James White and The Blacks
Sax Maniac

THE REVIEW

"James Chance? A disgusting individual..." Paul Morley, NME critic.

It's him: James "babyface" Chance/Siegfried/White, the one who blended no wave, free avant-jazz, and noise in the No New York container set up by Brian Eno. And why does he also call himself White? Because the last thing in the world he wants to be is black! Yes, but he loves their music, he masturbates with both hands on the tradition of funky, jazz, rhythm & blues to ejaculate with verbose splashes the insane notes of his anarco-punk sax. He's the usual egocentric neurasthenic who has pissed off everyone he has come into contact with: Lydia Lunch, James Blood Ulmer, the most personality-rich musicians of his former group such as Jody Harris (a great loss), Pat Place, George Scott.

The days of "Off White" with his Contortions were only a couple of years ago but they seem awfully distant, the death from cancer of his girlfriend-manager Anya has made him even more unbearable and aloof towards the public, the press, and the entire world. So better to pair him with a big band of patient and seasoned professionals for this 1982 "Sax Maniac," including Joe and Joseph Bowie (Defunkt) on horns and Colin Wade's bass, which characterizes all the rhythms of the album with its warm and mellow tones. But the absence of the Contortions is felt and what comes out is James's most accessible album: the more polished arrangements and a greater cohesion, rather than angular intellectual sonic anarchy, seem to wink at the dancefloor crowd that needs to shake their hips.

While in England funk is in the hands of sugary kids like Spandau Ballet, Haircut 100, and ABC, here the temperature is scorching... the real white James Brown is him! Try listening to "Irresistible Impulse" and the convulsions, indeed the CONTORTIONS, will grab you, helping you understand what that title means. His grandiosity mania leads him to overdo in "That Old Black Magic" supported by the big band in top form. With "Sax Machine" we are at pure citation with his instrument bouncing wildly and the talented Discolitas powering through the blazing vocal tour de force. In "Disco Jaded" he is the usual megalomaniac making the veins in his neck puff out on the minimal and danceable base of a Farfisa in the background and the skewed accompaniment of Colin Wade's bass. The title track is an absolutely funky pleasure with the Discolitas meowing while the verbose and grueling solos of his sax wear out the formation composed of two other saxophonists, four trumpeters, two trombonists, two guitarists, two drummers, two bassists!

In short, lovers of "Off White" and "Buy the Contortions" will play a bit of balancing act trying not to slip on the seminal liquid spread everywhere from the repeated orgasms of tracks that this time resemble each other a bit too much like identical twins, while those who don't know him will likely delight in skating like a happily deranged child on a floor freshly coated with such organic wax. But James "Babyface" is like this: he is UNIQUE and THREEFOLD like the Father (Siegfried), the Son (White), and the Holy Spirit (Chance) ...either you love him madly or you hate him to death.