POP MUSIC REVIEW : Talented Untouchables Flaunt Their Versatility

Nothing is more pathetic than a band caught in a rut. Change or die, they say, and bands that do neither invariably end up in something of a musical limbo.

It seems unlikely that this fate will ever befall the Untouchables. Since the band’s early 1980s emergence on the Los Angeles club scene, change has been its trademark. It started out playing straight Jamaican ska, the upbeat precursor to reggae. Today, the group weaves ska, reggae, rhythm-and-blues, funk and even rap into its musical tapestry.

This ever-expanding musical Weltanschauung is certainly one of the reasons why major commercial success has steadfastly eluded the Untouchables. Radio likes things neat and simple. If you don’t fall into a specific category, if you take chances, if you take risks, forget it.

But what radio continues to snub makes for a riveting live show, as the Untouchables once again demonstrated Thursday night at the Belly Up Tavern, where the group plays every other month or so.

Like the group’s past performances at the 560-capacity Solana Beach nightclub, this one was all but sold-out. The dance floor resembled a Manhattan subway platform during rush hour--a mass of twisting, gyrating, sweating bodies, all moving at once.

And, for a good 90 minutes, this throbbing mass of people was treated to exhilarating, intelligent dance music, a veritable hodgepodge of black musical styles.

From the very start, the Untouchables had a foot on the gas pedal, and, as the evening wore on, the group kept revving the engine with increasing intensity, shifting gears without pulling in the clutch.

It opened with “I Spy (for the FBI),” a sizzling soul tune punctuated by riffs from the familiar “Dragnet” theme. Then came a reggae song, a rap song and a funk song--a spirited interpretation of the old Edwin Starr hit, “Agent OO Soul”--each highlighted by the majestic, dueling trombone and saxophone of the Utility Horns, aka Bill Donato and Tim Moynahan.

“Do U Love Me?” was as sensuous as it was sweltering; “Hey U Tease” was a ferocious funk-rocker reminiscent of James Brown in his heyday.

“What’s Gone Wrong,” a lilting soul ballad that was a big hit last year on alternative radio stations like L.A.’s KROQ-FM, provided the dancers with a temporary respite. Particularly compelling was the horn chorus, at once smooth and piercing.

The pace picked up again with a fired-up rhythm-and-blues song, “Wild Child,” which sounded like something from the fabled Stax-Volt catalogue of mid-1960s soul hits. Clyde Grimes, who had founded the band with singer Jerry Miller, led the charge with his spicy guitar chops; the horns responded with the force of a runaway locomotive.

Toward the end of the performance, the Untouchables served up a delicious version of “Free Yourself,” long a staple of the group’s live shows. It was a fitting finale: the song is a musical melting pot of every style of black music the Untouchables excel at, a showcase for the group’s remarkable talent and versatility.