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Consumable Online Issue 061
==== ISSUE 61 ==== CONSUMABLE ======== [November 20, 1995]
Editor: Bob Gajarsky
Internet: gajarsky@pilot.njin.net
Sr. Correspondents: Jeremy Ashcroft, Martin Bate, Al Crawford,
Dan Enright, Reto Koradi, David Landgren,
Tim Mohr, Jamie Roberts, Joe Silva, John Walker
Correspondents: Dan Birchall, Lee Graham Bridges, Scott Byron, Jason
Cahill, Eric Hsu, Tim Hulsizer, Daniel Kane, Mario Lia,
Sean Eric McGill, P. Nina Ramos, Linda Scott,
Ali Sinclair, Jon Steltenpohl, Courtney Muir Wallner,
Britain Woodman
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: Skunk Anansie - Tim Mohr
COMPILATION REVIEWS: Various Artists, _Help!_; Toad The Wet Sprocket,
_In Light Syrup_; Various Artists, _Hit That Perfect Beat Vol. 2_
Def Leppard, _Vault_ - Bob Gajarsky
Various Artists, _A Testimonial Dinner, The Songs of XTC_ - Joe Silva
Various Artists, _Hempilation_ - Jamie Roberts
Various Artists, _Macro Dub Infection Volume One_ - Britain Woodman
REVIEW: Ian Moore, _Modernday Folklore_ - Ali Sinclair
REVIEW: Dread Zeppelin, _No Quarter Pounder_ - Jon Steltenpohl
REVIEW: Vince Neil, _Carved In Stone_ - Linda Scott
REVIEW: Anita Lane, _Dirty Pearl_ - Reto Koradi
REVIEW: Catchers, _Mute_ - Britain Woodman
REIVEW: Th' Faith Healers, _L'_ - Tim Mohr
REVIEW: Heavy Stereo, _Sleep Freak_ -Tim Mohr
TOUR DATES: Anthrax, Joan Armatrading, Ben Arnold, Barkmarket,
Better Than Ezra/Dambuilders, Boiled In Lead, Cornershop, Cravin' Melon,
Electrafixion/Echobelly, For Love Not Lisa, Green Magnet, Freedy Johnston
Knapsack, Huey Lewis & The News, Natalie Merchant, Nature, No Doubt,
Phish, Plastic Mikey, Mike Portnoy (from Dream Theatre)
Rembrandts Acoustic Radio Performances, Ruth Ruth/Everclear, 7 Mary 3
Silverchair, Sky Cries Mary, Squirrel Nut Zippers,
Stanford Prison Experiment, Urge Overkill, Wool
THE READERS WRITE BACK!
Back Issues of Consumable
---
INTERVIEW: Skunk Anansie
- Tim Mohr
Skunk Anansie have recently released their debut album, _Paranoid and
Sunburnt_, and grabbed the support slot for Therapy?'s European tour.
Consumable talked to the entire band before their Berlin gig.
The band is composed of a rag-tag bunch of musicians, all drawn from
different backgrounds. The four members assign to themselves, variously,
affiliation with punk (guitar player Ace), funk (bassist Cass), and rock
(drummer Mark). Vocalist Skin holds the mixture together with a big voice
reminiscent of the bombastic female vocal chords lodged in Nina Hagen.
Their hard but seamless album was produced by Sylvia Massey (Tool,
Prince) and mixed by Andy Wallace (Nirvana, Faith No More). Just what
distinguishes Skunk Anansie from other heavy rock bands is difficult to pin
down, yet the difference is there.
Skin tries to explain: "We're made up of people who are into rock
music, and all different types of music in London. In London everything is
very kind of intermingled and integrated and multi-cultural in alot of ways.
And we're a good example of that - which makes us different. We're all
completely different and look completely different, and there's no pressure
to be anything else."
It is no little irony that Skunk Anansie are now playing to
audiences as big or bigger than any of the much-hailed British stars like
Oasis and Blur, for the band sounds as if they are from another planet: an
alternative London in a galaxy where Jane's Addiction is revered above any
Britpop act, past or present. Their disregard of current trends makes them
sort of anathema in Britain: "In London," Skin says, "we're very
unfashionable because we're rock."
Dread-locked bass player Cass points out, "We're not anything to do
with the whole Britpop scene. We've got our own little area that we've
created, which is just the Skunk, stinky, rank scene, really..."
Skin expands: "I think in England bands seem to place too much
importance in the press. A lot of bands, a lot of scenes, seem to be press-
lead, which we're not into at all. We don't care if we're fashionable or not.
We're not interested in being a factional part of a scene or whatever; we're
just interested in being very individual in ourselves but then joining
together in a band."
"We're trying to create the scene as opposed to following a scene,"
says Cass.
In a way, the oddity of their progress can be explained by the ever-
growing ranks of fans who follow various hybridizations of metal and funk.
And the fact that Skunk Anansie are not comparable to any other current
British band turns their glaring incongruity into a glimmering beacon that
cannot be mistaken - such uniqueness is difficult to conceal even when
seemingly engulfed by a huge, dominant scene like the pop renaissance in
Britain.
Skin: "We've not been hyped up because we get alot of bad press along
with the good. There's lots of people who hate us as well as people who
worship us. We'd only start having problems if we started worrying what the
press think."
Furthermore, the fight to get attention in a musically hostile world
gives them a motivation that others lack. "The drive comes from wanting to do
something that was ourselves," says Skin, "and that we could be really happy
for and not have twinges or be uneasy about. We don't have any of that in
Skunk Anansie. It's just the four of us going for exactly the same goal with
four like minds..."
Cass interrupts to add, "...with completely individual flavors."
The band has certainly gained fans in important places, as heavy
rotation on radio and a collaboration with Bjork testifies.
Cass says working with Bjork came about rather serendipitously:
"We're labelmates with Bjork - signed to the same independent label in
England - and one of the people at the label played her our album. She was
just about to release the "Army of Me" single and she stumbled upon the idea
of getting us to do a rock version of the song. It was recorded
and mixed in something like seven hours. When she heard it she asked us to do
'Top of the Pops' [British TV show] with her, which we all mashed up."
The music that Skunk Anansie spews forth is raucous but disciplined,
very hard but smoothed by that funk element. Ace laughingly tries to describe
it as "kind of groove rock, punk/funk, agit-pop..."
Skunk Anansie are unlikely to be easily categorized, even alongside
other funk-metal bands. For one thing, Skin does not rap; instead singing her
charged lyrics with a power and range that escapes the rapped or ranted
outpourings of Urban Dance Squad, Body Count, or Rage Against the Machine.
Like Rage, Skunk Anansie is perceived as a politically-oriented band.
Skin takes issue with this tag, however, and says, "We're not a political
band, really: we're a band with politics in it. The way that we see our lives
is political because you can't escape politics. You can't just ignore certain
situations.
"It's not like 'Oh, what topic should we write about now.' It's
mainly what we saw and it happens to be that topic. It's not an intentional
thing." This seems a fair assessment, as the record is deeply personal and
only with hindsight can the lyrics be thought of as political.
For Skunk Anansie the outsider position has paid off. Formed in early
94, it took but a year for them to get airplay, a b-side on Bjork's single,
and a support slot on a huge tour. The worry must be that, once established,
the band will lose that outsider edge and stagnate.
Skin sees that possibility as remote: "We're always looking to the
future. We are a modern band - not a retro band. If the scene comes to us
we'll run off somewhere else."
Cass adds playfully, but with latent seriousness, "We'll run off
somewhere else and see if they can find us again."
---
COMPILATION REVIEWS:
- Bob Gajarsky
With the holidays rolling around, compilations - both greatest
hits and albums built on a single concept - can often be great gifts.
Here's a look at a few of some which might be of interest to Consumable
readers:
REVIEW: Various Artists, _Help!_ (Go! Discs / London)
In the spirit of charity releases such as U.S.A. for Africa
and Band-Aid comes the latest effort. This one, which features the
latest and greatest of today's top British artists, is titled _Help!_
and targets the relief fund for Bosnian children.
Recorded within a 24 hour period (and in-stores five days
later) in the United Kingdom, this twenty track compilation includes seven
cover songs. But on such a tight schedule, what else can be expected?
Oasis re-records "Fade Away" and puts a distinctive spin on
this track which originally appeared as a B-side on their "Cigarettes
and Alcohol" single. The Manic Street Preachers (without Richey) have
continued on as a trio, and contribute this cover of the Burt Bacharach/Hal
Davies hit, "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" - which comes as much
of a surprise as their former UK #1 cover, the theme from M.A.S.H.,
"Suicide Is Painless".
These two acts are just a sampling - Bill Drummond and Jimmy
Cauty, now known as The One World Orchestra (and formerly KLF, the Jams,
Disco 2000, Timelords, etc.) contribute an irreverent and, in their
unique style, warped "The Magnificent" - I won't reveal too much, but
shocking is probably an apropos word. Paul McCartney returns to
help out with Oasis' Noel Gallagher and Paul Weller to cover his Beatles'
"Come Together". And so it goes.
Despite being recorded in one day, _Help!_ manages to encompass
everything that is happening with the current British pop scene while
simultaneously tipping the hat to some pop songs of days gone by.
It won't make a significant dent on the charts here in the states, but
any alternative fan should love this album.
TRACK LISTING: Oasis & Friends (Incl. Johnny Depp) - Fade Away; Boo
Radleys - Oh Brother; Stone Roses - Love Spreads; Radiohead - Lucky;
Orbital - Andan; Portishead - Mourning Air; Massive Attack - Fake
The Aroma; Suede - Shipbuilding; Charlatans + Chemical Brothers - Time
For Living; Stereo MC's - Sweetest Truth; Sinead O'Connor - Ode To
Billy Joe; Levellers - Search Lights; Manic Street Preachers - Raindrops
Keep Falling On My Head; Terrorvision - Tom Petty Loves Veruca Salt;
The One World Orchestra - The Magnificent; Planet 4 Folk Quartet - Message
to Crommie; Terry Hall & Salad - Dream A Little Dream; Neneh Cherry
& Trout - 1,2,3,4,5; Seymour AKA Blur - Eine Kleine Lift Musik; Paul
Weller+Noel Gallagher+Paul McCartney - Come Together
REVIEW: Toad the Wet Sprocket, _In Light Syrup_ (Columbia)
Toad the Wet Sprocket has built its audience by faithfully touring
over the years and giving their fans a sense of intimate appreciation.
Some felt the bands had strayed too far from their roots on the recent
tour, by omitting nearly all songs (save 1 or 2) before their breakthrough
album _Fear_. It's payback for those fans now in the form of _In Light
Syrup_.
This album, which consists of B-sides, soundtrack extras, mailing
list singles and previously unreleased tracks, represents a cleaning out of
the closet for Toad. However, despite these originally being throwaway
tracks, they sound stronger than other bands completed works.
The first single (!), "Good Intentions", was originally an outtake
from the _Fear_ sessions. Some may have heard it from the _Friends_
soundtrack, and it may garner airplay today, but it isn't the kind of
track likely to generate new interest in Toad. A big Toad fan (like
myself) will wind up playing it again...and again...and again. As some
of Toad's most recent work ("Fly From Heaven", "I Will Not Take These
Things For Granted"), its lilting sound and pleasant vocals are much
in the genre of what Toad fans expect. And, the lyrics aren't as
dark as those which appeared on _Bread and Circus_.
There's a real easy test to see if you should purchase this album:
do you own any other Toad discs, and listen to them? If the answer
is "Yes", then _In Light Syrup_ will be a welcome way to close the door
on Toad's past, until they come out with their next album.
TRACK LISTING: Brother, Little Heaven, Good Intentions, Hobbit on the
Rocks, Are We Afraid, So Alive, All In All, All Right, Janitor,
Chicken, Hope, All She Said
REVIEW: Various Artists, _Hit That Perfect Beat Vol. 2_ (Oglio)
Oglio Records, whose stated goal is to "provide New Wave
fans with quality compact disc recordings of our favorite music", has
scored another hit with their most recent compilation, _Hit That
Perfect Beat Vol. 2.
By far the highlight of this 9 song collection is the Pet Shop
Boys "West End Girls", in its original Bobcat version. Before the Boys
ever signed to EMI, they had a brief run on Bobcat Records - a CBS
affiliate - where "West End Girls" and "One More Chance" were issued
and subsequently flopped when the dance floors weren't ready for them.
This original version is highly desirable today and is worth the cost
of the disc for this one track alone.
Men Without Hats' "Safety Dance" is a perfect example of "How not
to remix a single, 1980's style". With many pop singles that were reissued
for 12" mixes, the song was simply extended - with no true remix being
involved, but an elongation of the original track. Its inclusion here
could very well have been in the "single" version, but it would have been
out of whack with the concept behind this extended album.
Most of the remixes - the two Oingo Boingo related releases
("Gratitude", "Weird Science") and others - come in the standard form
as in their original appearance on DJ's vinyl. However, the 7 minute
Performance Mix of Dead or Alive's "You Spin Me 'Round" is a bit different
from the original 10 minute remix - check it out! And, Bronski Beat
has never received the proper credit in this country, outside of majorettes
and color guard performers in high schools. Maybe the title song of
this compilation - "Hit That Perfect Beat" - will get revitalized interest
in the clubs this time around. After all, it happened with "Smalltown
Boy" in the past year...
If not available at your local record shop, this CD can be
purchased direct from Oglio at 1-800-COOL-CDS.
TRACK LISTING: Men Without Hats - Safety Dance (Extended Club Mix); Danny
Elfman - Gratitude (Extended Dance Version); Adam Ant - Room At The Top
(Extended Mix); Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls (Original Bobcat Version);
Belle Stars - World Domination (Extended Version); Dead Or Alive - You
Spin Me Round (Like A Record) (Performance Mix); Oingo Boingo - Weird
Science (Extended Dance Version); The Fixx - One Thing Leads To Another
(Special Remix Version); Bronski Beat - Hit That Perfect Beat (12" Remix)
REVIEW: Def Leppard, _Vault_ (Mercury)
Back in 1983, Def Leppard was contending with Michael Jackson's
_Thriller_ and Men At Work for the top of the pop charts. While Colin Hay's
band from Down Under crashed and burned, and Michael Jackson's hair did the
same, the boys from Sheffield, England have managed to stay successful
without any face lifts. _Vault_ is the conclusion of the band's first stage.
Although listed as "1980-1995", this is a misnomer; the band's
output is only listed from 1983, as earlier works are excluded here.
Even the version of "Bringin' on the Heartbreak" was a remix (coupled
with "Me and My Wine", not included on _Vault_) done to capitalize
on the mass success of _Pyromania_, in 1984.
No unreleased tracks (or B-sides which didn't appear on
1993's _Retroactive_) are included here, which is a shame - the group
has plenty to choose from. Rather, 14 of their 18 American hits -
plus the new "When Love & Hate Collide" - highlight the most successful
British hard rock band of the last 15 years.
Even today, tracks like "Foolin'" and "Photograph" retain their
power and pizazz; it's hard to overestimate how different they were
from the synth-pop of the second British invasion of the early 80's.
The band served as the impetus for radio to play the round of posers long-since
departed (such as Poison) - and yet Def Leppard wouldn't succumb to
the glam look. Later upbeat songs, such as "Let's Get Rocked", could
have been performed by anyone - but just when you'd think that there's
a pop sellout involved comes the tough "Rock of Ages", the absolutely
beautiful acoustic "Miss You In A Heartbeat" and their first song
which generated any airplay here in the States, "Bringin' On The Heartbreak".
Joe Elliott has never had a good voice - but it's perfect for
Def Leppard. And _Vault_ is perfect for that hard rock fan who hasn't
pulled out _Pyromania_ in 10 years...show them what they're missing.
Die hard Leppard fans may want to get the limited edition European
version of this compilation, which also contains an extra live CD.
TRACK LISTING: Pour Some Sugar On Me, Photograph, Love Bites, Let's Get
Rocked, Two Steps Behind, Animal, Foolin', Rocket, When Love & Hate Collide,
Armageddon It, Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad, Rock of Ages, Hysteria,
Miss You In A Heartbeat, Bringin' On The Heartbreak
---
REVIEW: Various Artists, _A Testimonial Dinner, The Songs of XTC_
(ThirstyEar)
- Joe Silva
Into the apparently everwidening gap betwixt proper XTC
discs falls this on the nose tribute to pop music's most
reticent geniuses. From the start, XTC have nosed about the
periphery of whatever pigeonhole they were being thrust in
(punk, new wave, power pop) coming dangerously close to
wide scale recognition only after their "Dear God" b-side
caught aflame and was quickly repackaged as an album track.
Prior to and since, the band remains afloat by a clutch of
rabid fans worldwide and the periodic brilliant or near
brilliant LP release.
Wholly addicted to the record making process, XTC
headmaster Andy Partridge labours fanatically on their
output and the bands superlatively collected up by exec
producer/musician David Yazbek are generally known for
adding the same care to their own work. And even while
Patridge (along with stellar bass-man Colin Moulding and
supremo guitartist/arranger Dave Gregory) have not been
seen under the klieglights of the touring realm for more
than a decade, popsters new and old hold their work dear.
Sprouting from a trans-Atlantic chinwag with Andy himself
(their association stemming from Patridge's appearance on
Yazbek's spiffy solo LP, _The Laughing Man_), Yazbek had a
sea of options to wade through while piecing together the
project. Yazbek asserts that through a balanced combo of
"finessing, cajoling, and begging" artists from XTC's
new wave peer group all the way to fresh young pop articles
like exile UK pop-glamsters Spacehog were solicited.
The results of that spirited process are warranting of
serious praise. Yazbek, who could have taken the more
likely routes, sought out left field contibutors to
interpret the XTC canon. From klezmer onwards, not many
musical options were left unexcavated. Panamanian salsa lord
Ruben Blades does a grooving Latin shuffle over "The Man Who
Sailed Around His Soul," while singer/songwriter takes a
does a well-honed, straight foward reading of "Earn Enough
For Us." Equally exciting is They Might Be Giants revamp
of "25 O'Clock" originally done by XTC alter-ego project
The Dukes of the Stratosphere. Also chiming in are well-known
XTC enthusiasts Crash Test Dummies. While they didn't do any
favours for the XTC royalty fund with their limp/awkward version
of "The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead" for the _Dumb and Dumber_
soundtrack, they more than redeem themselves here with their
offering of "All You Pretty Girls." And while no one's talking
in great detail about their origins, the mysterious inclusion
of a reworked b-side ("The Good Things") by unknowns Terry
and the Lovemen has longtime fans wondering. "All I can say is
they are the smelliest group of Englishmen I've ever met."
says Yazbek, who produced their contribution. "They sweated
profusely [during the session] in their jeans, sweaters and
waistcoats." But the highest praise comes from the king hermit himself,
who caught off guard by the press, said he was "pretty pleased"
by the gesture and had to admit that the Sarah McLachlan
rendering of "Dear God" eclipsed their own.
Until those in wait are fed more from the XTC font, this
collection (done up with a splendid cover art by Mark Droesher)
will serve it's bit by reminding the faithful that the band's
extended pauses are generally rewarding in the end. To the
unexperienced it points to a back catalogue that's well worth
mining, even if radio can't slow the flow of grunge long
enough to take note itself.
---
REVIEW: Various Artists, _Hempilation_ (Capricorn)
- Jamie Roberts
Regardless of your feelings about marijuana (and the legal
ramifications of its use) you might want to check out theis NORML-sponsored
compilation paying musical homage to the 'herb'. Produced by the music
editor of High Times Magazine, and featuring music by The Black Crowes,
Blues Traveller, Cypress Hill, Hater, Drivin' N' Cryin', and Ziggy Marley,
_Hempilation_ covers at least a few marijuana-themed songs worth your
precious listening time.
Though the subject matter is consistent throughout the album, the
quality of the music is not. Many tracks here seem like simple Grateful
Dead show fodder (see Blues Traveller, Widespread Panic and 311 tracks).
"Rainy Day Women" from The Crowes, and "Don't Step On the Grass, Sam" from
Gov't Mule rock fairly steadily, as opposed to David Peel's "I Like
Marijuana" which is just plain stupid (and "Smokin Cheeba Cheeba" from
High Fidelity, which runs a close second in that category).
Cypress Hill's "I Wanna Get High" is your regular Cypress Hill-fare
(what with the profanity, and the nasal-voiced extolling of the virtues of a
joint), and won't disappoint the trio's fans. The same can be said of Ziggy
Marley's contribution, "In The Flow". Drivin' N' Cryin' brought forth the
most pleasant surprise to close out the album. Their contribution of "Too
Rolling Stoned" sports the most intricate work on any of the songs on the CD.
Their blues guitar conjures the mind-numbing feeling of getting stoned, and
puts the whole CD into better perspective.
On balance, the CD is a curiosity worth adding to your collection.
The good songs are good enough to keep the rest of the CD afloat, and the
bad songs...that's why they put a 'skip' button on your CD player.
---
REVIEW: Various Artists, _Macro Dub Infection Volume One_ (Caroline)
- Britain Woodman
Dub is receiving more attention than ever: British collective
On-U Sound is celebrating its fifteenth year in the recording industry, the
October '95 "Tower Records Pulse!" magazine has a special feature on US dub
artists, and the Beastie Boys devoted 25 pages of the latest issue of their
_Grand Royal_ fanzine to discography, essays, photos, and the burnt-out
ramblings of dub pioneer Lee "Scratch" Perry. Now we have _Macro Dub
Infection,_ a two-disc collection of today's dub incarnations.
The dance music genre known as dub grew out of experiments at
Jamaican dance parties in the mid-sixties, as the predecessors of todays
DJs and MCs put new beats on, and sometimes rapped over, the basslines
of popular reggae records. From these beginnings grew the tripped-out
ambient, jungle, hip-hop, and techno flavors of dub that are making it onto
dancefloors and into record stores all over the world. (The liner notes of
this CD do a fine job of outlining the history of dub, quoting everyone
from John Zorn to Perry to William S. Burroughs.)
An interesting array of originals and remixes are represented on
this set -- from On-U's Adrian Sherwood (dba Two Badcard) to Laika, a
swirly-guitar indie-rock band, to the prodigious and ubiquitous Bill Laswell
(represented twice: solo as Automaton, and as bassist for The Golden
Palominos). My personal favorites included the trip-hoppish mix of Coil's
"The Hills Are Alive" and Bedouin Ascent's "Broadway Boogie Woogie" on
disc one; Bandulu, 4-Hero, and The Mad Professor also contribute winning
efforts to side two. Also, most of these tracks are either instrumental
or mainly consist of vocal samples (the two exceptions are tracks by the
Palominos and Tricky, which feature the vocals of Lori Carson and Martina,
respectively).
Dub, by nature, tends to be slow -- even the techno and jungle-
influenced tracks have a bassline you can slow-skank to. Also, much of the
music on this collection has a distinct ambient lean. So _Dance Mix USA
vol. XXIII_ this ain't, but, for the most part, the beats are kickin'.
If you've been grooving on Portishead and Massive Attack lately and thought
those bands would sound better without the singers, this collection will
definitely make your quiet, yet bass-heavy, evening at home.
---
REVIEW: Ian Moore, _Modernday Folklore_ (Capricorn)
- Ali Sinclair
From someone with a resume with all the right names--including
opening for the Rolling Stones and ZZ Top--and reviews such as "a blazing
new guitar hero" and "first-rate singer and songwriter", somehow I expected
more from Ian Moore's _Modernday Folklore_. While the music is very
competent, lyrical Texan-rock'n'folk, I feel that there's a driving force
missing--as if the band never gets into top gear. I suspect that my first
experience of Ian Moore should have been on stage, and not on a plastic CD.
Sounding a lot like Chris Whitley at times, both vocally and
guitar-wise, and with rhythms reminiscent of the Jeff Healey Band
(particularly "Bar Line"), _Modernday Folklore_ is like a toned-down version
of a roadhouse R&B band playing folk. Almost. The first song - and single -
"Muddy Jesus", is energetic, exciting and everything I hoped it would be.
In my opinion, it is by far the best cut on the CD.
---
REVIEW: Dread Zeppelin, _No Quarter Pounder_ (Birdcage Records)
- Jon Steltenpohl
Although it's hard to believe, Dread Zeppelin is back and bigger than
ever. In fact, the boys who brought you "Zeppelin-inna-reggae-style" never
really went away. Oh sure, Tortelvis left the band for a bit, and they
appeared to drop out of sight and into a disco inferno. But, just like
that mysterious, sideburned man buying Ho-ho's at the supermarket, Dread
Zeppelin has re-appeared to prove that they're still alive and sweating
even if they aren't in the spotlight anymore. They even snuck down to
Jamaica to record in Bob Marley's Tuff Gong Studios.
_No Quarter Pounder_ is Dread Zeppelin's fifth domestic album and
their second on the independent label, Birdcage Records. Luckily, they're
rambling on the same roads that made _Un-Led-Ed_ such an instant classic.
Leading the way is the rotund Tortelvis sporting his infamous snarled lip
and sequined cape and jumpsuit ensemble. Backing up the King are Carl Jah,
Rasta Li-mon, Ed Zeppelin, Jah Paul Jo, and Butt-boy along with Dread
friends The Michael Jordanaires, Bun-E Slopes, and Jah Jah Gabor.
As always, _No Quarter Pounder_ focuses on Led Zeppelin covers, and,
although it may be sacrilege to say, "Ramble On" and "No Quarter" both blow
away the Led Zeppelin originals. "No Quarter" is turned into a real power-
house (as opposed to Led Zeppelin's psychedelic wanderings), and "Ramble
On" features big horns, frilly back-up singers, and Tortelvis whipping his
listeners into a drooling frenzy. When he sings, "Some times I feel so, so
bloated baby, I know what I gotta do," you know the words are straight from
his heart.
When plain Led Zeppelin covers aren't enough, the boys have a few
tricks up their sleeves. Elvis standards such as "Viva Las Vegas" and
"American Trilogy" get the Dread Zep treatment as does the sacred merging of
"Houses of the Holy" with the Commodore's disco-funk classic, "Brick House".
There are even a few Dread Zeppelin originals on _No Quarter Pounder_. "The
Last Resort" is the theme song from the National Lampoon movie of the same
name that features Dread Zeppelin as themselves. Plus, there is Tortelvis'
personal struggle with the marriage of Lisa Marie and Michael. First, he
croons out tears in the fusion jazz-funk of "Li'l Baby Elvis Jackson", and
later Tortelvis reveals his personal fears in the bewildered call to "1-800-
PSYCHIC PAL" where the marriage causes him to dream that someone has stolen
all his food and put him on a diet.
Yes, _No Quarter Pounder_ is classic Dread Zeppelin. The initial
humor of the Dread concept may have worn off a bit after 5 albums, but this
is an excellent bunch of musicians who have made a great album. They keep a
straight face through the whole thing and allow the inherent humor to
simmer to the surface. (It takes about 5 listens to realize Tortelvis is
pondering the merits of secret sauce and cheese condiments in "No
Quarter".) The subtle humor is a blessing though because it allows for
multiple spins of the disc without the jokes getting old.
But hilarious or not, the ultimate redemption of Dread Zeppelin is
that their covers are often better than the originals. There is an insane
thrill in curling your lip and shaking those hips to the Led Zeppelin
classics, and it's guaranteed you'll find yourself singing the Dread
version of "How Many More Times" in the shower or on the way to work.
To find _No Quarter Pounder_, just take a trip down to your local
record store. If they don't have it, try e-mailing Li-Mon@cerf.net or send
a SASE to Birdcage Records, P.O. Box 784, Sierra Madre, CA 91024-0784 - USA.
---
REVIEW: Vince Neil, _Carved In Stone_ (Warner Brothers)
- Linda Scott
With _Carved in Stone_ Vince Neil continues to define his life
after Motley Crue. The Crue lead singer was fired by the band in 1992
after ten years of multi-platinum success. Neil was replaced by John
Corabi and Crue fans deserted in droves resulting in poor album sales and
a tour canceled for low ticket sales. Motley Crue contends Neil was
more interested in car racing than in the band and didn't show for
rehearsals while Neil contends he was always there. While Crue slung
mud, Neil was quiet until hitting his former band with a lawsuit settled
out of court.
After this professional disaster, his network of musician friends
assisted him. He collaborated with Jack Blades and Tommy Shaw on "You're
Invited (But Your Friend Can't Come)" which appeared on the _Encino Man_
soundtrack album just two months after his firing. Working on his solo
debut album _Exposed_, Neil needed a band and Billy Idol suggested his
former guitarist Steve Stevens. Stevens brought a strong, experienced
underpinning to the new band which included: ex-Enuf Z-Nuff drummer Vik
Foxx, bassist Robbie Crane and rhythm guitarist Dave Marshall of Fiona's
backup band. Tracks in _Exposed_ were written by the band, Shaw and Blades.
For its first tour the band opened for Van Halen and did two solo legs.
_Exposed_ was a world wide platinum debut. Some portion of these sales
were curiousity and sympathy but how much cannot be quantified. The album
did receive several mediocre reviews.
Nearly four years has passed since he left the Crue and with a
debut album and tour behind him, Neil's _Carved In Stone_ will be
standing or falling on its own merits. There have been rumors that the
album would be hip-hop, rap, dance. Not true. _Carved In Stone_ is a
hard rock album with some rock ballads. There have been two changes in
the band. Highly regarded Steve Stevens has been replaced with ex-Wildside
guitarist Brent Woods, and guitarist Marshall is gone replaced by Martin
Frederickson. The band does not seem stronger for these changes. The
focal point is Neil's voice and vocals are high in the mix. There are few
interesting musical solos, just musical pauses until Neil sings again.
The lyrics are simplistic and concern the usual stuff of relationships,
doing what you want, etc. Shaw and Blades are absent from song credits;
even "Skylar's Song", written about his 4 year old daughter's unsuccessful
battle with cancer, is an insipid tune. The power of this theme in the
hands of Clapton produced "Here In Heaven" while Neil seems to find this
beyond his ability. Tracks "Breakin' In The Gun" and "The Crawl" are the
first two on the album and two of the best.The album seems to slide slowly
downhill.
Neil's rock and roll life blew up in his face with the unexpected
firing by Motley Crue. Now fronting his own band, Neil clearly needs a
stronger band behind him. For some reason he hasn't done this and ridded
himself of two good guitarists; perhaps after his Crue experience he is
nervous about having a strong band. Motley Crue could use a stronger
singer but they may have the same feelings of keeping the lead vocalist
in a weak position. Unfortunately, a great rock and roll band, Motley
Crue, has split and produced two average bands. Advice: _Carved In
Stone_ was released this month and is available now along with the
"Skylar's Song" single. Only pick these up in the bargain bin, where they are
already appearing.
---
REVIEW: Anita Lane, _Dirty Pearl_ (Mute)
- Reto Koradi
The names of collaborators in the liner notes give a good hint on
what we can expect from this release: The Bad Seeds, The Birthday Party,
Nick Cave himself, Einsturzende Neubauten. In addition to the 9 new
tracks, the CD contains 4 songs that formed an EP titled "Dirty Sings", and
one song recorded in '82. Mick Harvey from The Bad Seeds produced most of
the tracks and co-wrote many songs with Anita Lane. Dirty (her alias) is
Australian, but moved from Melbourne to Berlin more than a decade ago.
As can be expected from the influences, this is music that glooms
in the dark, slow and almost hypnotic. The lyrics paint pictures of dreams,
love, sex, religion and death. Dirty's voice may be thin, but it's always
erotic, whether she's singing at high pitch or in a whispering style.
Highlight tracks are a cover of Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing", creating a
completely different song and "Subterranean World" a fabulous duet with
Blixa Bargeld, a sweet and sour love song. "The Fullness Of His Coming", a
collaboration with The Birthday Party from '82 that hadn't been released so
far, shows a harder edge. "The World's A Girl" was an obvious choice as a
single, it's the most radio-friendly track on the album (the single also
contains a cover of "Je t'aime - moi non plus", an English version in a
duet with Nick Cave). Many of the other album tracks don't have a
traditional verse/chorus song structure, the vocals just float along
carried by keyboard sounds, atmospheric and addictive.
Comparisons are really not appropriate for such original work, but
if you absolutely need one, there's some similarity to the slower tracks of
Siouxsie. This album will hardly create huge sales; it's "alternative" in
the original, positive sense of the word. But Dirty has the potential to
create a cult following, anybody looking for interesting adventures off the
beaten tracks can find a real (Dirty) Pearl here.
---
REVIEW: Catchers, _Mute_ (Setanta/Warner Discovery)
- Britain Woodman
Be careful of first impressions. Upon visual examination,
you may not think much of _Mute_, the debut album by Catchers, an
Irish folk-rock fourpiece fronted by a female. If this sounds familiar,
you're probably thinking exactly what I thought when I received it.
I feared it even more when I examined the booklet (a non-glossy,
black-and-white affair with pretentious photographs of a naked man by a
stream). I groaned all the way through the album opener, the slow,
purposefully vague "Beauty No.3," although I enjoyed the harmonies
between lyricist/singer Dale Grundle (who actually handles most of the
singing) and the aforementioned, Alice Lemon, who actually doesn't have all
that much in common with any of the O'voices that have become synonymous
with Irish pop these days.
A couple of tracks in, the music took a distict upbeat turn! Although
the lyrics throughout the CD generally remain somewhat opaque, every
song has a great hook. Grundle and Lemon's vocals, along with competent
backing by Ger Fitzgerald (bass) and Peter Kelly (drums), make this
overlooked album thoroughly enjoyable. Tiny type on the back reads "file
under pop/rock," and I couldn't put it better myself.
--
REIVEW: Th' Faith Healers, _L'_ (Too Pure/American)
- Tim Mohr
Th' Faith Healers have released a number of buzzing, stewing records
(2 LPs and some EPs) of angular guitar music, and American releases _L'_ so
that the public can hear their early singles again.
The opening "Pop Song" reveals the band's basic qualities: distorted
guitars, lo-fi production, and vocals rather similar to Kim Deal (Pixies,
Breeders, Amps). In fact, Th' Faith Healers' records seem angrier, louder
versions of the Breeders', though to call them derivitive would be completely
unfair since Th' Faith Healers have been creating this music as long as the
Breeders.
Many of the other tracks offer something else, something that has
always set Th' Faith Healers apart from the Breeders: a band stretching out
and letting themselves get carried away for a few minutes, therapeutically
wringing out their guitars. The result is a bitter potion, but one that can
function for the audience as it does for the band - as a release, a casting
off of frustration.
_L'_, like all Faith Healers releases, identifies nothing beyond song
titles. And it seems appropriate that the anger spit forth by the singer on a
song like "slag" cannot be associated with a named person. The sentiment is
then uncontained, free to spread and infect the listener.
Th' Faith Healers (whose missing "e" was supposedly stolen by Thee
Hypnotics in a cryptic joke) are at home on their English label, Too Pure.
The experimental - at least, unusual - ideal that has surfaced in music from
the label is faithfully adhered to by Th' Faith Healers: carrying on the
boiling anger and explosive music of PJ Harvey and the post-Velvet
Underground droning of early Stereolab, _L'_ is a difficult but worthwhile
recording.
American sometimes offers strange introductions to bands, and _L'_
stands alongside Medecine's _Sounds of Medecine_ as one of the most
adventurous. Rather than toning down the band to get a foothold in the
mainstream, American seems admirably content to let Th' Faith Healers reveal
themselves in all their acidic splendor.
---
REVIEW: Heavy Stereo, _Sleep Freak_ (Creation U.K.)
-Tim Mohr
Creation Records finally managed solid commercial success this past
year with the enormous sales of Oasis and the Boo Radleys. The popularity of
Oasis' neo-classic rock must have inspired the signing of Heavy Stereo, as
the band hardly could be more different from the label's near-trademark sound
that revolved around Ride, Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine, and earlier Boo
Radleys.
It would be difficult to find a band that sounds more like Slade than
Heavy Stereo. For Americans unfamiliar with Slade, their patented sound can
be heard on John Lennon's bombastic hit "Instant Karma." In the early 70s
Slade concocted the vinyl equivalent to over-exposed photos, several of which
were later covered in the U.S. (most notably "Cum on Feel the Noize" by Quiet
Riot).
Influences aside, the songs are nonetheless inescapable. "Sleep
Freak" in particular lodges in your head and starts your hands clapping
(another Slade production technique) along with the muddy 70s vibe.
Heavy Stereo will put off anyone who detests classic rock, but may
compensate for this by drawing fans who are otherwise annoyed by Britain's
current popsters.
---
TOUR DATES
Anthrax
Nov. 25 Boston, MA Avalon
Nov. 28 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory
Nov. 29 New York, NY Academy
Joan Armatrading
Nov. 24 Seattle, WA Moore Theatre
Nov. 25 Portland, OR Roseland
Ben Arnold
Nov. 24 Albany, NY The Metro
Nov. 29 Brookline, MA The Tam
Nov. 30 Manayunk, PA Grape Street Pub
Barkmarket
Nov. 24 San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill
Nov. 25 Los Angeles, CA Jabberjaw
Nov. 26 Tucson, AZ Club Congress
Nov. 27 Albuquerque, NM Golden West
Nov. 30 Dallas, TX Orbit Room
Better Than Ezra (With Dambuilders)
Nov. 24 Indianapolis, IN Egyptian Hall
Nov. 25 Toledo, OH Asylum
Nov. 27 Pittsburgh, PA Metropol
Nov. 28 Buffalo, NY Network
Nov. 29 Springfield, MA Western NE College
Boiled In Lead
Nov. 25 Rockford IL Times Theatre
Nov. 30 Chicago, IL Abbey Pub
Cornershop
Nov. 25 Chicago, IL Double Door
Nov. 26 Minneapolis, MN Uptown Bar
Nov. 28 San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill
Nov. 29 Santa Monica, CA Alligator Lounge
Cravin' Melon
Nov. 25 Charlotte, NC World Mardi Gras
Electrafixion/Echobelly
Nov. 24 Providence, RI Club Babyhead
Nov. 25 Boston, MA Axis
Nov. 26 New Haven, CT Toad's Place
Nov. 28 New York, NY Irving Plaza
Nov. 29 Philadelphia, PA Theatre of Living Arts
Nov. 30 Washington, DC Black Cat
For Love Not Lisa
Nov. 24 Tempe, AZ Electric Ballroom
Nov. 25 San Diego, CA SOMA
Nov. 27 San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill
Green Magnet
Nov. 24 Monroe, LA Loose Caboose
Nov. 26 Atlanta, GA Midtown Music Hall
Nov. 27 Chapel Hill, NC Lizard & Snake (tent)
Nov. 28 Lexington, KY The Wrocklage
Nov. 29 Richmond, VA Twisters
Nov. 30 Washington, DC 9:30 club
Dec. 1 New York, NY Brownies
Freedy Johnston
Nov. 24-25 Hoboken, NJ Maxwell's
Knapsack
Nov. 24 Baltimore, MD Memory Lane
Nov. 26 New York, NY Under Acme
Nov. 27 Boston, MA Middle Easy
Nov. 28 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
Nov. 29 Bryn Mawr, PA Villanova University
Nov. 30 Cleveland, OH Grogg Shop
Huey Lewis & The News
Nov. 25 San Diego, CA San Diego Convention Center
Natalie Merchant
Nov. 25 Dallas, TX McFarland Auditorium
Nov. 27 Austin, TX Music Hall
Nov. 28 Houston, TX Jones Hall
Nov. 30 Kansas City, KS Memorial Hall
Nature
Nov. 21 Wilkes-Barre, PA Mantis Green
Nov. 24 Wilmington, NC Mad Monk
Nov. 25 Atlanta, GA The Point
No Doubt
Nov. 24-26 West Hollywood, CA Troubadour (Free Show)
Phish
Nov. 24 Pittsburgh, PA Civic Arena
Nov. 25 Hampton, VA Hampton Coliseum
Nov. 28 Knoxville, TN Civic Coliseum
Nov. 29 Nashville, TN Municipal Auditorium
Nov. 30 Dayton, OH Mutter Center
Plastic Mikey
Nov. 24 Woodstock, IL Roasters
Mike Portnoy (from Dream Theatre)
Nov. 26 Garden Grove, CA Moody music (Free Show)
Rembrandts Acoustic Radio Performances
Nov. 24 Minneapolis, MN KDWB
Nov. 29 Rochester, NY WPXY
Ruth Ruth/Everclear
Nov. 25 Cleveland Heights, OH Grog Shop
Nov. 26 Cincinnati, OH Bogart's
7 Mary 3
Nov. 24 Louisville, KY Strange Door Johnnies
Nov. 26 Cincinnati, OH Bogart's
Nov. 28 Detroit, MI Shelter/St. Andrews
Nov. 29 Cleveland Heights, OH Grog Shop
Silverchair
Nov. 25 San Diego, CA Soma
Nov. 27 San Francisco, CA Fillmore
Nov. 28 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom
Nov. 30 Toronto, ON Warehouse
Sky Cries Mary
Nov. 25 Boise, ID Neurolux
Nov. 26 Ketchum, ID Dynomite Lounge
Squirrel Nut Zippers
Nov. 24 Atlanta, GA Star Bar
Nov. 30 Charleston, SC Cumberland's
Stanford Prison Experiment
Nov. 24 Tempe, AZ Electric Ballroom
Nov. 28 San Francisco, CA Dna Lounge
Nov. 29 Chico, CA La Salles
Urge Overkill (dates subject to change)
Dec. 1 Portland, OR La Luna
Dec. 2 Vancouver BC Town Pump
Dec. 3 Seattle, WA Moore Theater
Dec. 5 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
Dec. 6 Hollywood, CA The Palace
Dec. 7 Albuquerque, NM KETG Radio Show
Dec. 9 Tempe, AZ Boston's Night Club
Dec. 12 Tulsa, OK Ikon
Dec. 13 Lawrence, KS Grenada Theatre
Dec. 14 Wichita, KS Cotillion Ballroom
Dec. 15 St Louis, MS Mississippi Nights
Wool
Nov. 21 West Hollywood, CA Troubadour (Free Show)
---
THE READERS WRITE BACK!
RE: Joy Division Tribute album - How could you not absolutely
adore the Kendra Smith (did mention it, but only briefly) and Codiene
tracks? They both catured the original spirit and added new spirit to the
tracks.
- Henry S.
Thanks for your review of the new Joan Baez album. It is a real gem
and I can't get enough of it. I'm a big Baez appreciator, and travel a lot to
see her. She's very special musically and mentally!! - Jim S.
Just wanted to say a quick "thank you" for your review of the Mike
Peters show in Consumable. A group of friends and I went to see him at the
Bayou in D.C. (I probably would have missed the show had I not known that he
was in the area: there was very little advance publicity), and it was a
truly amazing evening. As you said, he was very relaxed and appeared to
enjoy himself tremendously; he did a wonderful job of conveying the Alarm
faves. Hard to believe more than ten years have passed . . . . There was a
criminally small crowd (50-60), including a bachelor party of Alarm fans.
Performance twist -- the soon-to-be-married man approached Peters
during a break and said something to him, whereupon he said "I don't know
about THAT request, I'll have to think about it during the next song." After
the song, he said "Chris says he's a drummer and wants to sit in on this next
song." Chris came up, used the kit still on the stage from (opening band)
HANK, and turned out to be very good (not at all the drunken frat boy
disaster that I confess I was expecting). So good, in fact, that Peters
kept him on after "Blaze of Glory" to do "68 Guns," and then, after calling
back the guitarists and bass player from HANK, the entire gang did a
rollicking but clearly impromptu "Rockin' in the Free World" and "Heaven's
Door." During the latter, Peters mouthed to the bass player, "This is really
good fun."
It's always a treat to see a performer who is so comfortable with
himself that departing from the evening's plans not only is not disastrous
but also turns a great show into a truly memorable performance. I'm sorry
that more of D.C. couldn't have seen the show, but I was happy to be one of
the fortunate few. Thanks again for the heads up! - Peter M.
---
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===
