Page 4 DTH Omnibus
Thursday September 7, 1989
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Album Charts
College Music Journal
1. . Hoodoo Gurus
Magnum Cum Louder
2. B-52s
Cosmic Thing
3. Pogues
Peace and Love
4. The The
Mind Bomb
5. Pixies
Doolittie
6. Pop Will Eat Itself
This Is The Day ...
7. Fetchin Bones
Monster
8. Red Hot Chili Peppers
Mother's Milk
9. Lemonheads
Uck
10. The Cure
Disintegration
WXYC
1. Red Hot Chili Peppers
Mother's Milk
2. Various Artists
The Bridge
3. Various Artists
Folk Classics
4. Half Japanese
777e Bond That Would Be King
5. Buffalo Tom
Buffalo Tom
6. Fugazi
Margin Walker
7. Pop Will Eat Itself
This Is The Day ...
8. The Fail
Seminal Live
9. Stone Roses
Stone Roses
10. Beastie Boys
Pau's Boutique
Solid, but no great leap forward:
Wheels' turns on the same old track
Rolling Stones
Steel Wheels
Rolling StonesCBS Records
oooo
Back after a three-year break, the
Rolling Stones have released
their most consistent work in
more than a decade, Steel Wheels.
The last few efforts, including two
Mick Jagger solo albums, Keith
Richards' outstanding Talk is Cheap,
and the Stones' oft-maligned Dirty
Work, fared poorly with the public.
To break this trend, Jagger and
Richards resolved their much-publicized
feud and went back to the tra
dition that spawned a multitude of
classic tunes.
After hearing the Stones condemn
the summer of '89's trend of the re
surgence of classic bands who glorify
the past without regarding the pres
ent (the Who, Jefferson Airplane,
Doobie Brothers), this album is a bit
surprising. Steel Wheels moves forward
very little, although Jagger and
Richards have claimed otherwise.
Dirty Work was a more progressive
work, but it lacked the consistency
and heart of Steel Wheels.
The album begins with a classic
Keith Richards overdriven guitar riff,
leading into the straight ahead rocker
"Sad Sad Sad." This is not quite up
to par with classic lead-off cuts such
as "Gimme Shelter" Let it Bleed) or
even "One Hit (to the Body)" (Dirty
Work), but it does maintain the Roll-
Brian Springer
fjxiin
ing Stones tradition. This is followed
by the single, "Mixed Emotions,"
essentially a rewrite of Richards' "Take
it so Hard." This cut is one which
could be interpreted as regarding the
RichardsJagger rift and reunion. As
Jagger sings, "You're not the only one
With mixed emotionsYou're not the
only shipAdrift on this ocean."
Several songs demonstrate new
sounds, but they don't vary much
from previous Stones' efforts. "Terri
fying," with its" killer bassline and
relentless groove, is a cousin of the
disco-influenced songs on Some Girb.
"Hold on to Your Hat" is a rock rave
up, harder and faster than the rest on
the LP. "Break the Spell" has a rock
abillyish feel.
The album's centerpiece is "Con
tinental Drift," which utilizes the
Master Musicians of Jajouka, with
whom Brian Jones recorded ages ago
on his own. The song has an Eastern
feel, reaching its apex after the Mas
ter Musicians have taken over the
song completely, Jagger repeating the
phrase "Love comes at the speed of
light." This is both the most expan
sive and the best track on the album.
Most songs on the album have a
more familiar sound, though. "Al
most Hear You Sigh," with its great
guitar interplay, recalls "Beast of
Burden." "Blinded by Love," making
references to Samson, Antony, and
Cleopatra, is this album's countryish
cut, along the line of "Dead Flowers"
and "Far Away Eyes."
"Rock and a Hard Place" ap
proaches social critique, with Jagger
proclaiming that "The fields of Eden
Are full of trashAnd if we beg bor
row and stealWe'll never get it back."
Lyrically, the song approaches the
exploits of Tin Machine, while mu-
Several songs
demonstrate new
sounds, but they
don't vary much
from the previous
Stones efforts
sically it recalls Jagger's solo work or
early 80s Stones.
Keith Richards sings lead on two
songs, "Slipping Away" and "Can't
be Seen." "Slipping Away" is another
Richards end-of-album slow song,
sounding much like Talk is Cheap.
While it is quite good, it pales by
comparison to "Can't be Seen." When
Richards sings "I just get obscene with
youI don't stand a chance with you
I never did anyway," it is difficult
not to note parallels in his relation
ship with Jagger.
Richards proves, as on Talk is
Cheap, to be in excellent voice. His
guitar playing is less dirty-sounding
than usual, with a greater use of clas
sical guitar. Charlie Watts, reliable
as a metronome, proves to be as good
a counterpart for Richards as Steve
Jordan was on KeePs solo LP. Bill
Wyman plays his basslines with his
usual flare (especially on "Terrify
ing"), but, because of absences, Ron
Wood takes over bass on three cuts.
On his main instrument, the guitar,
Wood is a perfect foil for Richards;
their interplay is testament to their
many years together. Jagger's singing
is stronger than ever. The Kick Horns,
keyboardist Chuck Leavell, and the
Master Musicians of Jajouka are
among the noteworthy musicians
augmenting the band.
In short, Steel Wheels is a great
album, even if it is not the great leap
forward promised in advance press
releases. This bodes well for the con
cert tour. If you haven't already, you
will want to add this one to your
collection.
What The
Ratings Mean
O lame
OO just O.K.
OO workable
OOOO quite good
OOOOO excellent
Waves are back
UMI lyMMWE ammmmmms
it f 'vi
Katrina and the Waves
Break of Hearts
SBK Records
ooo
On their third American album, Katrina
and the Waves are back with yet another tune
ful, tight set which is seemingly destined for
chart-topping commercial success. Aside from
one major hit single ("Walking on Sunshine"),
Waves songs covered by other artists ("Going
Down to Liverpool," covered by the Bangles),
and two poorly received but critically acclaimed
albums, Katrina Leskanich and company have
been denied their rightful place in the limelight.
Break of Hearts should reverse this trend, al
though the band may have overly commercial
ized its sound in the process.
Break of Hearts is not the stylistic smorgas
bord of its predecessors, the eponymous debut
and its follow-up, Waves. Instead, Katrina and
the Waves seem determined to re-invent and
embellish the more popular musical stylings of
80's AOR. Whether bubblegum, ballad, or
straight rock 'n roll, the band succeeds, at least
to some extent.
The opening song, "Rock 'n Roll Girl," with
its relentless drums, high energy, and hook
filled melody is made to be played loudly in a
convertible en route to the beach. The title
track manages to overcome its Howard Jones
isms. On "Love Calculator," a song highlighted
by an infectious rhythm, Katrina shows she
hasn't lost her soulful streak. "To Have and to
Hold" pays homage to Ultravox, with the inter
play of a Eurodisco beat and distorted guitar.
Whether on the mid-tempo, tuneful "Can't
Tame My Love" or the anthem "Rock Myself
to Sleep," Katrina and the Waves demonstrate
a real pop sensibility. Yet Break of Hearts, though
self-produced, seems almost too slick at points,
sacrificing some of the fire that made the band's
earlier work so appealing. The result is a well
crafted album that is consistently pleasing if
not strikingly original or challenging. It sums
up the sounds of the summer of '89 in a 45
minute package. Brian Springer
Texas in Scotland
mm
Texas
Southside
MercuryPolygram Records
It seems that the emergence of women such
as Tracy Chapman, Edie Brickell, Sinead
O'Connor and the Indigo Girls may save popu
lar music from the metallic hole into which it
seems to be sinking. The latest addition to this
group is Sharleen Spiteri, singersongwriter
guitarist for the Scottish band Texas, named
after Wim Wenders' film Paris, Texas.
On Southside, Texas has blended powerful
drums, textural rhythm guitar and keyboards,
thumping bass, slide guitar reminiscent of Ry
Cooder (who, by the way, scored Paris, Texas),
and Spiteri's clear vocals. The sound is sparse
and rootsy, yet it never becomes overly reliant
on the past. Texas always sounds distinctive
and modern.
The album is consistent throughout, per
haps too much so. The first single, "I Don't
Want a Lover," is more than radio-ready ear
candy it also demonstrates a strong, pro
female attitude sadly lacking in most of today's
music. Other highlights include the tense "Tell
Me Why" and "Thrill Has Gone," both exqui
site examples of Texas's sound at its best.
However, the album quickly becomes monoto
nous because it lacks diversity of tempo and
approach. This is not to call Southside boring,
but it could use some strategically placed mood
breakers. Towards the end, "One Choice," with
its stronger beat, and "Future is Promise," with
a slower, folksy approach, indicate that Texas
does have growth potential.
The songs, written by Spiteri and bassist
John McElhone (formerly of Hipsway), have a
tendency to become annoyingly vague tales of
relationships. Southside makes up for this by
being chock full of memorable melodies which
overlay the spacious, almost-midwestern sound.
With a greater range of tempo and approach,
Texas should be able to produce a more solid
winner next time around. For now, Southside is
a welcome, enjoyable arrival. Brian Springer