A lot of words come to mind when you hear this band's name. Volume. Intensity. Felonies. The one word seldom associated with Guns N' Roses, though, is fun. The group is arguably the best hard-rock band now playing, but its recent albums have seemed so fierce that listening was as exhausting as it was exhilarating.
This collection of covers of some of the band's favorite songs showcases the Gunners' lighter side. The eclectic jukebox includes everything from a version of the Skyliners' '50s hit "Since I Don't Have You" to Nazareth's faux-metal "Hair of the Dog." The band doesn't even try to replicate the original versions. The change in arrangements may not be drastic, but Slash's buzz saw of a guitar and singer Axl Rose's lithe yowl leave no doubt that this is a Guns N' Roses record. Sometimes the result is a hoot, as when Rose and the heretofore silent Slash duet on T. Rex's "Buick Makane." And sometimes the band's renditions are more ferocious than the original, as on Fear's "I Don't Care About You."
So think of The Spaghetti Incident? as the equivalent of Michael Jordan playing a pickup ball game. It doesn't count in the standings; it's just raw talent kicking back and cutting loose. (Geffen)"
Jackson Browne
In all forms of pop art, it's a short trip from sentimental to sappy. Browne has taken that trek with this album. In the '70s he was the patron saint of sensitive singer-songwriters. Actually, he was more of the martyr of the set; his best work (such as 1974's Late for the Sky) overflowed with disconsolate beauty. Today, Browne's ability to pluck the heartstrings has largely deserted him. It doesn't help that his voice seems slightly curdled.
There has been much speculation about which of these songs were inspired by Browne's bruising breakup with Daryl Hannah. The likeliest candidates seem to be "Miles Away" ("I want to be your friend but I got no choice/ Than to fight when you're so mean and wild") and "Two of Me, Two of You" ("So like a fragile little child/ More than a little lost and wild/ How the light would leave the sky when you cried"). Overall, I'm Alive is a total Browne-out. (Elektra)
The Lemonheads
This follow-up to last year's breakthrough album, It's a Shame About Ray, finds alternative rock Adonis Evan Dando and company on a roll, if an unusually relaxed one for this once-tumultuous trio. The preternaturally mellow singer-guitarist has finally managed to hold on to a rhythm section (drummer David Ryan and bassist Nic Dalton) for two consecutive albums; he says he recently kicked drugs; and he has whipped up a batch of 15 power-pop confections that confront issues of love, friendship, gender, drugs and violence with a resounding, heartfelt "Whatever."
Dando is one of the few men this side of Jean-Paul Gaultier's catwalk who is not afraid to wear a skirt. He writes (some with collaborator Tom Morgan) or sings from a female perspective on five songs. The album's most likely eyebrow-raiser, however, is "Big Gay Heart," a lovely country ballad in which the singer is a gay man who pleads quietly against violent bigotry ("Please don't break mah big gay heart") because it's, like, uncool. The songs are mostly cheery pop gems—with a handful hinting of the blue-haired punk rocker Dando once was—among them the ambivalent drug rave-up "Style," which also comes in a slower version, with support from volatile funkster Rick James.
Dando can afford to be so laid-back and easygoing as long as the Lemonheads keep squeezing out such refreshing songs so effortlessly. (Atlantic)"
Christmas conundrum: How do you make ye olde holiday ditties sound fresh? Turn them loose on a quirky assortment of musical artists and judge the results. Here is a sampling:
Various Artists
Ultrahot producers L.A. Reid and Daryl Simmons have concocted an ultrafunky collection that ranges from ballads to New Jack Swing. Highlights include a fly girl "Sleigh Ride" à la home elves TLC, the raunchy hip-hop "Players Ball" by Outkast and a smoky "The Christmas Song" courtesy of torch queen Toni Braxton. (LaFace/Arista)
Various Artists
Producer Foster (The Bodyguard) has gathered an array of marquee names to celebrate the season. Wynonna kicks it off with a sultry "Blue Christmas," Vanessa Williams testifies on "Go Tell It on the Mountain/Mary Had a Baby" and Tom Jones gives "Mary's Boy Child" serious soul. The producer gets points for unique song selection and arrangements, but fear not, the old reliable "The Christmas Song" turns up too. (Interscope)
Harry Connick Jr.
Here's an overwrought cornfest of old and new holiday faves. Give Connick credit for the 'Nawlins flavor he pumps into "(It Must Have Been Ol') Santa Claus," but the rest of this collection is strictly lounge-lizard turf. (Columbia)
Boyz II Men
These Grammy winners give the holiday platter scene their four-part-harmony all. Boyz II Men deliver an agreeable, if uneven mix of chestnuts like "Let It Snow" and fresh nuts that might just become Christmas classics. (Motown)
Various Artists
Luther Campbell, the pooh-bah of hip-hop porn, brings out a cavalcade of R&B talent here that's the season's ultimate mix of the sacred with the profane. Hearing H-Town's divinely oily "Knockin' Boots for Christmas" (a note-for-note remake of "Knockin' Boots") renders all future carols obsolete. (Luke)
Alan Jackson
Yeehaw! Jackson scores with this thoroughly original ho-ho-hodown. Okay, the tune with the Chipmunks is a bit much, but covering Merle Haggard's "If We Make It Through December," dueting with the late Keith Whitley and topping it off with "Please Daddy (Don't Get Drunk This Christmas)" more than makes up for the slip. And, best of all: There is no cover of "The Christmas Song!" (Arista)
Aaron Neville
The maestro of melisma demonstrates that Christmas discs don't have to be white bread. Neville turns "Please Come Home for Christmas" into an R&B-stoked stroll and infuses "O Holy Night" with a sexiness that would make an angel blush. (A&M)
>Slash
THE LAST SONG
Sure it seems like it would be fun to be a member of Guns N' Roses. There's the fortune. The fame. The groupies. And, well, the fortune. Apparently, though, that lifestyle isn't without its headaches. Just ask the band's guitarist, the former Saul Hudson, now known as Slash.
"When you sell millions of records, there's always this underlying pressure to turn out the next one," says the 28-year-old musician. "You have to live up to somebody else's expectations. Even old acquaintances start asking you what you're doing next."
One way to beat the heat is to ignore it and record what you want. The result is this album—recorded mostly during days off from their just-finished two-year world tour—that features nothing but cover versions of the band members' favorite tunes.
"We were just jamming in the studio," says the surprisingly soft-spoken Slash. "There was none of that "What's this song about or what's that one about? This record is more or less us screwing around in the studio and doing what felt good."
Making the record may have felt good much of the time, but it was not pressure free. A case in point: Slash's singing debut on "Buick Makane," which lead singer and headline-grabber Axl Rose coaxed him into. "I don't want to sing anymore," says Slash bluntly. "I didn't have a good time. I'm not that vocal a person, and singing is beyond the kind of personality I have."
- Contributors:
- Craig Tomashoff,
- David Hiltbrand,
- Gary Susman,
- Amy Linden.
Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
