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(Translated from the Italian by Joel Calahan)
Out of the first crowd of New York's "negative" bands also came the band
A Certain General, featuring Parker DuLany (vocals) and Phil Gammage (guitar),
whose music, exemplified by the EP Holiday Of Love (Labor) in 1982,
revealed the dues owed by the authors of the British new wave to funk music.
A Certain General later deviated from a more commercial sound with
November's Heat (L'Invitation Au Suicide, 1984 - Alive, 2000)
moving in the direction of
a demented homage to raga rock and acid rock of the '60s
(Dachau Now, The Shang, Voodoo Taxi),
and would continue a mediocre career in Europe with
These Are The Days (New Rose).
The double CD An Introduction To War (Sourmash, 2000) collects
unreleased material, including the entire second album,
Dead Rabbit Gang, that never found a label, and a live performance.
Gammage, meanwhile, in 1985 had
already formed the Corvairs, who had released two highly crafted EPs,
Temple Fire (Sourmash) and Sad Hotel (Sourmash). After some years the
group went on to release two full-length albums, Rio Blanco (Cryptovision, 1988),
and Hitchhiker (New Rose, 1989).
Neither of the two particularly shines.
Their sound consists of rock and roll of the punk generation,
influenced somewhat by the Gun Club.
Gammage continued solo with Night Train (New Rose, 1990) and
Kneel To The Rising Sun (New Rose, 1991), gloomy and crepuscular albums
inspired by Jeffrey Lee Pierce and Nick Cave.
Cry Of The City (Marilyn, 1993) humanized his brand of rock
for solitary souls, with lyrics populated by desert highways and motels paid for by the hour.
Gammage's country baritone makes him a natural storyteller in song, but his melodic
skill is lacking and his imagination in arrangement is non-existent.
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Della prima schiera di complessi "negativi" di New York facevano parte anche
gli A Certain General di Parker DuLany (canto) e Phil Gammage (chitarra),
la cui musica, esemplificata dall'EP Holiday Of Love (Labor) del 1982,
rivelava i debiti verso il funk d'autore dei complessi della new wave
britannica.
Gli A Certain General deviarono poi verso un sound piu` commerciale con
November's Heat (L'Invitation Au Suicide, 1984 - Alive, 2000)
in direzione di un
omaggio demenziale al raga-rock e all'acid-rock degli anni '60
(Dachau Now, The Shang, Voodoo Taxi),
e avrebbero continuato una mediocre carriera in Europa con
These Are The Days (New Rose).
The double CD An Introduction To War (Sourmash, 2000) collects
unreleased material, including the entire second album,
Dead Rabbit Gang, that never found a label, and a live performance.
Gammage, pero`, nel 1985 aveva
gia` formato i Corvairs, che avevano registrato due EP di ottima fattura,
Temple Fire (Sourmash) e Sad Hotel (Sourmash). Dopo qualche anno il
gruppo riusci` a registrare due album interi, Rio Blanco (Cryptovision, 1988),
e Hitchhiker (New Rose, 1989).
Nessuno dei due brilla particolarmente.
Il sound e` un rock and roll della generazione punk,
con qualche influenza dei Gun Club.
Gammage continuera` da solo con Night Train (New Rose, 1990) e
Kneel To The Rising Sun (New Rose, 1991), album tetri e crepuscolari
che si ispirano a Jeffrey Lee Pierce e Nick Cave.
Cry Of The City (Marilyn, 1993) ha reso ancor piu` umano quel rock
per spiriti solitari, quei testi popolati da autostrade deserte e motel ad ore.
Il suo baritono country ne fa un naturale cantastorie, ma il talento
melodico e` carente e la fantasia degli arrangiamenti e` nulla.
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