American Alternative music reviews

It is laudable that this noted songwriter-singer has always issued new versions of her songs on CD singles. One of her best releases in that form is "Can't Cry Anymore". The lead track, ofcourse, is from "Tuesday Night Music Club" and is a successful, Reggae Rock entry. The remainder are from a 11-94 BBC radio broadcast of a live performance at the Empire, and offer a much different feel, and in one case, "I Shall Believe", a different approach - more intense vocally and featuring an organ grounded in classic Soul.
"What I Can Do For You" defies explanation - it is Folk Rock to be sure, with its Dylanesque delivery. Not much lyrically, it relies upon an erotic vocal, which builds especially well at the Empire. Repeating the phrases over and over, she turns the light composition into an emotional experience.
Another plus is the sensual cover photo, capturing still another mood.

I haven't listened to Sheryl Crow's music in a few months, and for someone like myself who cannot live without music, that is a very long time. I popped her debut album on about 30 minutes and was blown away by the excellence that exudes from Sheryl, her vocals, her slick lyrical themes and her cool-cat style! What can I say, the woman is a true female rock icon - not quite as brilliant as Alanis Morissette, but very high up there! That debut album, "Tuesday Night Music Club," propelled Ms Crow to international superstardom in the mid-1990's, spawning countless massive hits that fuse country, pop, rock and folk. One of these songs was "Can't Cry Anymore," which is rather upbeat and jolly considering its depressing title.

The song was a firm fan favourite on the album, and whilst Sheryl's voice isn't amazing, the stroppy guitars and thick drum beats make for a toe-tapping, finger-clicking soft pop rocker! The song opens with the mid-tempo beat that gets it going, before Sherl sings the first verse, "Took your car. Drove to Texas. Sorry, honey. But I suspected we were through. And I can't cry anymore." Like its predecessor, "Strong Enough," the verse and chorus blend together brilliantly. Sheryl continues with, "Since I left. Been feelin' better. 'Cause that's what you get when you stay together too long. And I can't cry anymore. She then sings the proper chorus, "Wouldn't it be good if we could hop a flight to anywhere? So long to this life. So much for pretending. Bad luck's never-ending."

She continues with, "(And now I know that) Money comes in. But the fact is. Not enough to pay my taxes. And I can't cry anymore. Well, got a brother. He's got real problems. Heroin. No, there's just no stopping him tonight. And I won't cry anymore." Sheryl then sings the proper chorus again, before singing, "Well, it could be worse. I could've missed my calling. Sometimes it hurts. But when you read the writing on the wall - can't cry anymore!" She then sings the proper chorus again, before singing, "So much for pretending. Bad luck's never-ending. Too much time I been spending. With my heart in my hands. Waiting for time to come and mend it. I can't cry anymore." The song then ends and so closes another brilliant Sheryl classic, hailing "I can't cry anymore!" as the song slowly fades out. In conclusion, this is one of Tuesday Night Music Club's best songs. Buy that album, it's terrific. You will not regret it!

This maxi-CD is titled as the only non-live track on the CD (a totally unchanged version of Can't Cry Anymore), but by far the highlight is a totally new arrangement of the dark I Shall Believe from her debut CD. The original was a muted, moody and depressed song, but this live version is full of quasi-belltoned electric guitars, Hammond B3 chords and thumping bass. The song begins calmly, centered around acoustic guitar and organ, but it grows in pumping intensity and energy as the electric guitars and bass come to the forefront. Sheryl's in fine voice, attacking the song with a lot of emotion and effort, and ultimately it reaches a synthesis of blues, rock and gospel that is completely mesmerizing; it's moved me to laugh and moved me to tears, sometimes at the same moment. I've put my hearing and speakers at risk more than once listening to this song, because I can't help but crank it up more and more.

The other two live tracks are certainly worthy; her mostly acoustic take on No One Said It Would Be Easy is similar to the album release, but with added poignancy from her delivery. And the live take on What I Can Do For You is even more edgy than the album cut. Definitely worth getting for the Sheryl Crow fan.

This is a great document of several live-in-the-studio Dinosaur, Jr. performances, most (all?) of them done for John Peel's famous BBC radio show. A lot of these tracks have been available previously only through bootlegs. The songs are selected mostly from the "You're Living All Over Me" and "Bug" era. The quality of the recordings are not spectacular, but they are definitely very listenable. Sometimes the guitar is not as high in the mix as you'd like, and sometimes the vocal or bass might not be high enough, but in general these are clean recordings that you will have no trouble listening to over and over again.

I'm not sure if I'd recommend this disc to someone who is new to Dinosaur Jr. I'd send such a person to "Bug", "You're Living All Over Me", and "Green Mind" first. Regardless, Dinosaur Jr. was one of the most important bands of the 80's decade, and their raw power and strange beauty is capture excellently here.

I love this cd it has all the stuff that is worth listening to for dinosaur my favorite was in a jar it sounded more grungy then the origanal so did get me and bulbs of passion. This was very cool I highly recommend this.

If you like Dinosaur like I do. Nice sound quality, and Great selection of songs from the YLAOM/BUG era, it is a little short- only about 36 minutes but that doesnt effect how many stars i give it. I just throw this in my three disc changer with Youre living all over me and Dinosaur, and hit the continous button it all sound great to me i really enjoy it and you will to if you are a D.J fan.

this is the reissue of red kross' debut album. redd kross to me are a great band full of meldoy and fun and great pop hooks and unlike most bands that trade melody for pop appeal, redd kross revel in pop but retain the music quality.
this being their first album, i had to check it out. what i found was a great punk album. it is very unpolished and it is blantant that RK are amatuers during this album. they have not blossomed yet but it is all part of the trip of growing up as a band and this record shows that. to me its great. this band is not even old enough to vote yet... but that does not stop the good snotty teen punk from being melodic and great. one can see the shapes of things to come. you can see shadows of future redd kross sounds and melodies but it is still a very very unpolished record and quite different from later more focused redd kross albums.

ok i need to apologize to myself for not listening to this album the past few months(because before that i was sooooo hooked on it!) but SOMEONE(whether you are reading this sooner or later, probably later) has not been making it any fun because he makes it seem too obnoxious, anyways whatever, this album is great!! when they made this album they were just some kid punk band in a historical time, something sucked back then to make this music just great! unlike most other bands in america by the time this was made, a lot of people were playing very fast(not like that is bad but...) but red cross played music inspired by what THEY thought was good, who cares what everyone else thinks?

orignally this album was on smoke seven records, a label which had other great records from bands not_____(something) enough to be on other labels. such great records like this one of course, the genocide/mia split, the public service comp with circle one (a bizarre christian PUNX gang band), and now super-legendary bad religion(whom one of the original red cross members is in now, i find that a little ironic)...i'm glad this album was rereleased. it, along with all the big boys material(specially wheres my towel lp), taught me a very valuable lesson that some people will never learn their entire lives: music is not about looking cool, hardass, professional, its supposed to entertain, just have FUN, that is it, no matter what, just have fun....

Redd Kross, Red Cross, whatever you wanna call 'em... I dig it. How can I NOT like a punk band who started with a 12 year old bass player? On this record, the bass player is the ripe old age of 14. Killer. And he's actually pretty good.
It seems like early on Red Cross changed style on every damn record they put out. My personal favorite by them, their self-titled debut 12" (aka "Annette's Got the Hits") is snotty, brief teen punk with topics like school and girls. Honestly one of the best punk records ever for its amatuerish charm and impressively catchy tunes for being written by a bunch of kids barely past puberty.
"Born Innocent" saw Red Cross dropping half of their original members (Chavo from Black Flag and Greg from Circle Jerks/Bad Religion!) and recruiting a couple of cute girls, morphing their sound to more structured, trashy, garagy punk. Lots of wild, meandering, atonal guitar leads and sub-NY Dolls slop ... but a lot of fun. Its the kinda record you put on to lift your spirits and deliver a jolt of juvenile energy right to your heart.
Pretty much all the songs are great in their own way, whether the anthemic "Notes and Chords Mean Nothing To Me" (which sums up my philosophy of playing music pretty well) or the not-very-PC "Kill Someone That You Hate" ('smashing windows with a baseball bat/ for a feeling that is great/ go and kill someone you hate').
Pop culture references abound; songs about Linda Blair and Patty Hurst are thrown about liberally, and they even cover a Charles Manson tune. You gotta wonder what the kids' parents thought.
All in all, another overlooked gem in the LA punk crown that more people oughtta check out. Rock!

Children of God represented a progression in The Swans' sound. Some of the abrasiveness from their earlier albums is still here, but this album also leans towards the ethereal and abstract. At the time, Gira was obviously tired of The Swans being interpreted as a one dimensional act. Filth and Cop were abrasive and quite unfriendly records, albeit intellectual and beautiful in their own iconoclastic way. However, The Swans were always misunderstood. Filth and Cop made a strong impression on people. Even to this day these two records are infamous and, sadly, sometimes they overshadow the rest of the band's catalog. Gira even stated that clueless metal heads would show up at old Swans gigs to "rock out" and mosh to the music. He hated this kind of behavior and clearly saw The Swans as a more introspective band. The Swans were never intended to be party music, or music that everyone could easily enjoy. In reality, The Swans were a rejection of the corporate driven music industry. When they started attracting these elements, Gira realized that The Swans were becoming too easy to define and categorize. The art and the music was no longer challenging, it was becoming more commonplace and acceptable, even clich�. He realized that he was falling into a category. And in order to remedy this fault, he had to push The Swans to evolve into something higher, something more sophisticated and multidimensional. Children of God was the first step in this direction. And for The Swans, it was also one of their finest, most definite moments.

Children of God is the very first Swans album to incorporate acoustic guitar. Most of the songs are atmospheric. They are usually made up of a single riff that is stretched out for the entire duration of a song. It is simple, yet amazingly effective and hypnotic. Jarboe also plays a larger role in The Swans' music for the very first time. Her voice works well and adds to the hypnotic element of the music.

Other than that, Children of God is an interesting album. Gira was influenced by the charisma of televangelists. Throughout this album he is shouting in the same way as televangelists do during sermons, and it is interesting to hear some of the same things that these people say set to apocalyptic music. It is not overtly blasphemous, just an interesting experiment of comparing rock musicians to televangelists, who often times wild up crowds in the same fashion as rock musicians do. I like the fact that this album is not overtly blasphemous and that it looks at Christianity from a different perspective - more of a social conditioning perspective than a dogmatic one.

This is essential for anyone interested in The Swans.

This 2-disc set combines Swans' 1987 masterpiece with various tracks from the first two albums (Shame, Humility, Revenge and Blood, Women, Roses) of their side project, The World Of Skin. The third album, Ten Songs For Another World, is not represented here.

Disc 1 is the original Children of God plus one extra track, I'll Swallow You. Only the first track New Mind and Beautiful Child are really harsh; elsewhere the softer side of Swans emerge,where the mood is mostly one of resignation or sorrow. The music is very atmospheric with innovative arrangements, especially the song Like A Drug (Sha La La La). The theme seems to be the futility of love as expressed in songs like Our Love Lies, You're Not Real Girl, Real Love and Blind Love.

Disc 2, the World Of Skin tracks, sometimes has Jarboe as the torch singer like on Cry Me A River and The Man I Love, while at other times her and Michel Gira's voices perfectly complement each other in eerie harmony. My favorites include Breathing Water and the awesome lullaby Blood On Your Hands.

Fans of dark, atmospheric rock music will love this double album. It explores the emotional side that can also occasionally be found in the work of artists like e.g. Meredith Monk, Mercury Rev, Nick Drake, Nico, Velvet Underground, John Cale etc. or in sacred medieval music. But here, it's found in a more extreme form. This is gothic with real substance. Swans are an acquired taste, but once you understand the music you're addicted for life.

I remember reading an interview in a book on women in rock a several years ago I had bought in my college days. Swans' other half Jarboe was in the book. Since then I had been meaning to check out Swans' music but I just didn't know where to begin. The other day I was at my local library. I found a copy of "Children of God/World of Skin" so I thought this was the perfect time tto listen to their music. I immediately loved what I heard on both cds. I was easily reminded of some of my favorite darkwave bands like Black Tape For a Blue Girl, Lycia, and Clan of Xymox. The music is dark and dissonant. Michael Gira's dark, haunting vocals reminds me of both Sam Rosenthal (of Black Tape fame) and Voltaire (maybe a smidgeon). Jarboe has an equally stunning voice. I especially love it when she starts to wail like a banshee. There is a cold, empty, mechanical feel to the music but at the same time there is something comforting that I get from it that I can't put my finger on. Some of the music is melodic and some can be very experimental and very minimalistic. It's a nice antithesis to the commercial junk that radio plays into the ground.

We won tickets to go see Cordelia's Dad, so we went not knowing what to expect and never hearing of them before. We were pleasantly suprised. This cd is a nice addition to any collection.

Eleven of Comet's twelve tracks are acoustic. Despite what the info up above there says, this is not a live album in the traditional sense of the word. That is, it was recorded live in the studio, not at a concert. What that means is that you get some of the intensity of a live recording, because things weren't done in little pieces and then put together, but you also get a nice clean recording, as you so often don't with a truly live record.

As for the songs, what can I say? Cordelia's Dad is always great. If there were any justice in the world, everyone on earth would know that and there would be hundreds of customer reviews here, reflecting the millions of records they'd sold. Unfortunately, that's not the case.

There are three voices, a frame drum, a guitar, a banjo, and a fiddle on Comet. Tim Eriksen has one of the greatest singing voices to be heard today -- not great in the style of Pavarotti, but that's not necessarily a bad thing -- and Cath Oss's harmony parts are lovely. The arrangements are accordingly spare and direct, and the overall effect is moving and something different than but just as good as beautiful.

Just get it. It's worth it.

Here's one modern album that works for my ultra-trad tastes: unusual historic material, singing methods borrowing some of the riveting qualities of Sacred Harp, deft instrumentals, and that indefinable quality, "conviction".

You can think what you want of the Residents, but they do give a unique perspective of music in this modern, MTV - crazed era.

This musical piece is actually in three parts. The first part, based allegedly on cowboy poems the Residents read, is their most accessible musical tomes to date.

The second, called "Black Berry" is based on the Resident's visualization of the rise of black music as a popular musical genre. It isn't quite as successful as the first piece, but still stands well on its own.

The third piece, based on the life of Elvis, won't gel with you if you are an Elvis fanatic. But it is powerful stuff, ending with the Elvis figure being killed off by the English Invasion.

If you like the Residents, this is an essential recording. If you are just looking into the Residents, try "Duck Stab" for starters.

Probably the Residents' most fully-realized conceptual piece out of the many they've done. The Rez have never been known to play "gigs." All of their shows are performances. This one revolves around the idea that American music can be understood through three easy pieces. It goes like this...

Country western songs + African-American music = Elvis rock and roll.

To show this, the Rez put together a three act performance. Act 1 is the cowboy music, act two the jazz and blues, act three Elvis covers. Unfortunately, the recording obviously lacks the powerful visual element of the show which included giant 100 gallon cowboy hats, a blacklit Elvis with dancers, and a block-headed giant symbolizing the synthesis of cowboy and black music. Nevertheless, the idea comes through, with the Residents applying their typical strange, yet reverential this time around, treatment to songs from "Bury Me Not" to "Shortnin' Bread" to "Don't Be Cruel."

And when the grandfather tells his two ventriloquist dummy grandchildren about how Elvis was a baby that wanted to be king because "kings are good, kings are strong, and kings are the best of everything," you can't help but think that the Residents are speaking the truth.

Well, nothing is like a Residents' show. Have you ever seen one? Well if the answer is NO, never mind, nobody is perfect, you can listen to a live CD- and believe me Cube-E is one of the best.

Minneapolis' Cows will be looked upon as an outfit that treaded that fine line between brilliance and stupidity. Shannon & Co. disbanded early this decade and if you've never had a chance to see them live, then you missed a great 90's punk band in all of their decadence. Cows are a confrontational, noisey, blusey punk outfit that commanded you to show off your best punk rock dance moves: from the sound of Shannon's frenetic screaming and his stuttering, damaged bugle bursts, to Thor's bluesy deconstructionist riffing; Kevin's impossibly low bass and Norm's galloping thud, Cunning Stunts MADE you move. Heave Ho's staccato horn blasts coupled along with a menacing groove, Walks Alone's rockabilly, butt-kicking stomp, Down Below's distorted, down-picking squall...one word, Rocks. A fine primer for these AmRep Heroes.

Cows were a genuinely frightening live experience. The first time I saw them was on the tour for this album, in '92 or '93. They just exuded menace, real 1890s frontier nastiness. I mean, they were four guys with guitars in a rock club, not a very scary thing, but still. This is their best and in a weird way their poppiest record, though check out "Effete and Impudent Snobs" for a more disorderly garbagey take on the Cows experience. Shannon's trumpet is used to great effect and the moment when "Heave Ho" kicks in still makes me want to do David Lee Roth jump kicks around the room.

I saw the Cows several times, but one show in particular stands out. It would have been around the time Cunning Stunts was current, or perhaps Peacetika. Shannon wore his usual cowboy hat during the entire show, which was what he pretty much always did. It was coated in enamel spray paint or laquer or something. After finishing the last song in a full set that was probably at least an hour long, he finally took the hat off to reveal that he'd had a donut sitting on top of his head for the entire sweaty performance. He took a bite of the donut and threw it in the audience as hard as he could, hitting an unfortunate girl right in the face.

This is generally regarded as the Cows' best album.

Firstly, thanks to KPFK for bringing us a chance to listen to Dream Syndicate live. But, like so many other time travels, this one leads to disappointment. The edgy, raw, crisp, feedback-laden zone we were transported to on the original "Days of Wine and Roses" LP, certainly is nowhere to be found here. where is Karl Precoda's sloppy, instinctive, savant playing? Steve Wynn may have the franchise, but magic is not for sale here. Leave my hot dog in the wrapper - I'll warm it over myself, thanks.

deliciously gloomy velvet underground inspired gloomy, spacey music..doesn't sound dated in the 80's at all..best recording other than days of wine and roses for this band

Andrea Enthal's and KPFK radio's series of late-night live performances (featuring the Minutemen, Dream Syndicate, Irritators, & many more) gave a unique and thrilling snapshot of L.A. alternative bands in the early 80s. The Dream Syndicate set is a prime example, showing that a rediscovery of the 60s doesn't have to lead to psychedelic revival cliche.

The set builds up with a slow burn, so the available sound samples don't really show what you have in store. But by the last four tracks Carl Prekoda's searing guitar aka feedback dynamo is in full effect. Worth it alone for the version of When You Smile. Plus you get sneak previews of John Coltrane Stereo Blues ("Open Hour") and The Days of Wine and Roses.

The recording quality is fairly lo-fi, so be forewarned. On the other hand, you get plenty of Steve Wynn's relaxed joking with audience members, even the ones who have to be carried out drunk.

This movie was so wacky, I loved it and the music! To the music fan who wrote the other review, I have a copy of the other album if you want it .. email me.

Great movie, great soundtrack, great bands, nostalgia galore. Not to mention it stars my old boss's wife, "Kitty Carryall" Jennifer Schwartz-Arjevac... hihi! Nice to have this on CD as it has more tracks then the original LP. Seen almost all the bands live wayback then.
"Lovedolls Superstar" exists on CD aswell, 23 tracks.

I first heard this album 12 years ago. I loved it then and I love it now! The only problem is that I can't find the second album "Lovedoll Superstar" . I put the cd in and smiled through the whole thing. Buy It!!!

When I saw this on Amazon I was pretty excited to get my hands on it, after all, I had greatly enjoyed the first two Game Theory albums that received large scale (well, sort of large scale) releases - Real Nighttime and Big Shot Chronicles. I didn't know what to expect from this album, which consists of every track from Blaze of Glory, the EP Pointed Accounts of People You Know, and the EP Distortion (except for two tracks written by early group member Fred Juhos - one of which was the college radio fave "I Wanna Get Hit By A Car"). Sadly, it avoids inclusion of any tracks by Scott Miller's previous band Alternate Learning, though maybe we will see a compilation of their work someday. Anyway, there are quite a few gems to be found on this record, though you have to sift through a few duds and the production on the Blaze of Glory tracks leaves a bit to be desired (I read somewhere you can hear his mom's vacuum on one track, but I haven't heard it yet). From sunny pop songs like "Date with An Angel" to depressing Big Star/new wave hybrids like "Bad Year At UCLA", Blaze of Glory is a promising start, but you'll find yourself jumping ahead to the great tracks from the EP's like "Penny, Things Won't", "The Red Baron", and "Shark Pretty". Worth the usually large price tag you'll find here if you're a Game Theory or Loud Family fan.

Best Tracks:
"Date With An Angel" - A nice little love song with a straightforward riff that you wouldn't expect from Miller - but it's quite effective and catchy.
"Bad Year at UCLA" - Fantastic lyrics - I wish I could be this smart at 22.
"It Gives Me Chills" - Ethereal and quietly enticing, this song adds snapping fingers and a swinging bass to a Big Star 3rd-styled song to make it unique. Good chorus vocals too.
"Penny, Things Won't" - This jangly gem is one of Miller's all time best tunes. Great hook, sad lyrics, and nice drum intro. This could have been a hit in a perfect world.

"Metal And Glass Exact" - Don't know what Miller is singing about here - weird obtuse lyrics and a jerky beat keep this rocker firmly in the college-rock realm.
"Shark Pretty" - Ah, a much more straightforward rocker with a swinging riff. This was co-written with Michael Quercio of the Three O'Clock.
"The Red Baron" - Miller does depression better than anyone else. Features his self-described "miserable whine" of a voice on prominent display, but it sounds angelic to these ears.

the actual title of this CD is something like Distortion of Glory, and it's the first Game Theory album Blaze of Glory (tracks 1-12 here) plus most if not all of two subsequent EP's, Pointed Accounts of People You Know and Distortion. all the critics back in the 80's used to say that later game theory was the best, especially lolita nation, but this is by far my favorite cd by them, particularly the 'pointed accounts...' tracks included (metal & glass exact, life in july, penny things won't). a high point of the early 80's college radio scene.

Love this album. Penny, Things Won't is my favorite song. Great album. Wished they'd re-release it.