10 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, November 14, 1995
RECORDS
Continued from page 10
Replicants
Replicants
Zoo Entertainment
A recent trend in modern rock music
has been the cover album. Established
artists like Annie Lennox, Elvis Costello
and Duran Duran decide to take a break
from writing original material, and pay
homage to their influences. Such al-
bums are also really handy if you've
run out of ideas, or need to fulfill a
record contract. Whatever the incen-
tive, these should've-been-b-sides col-
lections are generally tolerated when
the artist in question has been putting
out quality material for a while. So
when Replicants come out with a cover
album, one question comes to mind:
Who the hell are Replicants?
Groundbreaking artists, they're not.
Groups like Bush and Better Than Ezra
are content to ape Nirvana and Pearl
Jam behind the pretense of somewhat-
original songs; Replicants feel the need
to urinate all over classic rock tunes,
instead.
Does anyone really need to hear a
Cobain-wannabe wail on the Cars' "Just
What I Needed", or a sub-Silverchair
rendition of Neil Young's once-beauti-
ful "Cinnamon Girl"? Did John
Lennon's "How Do You Sleep?" de-
serve an industrial-schlock makeover?
What twisted individual thinks this stuff
up?
Admittedly, the song selection is de-
cent; covers of Bowie's "The Bellway
Brothers" and Floyd's "Ibiza Bar" are
riper material than, say, "Changes" and
"Comfortably Numb". But the relative
obscurity of the victims doesn't lessen
the crime being committed by these
The artists formerly known as U2 have made a complex and challenging album in "Passengers: Soundtracks I."
U
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sorry vandals of quality music.
"Replicants" is perhaps the least nec-
essary album of all time. Be very afraid.
- Dave Snyder
U2
Passengers: Original
Soundtracks I
Island Records
Different is good.
But then, you might expect thafrom
a band that last stampeded the r&k and
roll tour circuit with their immense, hi-
tech set nearly three years ago. V2's
avant-garde "Passengers: Original
Soundtracks I," is certainly not typical,
if they ever were.
"People who are expecting aU2 al-
bum are going to be disappointed,"lead
singer Bono said in an NME inter'iew
Oct. 21. "Some people won't be into it,
that's for sure ... I think it's really im-
portant to keep things interesting for
yourself."
The surreal album,recorded with their
longtime producer and fellow iusian
Brian Eno, consists largely of sound
effect-laced instrumentals. Layefs of
tones blend to form something only
appreciable by listening closely..Whet
makes the album even more interesting
is that every cut on it is on loan to a
different movie, creating an interna-
tional indie-film pageant of sorts.
"Miss Sarajevo," a classic, throaty
Bono ballad and duet with famous op-
era man Luciano Pavarotti, will be the.
first single Nov.20. The pair performed
it Sept. 12 in the Italian's TV special for.
a Bosnian children's charity. Bono's
always-inquisitive lyrics are nearly
whispered before Pavarotti takes over
the bridge on "Miss Sarajevo."(A U.S.
documentary by the same name;about
a beauty contest in the war-tom land, is
directed by Bill Carter.)
"Slug," "Your Blue Room" and "Al-
ways Forever Now" are similarly slow
tracks - virtually the only songs to
remind you of"Achtung Baby's"softer
moments. The sole remotely upbeat rock
cut showcasing all of U2's talents, yet
with few lyrics, proves to be "Thene
From Let's Go Native."
Mainly U2 and Eno wrote, performed
and produced as the Passengers, though
Japanese artist Holi and Howie B and
five others collaborate. Even U2bassist
Adam Clayton and guitarist The Edge
lend their voices forechoorbacl ground
snippets on a few songs.
Howie B joins a poetic tribute to
Elvis Presley in Bono's rap-like "Elvis
Ate America," a commentary on the
social phenomena the King's fans cre-
ated: "Elvis, white trash/ Elvis, the
Memphis hash."
Liner notes describe each piece's (14
in all) film in detail, including both
actual and possibly fictional produ-
tions. Obscure foreign films like "Be-
yond the Clouds" - a proposed Italian
project of directors Michelangelo
Antonioni and U2 veteran Wim
Wenders - are highlighted.
It is refreshing to see a band of U2's
proportions take a chance and produce
something they really want, though it
may not appeal to general audiences.
Some people will enjoy Eno's latest
underground sound experiment, some-
thing to listen to while in an introspec-
tive, altered state of consciousness.
But if you're waiting for "a real rock
and roll U2 album," they're in the stu-
dio now for a spring release and pos-
sible summer tour. Until then, "Oigi-
nal Soundtracks I" could give a diehard
fan something to hold onto.
- Elan A. Stavros
Leo Kottke
Live
Hightone
Chances are, if you're a fan of folk
music, you've heard of guitar virtuoso
Leo Kottke. Then again, chances are, if
you aren't a fan of folk music, you have
no idea who Leo Kottke is. Prior to
hearing "Live," you could count me as
one of the latter.
Now that I've heard Leo Kottke, I
can understand all of the hype:' Leo
Kottke is a great performer, not only as
a guitarist, but as an intriguing and
entertaining personality. Often, with a
live album, you'll get a band playing all
of their album stuff, but just worse, and
with alot of amplified crowd noise.
"Live", on the other hand, portrays
Kottke in his own element, without
overproduction, playing his own/dique
brand of folk guitar. Whereas tracks
like "William Powell" and
"Airproofing" show off Kottke'sbril-
liant left-hand technique, other tracks,
like "Jack Gets Up" demonstrate
Kottke's equally brilliant poetid lyri-
cism. Kottke has an innate story'telling
ability as well. Twice on the album ho
takes time-out to give the audience a
laugh, once sharing a hilarious story
about his father's hand-to-hand cornhbt
manual.
If Kottke has one major flaw, it's-his
monotony. On "Live" Kottke seems to
divide hisnerformanceintothirds.nta -
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ntly
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