RTS
The story of "Heaven and Earth" is much more human than Oliver Stone's previous movies, yet the finished product is not as brilliant.
Down By Law
Blue
Epitaph
If Down By Law sounds like the
Descendents, All, The Chemical
People, et al, there is one very simple
reason - Down By Law comes from
a very convoluted family tree that
starts with the Descendents and
stretches through a handful of punk
bands. Like their predecessors and
contemporaries, Down By Law play
ultra-produced, harmony-rich punk
rock which their label, Epitaph, seems
to be a breeding ground for.
Lyrically, Down By Law's new
release "Blue" resembles All, using
themes that question modern life.
Unlike All, Down By Law doesn't
'actually give specific messages -
they only raise general problems. All
these questions are the same, and, in
fact, the lyrics could be rearranged
completely and the songs would re-
main the same. For example, "What
are we doing here?" (from "Looking
For Something"), "Will we everknow
a brighter future?" (from "At Home
in the Wasteland") and "Are we mak-
ing adifference or wasting our time?"
(from "The Greenest Field") are un-
answerable questions, and Down By
Law's continual use of these themes
becomes tiring and cliche. There is no
substance to these lyrics.
The music on "Blue" is good for
ultra-produced, harmony-rich punk
rock. Highlights include "The Last
Brigade" (is that an AC/DC riff!?),
"Straw" and the acoustic (that's "un-
plugged" for all you MTV addicts)
"Dead End." But "Dead End" returns
once again to the never-ending ques-
tions with "Will I see better days?" If
anyone out there has answers for
Down By Law, please write them.
They seem almost too desperate for
solutions.
- Matt Carlson
Quiet Riot
Quiet Riot: The Randy Rhoads
Years
Rhino
Among most music fans, Quiet
Riot is only known for their
endearlingly stupid hits "Cum On Feel
Tha Noize" and "Bang Your Head
(Metal Health)," but before they
achieved success in the early '80s
they were a formidable, if flawed,
heavy metal band with one musician
that separated the rest of the crowd -
Randy Rhoads.
Rhoads was a brilliant, innovative
guitarist whose impact on heavy metal
guitar in the last decade is nearly
incalculable. With his two albums
with Ozzy Osbourne, Rhoads forged
new techniques in speed-picking and
also brought a number of classical
influences into heavy metal guitar.
Sadly, Rhoads was killed in an air-
plane accident just as his career was
beginning to take off. While
Osbourne's 1986 live album, "Trib-
ute," remains the best place to hear
why Rhoads is revered among heavy
metal guitarists, the lovingly produced
"Quiet Riot: The Randy Rhoads
Years" is essential for fans of the late
musician.
All of the material on this compi-
lation is before Quiet Riot hit the big-
time; neither of their big hits are avail-
able here. What is available is a wealth
of previously unavailable material
from the late '70s, when Randy
Rhoads was developing his stagger-
ing technique. Neither of Quiet Riot's
first two albums have ever been re-
leased in America. "The Randy
Rhoads Years" collects highlights
from those records with the addition
of five previously unreleased tracks,
including the ten-minute guitar solo,
"Laughing Gas."
While some of the songs may be
cliched, there is no denying the power
of Rhoads' talents. Anyone who has
ever been awed by his fret-work will
find much to treasure on this release.
- Tom Erlewine
Various Artists
Judgment Night Soundtrack
Immortal/Epic Soundtrax
Let's be honest - the soundtrack
for "Judgment Night" is a brilliantly
calculated piece of product. No one
would have noticed an action movie
starring Emilio Estevez and Denis
Leary if it wasn'tconnected with this
album of collaborations between rock
and rap artists. While the collabora-
tions look great on paper, on record
they sound very weak.
None of the tracks sound as if the
two artists were in the studio at the
same time. On nearly every song, the
raps sound as if they were added as an
afterthought. Another strike against
the album is how most of the songs
are blatant reproductions of Public
Enemy and Anthrax's groundbreaking
"Bring Tha Noize." Cypress Hill re-
tains their lazy, stoned groove on both
of their tracks. On "I Love You Mary
Jane," they completely dominate
Sonic Youth.- it sounds no different
than a straight Cypress Hill track.
However, even the druggy "I Love
You Mary Jane" sounds pre-pack-
aged by the movie's producers and
the record label, aimed directly at the
lucrative alternative market.
Out of all the songs on "Judgment
Night," only Mudhoney and Sir Mix-
A-Lot's "Freak Momma" sounds like
a genuine collaboration. With its huge,
stupid guitar chords and idiotic cho-
ruses and verses, it is the only true
rock & roll moment on an album that
plays it entirely too safe.
- Tom Erlewine
Rush
Counterparts
Atlantic Anthem
Twenty years after their self-titled
debut, Rush is still at it. Their distinct
progressive sound and style have
earned them a spot in rock history, but
their recent releases have been rather
dry and undynamic and may have
permanently tarnished their reputa-
tion.
Long-time Rush fans may be sur-
prised by the sound of the first two
singles, "Stick It Out" and "Animate"
which glisten with a modern, alterna-
tive edge that luckily does not sound
contrived. Rather, with their straight-
forward heavy-rock feel, the songs
sound like a throwback to Rush's first
three releases. "Stick It Out" drives
hard, unconsciously imitating a
Soundgarden groove. The first song,
"Animate" has Alex Lifeson's trade-
mark arpeggiated chords, but Geddy
Lee's bass line, a continuous 16th
note strum, gives the songs a fresh
flavor. However, these two songs are
among the few that differentiate this
disc from any of the past five.
"Counterparts" is concerned with
personal relationships, a far cry from
the technological concerns of past
recordings. "Alien Shore," a love song
as only Rush can deliver, includes the
lyrics "For you and me, sex is not a
job description." In general, the lyrics
are not as complex, but continue to be
as hokey as usual.
A few of the remaining nine songs
come close to saving the record. An
acoustic tune called "Nobody's Hero,"
about a gay man who dies of AIDS, is
a quality song. "Double Agent" has a
See RECORDS, Page 8
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