Thursday, February 19,1981 page 12 
     
    
   
   
    
     ‘b.,h.b.s.iv 
     
     byline 
     
    
   
   
    
     Poor Mr. Robert 
     
     Stigwood. The Bee Gees 
     
     are suing him, and for 
     
     unpteen millions no less. 
     
     'Ihe Saturday Night Fever 
     
     Disco Boom has finally 
     
     died a natural death. 
     
     lately, it‘ seems that 
     
     everything Stigwood 
     
     toudied has turned into 
     
     24 carat lead. 'mrough 
     
     the fog, however, springs 
     
     the eternal light, and 
     
     this week's coluIm finds us 
     
     examining the newest of 
     
     Stigwood's projects, the 
     
     album "Times Square", which 
     
     coincidently is also the 
     
     title of his latest cine- 
     
     matic venture. 
     
    

    
     Mr. Stigwood has . a 
     
     penchant for producing 
     
     films which seem to capit- 
     
     alize on the public's 
     
     tastes and trends. Some- 
     
     times he is extremely 
     
    
   
   
    
     | 
     
    
   
   
    
     successful, as shown in his . 
     
    
   
   
    
     best known work, "Saturday 
     
     Night Fever", and then 
     
     sometimes the resultant work 
     
     is dismal, emplified in 
     
     perhaps what could be ter— 
     
     Ired the worst musical ever 
     
     committed to film and vinyl, 
     
     "Sgt. Peppers lonely Hearts 
     
     Club Band". This new double 
     
     albmn set "Times Square" 
     
     (which could be sub-titled 
     
    
   
   
    
     S ti gw a 0d ’ s 
     
     the "R. Stigwood Organi— _ 
     
     zation junps on the new 
     
     wave bandwagon") includes 
     
     some gens of songs, as well 
     
     as a few notorious clams. 
     
    

    
     'lhe first side contains 
     
     perhaps the strongest 
     
     collection of songs appearing 
     
     on the album. All are beau- 
     
     ticully crafted and performed 
     
    
   
   
    
     ‘ and although diverse in 
     
    
   
   
    
     style, all detonstrate 
     
    

    
     the different approaches 
     
     and techniques  
     
     artists utilize in stating 
     
     a similar message. The 
     
     straight ahead Pod: 'n Poll 
     
     shown on Suzi Quatro's 
     
     "Rodc Har " contrasts well 
     
     with the electronic 
     
     wizardry of Gary Numan's, 
     
     "Down in the Park". The 
     
     bitd'ly rough—edged sound of 
     
     Chrissy Hynde and 'Ihe Pre— 
     
     tenders's "Talk of the Town" 
     
     magnifies the snoothness 
     
     of Roxy Music's "Same 
     
    

    
     Old Scene". 
     
    

    
     Perhaps the anthem (if 
     
     any exists) of this urban 
     
     new wave novement may well 
     
     be the Talking Heads' "Life 
     
     During Wartime". 'Ihe song 
     
     emphatically states, 
     
    

    
     "this ain't no party, this 
     
     ain't no disco. .this ain't 
     
     no foolin' around." If 
     
     any one song can portray 
     
    
   
   
    
     ‘Times Square" 7 
     
    
   
   
    
     the urgency these lyrics 
     
     command and require, this 
     
     one song can, and indeed 
     
     does so with a vengeance. . 
     
     Other standout tracks include, 
     
     "Walk on 'Ihe Wild Side" ' 
     
     penned by one of the first 
     
     young toughs, Lou Reed, 
     
     and incidentally produced by 
     
     David Bowie. 
     
    

    
     Also included are D.L. 
     
     Byron's reworking of the 
     
     old Smokey Rcbinson 
     
     standard, "You can't 
     
     Hurry love", and the 
     
     Ranones "'I wanna be Sedated". 
     
     'Ihe majority of all the 
     
     songs Whid’l appear on the 
     
     disc are very good, some 
     
    
   
   
    
     . by well known perforners 
     
    
   
   
    
     (Patti Smith, Joe Jackson, 
     
     XTC) , and some by unlmowns, 
     
     or at least performers who 
     
     are unknown to me. ('Ihe Ruts 
     
     'Ihe Cure), all giving 
     
     credible performances. 
     
    

    
     I mentioned that this album 
     
     also contains one or two songs 
     
     of dubious quality° ’IWo of 
     
     these songs are performed 
     
     by the film's alleged star, 
     
     R>bin Johnson. ‘lhis gravel 
     
     voiced teenager cannot 
     
     really sing. Added to 
     
     this are lyrics which assume 
     
     the buyer has seen the film. 
     
     This makes for a less than L 
     
     desirable standard. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Also included anong some bad 
     
     new wave, is some pathetic 
     
     middle of the road. What 
     
    
   
   
    
     M.O.R. is doing on an album 
     
     of this subject is beyond me, I 
     
     however, the times do remain 
     
     and stick out not mlike the 
     
     proverbial sore thumb. The 
     
     youngest of the Brothers 
     
     Gibb' lbbin, contributes 
     
    

    
     his limited vocal talents 
     
     on "Help Me", insuring the 
     
     next generation of post- 
     
     pubesoent girls another 
     
    

    
     pop star from the Gibb 
     
    
   
   
    
     ‘ brood. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Perhaps one can state 
     
     that "Tires Square" is a 
     
     double album‘ that should 
     
     have been released as a 
     
     single album set. Although 
     
     there is a great deal of 
     
     worthwhile material, the 
     
     listener cannot help but 
     
      tired in listening, to 
     
     what, for all intents and 
     
     Purl-Poses, is nusical filler. 
     
     'Ihe album retrains' a poor ex- 
     
     cuse as the definative new 
     
     wave conpilation, but 
     
     it is a fairly credible 
     
    
   
   
    
     ‘ soundtrack from a very,_ 
     
    
   
   
    
     mediocre movie. 
     
    
   
   
    
     - “0.7-x. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Delixte'r T. Gnome a 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     'Iro buseUtSE, out HERO 
     
    
   
   
    
     PPRWES W5 
     
     vegan—:9 HEALTH m... 
     
    
   
   
    
         
     
    
   
   
    
        
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
         
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     MIN UTE§ LATER  
     
    
   
   
    
     I- v— 7* 
     
     “enema-1.492293». 
     
     “»‘QA9"‘V,\.V~,»'¢:.V' 7.7. 
     
     o I ‘ Off. '0‘ 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
        
     
          
     
         
     
    
   
   
    
            
     
    
   
   
    
     Them 1‘: farms To 
     
     6AM) 99W, 10 Tut? 
     
     MAN SLULDIMG..., 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
          
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
         
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     ' THE AVENUES 
     
    
   
   
    
     my mam 
     
    
   
   
    
     lleer ' slmt . 
     
    
   
   
    
     NIGHT ' g V 
     
     , (SPECIAL PRICES  
     
    
   
   
    
     ' ‘mésoAv-NIGHT 
     
     . ' v Is 
     
    
   
   
    
      ‘oxn SPAIN" 
     
     ON Km  
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     3297'!” IM" - 
     
     * 11".: 
     
     :7  
     
     ; " 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     IFEA'IURmG : 
     
    
   
   
    
     BFST LIGIT 
     
    
   
   
    
     lflGflT ‘ 
     
    
   
   
    
     Men's) 
     
    
   
   
    
     1 
     
    
   
   
    
     BEST SEIECI‘IW (F MUSIC. 
     
    

    
     BEST SOUND SYSTFM 
     
    

    
     SHGAT ‘ 
     
    

    
     IAKE‘ST DANCE FUDR IN WNW 
     
    
   
   
    
     DROP ONUP 'IOTIEAVENLES FORA 
     
     GOOD TIME, BUT DON'T BE IA'IE,OR 
     
     A LINEUPWILLBE YOUR 15MB!!! 
     
    
   
   
    
     momma my 
     
     IDISKS SPIN menu vaSpn-lam‘ 
     
    
   
   
    
     ‘. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     ////jf"j”€ 6222! 5 you ow see 65mm 
     
     r  / / .. WW”..JUST 
     
      7/  \ 
     
    
   
   
    
     !emmW£.‘ " " ' ‘ -- 
     
    
   
   
    
     I"  " “ONE? 
     
    
   
   
    
         
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
      I I .   “g. I' 
     
     F  25mmimmi _ 
     
     q to’ be 1continued 
     
    
   
   
    
     : ---’«'.- . 
     
    
   
   
    
     "9 '- l  . 
     
     (N‘sfi,  
     
    
   
   
    
     M 
     
    
   
   
    
           
     
    
   
   
    
     :IIV 
     
     ., : 
     
    
   
   
    
     -néxt.l 
     
     mek