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Page 8 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, October 18, 1988-
Various Artists
'Til Things Are Brighter
Rave Records.
'Til Things Are Brighter is a
tribute to Johnny Cash, a compila-
tion of 13 songs made famous by
Cash, and a fundraiser for the Ter-
rence Higgins trust, a group dealing
with the growing AIDS problem.
Three good reasons to buy this record
right away. But....
Marc Riley (The Creepers) and
Jon Langford (Mekons) assembled a
backing band and recruited their
friends to contribute vocals to this
project. Michelle Shocked, Mary
Mary (Gaye Bikers on Acid), and a
host of others are featured on this re-
lease. The backing band, with Riley
and Langford on guitars, appears on
all tracks, and while the band has the
chops to pull off the tunes flaw-
lessly, it would have been more in-
teresting, and brought more variety.
to the record, if each vocalist had 9
been allowed to record with their own
groups. My other quibble is the
omission of "Orange Blossom Spe-
cial" and "Jackson," two of my fa-
vorite Cash songs.
"Wanted Man" (Marc Riley on
vocals) and "Five Feet High And
Risin" (Tracey and Melissa Beehive
on vocals) are two renditions that are
especially good. But overall, the al-
bum is a bit listless. The concept is
great, the songs are great, and the'
profits go to a good cause, but the
performance is less than ideal. Buy
the real thing, by the Man in Black,
himself, and donate to the cause of K.
Yuji Oniki
Shonen Blue
Big Art Records
I get really frustrated by records
like this. It's the record that people
keep coming into my room to play,
or, worse yet, I think I've lost, only
to have it turn up a week later in
someone else's collection. Luckily, I
kept hold of this disk long enough to
review it. By now, I assume it's
floating around the house some-
where...
Oniki plays with a handful of
studio musicians on Shonen Blue,
but fortunately his guitar and voice
remain in the foreground throughout.
He has a very distinct vocal style,
like a cross between Michael Stipe
and Bob Dylan - pleasingly
mumbly, though at the same time
easy to understand. He seems to con-
tinually show the ease with which he
sings, and this style compliments his
lyrics. As a songwriter he is in the
vein of - eek! - someone like
Suzanne Vega, simple but poetic,
playing off everyday situations to
create emotion. "Dropping Hands" is
a prime example of this, Oniki's end-
of-relationship ballad: "Sometimes I
wish that I had never met you / On
'the sidewalk where we once stumbled
/ A long time ago / Dropping hands-
and you let go."
It ,doesn't rock, and it isn't the
prettiest release of the decade, but its
pleasant, and that's enough. Take a
chance on this one. You, and those
you live with, won't be sorry.
--Robert Flaggert1
A
f4
your choice instead.
-Chuck Skarsaune
'The Man in Black' donates
13 songs for AIDS research.
K.4
Ludichrist
Powertrip
Combat Core Records
This is one record I really wanted to dislike. The
bio-sheet reads like a first-grader's book report, and the
cover is what might be expected - a visual attack on
religion, crime, and big business, and a promotion of
,sexism (but hey, like Guns 'n' Roses' original cover
for Appetite for Destruction wasn't?) The whole metal
humor thing really turns me off, but this record blew
me away.
Speedmetal stopped being interesting years ago, a
humorous has-been alternative to the hardcore/metal
crossover bands that were pussy-footing around at the
time. But nobody wants to listen to long-haired,
undernourished hardcore dropouts anymore. It's been
overdone, and it's starting to become clich6. Even
Metallica's latest record sucks. Enter Ludichrist, a fresh
alternative, and the self-proclaimed "Happy High
Priests of Crossover." Wielding power the likes of
which will never be harnessed by anything post-Kiss,
humor surpassing anything by Monty Python, speed
Husker Du never dared dream of, and politics Bono
would wet himself over before dealing with.
Powertrip is Ludichrist's second full-length, the
first being last year's Immaculate Deception, the pre-
mier battle in a long term aural war which is continued
tactlessly on this recent release. "This Party Sucks"
exemplifies their tactlessness, and power, a speed-
thrash-rap song that deals only with the disappointment
of a lame party. Who could ask for more? Nothing is
more pleasurable than having speedmetal politics
crammed down one's throat while the ears are being
crushed by dual, power-guitars. The rest of the album
is as great, a blur of powerful fury and wit which is ei-
ther just a fluke in the speedmetal-drivel genre, or else
Combat Core has really stumbled upon something.
-Robert Flaggert
Hymn
Continued from Page 7
Diddley beat of "Desire," for example
is wholly new territory for them, but
Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, Jr.,
pump out the tricky syncopation like
they had never heard of Dublin. The
R&B rave-up,,"When Love Comes
to Town," recorded at Sun Studios,
Memphis with B.B. King, is a clas-
sic example of the form, and yet still
undeniably U2.
The "love" referred to on that song
isn't the boy-meets-girl-on-the-beach
type of love, it's the selfless Chris-
tian Love of Humanity hinted at on a
few songs from the Joshua Tree. On
Rattle and Hum, U2 immereis
themselves in Christian Love. "NO
man is my enemy/ My own hand$
imprison me," announces Bono '0
"Love Rescue Me" (also recorded at
Sun - this time Mr. Bob Dylan
lends a helping hand). The caustic
put-downs of American televangelistd
inserted into "Bullet the Blue Sky"
round out the new, theological U2.
Not to be overlooked on this ove
loaded album is the Edge's lone vocal
.contribution, "Van Dieman's Land-2'
The guitarist's tremulous approxin-
ation of Bono's aching wail turns out
to be a charismatic instrument. And
the indication that Bono's substantial
ego can make room for another
vocalist is a promising one. O.K,
one cheap shot.
-Mark Swart
Stand 111) Co(medy
A LCOI
AWARENE
ICTOBER 1
In recognition of Alc
Week, the following
be providing either1
non-alcoholic beve
HOL
"S WEEK
6-22, 1988
Bohol Awareness
Sbusinesses will
free or half-price
rages at varying
.ek:
Good Time Charley's
The Nectarine Ballroom
Pizzeria Uno's
The University Club
sociation and the
cil of the Univer-
)uld like to com-
iesses for their
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The Panhellenic As!
Interfraternity Coun
sity of Michigan wc
mend these busin
A
AFFORDABLE
WEEKEND FUN
Crystal Mountain
Ski Weekend just
9 perperson
group rate
Includes two nights lodging in
an area motel, day and night
skiing Friday through Sunday.
Great Times with
Good Friends
Get your friends together and en-
joy 22 downhill slopes or 26
kilometers of cross-country trails.
Plus nightly activities, entertain-
ment, heated outdoor pool and
more! All you need is a group of 20
for our special rates, with extra sav-
ings for the organizer. With a group
of 40 or more, the organizer stays
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