Eyes blazing through thick makeup, rings on every finger, metal piercing other parts—even his publicity bio describes him as a "deranged spectacle." Keith Flint, front man for this hugely popular British foursome, has caused quite a stir with that devil-horns coif. The prominence of his videogenic do in Prodigy's MTV hits "Firestarter" and "Breathe" has helped the group establish a unique visual identity among synthesizer-driven outfits, but it takes more than shrieked vocals and sledgehammer sonics to stir up real musical momentum. Granted, "Diesel Power" and "Breathe" are cathartic performances capable of spreading dance fever to the stubbornest rock-and-roll head-bangers, the kind who wouldn't be caught dead in a disco inferno. But in the end, Prodigy's techno fits are so rigid and unrelentingly brutal that much of Fat ends up sounding like well-orchestrated noise. (Maverick/Warner Bros.)
Tom Lehrer
The title of this anthology by America's satirist emeritus is nearly the only thing about it that isn't brilliantly original and hugely entertaining. Otherwise its 28 tracks are paragons of insight and wit by a man who built a cult following in the 1950s and '60s, then abruptly retired from performing to teach college mathematics. The collection includes the majority of Lehrer's most notorious songs, including "Poisoning Pigeons in the Park" and "The Elements," his ingenious Gilbert & Sullivan recitation of the periodic table. (Alas, it omits such standbys as "Wernher von Braun" and "The Vatican Rag.") There's just no denying the cleverness of someone who can rhyme "toros" with "morose," "Valhallas" with "$200," "Viennese" with "peonies," and "Te Deum" with "ICBM." Lehrer's genius actually seems enhanced by the 30 years that have passed since these songs were written. (Rhino)
Townes Van Zandt
The troubled and very talented singer Townes Van Zandt died at age 52 on Jan. 1 of an apparent heart attack, shortly after completing this often harrowing album. The Highway Kind is in some ways almost unlistenable, and in others, near great. In Van Zandt's shockingly intimate versions of such country classics as "Wreck on the Highway," you can almost smell the whiskey, feel the pain. And in "My Proud Mountains," a song written half a lifetime ago, you can definitely sense the loss—Van Zandt's and ours—and it is considerable. (Sugar Hill)
Wayne Kramer
So it turns out the revolution will be televised—on Comedy Central, not CNN—to judge by this new, solo release by one of the '60s' premier radical rockers. A founder of the influential MC5, one of punk's most political bands, Kramer still has big issues on his mind: Marxist revolution, CIA corruption, the '68 Democratic Convention. The music is equally heavy, with Kramer's guitar still spitting out one power chord after another. Thanks to a healthy dose of humor supplied largely by occasional cowriter (and producer) David Was, Citizen Wayne never takes itself too seriously. Their collaborations become the rock equivalent of a Doonesbury comic in "Revolution in Apt. 29," where the "hot-to-Trotskyites" plan a revolution over chilled wine, chips and pesto. This CD is a riot, in both senses of the word. (Epitaph)
David Wilcox
Dressed up in chiming guitars and keyboards, David Wilcox's contemplative folk tunes wander toward the fringes of alt-rock. But unlike some of the flanneled sulkers of generation X, Wilcox, 39, knows that staying alive can be even more glorious (if problematic) than dying young. As adept with irony as he is with melody, Wilcox—whose five previous albums earned critical raves and promising, if not thundering, sales—explores the rougher edges of life with a sharp, unsentimental eye. An excellent guitarist and singer (his guitar tunings are reminiscent of Joni Mitchell's, while his warm voice compares nicely to James Taylor's), Wilcox shows he has earned a place among rock's finer songwriters. (Koch)
David Byrne
Chalk it up to happenstance that two of pop's quirkier veterans from the 1970s and '80s, Rickie Lee Jones and David Byrne, have recently released discs that reflect a variety of au courant styles. But while Jones's detour into samples and synthesizers is jarring, ex-Talking Heads front man Byrne smoothly shows off his musical range with an assortment of dance-savvy grooves. Byrne taps the British trip-hop trio Morcheeba to work up the jungle funk of "Fuzzy Freaky," then goes Rio on the Brazilian romp "Miss America" and fiddles around with some Cajun spice supplied by violinists Pierre La Roux and Ashley MacIsaac on "Daddy Go Down." Even with all his technical complexities, Byrne has pulled off a neat trick in this digitally enhanced age: He has found a soul within the machine. (Luaka Bop/Warner Bros.)
Various Artists
Various Artists
When most people hear the term "roots music," they tend to think: twangy, rough-hewn, covered in denim. But as proven on Mountain Stage—the live weekly show aired on public radio stations across the country—pop music's roots spring from a variety of soils. The previous 14 entries in this series of compilation CDs brought together live performances by the likes of mod country chanteuse k.d. lang, sardonic folkie Loudon Wainwright III and rock superstars R.E.M. All have been outstanding collections, and these latest additions are no exception.
The mostly acoustic Folk disc, for example, shows the breadth of the genre, from Holly Near to Taj Mahal. Highlights include Richie Havens's fiery take on Jackson Browne's leftist diatribe "Lives in the Balance" and Bill Morrissey's pop-culture satire "Letter from Heaven." The artists on the Gospel anthology stick closer to the glories of God, but it's intriguing to hear how differently Sweet Honey in the Rock, the all-woman a cappella group from Washington, D.C., and the Blind Boys of Alabama can sing their praises. What they all have in common—and share with the artists on the series' previous collections—is the ability to breathe new life into our cultural legacy. (Blue Plate Music)
P.A.C.
>Sarah McLachlan of Lilith Fair
SISTERS IN SONG
Men are about the only thing missing from Lilith Fair, the novel, all-female Lollapalooza-like summer tour featuring a rotating lineup with such artists as Jewel, Sheryl Crow, Fiona Apple, Suzanne Vega, Tracy Chapman and Emmylou Harris. Headlining the fair is the woman who first envisioned it, Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan, 29, who is playing all 37 dates and has just released her fourth album, Surfacing (Nettwerk/Arista), a long awaited follow-up to her 1994 double-platinum, Grammy-nominated disc Fumbling Towards Ecstasy.
Why did you start the tour?
I rarely get the opportunity to see any of the people I really love musically, so it was selfish, generally. And there's such a wealth of talent that isn't getting represented—why not create a sisterhood?
Why name it Lilith Fair?
Lilith was Adam's first wife before Eve [in Jewish folklore] and was essentially the world's first feminist. He refused to treat her as an equal, so she left him. To call it a fair was to establish that it was a celebration. And fair meaning beautiful—and equal. I liked the play on words. But from the beginning I said this has nothing to do with excluding men. Everyone should come and celebrate.
You've recently married. Have you thought about starting a family?
Oh, God, every day. But not for at least a year. I don't want to be having morning sickness on the road.
- Contributors:
- Jeremy Helligar,
- Ralph Novak,
- Paul Nelson,
- Craig Tomashoff,
- Peter Ames Carlin,
- Andrew Abrahams,
- Marisa Sandora.
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!
