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Consumable Online Issue 038
==== ISSUE 38 ==== CONSUMABLE ======== [April 28, 1995]
Editor: Bob Gajarsky
Internet: gajarsky@pilot.njin.net
Sr. Contributors: Jeremy Ashcroft, Martin Bate, Al Crawford,
Dan Enright, Tim Kennedy, Reto Koradi,
David Landgren, Tim Mohr, Joe Silva, John Walker
Other Contributors: Scott Byron, Kelley Crowley, Tim Hulsizer,
Melissa Pellegrin, P. Nina Ramos, Jamie Roberts,
Linda Scott, Ali Sinclair, Jon Steltenpohl,
Jorge Velez, Scott Williams
Technical Staff: Chris Candreva, Dave Pirmann, Damir Tiljak,
Jason Williams
Address all comments, subscriptions, etc. to gajarsky@pilot.njin.net
==================================================================
All articles in Consumable remain (C) copyright their author(s).
Permission for re-publication in any form other than within this
document must be obtained from the editor.
==================================================================
.------------.
| Contents |-.
`------------' |
`------------'
INTERVIEW: Martin Page - Kathryn Vaughn
REVIEW: From Good Homes, _Open Up The Sky_ - Bob Gajarsky
REVIEW: Thomas Dolby, _Retrospectacle: The Best of_;
Billy Squier, _The Best of_ - Bob Gajarsky
REVIEW: General Public _Rub It Better_ - Scott Byron
REVIEW: Mike Watt, _Ball-hog or Tugboat?_ - P. Nina Ramos
REVIEW: Timbuk 3, _A Hundred Lovers_ - Jon Steltenpohl
REVIEW : Transglobal Underground, _International Times_ - Martin Bate
REVIEW: Violet Crumbles, _Family Album_ - Reto Koradi
REVIEW : Flowerhead, _The People's Fuzz_ - Martin Bate
REVIEW: Malcolm McLaren, _Paris_ - Ali Sinclair
REVIEW: John Cunningham, _Bringing In The Blue_ - Reto Koradi
CONTESTS: Record label Nettwerk holds a contest for T'shirts
Also, separately, win free Oasis CD singles
NEWS: Stone Roses, Lollapalooza, Green Day, Love & Rockets, R.E.M.
TOUR DATES: Bogmen, Khaled, Live/Pete Droge, PJ Harvey, John Prine
Rake's Progress
THE READERS WRITE BACK!
Back Issues of Consumable
---
INTERVIEW: Martin Page
- Kathryn Vaughn
Martin Page is a new name to some and a new voice to even more, but
his sound echoes out a feeling that we all know him. Born and raised in
England, his accent still hangs on as tightly as his love for (the American)
soccer. Between studying graphic art and working at what he laughingly
calls "soul robbing but character building jobs", Martin discovered bass
guitar. With his love of American rhythm and blues and Motown, it's not
surprising he landed in the United States. Martin has written #1 hits for
Heart ("These Dreams") and co-written with Bernie Taupin, Starship's "We
Built This City". His debut release, which combines Page's unique talents
with such established, well-known veterans such as Phil Collins and Robbie
Robertson, is titled, _In The House of Stone and Light_ (Mercury).
C: You spoke about being between the dark and light when you made
this recording. Share these experiences with us.
MP: It felt to me that what I was saying was the "House of Stone and
Light" was my own body. It is my own soul - the part of inside of me which
can be dark or light, strong or weak. The greatest place to go is to your
own home to have shelter and security. It was basically a rebirth song, a
journey into yourself to be still and your own house is your own peace of
mind and own soul. I felt very strongly that everybody feels as I had felt,
there's always going to be a battle between the dark and the light in your
life. I've been very encouraged that people have actually picked up on
what "The House of Stone and Light" is about.
I basically wanted this to be a very positive song, that there is
always a place to go to and it's not over the sea or down the road to the
pub. It's basically to go inside yourself. Once you've found that, your
journey is done!
C: You often write about rain and candles. Why is that?
MP: I'm a great fan of ancient poetry and medieval images and I
always felt like candles were really the light back when there wasn't any
electricity and when things were simpler. Rain? I've always thought of it
as a great term for cleansing. Candles and rain - even just saying the two
together feels to me to conjure up a great image of spark and tenderness.
I try to write movies with each song. They appear a lot because they give
me certain moments in the songs - a sense of simpler times.
C: You produced this work yourself, writing and producing with the
likes of Phil Collins, Bernie Taupin, Brenda Russell, Robbie Robertson and
Geoffrey Oryema.
MP: I wanted to make this record purely organically. I wanted it
to be recorded at home. I engineered a majority of the record myself by the
studio being located in my house. I wanted that situation where the songs
dictated who should be playing on the tracks. These are my demos. As songs
began to form, it was like picking actors for a movie. It felt really right
that Robbie Robertson should play guitar on "In The House of Stone and
Light", giving it a very sort of traditional Indian feel.
Geoffrey Oryema, a wonderful vocalist who sings with Peter Gabriel -
his tone sounds like the earth, very dusty. I was always looking for a voice
that would work well with mine. His low tones seem to work very well with
me and gave a great sense of heritage to the songs. For each musician that
was involved, it felt more important that the musician was able to fit the
song. It wasn't thought of to get guests and stars in, so it would look
good. Even with Phil Collins, it felt so right that he would play drums.
I was very lucky that these people had been around for me when I was working
for artists in past projects. Brenda Russell was totally the right sound,
character and spirit to be singing backups with me. It was important for
me for people to come to my house, feel the music in my studio, stay with
me, experiment and let emotion be the most powerful thing the players
responded to.
C: How did these connections come about?
MP: Because of my past works - Phil Collins had heard of my writing
with Go West and Earth Wind and Fire. We met up at the ASCAP award show in
England, when we both had won awards for songwriting. He respected my
writing and I'd been a big fan of his right from the beginning when he was
playing drums with Genesis.
You wonder how you catch up with people you've been a fan of since
you were a kid; this was an incredibly rewarding situation and also great
verification that these people that I'd been fans of were now enjoying the
music I was doing and wanted to be a part of it. They came back to help me
when my time came.
C: Do you take songs from your own life?
MP: All the songs on this record are ones I relate to. "In The
House of Stone and Light" is definitely a positive song about starting over
again. "In My Room" was a hard song to write because it was a true story of
what my mother went through as a young girl. She told me stories of her
childhood, when she used to have to hide in her bedroom with her young
brother when her father came home from the pub, drinking, and he would
regularly beat her mother up. She used to have to hide all through this
and go through the hell of hearing the arguments and her mother having to
suffer. I wrote through the eyes of what her brother wanted to do, which
was to face her father straight on, and stop the beatings. It's interesting
because I found it to be a very healing song to a lot of people. It actually
brings up the subject that the person I'm writing about is facing the truth.
With "The Door", I picked up a brook about Trablinka, the
concentration camp of the Second World War and read this story of 600 Jews
who had actually rebelled. It was the only time ever that Jews had planned
and escaped from a concentration camp. The older people in the camp allowed
the young ones to escape. I wrote it through the eyes of a survivor
remembering the people that sacrificed themselves for her to get out. The
door was either the door to freedom and the fields, or the door to the gas
chamber. These 600 souls took that decision - to take the door to freedom.
It takes amazing strength and is a great story of hope.
C: What's the toughest part of being a musician?
MP: Finding times when creativity is at its best. The hardest thing
is to be able to break the rules, psychologically getting in this space where
you can say, 'Anything can happen, and I'm allowing it to happen at this
moment.'"
C: How about the best part?
MP: I have to say it's the moment you know you've been honest and
true with a piece of music. That what you've been constructing is coming
from a very real place and is not being manipulated by what you know or in
how you've been trained. The best part of being a musician is when
something has come out of you and you don't know where it has come from. It
has come from a pure emotional spirit and soul, and you're able to capture
that and feel it.
Martin often refers to his songs as electronic hymns. From the past
with "These Dreams" (which Heart took to #1 on the charts, and a song Martin
promises to do his way when he goes on tour) to the present with "In The
House of Stone and Light", to the future, M. Page will be the signature
marking history with this new genre of music.
---
REVIEW: From Good Homes, _Open Up The Sky_ (RCA)
- Bob Gajarsky
Northwest New Jersey is not often confused with the midwestern
part of the United States, but one listen to From Good Homes' major
label debut, _Open Up The Sky_, might lead you to think that hoe-downs
and good times have been a part of this band's life since day one.
The band's name has a bit of unique history itself. While working
under the monicker of The Dogs, the band was asked to stop playing
during a local gig. They went elsewhere for a few drinks and, upon
returning to play one final song ("I.O.U." from the Replacements), found
the club closed, with their instruments inside. A failed attempt to break in
and rescue their instruments led to a hearing before a judge, who let them
off with community service, and commenting that the band members were all
"from good homes".
The variety of instruments utilized by the band, from the standard
guitars and drums, to the different saxophone, melodica, fiddle, melodica,
and harmonica is reminiscent to the selection of instruments used on John
Mellencamp releases such as _Big Daddy_ and _Whenever We Wanted_.
"Let Go" opens a la Alice In Chains' "No Excuses", but with no traces
of a louder sound. The 7 minute long "Head" could easily have been a Beatles
outtake from the _White Album_ days, with the guitars replacing sitars, and
"If The Wind Blows" blends two harmons - harmonica and harmonies - into
one wonderful song. No singles have yet been released from this album
although at least 4 or 5 potential hits are present.
While watching From Good Homes at a recent sold out show at New
York City's Irving Plaza, many comparisons ran through this critic's
head. Dan Myers' saxophone playing evoked thoughts of Kenny G; the addictive
harmonies harkened to recent acts such as Toad the Wet Sprocket and Hootie
and the Blowfishm, and the overall feel made it easy to understand why From
Good Homes has supported the Dave Matthews Band. The crowd of more than
1,500 was dancing and singing along - and, each song left this listener
longing for more.
"Hick pop" is what one New Jersey critic called From Good Homes. I'd
label them as intelligent, fun-loving, good-times rock and roll - with just
the right amount of a Midwest sound. Anyone got a picnic basket?
---
REVIEW: Thomas Dolby, _Retrospectacle: The Best of_;
Billy Squier, _The Best of_ (Capitol)
- Bob Gajarsky
Two pioneers of the early 1980's have travelled different routes
through their musical journeys. Boston's Billy Squier took the straight
forward rock and roll route, through hip-hop, while England's Thomas
Dolby circumvented most traditional circles in establishing himself
as one of the world's premier keyboard and synthesizer players. Both
of these artists have come full circle on Capitol issues of their
recent greatest hits collections.
Although it's easy to casually dismiss Squier's work, this
would show the same closed-mindedness that causes people to ignore
bands because they're not heard on top 40. Squier's first successful work,
_Don't Say No_, was produced by Mack (who also worked with Queen)
and spawned several songs ("My Kinda Lover", "The Stroke", "In The
Dark") which have, even today, withstood the test of time. The subsequent
follow-up, _Emotions In Motion_, featured more of the similar riffs
that, when sampled, helped drive early Run-DMC and hip-hop recordings.
However, Squier's output started to wane at this point, with 1984's
_Signs of Life_ being his last truly productive album. Subsequent efforts
at the latter part of the decade were less innovative then his early works,
and, even today, the songs don't evoke feelings of excitement. In
conclusion, this album is half brilliant and half traditional rock and roll.
Thomas Dolby's career was more circuitous - and is still active today.
While some may know the pre-famous Dolby for writing the alternative hit
"New Toy" for Lene Lovich, others may know he helped out with synthesizers
for well known rockers Def Leppard and Foreigner. "She Blinded Me With
Science" is, like Randy Newman's "Short People", his fifteen minutes of
(American) fame - and not a fair indication of where Dolby's musical talents
lie.
_Retrospectacle_ gives a much better idea of the man behind the image.
While songs such as "Science" and "Hyperactive" may be familiar to American
listeners, "I Love You Goodbye" and "Close But No Cigar" (which includes
master guitarist and Dolby neighbor Eddie Van Halen) are classics-that-should-
have-been. "Europa and the Pirate Twins" is another track which was ignored
by radio upon its release but shouldn't be ignored today. Each layer of music
is carefully crafted to alterna-pop perfection - without sacrificing musical
integrity.
European readers won't need to purchase _Retrospectacle_, as the
American version of this disc is no different from the one released overseas
in 1994. But, for American readers? Anyone who wants to see what the real
Thomas Dolby is about, and marvel at his talents, should race out and pick up
this worthy compilation.
Track listing:
Billy Squier: The Stroke, In The Dark, My Kinda Lover, Emotions In Motion,
Everybody Wants You, She's A Ruunner, Rock Me Tonight, All Night Long,
Eye On You, Love Is The Hero, Don't Say You Love Me, Don't Let Me Go,
She Goes Down, Tied Up, Facts of Life, (L.O.V.E.) Four Letter Word
Thomas Dolby: Europa and the Pirate Twins, Urges, Leipzig, Windpower,
Airwaves (7" Version), She Blinded Me With Science, One Of Our Submarines,
Screen Kiss, Hyperactive!, I Scare Myself, The Flat Earth, Pulp Culture,
Budapest By Blimp, Cruel, Close But No Cigar, I Love You Goodbye
---
REVIEW: General Public _Rub It Better_ (Epic)
- Scott Byron
Everything old is new again... As yet another (a new) wave
of nostalgia washes over us (shouldn't we have expected this?
Won't we ever learn?) comes the return of General Public, the
poppier group that in the mid-'80s grew out of the fragments of seminal
new wave/ska group the (English) Beat. It's been almost ten years
since General Public have released a new album (last year's hit cover of
the Spinners' "I'll Take You There" was from the _Threesome_ soundtrack,
and is not included here), and it's as if they never skipped, er,
a Beat. Indeed it's as if pop music has caught up to them, with
pop-tinged reggae tunes regularly popping up in the top ten today.
There are no big surprises on _Rub It Better_, just a lot of
clever songs, fine musicianship, and the trademark vocal interplay of
Jamaican toaster Ranking Roger and English pop singer Dave Wakeling.
It's the blending of those once disparate vocal qualities and their
seamless fusion of reggae grooves into Brit-pop that at one time made
General Public a unique presence on the pop scene. Though no
longer as distinctive, their return is still a welcome one, perhaps as a
balance to the (equally welcome) "punk" angst that's dominating the pop
scene.
Indeed the Beat rose from the same punk scene that spawned new
wave, and they flaunt their credentials on a song called "Punk," a
rapid-fire Ranking Roger tune that's one of this album's highlights.
Throughout the album, the lyrics bounce between relationship themes ("Big
Bed," "Friends Again") and politically tinged pop tunes ("Handgun" is
likely the most joyous tune ever to advocate throwing all of the guns
away). There's also a reggaeish cover of Van Morrison's "Warm Love."
Producer Jerry Harrison is a fine choice for the band, as he has a great
ear for pop grooves, which are always at the core of this band's sound.
And groove it does.
_Rub It Better_ is hardly a classic, just a collection of fine
pop songs which would make a wonderful soundtrack to anyone's
springtime.
---
REVIEW: Mike Watt, _Ball-hog or Tugboat?_ (Columbia/Sony)
- P. Nina Ramos
When I lived in Arizona I met Mike Watt for the first
time. He had already been a part of the most influential
punk band of the eighties, the Minutemen and a few years
into fIREHOSE. The show that followed was amazing. Watt was
like one with his bass. Ed Crawford sang and played the
guitar with passion I'd only seen in hard core bands. And
George Hurley slammed those drums like it was going to be
the last time. In that hot desert night fIREHOSE was the
closest I had ever come to big rock stars. It's six years
later, and although I've met my share of personalities. I'm still in
awe of Watt as a musician.and a human being.
I've seen every fIREHOSE tour since then, and I've
experienced his growth as a musician to appreciate this
collection of a stream of consciousness. From funk to soul
to pop to jazz and many more in one breath, is the only way
I can describe with no accuracy the feel of this record.
Mike Watt has created a perfect mesh of sounds for a large
audience to appreciate. A track like "Against the
Seventies" evokes a strong image of Blondie and the old days
of Manhattan glam, New York Dolls and Max's Kansas City,
while making a mockery of the current "sentimentality"
the decade holds today. To "Sexual Military Dynamics" where
the sound goes all out, every component seems to just
fit. Watt brings the raw passion he used in the beginning of
his career with the wisdom of the road on his back to bring
plain ol' good music. And don't be thrown off your rocker
when you hear "Song for Igor"-as much as Vince Meghrouni
sounds like D. Boone (singer for the Minutemen), it's just
wishful thinking.
In a recent inteview in Smug, Watt explained the title of the
record posed the question, is he a ball-hog claiming the
spotlight, or tugging the boat while others claim the fame?
The interviewer proceeded to ask why the bass was such a
backseat instrument. Watt claimed this is exactly what he
wanted - writing all the music was enough for him. He went
through his phonebook and got together with as many
musicians as he could. Fifty guests (including Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder,
Red Hot Chili Pepper's Flea, the surviving members of Nirvana, and the
Beastie Boys' Mike D.), four cities and many
overdubbing sessions later, the project was complete. _Ball-hog
or Tugboat?_ is a culmination of fifteen years of strong
music making for Watt. To know his bass is to love the first
breezy summer night you listened to D. Boone's wail and
George Hurley's energy tied together with the Minutemen
bass. And, when circumstances silenced Boone, fIREHOSE was born. Today,
Watt's brainchild has as much honesty and passion as he ever showed.
---
REVIEW: Timbuk 3, _A Hundred Lovers_ (High Street Records/Windham Hill)
- Jon Steltenpohl
In 1986, the future was so bright that they had to wear shades. By
1989, the spotlight had dimmed, and they were singing about being on "The
B-side of Life." Now, in 1995, Timbuk 3 is on the top of their game with
their new album, _A Hundred Lovers_. The only problem is that while Timbuk 3
has gotten better with age, the rest of the world hasn't bothered to notice.
Even while their 15 minutes were ticking down, Timbuk 3 was never your
typical group. Their rhythm section was a boom-box. They made their home
in Austin, Texas instead of New York or Los Angeles. And, their lyrics
were smart and cynical rather than just being trendy. Unfortunately,
Timbuk 3 was treated like a novelty band and are now remembered on retro
nights at clubs and on the radio as a new wave blast from the past. But,
even if they were one hit wonders, fans of Timbuk 3 have followed them
through some great studio albums and even a live album recorded in France.
_A Hundred Lovers_ is Timbuk 3's first full album on the High Street
Records label. It combines Pat MacDonald's sharp cynicism with Barbara K's
harmony and the grooving rhythm section of Wally Ingram on drums and
Courtney Audain on bass. Ingram and Audain were introduced on the 1991
album, _Big Shot in the Dark_. Although the transition from boom-box to
band sounded a bit tentative four years ago, _A Hundred Lovers_ bubbles with
a rollicking, Austin-based groove that could only come from a full band.
The title track to _A Hundred Lovers_ is an ode to a woman who is "a
hundred lovers rolled into one." Among the hundred lovers are "a
couple of queens -- Latifah and Divine". On another love song, "Cynical",
Pat sings through all of the things he's cynical about except for his love.
He sums it all up by saying "I can get cynical about this song I sing.
It's just so positive, it must be really shallow." An alternate version of
"Cynical" was put on the 1994 EP _Looks like Dark to Me_, but the version on
_A Hundred Lovers_ is slower and smoother.
"Just Wanna Funk With Your Mind" is an awesome song about the darker
side of love. On this one, Barbara sings "I don't wanna bump and grind, I just
wanna funk with your mind." Her cool, airy voice is set against a low-key
rhythm and groove which truly are funky. "Just Wanna Funk With Your Mind"
is one of those slower songs that creeps up on you like a puppeteer and
forces your body to move whether you like it or not.
Elsewhere on the album, Pat MacDonald takes his shots at his typical
targets. "Legalize Our Love" aims at the lack of sexual freedoms and hits
the mark with lyrics like "They want to protect us - standards of decency -
Condoms for H.I.V. - But what will protect us from prejudice and bigotry?".
"Inside Out" speaks from the point of view of a homeless person. The title
is from the line, "Some say 'Hi' or smile as they pass. Some just look -
Some just laugh - Some give spare change. Somewhere, no doubt, some pull
their pockets inside out."
The best aimed bullet of cynicism is aimed at self-righteous
Christians. In the song "Prey", Pat sings "You pray on your Bible. You
pray on bended knee, and every time you move your mouth, you prey on me."
But before you condemn "Prey" as a song against Christianity, the rest of the
lyrics show who MacDonald is singling out. Pat explains, "You never pray for
peace, you pray for victory. You never pray for love, you pray for
abstinence." "Prey" is a slow, acoustic song that is typical of the best of
Timbuk 3. The melody and harmonies are sweet yet sorrowful, and the lyrics
are straight-forward missiles that hit their mark.
Timbuk 3 is one of those groups that has been quietly making great
music for years. Since their debut in 1986, they have grown musically and
perfected their sound. With _A Hundred Lovers_, Timbuk 3 is poised to
reclaim some of their lost fame. The album is tight, funky, and
accessible. If you've stayed away from Timbuk 3 since you wore those
shades, _A Hundred Lovers_ is the album that will bring you back.
For more information on Timbuk 3's _A Hundred Lovers_, call
High Street Records at 1-800-888-8544 or check out High Street/Windham
Hill's World Wide Web page at http://www.windham.com.
---
REVIEW : Transglobal Underground, _International Times_ (Epic)
- Martin Bate
Transglobal Underground is an English multi-cultural musicians
collective who produce a cool clash of sounds operating in the region of
dance. Their theme is that of one world, with unity across all religions
and nations and they go about this by using elements from every culture
they can lay their hands on. They are the more peaceful dance counterpoint
to associates Fun-da-mental's agitated hip-hop culture clash.
The base sound is various dance beats embellished with tablas,
congas and lots of other percussive instruments that I couldn't even begin
to spell. Added to this is Natacha Atlas's heart-breakingly beautiful
eastern vocals - I have no idea *what* she's singing about but that
doesn't stop me getting completely lost in her voice - and dashes of
sweeping Indian strings.
To these base ingredients they add various flavours - "Lookee
Here" incorporates a ragga/cockney tinged rap from Senser's Heitham
Al-Sayed; "Jatayu" blends piano-house, subterranean bass, tribal chants
and a discarded acid-house guitar lick into a groove kaleidoscope;
"Monter Au Ciel" is all desolate chimes and wind instruments with another
chillingly beautiful vocal from Natacha, this time in French; and "Tromba
Marina" is up there with anything by Orbital you care to mention, upbeat
syncopated snare topped with an evil drone and several instruments which
don't sound like instruments any more.
I won't profess to know where in the world *half* of this stuff
comes from but it's a breath of fresh air to ears tuned for so long to
western sounds. However don't be frightened that you're not going to be
able to get a grip on this, Transglobal Underground's strength is in
that they reconciliate what is happening now in UK dance with the music
of their various country-people so your feet are on firm ground even
when your head is spinning slightly.
Occasionally, things get a little ordinary. In particular some
of the rapped/spoken contributions from percusionist Neil Sparkes and
the mysterious T.U.U.P. fall a little flat next to the other-worldliness
of Natacha's vocal contributions. Compared with their debut, _Dream of
100 Nations_ this is a far more consistent album, never hitting the lows
of the first album (most of the second side was pretty uninteresting)
but unfortunately not quite hitting the highs (most of the first side was
completely incredible). For me, there isn't the surprise of the first
time I heard their sound even if the tunes here dig in further, but for
any of you who are reading this and thinking "It'll never work", buy
_International Times_ and spend the days after trying to stop smiling.
---
REVIEW: Violet Crumbles, _Family Album_ (Dahlia Records)
- Reto Koradi
Violet Crumbles is a side project of 6 musicians from 5 bands. This
CD features 4 tracks by Violet Crumbles, together with 2 tracks each by
these other 5, quite diverse, bands.
One of the Rag Iron tracks is very good alternative female rock
in the Breeders/Belly tradition, the other one a beautiful pop ballad
reminding of bands like Everything But The Girl and Bliss.
Miles Dethmuffen play solid alternative rock, with nothing that
would make them very remarkable.
The Barnies and Laughing Academy both have a more aggressive,
industrial sound. Rather uninspired and boring.
Electric Toys are completely different again. Melodic pop with
soulful vocals, reminding of various Paul Carrack projects (Squeeze).
Nice, but almost too smooth.
And what's the result if you mix all that? Violet Crumbles sound
gothic! They remind of some of the slow Mission songs, like "Love Me to
Death", with a lead singer who sounds remarkably similar to Wayne Hussey. The
whole sound is less dramatic and keyboard-heavy though, but has a more
accoustic and relaxed feel.
Overall, this is a rather diverse collection. It has some weak
tracks, but also a good number of enjoyable ones. And it's good to see
that the combination of 5 bands resulted in one that is clearly better
than the original parts (except for Rag Iron).
More information on this Violet Crumbles CD can be obtained
from Dahlia Records, PO Box 852, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 or via e-mail
at praustin@world.std.com.
---
REVIEW:Flowerhead, _The People's Fuzz_ (Zoo/BMG)
- Martin Bate
_The People's Fuzz _ is the second album time for this
Texas band, and it's really not very good.
The first side of the album is completely average 70's influenced
retro rock. You know, the type of thing that the advertising execs were
calling 'grunge' a couple of years ago when, of course, it was nothing of
the sort.
There's a hint of the Smashing Pumpkins in the sound but without
the passion or the *songs*. The vocals are a watered down mix of Billy
Corgan and Marc Bolan and the guitars shimmer and groove the way they're
supposed to without ever actually grabbing your attention - it is all
imagined psychedelia and pseudo-meaningful lyrics. If you're going to
be this retro, then do it with the passion of the Smashing Pumpkins or
the unashamed cool of Oasis, not the unimaginative smash and grab of
Lenny Kravitz's last album.
"Overdrive" starts off the second side by bringing in the fuzz
that the album's title suggests only to sound like a turn of the decade,
vaguely alternative heavy metal band. And, it carries on in this vein to
the end with "Cows" attaching a dreadful country and western verse to the
rock chorus and the closing "Trip Around the World" adding to the feeling
of 1990 deja-vu by adding trumpets and a wah-wah pedal and imagining
itself to be funk while in posession of a lumpen rock groove.
They boast of having supported Blind Melon and Cheap Trick in the
past. Given the sound of the music, this figures.
---
REVIEW: Malcolm McLaren, _Paris_ (Island)
- Ali Sinclair
_Paris_ - Malcolm McLaren's first release in six years - is music, but
it's more than music. The whole recording is a musical and lyrical painting of
Paris, from McLaren's viewpoint. It is sordid and sexy: evocative and erotic:
beautiful and bizarre, cruel and candid. It takes a walk along rue Pigalle,
through Montmartre, beside the flowing Seine: peruses the bars and the cheap
hotels: wears black and the dust of the metro, the scent of flowers, the aromas
of strong coffee and French cigarettes: it listens to jazz. It is full of
dropped names and social gossip, not least being "How did he get
Catherine Deneuve to sing?"
The black-and-white sleeve photos give McLaren the air of an aging
Leonard Cohen, or a sedate Quentin Crisp: the greying eccentric, the seedy
sophisticate: posing, poking fun, almost-but-not-quite over-the-top. And
whatever the impression you may have of this man, be it musical genius or
blatant manipulator, you have to have at least a little admiration for
his ability to gather disparate musical elements and produce something
unique and memorable, be it _Paris_, the Sex Pistols, or Adam Ant.
McLaren says that he makes albums "like a film director who doesn't
have a camera". And although _Paris_ is sometimes a film that doesn't need
pictures, because of the vivid images that it projects onto the screen of
the imagination, sometimes it sounds just a little like a soundtrack and you
wish you had the moving scenes before your eyes.
There is a strong jazz influence throughout the fifteen tracks of the
main CD (the American _Paris_ comes with an extra eight-track CD of
instrumental mixes). There is some beautiful trumpet playing by Guy Barker
on "Miles and Miles of Miles Davis". Babik Reinhardt plays late-night
guitar on "In The Absence Of The Parisienne", the track with the
disturbing backdrop of a thousand buzzing bees... or are they flies?
Catherine Deneuve breathes the words with the manner of the perfect
Parisienne. Francoise Hardy sings again... The names just go on and on.
McLaren's vocals are recited, not sung, the narrator, the poet.
For me, the highlights of the album are "Pere Lachaise" with a melody
that is beautifully familiar the first time you hear it; "La Main Parisienne"
with Amina's haunting, Arabian-nights vocals; and the excellent, 90's
disco-version of the Gainsborough/Birkin classic, "Je T'aime - Moi Non
Plus". But don't play the sexually-explicit first track, "Mon Die Senie",
to your Great Aunt Mabel - or at least, give her a large cognac first.
If I were to write a thesis on the Artist's View Of Paris, I'd start
with this CD, and with William Wharton's book "Last Lovers". The two are
contradictory and complementary - McLaren focuses on the dark, dirty side
while Wharton paints a brighter picture. Both are valid, both are Paris.
Yes, _Paris_ is Paris, France - but it's Malcolm McLaren's Paris. It
may not be your Paris or my Paris, but like the city itself, there are scenes,
sounds and memories that will inspire something in everyone.
---
REVIEW: John Cunningham, _Bringing In The Blue_ (La-Di-Da)
- Reto Koradi
No, this is not the album for your next wild party. It won't even
help to scare your mother out of the room. But,, this is the right music for
those emotional moments, romantic or sad. This British singer/songwriter
doesn't use any cheap effects. His songs are quietly flowing along, the
acoustic guitar and bass give them an almost classical touch. But the
melancholy feel and the poetic lyrics save them well before they get too
sweet. The tracks are very consistent, high musical quality all through.
"Unarmed" is a good song to introduce you to Cunningham.
If you like artists like Del Amitri, Big Dish, Aztec Camera or
Steve Hackett, you should check this out. Lean back, close your eyes, and
let it dig deeper and deeper into your soul. And if you're under too much
steam after this exercise, you can still pull out your favorite NIN or
Killing Joke album, and you'll have enjoyed the whole spectrum of great
music that the 90s are giving us.
---
CONTESTS: We've got two contests. The first one, being
run by Nettwerk, is open to anyone on the Internet. The second,
featuring Oasis, is open only to subscribers of Consumable Online.
Nettwerk's contest, with the prize first: five lucky winners will
receive a Nettwerk Ten Year Anniversary long sleeve tshirt, in the very
trendy colour of black! Also, the best answer will receive a copy of the
Nettwerk cd of their choice (subject to availability) plus whatever the
coolest promo item floating around the office is at the time.
The Nettwerk contest: The Rose Chronicles recently won a Juno for
best alternative album for _Shiver_. Their previous release was called _Dead
and Gone to Heaven_. Now, taking some or all the letters from those two album
covers, make five words that aren't any of the words in the titles already.
The person with the best five words (and they better be real words - our
personal Scrabble rules apply) will claim the first prize. The next
four best entries will scoop the tshirts.
An example would be: head, dog, god, van, diver. This entry would not
win. The contest ends May 15, 1995; send replies to nettwerk@mindlink.bc.ca
Contest #2: Oasis' _Definitely Maybe_ is still going strong in the
United States. Fresh off their #2 modern rock smash, "Live Forever", Epic
has issued "Rock and Roll Star" as the new radio single. We have five
copies of this promotional single (which contains the album version and
a single edit) available to give away. Five people's names will be selected
at random to receive this. To enter, send an e-mail message with the subject
of OASIS CONTEST to jwalker@epas.utoronto.ca . The contest ends May 5, 1995.
---
NEWS: Reni, drummer for the Stone Roses, has left the band. Session
musician Robert Maddix is reported to be his replacement for the remainder
of their American tour.
The official lineup for Lollapalooza '95 has been announced and
currently includes Sonic Youth, Hole, Beck, the Jesus Lizard, Pavement,
Sinead O' Connor, the Mighty Might Bosstones and Cypress Hill. Publicity
for the tour is being handled on the Internet - check out the World Wide Web
page at http://american.recordings.com/Lollapalooza to get the latest
information.
Green Day's _Dookie_ was recently certified sextuple platinum,
signifying sales in excess of six million copies. The group are currently
back in the Berkeley, California area laying the groundwork for a new album
to be released later in 1995.
Love and Rockets' studio, where they were recording their newest album,
recently caught on fire. No one was seriously injured, but Perry Farrell
(Porno for Pyros, Jane's Addiction) offered the use of his Malibu studio to
continue recording.
R.E.M. has released their latest single off of the mega-smash _Monster_
(Warner), "Strange Currencies". The CD single includes three live tracks from
the Athens, GA. Greenpeace concert. "Drive", "Fun Time", and a decipherable
version of "Radio Free Europe" are the extra tracks included.
---
TOUR DATES:
Bogmen
April 28 Providence, RI Club Babyhead
April 29 Asbury Park, NJ Stone Pony (w/ Southside Johnny)
May 4 Portland, ME Granny Kilams
May 5-6 Nantucket, MA The Muse
May 10-11 New York, NY Mercury Lounge
May 12 Baltimore, MD Eight By Ten
May 13 Philadelphia, PA J.C. Dobbs
May 26-27 Amaganset, NY Stephen's Talkhouse
Khaled
April 30 Washington, DC Omni Shoreham Hotel
May 3 New York, NY Tramps
Live / Pete Droge
April 28 Waltham, MA Brandeis University
April 29 Ithaca, NY Cornell University
April 30 Washington DC, American University
May 2 Knoxville, TN World's Fair Park
May 3 Athens, GA University of Georgia
May 4 Charleston, SC King Street Palace
May 6 Memphis TN, Beale Street Music Festival
May 7 Springfield, MO Shrine Mosque
May 9 Davenport, IA Palmer Auditorium
May 10 Omaha, NE Mancuso Hall
May 13 Kennewick, WA Tri-Cities Coliseum
May 14 Bellingham, WA Whatcom County Sports Arena
May 16 Medford, OR Medford Armory
May 18 San Francisco, CA Warfield Theatre
May 19 Santa Barbara, CA County Bowl
PJ Harvey
May 17 Los Angeles, CA Mayan
May 19 San Francisco, CA Warfield
May 21 Portland, OR La Luna
May 22 Seattle, WA Moore THeatre
May 23 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom
May 27 Detroit, MI St. Andrews Hall
May 28 Toronto, ON The Warehouse
May 29 Montreal, QC Olympic Theatre
May 31 Boston, MA Avalon Ballroom
June 2 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero
June 5 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse
June 7 New York, NY Academy
June 10 Chicago, IL Vic Theatre
John Prine
May 5 Memphis Beale St. Music Festival
June 2 Columbus, OH Capitol Theater
June 3 Columbus, OH Capitol Theater
June 4 Louisville, KY Palace
June 7 Ashville, NC T. Wolfe Aud.
June 8 Charlotte, NC Blumenthal Center
June 10 Vienna, VA Wolf Trap
June 13 Tampa, FL T.B. Perf. Arts Ctr.
June 14 Pompano, FL P.B. Amphitheater
June 15 Jacksonville, FL Fla. Theater
June 17 Atlanta, GA Chastain Park Amphitheatre
Rake's Progress
April 28 Shippensburg, PA Shippensburg University
April 29 Lewisburg, PA Lewisburg Community Center
---
THE READERS WRITE BACK!
I read the review of Nitzer Ebb, _Big Hit_, by Jamie Roberts and
all I could figure was that Jamie was expecting something, and I wasn't.
I've been a Reggae dj for the last 13 years or so, and I just started
doing Techno last year, so I'm not very familiar with Nitzer Ebb.
Personally, I like the remix 12" of "Kick It", but the full cd isn't
anything special. I put it in my Techno chart a couple of time more on the
basis of the 12" than the full cd, but I wouldn't slam it quite as harshly
as Jamie did just because I wasn't expecting to hear "Join In The Chant".
I think some of it is worthwhile and at least attempts to do something
original. My final verdict: listenable, but save your money for something
better. - Rob S.
---
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