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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 12, 1993)
SAY HELLO TO COOLRUNNMGS ktoton Pciif INTRO L.-J KATE BUSH 1 ho IVxl Shoe: *8S.*13S CtxfwOnHw) kz: MATTHEW SWEET AMt* (KlfttJfiS? ‘73*132 MR. BIO Bump AtX'Ml U NMVANA InUtoro $oae $4488 OnHPf a PEARL JAM RAY LYNCH he nrg Active W» ShoJOtn a/ TvfvennQ KNISTNPV YouEtxior SMASHING PUMPKINS Siamese O earn SNMUftiiOMAL Shag 0*esei SWEETHEARTS Of THE ROOCO Rodeo Wait/ LORETTA. DOLLY, TAMIY Hofifr y Tonk ArK/i'i-, I 11 *8S,*12S THE CfUMBWES r.««tx»>t*y?»$Dang? SoUhfGrlfli1 ! r "m *• YES f'XtO'*- U*,' JOSE CAMERAS A Sana In My Heart r~ ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL Troute ToBob Wills; $85e*13S Gateway Mall Springfield 746-6373 DISC JOCKEY music stores v.sa MasterCard. Amencan Express & Discover MiHJIIiIiUJ I MTV UNPLUGGED GROUP: 10000 Maniacs IMEL: Etoktra Recording 10.000 Maniacs for an "unplugged" special isn't quite the same os get ting Nirvana for the show. The Maniacs aren't exactly a riotous, amp-blasting power house. so hearing them ploy acoustic versions of their songs isn't a shock. They sound near ly identical plugged or unplugged That isn't a conviction of their MTV Unplugged album, howev er,If you like 10,000 Maniacs, you'll probably like this record ing. Most of the songs have been featured on past albums; and the new versions aren't all that dif ferent from the originals, at least not in the way that Eric Clapton's new “Layla" was a total trans formation But thcv don't butch er the songs either: they offer pleasantly melodic fare for fans. The band s strong point is Natalie Merchant's voice — she sings without the range of a Whit ney Houston but with a sensibil ity unmatched by most current vocalists. Tliat means she actual ly tries to say something in her lyrics, which makes her both interesting and a little depress ing But at least it gives fans a choice; if they don't want to com prehend, they can take solace in the fact they don't have to. Her music is pleasant enough with out a message — unlike the Dylans of this world. MTV VnpluKgrd may not he anything different than what we've seen before and is proba bly nothing more than Elektra's attempt to make a few extra bucks with another greatest hits album. Hut the album is at the least non offensive, and at best, it's pretty good. - Rivers Jortison Oregon Octty (morale) 4-TRACK DEMOS GROUP PJ Harvey LABEL: Islam] no thing that c an be said about l’ I Harvey is that they don’t play "alterna tive music." Instead, the hand, led bv singer Pollv Jean Harvey, has created a niche for themselves bv playing music that is alternative from what everyone else is playing. There is a difference With their last album, Rid of Mr, H.| established themselves as one of the most off-the-wall units in the recent fltxxi of "alter native" acts On 4-Track Demos, the band presents eight of the same songs from Rid of Mr and six new ones that were supposedly recorded Indore Rid of Mr even came out. Every song is basically what the alburn says it is. a demo. Tor those who don’t know what a demo is. it’s a song, or a collec tion of songs, that is usually played in its rawest form before bands go into the studio. These are usually used to give a record company or producer a chance to hear what the ixind will be doing once they get in the studio. They are generally not sold to the public. And that's where the problem lie*, with 4-Track Demos Yeah, I know tome will say it’s really cool to be able to hear the songs in their purest forms, without the enhancements studio equipment brings 1 realize that was likely the whole point of putting out this album, but charging someone $16 for six new songs. 14 songs all together, recorded in a basement is not my idea of good alternative music. If you love P.J. Harvey, you'll probably want to get this just to sav you have it, but I guarantee that it won't be something you throw on loo often If you thought Hid of Me was good, but nothing spec ial, wait for Harvey to put out their next one. You won't miss a thing. - Davo Chartoonn*ou Oregon Doty traarak} FIVE DOLLAR BOB'S MOCK COOTER STEW + *'/2 GROUP: Mudhoney LABEL: Reprise (though they supposedly started the whole Seattle [.raze. Mudhoney never quite caught on. Not only was their major label debut. Piece of Cake, a major flop, but I only saw their video for the album's one shining moment, "Suck You Dry." once on Seattle-hungry MTV. Ix>ng before Piece of Cake came out, this bunch of pranksters released a number of grunge anthems that helped Seattle get off the ground. "Touch Me. I'm Sick" and "In and Out Grace" were, and still are. grunge das sics. However, Piece of Cake was a had album. Out of the 18 "songs" on the album, only two or three songs were even close to being lis tenable. On Five Hollar ... the band has put out seven songs, four of which explain why these guys were actually an inspiration for many of the bands thatare popular today. "Between Me and You Kid." a peppy number with funny lyrics — "The only thing Ik;tween me and hell is the floor" — is a catchy song that proves Mud honev's beer-drinking days are not over and that beer can still be a worthy inspiration for writing songs. The high point of the album is "Six Two One " No idea what the title means, but the Kinks-ish gui tars and pieri ing scream at the beginning harken back to tin* songs that put Mudhoney. and Seattle, on the map. Mudhoney are definitely an acquired taste for the most part. A few songs catch your ear but the rest kind of grow on you like mold If you've ever been the least bit interested in what Mudhoney are all about. Siifwrftizz Bigmuff is the album to get If you like that one, you'll like this one, too. - Dave Charbonneau Oregon Davy f mercsa BALTIMORE ★ ★★ GROUP Z>PQun LABEL Empty jg| m any hands nowadays |TifE c laim to have roots to the 1 “ Slate-1970s. early-1980s punk scene But few actually sound that way Ztpgun is an exception. On Bal timorr — the name came from the fact the band, in true punk form, hod its equipment ripped off in Baltimore — Zipgun rip through a set of loud, obnoxious, fast and. most importantly, true punk tunes. Short songs, great hooks and catchy-but-still-punky choruses highlight the band's second album. Never a band to take themselves too seriously. Z.ipgun produce a number of funny moments as well On "Mission ary Miracle." the liand chants "la la la la la" after singer Rob Clarke sings about trying to "pull it out” during sex. Clarke also adds to the humor by mocking the rock-star sing aiong-with-me image by throw ing in a few "all rights" and "come ons" before the chorus es. He further brings back the met al cliche with a few pro-guitar solo screams "Highball" is the highlight of this solid album. It is fast and mean, and just when you think the song is over at 1:45, the song kicks back in for one more round. "Shadey" is the most down-to earth song, a little slower than the rest, but Clarke's raspy voice makes sure it's not a whimpv song but a slow punk song. “Long Hot Kiss" and "I Can't Wait’1 are both powerful songs, but the keyboard on "I Can't Wait" makes the song a little less enjoyable than the seven-inch release of the song, which the band put out without the key board earlier this year. For those hard-core punk tans who despise the so-called "punk bands” of the 1990s. Zipgun will be a welcome surprise. And they're even from Seattle! -Dave Charbonneau Oregon Daly £ met ok) PARIS GROUP The Cure LABEL: Elektra fn a further attempt to fill up their contract with Klektra so they can move to a better com pany, The Cure released yet another album this year. This 12-track live recording from an October 1992 perfor mance at I.e Zenith in Paris. Franca, proves to lie decent, yet nothing spectacular. Although The Cure have obtained a loyal following of zeal ous fans throughout the years, this recording makes it obvious that their following is not because of a dynamic stage performance. Paris gives the distinct impres sion of a dull concert with no audience interaction and rareh more than claps between songs Bass guitarist Simon Gallup, who is obviously tone-deaf, makes you wish the songs would hurry up and finish — not a truly redeem ing quality for live work Kotiert Smith's vucils, on the other hand, were as pure and beautiful ns always To the loval fan. this would be a must-have because it includes songs from Wish, Disintegration and Httad on the Door To the average music Joe, it would lie a waste of money Perhaps The Cure will return next year on a new label with a Turn to REVIEWS, Page 9 -
