SOUND CHECK.NEIL NEIL Nuclear Electric Insurance Limited NEIL Network Engineering and Integration Lab YOUNG & CRAZY HORSE: ``Live at the Fillmore East 1970'' (Reprise) - Four stars Young has been coasting for decades on the splendid work he did from 1969 to 1975. This unexpected delight, the first of many archival sets to come from Young's bulging tape vault, is a sizzling 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. 1970 show from New York's Fillmore East featuring the short-lived original incarnation of Young's best backing band, Crazy Horse. Along with deliriously wonderful, charged versions of ``Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere'' and ``Down by the River,'' the highlight of this six-track treasure is the glorious rocker ``Come on Baby Let's Go Downtown,'' Crazy Horse guitarist-singer Danny Whitten's subversive, joyous ode to scoring smack. Two years later, Whitten would be dead from the stuff, inspiring Young to pen his classic album ``Tonight's the Night Tonight's the Night could refer to one of several things: Musicals
Whitten, the best guitarist Young ever played with, almost steals the show again on an epic 16-minute ``Cowgirl in the Sand,'' where his concise guitar lines in tandem with Young's, urged along by fellow Horsemen (pianist Jack Nitzsche, bassist Billy Talbot and drummer Ralph Molina), reveal a great, loose band at the peak of its powers. ``Live at the Fillmore East 1970'' shouldn't be missed. -- Fred Shuster JOHNNY CASH: ``At San Quentin (Legacy Edition)'' (Sony) - Four stars This release actually supersedes 2000's expanded ``complete'' version of Cash's fabled 1969 concert by presenting the show in its entirety, including songs from Carl Perkins, the Statler Brothers, the Carter Family and June Carter Cash, as well as four more unreleased songs from the Man in Black. The unearthed Unearthed is the name of a Triple J project to find and "dig up" (hence the name) hidden talent in regional Australia. Unearthed has had three incarnations - they first visited each region of Australia where Triple J had a transmitter - 41 regions in all. tracks are electrifying e·lec·tri·fy tr.v. e·lec·tri·fied, e·lec·tri·fy·ing, e·lec·tri·fies 1. To produce electric charge on or in (a conductor). 2. a. , but the real bonus comes on the DVD DVD: see digital versatile disc. DVD in full digital video disc or digital versatile disc Type of optical disc. The DVD represents the second generation of compact-disc (CD) technology. , a 52-minute documentary made by England's Granada TV that intersperses Cash's thrilling work with interviews of prisoners. Cash's empathy for these men is repaid with an enthusiasm that's almost heartwarming heart·warm·ing or heart-warm·ing adj. 1. Causing gladness and pleasure. 2. Eliciting sympathy and tender feelings: a heartwarming tale. Adj. 1. . Check out the ovation after Cash sings ``San Quentin.'' If only for a moment If Only For A Moment is the second L.P. by The Blossom Toes, released in 1969. Line-up features a guest appearance on sitar from US folk musician Shawn Phillips. Track listing
-- Glenn Whipp DR. OCTAGON: ``The Return of Dr. Octagon'' (OCD OCD obsessive-compulsive disorder. OCD abbr. obsessive-compulsive disorder Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) Records) - Two stars Dr. Octagon, one of many alter-egos used by Ultramagnetic MC's rapper Kool Keith, has staked out terrain in the gap between mainstream hip-hop and utter madness. Bringing a dadaist sensibility to the only genre (aside from country) that prides itself on being firmly entrenched en·trench also in·trench v. en·trenched, en·trench·ing, en·trench·es v.tr. 1. To provide with a trench, especially for the purpose of fortifying or defending. 2. in ``reality,'' he tackles subjects ranging from alien abductions to the similarity between ants and humans. The one complaint: There just isn't enough music here. Four of the disc's 14 tracks are skits, leaving a scant 10 songs (with ``Aliens'' and ``A Gorilla Driving a Pickup Truck'' among the standouts). Clocking in at just over 30 minutes, ``Return'' feels like a puzzle with only half the pieces. -- Len Cutler BIANCA RYAN: ``Bianca Ryan'' (Syco/Columbia) - Three stars Her glorious pipes brought Brandy to her feet during round one of NBC's ``America's Got Talent America's Got Talent is an American reality television series on the NBC television network. It is a talent show that features amateur singers, dancers, magicians, comedians and other performers of all ages competing for the advertised top prize of US$1 million. ,'' which Ryan later went on to win, and deservedly so. Her rich, unwavering voice can rise to any challenge, including an album filled mostly with really bad covers. ``You Light Up My Life''? There hasn't been a good version of that song in years. And yet Ryan tackles these kinds of has-beens like the old pro that her big, powerful voice makes you think she is. Her golden chops soar over an eight-voice kids' choir toward a grand finale in the R. Kelly-penned ``I Believe I Can Fly'' and nail ``And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going'' from the musical ``Dreamgirls.'' Granted, hearing ``I'm not waking up tomorrow morning and finding that there's no one there'' sung by a 12-year-old doesn't really seem appropriate, but there's no denying her vocal prowess. It is truly awesome. -- Sandra Barrera RUST KINGS: ``Hotel West Virginia'' (Dren) - Three and one half stars Definitely Appalachian yet somehow observantly contemporary, this mountain music band has a way of picking and singing about bad love, wasted lives and uncertain hope for a better world while sounding amiably easygoing eas·y·go·ing also eas·y-go·ing adj. 1. a. Living without undue worry or concern; calm. b. Lax or negligent; careless. c. . Recorded in a living room but sounding no less polished for it, this versatile collection of shuffles, waltzes, breakdowns and hymns boasts three- and four-part harmonies as distinctive as the Kings' individual voices. -- Bob Strauss CAPTION(S): 6 photos Photo: (1) no caption (Neil Young) (2 -- 6) no caption (CD covers) |
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