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==== ISSUE 115 ==== CONSUMABLE ======== [July 15, 1997]
Editor: Bob Gajarsky
Internet: gajarsky@email.njin.net
Sr. Correspondents: Jeremy Ashcroft, Tim Kennedy, Reto Koradi, David
Landgren, Sean Eric McGill, Tim Mohr, Al Muzer,
Jamie Roberts, Joe Silva, John Walker
Correspondents: Daniel Aloi, Tracey Bleile, Lee Graham Bridges,
Scott Byron, Patrick Carmosino, Janet Herman,
Bill Holmes, Eric Hsu, Tim Hulsizer, Stephen
Lin, Scott Miller, P. Nina Ramos, Linda Scott,
Scott Slonaker, Simon Speichert, Jon
Steltenpohl, Simon West, Lang Whitaker
Technical Staff: Chris Candreva, Dave Pirmann
Also Contributing: Jim Flammia
Address all comments, subscriptions, etc. to gajarsky@email.njin.net
==================================================================
All articles in Consumable remain (C) copyright their author(s).
Permission for re-publication in any form must be obtained from the
editor.
==================================================================
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| Contents |
`------------'
INTERVIEW: XTC's Andy Partridge (Part 1) - Joe Silva
REVIEW: Oasis, "D'You Know What I Mean" single - Tim Kennedy
REVIEW: Monaco, _Music For Pleasure_ - Bob Gajarsky
REVIEW: Dandy Warhols, _The Dandy Warhols Come Down_ - Tracey Bleile
REVIEW: Banco de Gaia, _Big Men Cry_ - David Landgren
REVIEW: Grateful Dead, _Fallout From The Phil Zone_ - Jim Flammia
REVIEW: Soundtrack, _Batman & Robin_ - Sean Eric McGill
REVIEW: Primal Scream, _Vanishing Point_ - Tim Kennedy
REVIEW: Maggie Estep, _Love Is A Dog From Hell_ - Lang Whitaker
REVIEW: Paul Rodgers, _Now_ - Linda Scott
REVIEW: Made, _Bedazzler_ - Jon Steltenpohl
NEWS: London Suede, Scorpions, Mike Watt
TOUR DATES: Baboon, Backsliders, Boston, Brad / Verbow, The Clarks,
Cordelia's Dad, Dots Will Echo, Furthur Festival (incl. Black
Crowes and many more), G3 (Joe Satriani / Steve Vai / Kenny Wayne
Shepherd), Government Mule / Sweet Vine, Irving Plaza, Junkster,
Lollapalooza (Tool/Prodigy/Korn/many more), Mindset, Walt Mink, My
Life With The Thrill Kill Kult / Radio Iodine, Professor & Maryann,
Sister Hazel / Cowboy Mouth, Size 14, Supertramp, Thin Lizard Dawn,
Vallejo, Verve Pipe / Tonic / K's Choice, Volebeats / Ditch Croaker,
Warped Tour Dates (Reel Big Fish, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Social
Distortion, Sick Of It All, Less Than Jake, many more), World Party,
Young Dubliners
Back Issues of Consumable
---
INTERVIEW: XTC's Andy Partridge (Part 1)
- Joe Silva
Some five years after they last released an official LP,
XTC are now free from their career-long indentured servitude to
Virgin Records. Holed up in his "shed" in Swindon England during
the interim, Andy Partridge is now faced with new label concerns,
remaining firm about avoiding excessive public exposure, and
engineering what may be the dawning of the band's second wind.
Geffen has just released a collection of their more universally
palatable platters under the monicker _Upsy Daisy_. Revved up and
ready to shed his mantle of pop virtuoso emeritus, we did the
trans-atlantic chin wag to get at the details...
Andy Partridge: Yeah, Hello. So, tell me, are you like poised
over a keyboard as we speak?
Consumable Online: Oh, no. But I could be if it was necessary,
I guess. I do this the standard way. I just type it in and send it
off later on.
AP: I hope you don't type at my speed T...H....hmmm now where's
the E? Now that's my kind of speed.
CO: Are you still taping musical notes over keyboards and stuff
like that?
AP: No, I now have a sequencer which, I still only play like
one or two notes at a time but this has to remember them. You get them
in a sequencer and you can see what you just hit and it remembers that
chord's just going to pass so get ready with the next chord. So I don't
have the cardboard hand principle anymore. I have a cardboard sequencer
instead!
CO: Do you use it like a computer for much of the stuff you do
out back (in your home studio)?
AP: No, only the instruments I can't really play. If I need
any drumming I have to do that a couple of bonks and a bash at a time
through the sequencer or I can't play keyboard of any description or
any keyboard-generated sounds. My playing with drums and keyboard is
appalling but I can manage guitar, bass, harmonica and any singing.
I can shake a few things, you know like empty vitamin C tablet
bottles full of rice for shakers n stuff. I can do any of that kind
of thing but the real swish musical stuff, I need a sequencer to help me out.
CO: Well, you guys have had a pretty extended vacation, I guess.
AP: Well, enforced legal vacation. We finally got out of Virgin
and since Christmas really we've been seriously looking at other labels.
I mean, we were looking at other labels before, but we couldn't do
anything cuz we were still contractually tied to Virgin even though we
couldn't and wouldn't work. But since Christmas we've really been
looking seriously at other labels. We're just about ready, hopefully,
to make a decision on one of them. I can't tell you which one yet cause
we haven't decided. But, it's one of three. And (we're) just desperate
to record this mass of material we've built up.
CO: How have the relationships held up during this time? It must
have been frustrating for you and Colin to sort of withstand this
sort of forced exile.
AP: Yeah, it's been very tough. It's been especially tough, I
think, on Colin whose wife has been going through all sorts of weird
phobia stuff where she can't leave the house and she can't let him out
of her sight and stuff like this so he's kind of the man in the iron
mask. He's really felt imprisoned in the last couple of years being
involved with all this. And I think his songwriting has suffered and
also the heavy psychological blow of being on strike and not being able
to record. He hasn't written a fraction of the songs he used to write
but, he's written a couple of real crackers. I think that once we get
going, once we get in the studio and the little red light goes on he'll
probably be coming in the next morning saying "I've been working on this
chord change and I've been working on these lyrics". He can create once
the thumb is squeezed down. It's been tough with his wife's...I don't
know what the medical book says...extreme weirdness that she's suffering
from. It's kind of held him prisoner.
CO: You guys got on more or less well? You get the impression
that even though you live in the same town, you probably have somewhat
separate lives.
AP: I saw Dave - admittedly Dave is working in Los Angeles on
some of these sessions - for the first time in about three weeks and he
came over and we ran through some bits and pieces. I guess I see Dave
more but, because of the situation that Colin's got himself caught in,
I don't see him that much. I mean we get along okay. I'm not sure how
bands are supposed to get on after they've been together for this long.
I was never in a band that was together for longer than five minutes or a
year.
CO: But, you guys are in the strange situation that you always
hear bands falling out from the stress of being forced to press on but,
you guys have had a bunch of slack time where you could let the
relationship breath.
AP: Yeah, well. certainly when you're touring and you're living
in each others pockets and you're in the van and you think "If he blinks
like that one more time, I'm gonna shove this guitar up his arse". It
gets like that, so if you're not rammed down each others throats, you
actually think, "Well, I really want to see so-and-so or I really would
like to get together with so-and-so" as opposed to "I'm gonna kill them
at breakfast because I can't stick stand them anymore. That's what it
gets like when you're stuck... It's like a roving prison center and
they're your cellmates. And that's not healthy.
CO: Like marriage. Oh, I didn't say that.
AP: Oh..can be...can be.
CO: As far as the shopping went for record labels, was there
any sort of pressure put on you guys as far as "We'd love to have you
but, you're gonna have to get under the spotlight for us for at least
the first couple of...
AP: Yeah, a lot of labels said "You know, are you gonna be
touring?" and we said "No" and you could just see the icicles starting
to form. They have no imagination. We've existed longer as a non-touring
band than as a touring band and our best material came when we stopped
touring and is still coming. They obviously have a set way of doing
things, a set pattern and they can't turn their heads at all, they've
got a fixed gaze. So I'm not interested in any label that that's just
as far as they can see.
CO: And there's other options now even with the technology and
stuff. You can be in many places at one time without having to leave
your living room.
AP: I still have trouble with people who have to see the person
who is making that music. I still have trouble with that.
CO: Especially with you guys. You guys are now getting to that
mythic sort of legend status.
AP: Yeah, me and Thor!
CO: Like my mechanic the other day, I was you know, taking the
car in and he said something like "Oh, yeah I saw XTC there just before
he cracked..." or something like that and every one sort of started
gathering around to hear the tale.
AP: Well, I suppose they probably think I'm in a little village
somewhere like they had in 'The Prisoner' and I'm in a wheelchair with a
blazer on and a captain's hat kind of dribbling over a chess board and
there's Sid Barrett opposite me. He's dribbling on the white pieces and
I'm dribbling on the black pieces. Yeah, people get that kind of impression.
CO: And the reality is you've got children to raise just like
anybody else.
AP: Yeah, that was part of the reason for coming off the road.
I wanted a normal life. I was sick of hotels. I was sick of worrying
about where the money was gonna come from because we never saw a penny
from the live show. Very corrupt management. I just wanted a normal
life. I just wanted a house to live in because before then I'd only
lived in rented accommodations. But, I mean really scummy places
because I had no money. The worst it ever got was two rooms next to a
shunting yard at Swindon Station and it went down to one room because
the damp got so bad in the other room and it was [like] so stupidly
cold, I used to go to sleep with my feet in the oven. You know, I'd
sleep on the kitchen floor with my feet in the oven. That was hell.
So you see, I've done my artist garret suffering stuff and I wanted a
house with four walls and kids and I wanted to be normal and I was sick
of the rock'n'roll circus thing.
CO: Which is understandable.
AP: Yeah, it was just getting to me. I guess I was too loyal to
say,"I want to stop doing this" and I kept doing it even though I wanted
to stop. And my body just said "Uh-oh, we don't want you to do this,
we're gonna make you ill" and it did. But the upshot of it was great
cause I had more time to think about the songs and they really did get
a hell of a lot better. You can see, from _English Settlement_ onwards;
that was the first one written with a bit of time to spare. The graph
went right up for me after that.
CO: And that's one of the major, major high points as far as my
appreciation of your stuff goes. But, you know, I heard you made some
sort of comment about playing for a truck.
AP: Yeah, I'd really like to do that and I can't tell you why.
I know some of the cheesiest...I know the Stones have done it. I know U2
did it. I don't want to do it in that big kind of grandiose way. U2
were kind of manipulative about it. I think it was kind of "Don't tell
anyone we're turning up" and then they had it broadcast all over the
radio stations. You know, it was kind of like a fake myth. I would
just like to get a little flat bed truck and put some tiny little amps
on it and then call the radio station and tell them "We're coming for
an interview, we'll plug an album and we can chat and we'd like to
make a row in your car park." I don't know how many people would
come and see it. It could be anywhere from a dozen to God knows how
many. I don't really want to make it like a show. I don't want to do
the lights, the smoke, the lasers, the bustling. I hate all that stuff.
CO: That would be interesting.
AP: Well, maybe, it might be fun. It'd probably be a lot harder
work that me imagining all dewy-eyed that it's gonna be easy. But, even
the acoustic radio stuff that we did, we were doing two or three stations
a day and that was really tough.
CO: Was it really? You guys sounded surprisingly fresh.
AP: Well, the first couple were really appalling. We sounded like
three old assholes with their hands caught in the wires. It was strange,
live on air. We were all dying of embarrassment but after all that, we
sort of got used to it. By the time we ended up, it was very smooth and
we very relaxed about the whole thing. Yes, man it can be done. I just
don't want to go back to the kind of treadmill situation.
CO: I have a copy of the KROQ show you did in Los Angeles.
AP: Oh, yeah, that was good fun.
CO: That seemed like good fun because it seemed like they didn't
want you to stop playing and it seemed like you didn't want to stop playing.
AP: Yeah, we'd actually run out of numbers, I think, that we
rehearsed. We had so many bunches of stuff and then we had some
separate numbers and we just ran out of stuff.
CO: I've heard that you've been busy collaborating with people
like LLoyd Cole.
AP: I haven't been able to work as us really. So, I've been
co-writing with anyone who will ring me up and say "Do you want to
write?" I've just said "Yeah". So, it's been Terry Hall. I did three
numbers with a girl called Nicki Holland. I just got to hear them.
One of them sounds great. A real little popstress. what's her name?
Oh, yeah, Cathy Dennis. We wrote a couple of songs. Anyone who was
ringing me up I was saying yes to, but now people are calling me up
because their careers are sort of flagging or they are stuck for song
idea or another.
CO: Does that bother you?
AP: Well, it's kind of a challenge. I suppose if it was just
non-stop, that sort of thing, then I would sort of get pissed off.
I'm doing one, next week or the week after with and Australian fella
called Ivor Davis who has a band called Icehouse.
CO: Are you going down there?
AP: No,no, no, no. He's coming up here. I hope we got on.
It's a long way home.
CO: Actually, I think I heard the stuff you did with David Yazbeck.
AP: Oh, yeah. Some of that was co-playing but that was more
of a production thing. He's a great writer actually.
CO: Yeah, he's a nice guy. I've talked to him a couple times.
AP: He's had a weird sort of background. He came as a
gagwriter for Letterman. That was one of his previous professions.
Another person I know from the same neck of the woods is Jamie Block.
He's got a band named Block. It's him and two other guys. He's great.
He's cut his own album, _Lead Me Not Into Penn Station_. I know this
sounds appalling but, I mean it complimentary. He sounds like a 1997
Dylan with a band.
CO: Did you not get any calls to produce anything or has it been
strictly songwriting?
AP: Mostly songwriting. I just did an album with Stephen Duffy.
He did an album with Stephen Street, the Blur man, and he didn't like
it. And the record company said "You don't have any singles". So, he
called me and said "Look, I've got some songs. Can we get together and
can you shape them up for me and so on." And that ended up in me kind
of restructuring these songs. Well, actually, I had to turn down the
songs he brought and tell him to go away and write some more. But, he
wrote two pretty good ones and then we went into the studio and I sort
of produced the whole thing and played bass because he didn't have a
bass player, got to do my McCartney impression.
The second part of this interview will appear in the next issue of
Consumable Online.
---
REVIEW: Oasis, "D'You Know What I Mean" single (Creation UK)
- Tim Kennedy
Oasis break their '97 duck with a brash stadium sound that
is light years from their last 1996 single - "Don't Look Back In
Anger". The production is more heavy-handed than before, though it
is the by now usual team of Noel and Owen Morris at the controls.
In the mix there is backmasking, and various percussive effects
which continue for some time before launching into the song. The
drumbeat is loud, loping, almost hip-hop, but the tune bears
distinct hallmarks of Noel in upbeat mood. It is a strident,
almost marching type of tune. With its dance beat and use of
samples, this could be the start of a new direction for the band.
The second song on the CD, "Stay Young" is a more traditional
Oasis number which seems to be something of a personal anthem - "Stay
young and unstoppable, cos we know just what we are". The structure
is more simple and straightforward, and more fun.
Next up is the almost-obligatory acoustic demo by Noel, "Angel
Child", which gets better with each listen - one of his best. His
ability to write great songs is undimmed. Noel also sings on a
cover of Bowie's "Heroes" which unlikely as it sounds is the most
immediate work on this CD. It is a rework very much in the mold
of Oasis, and could become a live favourite.
---
REVIEW: Monaco, _Music For Pleasure_ (A&M)
- Bob Gajarsky
With the status of England's New Order on an indefinite hiatus,
and band members taking up other side projects such as Electronic and
The Other Two, it's no shock that Peter Hook has pursued his own
fortunes and formed the group Monaco. What may pleasantly surprise fans
is that the Monaco debut disc, _Music For Pleasure_, could comfortably
slide next to any established New Order on the shelf - and compete
favorably for play in the disc changer.
On the leadoff single, "What Do You Want From Me", fans of
New Order will instantly recognize the hook as that of bassist
Peter - pun intended. Surprisingly, Hook's vocals aren't too far
removed from those of N.O.'s lead vocalist, Bernard Sumner. The
"sha la la" backing chorus comes off as an updated male counterpart
of Motown, vintage 1960s, while the bassline is vintage New Order, played
to absolute perfection.
Monaco is Peter Hook and David Potts; Hook found Potts while
recording the _Gun World Porn_ EP for Revenge, on which Potts
contributed some guitar work. The seeds of a successful relationship
were born, and the pair started to work together after New Order's
_Republic_ album was complete. Despite New Order's success,
however, Hook was unable to parlay that quality work into his side
project.
"My last thing (Ed. note: Revenge - two non-descript albums with
one good single, "Pineapple Face") played down the New Order and bass
elements because I felt I should get away from them. I was very
self-conscious, and the album suffered for that. I feel much happier
and more comfortable doing this than I was before."
And 'this', as he dubs Monaco, isn't too far removed from
his New Order past. "Shine" and "Happy Jack" could have emanated from
any New Order album, while "Tender" has a riff which seemingly
comes straight out of "Love Vigilantes" - but unlike John Fogerty,
Hook won't get sued for taking a peek at his past. And "Under The Stars"
could easily become a football (soccer, for the American fans) anthem
for some F.A. team - possibly Manchester United? - just as New Order
paired up with a nation of football players for "World In Motion".
Hook has perfected the pop trails he blazed in New Order,
but he has a few tricks up his sleeve to show this isn't a one trick
pony. "Buzz Gum" is a holy alliance incorporating the influences of the
Beatles, circa _Magical Mystery Tour_ (or Oasis with a horn
intermission, if sick of every band being comparead to the Fab
Four), and Ian Broudie (Lightning Seeds) and the alterna-techno
dance enticement of the off-titled "Junk", already coming in at a
DJ-ready mix 9 minutes long, shows Monaco could easily take their
music away from the chic clubs and bring it to the underground - if
Hook and Potts desired. The second UK single, "Sweet Lips" delves deeper
and mixes the 70's disco scene, down the street from Gloria Gaynor,
with the 80's digs which Hook frequented.
Fulfulling the promise that was left untapped after Electronic's
self-titled debut, Monaco's _Music For Pleasure_ delivers a knockout
punch as Peter Hook proves that the compelling force in a band isn't
always *only* the lead vocalist.
---
REVIEW: Dandy Warhols, _The Dandy Warhols Come Down_
(Capitol/ Tim/Kerr)
- Tracey Bleile
The leap the Dandies have made from their self-titled debut
seems small, in that the overall sound is the same, but the
development in musicianship is huge. They've graduated from long
droning keyboard noodling to long droning keyboard noodling that is
thickly layered with repetitive guitar jangles and a heavy rhythm
section. Most of the songs start deceptively lo-fi, just the solo
strums, or the simplest drum beat for a measure or two, and then the
rest piles on until it's lost like a fine thread in the weave. Strap
in kids, because the full-frontal sonic assault begins now.
It's the kind of music that gets the most mileage at a big
party - a bass line to shiver the floor, synth pop with a
whitenoisewash of guitar buzz - "Every Day Should Be a Holiday" cuts
somewhere between the Pet Shop Boys and ZZTop (!?). And then there's
those long weird keyboard solos that somehow your mind half turns off
while the lower half of your body is undulating against its will. What
you get in the end is a great scary subversive feeling like you get
listening to the Pixies, where a song can be so happy and bouncy on
the surface, yet so grainy and evil in composition - David Lynch,
eat your heart out. It's just as well that if we start to lose the
great British shoegazer bands, we gained one American trailblazer of
our own.
What sets them apart, is when it isn't all giddy, it really
is dirty shoegazing, like they skipped the deep introspection and
went directly to the drugs, and they want you right down there
rolling around on the ground with them. Songs like "Orange",
"Green" (hmmm, look at all the pretty colors) and "Good Morning"
sound like the soundtrack (this is my imagination, not personal
testament) to a long slow nod-off. But then to enter a vein (sorry)
of irony, Taylor confesses his sorrow to a counterpart for their
choice of addiction (but not necessarily the behavior) in "Not If You
Were The Last Junkie On Earth" - 'I never thought you'd be a junkie /
because heroin is so passe'. This is the track slated for first ups
as a single, and boy, I can just hear the chorus being howled out the
window on that one. And if you thought "Dandy Warhols' TV Theme Song"
from the debut dripped with insidous good humor - the almost-too-cute
Jan & Deanesque harmonies and handclaps are an even better fit for
this album in "Cool As Kim Deal" .
The pacing of the disc is right on target, although the last
two offerings drag out the white noise aspect out just a tad too far - I
feel like I'm sitting too close to a fan blowing in perfect pitch with
one of those environmental sounds players. Minor gripe aside, this
release is thoroughly hypnotic and draws you farther in with every
listen. This is one for the good headphones, but be warned, every
time you unearth another chunk of pattern in the weave, you'll be ever
more snared in the Dandies' web. It's like the fruit-flavored
wallpaper of Willy Wonka - it may just seem like background sound until
you get close enough to truly appreciate it (I think the Dandies know
what a snozzberry tastes like). This is where the winners in the
sonic battle currently being waged will be putting their efforts -
pay attention...
---
REVIEW: Banco de Gaia, _Big Men Cry_ (Ultimate/Mammoth)
- David Landgren
Those of you who have been following the music of Banco de Gaia
can be assured: _Big Men Cry_ is an important record. Indeed, it's his
best to date. The basic precepts of, retro-postmodern pop remains,
although this latest album is a very different beast to _Last Train to
Lhasa_. It places Banco farther away from the dance scene of earlier
albums. This is a more personal journey, thus, uncompromised.
Take "Drippy", the opening track, for instance. One cannot accuse
him of tailoring his music to easy radio airplay. Clocking in at almost
nine minutes, the song just starts to get into high gear by the time a
standard three minute pop song has finished. The departure from previous
albums is plain: a more tribal, industrial sound.
From there it is into the heartland of Olde Europe, with a sample of
tolling church bells on "Celestine". Then, as the song builds up, think of
Pink Floyd, circa _Animals_ with its Hammond organ sound, and you'll be on
the right track. Amazingly enough, Banco has managed a minor miracle in
digging up Dick Parry, the saxophonist who played the definitive 70's sax
solo, on "Us and Them," on Pink Floyd's _Dark Side of the Moon_; he can
still cut it today. Bear in mind though, that this is the 90's, and so the
song is finishes up in a kitsch disco groove.
The album reaches a high point with "Drunk As A Monk". A swelling
chorus of industrial clanking, chanting (the Tibetan monk connection),
jackhammers and sliding synth notes crashing together. In their wake arises
a gloomy, post-apocalypse rhythm, the closest comparison I can make is with
Sydney avant garde 80's band Scattered Order (which, I admit, isn't going
to help everyone). From here the song shifts abruptly into a uplifting,
euphoric melody that basically pulls you out of your chair and makes you
want to leap around the room. This is Banco de Gaia at its/his finest.
Next up is the title track, "Big Men Cry" which starts off with a
jungle atmosphere (i.e., jungle as in "rainforest after the downfall"). A
mellower, ambient track, again Floydish in feeling, leaning towards The
Orb, accompanied by an atmospheric violin. Makes me wonder if any
film-makers have contacted Toby Marks regarding a film score. His music has
always been, and still is, panoramic in nature.
Blink and you'll miss the joke track on the album, "Gates Does
Windows", lasting as it does all of thirty seconds. Nothing to do with the
devil in Redmond, the Gates in question is Fred, a window cleaner, in real
life. The song segues straight into "One Billion Miles Out", which is my
least favourite track. Which is not to say I dislike it but, only that Alan
Parsons Project's _I, Robot_ was a good album when it came out but I
wouldn't be caught dead listening to it these days...
And then there is "Starstation Earth", a twenty minute opus to close
the album. Reminds me a lot of a couple of different tracks from the t:me
stable of musicians. Toby Marks explains that at the incept, all he had was
a sample "This is starstation Earth". His imagination took it from there.
Listening to this album, and _Live at Gladstonbury_, it becomes
clear that Marks is moving away from the one-man-behind-the-keyboards,
towards collaborative efforts with other musicians. On his web site, which
is now at http://www.banco.co.uk, he mentions that he is working with a
five piece band, rehearsing for a summer tour that will take him through
Europe (including WOMAD at Reading) and the US in August for the Big Top.
The surprising thing after having listened to this album is that
over an hour passes from start to finish. It's hard to see where the time
goes. All of the tracks are very long, far too long for commercial
radioplay; and yet, nothing seems superfluous, there is never the feeling
that the songs drag on for too long. All in all, for people who want to get
to know Banco de Gaia, now is a good a time as any to get on board. If you
already own one or more of his other albums, this album is a fine addition.
I'll be playing it for a while yet.
---
REVIEW: Grateful Dead, _Fallout From The Phil Zone_ (Grateful Dead)
- Jim Flammia
Since the passing of Grateful Dead leader/guitarist Jerry Garcia
almost two years ago, the remaining members of Rock 'n Roll's longest
running musical caravan have remained relatively busy. Singer/guitarist
Bob Weir and his band Ratdog, along with one half of the Dead's
percussion team Mickey Hart, have been on the road with the Furthur
Festival for the past two Summers. Keyboardist Vince Welnick has his
group The Missing Man Formation, and drummer Billy Kreutzmann seems to
be on an indefinite diving expedition.
In the meantime, the elder statesman of the band, bassist Phil
Lesh, (yes, older than Garcia), has been quite busy himself. Lesh, a
classically trained musician before joining the group in the mid-1960's,
had mentioned publicly that, among other projects, he was going to
spend some time rummaging through some old tapes to see what he would
come up with. Well, the long-awaited result is a unique collection of
live Dead entitled_Fallout From The Phil Zone_. This 11 song collection
is the first "official" Grateful Dead release that contains live tracks
that were recorded from different time periods. The liner notes in this
package are even exceptional. As well as the obvious information, they
include a paragraph for each track, written by Lesh, describing the
significance of each song, the band members on each track, when it was
recorded, where it was recorded, and who recorded it, with an
interesting little omission in the recording credit for the two cuts
from '89. Each track was hand-picked by Lesh from the years 1967, '69,
'70, '71, '77, '89, and '95. Although the strongest material on the
album is from '71 and before, each song is its own special entity for
different reasons.
Disc One opens with the Dead's cover of the classic '60 romp
"Dancin' In The Streets" recorded in 1970. This may be a shocker for
those of you who have never heard anyone "expand" on this one before,
but the band pulls it off as the "poppiest" cut on the album. Other
highlights from the first disc include a version "New Speedway Boogie"
that, as Lesh tells, "was found in a box of old stuff marked 'unknown'
in the bowels of the vault". What is known is that it was recorded in
1970, and Bob Weir is playing acoustic guitar, which gives the
Garcia/Hunter tune more of a blues-country feel. Also included is a
stellar "Viola Lee Blues", which is one of the quintessential Dead
improvisational standards from the early days of the band. This 1969
version from Chicago holds nothing back. It's raw and dirty,
complimented by Garcia's aggressive leads, and Lesh's thick bass
lines that lead the others from a blues filled jam into a chaotic
frenzy. Closing out Disc One is a powerful 1971 performance of Otis
Redding's "Hard To Handle". This was consistently one of the band's
best cover tunes of that period. The band is tight, funky and mean.
Pigpen's soulful delivery is complimented perfectly by the rhythm
section, and Garcia's fluent picking. As you'll hear, the audience
agrees.
Disc Two has some serious high points as well. The highest
being "In The Midnight Hour" from 1967. I highly doubt that Wilson
Pickett and Steve Cropper ever thought their classic, covered by many,
could ever be transformed into an epic thirty-one minute and
forty-nine second psychedelic circus. Pigpen is at his soulful best
preaching to the audience with a commanding grit. The band takes it
far past any ordinary boundaries with, what sounds like, Garcia and
Lesh both playing leads that interweave in and out of each other.
The band then takes it back down as Pigpen blends in some bluesy harp
before stretching it out even further. You'll need to strap in for
this one.
"The Music Never Stopped" one of my personal favorites from
the Dead repertoire, is one of the band's funkier tunes. Although
this 1989 recording is by no means the best version I've heard, it
is definitely a good one. The band is pretty solid all the way
through, especially during the spacey interlude before they segue
quite smoothly back into the song's finale. Another cut to pay
particular attention to is "Jack-A-Roe". This 1977 arrangement has
a slower tempo with more of a "kick" than the Dead's usual 'Western"
style, which is sort of refreshing.
Before listening to this set, I found it interesting that
Lesh chose to include "Visions Of Johanna", until I heard it. The
beautiful semi-rarely played Dylan song, recorded during the Dead's
last run in Philadelphia in 1995, showcases Garcia's sincere and
touching delivery in that grandfatherly tone that melts many of us.
The band is sharp, the sound is crisp, and this is a jewel.
Perhaps it was a bit self-indulgent, three decades of live
show to choose from, to close out this collection with the
Lesh/Hunter classic "Box Of Rain", even if it is one of the best
songs the band created during their 30 year run. Maybe it was even
a bit gutsy, considering it's one of the few Dead songs that has
always been better in the studio. But, ya know, even though Lesh
was not blessed with an angelic voice, this 1989 version could even
make the most skeptical music fan stand up and yell "Let Phil sing".
Way to go Phil; keep 'em comin'.
---
REVIEW: Soundtrack, _Batman & Robin_ (Warner Brothers)
- Sean Eric McGill
Ah, to be a fly on the wall when they came up with the soundtrack
album to _Batman & Robin_. Of course, even though I wasn't - that
doesn't mean I can't pretend (insert dream sequence fade-in here).
SCENE:
An office at Warner Brothers. Present are Batman & Robin director
Joel Shumacher, Danny Bramson and Gary Le Mel (executive album
producers) - and a fly on the wall.
Bramson: OK, here it is.
(Ohhs and ahhs abound at the sharp packaging).
Shumacher: Does it have everything we wanted? I mean, we've
really got to please everybody with this thing, ya know!
Le Mel: Well, we got alternative covered pretty well. Two
songs by The Smashing Pumpkins that sound like nothing they've
done before, some R.E.M., Soul Coughing and a couple of others. And
we went ahead and threw Goldenthal a bone and put a track of his score
on there so he wouldn't whine about not getting a whole album.
Shumacher: What about this "electronica" thing I keep hearing
about? Were you able to get The Dust Chemical Method, or whatever
they're called?
Le Mel: Well, no. But, The Smashing Pumpkins tunes were
produced by Nellee Hooper and we did get Underworld - they gave us a
song called "Moaner" that sounds pretty damn good.
Shumacher: Did they sing about the movie? I really like it
when people do that.
Bramson: No, they didn't. He just talks about a city or
something, but the beat kicks.
Shumacher: What about women - we need some women on the album.
Bramson: Well, we got Lauren Christy, and MeShell Ndegeocello.
You'll like this Joel, MeShell sings a song called "Poison Ivy".
Shumacher: Oh goody! Does it talk about her poison kiss?
Bramson: Um - no. It's an old Leiber & Stoller song - but it
is seductive sounding, like Uma.
Le Mel: (muttering) OprahUma.
Shumacher: What about Jewel? I just love her.
Bramson: Well, she re-did "Foolish Games" from her album. Put a
lot of extra arrangements into it - sounds pretty good but I like the
original better.
Le Mel: (still muttering) Sounds perfect for this movie then.
(Bramson cuts him a sharp look)
Shumacher: (jumping up and down) Oh, oh - what about rap? We
just gosta gosta have some rap on there! Did anyone sing about the
movie? I just love that.
(Shumacher starts to hum "Ghostbusters")
Le Mel: (muttering) Why bother? The only major role by an
African-American was by Billy Dee Williams, and you didn't even ask
him back for Batman Forever to play the character he originated.
(Bramson starts to get a tad upset)
Bramson: R. Kelly did do a song called "Gotham City" - we're
even going to do a video! And we did get Bone Thugs-N-Harmony -
they're rap. Their song is called "Look Into My Eyes". It's good, but
not as good as some of their other work.
Le Mel: (muttering again) Yeah, kinda like this movie. Looks
like the Adam West series without the "Pows" and "Bangs".
Bramson: Gary, could you excuse us, please.
(Security comes in and starts to drag Le Mel out of the room.
Before the drag him out the door, he starts screaming)
Le Mel: You wanna know about the album, Joel - you really
wanna!! It's like your goddamn movie - all flash and no real
substance!!! Sure, it's good in parts, but in the end it's just another
piece of Bat-crap that nobody really needs!!!
(A security guard brains Le Mel with a blackjack as the door
slams shut)
Schumacher: (To Bramson) So, you think we can get someone to
sing a song about the movie for the sequel?
---
REVIEW: Primal Scream, _Vanishing Point_ (Reprise)
- Tim Kennedy
_Vanishing Point_ is a return to the dance/trance direction
formerly travelled by the band on their early '90s _Screamadelica_
album which was judged a milestone in this decade's musical
history by many critics. Since then they have done one
oddball heavy rock/funk fusion album _Give Out But Don't
Give Up_, and acquired the services of one Mani, ex of
the Stone Roses, on bass.
The name of the album and the theme of many of the tracks
and samples is from an old 70's psych road movie. Having
not seen the movie I can only guess at its content; the
majority of the work here being mutant hiphop psychedelia
and often instrumental dub reggae. The results are eminently
listenable, especially with the flashes of early seventies
cop-show style melodies.
The voice of Bobby Gillespie is by no means the strongest
of musical vessels, but he manages to make it count where
required. Having said that his lyrics range from the
banal to the bizarre.
Strangely track 8 "Medication" is one of a pair of rock
songs. It takes its beat from NF Porter's "Keep On
Keeping On" (a Northern Soul classic of the 70's) and
leans on the Stones circa "Let It Bleed". "Motorhead"
has more of a mutant 70's new wave sound - it doesn't
sound anything like the original.
"Trainspotting" appeared on the soundtrack of the film
of the same name, and is a laid back hiphop instrumental.
The final track "Long Life" is similarly paced, sounding
like an early Floyd psychedelic soundscape.
This is probably one of the best albums of the year, and
is far more original and challenging than, say, Beck's
_Odelay_. It is probably better than its illustrious
predecessor _Screamadelica_. One to recommend.
---
REVIEW: Maggie Estep, _Love Is A Dog From Hell_
(Mouth Almighty / Mercury)
- Lang Whitaker
Being a revolutionary isn't always the easiest way to reach
mainstream success, and even though Maggie Estep has been swimming
upstream her whole professional life, she's still making pretty good
headway.
Estep is probably most memorable for her spoken word rants that
were sandwiched between videos several years ago on MTV. She went on to
appear on MTV's forgettable "Spoken Word" edition of "MTV Unplugged",
and she then took a spot on Lollapalooza's side stage doing poetry
readings. Along with her backing band I Love Everybody, Estep released
her first album, titled _No More Mr. Nice Girl_ in 1994. After touring
in support of _Mr. Nice Girl_, opening for bands including Hole, Estep
has regrouped with her second effort, _Love Is A Dog From Hell_.
_Love Is A Dog From Hell_ is a terrific and deliciously crazy
album full of weird arrangements and powerful vocals. I can't remember
ever hearing anything like this before. Estep talks/speaks on all the
songs except one or two. The songs where she sings, her low alto voice
sounds amazingly like Courtney Love (before her Oscar makeover).
The poetry is set over an ever changing background of sounds, from
the drum and bass of songs like "How To Get Free Hamburgers", which
details the workings of the entertainment industry, to the sparse
setting of "Jenny's Shirt, a lovely tale of a girl finding long awaited
companionship in Paris. The label publicity stuff that came with the CD
doesn't ever specify whether or not Estep's old band I Love Everybody is
involved with _Dog From Hell_, but whoever the backing band is does a
pretty good job of not overwhelming Estep's stories, which are really
the center of this album.
Estep's sense of humor is so dry that it is danger of becoming
dehydrated. If Janeane Garofalo ever put out an album, it would probably
sound a lot like this one. Estep laces every song with humorous barbs,
mostly directed towards the men who have treated her (apparently) pretty
badly. Being of the male persuasion, I generally don't relate too well to
the Alanis/Liz Phair/Fiona Apple genre, but Estep's overriding sense of
humor about everything makes it hard to take any of her digs at men too
seriously. On "Emotional Idiot" for example, she recites several
standard male pickup lines, but with an irony in her voice that makes
the listener appreciate Estep having to sit through the original pick-up
attempts. I found myself wondering what happened to the men after they
delivered the lines. I could almost picture them being reduced to dust
by a glare from Estep.
The most compelling thing about _Dog From Hell_ is the unsettling
nature of the whole project. It is cool to finally see someone ready to
shake things up a little bit. Uncontent to rely on the tried and true
ways of her predeccessors, Estep sets out to blaze a new trail, and
blaze she does.
---
REVIEW: Paul Rodgers, _Now_ (Velvel Records)
- Linda Scott
After 30 years of performing and recording, Paul Rodgers still
has that ultradistinctive voice and near-perfect delivery that has made
him a star in his native Britain, the US, and around the world. How to
describe a voice that is seemingly untouched by time and the trials of
the rock and roll life? Words fail, but do yourself a favor and pick
up _Now_, Paul Rodgers first solo recording in 12 years.
Rodgers is best known for his work as frontman for Free, Bad
Company, and The Firm. His songwriter skills resulted in smash
singles such as "Feel Like Makin' Love", "All Right Now", "Shooting
Star", and on and on. The three bands all show Rodgers' love of the
blues-rock band and his success in this genre. In 1973, Free broke
up with 8 albums to its credit, but the single "All Right Now" has
become a classic rock song that is heard on TV or radio somewhere in
the world every 45 seconds. Rodgers set up Bad Company which recorded
six multiplatinum albums in 9 years. A noteworthy single was
Grammy award winner "Feel Like Makin' Love". Rodgers moved on to
satisfy a creative craving he couldn't satisfy in either band. The
Firm paired Rodgers and Jimmy Page for two albums.
In his search for creative control, Rodgers moved on to a
series of solo albums with pickup bands. In 1993, he began recording
with various artists for one-off bands. Recently he did _Muddy Water
Blues_ with Jeff Beck, Slash, Richie Sambora and others. Then came
a track on _Stone Free: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix_ with Slash and the
Band of Gypsies, and he appeared at Woodstock '94 with Jason Bonham,
Slash and Neal Schon.
Rodgers has evolved from lead vocalist/frontman of the
typical rock band to a solo artist whose name is in itself a drawing
card. During this period of 30 years, Rodgers has sold 125 million
albums world wide. There seems no doubt he can do quite a bit on his
own with the backing of hand picked musicians. Not surprisingly,
_Now_ was written entirely by Rodgers. The songs are the blues rock
he is famous for done in that distinctive voice that gets classic
rock fans up and moving. "Soul of Love" is the first track and is
such a representative Rodgers' song that you could throw away the cd
liner and know it was him. This track has wisely been chosen as the
first single. There are ballads, rockers with guitar solos, a
mixture of what Rodgers likes to write and perform. The final
track is "Holding Back the Storm", a fast-paced, upbeat song that
is just an excellent ending for _Now_.
If you are lucky enough to get the first pressing of _Now_,
you get a free second Paul Rodgers cd called _Live_. These tracks
were recorded live at the Rockpalast Open Air Festival, Loreley,
Germany on July 8, 1995. The 13 tracks span his career with
selections from Free, Bad Company, and recent solo projects.
Each of the Free catalog selections ("Little Bit of Love",
"Be My Friend", "All Right Now", "The Hunter", etc.) are revisions
of these old favorites. The Loreley tapes also include new versions
of Bad Company's "Can't Get Enough of Your Love" and "Feel Like
Makin' Love". Rodgers selected blues songs to highlight his solo
work ("Muddy Water Blues", "Rolling Stone", etc.). _Live_
encompasses three decades of Rodgers' career. _Now_ shows where
he is today, a place where other rock vocalists wish they could be
after that timespan.
If you want to hear some classic blues rock, this is one for
your collection; singer / songwriters that can still rock the crowd
after 30 years are worth listening to - you never want to miss that
wonderful voice!
---
REVIEW: Made, _Bedazzler_ (MCA)
- Jon Steltenpohl
Canadian newcomers Made leap from the tundra to major label
with their new album _Bedazzler_. It's a collection of bouncy,
guitar driven pop songs that sound like typical 90's alternative
fare with a little 80's pop thrown in to boot. Dinosaur Jr. comes
to mind on the first few tracks. Jason Taylor's vocals crackle and
warble, and fuzzy guitars layout like a curtain of slacker destruction
behind the melody. Most everything is upbeat though, so the effect is
more like Dinosaur Jr. on happy pills.
_Bedazzler_ takes a few mainstream cues from the Cars, and
even Bryan Adams, but they put an alternative spin on it. Maybe
writing plain pop songs scares them a bit, but by trying to make
conventional tunes sound alternative, Made loses something in the
process. "Fun of You" starts out like a great alternative ballad, but
they can't leave well enough alone. Made compounds it with an overly
whiny voice and overbearing guitar, and by the end of the song, you're
left with a decent ballad twisted into a distorted mess. Part of this
problem seems to come from poor production and mixing, but that can't
account for all of the problems.
Unfortunately, most of the album suffers from the tension
between pop and alternative. Still, a few tracks really shine.
"Hippies" and "Stella" recall another Canadian band, Twenty Four Gone.
They are swirling, blurred songs with a monotone bass that drives the
rhythm. Both songs starts slow and quiet and entice you to close your
eyes until they build momentum and wake you up stirred and moving.
On the pop side, "Half an Hour" does have the slacker chic down
perfect with it's little chorus "We went to the high school dance /
put my hand in-side your... nevermind". A catchy guitar riff keeps
pumping "Half an Hour" along, and it's probably this album's best
chance for a hit.
All told, _Bedazzler_ is a promising debut. Even when the
execution is off a bit, Made writes decent alterna-pop. Drummer
Alison Maclean adds soaring vocals that are reminiscent of Kim Deal
when she was a Pixie, and with better production and mixing, you
might have a classic on your hands. Luckily, Made is a young band,
and this album foreshadows a bright future. Either way, if you just
can't get enough slacker music in your life, take the 5 best songs on
the album and have a ball.
---
NEWS: > The London Suede will release a cover of the Pet Shop
Boys' "Rent", with contributions from PSB Neil Tennant, on the
flip side of their UK single "Filmstar".
> The just-released double CD compilation from the Scorpions,
_Deadly Sting_, has been released with two different album covers;
one with a naked woman, her arms positioned to cover her breasts,
with scorpions crawling up her legs, and an alternate one, for more
conservative stores, sans female.
> Mike Watt is currently in New York City playing bass on a side
project "The Wylde Ratttz," a one-off line-up featuring Sonic Youth's
Thurston Moore on guitar and Steve Shelley on drums, Ron Asheton of
Stooges fame on guitar and an as-yet-undisclosed vocalist; earlier
recordings by this line-up featured Mudhoney's Mark Arm on lead
vocals and yielded two tracks tentatively to be included on the
soundtrack to the film _Velvet Goldmine_. The new sessions are
being undertaken with an eye to releasing a full album. Don
Fleming (ex Gumball and Velvet Monkeys) is producing.
---
TOUR DATES (Please confirm with site before travelling):
Baboon
Jul. 17 Chico, CA Juanita's
Jul. 18 San Francisco, CA Boomerang
Jul. 19 Oceanside, CA TaKilyaz
Backsliders
Jul. 16 Portland, OR Crystal Ballroom
Jul. 18 San Francisco, CA Last Day Saloon
Jul. 19 Hollywood, CA Jack's Sugar Shack
Jul. 21 San Diego, CA Casbah
Boston
Jul. 16 Hartford, CT Meadows
Jul. 18 Tinley Park, IL New World
Jul. 19 Cadott, WI Chippewa Valley
Jul. 20 Milwaukee, WI Marcus
Jul. 22 Columbus, MD Merriweather Post
Brad / Verbow
Jul. 16 Boston, MA Paradise
Jul. 18 Philadelphia, PA Theatre of Living Arts
Jul. 19 Washington, DC 930 Club
Jul. 21 Atlanta, GA Cotton Club
The Clarks
Jul. 19 Baltimore, MD BWI Sheraton
Cordelia's Dad
Jul. 16 Lebanon, PA Acoustic Cafe at On Stage
Jul. 19 Bethlehem, PA Godfrey Daniels
Jul. 20 New Hope, PA John & Peter's
Dots Will Echo
Jul. 19 Summit, NJ Common Ground
Furthur Festival (incl. Black Crowes and many more)
Jul. 18 E. Troy, WI Alpine Valley
Jul. 19 Chicago, IL World
Jul. 20 St. Louis, MO Riverport
Jul. 22 Indianapolis, IN Deer Creek
G3 (Joe Satriani / Steve Vai / Kenny Wayne Shepherd)
Jul. 16 Morrison, CO Red Rocks
Government Mule / Sweet Vine
Jul. 17 Tuscaloosa, ALA The Varsity Music Hall
Jul. 18 Biloxi, MS The Zoo
Jul. 20 Nashville, TN WRLT radio show (w/Big Back 40)
Jul. 22 Columbia, SC Elbow Room
Irving Plaza (New York concert hall; http://www.irvingplaza.com)
Jul. 16 Space
Junkster
Jul. 17 Hoboken, NJ Maxwell's
Jul. 18 New York, NY Arlene Grocery
Jul. 20 New York, NY Club Chaos
Lollapalooza (Tool/Prodigy/Korn/many more)
Jul. 18 Cleveland, OH Blossom Music Center
Jul. 19 Pittsburgh, PA Starlake
Jul. 20 Columbus, OH Polaris
Jul. 22 Cinicinnati, OH Riverbend
Mindset
Jul. 18 Wilmington, NC Jake's
Walt Mink
Jul. 16 Madison, WI O'Cayz Corral
Jul. 17 Milwaukee, WI Shank Hall
Jul. 18 Minneapolis, MN First Ave
Jul. 19 Chicago, IL Double Door
My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult / Radio Iodine
Jul. 17 San Diego, CA 4th & B
Jul. 18 Los Angeles, CA El Rey
Jul. 19 Santa Ana, CA Galaxy Theater
Professor & Maryann
Jul. 19 New York, NY Hotel Galvez
Sister Hazel / Cowboy Mouth
Jul. 17 Boston, MA Paradise
Jul. 19 New York, NY Irving Plaza
Size 14
Jul. 15 Oklahoma City, OK Boar's Head
Jul. 18 New York, NY CBGB's
Jul. 20 Asbury Park, NJ Saint
Jul. 22 Richmond, VA Twisters
Supertramp
Jul. 15 Holmdel, NJ PNC Arts Center
Jul. 18 Philadelphia, PA Mann Music Center
Jul. 19 Wantagh, NY Jones Beach
Jul. 20 Buffalo, NY Darian Lake
Jul. 22 Quebec City, QC Coliseum de Quebec
Thin Lizard Dawn
Jul. 16 Boston, MA Axis
Jul. 17 Providence, RI Met Cafe
Jul. 18 Philadelphia, PA Upstairs at Nicks
Jul. 19 Baltimore, MD Fletcher's
Jul. 20 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop
Jul. 22 Chicago, IL Double Door
Jul. 23 Pontiac, MI 7th House
Vallejo
Jul. 18 Fort Smith, AK River City Saloon
Verve Pipe / Tonic / K's Choice
Jul. 16 Sacramento, CA Crest
Jul. 17 San Francisco, CA Fillmore
Jul. 19 Portland, OR Roseland
Jul. 20 Seattle, WA Moore Theatre
Volebeats / Ditch Croaker
Jul. 16 New York, NY Knitting Factory
Warped Tour Dates (Reel Big Fish, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Social
Distortion, Sick Of It All, Less Than Jake, many more)
Jul. 16 Milwaukee, WI Eagles Ballroom
Jul. 17 Minneapolis, MN Midway Stadium
Jul. 18 Chicago, IL United Center
Jul. 19 London, CT Western Fairgrounds
Jul. 20 Montreal, QC Hippodrome
Jul. 21 Buffalo, NY Le Salle Park
Jul. 22 Cleveland, OH Agora Complex
World Party
Jul. 16 Toronto, ON Phoenix
Jul. 18 Boston, MA Avalon
Jul. 19 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory
Jul. 20 Baltimore, MD Bohager's
Jul. 22 New York, NY Irving Plaza
Young Dubliners
Jul. 19 Solana Beach, CA The Belly Up
---
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