaten
to rock out while holding back. Then Per
kins takes a solo doing "Matchbox," a song
the Beatles covered, and he sounds
positively exhilarated to be back in his ele
ment. Jerry Lee finally joins in on the last
song of side one, "I'll Fly Away," a gospel
number that is a promise for side two's
goodies.
Any record that has "Whole Lotta Shak
in' Goin' On" and "Blue Suede Shoes" as
done by the original artists definitely has
something going for it. The Killer is in fine
form for "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On."
He sounds inspired as he was a quarter of a
century ago. He follows that up with his
new anthem, "Rockin' My Life Away,"
which is an accurate summation of his per
sonal philosophy. It's as fast and loud as
the Ramones. Perkins then performs "Blue
Suede Shoes" which drives the Germans
into a frenzy.
The last three songs are beautiful gospel
songs as the three vocalists harmonize.
"There Will Be Peace in the Valley" is
dedicated to Elvis. Cash takes the lead but
Jerry Lee's vocaL swoop around him, and
his unmistakable piano playing steals the
show. "Can the Circle Be Unbroken" and
"I Saw the Light," two more authentic
classics, complete the record with honest
emotion and great singing.
The Survivors should have been record
ed during the Bicentennial and put in a
time capsule as an example of definitive
American music.
PatHiggins
Wrap It!
Doug and the Slugs
RCA
If you've been to Vancouver in the last
three years and scouted out the club scene,
you've doubtlessly heard of Doug and the
Slugs. Those wry British Columbians seem
to love them.
If you haven't been in a west Canadian
club lately, no problem. Doug and the
Slugs' second album, Wrap It!, is available
on a domestic label.
Taste buds are often more bland to the
north, and I hardly suggest Vancouver is
the last word. But as for Doug Bennett and
his five Slugs, they're darn snappy. The
album's OK, pretty good, fun pop, and it's
growing on me.
When Doug and the Slugs occasionally
do a B.C. gig incognito as some beach,
psychedelic or geriatric combo, it makes a
point. Underlying every song is a subdued
sense of respectful parody. Satire isn't the
music's style. But it is its personality.
In Vancouver, the style is called slug
music, which seems apt. Like Adam's ant
music, Doug's slugmusic encompasses a
variety of nostalgic styles which the group
melds together with an eye for the
dramatic.
But Doug's repertoire is slightly closer
to home. It alludes to reggae, Mod pop,
Springsteen, rhythm and blues, swing,
calypso, soul, gospel, etc.
Like Adam and the Ants, Doug and the
Slugs used thick, punchy instrumentation.
The slugmusic, however, keeps a better
distance from the Saturday-morning juven
ility into which antmusic sometimes lapses.
I won't endorse Wrap It! as latent gold,
though I will say the style comes together
memorably on several songs.
For instance, "Real Enough." Start with
chesty four-part gospel harmonizing, an
ultrabass voice singing, "Ba-bum bum."
Fingers are snapping. A reggae syncopation
drops in. Enter steel drum, calypso-clipped
vocals and slash guitar. Very nice.
Or the song called "Wrong Kind of
Right." Again there's the barber-shop set
up of backing male vocals. This time the
ultrabass is singing, "Do it up," beneath a
drum-corps martial jig. The piano strikes
hymnlike chords. The song periodically
breaks into twist-style energy and eventual
ly ends in a rock 'n' roll guitar frenzy.
Other songs have thumbs in fewer pies.
The song "Frankie" sounds like early Talk
ing Heads doing country rock, for example.
"River" sounds like a bluesy Boz Scaggs
crooning to a heavy metal ballad. "Partly
from Pressure" sounds like Freddy Fender
doing a Springsteen ballad. "Embarrassed"
sounds like Dan Hicks doing free-base.
And other songs are pop in their own style.
Such comparisons aren't meant to
diminish the original character of Doug's
slugmusic and aren't to be taken as imply
ing that Wrap It! is solely the mutant off
spring of bold crossfertilizations.
Hybrid reference may be the music's
soul. But Doug is its mind, and the Slugs
are its body. Credit must go to the band,
which never goes beyond its ilk wherever
it dabbles, and to Doug Bennett, who
knows the difference between what fits
and what is just fun.
-David Wood
Synapse Gap (Mundo Total)
Joe "King" Carrasco and the Crowns
MCA
Hold onto your hats, sports fans. Joe
"King" Carrasco and the Crowns are be
ing marketed.
Synapse Gap (Mundo Total) is burden
ed by too much attention in the produc
tion department to a big-beat drumbass
combination.
While people of questionable mental
capacity such as Billy Squicr use that to
their dubious advantage, it is really of no
use in Joe "Kings" 's south of the border
rants and rave-ups, which are rhythmically
infectious without the mixing cosmetics.
The beat on the Stiff Records debut LP
was carried by a stinging hi-hat and Kris
Cummings's dance-happy Farfisa organ,
and was a better soundtrack for a Tex-Mex
fiesta than the new release.
The folksy Ronnie Reagan meets Lopez
Portillo sound of the 1980 record has been
whitewashed, presumably for radio accept
ability. In the process, it loses some of the
childlike innocence and hyperactive ma'nia
that are copyrighted Carrasco hallmarks.
Still, Carrasco runs what is probably the
greatest dance band since the Stone Age,
and is all set to pick up where the B-52s
left off (with Mesopotamia) on the "tacky
dance band" circuit.
The "King" 's whoops and hollers hand
delivered mailgrams to all homosapien
hearts and souls on first-LP greats like
"Don't Bug Me Baby," but on Synapse
Gap they are mere frosting on the cake.
Though not the ideal climate for the
"King" (the man is probably dripping te
quila off his chin in Juarez), the heavy
dance beat does make for a first-class par
ty record. Even alcohol-soaked brains will
have no excuse for missjng the tempo.
"Person-Person" is a song on the already
hackneyed girl-on-the-phone theme of
teenage lament, but at least Joe gets in
his licks at the end, telling her to find un
nuevo novio.
Three songs in, on "Don't Let A Woman
(Make A Fool Out Of You)," The "King"
and his Crowns throw a curve by switching
to another tropical dance beat.
"Where We At" gets into a lengthy gui
tar solo, another sign of metamorphosis
from this Austin party dog. "Senor Love'"
propels itself along on a jumpy ska beat,
again establishing Carrasco as a true world
citizen. On side two, "Rip It Up, Shake It
Up (Go-Go)" is another tune done on the
ska upbeat. Fun stuff.
More' than any other song on the album,
"That's The Love" brings back the pure
sound of Joe "King". It rates a nine on the
burrito-meter.
That 's the love That 's the love down in
my heart That I knew right from the start
That I had for you.
Carrasco and the Crowns' initial LP had
an endearing exuberant edge, which has
now unfortunately dulled like a. rusty Gin
su. It retains its blade, but has lost its
flashy brilliance. There's nothing on this
record quite as loco as I980's "Caca De
Vaca", a song about a town called Polanky,
which is apparently immersed in cow feces.
A darkly humorous subject to traverse in
any setting, and I think I'll take Carrasco 's
word for it.
Even with the negative marks in the pro
duction department (they've replaced Billy
Altman as producer), this record would not
be at all out of place at your next clam
bakebeach party.
Joe "King" Carrasco and the Crowns
will appear at the Drumstick Friday and
Saturday, May 7 and 8. What a way to kick
off a summer.
- Bob Crislcr
