==== ISSUE 154 ====    CONSUMABLE     ======== [September 11, 1998]

  Editor:             Bob Gajarsky
                         E-mail: editor@consumableonline.com
  Sr. Correspondents: Daniel Aloi, Joann Ball, Bill Holmes, Tim 
                      Kennedy, Reto Koradi, David Landgren, Sean 
                      Eric McGill, Tim Mohr, Al Muzer, Joe Silva, 
                      Lang Whitaker
  Correspondents:     Tracey Bleile, Lee Graham Bridges, Scott  
                      Byron, Jason Cahill, Patrick Carmosino, 
                      Krisjanis Gale, Emma Green, Paul Hanson, 
                      Chris Hill, Eric Hsu, Tim Hulsizer, Franklin 
                      Johnson, Robin Lapid, Linda Scott, Scott 
                      Slonaker, Chelsea Spear, Simon Speichert, 
                      Jon Steltenpohl, Simon West
  Technical Staff:    Chris Candreva, Dave Pirmann

 Address all comments to staff@consumableonline.com ; subscription 
information is given at the end of this issue. 
==================================================================
	All articles in Consumable remain (C) copyright their author(s). 
Permission for re-publication in any form must be obtained from the 
editor.
==================================================================
                            .------------.
                            |  Contents  |
                            `------------'
INTERVIEW: Nick Heyward (in London) - Joe Silva
REVIEW: Shudder To Think, _First Love, Last Rites_ - Chelsea Spear
REVIEW: Embrace, _The Good Will Out_ - Sean Eric McGill
REVIEW: Saint Etienne _Good Humor_ - Patrick Carmosino
CONCERT REVIEW:  Pulp, Finsbury Park, London, England - Robin Lapid
REVIEW: 1000 Clowns, _Freelance Bubblehead_- Bob Gajarsky
REVIEW: Beach Boys, _Endless Harmony_ - Tim Kennedy
REVIEW: Gearwhore, _Drive_ - Simon West
REVIEW: Varnaline, _Sweet Life_ - Chris Hill
REVIEW: Various Artists, _Funk on Film_ - Joann D. Ball
REVIEW: Buddy Guy, _Heavy Love_ - Daniel Aloi
REVIEW: Symposium, _On The Outside_ - Reto Koradi
REVIEW: Icos,  _At The Speed of Life_ - Linda Scott
REVIEW: Skinny, _The Weekend_ - Chris Hill
REVIEW: Brenda Weiler, _Trickle Down_ - Paul Hanson
NEWS: Manic Street Preachers, London Suede
TOUR DATES: Tori Amos / Devlins, Anthrax / Grinspoon, Beastie Boys, 
   Better Than Ezra, Broadside Electric, Candlebox, Chemical Brothers, 
   The Church, Creed / Fuel / Finger Eleven, Fear Factory, Nanci
   Griffith, Irving Plaza, Jesus & Mary Chain / Mercury Rev, Korn, 
   Lenny Kravitz, Ziggy Marley & Melody Makers, Massive Attack / 
   Lewis Parker, Metallica / Jerry Cantrell / Days of the New, Bob 
   Mould / Varnaline, Reel Big Fish / Spring Heeled Jack, Sheila Divine, 
   Tripping Daisy / Flick, Unity Fest (Agnostic Front, Dropkick 
   Murphys, U.S. Bombs), Vast, Mike Watt, Wilco, X
Back Issues of Consumable
---
	INTERVIEW: Nick Heyward (in London)
		- Joe Silva
	It's one of the few truly pleasant days the heavens have 
chosen to bestow upon me during my hurried summer trip to the U.K. 
The temperatures are somewhere in the upper 70's, the cold drizzle 
has gone off to bother Scotland and the world is actually beginning 
to resemble something of the July day it actually is. Tucked away 
down an odd London side street - that's a mix of car repair shops 
and warehouses is BJG studios. Without even a hint of pop fanfare, 
you could pass its doors all day and not take too much notice of 
what might be going on behind its threshold. But it's bigtime stuff 
to be sure. Dozen of CD sleeves hang in the hallways as testaments 
to the work that's gone on here. The last Orb record was done here, 
and from the talk inside the studio, I've just missed Jarvis Cocker 
by some 24 hours.
	But as I arrive at the doors, a muscular, bespectacled 
fellow is right at my heels as I tap the entry buzzer. It turns out 
not to be security, but somewhat unrecognizably the person I'd come 
to see. The last time I saw Nick Heyward close-up he was when he was 
just turning 21 and was the buzz of the pop realm. It was the heyday 
of Haircut 100's 1982 _Pelican West_ tour, and Nick had just emerged 
from a limo to sign what autographs he could through the fence that 
stood between him and a crush of young girls. But the fellow pushing 
little slips of paper through the chainlink is slighter and seemingly 
more inhibited than the man before me now who's cheery and packs an 
ultra-firm handshake.
	Once we are led to the studio kitchen by Nick's 
frighteningly amiable manager, we settle down for a chat. Nick, 
who used the same stylist as Pulp for the publicity shots for his 
latest LP, _The Apple Bed_ , still bears some of the Cocker 
demeanor in terms of clothes and squared glasses.  Oddly enough the 
spectre of Jarvis' visit here yesterday lingers on the table by way 
of a magazine cover he happens to be gracing that month.

	Consumable: Did you record the new record here?
	Nick Heyward: NO, no...I wish. I will be doing the next one 
(here) definitely. But that was Creation really. They wouldn't be in 
a place like this. It's more like Do it in your mum's house."
	C.O.: Really?! Aren't they one of the biggest indie labels in 
the country?
	N.H.: Precisely. (pauses) Ha ha ha ha!! But that's the indie 
mentality, innit it?  In Britain. Not in America though. In America 
"alternative" doesn't really mean cheap. And it's actually quite 
professional. (Shirley Manson-led) Garbage are alternative, aren't 
they? and I don't see them going in a garage and recording.
	C.O.: The first time I saw you, you were touring this record 
(holding up _Pelican West_ ) and playing on a big pier in New York City.
	N.H.: Oh yes! The pier. I remember. With this enormous 
battleship. That was a really good night. It was a lot slower than 
we'd normally done because we couldn't find Blair (Cunningham, 
drummer) for some reason. We'd found him last minute and he was very 
relaxed. Whatever he'd been doing, he was very very chilled out.
	C.O.: That would have been what year?
	N.H.: 82.
	C.O.: I think you guys had just done American Bandstand. What 
did you think of Dick Clark?
	N.H.: Yeah, American Bandstand and Solid Gold. I thought we 
were literally the Beatles and this was Ed Sullivan. All those tiny 
aspects were being lived around that time. You'd stand at the fence 
and there'd be barbed wire and lots of girls on the other side. Or 
you're in a limousine with people banging on the windows and you'd 
think Yep, I've seen this in Help!' It was just a great experience. 
I'm surprised we'd lived through that.
	C.O.: Now you were raised in Beckenham, weren't you? Is that 
a London suburb?
	N.H.: Yeah, South London really.
	C.O.: In your videos though, you've always looked the English 
country gent?
	N.H.: That's just me wanting to look like that really. My 
upbringing was really more Get Carter.' I lived in pubs in London with 
my Mum and Dad.
	C.O.: Can you tell me about the songwriting process that went 
into this record? Seems like there's a lot more up front guitar on 
this one?
	N.H.: It took me two weeks to record this album. And those two 
weeks were quite a long time ago. There was loud guitar music 
everywhere and one thing wrong with being a songwriter is that at 
any particular time, you're influenced by anything that's going on. 
I recorded it and I did it that way, and a lot of songs I regretted 
quite soon after. It was like a photograph of the two weeks during 
that time. And I've never had to do an album in two weeks before, but 
that's the Creation thing. When I did it, I said to them that I sort 
of have to fiddle with it, but they said 'No, that's it. It's finished. 
We'll put it out next year.' That album reminds me of a Polaroid taken 
at that particular time. So some of them got the overdubbed guitars 
and some of them didn't. And I think the ones that benefit definitely 
are the ones that didn't.
	C.O.: That's interesting, because I think you're one of the 
first musicians of your generation that I've talked to in a long time 
who keeps up with what's current.
	N.H.: Yeah, I do. I don't watch telly, I listen to music. I 
listen to everything from the past through to the now and on to the 
demos of the future.
	C.O.: A lot of musicians tend to isolate themselves.
	N.H.: They do and then they get stuck in a year and champion 
it. Then they end up being that year. It's a shame. Then you have to 
wait for your time to come around (again) like Echo and the Bunnymen, 
and wait fifteen years.   Simple Minds will have to wait a long time 
(laughs)!!
	C.O.: So how have the singles and the album done over here?
	N.H.: Commercially...terribly. They didn't get played by any 
radio stations at all. And I'm not just saying one or two, I mean 
(absolutely) none. It was just amazingly ignored...completely. Which 
I found slightly, ironically warming. I thought 'Well if it had come 
out and not done very well, it would have been okay.' But this 
came out and didn't do anything. And that had a lot to do with being 
on Creation. It was such a wrong place for me, that it became very 
apparent when it was put out because nobody knew, or would listen 
to the record for its own merit. It's almost like Creation is bigger 
than the acts on (the label). Everybody has a pre-conceived notion 
about Creation acts. If not, why are bands like Teenage Fanclub, who 
I think should be bigger than...uh..
	C.O.: Oasis?
	N.H.: No, than R.E.M. It's like _Grand Prix_ is a really 
gifted album. And for it to be kind of a cute indie record here is 
a crying shame. It's just a lovely, beautiful record. And there's 
lots of things like that on Creation.  They can spot things, like 
Super Furry Animals, but there is this  preconceived idea. An the 
indie market here is really narrow. They've got these kind of Punk 
ethics. And that was what, twenty years ago. It's like walking 
around, dressed like a Mod. It's just very odd. And so, I had to be 
sold through that. And I'm never ever going to go through that 
(again). The way I look at, I like the word popular as in Pop music, 
but where the credibility is when it comes to me is when 
your enormously successful like ABBA. They are credible for me. A 
band that just sells 20,000 records and then disappears or does some 
gig at Glastonbury, and is alright one minute and then crap the 
next, that's not credibility to me. That's shit. Boring. And I was 
in that market. I'm never going to feel comfortable in that.
	C.O.: So this was your last record with them?
	N.H.: Yeah, we're on good terms, but it wasn't probably 
worth doing again. There does come a time when you think Yeah, is 
there a point to this?'
	C.O.: Considering what you said about this being sort of 
like a snapshot, have you been doing a lot of work since?
	N.H.: Yeah, I've just started. I don't want to pigeon-hole 
myself into a singer, songwriter, solo artist in that way. I've 
started to write and produce with people. I really do find that 
nurturing. It's a pleasurable experience. Not just with anyone, 
but I've been working with Mark Owen who used to be in Take That. 
And he did an album last year called _Green Man_ with (producer) 
John Leckie. Really good album and I've been working with him. A 
real juxtaposition of people, and I've been learning from everyone. 
And I'd like to start up my own record company and really start 
off from the basics that everybody seems to forget, which is 
songwriting. I'd like to gather just some really naturally gifted 
songwriters.
	C.O.: Isn't that tricky in this day and age?
	N.H.: What I mean is I'd rather be a Burt Bacharach figure, 
where if I did gigs there'd be other people there singing the songs. 
I just don't want to promote myself as an artist if you like. I've 
been writing loads and loads of songs and I want to feed them out 
and produce artists. But I have to do that from a center. There has 
to be a structure. It has to be from a company that has an image, 
that has a name.
	C.O.: When do you envision this getting in motion?
	N.H.: Oh, it's in motion now.
	C.O.: Now you've been married and have children. Just out 
of curiosity, do you see anything else that's been an influence on 
these earlier records that doesn't necessarily hang with you now in 
terms of the new album?
	N.H.: Well, I just see those records and they are just 
snapshots of what you're going through at that time lyrically. Now 
I've just started the second period of my life. The glorious second 
half!
	C.O.: Did you do the arrangements for this record?
	N.H.: Yeah, I just get the musicians in and sing it to them. 
I'm not musically trained and I never want to know. I know enough to 
get by and not get intimidated in the studio. I've always thought 
that when people get too musically trained, they don't experiment 
enough. So I'm very wary of that. I want to stay enthusiastic about 
music the whole time. It's almost like shutting your eyes and 
letting it travel through you. You're doing something that's creative. 
You're not doing something that's been done before. I really don't 
think all the best has gone before. I do see stunning stuff, but I 
want to be inspired by the past. Up until now I hadn't really seen 
that and I'd just taken from the past.
	C.O.: Well what inspirations do you see in the Haircut 
stuff? At the time it seemed to come very much out of nowhere.
	N.H.: Well that's good because that's a band. So naturally 
you have six different influences in that.
	C.O.: But as far as the songwriting, the influences aren't 
really obvious.
	N.H.: I did take in this sort of Beatles/Talking Heads kind 
of thing. All of us were into what was going on at the time. There 
was this Brit-funk thing going on. That and Earth, Wind, and Fire. 
They were the Gods at the moment. More so with Les (Nemes, bass). 
And he's still really into dance and R&B. And then you had Mark 
(Fox, percussion), who was into Kraftwerk and Brazilian percussion. 
Phil (Smith, horns) was into Tower of Power.  And Graham (Jones, 
guitar) was into the Clash. And Blair was into Kool and the Gang 
and Al Green. So bring it all together...and that's what I do like 
about bands. I've suddenly realized that left to my own devices 
I'll try to re-make _Revolver_ every time. But I want to push 
myself next time. I sort of use _Revolver_ now as a template for 
songs and not for the sounds. I like many different things and I 
want to use many different things.  You've just got to write the 
best songs you can possibly write and later think about how you're 
going to record them.
---
	REVIEW: Shudder To Think, _First Love, Last Rites_ (Epic)
		- Chelsea Spear
	1998 has been the year of the soundtrack for Shudder to Think. 
While their dramatic sound might not seem conducive to laying back and 
helping to develop a scene, their music has provided an eloquent sonic 
backdrop for some of the most effective and moving scenes in Lisa 
Cholodenko's examination of the art scene and the role drugs play within it 
in her moving debut film _High Art_.  Another first-time director, former 
Lemonhead and video mastermind Jesse Peretz, tapped the Think to provide 
the music for his adaptation of Ian McEwen's _First Love, Last Rites_.
	Soundtracks requires a normally dramatic band such as Shudder to 
Think to pull back their grandest flourishes and most drama-queen-ish 
tendencies to help someone else with their vision.  While StT's main stock 
is found in the high drama of their theatrical live shows and dynamic, 
crescending power ballads, the band once again puts forth an admirable 
subtlety.
	Unlike their work on _High Art_, the concept of the _First Love_ 
soundtrack allows the Think to use some of the more winsome and effective 
tricks in their bag.  According to the press release, the band and director 
Peretz conceived of the soundtrack as an all-night oldies radio station 
playing in the arid apartments and back kitchens that comprise the movie's 
locations.  The soundtrack reveals a host of new tunes by the StT 
braintrust, their mournful melodies inflenced by the songcraft of 1960s 
tunes found on old Stax sides or within the walls of the Brill Building. 
The band's heightened senses mesh well within such styles.
	The band also bonds well with their guest vocalists, and the 
vocalists are likewise well matched with their material.  In his last 
recorded performance, Jeff Buckley's voice soars and induces goosebumps on 
the doo-wop opening track "I Want Someone Badly", and Liz Phair's limited 
range and lived-in voice works well within the glammy "Erecting A Movie 
Star".  Acharacteristic punk raveup "When I Was Born, I Was Bored" is aided 
by Billy Corgan's pouting delivery, and even a hype-ruined singer like Nina 
Persson of the Cardigans, whose previous output suggested a cross between 
Andrea True Connection and the worst possible traits of Astrud Gilberto, 
acquits herself hauntingly on "Appalaichan Lullabye".  The only missteps 
occur when regular Shudder to Think vocalist Craig Wedren steps up to the 
microphone; within the stylistic limitations of the songs on the album, his 
unflappable air comes filtered through a dreadful accent and arid 
white-trash personality that suggests what Cheez Wiz-era mid-period Elvis 
Presley might have sounded like had he been born in the body of Satanic 
Church high priest and part-time musician Anton Szandor LaVey.  One wishes 
that Wedren would  have chosen a better vocal role model for these tracks, 
like, say, _All This Useless Beauty_-era Elvis Costello, though his mocking 
treatment of his vocals on "Just Really Wanna See You" makes for a 
delicious coda to his previous musical torture.
	All in all, the soundtrack is a worthwhile soundtrack, especially 
to fans of the band and the individual vocalist.  After hearing a band 
that's so resolutely itself on their other albums hide under others' manses 
for these two soundtracks, I'm very curious to hear the Think's 
contributions to the forthcoming soundtrack for _Velvet Goldmine_, 
Todd (_Safe_) Haynes' tribute to the glam rock of David Bowie, Iggy Pop, 
and the like.  Since the dramatic approach of such bands is much closer 
to StT's music than much of their present work, I can only imagine that 
this experiment in glitter rock will find the trio sounding like 
themselves in spades.
---
	REVIEW: Embrace, _The Good Will Out_ (Geffen)
		- Sean Eric McGill
	It's easy to draw comparisons between Embrace and Oasis. 
They're both British, and have a very similar sound in a lot of 
ways. But to make that comparison would be a mistake, not to 
mention an incredible disservice, to Embrace.
	If you have to make a comparison to Embrace, might I 
suggest Queen. That's right, Queen. Which isn't to say that 
Embrace's vocalist Danny McNamara has the same sort of soaring 
voice that Freddy Mercury had, or that Embrace even writes the 
same types of songs that Queen does. But there is a comparison 
to be made between the two, and it's this: like Queen, Embrace 
writes finely crafted rock/pop songs that can only be described 
as "huge".
	Like their frontman, Queen seemed to write songs that were 
larger than life. Songs like "Hammer to Fall" and "Who Wants to 
Live Forever" didn't seem like they could be contained by a mere 
album, or a mere arena show.  And many of the songs from Embrace's 
debut album _The Good Will Out- have the same epic quality about 
them.
	And while Embrace does write great toe-tapping, get-off-your-ass 
and-dance rock songs like "All Your Good Good People" and "One Big 
Family", their true strength seems to be when they turn down the dial 
on the guitar a notch and let their horns and strings take a vital 
role in the song. Tracks like "Higher Sights" and "My Weakness Is 
None of Your Business" do what so few slower pop songs have the 
ability to do - actually lift the soul of the listener and stir 
something inside of them.
	And that, in essence is the key to the brilliance of _The 
Good Will Out_ - it's such a beautiful sounding album that you 
don't want to turn it off. With a bevy of different producers, 
including the band themselves, Youth, and first-time producer Dave 
Creffield, _The Good Will Out_ maintains a uniform sound, at its 
core, but isn't afraid to make changes around the edges.
	Other highlights include "Retread", which opens with the 
great line of "My girl is just a retread/I lost her when I hit the 
brakes" and proceeds to tell the story of a relationship slowly 
approaching collapse. And to make the Queen comparison even more 
logical, the album closer is the seven-minute title track, which 
takes every element of the album and brings them all together for 
one last time.
	It is rare in this line of work to actually find an album 
that you instantly fall in love with. The sheer volume of music that 
comes across your desk doesn't really afford you the luxury of 
spending hours with a single album and simply enjoying it. For 
Embrace, I'll gladly make that time. _The Good Will Out_ is quite 
simply the most incredibly debut I've heard in the past five years, 
and if their shot at success is hampered by quick comparisons to 
other current British pop bands, then we should all be ashamed.
---
	REVIEW: Saint Etienne _Good Humor_ (Sub Pop/Creation)
		- Patrick Carmosino
	Jon Savage's inspiring liner notes of Saint Etienne's 1991 
debut _Fox Base Alpha_ ended with the coda "Stay busy, out of phase, 
in love." The threesome have been just that since. _Good Humor_ may 
be their first proper full-length since 1994, but between Bob Stanley 
and Pete Wiggs introducing the likes of Denim and Kenickie to the 
world via their Emidisc label and Sarah Cracknell putting the Kylie 
Minogue's of the world to shame with the shameless import-only solo 
effort _Lipslide_ plus repackages, remixes yada yada, it's been a non 
stop chaotic cabaret!
	_Good Humor_ shows Saint Etienne in a darker humor, actually. 
Well not that dark, but compared to the 60's pop meets Euro-disco 
sounds that graced _Fox Base Alpha_ and 1993's _So Tough_ , _Good Humor_ 
moves towards soul pop sleekness (hinted by their last, "Tiger Bay") 
and dry production that comes across as an impossibly refreshing wake-up 
call. Sounding more like a band than ever (with the help of Swedish 
musicians led by Cardigans producer Tore Johansson), the album has a 
definite 'in-the-studio' feel to it rather than a 
'Bob-and-Pete-in-the-bedsit' one. It is a quality foreign to the Saint 
Etienne catalog up 'til now. The band though, pull it off in fine 
fashion with great melodies, smart arrangements (electric piano 
galore! horn sections! wah wah guitar!), their usual northern kitchen 
sink drama feel without the kitchen sink soundbites. All this and 
Johansson's dry, slightly compressed techniques that have given the 
Cardie's records that cozy, winter morning feel, add up to essentially 
the Saint's version of _Rubber Soul_ .
	Out of phase...yes indeed...Saint Etienne's take on soul, club 
and pop music does not herald back to an era long gone as much as it 
hits heights that very few top 40 records of the day hit. A string of 
tracks here, "Split Screen", "Lose That Girl" and "Erica America" 
virtually...um...*rock* in their "Drive My Car" and "You Won't See 
Me"-esque groove (ah! the _Rubber Soul_ references!). To see the 
difference (with no apparent drop in quality mind you) between the 
'old' Etienne and 'new' Etienne, compare these tracks to "You're In 
A Bad Way" ("So Tough") and you'll see an extreme variation on a theme. 
"Erica America" is an absolute highlight, unravelling out of a slinky 
beat into a gorgeous, world-is-all-yours type reverie... something to 
get you out of bed and into the club! Also note the galloping on "The 
Bad Photographer" for further new, interesting things in St.E's sound. 
On "Goodnight Jack", the Saints reach back for some of their 
unpredictability; with spacious horns, Shaft-style flutes and a chorus 
sporting a heavy, slow breakbeat and synth wash that lurks back to a 
rave anthem about to take off into dawn. Alas, Wiggs', Stanley's and 
Cracknell's disco passions are still very much alive too in the LP's 
first single "Sylvie", which like "Lose That Girl", focuses on 
relationship forebodings and the like. DRAMA QUEENS ALIVE!
	There are many other nice little surprises in here for both 
long time followers of Saint Etienne and people looking for 
alternatives to the alternatives. Certainly Creation snapping them 
off of sister label (Heavenly in the UK) hints at the slightly 
crestfallen 'indie' giant looking to expand its music palette further 
(in the perfect form of old friends). Sub Pop merely continue presenting 
a sound that, like its compadres Up! and K, looks forever forward, far 
away from the Northwest grunge ethic.
	In love?...Well, after four years _Good Humor_ sounds like 
the work of people in such a state!
---
	CONCERT REVIEW:  Pulp, Finsbury Park, London, England
		- Robin Lapid
	It seems as though Pulp might have finally been catching the 
whole backlash virus that's been wiping out so many of those one-word 
"Britpop" bands. Everyone pretty much knew that Pulp stayed around 
because they transcended that media tag, but it felt as though the 
band's Finsbury Park gig was a sort of welcome-back and "we still 
love you" performance.  The audience's cheers declared that they 
weren't really there for Catatonia or Bernard Butler, but for Pulp 
alone.
	Frontman Jarvis Cocker filled up the mammoth video screens on 
either side of the stage.  He is charismatic and lithe, and his 
consummate finger-pointing poses and punctuated dance moves serve him 
well even in his mid-thirties. Beginning with "The Fear," from their 
latest release, _This Is Hardcore_, the band filled the set with 
properly dramatic renderings of new album tracks, mixed in with 
long-loved favorites.  Cocker introduced a song which he said was 
about a woman on the outside pretending to be someone else.  The 
crowd cheered wildly, to which Jarvis quickly added, "No, well, it's 
not the song you're thinking of..." as he began strumming "Sylvia."  
But he played "Common People" later, anyway, the pop anthem from 
_Different Class_.  
	The Hardcore tracks were certainly well-received, but the 
older tracks sounded more triumphant, including a bristlingly refreshing 
"Do You Remember the First Time?" that did justice to Jarvis's emotive 
stage presence.  The rained-on festivals this summer were more like 
endurance tests, but who couldn't resist a warm London evening with 
the stars in the sky and onstage, bungee jumpers in the back, and the 
song "Sorted for E's and Whizz" as music festival commentary?  
	Then Jarvis, seemingly enchanted with the warm reception, came 
back out and played an encore to the encore, leaving crowd members who 
were heading out for the tube going "d'oh!" and scurrying back to hear 
"Something Changed."  It was a modest capper to an enjoyable evening, 
but at least it proves Pulp always leave you coming back for more.  
---
	REVIEW: 1000 Clowns, _Freelance Bubblehead_ (Capitol)
		- Bob Gajarsky
	The four members of 1000 Clowns - Los Angeles club DJ Mr. 
Pao, backup singers and California collegiates Anita and Michelle, 
and lead freestyle vocalist Kevi - prove to be the antithesis of 
gangsta rap with their debut happy-go-lucky, De La Soul daisy-era 
album, _Freelance Bubblehead_.
	The first single "Kitty Kat Max" might initially sound like a 
nonsensical novelty track about a lost cat ("Looking around all over the 
town / looking round for my kitty kat max"), but try and get the hook 
out of your head on a second or third listen.  It's impossible...
	There's another side to 1000 Clowns, and that one deals with a 
harsher reality.  "Pretty Liar" details Kevi's father's bout with AIDS 
in a folk-meets-freestyle rap world that's both hauntingly beautiful 
and painfully emotional.  
	Possibly the standout track - and one which ought to be played 
to anyone filled with their own ego - is "(Not The) Greatest Rapper".  
A plea to Kevi's girlfriend to be his steady without the 
self-absorbed braggadicio too often present in rap songs, "Rapper" 
succeeds in showing the kinder, gentler side of 1000 Clowns.
	Raised in Philadelphia and honed on rap from Run-D.M.C. to 
Schooly D, Kevi decided to spurn the trendy gangsta elements in 
recording _Freestyle Bubblehead_ and stick with what he believed.
"I wanted the album to be an amalgamation of all the music that 
influenced me growing up," he recalls "and rap and hip-hop were 
definitely in my world."   But others tried discouraging him, 
by saying that "they either found the music too fun or they found 
me too happy-go-lucky. I was always told, 'If you're gonna use 
elements of rap, you have to be tough.'  Basically, everyone was 
telling me to not be myself. And all I wanted to do was be myself."   
	Kevi already has a connection to greater success, albeit 
indirectly; that's his voice rapping on the Forest for the Trees 
single, "Dream".  And, the man behind Forest for the Trees (Carl 
Stephenson) is the person who co-wrote Beck's first record and the 
hit single "Loser".
	Let's see if, in 1998, radio can open its arms to a rapper 
who doesn't promote killing and violence with a softer message.  
Listeners' ears will be graced with the sounds of 1000 Clowns if 
they can.
---
	REVIEW: Beach Boys, _Endless Harmony_ (Capitol)
		- Tim Kennedy
	The Beach Boys 'latest' release is a soundtrack album, 
according to the notes, to accompany a documentary about the band. 
However it is really an appendix to the stunning _Good Vibrations_ 
box set of 1993. The liner notes give a potted history of the band 
but evidently this is not a set for the uninitiated. It is a 
veritable curate's egg, good in parts, with some great moments 
and also some disappointments.
	The first disappointment is what is missing. There are huge 
gaps amongst the released works of the Beach Boys where material of 
superb quality has been suppressed, either because it would upset 
Brian's supposedly fragile state of mind or more likely because it 
doesn't fit in with the image of the band desired by other 
surviving members.
	The _Smile_ (1966) album was virtually completed and 
anyone who has heard the bootlegs will testify to the masterpiece 
that it is. The item relating to _Smile_ on this CD is a demo 
"Heroes And Villains" (to me) unheard, and slyly hints that 
_Smile_ is mere bits and pieces - untrue. (Brian himself has even 
been quoted as saying that Smile is merely fragments which is 
bizarre as his cohort Mark Linett compiled all the _Smile_ material 
ready for release a few years back - which never came.) 
	Drummer Dennis Wilson's death left a large body of still 
unreleased work- fascinating relics of sessions and finished work 
of the finest quality. Indeed Dennis' solo album _Pacific Ocean 
Blue_ (1977) remains deleted which is a shame as it is superb.  
The two songs here by Dennis- "All Alone" and Barbara" are some 
of the best on offer. Dennis was master of the ballad in the 
manner of Harry Nilsson but he sang with greater sensitivity. For 
now, bootlegs keep his memory alive, despite his erstwhile 
colleagues' disinterest in his musical legacy.
	What we get instead is a scattering of items from through 
the years, with plenty of live versions (naturally most without 
Brian as he shunned the stage after 1965). Some are good, such as 
Carl's great _Surf's Up_ (1971) song "Long Promised Road".
	The opener, "Soulful Old Man Sunshine" from 1969 features 
in demo and 'finished' state (though it was never released). The 
demo is delightful and light in feel - pure mid 60s Brian. The 
final cut is in total contrast, it is terrible, with jazz 
musicians and over the top harmonies. The song was completed 
largely without Brian, by a friend -Rick Henn. It has an 
arrangement which has you visualising dancing girls coming on 
stage left doing high kicks - which makes no wonder we never 
heard from Henn as a collaborator again.
	A pointless live medley of their surf hits dating from 
1966 points the way to the cabaret Beach Boys of the future which 
the fans have had to suffer for the past twenty-odd years.
	Better from the early period is an alternate mix of "Help 
Me Rhonda", a much loved song but also highly innovative in its 
time. Also of note is a live "God Only Knows" (1967) which 
showcases Carl's gorgeous voice.  Not so great is the lacklustre 
live "Good Vibrations", but then it was foolhardy to attempt that 
studio classic with stage sound technology as it was then.
Stereo "Kiss Me Baby" and "California Girls" mixes are fine 
here, though not so different from the mono version.
	The Mike Love composition "Brian Is Back" from 1975 is 
equally faithful to the cabaret band image. It is a very poor 
song that cannot be rescued by Carl's backing vocal. Mike of 
course is on record as being infuriated by the widespread view 
of the band as "Brian and the four assholes". 
	Bruce Johnston (who took Brian's place in the band when 
they were touring) contributes the title track which is a lovely 
tune. It survives a typical saccharine 1990s production with its 
soul intact. 
	There are various versions of _Smile_ songs done live which 
are of interest to the fans. "Heroes and Villains" and "Wonderful" 
are good versions. "Darlin" and "Break Away" are here too, two of 
the best of the late sixties material in live and demo form.
	One track of real interest is an unusual mix of Brian's 
classic "Til I Die" from _Surf's Up_ which features a heavy bass, 
instrumental intro and lush harmonies.  This version actually 
appeared on the re-released "Stack O Tracks" CD not so long ago but 
it is still a fine version.  Fans will love the oddments of radio 
promos including one featuring Dennis. 
	Another treat is "Sail Plane Song" which has all the feel 
of _Smile_ about it, despite being written in 1968 long after the 
big come-down. The notes bizarrely claim this to be Brian's only 
attempt at 'acid rock'. Clearly the writer never heard "Mrs O' 
Leary's Cow" (aka "Fire"), or even "Good Vibrations"!
	The remix of "Sail Plane Song" from 1969 renamed "Loop De 
Loop" adds more silly noises and apparently Al Jardine laid down 
a lead vocal for this track in 1998. It is more busy but still 
retains the charm of the original.
	I can not imagine a casual observer getting excited about 
this CD, but fans will find much of value despite the omissions 
and disappointments, along with a handful of real treats that 
even the most avid bootleg collectors may not have heard.
---
	REVIEW: Gearwhore, _Drive_ (Astralwerks)
		- Simon West
	Leading electronic label Astralwerks has maintained consistent 
quality of late, and the debut album from Gearwhore, while not of the 
Chemical Brothers/Photek/Fluke caliber, is nonetheless a promising 
first release.
	This one-man band is one Brian Natonski, who started out in 
Chicago's Trax Studio and earned his current moniker due to his 
relentless collection of equipment. He's apparently not using all of 
it, or you'd assume he would have come up with a little more variety 
in his guitar samples, but nevertheless has delivered a set of 
rocking, metallic dance, heavy on the guitars, analog synths and 
industrial samples along with the breakbeats and loops.
	The excellent debut single "Passion" appears twice here, 
opening the album with the Harley Mix - a sampled motorbike and an 
insistent, driving beat, and closing with the dub version, a rather 
more minimal affair, mixing the rhythm with analog bleeps and loops. 
The nine tracks in-between are pretty strong too. "M'Lion" features a 
distorted vocal partially buried behind a fuzzbox guitar riff and and 
a brisk beat. The scratching, squeaking introduction of "Love" fades 
into a slow, atmospheric piano melody. "Ghost By Day" has a rather 
derivative but effective moaning vocal over a rapid beat. The 
straightforward beat of "Brain Fusion" has strands weaving in and out 
that sound variously like a John Carpenter film soundtrack and some of 
Depeche Mode's earlier instrumental b-sides.
	Much of _Drive_ shows excellent promise - the organic style 
sets it above many of its peers. Brian Clark Ebert's funky bass guitar 
is particularly effective on a number of tracks, some acoustic 
percussion is a weclome break from the usual electronic loops, and the 
mechanical samples lend the album an aggressive, industrial edge. A 
touch generic and somewhat repetitive in places, but Natonski will 
hopefully continue to develop his own style as he progresses.
	As usual with Astralwerks, you can try before you buy - several 
tracks from the album and the "Passion" single are available in Real 
Audio format at the label's superb web site: 
http://www.astralwerks.com/gearwhore/default.html
---
	REVIEW: Varnaline, _Sweet Life_ (Zero Hour)
		- Chris Hill
	The varied richness of alt-country continually amazes 
this newbie:  the '60s-tinged Pernice Brothers, the rootsy Waco 
Brothers, the No Depression mainstays Wilco, Son Volt, and the 
Jayhawks, to name the few artists I've heard.  Now added to the 
list - Varnaline, whose _Sweet Life_ has haunted me since its  
arrival.  
	Before I heard a note, from hearsay and conversations, 
I'd formed a lo-fi four-piece band expectation of bad booze/ 
women/truck songs.  Instead, I was inundated with Pink Floyd/ 
Moody Blues lushness, contemplative lyrics, and a melding of 
styles that pay an homage to the past with feet planted firmly in 
the now.  All this from a trio, to boot.
	Varnaline's Anders Parker is a creative tsunami, writing 
all twelve of _Sweet Life_'s songs.  He's also solely responsible 
for two of Varnaline's three previous efforts, '96's _Man of 
Sin_ and '97's _A Shot and a Beer_ EP.  The rest of the band - 
brother John Parker (bass/etc.) and Jud Ehrbar (drums/vocals/ 
etc.), plus guest musicians - are indispensable here, however.  
They flesh out Anders' vision, whether on the transcendent album 
opener, "Gulf of Mexico" (Anders must love "Dark Side of the 
Moon"), The Band-esque romp-and-stomp of "Saviours", or the gutsy 
rocker "Underneath the Mountain".
	Parker's paganistic lyrics celebrate the wonder 
("Northern Lights", "Mare Imbrium") and healing quality ("Gulf 
of Mexico", "This is the River") of nature, using subtle 
metaphors to link man and his environment in a holistic 
relationship.  Not to say it's all touchy-feely.  "Now You're 
Dirt" is a grimly humorous adieu to an estranged parent and a vow 
not to continue the cycle his dad begun:  "I want you to know/ 
I'm not the same man/that put you in the ground/without a word/ 
You were the father/Well, now you're dirt."  
	Parker also shines with love themes.  "All about Love" is 
a song Justin Hayward would envy, where eerily echoing layered 
singing honors the Catskills church where _Sweet Life_ was 
recorded.  "While You Were Sleeping" - "I wandered around the 
house/What were you dreaming?...The whole world shut down/I 
watched you breathing" - is a tender observation of lovers 
temporarily separated by Morpheus.
	Be wary when "Fuck and Fight", a playful XTC song wrapped 
in country swaddling, finishes.  "Mare Imbrium", the next song, 
is so achingly beautiful that the psyche opened by the toe-
tapping previous tune is caught unprepared & vulnerable to an 
uppercut of a love ballad (to the moon's Sea of Rains).  "I've 
watched your face so many times/You give off so much light/When 
I'm walking home/Can see if I look straight/Shining under you/No 
time for this earth/No time at all".  Why doesn't every band 
incorporate the glockenspiel's transitory notes of beauty?  Ah, 
bliss.
	But it's the title opus that turns _Sweet Life_ into 
mead.  Viola steps into a pulsing cello, an upright bass runs a 
simple riff, then a violin plaintively sets its own melody.  
Cross-fade to drums and electric guitars.  Three and a half 
minutes in, Parker starts to sing of finding satisfaction where 
the day takes him.  "I travel to far shores/To scrounge for 
change/But count your luck/Watch it all light up/It's a sweet 
life...You had your chance/And all you got was this sweet life." 
The gift is more than sufficient.
---
	REVIEW: Various Artists, _Funk on Film_ (PolyGram)
		- Joann D. Ball
	_Funk on Film_ (PolyGram) is a right-on collection of some 
of the best cuts featured in that genre of 1970s films often 
labelled Blaxploitation.  Aimed primarily at African-Americans who 
longed to see themselves and their experiences represented on the 
movie screen, Blackploitation films were shown at inner-city movie 
houses across the country during the first half of that decade.  As 
Black Power on film, these movies featured Black celluloid heroes 
and heroines who didn't take no mess and went up against The System 
to the sounds of a soulful and funky soundtrack.  With twelve 
baaaadassss cuts, _Funk on Film_ is indeed "Super Bad '70s Cinematic 
Soul The Hard Way!"
	_Funk on Film_ gets on the case with Isaac Hayes' "Theme 
From 'Shaft,'" the title track from the 1971 tour de force starring 
Richard Roundtree. Decades before becoming the voice of the soul 
singing Chef on the animated hit show "South Park," Hayes secured 
his position as a soul institution with this signature song.  Without 
a doubt, Pam Grier was the toughest sistah on the urban big screen in 
the early 1970s.  As Foxy Brown Grier didn't play around, a trait 
plain for all to see in the 1974 movie bearing that character's name 
and celebrated in "Theme of Foxy Brown/Overture of Foxy Brown" 
performed by Willie Hutch.  And over 20 years later as Jackie Brown, 
Grier rides off into the sunset singing along with Bobby Womack and 
Peace to "Across 110th Street."  Originally the theme for the 1972 
hit movie of the same name, "Across 110th Street" is  included here 
along with another gritty big city tale, James Brown's "Down and Out 
in New York City" from the flick "Black Caesar."
	Long before she brought some color and class to television's 
"Dynasty," Diahann Carroll gave a memorable performance as Claudine, 
a working class mom trying to keep her family intact in the movie of 
the same name.  The Curtis Mayfield-penned "On and On" featured in 
"Claudine" was a hit for Gladys Knight & the Pips.  Although it is 
included here, the music social commentaries sung by Mayfield on the 
soundtrack for "Super Fly" are notably absent.  Any one of the three 
hits from this movie, the title song, "Pusherman," or "Freddie's Dead," 
would have made _Funk on Film_ a much more complete collection.
	The Staple Singers' slow-burner "Let's Do It Again" from the 
movie of the same name which starred Bill Cosby and Sidney Poitier is 
featured here along with the Four Tops' soulful "Are You Man Enough" 
from "Shaft in Africa," the 1973 sequal to the genre blockbuster 
"Shaft."  Of the twelve tracks on this CD, "Car Wash" by Rose Royce 
has probably enjoyed the most mainstream success given its disco-friendly 
beat.  But oddly enough, the instrumental track "Theme From Together 
Brothers" by the Love Unlimited Orchestra has provided the basis for 
a 1990s dance hit, "C'mon Ride It (The Train)" by the Quad City DJ's.
	The twelve tracks on _Funk on Film_ capture an important 
phase in both musical and cinematic history.  The combination of 
music and film represented here was built on the essence of soul, and 
which was a central part of Seventies' popular culture.  _Funk on 
Film_ has hit record stores at the perfect time, given the renewed 
interest in all things from that decade.  So, groove to these 
soundtrack cuts and be sure to keep an eye open for the films in 
which they appear the next time you visit the video store.

	TRACK LISTING  [artist in brackets]:  Theme From 'Shaft' 
[Isaac Hayes], Across 110th Street [Bobby Womack and Peace], Down 
and Out in New York City [James Brown], Theme From Together Brothers 
[Love Unlimited Orchestra], Car Wash [Rose Royce], Theme From Foxy 
Brown/Overture of Foxy Brown [Willie Hutch], Let's Do It Again 
[Staple Singers], Little Ghetto Boy [Donny Hathaway], Are You Man 
Enough [Four Tops], On and On [Gladys Knight & The Pips], No Way 
Back [The Dells], It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday [G.C. Cameron]
---
	REVIEW: Buddy Guy, _Heavy Love_ (Silvertone)
		- Daniel Aloi
	Buddy Guy does not fake it. It's not all show. The moves are 
not down pat, ready to be repeated night after night, album after album.
	He knows he was there first, playing the blues licks picked 
up on by Hendrix and Clapton; he once even thought he was learning a 
thing or two from Stevie Ray until he realized they were his, and 
Stevie had learned 'em from Jimi...the blues comes full circle in 
Guy's meaty hands, whenever they're wrapped around one of his 
polka-dot Fenders.  So another great album from Buddy Guy is no great 
shakes, if you've been following him over the past 10 years or more. 
It's the sheer newness of _Heavy Love_ that grabs me.
	It wouldn't sound dated next to Jonny Lang or Kenny Wayne 
Shepherd, nor would it scare the Blues Traveler crowd out of a club if 
it came on the jukebox. But it's also heavy with love for blues 
tradition, without belaboring any of its cliches. Chicago blues is 
such a tired, shopworn and bar-bland-massacred style by now that it's 
fantastic to see one of its pioneers and seminal stars still on top 
as an innovator, 40 years after he started as a hot side- and session 
man.
	The funky title track establishes the album's badass promise 
flat out at the beginning, and introduces the band -- Reese Wynans' 
organ swirls; Richie Hayward, in control as he flails at his sprawling 
drum kit; Steve Cropper's precise guitar counterpoint to Guy's massive 
wah-wah.
	There. Wait. Dig this lineup, and where they've been -- the 
axeman for all of Stax/Volt land, Booker T. and the Blues Brothers, 
with the key player for Joe Ely, Lee Roy Parnell, and Double Trouble, 
and the timekeeper for Little Feat.  If Guy took this band on the road 
he could knock B.B. King off the top of the blues festival circuit. Or 
at least have a damn good time trying.
	On the second track, Lang duets on a powerful "Midnight Train," 
answering Guy on every chorus of the lost-gone-can't-get-her-back song. 
Lang's voice is strong, not as seasoned or flexible, obviously, as 
Guy's -- but the Kid and the Guy work very well together, even if it's 
in a Jerry Lewis Telethon matchup sort of way. (It's one of those 
blues traditions, teaming old and young -- witness B.B. King's "Deuces 
Wild" or, some years ago, Johnny Winter with Muddy Waters.)
	The middle section of the album is all Chicago, with some 
deep memories of the South thrown in (like "Saturday Night Fish Fry"), 
working up to a cover of "I Just Want to Make Love to You," on which 
Guy changes the tempo to put some polish on the well-known tune, one 
almost synonymous with Chicago blues. So far, aside from that funky 
opener, it's been pretty standard, enjoyable stuff, on a par with 
Guy's previous, always carefully laid out productions. But as in his 
live shows, surprise awaits at every tune.
	"Did Someone Make a Fool Out of You" is emotional, no shock 
there, and...acoustic! This is honest, pained restraint; it's nice to 
hear Guy's always-underrated vocal talent given a moment to shine, as 
it does on this song; with all the effusive praise given his guitar 
playing, not enough can be said about his voice. There is as much 
heartbreak and sorrow and joy and wisdom there, in one chorus, as in 
a thousand guitar solos.
	At the end, we're let down easy, and warmly -- "Let Me Show 
You" is a nice New Orleans love song, accented with piano trills and 
loping bass. It's like a graceful last dance at the end of a heady 
evening, when you make all the right moves fully aware that the woman 
you're holding in your arms is THE ONE. Man, this is heavy love.
---
	REVIEW: Symposium, _On The Outside_ (Red Ant)
		- Reto Koradi
	Tired of the smooth and perfectly crafted sounds that 
radio stations try to sell you? Looking for some noisy, fresh 
and fun music to turn up loud and scare your neighbors? 
Symposium, a young band hailing from the UK, may be just what 
the doctor ordered.
	"Punk-pop" is probably the best one word description of 
Symposium's style, but it is far from the commercially polished 
output of Green Day.  This band does not take any prisoners and 
stretches of sweet melody are quickly drowned by blasts of rough 
guitar riffs. If you can imagine the Buzzcocks transformed to 
the 90s, or the Toy Dolls getting somewhat more serious, you may 
get a good idea of how Symposium sound. Names of producers can 
also give interesting clues: Killing Joke bassist Youth was 
playing with the knobs, as well as Alan Winstanley and Clive 
Langer, known for their work with Madness. Some ska influence is 
clearly recognizable on a few tracks (like "Puddles"), but these 
sound like Madness on steroids.
	The press information highly praises Symposium's live 
qualities. While you should generally read press releases with 
more than just a bit of skepticism, this claim sounds credible. 
Even though the music is preserved on a silver disc, _On The 
Outside_ makes you want to crank up the stereo and jump around 
in your living room.
---
	REVIEW: Icos,  _At The Speed of Life_ (Slipdisc/Mercury)
		- Linda Scott
	Icos is a four man, Chicago based band that can rock 
hard yet still has the versatility to play blues and pop.  Depending 
on which track you listen to, you can hear a band that sounds 
like Metallica or has a Beatles soft-rock style.  Singer/songwriter 
Danny McGuinness readily admits to influences that are all over 
the musical map.  Tom Waits is cited along with U2, The Beatles, 
Springsteen, The Clash, and Stevie Wonder.  The well-read 
songwriter has eye-opening literary influences; his doom-laden but 
thoughtful lyrics explore McGuinness' own obsessions while his 
literary tastes for Jung, Huxley, Camuc, Leary, Clarke, and others 
have helped him express these thoughts.  McGuinness sounds like he 
is not going to fit well in the brainless rocker mold.
	An unusual man, McGuinness also plays rhythm and acoustic 
guitars in Icos.  He and drummer Kyle Woodring founded the band 
about four years ago, while lead guitarist Scott Bond and bassist 
Gordon Patrarca round out the group.  Together they make some 
beautiful melodies.  
	_At The Speed Of Light_  is a good rocking album.  From 
the first couple of notes on the self titled first track, you know 
someone out there besides you is rocking hard.  The whole album is 
put together well.  The pop sounds are in the middle with rockers 
around them.  The album's track arrangement has a focus and 
purpose, and this shows Icos' maturity.  These guys know how to 
play raw power rock, but they also have very good musicianship 
with strong rhythms and melodic hooks.
	For more information on Icos, check out their label's 
site at http://www.slipdisk.com .
---
	REVIEW: Skinny, _The Weekend_ (Cheeky/Phase 4 Records)
		- Chris Hill
	A trip-hop concept album, Skinny's _The Weekend_ works 
gloriously.  The theme isn't overbearing - the songs stand on 
their own, but sprinkled liberally throughout the record are time 
references to relate the song's position within the cycle, or 
reemphasize the title.
	Bookended by "Intro" and "Outro", pastiches of the 
album's musical themes, the concept follows a character through 
his bus ride home ("The Bus Song"), a night on the town ("London 
Tonight", "Friday Part 2"), an early-morning walk home ("Come 
Down"), a coupling (the dreamy "Getting In", "Sex"), to a sated 
resolution ("In God's Hands").
	  "Failure", the single which kicked it off for the duo 
of Paul Herman (guitars/vocals) and Matt Benbrook (programming/ 
keyboards/drums) is the most independent of the set.  Cousin to 
Beck's "Loser", a crooning "Why have I always been a failure?" 
lounge-lizard vocal blends with lost love lyrics - "lying in my 
bed for hours/rolling up and feeling down".  It's an addictive 
tune, justifiably a dance floor filler, the vocals perkily 
counterpointing the heartache.
	Paul Herman's voice is a chameleon.  There's a lazy 
sensuality to his drifting vocals that recalls Michael Hutchence 
in his prime ("Come Down", "Mr. Goodstuff").  On others, his 
voice is a hand tracing the contours of a cheek, a tongue 
licking a neck, or a nudge in the ribs with a sly wink. 
"Getting In" - "I hardly know you/but you look good/go on/ 
give in/it's early morning/we can sleep in/I like it when you 
laugh/& pretend to look surprised...I can't keep from wondering/ 
how you'd look in my bed" - is sung with a randy charisma that 
is pure bliss.
	And who can't identify with night-after lyrics like 
"Every step I'm taking/is taking me a lifetime/The darkness is 
disturbing, but I'm finding it peaceful/It's 6 a.m./ All the 
ghosts are on the street now" ("Come Down")?  A familiar 
experience, when morning arrives and one is making his or her 
way home with the rising sun.
	The meticulous production is a joy - songs blend using 
ambient street noise, footsteps, people laughing, rain, and so 
on, to tie the journey together.  Listen closely and you'll hear 
fireworks (shades of _To Catch a Thief_'s metaphor) during 
"Sex".  The sly touch is appreciated.  At 7:40, figure out your 
own Bo Derek accompaniment - the shifting, rise and fall rhythms 
had me recalculating my bookmark several times.
	Think of it as a snapshot for the spirit of the 90s - 
a soundtrack for those who wring enjoyment out of the working 
week respite.  There's pleasure in following every stage from 
the mundane observations on "The Bus Song" to the stunning 
closer "In God's Hands", with its gospel singer chorus.  It's 
a jubilation-inducing journey.
---
	REVIEW: Brenda Weiler, _Trickle Down_ (Barking Dog)
		- Paul Hanson
	In this pitiful era of dime a dozen female solo acts, 
Natalie Imbruglia being the latest with chart success for her 
single/video "Torn," it's refreshing to these ears to finally 
hear a soul-driven vocalist strumming an acoustic guitar that 
demands you listen. Brenda Weiler is the breath of fresh air 
pop music needs to inhale again and again.
	Her release _Trickle Down_ is brilliant.  Many of the 
songs here are just Weiler strumming her acoustic guitar and 
providing soulful and soul-searching vocals. In "Drag," for 
example, Weiler sings, "You can play the fool/ You can try to 
keep score/ But if you wrestle with the devil, you can fight 
your own war." Her lyrics also search the plains of the human 
psyche, questioning religion. In "Tight," she sings, 'Jesus, 
can you come?' or will you make me do/ all those things that I 
shouldn't do." Later, she sings, "Who ever got the idea that 
beauty is right?/ That my butt and belly are meant to be tight/ 
cause I think what we have here is fucking insane/ and I don't 
care what my hair looks like after the rain."
	Confrontational with powerful lyrics and an even stronger 
acoustic guitar strum, Weiler deserves, like few other female 
solo artists, wide-spread success and national prominence. 
Madonna is 40; Weiler looks and sounds like she has 40 more years 
of wisdom and maturity to flow through her compelling voice.
	For more information on Brenda Weiler, check out the label's 
website at http://www.barkingdogrecords.com
---
NEWS:	> The Manic Street Preachers were recently threatened with 
legal action by the Stranglers' publishing company the other day for 
alleged similarities between the new single "If You Tolerate This 
Your Children Will Be Next" and "Duchess" from the Meninblack's 
1980 album _The Raven_ .  However, the Stranglers have said they 
won't allow the company to sue and even invited the Manics to 
their release party for the upcoming Stranglers album. 
	> The London Suede are in the studio working on their 
next studio album with producer Steve Osborne at various 
studios in London.  The yet untitled album is planned for 
a Spring '99 release.
---
TOUR DATES:
	Tori Amos / Devlins
Sep. 11 Seattle, WA Key Arena
Sep. 12 Portland, OR Rose Garden Arena
Sep. 13 Eugene, OR Cuthbert Amphitheater
Sep. 15 Oakland, CA Oakland Coliseum
Sep. 16 Sacramento, CA ARCO Arena
Sep. 18 Anaheim, CA Arrowhead Pond
Sep. 19 San Jose, CA Event Center Arena
Sep. 20 Santa Barbara, CA Santa Barbara Bowl
Sep. 22-23 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre

	Anthrax / Grinspoon
Sep. 11 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall
Sep. 13 Grand Rapids, MI Orbit Room
Sep. 15 Scranton, PA Tink's
Sep. 16 Providence, RI Lupo's
Sep. 17 Port Chester, NY 7 Willow Street
Sep. 18 Old Bridge, NJ Birch Hill

	Beastie Boys
Sep. 11 Los Angeles, CA The Forum 
Sep. 13 Oakland, CA Oakland Coliseum

	Better Than Ezra
Sep. 18 Stillwater, OK Tumbleweed Arena
Sep. 19 Kirksville, MO Truman State Univ.

	Broadside Electric
Sep. 19 New Britain Township, PA Our Lady of Czestochowa

	Candlebox
Sep. 11 Milwaukee, WI Modjeska
Sep. 12 Chicago, IL World Music Theatre
Sep. 13 Dayton, OH UD Arena
Sep. 15 Pittsburgh, PA Metropol
Sep. 17 Scranton, PA Tinks
Sep. 19 Hampton Beach, NH Casino
Sep. 20 Worcester, MA Green Hill Park
Sep. 22 Wilmington, DE Big Kahuna

	Chemical Brothers
Sep. 12 Seattle, WA Showbox
Sep. 13 San Francisco, CA Spundae
Sep. 15 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Athletic Club
Sep. 18-19 New York, NY Bowery

	The Church
Sept. 18 San Diego, CA Belly Up Tavern 
Sept. 19 Dana Point, CA Doheny Days Festival 
Sept. 20 West Hollywood, CA House Of Blues 
Sept. 21 Palo Alto, CA The Edge 
Sept. 22 Sacramento, CA 815 L Street 
Sept. 23 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore 

	Creed / Fuel / Finger Eleven
Sep. 13 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory

	Fear Factory
Sep. 11 New York, NY Roseland
Sep. 12 Norfolk, VA Boathouse
Sep. 13 Charlotte, NC Grady Cole Center
Sep. 15 Lake Buena Vista, FL House of Blues
Sep. 16 Tampa, FL Fairgrounds
Sep. 17 Miami, FL Cameo Theatre
Sep. 19 New Orleans, LA Tripatina's

	Nanci Griffith (Newport Folk Festival)
Sep. 19 San Francisco, CA Concord
Sep. 20 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theater

	Irving Plaza (http://www.irvingplaza.com - New York concert hall)
Sep. 11 Crystal Method
Sep. 12 Gov't Mule
Sep. 18 From Good Homes
Sep. 22 Nick Cave
Sep. 23 Keb Mo'

	Jesus & Mary Chain / Mercury Rev
Sep. 17 Austin, TX Stubb's Bar-B-Q
Sep. 18 New Orleans, LA House of Blues
Sep. 19 Houston, TX Fitzgeralds
Sep. 20 Ft. Worth, TX Caravan of Dreams 
Sep. 22 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade 

	Korn
Sep. 22 Rochester, NY Blue Cross Arena
Sep. 23 Boston, MA Centrum

	Lenny Kravitz
Sep. 13 Seattle, WA Paramount 
Sep. 15 Berkeley, CA Community 
Sep. 16 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre 
Sep. 18 San Diego, CA Remack 
Sep. 19 Phoenix, AZ Sports Complex 
Sep. 20 Las Vegas, NV The Joint 
Sep. 23 Dallas, TX Bronco Bowl 

	Ziggy Marley & Melody Makers
Sep. 11 Orono, ME Univ. of Maine
Sep. 12 Oneonta, NY SUNY Univ. - Chase Gym
Sep. 13 Providence, RI Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel
Sep. 14 Winooski, VT Higher Ground
Sep. 16 Ft. Wayne, IN Piere's
Sep. 17 Urbana, IL Univ. of IL - Foellinger Aud.
Sep. 18 Bloomington, IN Univ. of IN - Jordan Field Theater
Sep. 19 Chicago, IL Outdoor Tent
Sep. 20 Minneapolis, MN The Quest
Sep. 22 Ann Arbor, MI Michigan Theater
Sep. 23 Grand Rapids, MI Calvin College Fine Arts Aud.

	Massive Attack / Lewis Parker
Sep. 11 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory
Sep. 12 New York, NY Hammerstein Ballroom
Sep. 14 Boston, MA Avalon Ballroom
Sep. 15 Montreal, QC Metropolis
Sep. 16 Toronto, ON Warehouse
Sep. 18 Detroit, MI Clutch Cargo's
Sep. 19 Chicago, IL Vic Theater
Sep. 22 Denver, CO Ogden Theater

	Metallica / Jerry Cantrell / Days of the New 
Sep. 11 Phoenix, AZ Desert Sky Pavilion
Sep. 12 Las Vegas, NV Cashman Field Baseball Stadium
Sep. 13 Chula Vista, CA Chula Vista Amph.

	Bob Mould / Varnaline
Sep. 11 Sioux Falls, SD Jeschke Theatre 
Sep. 13-14 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue 
Sep. 20 Toronto, CAN Phoenix 

	Reel Big Fish / Spring Heeled Jack
Sep. 15 Athens, GA Georgia Theatre
Sep. 16 Jacksonville , FL Milk Bar
Sep. 17 Ft. Lauderdale , FL Fu Bar
Sep. 18 Tampa, FL State Theater
Sep. 19 Orlando, FL House of Blues
Sep. 20 Atlanta, GA The Point
Sep. 22 Chapel Hill, NC Cat's Cradle
Sep. 23 Charlottesville, VA Trax

	Sheila Divine
Sep. 11 Boston, MA The Middle East 
Sep. 15 Chicago, IL Fireside Bowl 
Sep. 16 Madison, WI O'Cayz Corral 
Sep. 17 Lansing, MI Mac's Bar 
Sep. 18 Athens, OH The Dugout 
Sep. 19 Ames, IA Maintenance Shop 
Sep. 22 Huntington, WV Stoned Monkey 

	Tripping Daisy / Flick
Sep. 11 Charlotte, NC Tremont Music Hall
Sep. 12 Washington DC Black Cat
Sep. 13 Baltimore, MD Fletcher's
Sep. 15 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero
Sep. 17 New York, NY Westbeth Theatre
Sep. 18 Boston, MA Karma
Sep. 22 Detroit, MI Shelter
Sep. 23 Chicago, IL Cabaret Metro

	Unity Fest (Agnostic Front, Dropkick Murphys, U.S. Bombs)
Sep. 18 New York, NY Wetlands
Sep. 19 Moosic, PA Sea-Seas

	Vast
Sep. 11 San Francisco, CA Maritime Hall
Sep. 12 Roseville, CA Big Shots
Sep. 14 W. Hollywood, CA Troubadour

	Mike Watt
Sep. 21 Tucson, AZ Club Congress 
Sep. 22 Flagstaff, AZ Monte Vista 
Sep. 23 Albuquerque, NM The Launch Pad

	Wilco
Sep. 12 Lawrence, KS Jayhawk Music Festival
Sep. 19 San Francisco, CA Concord
Sep. 20 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theater

	X
Sep. 12 San Diego, CA Southern Comfort/HOB Fest. Stg.
---
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