Featured Reviews

Rating: **** (4 out of 4)

Availability:Currently Out of Print

Those eyes, those lips, that hair, that decadent styling. It could only be.... Ziggy?

To be played at maximum volume, we are proud to present The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, this weeks clear winner for the longest album title. This is the classic album, in which the Prince of Glam set the definiton of glam. The sheer spectacle of it, the rampant sexuality, the rock sensibilities are all here. The approaching end of the world in "Five Years," the power of "Soul Love," the "Starman" waiting in the sky. David Bowie's original rock opera that would become a national sensation as his fiery stage show would become one of the hottest tickets around.

Ziggy Stardust was officially retired as a stage persona in the seventies, even though it took until the eighties to get the film out. This predates the movie, being the original work in all of its glory. The slow ballad of "Lady Stardust," the all-out rock of "Suffragette City," and the slow, mournful "Rock 'N' Roll Suicide."

Sadly, this album was re-released by Rykodisc through 1997, but they recently lost the rights to the Bowie library. If you can find the Rykodisc release, it's well worth getting, especially for the five bonus tracks, including Velvet Goldmine, the previously-unreleased version of "John, I'm Only Dancing," the song which was dropped until the movie, and the acoustic demo versions of both "Lady Stardust" and "Ziggy Stardust." One can only hope that this historical album will see release again in the near future.

Rating: **** (4 out of 4)

Availability: Widely available

America stands on the verge of losing Johnny Cash, and that's a horrible thought.

Johnny Cash is without a doubt one of the premiere singer/songwriters of American music, as some could tell from the first moment they heard "Ring of Fire." Since then, Johnny Cash's career has spanned both decades and genres. He is the only person to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the Recording Artist's Hall of Fame. Recently, Johnny Cash was diagnosed with Shy Drager Syndrome, also known as Multiple System Atrophy.

Johnny Cash's partnering with American Recordings (formerly Def American) has been one of the best label pairings in years, resulting in some fantastic new work from the artist, including his earlier release, American Recordings. Johnny Cash's Unchained is a series of 14 fantastic songs, produced by Rick Rubin and combining original work with traditional favorites. On this single album, we hear a wide range of Cash's styles, from the powerful rock chops of "Rusty Cage" to the mountain swing of "Mean Eyed Cat" and the slow gospel of "Kneeling Drunkard's Plea."

From the very first song, "Rowboat," you know that this album is going to be an accomplishment, with the instant burst of country strings and the mellow swell of Cash's all-too-powerful bass voice. His voice carries you through, too roughened to be Mel Torme's "velvet fog," but too smooth to be Mick Jagger's wail, you can almost see him sitting around a small room with a band of friends, strumming and singing. It's country the way it was meant to be played, running over into rock the way it should be heard and coming back into mountain swing. By the end of the CD, his fast and fun cover of "I've Been Everywhere," you know that you have just been taken on a musical tour by one of the greatest musicians to ever grace an American recording studio. Johnny Cash is more than just a musician, he's a national treasure.

Rating: ** (2 out of 4)

Availability: Widely Available

American Recordings, who handled Johnny Cash's latest albums, also released this new work by the man who brought us "Mellow Yellow" and "Season of the Witch." Given their work with Johnny Cash, one would expect to hear more of Donovan's surreal sense and psychedelic stylings with perhaps a bit of a modern touch. One would also be disappointed.

That's not to say that Donovan's Sutras isn't good. It's just saying that it's not fantastic. Donovan was always at his best when he was either tripping out or freaking us out. "Hurdy Gurdy Man" and "Season of the Witch" have all outlasted the saccharine "Lady of the Stars" or his other, innumerable lesser songs. Unfortunately, there's not much on this new album that smacks of the surrealistic appeal of his greatest hits. The melodies are easy, his voice has mellowed and sounds better than it did when he originally recorded, and the acoustic nature of the album creates an intimate atmosphere. There's just not much that stands out on this album, except for his musical setting of Edgar Allen Poe's "Eldorado," one of Poe's greatest poems which Donovan handles nicely. It's sad, though, that this album really has no "Mellow Yellow" to buoy it up. Better luck next time, perhaps?

Rating: *** (3 out of 4)

Availability: Widely Available

Shoot some Morphine into your CD player and discover the wonders of Low Rock.

Uber Independent label Rykodisc brings us this three-piece band from hell. Mark Sandman on 2-string slide bass and vocals, Dana Colley on baritone sax, and Billy Conway on drums. Together, they form some of the funkiest, coolest, and most bass-heavy music from a modern rock band.

The bass throbs its way through "Radar" and "I Had My Chance," while the sax bleats and wails in "Honey White" and "Sharks." Through it all, Mark Sandman's baritone/bass voice delivers the lyrics in a hlaf-sung, half-spoken fashion, occasionally breaking out of the music for a moment of drama, as in "Radar" and the spooky bass-backed monologue, "The Jury." Through it all, the funk never stops.

Morphine has some slick music, and some pure soul/funk moments. There are times when the music nearly collapses in on itself, only to leap back to its feet and take center stage again. The slyly sexual lyrics are delivered perfectly with all the emotion they desire.

Rating: (0 out of 4)

Availability:Widely Available

I must admit that I was greatly impressed by Smash Mouth's first single, "Walkin' on the Sun." It was a catchy tune with rapid-fire lyrics centered around a fantastically funky guitar line. I was certain that whoever wrote this song and in particular whoever created the guitar line knew what they were doing.

Now I only wish that person were actually a member of the band.

Fush Yu Mang is an album that succeeds at being incredibly bad. So bad, in fact, that there are not enough negative words in the English language to describe exactly how bad it is. How bad is it?

Bad.

The scandal surrounding the hit single involves the idea that the members of Smash Mouth stole the central guitar lick from a classic lounge album. Listening to Fush Yu Mang, it becomes obvious to anybody that they definitely stole the line. Considering how unoriginal, coarse, and altogether boring the album manages to be, it is beyond imagination that any single member of the band could conceivably have had the moment of genius required to pen that funky, resounding riff.

This album is a testament to the fact that nobody actually listens to demos any more. It's all right to have one stand out song on an album, but at least try to write a few more that are halfway-interesting. Okay, guys?

OLGA has suffered a major crash. This banner remains in support.

The opinions expressed in the above reviews are those of Glen Williams and may not represent the views of slac.com or any of its members. Compliments, complaints, and comments should be addressed to kallisti@slac.com

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