8- The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, October 13, 1998
PLAYING 'LIKE A ROLLING STONE'
Depeche Mode back
with singular sensation.
It's not even close to over, baby blue. Bob Dylan,
the legendary folk singer and poet, has released one
of his most extraordinary live performances ever on a
new two-disc set. This live performance recorded in
1966 at Free Trade Hall in Manchester, England, has
been circulating underground amongst Dylan enthu-
siasts for years.
The album consists of two sets: a solo acoustic per-
formance and a raging rock set backed by the Hawks,
later known as The Band. The performance was orig-
inally recorded on a three-track player, and with the
use of modern technology, the
y quality is exceptional. With the
exception of "It's All Over
Now Baby Blue," which was
Bob Dylan released on Biograph, none of
these live hits have ever been
Live 1966 released before.
Sony Music Opening the concert with
his well-known politically dri-
lAtsWren ven lyrics and acoustic guitar
Ryan Malkin work, he clearly left the British
audience amazed. The CD's
first disc contains the set that
includes such hits as: "She Belongs To Me" and
"Fourth Time Around." During the tunes "Desolation
Row" and "Visions Of Johanna" the tapes on the 3-
track player ran out. Near the end of each song, there
is a brief change in sound, heard only by the change
of echo in the hall. To produce continuity on the disc,
CBS recordings were used, but unless you listen care-
fully, the change is indistinguishable.
During the entire album, Dylan sounds clear and
healthy. All of his words are audible and each syllable
is emphasized, unlike in later performances when he
backed by The Band. Off his debut album there is a
smooth rendition of "Baby, Let Me Follow You
Down." During this second set Dylan threw out the
politically driven songs of set one for classic rock 'n'
roll. The one unreleased out take from Dylan's clas-
sic Blonde On Blonde album, "Tell Me, Momma," is
performed in perfect form with Robbie Robertson of
The Band adding depth to the track with an amazing
guitar solo.
Booing from the crowd began, as this was not the
Dylan the Brits were accustomed to. They were soon
drowned out by tunes such as "Just Like Tom Thumb's
Blues" and "Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat" While
Dylan's audience at the time consisted of mostly folk-
lovers, many reportedly walked out. In classic Dylan
form, following only his inner vision, he remarked, "It
used to be like that, now it goes like this," as he
cranked out a pristine performance of "I Don't
BelieveYou (She Acts Like We Never Have Met.)"
Audience members are distinctly heard objecting
to Dylan's style. The now legendary scream of
"Judas," an apostle that betrayed Jesus, can clearly be
heard on this recording. Dylan replied, "I don't
believe you. You're a liar," as he unleashed perhaps
the best recording of "Like A Rolling Stone" ever.
Critics have called this live performance "The
most famous bootleg album of all time." The under-
ground distribution of this concert has been floating
around for more than 25 years and now it is available
to all. By far the most controversial and perhaps
greatest live performance of Dylan's career, this
album is a must for all serious music lovers. In a
career that has spanned 43 albums and almost half a
century, Bob Dylan is still at the top of the music
industry, despite tits recording 33 years ago.
sometimes slurs together words and whole lines.
During "Just Like A Woman" Dylan lays out an
amazing harmonica solo, unlike in the original
recording of the song.
The first set, Disc 1, wraps up with "Mr.
Tambourine Man," during which a brilliant harmoni-
ca and guitar bridge is played making the whole disc
a must for every Dylan enthusiast. The unique quali-
ty of the recording and the free feeling of his har-
monica work alone are incomparable to any other
recording of this classic song. It simply sounds as if
he was in the prime of his career during that very
moment.
But there is much more. For his second set record-
ed on Disc 2, Dylan used an electric guitar and was
Aside from U2, The Cure and
Depeche Mode, there are very few
bands from the '80s that have managed
to endure successfully into the '90s.
Though none of these groups have been
able to match their newer releases with
their older ones, they each possess their
own loyal following. Attempting to
appease its following, Depeche Mode
will embark on its first major tour in four
years and coinciding with this event
comes the singles collection of the
group's material between '86 to '98.
As a complement to Depeche Mode's
first singles collection of tracks from
between 1981 to 1985, this new collec-
tion shows the groups music getting
darker and moodier. Generously spread
across two CDs
are all the songs
you know and
**17 love, like "Enjoy
Depeche Mode The Silence," "
The Singles Never Let Me
T86 to '98 Down Again" and
Reprse/Mute Counts." Despite
viAen by the inclusion of
DaliArsrit these songs, the
collection still
unfortunately
comes across as a mixed bag of treats.
The inclusion of dark pop gems such as
the aforementioned are followed with the
group's more recent singles singles from
its last two studio albums, "Ultra" and
"Sngs of Faith and Devotion"' Though
the newer songs are still Depeche Mode,
they just do not possess the same musical
quality of the older songs.
The group's musical evolution, how-
ever, is well documented through this
collection. While the first singles collec-
tion showed an '80s music group still
learning to utilize its synthesizers, this
collection shows the group well versed
with its equipment and well taught in the
art of catchy vintage '80s pop. "A
Question of Lust" and "Strange Love"
capture the group at its best in creating
moody love songs while "Policy of
Truth" and "World in my eyes" show-
cases the group at its musical peak
towards the late '80s and very early '90s
The first CD, aptly enough, ends wit
this material.
The second CD then continues the
chronology with newer material such as
"I Feel You," "Barrel of a Gun" and "It's
No Good" Although well produced,
these tunes just do not possess the same
charm as the older scag6s. This unfortu-
nately brings the momentum of the
package down. Although this collection
is very comprehensive, it would have
been more convenient if these two CDs
were available individually as oppose
to a packaged double CD.
As a buyer's incentive a new studio
track " Only When I lose Myself," was
included. The first run of this singles
collection also comes with a limited edi-
tion CD of four remixed Depeche Mode
songs.
As one of the few survivors of the
'80s music scene, Depeche Mode, will
still be around for quite a while. Eve*
though, like The Cure and U2, the group
will probably never release a new album
that is anywhere near the quality of any
of its initial releases, listeners can still
appreciate the group through its older
catalog of songs.
Cat Power deserves top 'Pix' r
After hearing "Moon Pix," listeners might expect to
find Cat Power's fragile songs tucked away in old shoe-
boxes full of musty letters or placed securely under pil-
lows each night. After all, Cat Power - a.k.a. Chan
Marshall - disguises locked-diary confessions as soft,
affecting pop songs and fans surely keep her music in
that special place for their best
kept secrets.
If you believe certain music is
specifically intended for the inti-
Cat Power macy of headphones, then start
Mosn Px piping Cat Power through those
tiny pieces of foam in your ears.
Matador Records Marshall's wonderfully imperfect
Reviewed voice is often multi-layered, giv-
for the Daily by ing her songs the feel of church
Jimmy Draper hymns or lullabies. Her bluesy
vocals are bleak and resigned,
recalling the bleary-eyed dialogue of faded black and
white family photographs. Yet even at her most somber,
she never comes off as deadpan - each word she sings
carries the weight of a thousand sleepless nights.
That said, "Moon Pix" is perfect for late night listen-
ing. Her sparse musical accompaniment and hushed
delivery will have listeners leaning toward the speakers,
desperately trying to decipher every last word. All that
effort will not be in vain, as Marshall has never sound-
ed so alluring. On the opening "American Flag," she
transforms an exhausted, throwaway line like "Shoop-a-
doop" into the sexy swagger of a folkier, subtler PJ
Harvey. She incorporates lyrics from "Amazing Grace"
on the stunning "Metal Heart," ending with the haunt-
ing refrain, "Metal heart, you're not hiding/Metal heart,
you're not worth a thing."
Cat Power's appeal, however, does not come in indi-
vidual hit-factory songs, but in the unraveling intensity
of the entire album after repeated listens. Marshall
ignores the conventional verse-chorus-verse structure,
allowing each song to effortlessly slip into the next -
a blurred dream sequence that doesn't tell a story so
much as evoke anxiety in the pit of your stomach.
With a backbeat and guitar provided by the Dirty
Three's Jim White and Mick Turner, the songs possess
a moody, atmospheric sound that compliments
Marshall's desperation. Never swelling above, or cow-
ering behind, her hypnotic voice, White and Turner give
Cat Power a confidence not found on her past releases.
On a few tracks, Marshall accompanies herself alone
on guitar or piano. The melodramatic songbirds
perched atop the pop charts could learn a talent or two
from a song such as "Colors and the Kids" While top
40 power ballads hit below the belt with nauseatingly
sappy-sweet choruses and over-the-top production, Cat
Power lays her soul bare with just a voice and piano. "I
'Charlie' melts norms
could stay here/Become someone different/I could stay
here/Become someone better," she sings without a trace
of artificial sentimentality. A spoonful of sugar may
help a generic pop song go down, but Marshall refuses
to spoonfeed - or force feed-- her music to the pub-
lic.
Though slightly off the radio-beaten path, Cat
Power's music is not intended for such a public forum
anyway. Marshall's songs belong in diaries, protected
by miniature locks and keys, where listeners can give
"Moon Pix" the time it demands and deserves.
Sepultura soars 'Against' the odds
Brazil's heaviest musical offering,
Sepultura, found itself with a lot of
adverse situations to overcome in the
past year. The group that had always
been represented by its original
singer/rhythm guitar player, Max
Cavalera, fired Cavalera from the band
over a management dispute. Music crit-
ics and fans everywhere wearily watched
the "sans Cavalera" Sepultura in hesi-
tance. In response comes "Against,"
Sepultura's latest album and its first with
new singer Derrick Green, formerly of
Alpha Jerk. "Against" not only manages
to silence any doubts about the group's
existence, but manages to show a new
ambitious side of the group as well.
As a follow up to its last album, the
tribal themed "Roots" album, "Against"
has the group delving into more layered
and rich songs. There are few instant
anthems, such as "Dusted" from
"Roots," on this album as the group
takes its time to develop the dynamics of
the song. While previous Sepultura
releases were like a savage animal lung-
ing out and ripping you apart, the new
album is more like that same animal
walking circles around you, intimidating
before striking a blow.
Songs such as the title track, "Choke"
and "Old Earth" illustrate Sepultura's
new found vigor and musical panache.
With Cavalera's departure, all guitar
duties fall solely on lead guitarist,
Andreas Kisser's lap. Kisser seems to be
going after more textural noises and
more delicate melodies to juxtapose
between the harsher riffs. This is best
demonstrated in the middle part of "Old
Earth" where a clever ethnic sounding
acoustic guitar line shows up before the
heaviness of the
rest of the song
*** reappears.
Surely the
Sepultura musical aspect of
the group was not
Against a big a concern as
Roadrunner Records the performance
Reviewed by of its new singer.
Daily Arts writer Thankfully the
Adlin Rosli group has not
attempted to find
a carbon copy of Cavalera. Instead,
Green manages to bringa lot of his own
personality to the group. Aside from pos-
Melt-Banana makes beinga rock crit-
ic fun. Beautiful metaphors effortlessly
roll off the critic's tongue: "Pop Rocks
for the ears," "Happy headaches,"
"Karaoke for small, high-pitched ani-
mals."
But perhaps these metaphors come to
mind so quickly because there is, really,
no other way to do
justice to its
*** sound. It is a con-
Melt-Banana coction of spastic
"Charlie' guitar, tape-
manipulation and
A-Zap Records intens pun rock,
all toppe off by
Reviewed the distinctive
for the Daily by high-pitched yelps
Matthew Lurie of lead singer
Yasuko. Her
rhythmic broken English (abstract poet-
ry if you prefer) is the unlikely medium
throughout, giving a giddy sense of
order to what at first seems like pure din.
"Charlie," the Japanese band's first
album on its own imprint, A-Zap
Records, is a brilliant manifestation of
the band's many strengths. On
"Introduction to Charlie," the rapping
rhythms of Yasuko's lyrics collide with
an energetic, atonal guitar, gracefully
aided by the limber drums of guest
musician Natsume. Certainly the most
significant addition since their last out-
ing, Natsume's playing is vicious, funky
and with all the precision the majority of
punk drummers can only dream about.
This is not "angry" music, however.
Unlike most bands of this intensity, there
is a humor and color in Melt-Banana's
music that allows for songs from
"Charlie," to be more than one-sided.
"Area 877" involves various friends
praising the band amid strange tape
manipulations. In addition, the fina
track "Chipped zoo on the wall. Waste3
in the sky ... " plays out like a bizarre
dream. The track begins with a peculiar
squalor, sans drums, and ends, after
more colorful noise, with a mantra-like,
sampled Japanese folk song, played by a
gorgeous bell-like Asian instrument.
Melt-Banana is intense, colorful,
intelligent, and ground-breakingly origi-
nal. And despite their haphazard com-
mand of the language, they manage
good deal of intriguing lyrical content.
Yasuko sums it up early on: "What a
charming chaos."
sessing a blood rushing guttural scream,
the man also possesses a deep soothing
quiet voice. All of which give more
dimensions to the new Sepultura songs.
Sepultura proves that an addition of a
new voice can take a band's music places
where it has not ventured previously.
With "Against," Sepultura has taken
itself to a new level of musicianship.
';AUSTRALIA 0 CANADA 0
CHILE 0 CHINA X
SPONSORED BY CAMPUS CHAPEL
Discerning the
Postmodern Condition
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The UnivesityeofMichigan
Offieof Itenational Programs
G5t3 Michitwe Union
530 SouthStatetreeet
AnArborMichigan 48t09-t349
734 764 431 1 tet
734 764 3229 cax
Special Lecture with
J. Richard Middleton
Friday, October 16, 1998 at 7:30 p.m.
At Campus Chapel
(north of the corner of Washtenaw and Forest)
Co-Author of Truth Is Stranger Than It Used to Be: Biblical Faith in a
Postmodern Age (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1995).
Selected as a 1996 book award winner by Christianity Today Magazine
Assistant professor of Old Testament Interpretation at Colgate Rochester Divinity School
For more information call Campus Chapel, 734-668-7421 -,
PRESENTS:
INFORMA TIONMEETINGS
about
STUDYABROAD
THIS WEEK:
Wednesday, October 14, 1998
Academic Year Programs in
Aix-en-Provence, FRANCE, Lausanne, SWITZERLAND,
St. Louis, SENEGAL
and Paris (Institut d'Etudes Politiques), FRANCE
All meetings will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
in room 2443 Mason Hall.
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