Cracker continues making
world safe for rock ’n’roll
So. I’ve been pretty sick the
past few days. Right now, I
pity any of my classmates, as
they are currently being sub
jected to all manner of sniffling,
snorting and airborne germs.
As a kid, I was sick a lot of the
time (in second grade, I actually got
bumped down to a lower reading
level because I missed three weeks
of school), but these days, getting
sick is kind of weird. I’m usually not
ready for it, and when I began to feel
that telltale tickling in the back of
my throat last Friday, I knew that I’d
be in for a week or so of misery.
I figured that the best cure for
what ailed me would be some good
music. So, before the depths of
melancholy fully engulfed me, I
went out and got the new album by
Cracker, “Forever.”
You’ve heard Cracker before, but
you probably don’t know it. Consist
ing of singer/guitarist David Lowery,
lead guitarist Johnny Hickman and
an ever-changing rhythm section,
Cracker has made it their business to
write solid rock songs (a la Tom Pet
ty) with an occasionally humorous,
sarcastic bent. They had a really big
hit back in 1993 called “Low.” It was
that song that went “I’ll be with you,
girl / Like being low / Hey, hey, hey /
Like being stone. ”
Since topping the charts way back
when, Cracker has kept a pretty low
profile. They released two more al
bums (1996’s “The Golden Age” and
“Gentlemen’s Blues” in 1998, both
worth buying) but couldn’t repeat
the runaway success of “Low. ”
“Forever” isn’t going to bring
Cracker back to the mainstream,
because right now the music indus
try is preoccupied with cotton-can
dy superstars and whiny metal
heads who
didn’t get
along with
their dads.
That’s too bad,
because “For
ever” is one of
those albums
that is so good
that it frightens
me a little.
After using
all of my
strength to pur
chase “Forev
er,” I went
home and col
lapsed into my bed with the album
playing. Listening intently as I went
through a box of Kleenex, I must ad
mit that at first I was a bit surprised
and somewhat unimpressed. Previ
ous Cracker albums had been heavy
on a bluesy, Southern rock ’n’ roll
feel. The opening song on “Forev
er,” “Brides of Neptune,” begins
with some eerie keyboards and
what sounds like a gospel choir
singing underwater. Then Lowery
starts singing about dating mer
maids and being guarded by mon
keys. What’s going on here?
Depper
In Stereo
- The answer i s that througho ut
“Forever,” Cracker has broadened
their sound to a wonderful effect.
Sleigh bells and gospel singing per
meate the bittersweet “Merry
Christmas, Emily,” while “Ms. San
ta Cruz County” and “Shameless”
apply a funk sensibility that on pa
per should be awful, but somehow
they manage to pull it off. The addi
tion of Kenny Margolis on key
boards has had a marked effect on
these guys — nearly every song fea
tures thick glaciers of an organ or
the haunted-house vibe of a well
placed Mellotron.
The shining jewel on “Forever”
is undoubtedly “Sweet Magdalena
of My Misfortune,” which could
very well be the best song that
Cracker has ever produced. When
ever Lowery sings “So many words
/1 never found / to make you stay /
for just one more day,” I just can’t
help but get a lump in my throat.
So, as I laid low this weekend,
doing homework as my body bat
tled a myriad of invaders, I had an
excellent soundtrack to my woe.
“Forever” is not only Cracker’s best
work to date, but it’s also the best
album that I have heard so far in
2002. Buy it and make the world
safe again for solid rock ’n’ roll with
a beating heart.
E-mail columnist Dave Depper
at davedepper@dailyemerald.com.
His opinions do not necessarily
represent those of the Emerald.
Nelly
continued from page 5
tans from both Portland and Medford.
“It’s not going to be a small show,”
Gilbert said. He said there is going
to be a lot of excitement, a good light
show and a lot of sound.
Gilbert said Sunday’s performance
will bring a diverse crowd of fans who
enjoy both Ice-T’s “old school” rap
and Nelly’s “new school” hip-hop.
“The music has brought a lot of
people together,” he said. “It’s about
not being separate, but (about) unity. ”
He said hip-hop brought dance to
the rap genre and a younger audience.
“You can’t dance to old school
rap,” he said.
Gilbert said he is confident the
artists will put on a good show.
“People are going to leave the show
with awe on their face,” he said.
High ticket prices seems to be de
terring many students from attend
ing the concert, Catlin said.
“So far (ticket sales) are not going
as fast as we want them to, ” he said.
For the week of Friday, Feb 22ndll
www.bijou-cinemas.com
New Movie Guide Now All Over Town!!
7 OSCAR NOMINATIONS!!
GOSFORD
PARK
Nightly 6:15 & 9:00pm H
^Saturday^&Sunday^Mjat^SOpm^
AN INSTANT CULT CLASSIC!!
WAKING LIFE
NIGHTLY 5:00 & 9:30pm B
Soon: VASAVOIR
eleo, THE BUSINESS OF STRANGERS
MUST END /f m
SOON!l STWtCltC
5 OSCAR NOMINATIONS!!
NIGHTLY 7:05pm B
Sat A Sun Mat 2:30pm (subtitles)
But John Bartlang, former pro
duction manager of the Cultural Fo
rum, said the lack of hip-hop in lo
cal concert venues should help
spark ticket sales.
“People in Eugene are aching for
more hip-hop,” Bartlang said. “This
is the biggest concert to come to Eu
gene in a while.’’Carson said the
high price didn’t scare her away
from whajl she expects to be a big
show worth the money.
“I thought price was a little high,
but they probably had to pay to get
them to come here, ’ ’ she said.
She said this performance is dif
ferent than most of the concerts that
come to Eugene because it has big
hip-hop names and more main
stream types of music.
“It will be interesting to have
more variety, more different kinds
of groups coming in,” Carson said.
Catlin said other concerns about
the concert included ensuring that
the audience respects Mac Court.
There will be absolutely no smoking
in the building, he said, and there
will be a strong security presence to
ensure nothing is damaged. He said
future concerts at the basketball
court will depend on how well the
building survives this performance.
This concert “has the potential to
be the biggest hit at the UO,” Catlin
said, and he recommended that
those attending take the bus, walk
or ride a bike to the performance be
cause parking will be limited.
E-mail reporter Jen West
at jenwest@dailyemerald.com.
012949
All NIGHTS are
SPECIAL at Doc’s!
DJ Techneek
(Hip Hop)
Bring your quarters!
In Your Face DJ Ty
Fridays! (Top 25. House and
(Live Alternative Bands) 70 s 80 s 90 s Dance)
$3 Appetizers
M-F 4 til 7
683-8101 on the comer of W. 11 th & Chamelton
Cocktail Research
ADI/S16 All Ages
Tuesday,
March 5th
(LIKWIT KREW)
cool hutzThaT\T- pj b-mello
(V) SAFEWAY mOSTDOf I - 'nc*^K
McDonald Theatre I
Ik
rVIONQUI.COM
NEXT GENERATION AFROBEAT/FUNK
FEB 21 ■ WILD DUCK
21 And Over • Tickets available at all Safeway Fastsxx outlets.
Charge by phone at 1-800-992-8499 or fastixx.com * Subject To Service Charge
ODE itoriei ore archived on-line at www.dQilyemerold.com
IT’S TIME.
UO School of Music
Chamber Music Series
Sex\f (sLasslcLsm, Sonic /KuscU.
4
Matin a Piano Trio
IT’S TIME to return to the Old World mastery of
chamber music. The VIENNA PIANO TRIO, hailed
by critics worldwide for their compelling artistry, have
been likened to the brilliance of Fred Astaire: com
pletely relaxed in style, completely taut in technique.
Find out why these European masters have been called
“a hit draped in silk,” as they perform wonderful music
by Beethoven, Brahms, and Rebecca Clarke, all in the
beautiful ambience of Beall Concert Hall. *
Thursday, Feb. 21*8 p.m.
BEALL CONCERT HALL
Free Musical Insights by Robert Hurwitz, 7 p.m.
Tickets $25, $20, $10 (+ limited number of $5 student tickets) at the Hult Center (682-5000) or EMU (346-4363).