S- The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, December 8, 1998
CARTOON COMPILATION
South Park and the Simpsons are arguably
the two most popular "mature audience"-target-
ed cartoon shows today. Both revel in their
respective notoriety for crude jokes, politically
incorrect plots and healthy merchandise sales
figures.
South Park, however, seems to have an edge
over the Simpsons in one
major aspect: Its fans who
seem to find a higher level
' of self esteem by quoting
impsons: The lines from the show to
death. How many times
Yellow Album can you tolerate your
friends and people on the
Geffen street making Cartman
Reviewed by impressions and saying,
Daily Arts Writer "Oh my god! You killed
Adlin Rosi Kenny! You bastard!" in an
attempt to prove their
worth?
But all of this certainly
serves as an excellent yard-
stick to show that South
Chef Aid Park right now is at its
Cast of South Park and peak in popularity. In just
Various Artists more than one year, the
Sony Music show seems to have com-
Reviewed by pletely secured its creators,
Daily Arts Writer Trey Parker and Matt
Adlin Rosli Stone, a life of luxury and
acting parts in mediocre
comedy movies ("BASEketball" or "Orgazmo"
anyone?). So in a perfect attempt to "strike
while the iron is hot" comes South Park's spoof
of the '80s "Live Aid" and "Farm Aid" called
"Chef Aid."
The plot of the cartoon follows that South
Park's Chef is broke and all his famous musician
friends have come to help him through with a
Chef benefit concert. What resulted was a star-
studded line-up that includes the likes of Primus
to Master P The outcome, however, seems to
resemble Kenny in, last year's Halloween
episode: Patchy and sown together.
The Crystal Method with Ozzy Osbourne,
DMX, ODB and Fuzzbubble contribute the gem
"Nowhere To Run (Vapor Trail)" to the album.
The combination of a rock legend with terrific
rappers and an upstart of the dance music scene
actually works magic on this track,
Other songs such as Elton John's "Wake Up
Wendy" and Primus' "South Park Theme" man-
age to put humor and a good song together. But
too many of the other songs unfortunately fall
into the "one-time-listen" joke songs or are just
plain mediocre.
A song such as Mass, Puffy and Lil Kim's
collaboration with System Of A Down on "Will
They Die 4 You" really should never have seen
the light of day at all. A politically charged anti-
system rock band like System Of A Down
allowing Lil' Kim to brag how she's here to
"spread like syphilis" is just wrong. Other songs
on the record such as Cartman's Styx cover of
"Come Sail Away," Chef's "Simultaneous" and
"Chocolate Salty Balls" seem to serve no other
purpose but to provide the one-time punchline
that will be annoyingly repeated by people
dependent on South Park as a means to be, as
Cartman would say, "hella kewl!"
In the same spirit of disappointment comes
"The Simpsons: The Yellow Album." The third
Simpsons release follows its mildly entertain-
ing, "The Simpsons Sing the Blues" and last
year's highly entertaining collection of songs
from the show in "Songs in the key of
Springfield." Similar to "The Simpsons Sing the
Blues," "The Yellow Album" sees our favorite
Springfield residents busting out a bunch of
songs not from the TV show.
Similar to "Chef Aid," a couple of famous
musicians make appearances. Linda Ronstadt,
Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart, the P-funk All-
Stars and Clivilles and Cole are here.
Unfortunately, nothing any of these veterans can
do could possibly salvage anything from this
poor marketing tie in.
Bart's rapping on the Clivilles and Cole's late-
'80s beats of "Love?", Lisa's "Sisters are doing it
for themselves" with the Wilson sisters and
Marge and Homer's "Every Summer With You"
are all completely mainstream and devoid of life.
"The Yellow Album" and the daring comedy
TV series from which it came are just two
worlds apart. While the TV show never fails to
provide unconventional humor and originality,
the soundtrack is a safe sedate record, reminis-
cent of the workout tapes you would get with an
exercise Barbie doll.
The only attempt at its TV show humor comes
in Apu's "Twenty-Four Hours A Day" that
attempts to rival South Park's Chef in showing
off libido through music.
Record tie-ins to both TV shows never seem
to work as well as they look on paper. While the
cartoons and the massive line of merchandise
tie-ins seem to work, the concept of "too much"
never really hits the people behind these TV
shows until it's too late.
Don't believe me? Ask Beavis and Butthead.
Hits don't
reveal
true Faith
-Contracts are funny things. Bands
get obligated to make a certain num-
ber of albums, expecting to stay
together.
But stuff happens, a band breaks
sp and boom, no more band to meet
the contractual obligations. So you
get an album like "Who Cares a
Lot?" by Faith No More.
The trouble with greatest hits
ilbums is they are always uneven
because they're stitched together.
Of course, one of the virtues of
this album is
that it showcas-
es the breadth
of Faith No
More's recorded
Faith No More career which
Whs Cares A los cre, hc
The Greatest Hit spans 12 years,
Rerse Reerds two very differ-
ent vocalists
Reviewed by and around four
Daily Arts Writer
TdWatts guitarists.
It's still a less
than perfect
way of assembling a record, evi-
denced by the jarring and incomplete
vibe this disc emanates.
Well, if you've liked a few singles
by the band but have never bought
any material by it, this would be a
good way for you to satisfy your
needs.
Just about every Faith No More
song that has in some way possibly
been remotely released as a single,
kinda, is on here. Except "Chinese
Arithmetic."
If you liked "Epic" and "Easy" but
never got around to making the pur-
chases, now's your chance. Of
"course, if you didn't buy them, you
need to be told that "Epic" is that
-song with the flopping fish and
exploding piano in the video, where
"the guy is singing "What is it? It's
it!" a bunch.
This release also contains eight
new tracks: Four unreleased studio
songs, one demo of a released song
and three live covers.
"The World is Yours" sounds in
ine with the band's sound from
Nashville'
idills film
This Nashville edition of "The Prince
of Egypt" soundtrack has been dubbed
by many in the hype machine the great-
est lineup of country artists ever assem-
6led. For the most part that's true. With
tracks by such industry giants as Clint
lack, Wynonna, Vince Gill, Randy
Travis, perennial
super group
Alabama, as well
No stars as songs by newer
PrInce of EgYPt stars such as Faith
- Nashville Hill, Mindy
Various Artists McCready and
Alison Krauss,
Dreamworks Records "The Prince of
Reviewed by Egypt" is heavy
Daily Arts Writer on big-names but
Corns Zimmermann light on big sur-
prises. The music
on this album is nothing but a bunch of
lousy, adult-contemporary, soft pop
tunes that do nothing but inspire one to
'Live' Brooks worth double fun
around '92. The guitars and key-
boards are still fairly prominent,
Mike Patton's voice is neither too
nasal, nor too refined and the song's
emotion is painful and claustropho-
bic.
On the other hand, the instrumen-
tal track, called "Instrumental,"
sounds like no other Faith No More
song.
Besides the fact that it is an instru-
mental song, it is very. calm, on the
order of certain types of indie rock
mixed with New Music.
The covers are the type of thing
fans have come to expect; the rau-
cous "Highway Star" is just a big
bundle of energy no matter what you
do with it and is a pleasant example
of the band's mainstream forebears.
It has been doing "Theme from
Midnight Cowboy" for six years, and
the very short version of it found on
"Who Cares A Lot?" was foresee-
able if nothing else.
And finally, Burt Bacharach's
"This Guy's In Love With You"
seems like a record company friend-
ly entry considering the recent
Bacharach revival.
With TV specials and a couple of
tribute albums out (including one
featuring singer Patton on John
Zorn's Tzadik label), Bacharach
stock is riding a wave. It's also the
kind of schmaltz Faith No More has
enjoyed using as contrast their hard
image on stage.
So there's enough here to entice
the die hard fan and the those with a
passing friendliness with the band.
It's not the best way to get familiar
with Faith No More, however. There
is no time to explore any of the
depths of the band's sound here; any
of their normal albums will better
accomplish that. Accept this as a
decent overview with some good rar-
ities and keep in mind that Faith No
More was a better band than this
album implies.
Since Garth Brooks established him-
self asa wild and charismatic stage per-
former in the early '90s, fans have been
eagerly anticipating a live album.
"Double Live" his new two-CD set
showcases many classics from his 10-
year recording career and was well
worth the wait.
The music on "Double Live" draws
heavily from "No Fences," "Ropin' The
Wind," and "In Pieces," but still
includes songs
from each of his
7Garth seven studio
albums. It show-
Garth Brooks cases the sheer
Double Live energy of Brooks
capitol Nashville and the crowd.
Occasionally they
Reviewed by both get just a bit
Daily Arts Writer overzealous,
Curtis Zimmermann especially on
"Unanswered
Prayers" when Brooks stops singing
and lets the crowd take over another one
of his concert traditions. Although it is
somewhat intriguing hearing thousands
singing both the verse and chorus, it
doesn't really do much for the song.
The album also includes the third
verse to "Friends in Low Places" which
has been well-played on mainstream
country radio for a number of years.
Also contained is the less publicized
third verse to "The Thunder Rolls." The
construction of the bridge leading into
the guitar solo as well as the lyrics make
it one of the most power tracks on the
album.
It also contains three new tracks.
"Tearin' It Up (And Burnin' It Down)"
is the most memorable with a rousing
opening reminiscent of Bon Jovi's "Lay
Your Hands On Me" only with fiddles.
"It's Your Song" is a ballad that he ded-
icated to his mother; toward the end he
misses a line and appears to be crying,
contributing to his often publicized and
somewhat controversial nice guy
image.
Also included is yet another duet
with his former back-up singer Trisha
Yearwood titled "Wild as the Wind." It's
decent, but not quite the up to par with
CD send~
sounds of.
romance
With the bouncing, bustling, bum
bling whimsy of holiday cheer, th
enigmatic postal service is very busy
sending, stamping and shipping pack-
ages here and there, everywhere. When
Mr. Postman (no silly, not Kevin
Costner, the real one) comes to make
his deliveries to your abode this holiday
season, hopefully, he'll find you quite
merry as you hear those anxious, curi-
ous sounds, "You've Got Mail.:
Well, the soundtrack that is.
The tunes of "You've Got Mail," t*
new Nora Ephron love affair starring
Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, will put
sparkle in anyone's dampened day with
their warmth and coziness. As the
soundtrack promotes, "Anyone at All"
- a charming, new song by legend
Carole King -a collection of other dit-
ties will pleasure your glum soul as
well.
"You've Got Mail" is remake of a
Jimmy Stewart classic, Ernst Lubitsch4
timeless treasure, "The Shop Around
the Corner."
Though the new
*** film is set in mod-
You've Got Mal ern day New York.
City, its souns
Varous Arsts refer to the clas-
warner sunset/ sics with a shim-
Atlantic mering romanti-
Reviewed by cism such as
Daily Arts Writer Bobby Darii'
Chris Cousino "Splish Splash,
Bobby Day's
"Rockin Robin" and Roy Orbiso's
"Dream"
A recurring theme of happy dreams
invigorates the songs of "You've Got
Mail." Maybe we're supposed to be
dreaming either Captain Hanks orcutie.
Ryan, or dreaming that Hanks and
Ryan will get together in the end, or
possibly dreaming our own dream I
finding true love in this crazy world
instead of the louse we are sitting next
to as we watch the movie. Dreams.-
Dreams. Dreams.
With Harry Nilsson's, "The Puppy
Song," he bubbly pipes in, "Dreams are
nothing more than wishes and a wish is
just a dream you wish to come true."
Nilsson also performs two other won-
derful numbers with "Remember" and,
the immortal "Ove the Rainbow."
Another set of "Dreams" bears t
emotional fruits of Irish rockers, The
Cranberries, who have seen their won-,
derful, life-flashes-before-your-eyes
song used now for the sixth time it a,
film within the past four years. Irish sis-
ter Sinead O'Connor adds her own sun-
shine with a cover of Nilson's "I Guess
the Lord Must Be In New York City."
The post office in New York, N.Y.
,must be quick, quick, quick as Bil,
Williams proclaims, "I'm Gonna
Right Down and Write Myself a Letter,"
while Stevie Wonder follows up with,
"Signed Sealed Delivered I'm Yours."
If you're not as fast as Stevie with
your wrapping and can't seem to find
that perfect gift for whomever -mom,
dad or that special someone -take 'em
to see "You've Got Mail" or rent "The
Shop Around the Corner," then tell 'em
"You Made Me Love You," just because
you're you.
Or. if you're a wuss, let Jim*
Durante do it for you as he closes this
dreamy. cheerfulset of melodies.
their previous duet "In Another's Eyes."
What this album shows is that Garth
Brooks didn't reach his somewhat
ridiculous levels of fame for no reason.
His own brand of country rock sounds
even better live than on the albums
which will no doubt inspire his fans and
all those "I don't like country but I like
Garth Brooks" people to buy millions
of copies. At least they know they'll be
getting their money's worth.
Tisdale malkes
great 'Deision'
I'm going to resist the temptation to include any cheap bas-
ketball references while reviewing former NBA star Wayman
Tisdale's new album, "Decisions." In the past two albums, he
has consistently proven that he doesn't need his basketball cre-
dentials to sell his music. On those
albums, his music spoke for itself.
"Decisions" is no different.
Tisdale's music is the definition of
Wayman Tlsdale contemporary jazz: Smooth, catchy
Decisions grooves laced with just enough improvi-
Atlantic Records sation to let you know that the music is
real, but not so much that it ruins the
Reviewed by flow of the song. This is a formula that
Daily Arts Writer Tisdale has worked to perfection, as
Quan Williams shown on the laid-back "Bass Man,"
which features Tisdale's former label-
mates Norman Brown and Gerald
Albright. He also throws in doses of other kinds of music to
add spice to his Jazz, such as on the salsa-inspired
"Mexicoco," or the hip urban "Ready or Not," or the gospel-
inspired "Take the Lord along with you." Most of the songs on
"Decisions" are relaxed grooves that are very easy to listen to.
But if you're looking for virtuoso bass playing a la Stanley
Clarke, look elsewhere. Although talented, Tisdale's ability has
its limits, and you won't necessarily be amazed by his playing.
In addition, the guest stars he brings to the table, such as
Brown, Albright, Lalah Hathaway and Chukii Booker sound
decent, but don't really add anything dynamic to the music. It's
as if they were all deliberately holding their talent back so that
Tisdale could keep up with them.
Still, while not as skilled as a three-point shot, or as flashy
as a slam-dunk, "Decisions" still gets two-points (Sorry, I
couldn't resist, after all) It's fitting, though. In both basketball
and music, Tisdale's trademark is consistency more than out-
rageous talent or showmanship. In fact, spending your hard-
earned money on "Decisions" would be a pretty good decision
in itself.
'Piece' only frumps around
toss this album into the Red Sea.
The real weakness of these songs is
the lack of country elements within
them. Occasionally, there appears a steel
guitar, and in some spots a fiddle, but
these instruments are used rather spar-
ingly. This will no doubt contribute to
many of the anti country music senti-
ments that are currently stemming from
the music's detractors.
It's a shame that with such a stellar
lineup Dreamworks couldn't have come
up with a more inventive album. The
mediocrity makes you question the
label's motives and kills just about any
desire one would have to see the film.
While major labels churn out slick, greatest-hits
packages to con buyers into repurchasing the same
songs they bought the first time around, the Kill
Rock Stars label has taken a more worthwhile
route. 4
By compiling an artist's vinyl discography onto
a single CD, KRS gives fans the convenience of
compact discs and the chance
to hear those hard-to-find
** songs. The Olympia,
Washington-based label
The Frumples recently put out "The
Frumpie Singles," a collection of
One-Piece Bikini Kill's phenomenal
Kill Rock Stars vinyl-only singles. Now the
Reviewed by label has released "Frumpie
Jimmy Draper One-Piece," a 24-song compi-
For the Daily lation of the Frumpies' five
vinyl releases between 1992
and 1998.
As thrpe-fourths of Bikini Kill (Tobi Vail, Kathi
Wilcox and Billy Carren) and a member of the
PeeChees (Molly Neuman), the Frumpies is a
potential powerhouse of talent. Three guitars and
drums fuel the driving force of the garage punk,
and the band has a spirit reminiscent of
Bratmobile's clamorous, tongue-in-cheek humor.
Sarcasm drips off songs such as "She's A Real
Cutie Pie," where Wilcox screeches, "She's a real
cutie pie!/Wow!/Throw a bottle at her head!" and
the song titles are hysterical (see: "Fake
Antagonism Rules, Okay" and "I Just Wanna Puke
on the Stereo"). Unlike Bratmobile, however, the
Frumpies doesn't back up its wit with great music
and originality.
On "Wrong Way Round," Wilcox shouts, "All
the bands sound like U2 in America/Nothing left
to do in America." And while it sounds nothing
like that Irish supergroup, the Frumpies falls into
a similar trap of its own - all its music sounds
alike. Most of the recorded-in-a-tin-can songs
grate on the nerves with too-thin guitars and nails-
on-chalkboard vocals, leaving the music annoy-
ingly repetitive. It never claims to be sugar-and-
spice, but unfortunately the Frumpies doesn't
deliver much of anything nice.
This is not to say that the band hasn't kicked out
some great material - it's just that the memorable
songs are rare diamonds in the rough. At times the
guitars sound surf-punky and fun, and the best
songs come when Wilcox and Vail tone down the
no-holds-barred shrieks and incorporate some;
chant-along pop, like on "Eunuch Nights" and,
"Whatshisname Hearts the Frumpies.'
The question becomes, however, whether listen-:
ers want to sift through the rubbishto find the few
gems. So maybe, when compiling the vinyl songs-
onto compact disc, Kill Rock Stars gave listeners
the greatest gift of all - the ability to utilize the
CD player's preprogramming feature.