4 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 14 4 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 4 11 I I