==== ISSUE 58 ==== CONSUMABLE ======== [November 3, 1995] Editor: Bob Gajarsky Internet: gajarsky@pilot.njin.net Sr. Correspondents: Jeremy Ashcroft, Martin Bate, Al Crawford, Dan Enright, Reto Koradi, David Landgren, Tim Mohr, Jamie Roberts, Joe Silva, John Walker Correspondents: Dan Birchall, Lee Graham Bridges, Scott Byron, Jason Cahill, Eric Hsu, Tim Hulsizer, Daniel Kane, Mario Lia, Sean Eric McGill, P. Nina Ramos, Linda Scott, Ali Sinclair, Jon Steltenpohl, Courtney Muir Wallner, Britain Woodman Also Contributing: Joe D'Angelo, Jiji Johnson Technical Staff: Chris Candreva, Dave Pirmann, Damir Tiljak, Jason Williams Address all comments, subscriptions, etc. to gajarsky@pilot.njin.net ================================================================== All articles in Consumable remain (C) copyright their author(s). Permission for re-publication in any form other than within this document must be obtained from the editor. ================================================================== .------------. | Contents | `------------' INTERVIEW: Scott Benzel - Machines of Loving Grace - Sean Eric McGill REVIEW: Lenny Kravitz, _Circus_ - Linda Scott CONCERT REVIEW: David Bowie/Nine Inch Nails - Joe D'Angelo REVIEW: Indigo Girls, _1200 Curfews_ / Shawn Colvin, _Live '88_ - Bob Gajarsky REVIEW: Menswe@r, _Nuisance_ - Jiji Johnson REVIEW: Echobelly, _On_ - John Walker REVIEW: Peter Frampton, _Frampton Comes Alive II_ -Linda Scott REVIEW: McCoy Tyner Trio, _Infinity_ - Ali Sinclair REVIEW: _The History of Space Age Pop_ - Various (Vol. 1-3) / _Four Rooms, Original Motion Picture Soundtrack_ / Combustible Edison - Joe Silva REVIEW: Joan Baez, _Ring Them Bells_ - Ali Sinclair NEWS: Bands on the Web: Banco de Gaia, Mammoth Records, Rocket from the Crypt Shirk Circus, Young Dubliners; AC/DC Contest, Anthrax, Minimal ambient (New York City) TOUR DATES: Ben Arnold, Ash/China, Bjork, Boiled In Lead, Candlebox, Combustible Edison, Julian Cope (Acoustic Shows), Dandelion, Echobelly Robben Ford & Blue Line Tour, Green Magnet, Kate Jacobs, Lizard Music Mana', Plastic Mikey, Poi Dog Pondering, 7 Mary 3, Sky Cries Mary Stanford Prison Experiment, Stiffs, Inc., Tenderloin/Psyclone Rangers The Mother Hips, McCoy Tyner, Urge Overkill Back Issues of Consumable --- INTERVIEW: Scott Benzel - Machines of Loving Grace - Sean Eric McGill _Gilt_, the latest album from Machines of Loving Grace, is a departure from their previous style. Leaning more towards guitars and less towards sampling, it marks a change in a band many have considered to be one of the best outfits in the industrial genre. Recently, I spoke with vocalist Scott Benzel about that change and a few other assorted topics. Consumable: _Gilt_ is certainly different from some of the earlier work the band has done. What brought about the change in musical style? Scott: Well, the live show. We toured alot after _Concentration_ and _The Crow_, we were out about six to nine months, and all of that touring really got us liking the live sound. The way that _Concentration_ was recorded - directly into the studio from the computer instead of taking it to the live band - was cool and it worked for us back then, but we were looking to expand on it, and get the live sound down on tape. C: Did the heavier aspect of the music have a direct effect on the lyrics or vice versa? S: The two were simultaneous, actually. The record was written for me during a very dark time, and alot of the tunes on this album were mainly a matter of getting stuff down on paper. I deal with some themes that I hadn't dealt with on a record before, like drugs and the rigidity and codifying of relationships. C: One of the people I played the album for is a psychologist, and she said to me that it was dark, but not as dark as Trent Reznor, who she wants to put on the couch. S: That's cool, actually. One of the things I was really trying to do and one of the things that differentiates us from what Trent is doing is that there is a degree of almost acceptance of humanity or something in our music. These songs come from a dark place, but not a totally nialistic place with no hope entirely. C: How's the tour looking? S: It's going pretty well, actually - it's kinda strange. We're on the road with Jim Rose, and it's actually pretty fun. Basically, what we hoped would happen is happening, in that we're getting to see a little bit into these guy's lifestyles. We're sorta checking out the freak lifestyle a little bit, and bonding with them, so it's pretty interesting. C: What's been the one thing so far in your career that you're the happiest with? S: I think the thing I'm most proud of is the opportunity to work with people whom I respect - like Sylvia Massey, who produced this record, and a variety of good artists, remixers, and people like that. That for me is the most gratifying to be able to have some kind of relationship with those people. C: We've talked about this being a fairly dark album lyrically, but the next album may not be this dark. It will never be as light as Bon Jovi, but this isn't some kind of thing were you're thinking "OK, now I'm going to be a dark person." S: Well, we write songs depending on where we are in life. There are songs off _Concentration_ that are dark and songs that are lighter. On the first record, there are songs that are very light, like "Cicciolina." We're not a band that's consumed by darkness - in fact, I know very few bands who actually are, whether they present that on stage or not. We're actually coming into sort of a lighter phase from just being out on the road and enjoying each other's company. C: What do you look at from a writing standpoint when it comes to lyrical content? Is there a point where you say, "OK, this is too personal?" S: That's a good question and something that I'm bumping up against right now. I would like to try and push it in the future, because certainly I've had my struggles with what to write about and deal with. As time goes on, there are songs that have become less cerebral and more visceral. They've gone from the head to the gut, and that's really what I attempted to do on this record. I really worked on conveying some very specific emotions that I'd never really worked on conveying before. This record gave me a challenge, and I think in the future I'll become even better at that. C: Who were your influences? S: I think we all have a wide variety of influences. Mike is a classically trianed cellist who got into working with electronics and was doing film soundtracks when I hooked up with him. Then Ray comes from a jazz background, and Dave, our new drummer, comes from a fifty percent jazz, fifty percent hard rock background. When I was young, I initially got into hardcore, since I lived in Vegas and alot of the Southern California hardcore bands came through town. And when I discovered Wax Trax and the joys of sampling, I got pretty heavily into that for awhile. All of our influences are diverse, but they seem to gel. C: Who are you listening to now that you're getting into? S: I'm not listening to alot of new stuff, although Girls Against Boys is a band I'm a big fan of. I've been going back and listening to alot of people who are very lyrically oriented, like Patty Smith, Tom Waits, Steely Dan, and stuff like that. I'm really interested in different ways to convey a story through lyrics and music. I've been going through a Bowie phase, as well, although I'm not a big fan of the new record. C: What would you like to do now as a band in terms of your direction musically? S: I think what I'm interested in doing now is making records and playing shows that feel real to myself and the band. That's what we were trying to do with _Gilt_, and like you said, we're never going to be as light as Bon Jovi. We're never going to sacrifice our deal for better marketing. I'd like to make an album that in some ways expands on what we did on _Gilt_. We seem to change our approach with each album, and I would like to continue with that. I definately think there's more territory to be explored. --- REVIEW: Lenny Kravitz, _Circus_ (Virgin) - Linda Scott Lenny Kravitz has always seemed a little out of step with the rock world. Unable to be the Hendrix-rocker he dresses as, his niche is more classic rock and soul. Yet he struggles and sometimes succeeds in his latest album _Circus_ to find a place beyond retro-rock. Childhood exposure to jazz and classical music and later embrace of rhythm & blues, gospel, funk, reggae, Beatles, Hendrix produced a musician of wide ranging interests. 1989's hit debut album _Let Love Rule_ followed by 1991's _Mama Said_ and 1993's _Are You Gonna Go My Way_ and now _Circus_ are all recognizable Kravitz albums - no major changes, no huge sales, just Lenny Kravitz, good albums to toss in the player and listen to over and over. A continuing presence in Kravitz' albums is his use of vintage recording equipment. A master studio craftsman using pre-digital sound, Kravitz's albums have a distinctive lean sound compared to contemporary albums. Simplicity and coherence in _Circus_ are also achieved by his nearly exclusive instrumental work. Here is an artist that can write the lyrics, sing the songs, play the drums, the bass, and 10 or 12 guitars. _Circus_ is truly a Kravitz production that varies from rock to soul. The star rocking track, "Rock and Roll is Dead", is the first single. This single lacks the power of predecessors "Are You Gonna Go My Way" and "Always On The Run". The album as a whole is a good Lenny Kravitz album but no powerhouse chart buster. Kravitz's detractors can make points with _Circus_ that they have made before - unoriginal, riffs borrowed from Led Zep, the Beatles, Hendrix. Kravitz's new found spirituality ("God", "In My Life Today", "The Resurrection") will bring fresh criticism as the lyrics seem especially naive even with their psychedelic references. _Circus_ is uneven but Kravitz's albums always seem a bit that way. When you write them, sing them, play them yourself, the public sees you/hears you as you are. Perhaps the booklet with nude photos sprinkled among the lyrics is part of this baring himself to the world or perhaps it's just a clever marketing ploy. Kravitz fans will like _Circus_ because there are no surprises here. Those new to Kravitz should first get his finest album, 1989's _Let Love Rule_. _Circus_ doesn't replicate the debut album's excitement but is a comfortable Lenny Kravitz continuation. --- CONCERT REVIEW: David Bowie/Nine Inch Nails - Joe D'Angelo David Bowie and Nine Inch Nails. The suggestion of this pairing six years ago would have been thought quite absurd. The old guy who sings nice songs about China girls and red shoes with the human angst-filled libido couldn't make for an odder coupling. So why then, has this been one of the most publicized, non-festival tours of the year? When first hearing of the "Outside" tour, my initial reaction, like many others, was utter disbelief. Then after a few minutes of pondering this completely different, but remarkably similar pairing, I began to realize the sense of it all. Both artists, and each is closer to an artist than a musician, were leaders in their own way. Notice I said leaders and not originators for I will not give the credit to either man for discovering their craft, but rather for widening its audience and bringing it to the mainstream. Simply put, Bowie was to glam as Trent was to industrial. Driving into the parking lot of NJ's Meadowlands offered up a disturbingly accurate cross section of the patrons of tonight's techno-industrial fest. On the left there were the Bowie fans, hoping see what could be for the last time, the man they once knew as Ziggy Stardust. On the right, the Nine Inch Nails fans, mostly frat boys (and girls) and those destined to be. Prick opened the show precisely at 7:30, a sure sign that this was a well structured event, to a half-filled arena of disinterested concert-goers. Although they played well, impressing me with their raw demure, they didn't seem to gel with the rest of the show. Taken out of context, if they played CBGB's, Prick would have put on one hell of a show. Here they were simply out classed and overlooked, acting as if it was a club show by shouting constant mic checks and tuning their guitars between songs. They simply didn't fit, and if it doesn't fit... A surprisingly short intermission followed their set, applause coming only form those paying attention to the unknown appetizer. With the house lights still on, Nine Inch Nails casually walked on stage and immediately brought the seated crowd to its feet and transformed the Meadowlands dubbed "PIT" into a turbulent sea of white-faced, black-lipsticked mayhem by opening with an electrically charged "Terrible Lies." Trent overtook the stage, leather-clad, strutting back and forth with a new found confidence. NIN knows how to work the stadium crowd, now possessing post-Woodstock '94 experience. And Trent is definitely not over his wet fixation. Every few songs, he would crawl to his bottle of water, dump it on his head, then throw it into the crowd, probably hitting some unsuspecting mosher in the head. Their set list consisted of mainly songs off _The Downward Spiral_, but surprisingly included rarer songs off _Pretty Hate Machine_ and _Broken_. When they played a remixed version of "Closer," the first single off _The Downward Spiral_, the crowd got completely perplexed, as if they didn't know what a remix was. A pit, which I assumed would be entirely out of hand, was now filled with dumbfounded kids in black asking themselves, "Is this it?" After a lengthy Nine Inch Nails set, the figure of a gaunt man was shown silhouetted behind the curtain, hands folded, staring at Trent with one eye, and the crowd with the other. As David Bowie came closer to view, he was welcomed by an non-receptive smathering of applause. When Bowie and Trent sang their duets of Bowie's "Scary Monsters" and NIN's "Hurt," it became apparent how similar these two artists are by the emotion underlying each voice. As Trent left the stage, and his band was replaced by Bowie's, David broke into the opening track off his latest album, _Outside_, without any preset chatter. He proceeded to play each song off _Outside_ in uninterupted succession. Bowie had completely adapted his new sound into that which blended well with the vibe Nine Inch Nails has left us with. Again the crowd was puzzled as to how to react. Music that could be labeled "Industrial" was coming out of the speakers, but it was David Bowie leading the noise. What most couldn't understand is that this is Bowie's new toy. He found a great potential for musical experimentation hidden in techno-based music. Like an artist unveiling a painting for the first time, this is what Bowie had come to the altar with, and we were to be subjected to it. Although most of the crowd didn't think so (at the end of the show less than half of the crowd remained), Bowie performed remarkably. He knew he was committing "commercial suicide." In a recent interview with USA Today, he described how to accomplish this dangerous task, "You play songs from an album that hasn't been released yet, and compliment it with obscure songs from the past that you've never done on stage." Bowie took us on a journey that night. Each song, sung from the perspective of each character in The Diary of Nathan Adler, the non-linear gothic drama on which Outside is based, brought with it it's own angle on emotion and point of view. Ranging from melodic ambiance to techno-industrial, the show volleyed between smoke enshrouded dancing colors and screaming strobe lights, making it an experience of sight as well as sound. Granted, many of the fans left disappointed, feeling that they were short-changed on a "David Bowie Concert" because he neglected to play a ny of his mass market favorites. What people didn't realize was that this was not a rock concert but something closer to performance art. _Outside_ is a story-telling album and Bowie told us the story of an art detective and the hunt for an art killer. If more people would have stopped hoping to hear "Ziggy Stardust" and "Let's Dance," and instead ingested the show for what it was, David Bowie would have walked away that evening amidst overwhelming applause instead of exiting quietly and leaving us without an encore. David Bowie is by no means over, he is an artist and will continue to create art, even if this unappreciative exhibit may prove to be his final one. --- REVIEW: Indigo Girls, _1200 Curfews_ (Epic) / Shawn Colvin, _Live '88_ (Plump) - Bob Gajarsky Does one genre of music *have* to continue to another generation? That question presents itself to two performers who, at one time or another, have been linked to the folk songs of days gone by: the Indigo Girls and Shawn Colvin. Emily Saliers and Amy Ray, the duo from Georgia known as the Indigo Girls, have partially shed the folk tag. From the breakthrough self-titled album (including the hit "Closer To Fine") and the opening slot on R.E.M.'s tour as two women with guitars, the pair have expanded their music to include drums, bass, and probably the premier cello player for "alternative" music today, Jane Scarpantoni (R.E.M., Bob Mould). Their latest release, _1200 Curfews_, consists of 26 live tracks (and one studio track, a cover of Buffy Saint-Marie's "Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee") recorded at various times over the last 13 years. Fans of the duo will be instantly familiar with many of the tracks, which include all their radio and commercial singles as well as covers of Bob Dylan's "Tangled Up In Blue" and Gladys Knight & The Pips' "Midnight Train To Georgia". The highlight for die-hard collectors is probably the previously unreleased track, "Back Together Again", which was recorded in Amy's basement in 1982. And, as someone who saw them live back in 1989, at Madison Square Garden - and walked away disappointed because the sound just didn't carry well in such a huge setting - it's a pleasant surprise that the Indigo Girls have produced such a solid live double CD. While the Indigo Girls have graduated to mainstream success and can guarantee a solid level of sales with each release, Shawn Colvin still hasn't broken out of the "promising artist" level, despite her 37 years of age. The former backup vocalist for Suzanne Vega has a live reissue, _Live '88_, which was just released on Plump Records (Email: plumprec@aol.com). This eleven song compilation shows an even rawer side of Colvin than most fans are familiar with. It's pure Shawn, on guitar, with what appear to be very little remastering. Seven of these songs appeared on 1989's _Steady On_, with two others showing up on 1992's _Fat City_. A standard of Colvin's concerts is to include a couple cover songs in each performance. A complete album of these appeared in 1994's _Cover Girl_, but on _Live '88_, Shawn offers up a beautiful version of Simon & Garfunkel's "Kathy's Song". The only quirk here is that three of the tracks - "Kathy's Song", "Something To Believe In" and David Ball's "Don't You Think I Feel It Too" - are actually taken from a 1990 show. However, they still capture the feel of Ms. Colvin, live, in an intimate setting. Jackson Browne expressed that "her singing and guitar playing...are compelling and complete". I couldn't agree more. If Colvin and the Indigo Girls are still considered 1960's folk, those attaching the labels should take a harder look. Gather round your friends, some coffee, and create the cafe' setting with either of these CD's. --- REVIEW: Menswe@r, _Nuisance_ (London) - Jiji Johnson Tropes, tropes, tropes! All within the English Pop/Rock canon, thank you very much. _Nuisance_ opens up with "125 West Third Street," a cut with all the riff-bravado of (and shameless thievery from) the Jesus and Mary Chain, Teenage Fanclub, the Wonder Stuff, or R.E.M., and none of touring, legwork, experience, or chronology, as Menswe@r has only been around about a year or so. The most distinguishable thing about these Pop/pastiche artisans is their squeaky clean, fresh-from-grade-school collective countenance and assembly-line retro vibe. Who DON'T they borrow from? These lads poach from bands who already borrow from other bands such as Blur, Elastica and Echobelly. A snotty, smartass vocal a la Bret Anderson ("He's a superficial f*cker/has the girls one after the other" from "Stardust"); an asexual, apathetic nonsensical witticism a la Blur ("Sex is a secondary thing/doomed to come dumb and king" from "piece of me"), unabashed vulnerability a la Morrissey ("I don't believe in being brave" from "Being Brave")... and this segues into horns and grooves akin to those of The Specials or The Jam, leading Anglophile Pop devotees helplessly around by the nose, entertained if not a little disoriented. Still, this Pop's alright, and the disorientation's not necessarily unpleasant. Rather, _Nuisance_ simulates a lazy Sunday in which you flip from song to song on your radio through stations--college stations and commercial--that'll only play derivative Pop hits. Menswe@r's hard-to-peg elasticity leaves one challenged: their first single, barely out ("Daydreamer"), does merit the current adulation and comparisons to Wire that it has garnered thus far, but more so for its production quality than any true experimentation. Singer Johnny Dean sails from song to song, making up for his minimal range with a truckload of charisma, changing incrementally, chameleon-like, for the style that each song demands. And again, the Menswe@r lineup sounds like they borrowed their names from old American B-movies or cowboy flicks: Johnny Dean, Chris Gentry, Simon White, Stuart Black, Matt Everett... What's brought these boys the most renown of late, most especially in the U.K., is just plain hype and a bit of riding on their cohorts' coattails. The hype is not unfounded, but an "indie-savant" image and smashing good looks can only grant one so much street cred. Their "hidden track," combining circus music rhythms and wandering, lilting guitars, lyrics, and effects, shows splendid promise, and one hopes that when these boys (sorry, the youngest member's all of 18) hit their stride on their inevitable second album, they'll bring that many more of the wild oats they're sure to have sown by then to the table. --- REVIEW: Echobelly, _On_ (550 Music/Epic) - John Walker Echobelly leader singer Sonia Aurora-Madan is a 90s kind of female pop star: she's really got nothing to complain about, but, in every interview I've seen with her, she seems to be intent on being seen as _relevant_. Unfortunately , her confused socio-political rhetoric often makes her come off as the very bubble-headed stereotype she so vehemently decries. Aurora-Madan is the kind of girl Michael Stipe could love (and indeed, he _does_ love her band): a sloganeering, politically correct mouthpiece who spews hatred directed at all the proper "isms" (race/sex and so on) but whose actual _commitment_ (besides getting her name in the music press) is seemingly quite questionable. I must admit, having read a lot of Aurora-Madan's interviews before hearing her band, I was hoping to be able to totally write Echobelly off as an entity as shallow as she often seems. Yet this album, the follow-up to last year's UK Top 10 _Everybody's Got One_, does contain its fair share of pleasing pop. At its best, this music that makes you feel through sheer inspired _craft_: Aurora-Madan's affected vocal style--while surely not for everyone--more often than not meshes agreeably with the shimmering, gigantic riffing of Glen Johansson on guitar. Even the clunkers usually have a redeeming, hum-alone feature or two that elevates them above the merely mundane. The album leads off in fine style with "Car Fiction," a fast-paced number inspired by (according to Aurora-Madan) the work of Quentin Tarantino - which at this point is surely a bit of bandwagon-hopping, but at least it rocks. It's very early 80s new-wavy, with lost of guitar-driven energy, and lyrics that are merely serviceable: "Run run away / maybe we can run away". This is Echobelly at its best: nothing profound, not trying for anything beyond its grasp. It's over fast, and you'd like to play it again. "King of the Kerb" is also mid-tempo hooky, with a vague lyric seemingly berating young male hoodlums who hand out on street corners and get mixed up with street crime. As is usual with Aurora-Madan's lyrics when she tries to get all messagey, the result is both confused and confusing. "They're the kings of the kerb / and everybody knows what they're worth" is fine as a near-rhyme, but upon closer inspection seems a bit smug and lacking in depth, somewhat like the singer herself. In Aurora-Madan's utopian world-view, everyone would be nicey-nice and lovey-dovey, but she seems at a loss to offer a roadmap to this promised land, indicating that, as in her interviews, she's tackling subject matter here which would be in her case better left alone. "Great Things," a UK hit, is Echobelly at its most chirpy and vapid. "I wanna do great things / I don't wanna compromise" is at least as heavy a sentiment as is usually offered up by that other great philosopher, Belinda Carlisle; it's hard to afford Aurora-Madan her oft-stated demand to be taken seriously when she comes up with clunkers like this, an obvious attempt at a hit single and pop "sooper-stardom" (even if it does sneak in a masturbation reference- tres chic!). Believe me, Elastica this ain't. However, it may do for those who think Rod McKuen is a poetic genius. Happily, most of _On_ avoids the actuality of "Great Things," and instead strives--if not always achieving-- for what that song theoretically embraces. The record picks up steam as it winds through tracks like the agreeably dramatic "Natural Animal," Aurora-Madan's take on the nature vs nurture question in which she discards the analysis and goes for the passion instead. "Go Away" veers a little too close to the obvious, sappy territory of "Great Things," but "Pantyhose and Roses" springs things back to life with a witty take on bourgeois manners and the twisted passions that lie beneath (ok, it's not original, but the quirky little reggaefied riff and Aurora-Madan's feisty delivery save the day). Frankly, what really keeps me listening here is the totally _rockin'_ guitar that Johansson splatters all over tracks like "Four Letter Word," forcing Aurora-Madan to sink or swim. "Nobody Like You" also shakes a bit, but it may remind those familiar with glories of the Smiths (to whom Echobelly is oft-compared) of a kind of B version of the same. Johansson may be able to approriate Johnny Marr, but the profundity and wit of Morrissey at his best is out of Aurora-Madan's artistic reach. Echobelly are thus at their best when they stay within the limits of guitar-heavy pop with a slight twist; true _greatness_ will never be theirs, even if the likes and Stipe and Courtney Love are now lining up to court them, whiffing a possible breakthrough. As downright competent and pleasing as it can sometimes be, _On_ won't be causing Justine Frischmann any sleepless nights. --- REVIEW: Peter Frampton, _Frampton Comes Alive II_ (El Dorado/I.R.S.) -Linda Scott If you were at least a preteen in 1976, you were around for the Frampton phenomenon. Peter Frampton, the man with the mellow guitar solos, shaggy curls and engaging stage prescence, released a two-disc concert album, _Frampton Comes Alive_. The album claimed the No. 1 slot for 10 weeks and went on to sell a record setting (for live albums) 16 million copies worldwide. Peter Frampton was the symbol of seventies feel good rock. By 1977 Frampton's career had begun its downward slide through a series of bad albums, legal hassles, an embarrassing role in the Bee Gees' Sgt. Pepper film and a car accident. Last year's self-titled album received a lukewarm if not cool reception. Frampton tries for semi- annual albums so here is this year's comeback attempt, _Frampton Comes Alive II_. If the same title and city (San Francisco) can make some magic, Frampton has chosen well. But this reflection of the past is also seen on the album tracks. Many of the tracks are retreads from previous albums with some new songs inserted here and there as you might expect at a live performance. The artist of the best selling live album of all time might be expected to let the comeback climb go and retire to his native England. Given Frampton's past, that's unlikely. He is a working musician who played in his first band at the age of 10. At 16 he was guitarist/vocalist in The Herd which scored some British hits. In 1969 he formed Humble Pie with ex-Small Faces guitarist/vocalist Steve Marriott. Humble Pie stayed together through five albums, and in 1971 Frampton went solo releasing four albums prior to _Frampton Comes Alive_. Three singles hit the Top 40, the album went multi-platinum and Frampton became an international star. Time went on and Frampton tried harder to repeat his success but as he says, he tried to write what would sell instead of what he felt. He has sad memories of being the butt of a Frank Zappa cover of "I'm In You", the ridicule received from Sgt. Pepper, and the gentle ribbing of his album in the comedy _Wayne's World_. Frampton won't waste energy on the bad times - he's too busy fighting his way back. When David Bowie offered him the lead guitar position on the Glass Spider tour, Frampton grabbed it as a chance to show he is a serious musician. Then came the release of albums and the club tours. At this point, he has released another eight albums since _Frampton Comes Alive_ and plays clubs as well as ampitheaters. Frampton at 43 has a stronger, older voice and the preceding twenty years have only honed his guitar playing. He knows about making a live album sound great - audience noise limited, his own patter clear as a bell and the music perfectly in balance. Although it's hard to make a megahit out of what is basically a remade seventies album, Frampton's fans will love this one as will followers of classic rock and easy listening. To others the album may seem dated and dull. For example, Frampton makes use of the trademark voice-box throughout almost an entire track which really is annoying. A tour is being set up and Frampton is at his best live, which is clearly the way to hear these songs. Skip the concert t-shirt and buy yourself the album. --- REVIEW: McCoy Tyner Trio, _Infinity_ (Impulse) - Ali Sinclair Impeccable, professional and perfectionist jazz from McCoy Tyner: what else would you expect from the only pianist that John Coltrane wanted to play with? Nine pieces, over an hour of music: six written by McCoy, one "Good Morning Heartache" jazz standard, one "I Mean You" expounding a Thelonious Monk theme...and "Impressions", written by the late-great saxophonist John Coltrane. There's not much to say about this CD apart from telling you that it's good, sax-and-piano jazz from some great musicians. Energetic and mellow, one and both and all at the same time: tunes that stay wrapped around your earlobes all day long... just jazz. Good jazz. It's the real McCoy! --- REVIEW: _The History of Space Age Pop_ - Various (Vol. 1-3) (RCA)/ _Four Rooms, Original Motion Picture Soundtrack_ (Elektra) / Combustible Edison (Elektra) - Joe Silva In the pre-Beatle days of the hi-fi era, when the average haircut stayed at a marked distance from the average collar, the slightly squarer bachelor had seemingly limited options while attempting to create enough ambience to woo his Laura Petri look a like. Enter Juan Garcia Esquivel and a slew of other less widely known arranger/composers to dilate the boundaries of pop instrumental music. They created a vanilla lounge sound that incorporated rhythms and sounds that were soon to evaporate from the pop arena. Latin rhumba flavours done up with cheesy Wurlitzer organ flourishes, twangy surf guitars blended into melodies with perky vibraphones and blaring trumpet salvos. It was a soul-free, faux jazz aesthetic that eventually culminated into making the Pink Panther theme a hip, mainstream platter du jour. Eventually, however, the one two combination of the folk craze and the Fab Four, caused this sort of sound to hibernate in the vaults of the big labels and the handful of companies that used it as the blueprint for musak. But now that we've seen musical trends like punk and new wave (which have yet to acquire full blown rigor mortis yet) unearthed and packaged neatly already, space age lounge music was bound to see it's second coming shortly. Bands like Love Jones musically espouse it's crushed velvet aura, while Urge Overkill are busy bringing it's martini toting fashions to life visually. The kicker to all this comes in a recent Rolling Stone, which features a 20 question go 'round with the big daddy lounge Lord himself, 78 year old Mexican arranger Juan Garcia Esquivel. Now three volumes worth of most genres might be a little difficult going down, and there's certainly a fair amount of fat in RCA's collection. The trio works however if you can find the space age groove and mentally gloss over the deep musak like moves of things like Volume One's "Roller Coaster" by Henri Rene & His Orchestra and Chorus and move straight into the high life cocktail hour swing of pieces like "Why Wait" by Perez Prado or Volume Two's "Caravan" by The Three Suns. For overall content, the nod probably goes to Volume Three ("The Stereo Action Dimension"), with it's quintessential moments like "Crazy Rhythm" by Guitars Unlimited Plus 7. The _Four Rooms_ Soundtrack plays differently in that it's a sincere approximation of the original and on occasion shows it's higher-fi and lower cheese factors. Combustible Edison (along with a few genuine Esquivel moments tossed in), a New England five piece normally under the Sub Pop banner, do the masters justice and the shorter pieces actually maintain your interest afloat slipping in and out of one another fairly seamlessly. Twenty nine tracks from start to finish isn't a bad deal considering you get the honest vibe without having to endure the celluloid that it accompanies in the theatres. Without a room full of already turned on devotees, you might question the ability of this stuff to transcend even momentarily all the rest that modern music has given us since it's hey day and garner any sort of appreciation for it. But should you find yourself in an out of the way motel room where the decor has yet to be updated in the last few decades (as I did recently), you'll be sure to the witness the space age validity of these discs as they light up the deep olive coloured and slightly angular furnishings that may surround you. --- REVIEW: Joan Baez, _Ring Them Bells_ (Guardian Records) - Ali Sinclair A collection of crystal-clear, pure-folk gems from Joan Baez - and friends. The blatantly anti-war "And the bank played Waltzing Matilda" is bitter-sweet: pain and sorrow in the lyrics, Joan singing bright as a summer stream... Dylan's"Ring Them Bells" (with Mary Black), and "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" (with the Indigo Girls)... Tim Hardin's "Don't Make Promises You Can't Keep" great bluesy beat... Richard Farina' "Swallow Song" (beautifully harmonised with Mimi; Richard's widow and Joan's sister) and, my favourite, the heart-rending, sadly-hopeful "Jesse", with Janis Ian together with the other songs on this CD, go to make the most memorable Joan Baez collection I've ever heard. The songs were recorded during a series of shows in the small-club setting of the Bottom Line, giving an intimate and warm atmosphere. Well over twenty-five years after she made her first commercial recording, Joan Baez is still here: making music, singing sunshine and keeping the folk thread spinning. Regardless of how much--or how little--you know of Joan Baez and the '60s protest-folk scene, give this one a listen--and don't forget to sing along! --- NEWS: > More bands and record companies on the World Wide Web! Banco de Gaia: http://www.obsolete.com/banco/ Mammoth Records: http://www.mammoth.com Rocket from the Crypt http://underground.net/Sdrocks/bin/rocket Shirk Circus Web Site http://execpc.com/~jerk/shirk Young Dubliners: http://www.aztech-cs.com/youngdubs > AC/DC fans will have a chance to win prizes ranging from posters, t-shirts, and guitar picks to their latest _Ballbreaker_ album, as well as the entire catalog. Web surfers need only visit http://www.elektra.com/acdc-event/acdccontest.html/ (the Elektra Records Web site) before November 5 to enter. > An Anthrax offshoot band, Du Husker, played Sunday night at the Los Angeles club Dragonfly. The band, consisting of Anthrax members Charlie Benante (drums) and Scott Ian (guitar), along with Zach Ghrone on vocals and Jimmy Ilevio on bass, plays one-off shows performing Husker Du covers. Other performances will occur, but no dates are available at press time. > New York area ambient fans should pay attention to Minimal, at Babyland (81 Ave. A, between East 5th and 6th St.). During the month of November, there is a release part for Astralwerks' Excursions 4 (November 9), a release party of sm:)e communications "Red" by Air Liquide (November 16), and Ben Neill playing supporting his latest release, _Green Machine_ (November 30). All shows start at 9:30 pm, and admissino is $5. --- TOUR DATES Ben Arnold Nov. 8 Brookline, MA The Tam Nov. 9 Manayunk, PA Grape Street Pub Nov. 10 Albany, NY The Metro Ash/China Nov. 11 Los Angeles, CA Whisky Nov. 12 San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill Nov. 14 Portland, OR Satyricon Nov. 15 Seattle, WA Weathered Wall Nov. 16 Vancouver, BC TBA Nov. 19 Los Angeles, CA Dragonfly Bjork Nov. 3-4 San Francisco, CA The Warfield Nov. 7 Denver, CO Paramount Nov. 9 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue Boiled In Lead Nov. 4 Berkeley CA Freight & Salvage (acoustic) Nov. 5 San Francisco CA DNA Lounge Nov. 7 Eugene OR John Henry's Nov. 9 Portland OR East Avenue Tavern Nov. 10 Seattle WA The Backstage Candlebox Nov. 3 Milwaukee, WI Mecca Arena Nov. 4 Detroit, MI Palace Nov. 7 Columbus, OH Ohio Center Nov. 8 Kalamazoo, MI Wings Stadium Nov. 9 Cleveland, OH Convocation Center Combustible Edison Nov. 4 Los Angeles, CA Exoticon '95 @the Park Plaza Hotel Nov. 5 Los Angeles, CA The Viper Room Nov. 9 New Orleans, LA Howlin' Wolf Nov. 10 Atlanta, GA The Point Julian Cope (Acoustic Shows) Nov. 3 Boston, MA Middle East Nov. 5 Washington, DC Black Cat Nov. 6 New York, NY Westbeth Music Hall Dandelion Nov. 3 Port Chester, NY 7 Willow Street Nov. 4 Washington, D.C. 9:30 Club Nov. 5 Hoboken, NJ Maxwell's Echobelly Nov. 4 Santa Ana, CA Galaxy Nov. 5 Riverside, CA House of Rock Nov. 6 Hollywood, CA Hollywood Garden Nov. 7 San Francisco, CA Bimbo's Nov. 9 Seattle, WA Moe's Nov. 10 Vancouver, BC Town Pub Nov. 11 Portland, OR La Luna Nov. 13 Salt Lake City, UT DV8 Robben Ford & Blue Line Tour Nov. 11 Alexandria, VA Birchmere Green Magnet Nov. 3 San Diego, CA Casbah (IMS) Nov. 7 Los Angeles, CA Jabberjaw Nov. 9 San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill Nov. 10 Portland, OR Satyricon Kate Jacobs Nov. 11 Chapel Hill, NC Crescent City Music Hall Lizard Music Nov. 6 Los Angeles, CA Hell's Gate Nov. 7 Los Angeles, CA Martini Lounge Nov. 8 Los Angeles, CA Largo Pub Mana' Nov. 3-5 Los Angeles, CA Universal Studios Nov. 9-10 San Jose, CA Event Center Nov. 12 Santa Barbara, CA Event Center Nov. 17 Phoenix, AZ Desert Sky Pavillion Nov. 18 Tucson, AZ Convention Center Nov. 19 El Paso, TX UTEP Plastic Mikey Nov. 3 Arlington Heights, IL Vail Street Cafe Nov. 4 Des Plaines, IL Java Junction Nov. 10 Westmont, IL Brewed Awakening Nov. 11 Batavia, IL Daily Grind Nov. 17 Hinsdale, IL Burlington Espresso Co. Poi Dog Pondering Nov. 3 Carrboro, NC Cat's Cradle Nov. 5 Washington, DC 9:30 Club Nov. 6 Washington, DC 9:30 Club Nov. 8 Boston, MA Paradise Nov. 10 New York,NY Westbeth Theater 7 Mary 3 Nov. 3 Melbourne, FL Brevard County Fair Nov. 4 Gainesville, FL Covered Dish Nov. 10 Hollywood, CA Dragonfly Sky Cries Mary Nov. 3 Ellensburg, WA Central Wash. U-Sub Ballroom Nov. 4 Tacoma, WA U Puget Sound Fieldhouse Nov. 5 Portland, OR U Of Portland The Commons Nov. 6 Eugene, OR U Of Oregon Emu Ballroom Nov. 7 Cupertino, CA De Anza College- Flint Ctr. Nov. 10 Visalia, CA Visalia Concert Ctr Stanford Prison Experiment Nov. 3 Santa Monica, CA Alligator Lounge Stiffs, Inc. Nov. 10 Austin, TX Emo's Nov. 11 Dallas, TX Orbit Room Nov. 12 Houston, TX Deep Fat Nov. 13 New Orleans, LA Howlin' Wolf Tenderloin/Psyclone Rangers Nov. 5 Kalamazoo, MI Club Soda Nov. 6 Huntington, WV Drop Shop Nov. 7 Cincinnati, OH Sudsy Malones Nov. 8 Grand Rapids, MI Reptile House Nov. 9 Toledo, OH Crowbar Nov. 10 Cleveland Hts, OH Grog Shop The Mother Hips Nov. 3 Asbury Park, NJ The Saint Nov. 4 New York, NY Tramps Nov. 28 Monterey, CA Planet Gemini Nov. 29 Berkeley, CA Berkeley Square Nov. 30 Petaluma, CA Mystic Theatre McCoy Tyner Nov. 3-5 New York, NY Iridium Urge Overkill (dates subject to change) Nov. 11 Nashville, TN 328 Performance Hall Nov. 12 Memphis ,TN New Daisy Theater Nov. 13 Louisville, KY The Brewery Nov. 15 Cincinnati, OH Bogarts or The Garage Nov. 16 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall Nov. 17 Cleveland, OH Odeon Concert Club or Agora Theater Nov. 18 Detroit, MI State Theater Nov. 20 Indianapolis, IN The Vogue or Emerson Hall --- To get back issues of Consumable, check out: FTP: eetsg22.bd.psu.edu in the directory /pub/Consumable ftp.etext.org in the directory /pub/Zines/Consumable Gopher: diana.zems.etf.hr Engleski Jezik/Music/Consumable or Hrvastki Jezik/Glazbena Rubrika/Consumable (URL) gopher://diana.zems.etf.hr:70/11/eng/Music/Consumable http://www.westnet.com/consumable/Consumable.html (WWW) http://www.westnet.com (CIS) on Compuserve Notes: GO FORUM (Delphi) Music Fandom forum; GO ENT MUSIC Web access contributed by WestNet Internet Services (westnet.com), serving Westchester County, NY. 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