By Paul Bradley

ll - the ‘ ‘

Pretenders

_ It has not taker: _ , long for/the Pretenders , to prove that they are, head and shoulder above most of what is going on in music today. The band's first- single "Brass In VPocke " gave them , something of a punk » image — an image that is laid to rest with Pretenders ll. _

~~ With the exception

of a couple of ballads,

' the album is pure, clean rock and roll. In fact, you could classify some of the material as heavy rock. Normally the latter turns me off because it tends to be ‘ little more than mindless noise. talent lies in the fact than thay make heavy rock sound good --~very good.

' I doubt if Pretenders 11 will yield any singles *

‘ (the band doesn't seem to be interested'in

_ reworking the formula —

ridden; that cpng'ests

AM radio) butif you're

lookingv'for a cut to sink

your teeth into tiy

"Passage of Love", ,a

Wilson Pickett update

that is guaranteed to move

you. _, ‘

"The English Roses",

which laments the girl

next. door and her

The pretenders' " ‘

The‘MusicBeei

' 'thousand broken dates'

is, in my opinion, the

best Pretenders song since

"Brass in\Pocket". Of the remaining.

“tunes, .I hesitate to pick

one over another because

' they are all good. The

combination of the album's arrangements .Xsolid) and Chrissie Hynde's vocal delivery (sometimes witty} some- times sexy, sometimes bitchy) is unbeatable. I could talk in superlatives at length . about Pretenders 11. All I WES say is, get the album.. All cuts are recommended. 656’ 1/2 Sandinista e The Clash ” One of the most

striking features about The Clash is their ’ ambition. Following two mediocre albums (Ea: _ Clash and Give 'em Enough

Rope) this. English band built a substantial North American following with the landmark double LP set London Calling and the hit Single "Train in .Vain(§tand By Me)". Now, The Clash have followed with Sandinista! a triple albume—

, One has to marvel at the bands marketing techniques. Who but the Clash would release a triple LP named after a Nicaraguan terrorist

. group, supply a lyric *

The sum, Thursday, OCtober 8, 1981, page 7

sheet in the form of a

tabloid entitled "The

Armagedon Times" ,_ and

price the collection at

less than the cost of

a double album. ‘ Admittedly, some of

the material on Sandinista" There are about-

is filler. three sides of good stuff ' which is pretty good/considering that today's average band could sum up its intelli— gent thOughts on one side of a '45, with'room to spare.

With the exception

- of a couple of songs, the

theme of theccllection is war, conflict, and "conquest. (ABBA they are not). Sometimes the theme is dealt with

seriously; sometimes with

tongue firmly in cheek. In fact, the lyrics alone are almost worth the price of admission.

The all-encompassing theme shows the Clash .,commenting on :British imperialism ('Something About Englan ");

American involvement in Vietn'am(Cnarlie Don't Surf"- if you saw Apocalypse Now you should 'gEt the connection)? and \even the Russian invasion of Afghanistan ("Washington Bullets" - a sample from the song: If you can find an Afghan rebel that the 7 Moscow bullets missed /

Ask him what he think' 5 of

voting Communist. " ) .

The band also takes a humorous look at evangilism in the "Sound of the Sinners". They write: "After all this time, to believe in .— Jesus/ After all those

drugs, I thought I was I

him.

Although the Clash have been labelled as a punk band, Sandinista proves that—they will not restrict themselves to v

, any particular style.

They try everything from reggae and dub to-soul

to jazz to rockabilly to rock and roll - and most of it works. Somehow you

don't mind the production's ,

leaving a little rough around the edges: that is a Clash trademark and they make no apologies for

it.

If you like soft, syrupy ballads, Sandinista! will do little for you? sweet" tooth. On the other hand, if you want to check out one of the more interesting and exciting bands in music today, give Sandinista! a listen. Rem cuts: "Midnight Log", "Charlie Don't Surf", "Police on My Back‘,‘ "Somebody Got Murdered", "The leader", and "Hitsville, U.K.".

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(Rumor Hath It...

- that the girls from Mew Brunswick‘foundtheir _ that the? daughter of the'direCtor Of the Vet ' peeping hole again: Watch it guys: V ~ college likes to get her car towed by security. -. that a certain Scottish guy' who plays/soccer and hockey has a tilt in his kilt. (in the whirlpool) _ r ‘ '

- that MIL. likes stealing men in uniform

away from the needy. . ' '

—' that. the men's basketball team has tripled

' the Island Blad< population. - / 4 ,- that last year's yearbook Has gone to press.‘ f that Parlco can't shit without, her name being ln'hlmour Hath It'.,' ‘ ‘ ’ ' - that a certain stud on 3rd floor Blanchard had the\"Blues" Friday night. '-

, -_that Mrytle da Turtle from da nort shore discovered P,D_. _ last weekehd. ‘

/

_ - that everyone is going to live it up at the

first ski pub of the year Saturday night, (Who ever heard lf letting the sncw flyjfirst?) - that deadlines are already starting to cause tension (pimple headlines) on policy students. — that the Vice—president of Bernadine was

caught modelling her toga three days early. - that K.G. gave D'. . . . from Marion his "revealing"

photo back but kept the negative just in case. - that a certain American from 4th floor

* Bernadine enjoys attacking male day students.

- that there were more than 20 peOple in one bed in Bernadine 213 last Saturday night.

e that someone has a crush on the "big guy"

so Watch it big guy!! '