Friday, June 11, 2010

4. Musical Follies: Liberace / Star Blaze

LIBERACE - LIVE IN CONCERT (LP, 1973)
Genre: Lounge
Place of purchase: Unknown
Why I bought this: I didn’t - Birthday Present from 'friend'

The cover of this LP shows Liberace standing by his limousine waving joyously to his unseen fans. Clad in a white fur coat, bulbous rings and with a smile bigger than a casino jackpot, the image is less an acknowledgement of his audience than a celebration of the reinvention of Wladziu Valentino Liberace as the King of Las Vegas.

From behind his piano Liberace leads the band in a medley of light classical, lounge shuffle and cocktail jazz. One could either admire Liberace’s Showbiz dexterity or lament his desperation to be loved; either way the sum total of constantly switching styles is a complete lack of substance.

There is an old showbiz maxim about how some performers only come alive onstage; here it also proves to be the venue for Liberace’s slow death as inbetween songs he talks about his outfit, his rings, and makes awkward attempts to sort-of tell the audience he is not gay.

The audience sounds surprisingly small. One wonders who they are - desperate deluded housewives hoping this Ninny will take them away from their aging, wilting husbands? Indeed, if this music has any usefulness it would be as background for the opening scenes of The Love Boat where 'Doc' shimmys over, picks up a middle-aged heiress' bags and with a twinkle in his eye says "May I help you?" Hilarious, ridiculous but ultimately just plain Laborious.




STAR BLAZE (LP, 1982)

Genre: Musical
Place of Purchase: Unknown
Why I bought this:


A 1982 New Zealand musical about... Space! And why not.

There is a curious mixture of ambition and modesty about this release. Written by the twin talents of John Reynolds and Shade Smith the back of this LP states that it could be staged by 'schools or community groups'. At the same time, the very fact of Star Blaze’s existence as a real vinyl LP makes me wonder if Messrs Smith and Reynolds had greater ambitions for Star Blaze than it’s likely fate as Room 6’s end of year production.

Certainly, the plot is wide ranging, combining action, romance, space battles and a character described as ‘Dr Sneech - traitor with a brilliant mind’. Tell you what, if I was in Room 6, that’d be the role I’d be gunning for.

Unfortunately though, just reading the plot makes my mind hurt;

Star Blaze tells the story of a group of female freedom fighters on board the spaceship ‘Vigilant’. After a space battle they capture the evil dictator Odium and his Heavies. However, with the assistance of the traitorous genius Dr Sneech, Odium captures the ship and forces it to land on the Planet Zodark. All the pirates are taken under guard to Zodark City except Sandy, the daughter of the captain who manages to escape. Alone and frightened in the outlands of Zodark she meets a young Zodark called Astro and after an initial period of mutual suspicion, the two become friends. However they are quickly captured by a band of roaming monsters called the Horriffs whose personal appearance is so repulsive that for years they have struck fear into all Zodarks. But it transpires that they are in fact ‘misunderstood monsters’ who simply want to be friendly to everyone.

Bloody Hell.

Musically, Star Blaze resembles sparse New Wave rock meets the Wiggles, with a sort of awkward exuberance reminiscent of Waiting for Guffman. Most is utterly forgettable, and does not in any way evoke space. Apart from that, there is very little info about this on the LP sleeve or on the internet. Or maybe there's lots, but I certainly can't be bothered looking for it.

Just when I was ready to write this LP off I discovered the tune Misunderstood Monsters, sung by The Horiffs, of course. Heh. This fills me with glee. It’s appeal may also have something to do with it’s wholesomeness, for which, after Liberace. I am grateful.



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