24A - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, September 3, 1997


RECORDS
,Continued from Page 19A
Noel as being mediocre (plus its guitar
solo sounds uncannily like that of "Stay
Young'" a b-side to the "D'You Know
,What I Mean" single), but it is a win-
ner: Liam attacks Noel's optimistic and
boastful lyrics, bringing more than the
arnount of energy required to give the
words proper treatment.
"The Girl In The Dirty Shirt" is the
least worthy song on "Be Here Now,"
,hile "Fade In-Out" is Noel's most
experimental track on the album, com-
plete with slide guitar courtesy of a cer-
tain Johnny Depp. The song is rather
spooky and for some reason
sounds like Bon Jovi's
" Wanted: Dead OrV
.Alive" (the west-
ern/ghost town
ambiance, not the
;heesy hair band
histrionics).
Liam pulls a 180
on the next song, the
.beautiful "Don't Go
Away." He supposedly
nailed the vocals in one take, pos-
jibly even more heartfelt and sweet-as-
cotton-candy than those on
"Wonderwall." If America doesn't fall
at Oasis' feet for this imminent single, I
don't know if she ever will. Instantly
catchy and fun, the title track "Be Here
Now" will certainly have the masses
properly hopping up and down when
the band resumes its touring schedule in
the fall.
"All Around The World" was written
by Noel even before "Definitely
Maybe" was released, but he wanted to
wait until his band had enough clout to

procure a 36-piece orchestra to fill out
the epic song. The result works - to a
point. At nearly 10 minutes in length,
"All Around The World" could've been
trimmed by nearly three or four full
minutes and been a sure-fire Top Ten
radio hit and arguably the most sunny
and anthemic song in Oasis' arsenal.
The title of "It's Gettin' Better
(Man!!)" smacks of truth: Oasis are
getting better, reducing the amount of
filler songs on each successive album,
improving vocals from decent to splen-
did, adding burlier drums and finding
better guitar licks and tone.
Fading out to the sound of approach-
ing footsteps and a door closing, "Be
Here Now" ushers in a new era
of Oasis: slightly more
t experimental, just as
tuneful and pleasantly
upbeat and confi-
dent, given the evil
external forces sur-
rounding the band's
every waking second.
-Aaron Rennie
Fleetwood Mac
The Dance
Reprise Records
Christine loves John. Christine
dumps John. Lindsey loves Stevie.
Stevie loves Lindsey. Lindsey screws
up. Stevie sleeps with Mick to get
back at Lindsey.
What's this, you might ask, exciting

scenes from the next "General
Hospital"? No, this is part of the sor-
did history of Fleetwood Mac, whose
poetic love-and-loss pop Mac nuggets
of the 70's and 80's were overshad-
owed only by the band's own loves and
losses, culminating in its breakup nine
years ago.
Back together to celebrate the 20th
anniversary of their landmark album
"Rumours," Lindsey Buckingham,
Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie,
John McVie and Stevie Nicks once
again dish out a full-fledged Mac
attack with a 79-minute live CD, "The
Dance."
The album is filled with the nice
rock staples that made them famous
but is underscored with the real-life
drama that comes from 20 years of
sporadic togetherness and constant ani-
mosity.
The big Mac are at their usual best
with familiar retreads of such hits as
"Go Your Own Way" "Rhiannon" and
"Say You Love Me." Scattered
throughout these and other classics are
four shaky new songs that range from
Christine's stellar, bouncy number
"Temporary One," an instant classic; to
Lindsey's yearning midtempo ballad
"Bleed To Love Her"; to Stevie's fun
but disposable "Sweet Girl"; to
Lindsey's misguided "My Little
Demon,' the album's only misstep. But
such quiet mistakes can be overlooked
when one plays "Tusk" and "Don't
Stop" with the aid of the USC
Marching Band.
Though that guest appearance is
rather refreshing, the best guest stars
on the disc are those of the group's
sudden gusts of inspiration that are a
welcome break from the pleasant

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Return of the Mac: Mick Fleetwood, Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie and John McVie stop bickering for
--116 --^-A +A 10nprAAA fin Y rt~aca f Tho nnIpck _.

spot second to promote the release of °!ne uance.°

familiarity. The most inspired perfor-
mances on the disc are without doubt
the ones that have undergone the most
changes - specifically Christine
channelling Gloria Estefan on the
newly funky "Everywhere"; Lindsey's
breathless acoustic rendering of "Big
Love"; and Stevie's tour-de-force on
"Silver Springs," a forgotten gem that
rocks as much as it lilts while every-
one's favorite gypsy warns you that
"you'll never get away from the sound
of the woman that loves you."
Obsession, betrayal, love, hate,
Mick, Christine, John, Lindsey, Stevie,

some kick-ass soft rock favorites -
so are the days of Fleetwood Mac's
lives.
- Bryan Lark

Wyclef Jean
The Carnival
Columbia Records


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4,'
1.

When is a Fugee not a Fugee ?
This is one of man's eternal unan-
swered questions; it's a riddle worthy
of the sphinx; it's a scientific discovery
waiting to happen!
Strangely, this question has been
answered simply on Fugee Wyclef
Jean's album, "The Carnival": A Fugee
isn't a Fugee when he takes a hip-hop
hiatus from Lauryn Hill and Pras
Michel and kicks out the solo jams in a
unique musical opus that alternately
gets deep and gets your groove on.
Still, no matter what Wyclef's talking
about or what a song sounds like, the
tunes are remarkably consistent, making
"The Carnival" one of the most listen-
able rap albums in recent memory -
possessing a complete, funky aural
tapestry instead of a barely developed
area rug with a few bright spots.
The most evident bright spots of
"The Carnival" are, staying true to
Jean's Fugee heritage, the danceable,
reggae-flavored interpretations of
familiar classics that sit nicely along-
side Hill's "Killing Me Softly" and
Jean's own "No Woman No Cry."
Cover boy Jean here takes on the
Bee Gees' "Staying Alive" on the

album's first single, "We Trying To
Stay Alive," making the disco classic
backdrop for a sing-along meditation
on the climate of life and of hip-hop.
With the help of Latina superstar
Celia Cruz, Wyclef gives the fol*)n
"Guantanamera" a Fugee makeover,
positioning Cruz' dreamy Spani-h
crooning with Jean's comments of "
you speak English?" and Can I Buy
You A Drink?"
Equally as amusing is the nod to .
Julio Iglesias and Willie Nelson, "1To
All The Girls,' that uses the same sent
ments as the original but with a decid-
edly 90's don't-wanna-be-a-playcr-no-
more twist with the chorus being
all the girls I've cheated on before .
Though the covers are recognizabl
the true attractions of this "Carnival"
are Wyclef's many innovations inolu
ing the lush midtempo number 'Gon
Till November" performed with The
New York Philharmonic; the BpOfr
Marley reincarnated feeling of-
"Gunpowder"; and the Neville,
Brothers' guest shot on the sexy slov
jam "Mona Lisa." *
From the tongue-tied "Anyfh,6
Can Happen," to the Fugee rennior
on "Year of the Dragon," to the for
eign language funk of "Yele" and
"Jaspora," the 24 tracks on "The.
Carnival" are some of the fullest,
most meaningful hip-hop of the ye
falling somewhere between hfigh'ai
and backseat-of-the-jeep beats
This "Carnival" may not have a:T
A-Whirl or overpriced games o0 1r
dogs on a stick, but it does have le
ingenious Fugee - and as any Fuge
fan can tell you, whether together or
separate, a Fugee is a Fugee is a
Fugee.
-Bryan L

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DISPLAY ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES
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