SHAVING PEACHES REVIEWS
- My review of a sampler in Crossed Line, also Kerrang! #719 - KKKK - 'When Terrorvision released their third album, 'Regular Urban Survivors', in March 1996, The Wildhearts and The Almighty were still the kings of the Britrock heap and no-one gave a monkey's arse about Marilyn Manson, the Deftones or Coal Chamber. But things move fast on Planet Rock. And so, two and a half years on, the Bradford boot boys find themselves in the same position Therapy? did earlier this year - fighting to prove they'vce still got something to offer the discerning rock fan. Thankfully, everyone's favourite Northern Souls haven't returned with scary make-up, goatee beards or shedfuls of twisted metal obscuring their cheeky grins. The coolset thing about the 'Vision has always been the fact that they don't give a f**k about being cool - while the rest of the world was busy down-tuning their guitars and trawling through horror movie videos to conjure up appropriately dark lyrical imagery, frontman Tony Wright was chirpily crooning about 'whales and dolphins' [the website, of course] and Germans camping out in back gardens. In today's alleged climate of pre-millenium tension who else could get away with warbling 'I barked like a dog and walked like a chicken' as Wright does here on super-bouncy third track 'Hypnotised'? It's ludicrous, of course, but that's why we love them. 'Shaving Peaches' sees the 'Vision edging further in to pure pop territories. The hints were there when it was revealed that Edwyn Collins and the Utah Saints were working on the 'Vision's fourth album, and you should by niow be familiar with the first proof of the pudding with the Collins-produced 'Josephine', a surf-guitar-propelled paean to transsexual love, nestling snugly in the Top 40. The Utah Saints connection, meanwhile, throws up the fabulously glossy hi-tech pop of 'Left To The Right', which fuses the Stones' 'Sympathy For The Devil' to Robbie Williams' 'Let Me Entertain You' in a blur of 'woo-woo' backing vocals and wah-wah guitars. Trust us - it works. Not everything turns to gold in the hands of the newly-eclectic Terrorvision: the epic balladry of 'When I Die' is a horrific mesh of Aerosmith and Embrace [so probably a future single then!], 'Vegas' sounds like a twee, acid-addled '60s singer-songwriter, and the Latino-flavoured 'Tequila' - documenting Tony Wright's ankle-snapping exploits in Madrid last year [actually it was 1996, but Kerrang! can't help being misinformed...] - is the very definition of the word 'ill-advised' [that's two words...], but the treats far outweigh the dross. 'Can't Get You Out Of My Mind' is a stomping slice of '70s glam-pop. 'Day After Day' is a lush, Beatles-tinged ballad complete with Spanish guitar flourishes and stabbing brass. 'Babyface' works Vocoders and a mammoth chorus into infectious rhythms that recall Bananarama's '80s hit 'Venus', and 'Cantankerous' is a charming low-key shuffle recalling the organic beat-box quirkiness of The Eels. Add in Police-style reggae guitar ('In Your Shoes'), '60s power pop ('Swings And Roundabouts') and chunky rock riffing ('Spanner In The Works') and you've got one hell of a diverse album. They might not be as fired up and lairy as before, but when it comes to soundtracks for Saturday teenage kicks and hedonistic big nights out, you still can't beat t'Vision thing.'
NME - 'There are certain things in life that only people in bands are allowed to get away with, because they are more wealthy, more famous and, of course, a hell of a lot more stupid than us mere mortals. Take Terrorvision: a couple of years back 'Bradford's finest' gave an acceptance speech for yet another metal award. Leigh, Mark and Tony did their genial, enthusiastic thumb-up thank you thing. Then Shutty (the drummer, if you must know) took his turn, leaning into the microphone and saying, quite simply, "Bollox!" Utterly pathetic behaviour, obviously, although for those present - who were heartily fortified by free rock booze - sodding funny as well. Anyway, bits of Terrorvision used to be called Spoilt Bratz, 'Shaving Peaches' (don't ask - we haven't) is their fourth album released, and they have written a song called 'Tequila', which is principally about the time singer Tony Wright drank too much of the wicked deathwater and broke his ankles larhing about in Spain, because that's the sort of thing Terrorvision do. "The best thing if you're in a band is to be able to perform loads of songs that people can jump around to," beams Tony, frequently. To that cheerily simplistic end, Terrorvision have stuffed 'Shaving Peaches' chug-chug-chugful of no fewer than 15 of the eager bleeders, being manhandled by no fewer than four different producers. Edwyn Collins? Utah Saints? John 'Supergrass' Cornfield? Pat Grogan, who was responsible for their debut 'Formaldehyde' album? It's a hi-octane cocktail of stuff and nonsense, which could very well have led to all manner of catastrophic gender-defying extremes. Luckily, just as men are men, so Terrorvision indisputably remain Terrorvision: bold of chorus, loud of guitar, timeless of melody and mercilessly chirpy of demeanour. While Edwyn makes them a bit twangy and the Utahs make them a bit squelchy, the 'Vision manage to cling on to the idea that they are a rock band not averse to wearing crap lime-green suits. There is noise. Lots of it. In fact, there is so much riffing and whoo-whoo-whooping it's darned hard to make any sense of 'Shaved Peaches' [sic] at all, such is the sheer magnitude of this project. We know that there is a certain heartfelt heaviosity to 'Swings And Roundabouts'. We know that 'Vegas' is lovely and peculiar and quite cosmic. We realise that 'When I Die' is Bon Jovi playing basketball with 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road'. We can even accept the fact that the glammily alarming 'Can't Get You Out Of My Mind' is Showaddywaddy on drugs, and should therefore be Christmas Number Seven with a seasonal bullet. However, we simply cannot let ourselves believe that 'Cantankerous' is Terrorvision gone trip-hop… It all ends with a not-very-secret track which is in fact a bloop-tastic space-age parody of earthling disc jockeys. More importantly, we bet is really is quite, quite hilarious. Especially when you're pissed.' 5/10 [?!?!?] Review by Simon Williams.