Let all the world hear Bonzo

orchestra comprised of demonic drummists, twangsome guitar-boys and

euphoric euphonium-players. And having assembled my musical company, I

shalt venture forth in world-wide public praise of the extreme genius of

Sir Vivian of Stanshall, head Bonzo, performing immortal songs like

Deathcab For Cutie and Kama Sutra (''In position 72, you were me and I

was you''). This new collection of tracks, which the Bonzos recorded for

Radio 1 between 1967 and 1969, is an utter inspiration. There's only one

which isn't on one of their studio albums, but the R1 versions display

such verve and sardonic energy. And, unlike most recorded comedy,

Bonzos' tracks increase in funniness with every play. Not enough people

know this, however. Hence my plan to tour the globe with a Bonzos'

tribute band. Until I get it all together, you can play your part by

buying this album. You'll know us when we eventually get up and running,

by the way: keep your eyes peeled for Johnny Hawk and the Pavement

Oysters.

Stanley Road, Paul Weller (Go! Discs)

* THE long-awaited latest edition of Old Mod's Almanac features

mature, muscular guitar as well as an abundance of reflective vocals.

Tunes and songs? Oh yes, there are a few of these, too. Principally,

though, Mr Weller seems to be focused on a reconsideration of the

cultural parameters of his childhood: the street in which he grew up,

his former pop idols, etc. What Mr Weller is saying about the wider

human condition, however, I have no idea. Maybe the following lines

contain a clue: ''And tho' I'm only one/ And tho' weak I'm strong/ And

if it comes to the crunch/ Then I'm the woodcutter's son/ And I'm

cutting down the wood for everyone.'' Ah, yes. In Stanley Road, you

evidently can't see the wood for the trees.

ISDN, Future Sound of London (Virgin)

* CAN there be rock performance without rock spectacle? Without rock

spectacle, can there be a rock audience? Rock journalists: if you took

away their spectacles, would they still be able to hear anything? The

answers to all/any of these questions may/may not be provided by this

CD. Ambient bleepery-bloopery first performed last year inside a small

London studio and then transmitted live to sundry radio stations -- both

European and American -- via ISDN digital phone link. The end-product is

so hypnotically groovy that you can taste the bass and smell the

rhythms. ISDN, FSOL? Wow.

DAVID BELCHER

Weber Piano Concertos, SCO/Mackerras (Hyperion)

* HYPERION'S massive survey of the hinterland of romantic piano

concertos reaches volume 10. This fascinating series -- recordings of

nineteenth-century concertos, popular in their day, now fallen into

obscurity -- has been dominated by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.

In this volume, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Sir Charles Mackerras

weigh in with the superb Russian pianist Nicolai Demidenko as soloist in

Weber's two piano concertos and the more familiar Konzertstuck. Of the

two concertos, the first is the more interesting, on the one hand shot

through with a grace and style that are the legacy of the classical

period, but on the other bursting with a romantic dash, brio, and sheer

glitter that are instantly recognisable Weber fingerprints (and were

streets ahead of their time). The second concerto, written in the shadow

of Beethoven's Emperor, is a bit less imaginative.

Le Nozze di Figaro, SCO/Mackerras (Telarc)

* FIRST there was a sparkling Magic Flute, then an enchanting Cosi.

Now, eagerly awaited, here at last is the third in the SCO/Sir Charles

Mackerras Mozart opera cycle. This is the set that has become a fixture

in recent years at Usher Hall concerts in the Edinburgh Festival.

Immaculately prepared, performed with a brilliant sense of style, and

supremely cast, each of these has immediately become a collector's item.

Figaro is of the same class. Led by the magisterial bass Alastair Miles

in the title role, with the dazzling Nuccia Focile as Susanna and Carol

Vaness as the Countess, the cast and the SCO romp through this at a

breathtaking pace. A must.

MICHAEL TUMELTY

Eleanor Shanley, Eleanor Shanley (Grapevine)

* THE former De Dannan singer's keenly anticipated debut doesn't

disappoint. Producer Donal Lunny wisely keeps enhancements of the live

arrangements to a minimum, so Raglan Road remains sparse and haunting,

and Maguire's Bus of Broken Dreams rocks sinuously. Shanley's voice is

perfectly weighted whatever the mood but the tearfully inclined should

stock up on Kleenex for Kilkelly, which evokes more emotion about 1800s

Ireland in seven minutes than The Hanging Gale has in four hours.

Speed of Light, Flora Purim (B+W)

* RECORDED in Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios with a veritable

United Nations of a cast, this is typical Purim: sensuous songs, intense

percussion workouts, atmospheric pieces and the odd slab of jazz-funk.

This woman could sing the Dundee Yellow Pages and make them sound exotic

and exciting, and while she may be content to remain a cult figure, the

Bahia hip hop of Light As My Flo' wouldn't sound out of place on Top of

the Pops.

ROB ADAMS

The Chase, Randy Sanke (Concord)

* SANDKE is a superb trumpeter. But you wouldn't know it from this

hugely disappointing album. The usually characterful Sandke sound is

most familiar from his stints in 20s-style bands like his own Wildcats,

but don't look for it in this bland collection except possibly on the

cool Cole Porter bossa nova So In Love (on which he switches to

flugelhorn). Lullabye of Broadway is a butchery, while The Folks Who

Live on the Hill have been exiled to Dullsville. Save your pennies for

his next CD.

Supreme, Coleman Hawkins (Enja)

* TENOR saxophonist Hawkins was recorded going down a storm in a

Baltimore club in 1966 -- just three years before his death -- in the

company of Barry Harris (piano), Gene Taylor (bass) and Roy Brooks

(drums). As powerful and inventive a player as ever, Hawkins drives his

band through a defiant Lover Come Back and the Blue Skies sound-alike,

In Walked Bud. But the ballads are the standouts: a laidback and

langorous Body and Soul (the tune that put him on the map) and --

especially -- the evocative and whoop-inducing Quincy Jones number

Quintessence. ALISON KERR