SOUND CHECK : ROCK.Carl Perkins/``Go Cat Go!'' ``Go Cat Go!'' gives two impressions of Carl Perkins' contribution to rock. On the one hand, he sure was a one-trick pony, never stretching out much beyond his rudimentary rockabilly roots. On the other hand - well, just look who's on this album covering Perkins' songs. It's impressive that big names such as Bono and Tom Petty made time to appear on the album. But it's almost more impressive that John Lennon Noun 1. John Lennon - English rock star and guitarist and songwriter who with Paul McCartney wrote most of the music for the Beatles (1940-1980) Lennon and Jimi Hendrix Noun 1. Jimi Hendrix - United States guitarist whose innovative style with electric guitars influenced the development of rock music (1942-1970) Hendrix, James Marshall Hendrix were doing Perkins songs, unasked un·asked adj. 1. Not asked: Several unasked questions remain. 2. Not invited: Unasked guests arrived at the party. 3. , nearly 30 years ago. Maybe because Perkins was so narrow in his focus, ``Go Cat Go!'' (Dinosaur Entertainment) is a fun, consistent tribute to his songwriting and sound; it's an album that's breezy and holds up across its 55 minutes and dozen performers. It's the new duets that are most interesting, though, with Perkins sharing verses with Bono, Petty, John Fogerty, Willie Nelson, Paul Simon and others. Three Stars ?13- Mark Brown Orange County Register Aphex Twin/``Richard D. James Album'' Electronic music tends to sound cold and monotonous, but on Aphex Twin's latest excursion into hyper ambient (yes, the two terms can coexist), the London resident crafts bristling bristling see hackles. sound-scapes using a bank of keyboards to coax out jungle, house and techno dance rhythms. With machine-gun-like snares on ``4'' and ``Cornish Acid'' leaping out almost three-dimensionally, you might think a flock of orgiastic or·gi·as·tic adj. 1. Of, relating to, or characteristic of an orgy. 2. Arousing or causing unrestrained emotion; frenzied. woodpeckers have set up nest in your speakers. Aphex Twin - real name, Richard Jones - makes full-bodied electronic noise. The U.S. version of ``Richard D. James Album'' (Warp/Sire) includes the U.K. EP ``Girl/Boy.'' Three Stars ?13- Howard Cohen cohen or kohen (Hebrew: “priest”) Jewish priest descended from Zadok (a descendant of Aaron), priest at the First Temple of Jerusalem. The biblical priesthood was hereditary and male. Knight-Ridder Tribune News Wire Atlanta Rhythm Section/``Partly Plugged'' ARS celebrates its 25th anniversary with a handful of original members providing enervated en·er·vate tr.v. en·er·vat·ed, en·er·vat·ing, en·er·vates 1. To weaken or destroy the strength or vitality of: "the luxury which enervates and destroys nations" acoustic reprises REPRISES. The deductions and payments out of lands, annuities, and the like, are called reprises, because they are taken back; when we speak of the clear yearly value of an estate, we say it is worth so much a year ultra reprises, besides all reprises. 2. of six ARS classics (``So Into You,'' ``Imaginary Lover,'' ``Do It or Die,'' etc.) and four new, surprisingly spry An application framework from Adobe for building rich Internet applications using HTML. Spry takes the tedium out of writing AJAX code and also includes routines for creating animation effects and building widgets. For more information, visit http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/spry. Southern rock tracks. ``Partly Plugged'' (Southern Tracks Records) is a well-recorded look back at an overlooked '70s act that seems to have some life left. Three Stars ?13- Howard Cohen Waco Brothers/``Cowboy in Flames'' Someday, some ardent rock historian will compile a Jon Langford boxed set, and it will be a marvel. For nigh nigh adv. nigh·er, nigh·est 1. Near in time, place, or relationship: Evening draws nigh. 2. Nearly; almost: talked for nigh onto two hours. on 20 years, the Leeds, England, native has led the Mekons, whose mixture of brains, anarchy and never-say-die punk-rock spirit is unmatched. While the Mekons are on hiatus, Langford, now based in Chicago, is making productive use of his time with the Waco Brothers. ``Cowboy in Flames'' (Bloodshot blood·shot adj. Red and inflamed as a result of locally congested blood vessels, as of the eyes. bloodshot Vox populi adjective ) pushes even harder than their first disc, last year's ``To the Last Dead Cowboy.'' The Wacos' love for country music is real: No one whose affection wasn't genuine could turn in such powerful Acuff, Jones and Cash covers, or write anything as scathing as ``Death of Country Music.'' But the sextet is driven by a wild, untameable rock 'n' roll rock 'n' roll: see rock music. heart, and that's what drives home the insights of ``See Willy Fly By'' and the compassion of ``Out the A Ways.'' Three Stars ?13- Dan DeLuca Knight-Ridder Tribune News Wire pop Barry Manilow/``Summer of '78'' With this Arista Records collection of lame remakes of Top 40 radio fare from the 1970s, Barry Manilow effectively sounds the death knell for all things revivalistic re·viv·al·ist n. 1. One who promotes or leads religious revivals. 2. One who revives practices or ideas of an earlier time. re·viv of that very Brady decade. We really didn't need to be reminded of ``Reminiscing,'' ``Sometimes When We Touch,'' and ``The Air That I Breathe,'' especially by Manilow, who reduces each to a formulaic and overblown o·ver·blown v. Past participle of overblow. adj. 1. a. Done to excess; overdone: overblown decorations. b. style of ballad-belting. The only ones missing are ``Feelings'' and ``Eres Tu.'' Where are they when we need them? Manilow, who has never been in sync with what's hip, was out of step then and he's out of step now. By latching onto the '70s, or at least the way he remembers them in song, Manilow sends this message to Billy Corgan, Urge Overkill and others who have mined that decade's musical legacy to better effect: It's time for an '80s revival. One Star ?13- Wes Bausmith Orange County Register r&b Solomon Burke/``Definition of Soul'' Veteran soul man and preacher Solomon Burke, who scored a string of pop and r&b hits in the '60s and early '70s (``Just Out of Reach (Of My Two Open Arms),'' ``Got to Get You Off My Mind''), returns to form with this delightful album, his first for Virgin's Pointblank blues label. Despite overly polished production that threatens to undermine the grit in his sound, Burke's top-notch songwriting (in collaboration with his son Selassie), husky tenor, and all-around charm take center stage. Highlights include ``Why Can't We Come Together,'' the sparse ``Just for You,'' the surprisingly subdued but entertaining Little Richard duet ``Everybody's Got a Game,'' and the searing sear 1 v. seared, sear·ing, sears v.tr. 1. To char, scorch, or burn the surface of with or as if with a hot instrument. See Synonyms at burn1. 2. ``Your Time to Cry'' (co-produced by Jerry Wexler). An active preacher and musical performer, Burke proves that he can still do it after all these years. Three Stars ?13- Billboard Various/``Smooth Grooves: The '60s Vols. 1-3'' Rhino's ``Smooth Grooves'' series features familiar love songs by Aretha Franklin, Barbara Lewis, Percy Sledge, the Delfonics and others interspersed with a couple of genuinely cool ballads you probably haven't heard before, such as Chris Bartley's ``The Sweetest Thing This Side of Heaven'' from 1967 and ``The Ice Cream Song'' from 1969 by the Dynamics. Three Stars ?13- Rick Shefchik Knight-Ridder Tribune News Wire CAPTION(S): 3 Photos Photo: (1) ``Go Cat Go!'' showcases the songs and style of rocker Carl Perkins. (2) Solomon Burke returns to form on ``Definition of Soul.'' (3) Barry Manilow interprets hits of the '70s on his new album, ``Summer of '78.'' |
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