by

Geary Kaczorowski & Paul Most
Enjoy the musical Tension.

CHEAP TRICK
Cheap Trick
Red Ant/Cheap Trick
Last year's SEXAMERICACHEAPTRICK was a revelation -- proof that they were consistently good all those years everyone was taking them for granted (except for Kurt Cobain, who was apparently a fan, though look what good it did him). So I'd love to give this a rave. But it's more like a qualified cheer. Like many aging bands, there's a morose strain to the whole affair (which can also be explained by Nielsen's loss of his parents last year). On the plus side, however, it's loaded with melodies. It does still rock, in that poppy way. And best of all, there are no strings (except for some very tasteful cello on one track). So get it if you must. I recommend last year's box set instead. And my prediction for the future: if Neilsen keeps gaining weight and Zander and Petersen continue to age, Bun E. will be the best looking guy in the band. Mark my words.
P.M.

BLUR
Blur
OK, I always liked these guys better than Oasis, if only because their songs are harder to play. Come to think of it, everyone's songs are harder to play than Oasis. Anyway, Blur has given up on the Britpop battle and their new album, although very good, reeks of the "Give the Americans what they want" syndrome. Verse Chorus Verse, soft loud soft, the alternative way, in "Song 2". And more voltage to the whole thing, for all us stateside rock gluttons. Fortunately, there's still the Brit cleverness behind it all. And musically, it's probably their most consistent CD since the Jam and Who-influenced "Modern Life is Rubbish." Plus, you can still play "identify the influence" here, from Beatles to Bowie to T-Rex to... well, T-Rex. (Hey, let's face it, almost every band ought to be sending a royalty check to Marc Bolan's surviving family members. Speaking of which, remember when you first saw the "Bang a Gong" video and there was Elton John banging away on piano? He got a little more credibility in my book from that, I don't mind telling you, not, mind you, that he cared. But I digress...) Oh yeah, about Blur... look, all rock is derivative. Specially when a band is as accomplished at parody as Blur is. But the real question is whether or not a band builds on their influences to create something distinctive. Even if it's occasionally excruciating, like well, Cheap Trick (see above). Blur have yet to do that. Go ahead, hate me for saying it.
P.M.

Ed Blackwell Trio
Walls-Brigdes
Black Saint

Cesaria Evora
Cabo Verde
Nonesuch

Michael Hoppe & Martin Tillmann
The Poet: Romances for Cello
Teldec

Various Artists
The Real Authentic Sound of Studio One
RAS

Lead Belly
Lead Belly Legacy, Vol. 2: bourgeois blues
Smithsonian Folkways

Table of Contents

Tension Spring 1997