U2 "Discotheque" (Island)
Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the disco, U2 crash into 1997 with a brand new single, their first since 1995's Batman Forever theme. Discotheque isn't out for another month, so this review is a bit previous, but hey, why not jump on the bandwagon now, before it gets too crowded? The song's title suggests 1970s retro, but the music is closer to The Chemical Brothers than to Saturday Night Fever. U2's much-touted "dance influences" are right to the fore here, with Larry's drums laying down a strident beat reminiscent of The Fly, and The Edge mixing distorted guitars with crazy compressed electronic effects. Bono's disembodied, doubled-up voice squeezes into the cyber-spaces, sounding frazzled and frantic at first, then going all grungy and growling. The atmosphere is one of taut stretched out tension as though the song was being pulled apart in four different directions, but then everything suddenly goes slack, resolving into a fluid, delayed-effect guitar lick by the Edge. Only trouble is, U2 seem so concerned with getting the sound and the style just right, they forgot to pout in a tune for us mortals to sing along to. Nothing groundbreaking here, then and it won't give The Prodigy any sleepless nights, but it's still a pretty brave attempt to keep up with the fast-changing zeitgeist. When the single is released in February, expect the remixes by Steve Osborne, David Morales and Howie B to feature heavily at your local disco.
Blur: "Beetlebum" (Food)
If you thought Oasis were blatant Beatles copyists, wait'll you hear the latest from Damon Albarn and those zany Blur boys. As the title suggests, the new single from Noel and Liam's arch-enemies is a song about a lazy person done in the style of The Fab Four, with some bizarre Tim Burton-esque touches thrown in. Country House it sure as hell ain't. There's nary a hint of Damon's "mockney" tones here, and the sound has moved out of the music hall and straight into the basement of Apple Studios. The tune is a taster for the band's fifth album, simply titled Blur, and if Beetlebum is anything to go by, Blur may finally make the great escape from their cheeky Camden chappie image.
Tricky: "Tricky Kid" (4th & Broadway)
Everybody please adopt a hushed, reverent tone laced with a cooler-than-thou attitude - here comes the Tricky kid, the most over-rated artist in pop music today. Criticise him at your peril, lest you be condemned by the fascists of trip-hoppery. Whatever this guy produces, the-music press still smothers him with fragrant praise. Tricky Kid is a pretty straightforward, smoked-up train of thought, and the boy Tricky drops such cool names as, Haile Selassie, Mary Magdalen and Jesus Christ, in a throaty, vaguely irritating gurgle. Yeah, I know, Maxinquaye was a masterpiece, but that doesn't make, the man a god. Or even the devil.
Orbital: "Satan Live" (Internal)
The brothers Hartnoll release an evil new single on three separate CDs, featuring live recordings from Irvine Plaza in New York, the Axis in Boston, and the V96 Festival in Chelmsford. New entry at Number Three in the UK charts, the tune opens with a U2-like confidence, then goes into a synth-and-whitenoise groove with lots of wild, whooping keyboard breaks. If Larry and Adam did this, it would probably be called Mission: Infernal
Van Morrison: "The Healing Game" (Polydor)
Van the Man has always-been close to God, and this new song, the title track from his forthcoming album, sings His heavenly praises in Morrison's own, workmanlike r & b style. Add this to Van's growing list of holy soul hymns, like Whenever God Shines His Light, but don't expect to get healed by the limp tune and lacklustre delivery. Surely this man is the Daniel O'Donnell of rhythm & blues.
Tori Amos: "Professional Widow (It's Got To Be Big)" (Atlantic)
U2 could have done it the Tori way, i.e. release a boring self-indulgent, piano-drenched album, then do a dance mix of one of the tracks to keep the kids happy. Older fans of Tori's introspective balladeering will be bemused that their heroine now sounds like Stretch & Vern. Calling this a Tori Amos single is like describing Money For Nothing as a Sting song, and the lady's sampled voice is just incidental to the handbag-heaving beat and bassline.
