SOUND CHECK.BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND: ``Hammersmith Odeon, London '75 (Sony) - Four stars The younger crowd who groove to emo bands like Coldplay won't get this two-disc set. And Springsteen freaks will argue over which rendition of what is the best. But rock's not about playing cool (or dead) or academic arguments. Rock's about protesting, screaming ``I'm here,'' celebrating sweaty fumblings in the back seat and kicking ass. That's what this CD does. Recorded the year the Boss released his landmark ``Born to Run,'' the concert captures his band at its creative pinnacle and at full throttle Full Throttle can refer to:
Known as "The Big Man", Clemons has been playing with Springsteen since 1974; his sax parts are an easily recognized , when it comes to the E Street boys. His wailing sax was often used as a shot of pure adrenaline just when the crowd thought it couldn't get any higher. But pianist ``Professor'' Roy Bittan Roy Bittan (born July 2 1949 in Rockaway Beach, Queens, New York City) is an American keyboardist, best known as a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, which he joined on August 23, 1974. Bittan, nicknamed "The Professor", plays the piano, organ, accordion and synthesizers. informed the band's sound more than anyone else. His accomplished musicianship and versatility allowed Springsteen to explore new musical avenues. Just listen to his gorgeous playing on ``Thunder Road'' or his jazzy jazz·y adj. jazz·i·er, jazz·i·est 1. Resembling jazz in form or nature; rhythmical. 2. Slang Showy; flashy: a jazzy car. sounds on ``Kitty's Back.'' The Hammersmith Odeon show is sort of a Holy Grail for Springsteen fans. It's been bootlegged, but here it's been cleaned up to perfection Adv. 1. to perfection - in every detail; "the new house suited them to a T" just right, to a T, to the letter . Springsteen's best songs from the era, like ``Tenth Avenue Freezeout'' and ``Rosalita (Come Out Tonight),'' just sizzle siz·zle intr.v. siz·zled, siz·zling, siz·zles 1. To make the hissing sound characteristic of frying fat. 2. To seethe with anger or indignation. 3. , and many are arranged quite differently from the album versions. There's only one requirement when listening: Play it loud. - Rob Lowman DAVID GILMOUR: ``On an Island'' (Columbia) - Two and one half stars The buzz at last summer's Live 8 was the reunion of Pink Floyd and its heavenly, goose bump-raising set - something the participants say won't happen again soon. Now comes lead singer and guitarist Gilmour's third solo effort, his first studio date since Floyd's 1994 album ``The Division Bell.'' And the results, naturally, sound a lot like Pink Floyd. Guests such as David David, in the Bible David, d. c.970 B.C., king of ancient Israel (c.1010–970 B.C.), successor of Saul. The Book of First Samuel introduces him as the youngest of eight sons who is anointed king by Samuel to replace Saul, who had been deemed a failure. Crosby, Graham Nash, Phil Manzanera and Floyd's Richard Wright help out on 10 atmospheric tracks that frequently verge on sleep-inducing, taking in jazz, blues and a couple of instrumentals, including one where Gilmour plays sax (Joe Lovano has nothing to worry about). The standouts here are the gorgeous title track, which belongs on anybody's list of Floyd favorites, and the tight rocker ``This Heaven,'' recalling the guitarist's blues roots. In stores Tuesday. - Fred Shuster HANK WILLIAMS III: ``Straight to Hell'' (BRUC) - Four stars It's been some time since we last heard from the master's grandson, leading some of us to speculate that he was probably in rehab or something. If that was the case, it didn't take. ``Straight to Hell'' is an adults-only reverie/wallow in misplaced mis·place tr.v. mis·placed, mis·plac·ing, mis·plac·es 1. a. To put into a wrong place: misplace punctuation in a sentence. b. pillbilly pride, perhaps the most aggressive celebration of drinkin', druggin' and cussed commercial Nashville-hatin' ever recorded. With sound effects! But they only enhance the fast-picked, X-rated anthems on the first disc of this double set, where virtuoso musicianship vies for dominance with belligerent bragging about things one really shouldn't be proud of. Disc two takes off into full-blown hallucinatory hal·lu·ci·na·to·ry adj. 1. Of or characterized by hallucination. 2. Inducing or causing hallucination. dementia, as III weaves in and out of remixed moments from the first disc and covers of granddad's and others' classics amid a collage of weird noises and ambient sounds. That makes ``Straight to Hell'' both the trippiest engineering feat and the most genuine hard-core honky-tonk album of the year. Nobody sober could have done it. - Bob Strauss KIRAN KIRAN Karachi Institute of Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine (Pakistan) AHLUWALIA: ``Kiran Ahluwalia'' (Triloka) - Three stars Ahluwalia's debut has been on Billboard's world charts for nearly a year and, in recent months, she has become an NPR NPR In currencies, this is the abbreviation for the Nepal Rupee. Notes: The currency market, also known as the Foreign Exchange market, is the largest financial market in the world, with a daily average volume of over US $1 trillion. favorite. Born in India, raised in Canada, Ahluwalia performs ghazal Ghaz´al n. 1. A kind of Oriental lyric, and usually erotic, poetry, written in recurring rhymes. , a type of romantic singing that originated in Persia (now Iran) 1,000 years ago. But there's nothing dusty about this music, which has been modernized with jazzy guitars, drums, harmonium harmonium: see reed organ. harmonium or reed organ Free-reed keyboard instrument in which wind from a foot-operated bellows causes metal reeds to vibrate. Pitch is determined by the size of the reed; there are no pipes. and fiddle. The results stay true to India's musical heritage, while broadening it to include other sounds (Celtic among them) as well. And Ahluwalia's voice is strikingly beautiful. She'll be performing Saturday and Sunday at the Getty Center. Call (310) 440-7300 for information. - Glenn Whipp BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS: ``One Love at Studio One (1964-66)'' (Heartbeat) - Three and one half stars The leaders of the pack of Jamaica's tough new crop of musicians 40 years ago at Studio One in Kingston were the Wailers, featuring a youthful Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh. Here, caught in those glorious early days, the band plays bouncy ska, setting the stage for the greatness to come. This 40-track two-disc set spotlights the cream of the style in classics like ``Simmer Down,'' ``One Love,'' ``He Who Feels It Knows It'' and ``Rude Boy,'' along with rare Jamaican singles and notes from reggae historian Roger Steffens. - F.S. CAPTION(S): 6 photos Photo: (1) no caption (Bruce Springsteen) (2 -- 6) no caption (CD covers) |
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