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 c 0 5- 0 0 ..,. 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. 0 7 M X3 M7 0 0 z 73 m M3 b3 0 M 0 0 r z a u Check out previous Breaking Records at www.michigandaily. corn LaAsdeeS£20S 04445 ti44 Fares are R, o not inude taxes. Resrcin apply.Arsjcchange. g Be an on campus intern. EARN FREE TRAVEU cail I-888-council for more details 1 ~fmTravel lEE: CouncilonI International Educational Exchange 1218 South University Ave. Ann Arbor [734]-998-0200 www.counciLtravet.com us us) W 0 us 0 .z ix =2 ~0VNVHO ()ANVW~3D C) 3ON~di (QNV'INIA