************************************************************************** ********** ********** ********** R.A.D! ON-LINE ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** December 1993 ********** ********** ********** ************************************************************************** Published monthly by CONSPIRACY M.E.D.I.A, Box 158324, Nashville, TN 37215 Review And Discussion of Rock & Roll is copyright 1993 by Keith A. Gordon and CONSPIRACY M.E.D.I.A. Items herein may be reproduced, providing credit is given to the writer and publisher and a copy sent to the address above. Back issues of R.A.D! ON-LINE are available for those interested by FTP from Etext.Archives.Umich.Edu, found in the pub/poli/rad directory. R.A.D! ON-LINE is also posted monthly in the following Usenet newsgroups: Alt.Music.Alternative, Alt.Music.Hardcore and Alt.Zines. Current issues of R.A.D! ON-LINE can also be found in the zines section of the gopher at Gopher@Well.Sf.Ca.Us CONTENTS ISSUE #1.7 File No. 1 > The R.A.D! Holiday Gift Guide (Article) File No. 2 > Sinatra: Reliving Past Glories (Commentary) File No. 3 > Rock's Angry Young Men: Souls At Zero (InterView) File No. 4 > Scatterlings (Rock & Roll News) File No. 5 > Upcoming CD Releases (Info) File No. 6 > Re/Issues (Reviews) File No. 7 > CD DU JOUR: Max Vague File No. 8 > Kool Kuts (Reviews) File No. 9 > Short Cuts (Mini-reviews) File No. 10 > The Singles Scene (Reviews) File No. 11 > Zine Reviews (Reviews) CDs reviewed this month include: Max Vague, Dead Can Dance, Sepultura, Kate Bush, William S. Burroughs, Prong, Pigface, Jane Siberry, Nik Turner, the Electric Hellfire Club, the GOTHIC ROCK compilation, Meatloaf & others! File No. 1 =============================================================== THE R.A.D! CHRISTMAS BUYING GUIDE Thanksgiving has passed and the Holiday season is firmly upon us for another year. Here at R.A.D! we realize that it can be, at times, confusing, when trying to buy the perfect gift for that hardcore rocker in the family, or the black-clad, sullen "alternative" friend. Thus, as a public service, we're proud to present the first annual R.A.D! Christmas Buying Guide with gift ideas that you may not have thought of, and suggestions pointing you in the right direction to find them. So forget the malls, drive past the shopping center and rely on R.A.D! CATALOG SHOPPING... It's never too late to take advantage of the wonders of catalog shopping. Most underground or alternative oriented indie labels rely heavily on sales of back catalog items, these profits seeing them through financially unsure current releases. For the music lover, these catalogs can be a treasure-trove of obscure artists, trendy albums and coveted reissues. Here are a few suggestions, just to get you started... ------------------------------------------------------ CLEOPATRA Records 8726 S. Sepulveda, Suite D-82, Los Angeles, CA 90045 Info (310) 305-0172 / No cards mentioned Although they haven't been around as long as many who follow on this list, what CLEOPATRA Records has accomplished in a short time is simply mind-boggling. Specializing in gothic, industrial and classic rock with an edge, this catalog is a wet-dream in print for the music lover. Punk legends like the Damned, Exploited, Germs, Conflict and Vice Squad are all represented here, as is work from Hawkwind, Kraftwerk, Syd Barrett and Christian Death. I may buy myself a present from here! Prices are fair, running at $13 for CDs and $9.98 for cassettes, with a minimal shipping charge. The CLEOPATRA discs that I've seen are beautiful, with fabulous artwork and immaculate sound. Send them a dollar or so for their catalog. Gift Suggestions: Gitane Demone's _Facets In Blue_ CD The Damned's _Tales From The Damned_ CD Various Artists / _Gothic Rock_ CD (Bauhaus, Christian Death, Nosferatu, X-Mal Deutchland and many others on a two CD set) ------------------------------------------------------ SST Records, P.O. Box 1, Lawndale, CA 90260 Info Hotline (310) 430-1794 / Orders (310) 430-2183 Takes VISA, MasterCard, Amex and C.O.D. with $4 service charge Although currently mired in a controversy over the sordid Negativland / U2 affair and on the outs with many alternative minded music lovers, SST nonetheless has a catalog deep with talent. Current faves such as Sonic Youth, Screamin Trees, Bad Brains and Dinosaur Jr. cut their first sides with SST Records and, in some cases, are represented by their best work. My personal tastes tend to run towards the older, hardcore punk-era SST material by Black Flag, Meat Puppets and Husker Du...but their back catalog is extensive and with good prices ($12 CD / $7.50 cassette on average) and free shipping in the U.S., they're a convenient stop on your Christmas wish list. Vinyl is still available on most items as well! Free catalog. Gift Suggestions: Black Flag's _Damaged_ Husker Du's _Zen Arcade_ The Minutemen's _Double Nickels On The Dime_ ------------------------------------------------------ CRUZ Records, P.O. Box 7756, Long Beach, CA 90807 Info Hotline (310) 430-4301 / Orders (310) 430-2183 Takes VISA, MasterCard, Amex and C.O.D. with $4 service charge Not far from SST on the coast is their sister label, CRUZ Records, who have quietly been cranking out some fine punk-oriented discs for a few years now. Their catalog may have fewer selections to choose from, but they're quite good ones. Power-punk faves All are the label's signature band, with several albums and EPs to their credit, although Big Drill Car, Chemical People and Skin Yard all have their own loyal followings. Pricing is good, with discs at $12 and cassettes at $7.50 and free shipping in the U.S.; vinyl is also available on most items. Not as well known as their indie peers, CRUZ is the place to find some foot-stompin, slam- dancin real rock stuff! Free catalog. Gift Suggestions: All's _Breaking Things_ Chemical People's _Chemical People_ Various Artists / _Viva Cruz_ (a label sampler with All, Chemical People, Greg Ginn & more) ------------------------------------------------------ RAZOR & TIE MUSIC, 214 Sullivan St., Suite 5A, New York, NY 10012 Info & Ordering (212) 473-9173 I have to admit that if I owned a record label, it would be a lot like RAZOR & TIE MUSIC. Rock & Roll with a decidedly Jersey slant, these guys continue to amaze with their choice of reissues and the high-quality new releases that they put their imprint on. Vital reissues from Little Steven, Alex Chilton, Gary U.S. Bonds, David Johansen and Willie Nile are complemented by current recordings from Elliott Murphy, Scott Kempner and Joe Grushecky. Where else are you going to find the Partridge Family Christmas album, anyway? Gift Suggestions: Little Steven's _Voice Of America_ CD Elliott Murphy's _Unreal City_ CD Various Artists / _Sun City_ CD (the important anti-apartheid album with work from Dylan, Springsteen, Peter Gabriel, Miles Davis and many others) ------------------------------------------------------ ALTERNATIVE TENTACLES Records, P.O. Box 419092, San Francisco, CA 94141 No cards here The label founded by the legendary Dead Kennedys has plenty in their catalog to keep your gift recipient smiling and slamming the walls until the next holiday season. Along with the DKs, you'll find seminal recordings from such punk and experimental outfits as D.O.A., Alice Donut, Nomeansno and Victims Family, as well as posters and video stuff. A lot of times taken for granted, A.T. continues to crank out music with guts and integrity. Pricing structure is similar to other indies, with $12 discs and $7.50 cassettes and free U.S. postage; vinyl is also available. Send them 50 cents for a full catalog. Gift Suggestions: Dead Kennedy's _Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables_ Jello Biafra's _No More Cocoons_ Eugene Chadbourne & Evan Johns' _Terror Has Some Strange Kinfolk_ ------------------------------------------------------ RHINO Records, 2225 Colorado Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90404-3555 Last, but not least, are RHINO Records. Although they've got an unfair image as the purveyors of novelty records and schlock reissues, browsing through the massive RHINO Records catalog is like taking a trip through Rock & Roll history. Work from current artists like Exene Cervenka, Chris Stamey and Steve Wynn rest alongside reissues and compilations from the Circle Jerks, Otis Redding, Mott The Hoople, Roy Orbison, Jonathan Richman and the Iron City Houserockers. Literally hundreds of Rock & Roll gems can be mined from this catalog, with complete song listings provided for each album. Whether it's Punk, Soul, Blues, Jazz or Classic Rock that you're searching for, you'll find it here at great prices. RHINO also offers some mondo-cool video goodies: write 'em for a free catalog. Gift Suggestions: John Lee Hooker's _The Ultimate Collection_ CD Professor Longhair's _The Last Mardi Gras_ CD Various Artists / _D.I.Y._ CDs (the history of Punk and New Wave on 9 CDs, with the Ramones, Sex Pistols, Nick Lowe, Patti Smith and many, many more! Any one is a great gift, but we particularly like the Blank Generation and Anarchy In The U.K. discs...) ------------------------------------------------------ A DIFFERENT KIND OF BOOKSTORE EXTREME Books, P.O. Box 11704, Portland, OR 97211-0704 Info from: mwaltz@extremebooks.com You can't live on just music alone, you've got to have somewhat of a different sort of substance to feed your head...like books! EXTREME BOOKS is an electronic bookstore with an extensive catalog of material of an alternative nature (available via Email from the address above). Tomes from William Burroughs, Brion Gysin, Lydia Lunch and our friend Bob Black along with the complete line of RE/Search publications and subversion from Semiotext(e) can be found here as well as other "out-of-the-mainstream" zines and stuff. Gift Suggestions: _Semiotext(e) SF_ $10 A thick cyberpunkish collection including Burroughs, Bruce Sterling, J.G. Ballard, Robert Anton Wilson and many others. Charles Neal / _Tape Delay_ $19.95 A great overview of industrial culture with pieces on Laibach, Swans, Psychic TV and others! RE/Search #6/7 _Industrial Culture Handbook_ $13.99 Although a bit dated by now, still the seminal work on this underground movement and philosophy. PUBLICATIONS OF MERIT A magazine subscription is a gift that the recipient gets throughout the entire year. The right zine will provide valuable info and entertainment to the reader, thrusting upon them a hip and trendy status... or so the publishers would have you believe. The following pubs are those that we get regularly at the CONSPIRACY M.E.D.I.A world HQ and continuously find interesting, informative and vital to our cultural development. bOING, bOING (Quarterly, Four issue sub $14) 544 Second St., San Francisco, CA 94107 A wonderful, irreverent "neurozine" that bills itself as "the brain mutator for higher primates," bOING bOING never fails to fire up our tired old synapses and inject new thoughts into our rigid belief system. Music, Culture and Science with a decidedly anarchist, cyberish, freedom- oriented worldview. MONDO 2000 (Five times a year @ $24) P.O. Box 10171, Berkeley, CA 94709 This zine gets a generally all-around bad rap from the on-line community as being too slick, too trendy and too glossy to be truly "cyberpunk." Too bad, because we continuously find fine reading hidden beneath the computer- generated gloss. Featuring music and media, literature, culture and fashion, MONDO 2000 often provides an introductory look at the artists/icons of tomorrow. Ignore it at your own peril... FACTSHEET FIVE (Bimonthly @ $20 a year) P.O. Box 170099, San Francisco, CA 94117-0099 They call themselves "the definitive guide to the zine revolution," and they're right on target. Publisher Seth Friedman's resurrection of this vital portal to the zine culture has only gotten better with each issue. Along with Jerod Pore, curator of the F5 Electronic, Friedman and gang provide valuable contacts and reviews of hundreds of small press publications with every issue, covering every topic imaginable, from sex and music to political and literary zines, as well as books and catalogs. Essential reading for the impressionable young mind! WIRED (Monthly @ $39.95 a year) P.O. Box 191826, San Francisco, CA 94119-9866 Another pub getting an undeserved slamming from the on-line underground, WIRED is nonetheless an essential bridge between mainstream and electronic cultures, creating the sort of synergy necessary to expand the cyber-world and ensure our freedoms therein. Always fascinating, WIRED provides well- written reviews of electronics, music, books and other products alongside insightful interviews with the next generation's movers and shakers and informative articles. Worth the cost. CMJ NEW MUSIC MONTHLY (Monthly @ $29.95) 11 Middle Neck Road, Suite 400, Great Neck, NY 11021-2301 CMJ NEW MUSIC MONTHLY is the bright young star in the new music field, published by the veterans at the CMJ REPORT. Each issue offers scores of reviews, as well as solid columns on Metal, Dance, Hip-Hop and video and comes wrapped with a sampler CD providing the well-educated consumer with a dozen-and-a-half or so tracks of new music. The future of Rock journalism? You decide... File No. 2 =============================================================== SINATRA: RELIVING PAST GLORY I do have the new Sinatra disc sitting next to me here on the keyboard, but I haven't listened to it yet -- it's a Christmas present for my mom. Very convenient of Capitol to release this thing just in time for the holidays. Anyway, as long as the damn thing is sitting in my apartment for the next two months... When I heard that Sinatra was in the studio recording a new album, I was tentatively interested, but the whole aura of this thing is just so wrong. What it is is Sinatra coasting. Look at the tracks -- this is all stuff that Sinatra has done a million times before. We're talking "New York, New York" and "I've Got You Under My Skin" -- this whole album is just Sinatra living in the past, and bringing some guests along for the ride. And while some of these guests will probably make for an interesting take on the material -- it's damn well about time Sinatra and Tony Bennett worked together, and Sinatra and Streisand will probably be cool -- some of them really make me wonder. Love him or hate him, the solid truth is that Frank mattered. As a singer, the man had an impact on American popular music that only a handful of others can claim, so it's kind of personally disappointing to see a performer with Sinatra's legacy teaming up with lightweights like Gloria Estefan and Kenny G. Not to mention Natalie Cole, though at least it's nice to see that she isn't waiting for Sinatra to die before she rides on his coattails. So, Sinatra decided to rest on his laurels and put out a nice safe album for the same people who have been watching him read from the teleprompter on stage the last few years. OK, it's done, and it shouldn't really bother me. It's just that I would have loved to have really seen him test himself again. For one thing, actually being in the same room as his singing partner. And then, why not show some real daring in his choice of material? In a recent interview, Sinatra claimed that he has come to appreciate the lyrical capabilities of some rock music, but this album doesn't reflect that position. Instead of getting Bono to do one of his songs, wouldn't it have been a kick to hear Sinatra do "One?" Or better yet, a duet with Michael Stipe on "Losing My Religion?" Elvis Costello on "Shipbuilding?" Hell, what about Tom Waits, or Van Morrison, or Kate Bush, or Morrissey, or...well, you get the idea. That's what my idea of a significant new Sinatra album would have been, not some nostalgic adulation of the past. Still, Mom'll probably get a big kick out of it, and if any of the tracks are any good, I can always tape them off of her copy... Editorial By Jesse Garon / Email: j_garon@phantom.com File No. 3 =============================================================== ROCK'S ANGRY YOUNG MEN: SOULS AT ZERO Thrash Buddhas Souls At Zero must feel like one-eyed paupers wandering the land of the blind, screaming at the top of their lungs, "Wake UP! Can't you see the pain and suffering around you? Do something!" Their monstrous debut album on New York's indie Energy Records is exactly such a wake-up call. The disc opens with heavy, crunching guitar riffs, provided by twin axemen Jay Abbene and Terry Carter, the notes stomping across your speakers like the movie terminators dominating their human prey, with singer/bassist Brad Divens' vocals, taut as concertina wire, shouting out the band's fateful, angst-ridden lyrics above the foundry-like crash and burn of the music. Drummer Shannon Larkin provides a steady beat, the heaviest hand's heard in Rock since Killing Joke's infamous pyrotechnic displays of percussion. From there, the ride only gets rougher... Souls At Zero may be the name of the band, inspired by a line from a story by horror master Clive Barker, but it is also descriptive of their current status. Their self-titled album represents a rebirth for a band that for the better part of a decade were known as Wrathchild America. Under that moniker, the foursome recorded two classic underground albums for Atlantic before ending their relationship with the label in 1991. With their new identity as Souls At Zero came a new sound, and a frustrated, angry dimension to their lyrics, which are penned by Divens and Larkin. This powerful and highly-personal emotional content of Souls At Zero's lyrics is the inevitable result of the band's own trials and tribulations. "Everything that led up to this," says Brad of the album, "just seemed to build and build. Finally, when it came time to write lyrics, Shannon and I, all the stuff that we were writing was like pouring everything out of our hearts, everything that we had been through. It wasn't something that we did purposely, it just happened...it was a way for us to release our aggressions, these pent-up frustrations. Some people go out and shoot-up a 7-11...this was our way of cleansing ourselves, musically." Souls At Zero differs from Wrathchild America in several other important ways, as well. "We're a lot more focused in our songwriting," says Divens. "Wrathchild drew from a lot of different influences...we had some Reggae parts in songs, Blues and Jazz." Souls, he says, is "a lot more aggressive, more angry. Lyrically, everything is written about human emotion. It’s stuff that's real to us, things that we've been through. With Wrathchild, we tried to do a lot of different things, musically, and I think that we lost people. It was maybe a little strange..." The response to the band's blend of hard rock roots, punk attitude and thrash energy has been encouraging, to say the least. "It was a little slow at the beginning," says Brad, "with us changing our name. We didn't want to rely on saying 'formerly Wrathchild,' we wanted to go out and prove ourselves all over again, build up a fan base and take it further than Wrathchild ever did." To this end, Souls At Zero has been touring since the record's summer release; they're currently on the road with Sacred Reich and Crowbar as part of the NORML "Rock For Pot" tour. "When we heard about the tour," says Brad, "we wanted to do it. We got the opportunity, so we said, 'let's do it!' The focus of the NORML tour is to make people aware of all the different uses for hemp. Not only can you smoke it, but it can be used for other things, like medicinal purposes, fuel, clothing, food...all kinds of things. There's a NORML booth set-up every night, with all kinds of different pamphlets, shirts, stickers and stuff." As Souls At Zero continue their assault on Rock and Roll with scheduled touring through early 1994, plans are to release a new five-song EP in late Spring. "It's got three new originals on it, and two covers," says Brad. "We did a cover of Bad Brains' "I Against I" and the Circle Jerks' "When The Shit Hits The Fan." True to form, the disc promises to be an angry one. "I always liked the attitude of the punk bands," says Brad. "They didn't give a shit about anything, they just did their own thing. It was the rebelliousness of the thing," he says, that made it so attractive. "People were fed up with certain things, so they said, 'we're going to do this! We're going to look as weird as we can, we're going to put safety pins through our nipples...the whole punk movement was based on this attitude." Like the angry young men of punk, Souls At Zero are destined to leave their own imprint on Rock and Roll. File No. 4 =============================================================== SCATTERLINGS COMPILED BY THE R.A.D! STAFF & FRIENDS... THE INFAMOUS NEW YORK nightclub CBGB is about to celebrate their 20th anniversary this month with a series of shows that will feature performances from over 100 bands. Among the artists returning to the club to participate in the celebration are BAD BRAINS, SONIC YOUTH, PERE UBU, HELMET, PRONG, SMITHEREENS, COME, JESUS LIZARD and THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS. Alongside these special shows will be a television special and a nationally syndicated live radio broadcast. CBGB OMFUG (Country, Bluegrass, Blues and Other Music For Uplifting Gormandizers), the club's full name, can be found in New York's Bowery district, and is considered to be one of the birthplaces of Punk Rock. It has been operated during its two decades by owner HILLY KRISTAL, who has himself become somewhat of a Rock legend, surviving such incidents as stolen gear, S.W.A.T. team invasions, fires, floods, Sid Vicious and much more. A true Rock institution, R.A.D! wishes CBGB a happy twentieth! GRAND ROYAL IS THE NAME of the BEASTIE BOYS' new record label, which will be distributed, promoted and marketed by Capitol Records. The band is acknowledged as being among the pioneers of Rap and Hip-Hop, with their 1986 debut album, _Licensed To Ill_, selling an unprecedented 5 million copies. The formation of the label will allow the Beasties to branch out into publishing and clothing in addition to records. Grand Royal's first release with Capitol is the reissue of the debut EP from LUSCIOUS JACKSON, with a debut album from the band's DJ, HURRICANE, due next year... THE FOLKS AT MEGAFORCE Entertainment are coming off a great year with plans for an even better 1994. Their most recent signing, Portland's SWEATY NIPPLES, will be releasing an introductory EP this month, with a full- length album to follow in 1994. Meanwhile, NUDESWIRL, thanks to MTV's Beavis & Butt-Head, are filming a new video and touring with WHITE ZOMBIE into December. South Africa's TRIBE AFTER TRIBE have been touring with SAIGON KICK in support of their second Megaforce LP _Love Under Will_ while hard-working axeman WARREN HAYNES has been touring heavily with both his own band and as guitarist for the legendary ALLMAN BROTHERS in support of his debut _Tales Of Ordinary Madness_. CYPRESS HILL ARE ON TOP of their game, hitting the streets in support of their recent Ruffhouse/Columbia album _Black Sunday_. Touring with the bad boys of Rap will be hardcore rockers RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, FUNKDOOBIEST and SEVEN YEAR BITCH. The band's self-titled debut has sold in excess of 1.5 million copies and still sits in the Billboard Top 200 a year and a half after its release. _Black Sunday_ entered the same chart at numero uno, selling an amazing quarter-of-a-million discs in its first week of release... JANIS JOPLIN IS THE LATEST sixties Rocker to see her work collected in a multi-disc boxed set, titled, of course, Janis. The three CD set will offer 49 tracks ranging from 1962 until Joplin's death in 1970, including such rarities as seven cuts culled from BIG BROTHER & THE HOLDING COMPANY's Mainstream label debut and a pair featuring guitarist JORMA KAUKONEN. PETER GABRIEL WILL BE bringing his WORLD OF MUSIC ARTS & DANCE tour back to the U.S. in 1994, following on the heels of this year's successful American debut. This was the eleventh year for the multi-cultural WOMAD tour, but its first swing through the United States, which saw such culturally and artistically diverse artists as Jamaica's ZIGGY MARLEY and INNER CIRCLE, Native American Rock Poet JOHN TRUDELL, India's SHEILA CHANDRA, Russia's TEREM QUARTET and Spain's EL CABRERO as well as Gabriel and many other special guest performers appear during the month-long tour, which lead up to a climatic closing show in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park which drew an audience of over 100,000. Expect even more next year when the festival returns... CRITICAL FAVES VIGILANTES OF LOVE have been signed to Nashville's Capricorn Records, which will release their label debut, _Welcome To Struggleville_ in February of 1994. The Atlanta band, originally formed as a duo, features guitarist/vocalist Bill Mallonee's insightful and precise songwriting. The debut disc is being produced by JIM SCOTT, whose work with the likes TOM PETTY, JOHN HIATT and ROBBIE ROBERTSON have won him his share of accolades as well... Also from Capricorn comes news of one of our favorite Rockers, COL. BRUCE HAMPTON who, along with a fine collection of musicians known as THE AQUARIUM RESCUE UNIT, is still on the road in support of their second Capricorn CD release, _Mirrors Of Embarrassment_. The Colonel and crew were among the artists featured in this year's H.O.R.D.E. Tour and will most likely be playing in your town sometime in the coming months. ****************************************************** This issue's secret word: Santa Claus! ****************************************************** File No. 5 =============================================================== UPCOMING CD RELEASES Guns 'N' Roses / THE SPAGHETTI INCIDENT (Geffen) Dr. Dre / CONCRETE ROOTS (Triple X) Metallica / LIVE SHIT: BITS & PIECES (Elektra) Cowboy Junkies / PALE SUN, CRESCENT MOON (RCA Records) MC Ren / SHOCK OF THE HOUR (Relativity / Ruthless) Koko Taylor / FORCE OF NATURE (Alligator) Eurythmics / LIVE 1983-1989 (Arista) Edward Ka-Spel / LYVV CHINA DOLL (Staalplaat) Illusion Of Safety / WATER SEEKING ITS OWN LEVEL (Silent) Holly Prado / WORD RITUAL (New Alliance) Various Artists / YELLOW PILLS: THE BEST OF AMERICAN POP, VOLUME 1 (Big Deal / Caroline) Due in January, discs from Richard Thompson, Jello Biafra & Mojo Nixon, Bruce Cockburn and a long-awaited EP from Alice In Chains... File No. 6 =============================================================== RE / ISSUES: Los Lobos, Sisters Of Mercy, Prince & The Damned Los Lobos are, perhaps, the most underrated band to come out of the mid- eighties west coast punk era, and are arguably the most gifted group of pure musicians to grace that time and place. Thus the reason for their longevity: they love what they're doing and they do it well... _Just Another Band From East L.A._ (Slash/Warner Bros.) is a double-disc collection which presents a fine overview of this talented band's music over the past decade. Taking its title from Los Lobos' inde- pendently-released first album, circa 1978, this set draws from all seven Los Lobos releases and includes all of their moderately successful hits, including "One Time, One Night," "Will The Wolf Survive?" and their breakthrough, "La Bamba." A generous portion of live material and previously unreleased tracks are included among the 41 cuts here, adding a certain dimension to the collection that it otherwise may not have had. There's not really much more to say...Los Lobos are, perhaps, the finest practitioners of what critics term "American Music." Their skilled blend of roots Rock and traditional Mexican Folk, delivered with just a slight edge, crosses all barriers in appealing to music lovers of just about every type. England's Sisters of Mercy, creatively fueled by the dark vision of songwriter/vocalist Andrew Eldritch, are the godfathers of the modern Gothic Rock scene. For over a decade now, they’re followed success with success, achieving it on their own terms and remaining fiercely independent in an age of corporate oversight and multi-national record labels. With just a trio of albums and a handful of singles, they've made a permanent impact not only on their own specific genre, but on Rock and Roll altogether. _A Slight Case Of Overbombing_ (Elektra) is an aptly-titled collection of the band's best, a task at which it succeeds quite well. All of the expected songs are here, from "Walk Away" and "No Time To Cry" from their first album, to the triad of cuts from their U.S. breakthrough, _Floodland_, to "More" and "Vision Thing" from the album of the same name. A few unexpected gems are also included, single releases like "Body And Soul" and the unreleased "Under The Gun." Some might argue that a body of work consisting of only three albums is insufficient to provide for a greatest hits collection. Once again Eldritch proves his critics wrong, delivering a set that presents Eldritch and his various bands at their very fierce and most passionate best. What can you say about Prince, that hasn't already been said? _Prince: The Hits/The B-Sides_ (Paisley Park/Warner Bros.) provides 3 discs full of insight into the art of the enigmatic man from Minneapolis. As it says, all of the hits are here, from early, more obscure cuts like "Controversy" and "Dirty Mind" to the breakthrough "1999" and "Little Red Corvette" through "Purple Rain," "I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man" and "Sign O' The Times." It's the rarities and B-sides here which present a true picture of the man, however, showing an artist of considerable talent and great vision who defies the odds and critical scorn in following his own particular muse. As an artist of influence and no little creativity, Prince will stand with legends like Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison. The Damned were the first punk band out of England to release a single, the first to release an album, and the first to make a splash on these shores, although they were soon overshadowed by their louder (Sex Pistols) and more trendy (The Clash) peers. They were also the first to break up, calling it quits in 1977. The band reformed a year later, and subsequently spent the next 7 years on the U.K. charts, with 3/4 of their original lineup: Rat Scabies, Dave Vanian and Captain Sensible, minus Brian James, complemented by various other members. _Tales From The Damned_ (Cleopatra) documents their comeback, circa 1978 to 1981, by presenting a collection of U.K. hits, B- sides and rarities that best illustrate The Damned's dogged longevity. A historical curiosity as well as a damned fine collection, _Tales From The Damned_ is one for your shelves... File No. 7 =============================================================== CD DU JOUR: Max Vague's S.O.S. THE PARTY'S OVER Nashville is a hotbed of Rock & Roll talent, but not in the way that one might think. Outside of the so-called "alternative" throngs -- bands trying to chase the trend of the moment -- are a handful of musicians who are taking risks, ignoring the popular currents and following their own artistic vision. One such artist is Max Vague... A Music City immigrant by way of Los Angeles, Vague brought with him some curious baggage, such as artistic integrity, a distinct musical style and the tools and ability to bring his vision to fruition. Vague made a splash earlier this year with the Pop-flavored _Love In A Thousand Faces_, his impressive debut CD. Hot on the heels of that musical triumph, Vague closes 1993 with the release of _S.O.S. The Party's Over_. Musically, S.O.S. draws from a veritable wellspring of influences: Peter Gabriel, Eno, Pink Floyd...all pulled together into a cohesive musical whole. Vague provides nearly all of the instrumentation here, creating a lush, complex landscape that is a wonder in its beauty, awe- inspiring in its diversity and breathtaking in its scope. Upon this soundtrack, Vague has embroidered his lyrical poetry. Imaginative, colorful and intriguing, the songs on S.O.S. are like a puzzle box whose solution awaits discovery. Whereas some of the cuts are more straightforward in their understanding -- the title cut's theme of modern alienation, for example -- others, such as the haunting "Home" (with its fatalistic refrain, "we slide into obscurity with drugs and MTV, we know too much, we can't survive, they'll never let us out alive, our only option is to hide and let them roll on by") require a bit more thought. The rose-colored glasses on the disc's cover may provide Vague with a different take on life, but even they can't hide the political reality presented in cuts like "Believe" ("we focus on the sleight of hand in some foreign land and when our minds return we've forgotten what we've learned..."). Vague is one of the most exciting artists working in Rock today, an uncompromising musician and songwriter following his own muse through a commercial no-man's land, consequences be damned. As good as his debut disc may have been (and make no mistake, it is quite impressive), _S.O.S. The Party's Over_ is miles ahead of that effort, showing a remarkable artistic evolution and maturity. That Vague pulls off these recorded hat tricks with just a little help from his friends (MetroLord being his own, self-financed imprint) is even more remarkable yet. But then, the guy's too damn good for a major label...they wouldn't know how to handle something this original. (Copies of S.O.S. The Party's Over on CD are available for $12.99 from MetroLord Records, P.O. Box 476, Joelton, TN 37080) File No. 8 =============================================================== KOOL KUTS : DECEMBER 1993 Concrete Blonde / MEXICAN MOON (Capitol / IRS) This is one of the best albums, from start to finish, that I have heard in 1993. Just about every song on _Mexican Moon_ works, with the exception of one or two tracks in the middle. But when four of the first five tracks of an album -- "Jenny I Read," "Mexican Moon," "Heal It Up," and "Rain" -- each grab your full attention, you keep on listening to the rest of the record. Johnette Napolitano's singing voice is just remarkable, and the music supplements its dark, mysterious undercurrents wonderfully. By the time you get to the final track, a Spanish version of the title track ("Baja La Lune Mexicana"), you will be suitably impressed, believe me. In recent interviews, Napolitano suggests that this is the final Concrete Blonde album. I, and plenty of other music fans, sincerely hope this is not the case. Review By Jesse Garon / Email: j_garon@phantom.com ------------------------------------------------------ William S. Burroughs / SPARE ASS ANNIE (Island Red) Oh, Uncle Billy has done it again. Hot on the heels of his "collaboration" with everyone's favorite angst bunny, Kurt Kobain, Burroughs comes out and shows us how it really is, and this time with a soundtrack by Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy. Not only is this disk longer than _The 'Priest' They Called Him_, both the spoken material and the soundtrack is better, by far. For a good 47-some odd minutes, Burroughs assaults you with his famous grotesque fantasies in his raspy, dirty-old-man voice while Michael Franti and the rest of DHH give the listener refuge in their smooth and often subtle hip-hop backing. The balance is almost perfect, if not completely so. The DHH backing offsets Burroughs' dark humour with an often lighthearted view of the words that are flowing though it. The occasional jazz break or big-band drop-in don't hurt when they punctuate Burroughs' caustic words. The consistent quality of the tracks makes it somewhat difficult to pick out those that stand out above the rest. If I really had to, I'd probably pick "Did I Ever Tell You About The Man That Taught His Asshole To Talk?" and "Words of Advice For Young People" as being the best tracks on the album, but both for different reasons. "Asshole" is one of the classic Burroughs jags from his legendary _Naked Lunch_, an altogether disgusting variation on the old ventriloquist horror story of the dummy taking on a life of its own. Burroughs' words spread out over the mellow hip-hop backing smoothly, Burroughs the master storyteller, masterfully making sure that no horrid nuance is lost on the listener. "Words of Advice" sounds like it should be the single for this album. An incredibly obnoxious fanfare starts the track off with a bang, followed by a pause. Then, out of nowhere, comes Burroughs sounding like the withered patriarch so many paint him out to be, saying "People often ask me if I have any . . ." A smooth urban funk groove then sets the song into flight, with Uncle Bill offering us some true gems of wisdom, such as "If you're doing business with a religious son of a bitch, get it in writing. His word isn't worth shit, not with the good Lord telling him how fuck you on the deal." This one even has a chorus, with Burroughs' "Words of advice for young people" making their point. Now this is one disk that I recommend to anyone with a sense of humor, whether they've ever read Burroughs or not. Of course, I'm sure half of the W.S.B. fans out there are going to be put out by having hip-hop accompany the Elvis of letters himself, but there have been worse. It definitely makes for a more cohesive listen than 15 minutes of "I wanna be Lou Reed" posturing, wouldn't you say? I think DHH themselves put it best: "Now listen up ladies and gentlemen . . . From Lawrence Kansas, reading from _Naked Lunch_, and weighing in at slightly over 100 pounds, shooting a .45 from his asshole: Uncle Bill!" Review by Jeremy Dickens / DickenJD@CtrVax.Vanderbilt.Edu ------------------------------------------------------ Manic Street Preachers / GOLD AGAINST THE SOUL (Columbia) I think I'll invent a new word -- "Popcore." It's not quite pop, not quite hardcore punk. It's kind of like a combination of the two that isn't exactly power pop, either. This record is popcore. It's no accident that the word is almost exactly "popcorn." It's light, it's fluffy, and it tastes good at the time, with hardly any lasting effects. "Scream to a Sigh" and "Roses in the Hospital" are kind of neat songs, but basically you can take or leave this album without any major impact to your existence. Popcore. I like the sound of that. Think I might have to use it more often... Review By Jesse Garon / Email: j_garon@phantom.com ------------------------------------------------------ Various Artists / BACK TO THE STREETS: CELEBRATING THE MUSIC OF DON COVAY (Shanachie) Hot on the heels of their successful tribute to Curtis Mayfield, producers Jon Tiven and Joe Ferry offer up another star-studded collection, this time celebrating the music of songwriter/performer Don Covay. A vastly underrated songwriter, Covay's material has been recorded by everyone from Aretha Franklin and Wilson Picket to The Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix. As they did on the Mayfield set, Tiven and Ferry have gathered together a truly diverse grouping of artists to pay tribute to Covay's talent and, again, as on the previously-mentioned disc, there's not a bad cut to be found among the 16 presented here. With a studio band that includes keyboardist Paul Schaeffer, drummer Anton Fig and The Uptown Horns, various artists present their takes on Covay's work. From Ron Wood's raucous cover of "Chain Of Fools" and Bobby Womack's soulful rendering of "Checkin' Out" to Barrence Whitfield's rocking "Pony Time" to the Soul Summit assemblage (Living Colour's Corey Glover, Gary U.S. Bonds, Johnny Kemp, Chuck Jackson and Bobby Womack) and their joyful, album-closing rave-up on the title cut "Back To The Streets," this collection is a magnificent tribute to an artist too long in the shadows, but whose presence and talent have been influential nonetheless. (Shanachie Records, 37 E. Clinton St., Newton, NJ 07860) ------------------------------------------------------ Kate Bush / THE RED SHOES (Columbia) Julee Cruise / THE VOICE OF LOVE (Warner Bros.) Jane Siberry / WHEN I WAS A BOY (Reprise) A lot of hardcore Kate Bush fans have been disappointed in _The Red Shoes_, complaining that this album is a step backward for Kate, that songs like "Eat the Music," "Rubberband Girl," and "Why Should I Love You?" are a step backwards for the talented English singer. This is definitely not the Kate Bush of "Wuthering Heights" -- the "new" Kate Bush sings in a way that is much more sensual (not only in the sexual sense of the term, but in the sense of being rooted in the physical or material world) and less unearthly, continuing a thread from her last album, non-coincidentally titled _The Sensual World_. The ethereal qualities that attracted early fans have not been completely left behind, however. "Lily," for example, has intriguing lyrics suggestive of a Gnostic or Masonic ritual, and "The Song of Solomon" combines the earthy attitude of "don't want your bullshit/ just want your sexuality" (probably the couplet quoted in most reviews of a single album for 1993) with Biblical and Celtic mythology. She is also well served on this album by her collaborators. The Trio Bulgarka lend their haunting voices to several of the songs, and guitar work by Jeff Beck on "You're the One" and Eric Clapton on "And So Is Love" stands out without taking attention away from Bush. "Why Should I Love You," her duet with Prince, is one of the most interesting duets of the year. It starts out with faint traces of the Trio Bulgarka in the background as Kate sings the first verse, then the chorus kicks into a more Princely funk, while the lyric still maintains Kate Bush's spiritual resonances and imagery. (Yes, Prince's lyrics have also had spiritual imagery on a regular basis, but the specific feel of the images in this song are more like Bush, even when it is Prince who sings them.) This album shows off Kate Bush's development as a songwriter, a record producer, and as a musician/singer, and I hope that she will continue to challenge herself as she has done here. Julee Cruise's first album came out in 1989, the same year as _The Sensual World_. Produced by David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti, it included "Falling," the instrumental version of which became the theme to Twin Peaks. In many ways, I got the impression that Cruise's voice was "only" an instrument which Lynch used to create a specific atmosphere, one that is perhaps evocative of 40s/50s chanteuses like Peggy Lee or Julie London, but with a mysterious underside that could contain ecstasy or danger (and what if the two are one and the same?). The new album, _The Voice of Love_, sounds almost exactly like the last one. Same vaguely angelic voice, same eerie instrumentation, same impenetrable lyrics. I want to be clear on this point: I like the sound of this record, and Julee Cruise's voice is fantastic. But nothing has changed in four years, except that "Kool Kat Walk" sounds a bit more upbeat and "cool jazzy" than the other tracks. While Lynch and Badalamenti should be commended for providing Cruise with the opportunity to record two albums, I'd be interested now in seeing how she would handle other creative opportunities. The first Jane Siberry record I ever bought was _The Speckless Sky_, back in the summer of 1986. I listened to it a few times, then put it away until a year later, when I was laid up in bed with a 103 degree fever. I played the tape one afternoon while I was trying to sleep, and ended up having the most incredible lucid dreams. Since that day, I've gotten my hands on every Jane Siberry item I can get my hands on. Her albums have always had a dreamlike quality to them, ethereal instrumentation behind her vocals, and a stylistic consistency from one album to the next. Which is not to say that she has repeated herself from album to album; each new album has shown progress as an artist, without making the kind of radical leap that Suzanne Vega, for example, made between _Days of Open Hand_ and _99 F_. _When I Was a Boy_, however, did strike me as having some major differences from previous albums, some of which might be due to Brian Eno's production work on a number of tracks. Basically, it boils down to tracks like "Temple" being funkier/grittier than Siberry has been in the past, though consistent with her lyrical style, easily among the most poetic of any singer/songwriter today. In fact, "Temple," "All the Candles in the World," and other tracks have the same mixture of sensuality and unworldliness that makes _The Red Shoes_ such an interesting record, but Siberry's quirky style is sufficiently different from Bush's that you can enjoy both albums without feeling repetitive in any way. Reviews By Jesse Garon / Email: j_garon@phantom.com ------------------------------------------------------ Pigface / TRUTH WILL OUT (Invisible Records) You have to admit that most "supergroups" have a tendency to fall a bit short of what you would expect from them. Take a bunch of people from a bunch of interesting bands, put 'em in the same room with each other under the pretense of making music, and see what happens. Usually, the results are disappointing, as the people involved as misinterpreted the words "make music" to mean "engage in bitter battles of ego" or some such nonsense. Surprisingly, Pigface hasn't fallen into that pit. Descended through various lines to bands such as Killing Joke, Skinny Puppy and Ministry, not only have the members of Pigface stayed far away from the realms of petty bickering, but they have also consistently made music that, while perhaps not as interesting as some of the individual member's more "serious" work, is still quite interesting in its own right. Pigface's latest release, _Truth Will Out_, is a recording from the first live shows of their last tour. Unlike the band's previous live release, _Welcome To Mexico_, with its intentionally muddy sound, sound quality is excellent. However, what makes _Truth Will Out_ most interesting is the band's lineup, and how it works together. In addition to the expected presence of Martin Atkins, En Esch, Ogre and Matt Schultz (who could be considered the Pigface "core members," if you wanted to look at it that way) among others, these early tour dates in the winter of '92 were graced by the presence of Genesis P-Orridge, one of the people responsible for that noise called "industrial music" in the first place, who apparently committed to the shows during scheduling, but had not met anyone else involved until a couple of hours before the show. Indeed, according to Martin Atkins' liner notes, improvisation is part of what Pigface is about. But does it work? My answer to that question has to be yes. The disk kicks off with P-Orridge's tape loops ("Why the fuck can't you just enjoy your own fucking body?") and Matt Schultz's fabled Anti-Tank Guitar drones, only to be driven into "Can You Feel Pain," which could be considered the "new track" of this album. The rest of the disk flows like a good show should, through familiar tracks like "War Ich Nicht," "Do No Wrong," "Hips Tits Lips Power," and "7 Words." The end of the disk itself is humorous in typical Pigface fashion. After a bizarre discussion between the band and the audience (that lasts a bit longer than it should, I'd hazard), the band offers to placate the audience with "a very early Skinny Puppy song." With that, the band proceeds to massacre "Jingle Bells," a cappella, no less. The band predictably finishes with the now trite "Suck," which the insert credits to "Whatever Trent (Reznor / Nine Inch Nails) says - Really - No shit." Endless chuckles all around. For a live album, not bad at all. For a live album by one of the most bizarre gatherings of talents in recent memory, even better. You might not like it if you only listen to their first album for the Trent Reznor track, but if you like Pigface at all, you need this disk. If you still haven't heard Pigface yet, this might not be a bad place to start. (Invisible Records, P.O. Box 16008, Chicago, IL 60616) Review by Jeremy Dickens / Email: dickenjd@ctrvax.vanderbilt.edu ------------------------------------------------------ Tom Waits / THE BLACK RIDER (Island Records) This disc comes from a theatrical project that Waits did in collaboration with author William S. Burroughs and theatrical producer Robert Wilson in Germany, but it is not exactly the soundtrack album. Rather, it is Waits' own interpretation of the music that he wrote for that production, which was somewhere between a musical and an opera based on a German folk tale about a young man in love who makes a deal with the devil for magic bullets, with tragic results. If you listen closely to the lyrics, you can get a pretty good sense of the story, but a synopsis is provided in the excellent liner notes (the booklet is also noteworthy for having cool pictures of Waits and Burroughs standing together, one of those pairings that inherently makes sense when it finally happens). The musical style is similar to Waits' 1992 album _Bone Machine_, a very quirky and idiosyncratic sound, which reminds me more and more of the jazz composer Raymond Scott each time I listen to it. One of the great things about this record (as well as most of Waits’ best albums, including _Frank's Wild Years_, _Bone Machine_, and _Small Change_) is Waits' ability to write and record challenging music that is not difficult to listen to. He consistently pushes the boundaries of style, genre, and content, yet still manages to keep his listeners grounded to the music in an emotional sense. Fans of Tom Waits, and of music that goes past the boundaries of "120 Minutes" into the true alternative, will not be disappointed by _The Black Rider_. Review By Jesse Garon / Email: j_garon@phantom.com ------------------------------------------------------ Dead Can Dance / INTO THE LABYRINTH (4AD Records) Everybody (and we're talking everybody -- from critics for national magazines to my brother) is comparing Brendan Perry's voice on tracks like "The Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove" and "The Carnival Is Over" to the young Frank Sinatra. I'm not buying it. Anybody who listens closely is going to recognize that he sounds a lot more like Paul Anka, possibly even Perry Como. The Sinatra comparison is definitely the easy way out. Dead Can Dance is a very unusual duo (Lisa Gerrard is the other member). Their sound seems to draw equally upon Celtic, Middle Eastern and African folk music, with medieval traces here and there. It's unworldly and strangely archaic -- yet at the same time, it occasionally has the feel of twentieth century popular music -- not exactly big band, not exactly club jazz, not exactly pop standards, but some undefinable quality that can be suggestive of all these things while being something completely different. Many of the arrangements are astonishing -- when the horns kick in on "Tell Me About the Forest," for example, it's one of those musical moments that can take your breath away for a fraction of a second. This is the first original domestic release by this band, after 4AD and Rykodisc collected many of the best tracks from DCD's previous discs (still available on import) in the _A Passage Through Time_ compilation. Either disc is an excellent introduction to a band that manages a delicate balance in its treatment of older musical forms. They neither slavishly imitate the past, nor render it meaningless by grafting on techno sound effects and drum machines. They engage the past critically, responding to it, absorbing it, and making of it something entirely their own. Review By Jesse Garon / Email: j_garon@phantom.com ------------------------------------------------------ Various Artists / GOTHIC ROCK (Cleopatra Records) Although Gothic Rock never really caught on as a commercial entity in the United States as it did in Europe, its status as a cult music continues to grow as its popularity spreads beyond its coastal strongholds and into the great American heartland...and why not? Goth is much more than mere doom and gloom and crying Cassandra; it's a complex and poetic musical style that can be quite diverse in its orientation, magically enticing in its delivery. Luckily for American audiences, the Cleopatra Records label specializes in sub-genres of Rock like Gothic and Industrial musics; Cleopatra's double-disc Gothic Rock collection is a wonderful introduction for the neophyte or a treasure trove of obscure songs, hard-to-find performances and musical rarities for the old fan. Offering two dozen cuts stretched across its two sides, Gothic Rock collects a literal "who's-who" of the Gothic movement. Artists represented include more commercially successful acts such as Bauhaus, Gene Loves Jezebel and Virgin Prunes as well as lesser-known but artistically influential bands like U.K. Decay, Christian Death, Alien Sex Fiend and Nosferatu. Exhaustive liner notes provide a sense of historical placement, although the music speaks for itself: the droning barbiturate haze of the repetitive rhythms pierced by the mournful howls of the various vocalists. It's an excellent compilation, fairly priced and comes highly recommended... (Cleopatra Records, 8726 South Sepulveda, Suite D82, Los Angeles, CA 90045) ------------------------------------------------------ Sepultura / CHAOS A.D. (Roadrunner/Epic) With _Chaos A.D._, Sepultura lay claim to being the baddest thrash outfit on the planet, delivering an album so awesomely full of monster riffs and rhythms that you'll have to reinforce the floors and walls before playing it at a truly appropriate volume. Singer Max Cavalera's muscular vocals are supported by a gifted trio of musicians, from the ringing guitars of six- string maniac Andreas Kisser to the rhythm section of bassist Paolo Jr. and drummer Igor Cavalera. Together, this Brazilian quartet make some of the toughest, meanest music to be found in any Rock style today. Underlying and often overshadowed by Sepultura's powerful music is their lyrical subversion. Brazil's best-known export are also musical freedom fighters, guerilla poets using their words as weapons to showcase the ills of a world gone mad. Thrash is a music made for political commentary, and Sepultura utilize it to its fullest, breathing passion and fire into songs like the apocalyptic "Refuse/Resist," the violent "Manifest" or the haunting world-view of the Jello Biafra-penned "Biotech Is Godzilla." The wonderful instrumental "Kaiowas," inspired by a Brasilian Indian tribe who committed suicide rather than be oppressed by the powers of authority, provides a welcome break in the fury. Most of _Chaos A.D._ is appropriately unrelenting, however, with Andy Wallace's fine production brightening the already sharp instrument that is Sepultura. If the band's last album, _Arise_, was their big breakthrough, then _Chaos A.D._ is their destiny. ------------------------------------------------------ Meatloaf / BAT OUT OF HELL II: BACK INTO HELL (MCA Records) Some sixteen years ago, an unknown vocalist by the name of Meatloaf, fresh from a stint with Ted Nugent's mid-seventies "Free-For-All" band, hooked up with a songwriter named Jim Steinman and recorded what was destined to become a Rock classic: the _Bat Out Of Hell_ album. Critics hated it with a passion, but to an American audience sick of watered-down Rock & Roll, disgusted with Disco and unfamiliar with the Punk stirrings a continent away, _Bat Out Of Hell_ -- with its bombastic, guitar-driven tales of young lust, alienation and romance -- was bigger than life. The album has been a consistent best seller since its 1977 release. After a much publicized and highly public split, Steinman went on to write a handful of hits for artists like Bonnie Tyler, while Meatloaf recorded a bunch of albums (some good, some not-so-good) in a battle against obscurity. To the benefit of an audience still starved for the real Rock thing, the duo has reunited to create a sequel to one of the most enduring albums in Rock history. Slapping _Bat Out Of Hell II: Back Into Hell_ onto the CD player is like being nineteen again. This is the elusive pulse of Rock & Roll, that hard-to-capture spirit of the music and all of its promise that makes _Bat Out Of Hell II_ and its predecessor work so well. It's like trying to tell a stranger about Rock & Roll -- if they don't get it, chances are, they never will. This disc is loud, overblown and exaggerated, but it's also got more hooks than a Bassmasters' tournament and it rocks like a house afire. Even as history repeated itself and critics slagged _Bat Out Of Hell II_, it shot straight up to number one upon its release. The world is a different place than 1977, though, and this sequel reflects the urgency and identity of the decade. The cynicism of "Life Is A Lemon And I Want My Money Back," the erotic fantasies of "Out Of The Frying Pan (And Into The Fire)," the confusion of "It Just Won't Quit" all play to a different time and place. It's the two key cuts here, however -- the idealistic, decade-old "Rock And Roll Dreams Come Through" and "Wasted Youth/Everything Louder Than Everything Else" -- that serve as the youthful anthems around which all else revolves. It's the energy, the hope provided by these songs, and in Rock & Roll, that attracts the audience. It's what Meatloaf does best. It may be better to burn out than to fade away, and I'm glad that Meatloaf captured the chance to burn brightly again. ------------------------------------------------------ Electric Hellfire Club / BURN, BABY, BURN! (Cleopatra Records) At one time, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult was a ground-breaking and exciting band. One of the first to match industrial music to dance beats, they influenced a generation to follow with occult-tinged lyrics and a touch of artistic menace. The past couple of albums, however, have found the once lively Thrill Kill Kult becoming just another techno-pop band playing to the masses. If you miss that sense of adventure, the hard edge of insanity that once infused the Thrill Kill Kult's music, then look no further than the Electric Hellfire Club. Led by former Thrill Kill Kultist Buck Ryder, the born-again Satanist Thomas Thorn and his diabolical pack of merry pranksters bring danger back to the turntable with their debut album _Burn, Baby, Burn!_ The ten tracks here sizzle and pop like musical hellfire, with driving, hypnotic beats matched by growling vocals, found sounds, subliminal messages and more than a bit of antireligious fervor. Although not for the weak of heart, with a lyrical message that is definitely Satanist in nature, _Burn, Baby, Burn!_ is nonetheless a delicious album, a welcome alternative to the watered-down wimpy rave that passes as hardcore dance music and a balls-out affront to every artificial standard of decency and propriety that society attempts to force on Rock & Roll. (Cleopatra Records, 8726 South Sepulveda, Suite D82, Los Angeles, CA 90045) ------------------------------------------------------ Henry Kaiser & David Lindley / A WORLD OUT OF TIME, VOL. 2 (Shanachie) In 1991, the unlikely pairing of the extraordinary guitarist Henry Kaiser and the talented multi-instrumentalist David Lindley resulted in a trip to Madagascar and an even more unlikely collaboration with dozens of Malagasy musicians in the creation and recording of a series of CDs, the first of which was released as _A World Out Of Time_. The second of these wonderful recordings has just recently been released by the New Jersey-based Shanachie Records, and it deserves a space on every music lover's shelf. _A World Out Of Time, Volume 2_ picks up where its predecessor left off, showcasing the talents of the many musicians of Madagascar, often accompanied by Kaiser and Lindley, and as captured by a pair of German producers in their portable studio. The results are simply beautiful, the seventeen songs presented here illustrating the diversity of the island's musical heritage, which ranges from traditionally-oriented Malagasy Folk to a more Western-influenced Pop style. Most of the songs included here, however, showcase a musical identity entirely indigenous to this island paradise, their melodies and rhythms as lush and complex as the rural countryside they spring from. Plans are for Shanachie to release a third volume in this series in the future. Albums from a number of Malagasy artists are also available from Shanachie. (Shanachie Records, 37 E. Clinton St., Newton, NJ 07860) ------------------------------------------------------ Fudge Tunnel / CREEP DIETS (Earache/Columbia) With a crunching groove that falls somewhere in betwixt thrash and grindcore, Fudge Tunnel assault the unsuspecting listener with the massive blast of sound that is _Creep Diets_. The guitars here never shut up, chatting away incessantly and stinging like a solid, openhanded slap to the face, while the song's rhythms dance in the mix like a hanged man twisting in the wind. Painful vocals are partially obscured by sonic overkill, providing the dedicated listener with hours of fun deciphering the dirge- like howls of songs like "Tipper Gore" and "Hot Salad." A head-first leap into the abyss, _Creep Diets_ is marvelously painful mutant music for musical mutants. Play it loud...you and your parents both will be glad you did! ------------------------------------------------------ Prong / CLEANSING (Epic Records) New York City's Prong have never really received their due, critically or commercially. 'Tis a shame, too, since these guys kick out a monster groove that wipes the floor with just about any hardcore / thrash / metal/ hard rock band around. A quick spin of _Cleansing_ (scheduled for late January release), Prong's first recording since 1992's _Whose Fist Is This Anyway?_ EP, proves that these Big Apple bruisers still have that magic touch... _Cleansing_ opens with "Another Worldly Device," a guitar-driven musical knee to the groin complete with heaping helpings of distorted feedback, shouted vocals and a wickedly funky groove. It kicks immediately into "Whose Fist Is This Anyway?," remade from the aforementioned EP, a solid wall of resounding riffs underlining a solid, rhythmic beat and heavy growled vocals. From here on, you're on your own, bunkie, as _Cleansing_ provides plenty o' the same: intense, loud guitars; tasty, throbbing bass lines (courtesy of new Prongster Paul Raven, formerly of Killing Joke) and incessantly pounding drums, the entire fusion generating enough electricity to light up the entire East Coast. _Cleansing_ is a fanatic's dream come true, with enough noise, power and fury to drive even the most hardcore Rocker into a three-day coma...and from Prong, would you expect any less? ------------------------------------------------------ Nik Turner / SPHYNX (Cleopatra Records) In the early seventies, as part of the legendary and influential British band Hawkwind, Nik Turner often times explored the outer reaches of human consciousness, both musically and lyrically, taking the listener on an aural journey to strange lands that mixed science fiction, fantasy and magick in creating a truly surreal landscape. Hawkwind's legacy can be found in many of today's top experimental artists, from The Orb to Psychick TV. Since those heady days, the enigmatic Turner has expressed himself equally as tantalizingly through bands like Sphynx and Inner City Unit. With _Sphynx_, the album (no connection to his earlier band), Turner's first recording in seven years, he continues down a similar path, transporting us musically to an ancient Egypt full of mystery. With a band that includes a former Hawkwind mate, guitarist Helios Creed, Turner has created a truly amazing musical reality. This seventy minute sojourn will take you across the desert sands to the Great Pyramid, with proper attention and homage paid to the old gods Anubis, Isis and Osiris along the way. Through timeless invocations and poetic sacrifice, Turner has made _Sphynx_ a beautiful tapestry of otherworldly psychedlica, hallucinogenic rhythms, synthesized sound and cold chrome guitar riffs. It is an invigorating, mind-expanding journey, a complex and exciting experience that you'll want to delve into again and again, as the music and your imagination both come alive in a blur of color and reality. (Cleopatra Records, 8726 South Sepulveda, Suite D82, Los Angeles, CA 90045) File No. 9 =============================================================== SHORT CUTS (Mini-Reviews) The Organization / _The Organization_ (Metal Blade) Predominantly generic heavy metal with brief flashes of brilliance courtesy of the former Death Angel boys. Personally, I would prefer more heart and less histrionics... (Metal Blade, 2345 Erringer Road, Suite 108, Simi Valley, CA 93065) YGz / _Street Nigga_ (Warner / Reprise) Young rap duo mix a little new jack soul with hardcore gangsta rhymes on this six-song debut EP. Whereas cuts like "Street Nigga," "Ghetto Celeb" and "Itchy Trigger Finger" provide fresh visions from the street, scatalogical braggadoccio as on "Wonder In Bed" is mere musical masturbation, an enormous waste of talent. Impressive, but let's see where they go with an entire album's worth. Tia Carrere / _Dream_ (Warner / Reprise) The _Wayne's World_ babe steps out of her cinematic role as a lusted-after, hard-rocking sex queen and into the worn-out shoes of yet another Madonna-cloned sex toy serving up warmed-over dancefloor dreck. Sure, she looks great, but so do they all...and is that any excuse for a decent vocalist mouthing such awful, watered-down, limp-wristed material? I think not... Heart / _Desire Walks On_ (Capitol) With few exceptions, _Desire Walks On_ presents the same Rock & Roll recipe that the sisters Wilson have been following for the past decade and a half. Unfortunately, what was fresh, original and even...gasp... influential in 1976 is tired, cliched and pointless today. Morphine / _Cure For Pain_ (Ryko) Beantown's Morphine serves up a tasty helping of jazzy, blues- infused rock with _Cure For Pain_, their debut disc. This highly talented trio have carved their own little personal musical netherworld out of be- bop riffs, manacing guitars and dusky vocals. A little brief at a mere 35 minutes, but the extreme diversity of sound and excellent musical ideas more than make up for it. (Ryko, Pickering Wharf, Bldg C, Salem, MA 01970) Sweaty Nipples / _Sweaty Nipples_ (Megaforce Entertainment) An introductory 4-song EP that will grab your ears with both hands and slam your head against the wall for a solid 20 minutes, leaving a pleasantly painful ringing. A hard rocking fusion of thrash, metal and blazing Rock that is highly recommended. (Megaforce, 210 Bridge Plaza Dr., Manalapan, NJ 07726) File No. 10 ============================================================== THE SINGLES SCENE Fun Girls From Mt. Pilot / _Hi Doll!_ EP (House O’ Pain) To paraphrase an old advertising campaign, "if it's House O' Pain then you know it's gotta be good!" _Hi Doll!_, from the H.O.P. "house band," Fun Girls From Mt. Pilot, presents a half a dozen punkish, sloppy, loud and obnoxious cuts that provide fun with a bite. Whereas cuts like "Rocket Cycle" and "Billy Dee Williams" offer high-speed reflections upon facets of trashy Pop Culture, others, such as "Your Girlfriend Hates Me" or "Bad Day" showcase the true thoughts and feelings of the so-called "Generation X" in a manner that dubious spokespeople like Nirvana never could (or will). They save the big guns, though, for the deadly and damning "Let's Play Pretend," where the Fun Girls slag the alternative wanna-be's who mouth platitudes and are adorned in $30 Lollapalooza t-shirts but won't cough up a few bucks to see a local band. An articulate and irreverent debut from Nashville's Fun Girls From Mt. Pilot, _Hi Doll!_ is a great example of what indie Rock can be. (House O' Pain, P.O. Box 120861, Nashville, TN 37212) Load / _Sleestack_ EP (House O’ Pain) A menacing, low growling buzz opens this double-sided dose of musical madness, the cut "Hey Dickface" growing into a feedback-driven, dirge-like tale of drug-induced paranoia that features truly tortured vocals, tasty, hard guitar licks and a hellish, muscular rhythm track. "Rugburns" is a significantly revved-up number with screeched vox and monstrous riffs whereas "Nail" is a thrashy, high-speed descent into ringing guitars and sonic mayhem. From H.O.'P., naturally... (House O' Pain, P.O. Box 120861, Nashville, TN 37212) Donald Wilson / _Fred The Snowman_ EP (Scheming Intelligentsia) Those who say that the 7" vinyl format is an artistically insignificant one is not only not reading this column, but probably never heard Donald Wilson's _Fred The Snowman_, either. A 7", 12 song cycle reminiscent of The Minutemen's best work, _Fred The Snowman_ covers the musical map, with obscure, almost stream-of-consciousness-styled lyrics backed with an array of finely-crafted diversity, with jazzy licks giving way to bombastic, cacophonic noise, seguing into shiny metallic discordant noise with hidden vocals. Side Two begins with a wickedly satirical, shit-kicking Country tune, a lyric-heavy tale of incest and slothful drunkenness, with scratchy guitar providing appropriately cheesy instrumentation. A very impressive effort from the band named after a person, Donald Wilson. (Scheming Intellgensia, 3025 Plaza Blvd., National City, CA 91950) Downset / "About ta Blast!" b/w "Body Cry" (Metal Blade) Most bands attempting a true fusion of hardcore punk and rap have failed miserably, a few exceptions like Body Count duly noted. Downset are another exception to that rule, kicking out a pair of heavy, metal-tinged socio- political rockers with this single. "About ta Blast!" is a time-bomb ticking away the minutes until L.A. erupts in flames once again, while "Body Cry" is a bass-driven sludge-rock ode to white media culture and its denigrating influence on the poor and dispossessed. A powerful pair of songs with an important and intelligently-delivered lyrical message. Downset are definitely an outfit to watch... (Metal Blade, 2345 Erringer Road, Suite 108, Simi Valley, CA 93065) File No. 11 ============================================================== ZINE REVIEWS All Reviews By Jesse Garon Olive Loaf, Issue #1 (Free, but money would be nice to P.O. Box #41835, Nashville, TN 37204) This zine wants to document the Nashville scene, what they say there is of it. The creators take the interesting stance of remaining anonymous, claiming that the zine isn't about their personal gratification, but about getting the information out there. That's a laudable position to take, and as this zine continues, hopefully it will get better. The premiere issue is pretty standard, though the "Superfly vs. Shaft" article is kind of funny. Nexus 6, Issue #1 ($ 2.00 to P.O. Box 1394, Hollywood, CA 90078) Interesting graphic style, very "cyberpunk." Goes for a target audience they define as "GenX cyber-industrialists;" the music reviews reflect this editorial stance, dealing with bands like Genitorturers and Sheep on Drugs (with that Billy Idol thing thrown in for good measure). Interviews include Jennifer "Boxing Helena" Lynch, Chris "Film Threat" Gore, and John Bergin. Overpriced for the newsprint-like paper they print on, but not too shabby. butterknife junior, Issue #??? (Not sure, send something to Rte. 5, Box 446, Benton, KY 42025) This thing is all over the place: stream of consciousness on the verbal and visual levels. I think it comes from somebody named "Hilary." It's kind of hard to get into, but delving into its chaos can prove rewarding. Send a buck and a couple of stamps to the address and see for yourself. William Wants a Doll, Issue #3 ($1 or trade in c/o Arielle Greenberg, 105 Patton Blvd, New Hyde Park, NY 11040) The Issue a Go-go. Probably one of the best self-published zines I have read since I started. Arielle's got a cool perspective on pop culture, and a firm grip on reality. The magazine has something of a bi/feminist/hip sensibility to it, and always keeps my interest. Phrases like "pure tv love" and "filmboys" ought to be in everybody's vocabulary. There's a shitload of zine reviews, too, as she vows to review everything she gets. William Wants A Doll is not to be missed. Anyone who sticks Kay Thompson's "Eloise" on the cover of her zine rules OK in my book. Magnet, Issue #2 ($3 to PRG Communications, 1020 N. Delaware Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19125) Claims to have the last GG Allin interview...oh boy...interviews with the Juliana Hatfield Three and Lydia Lunch are okay, too. The reviews section gets to go into some depth, which is nice. Basically, a low-rent version of Spin, and, in fact the typeface looks exactly the same. Your Flesh, Issue #28 ($3.95 from P.O. Box #583264, Minneapolis, MN 55458-3264) This is a very thick zine. Lots of reviews of music, though most of them are extremely short. The book and film sections go into a bit more detail, however. The articles and interviews, though, are very good -- this issue features a tribute to Sun Ra, and talks with Rocket From the Crypt, Television, and Zip Code Rapists, among others. ************************************************************ FREEBIE: Hey cyber-gang! Win a copy of our great December CD DU JOUR, Max Vague's S.O.S. THE PARTY's OVER. Be one of the first ten people to respond with this issue's secret word via Email to: GordonKA@CtrVax.Vanderbilt.Edu and it's yours! Please allow a couple of weeks for mailing... ************************************************************ LEGALESE, ETC... R.A.D! and R.A.D! On-Line Copyright 1993 by Keith A. Gordon and CONSPIRACY M.E.D.I.A, a non-profit anarchist collective working towards the gradual improvement of popular culture through thought, words and deed, believing in the virus of ideas and the concept of creative and individual freedom. ------------------------------------------------------ Keith A. Gordon / PUBLISHER & EDITOR Tracey L. Dooling / ASSOCIATE EDITOR Jeremy Dickens & Jesse Garon / CONTRIBUTORS Letters of Commentary, Submission of editorial material such as interviews, reviews, etc may be sent to R.A.D! at P.O. Box 158324, Nashville, TN 37215 Items for review, such as CDs, artist bios and photos, Zines, Video or whatever should be sent to 826 Old Charlotte Pike East, Franklin, TN 37064 ------------------------------------------------------ THANX THIS ISSUE GO OUT TO... Randy Ford, Mary Mancini @ LUCY'S RECORD SHOP, Pam Cross ("Hi, Pam!"), Steve Kares & IRS RECORDS, Michelle Roche, Donnie & the HOUSE O' PAIN gang, Andy Anderson, Tom Cording @ MCA Records, the folks @ KINKO'S KOPIES, Ron Hogan, Daryl & Jody & BONE Mag, Chris Kamatani, Lisa Shively & THE PRESS NETWORK, Sandy Sawotka @ IMAGO, Brian @ CLEOPATRA, Max Vague, Paul Southworth @ University of Michigan & anyone we may have forgotten! AS ALWAYS, THANX FOR THE HELP & SUPPORT TO Dru "j.a." Myers, Maxxima Thule, Orpheus 23 & Nuit/Star, Kid Kasual, C Ra & the regular gang o' CyberPunx... ------------------------------------------------------ THE NEXT LIVER-QUIVERING ISSUE OF R.A.D! (the end-o'-the-year round-up of the best & worst of '93) is due on-line & on the streets on January 10,1994 >** End Ov File, End Ov Transmission **<