I was browsing this weekend through old back issues of "CD Review" magazine
that I own, and I ran across a couple of reviews that might be of interest
to members of this list.  For those unfamiliar with this magazine, they
used to give both a performance and a sound quality rating (each 1 - 10) to
each CD they reviewed.  9/8 means a 9 for performance, 8 for sound quality.
I'm just typing them in as they appeared, so I take no responsibility for
errors in dates or any sophomoric tendencies in the writing style.
 
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from June 1991:
 
The Connells: One Simple Word (9/8)
 
   If you're flipping stations after another disheartening AOR Top 10
countdown, you might stumble upon the Connells on progressive/college
radio.  You'll find that Doug MacMillan has the stately voice of a poet who
takes seemingly simple phrases and repeats them in typical pop fashion.
For example, "Get A Gun" has an incredibly catchy chorus:  "She never
listens to me at night / Get a gun, get a gun / We're losing altitude."
The bouncy rhythms and pop hooks can keep you entranced.  But if you need
to sink your teeth further, the key words are:  "Well you give it all that
I won't give / And you laid it in my palms for me to remember."  It's in
those moments of vulnerability that the guitars get tough.
   The Connells often plunge into despair, from the yearning "Speak To Me"
to "Waiting My Turn."  A tale of thwarted love, the latter song features
Kate St. John from Dream Academy underlining the disappointment with oboe
and English horn, abetted by Caroline Lavelle on cello.  It's also the
first time guitarist Mike Connell -- whose name shows up all over the
credits, from lyrics to music writing -- takes the lead vocals.  Another
first is MacMillan going solo in writing "Another Souvenir," the story of
a disillusioned barfly.  On the three songs he contributes, guitarist
George Huntley takes over the microphone, and on "Link," you only hear his
echo-laden voice and a piano playing.  His best is the poignant "What Do
You Want."
   Once you've tapped into the rollicking beat of "Take A Bow" or the
crunching guitar-driven "Stone Cold Yesterday," you'll be hooked on this
Raleigh, NC quintet.  In comparison, the earlier albums -- *Darker Days*
(1985), *Boylan Heights* (1987), and *Fund & Games* (1987) are much more
reserved and darker.  With the help of producer/engineer Hugh Jones, *One
Simple Word* sparkles.
 
                -- Robin Chalmers
 
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from June 1992:
 
Dillon Fence: Rosemary (7/7)
 
   Sometimes there's nothing like that pop/rock thing -- the happy jangle
of guitars, group harmonies, and a good-day-sunshine attitude.  Of course,
with pop music you sometimes get your downtrodden woe, too, but it's never
bleak the way blues can be.  So here comes Dillon Fence and *its* pop
thing.  This Chapel Hill, NC foursome can make the girls coo in concert and
get the boys tappin' their feet.
   Strict pop principles are evident starting with *Rosemary*'s first track,
"Daylight," with its a capella opening featuring singer/guitarist Greg
Humphrey's good-natured, optimistic vocals.  Guitarist Kent Alphin and bass
player Chris Goode sing as well; they come chiming (what else?) into the
fray with drummer Scott Carle.  Whimsy and delight carry "Hey Mockingbird"
while "Sad Inheritance" takes the fanning riff of U2's "Angel of Harlem,"
then turns it sideways.
   Midway through *Rosemary*, the band does hit a bit of same-song bog,
which could be a production glitch; Ron St. Germain, who also engineered,
does well with the high end of guitars and vocals, but loses something in
the bottom-end dynamics of the group's rhythm oomph.
   Still, at a time when what generally passes for most mainstream rock is
synonymous with nothing but metallish approaches or a post-punky grunge,
this band offers a tunefulness of the non-saccharine variety.  Think of the
Smiths with a singer who doesn't suffer from ennui; think of Aztec Camera
in an instant polaroid mode.  Is there a place for them on airwaves now
wrapped in overproduced sheen?  If those spots still exist outside of
college radio, Dillon Fence are naturals for the playlist.
 
                -- Darryl Morden