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Reviews
Weekly Reviews For May 29, 2005 I am also Assistant Editor & reviewer
at MetalUK. I also contribute reviews to getreadytorock You will also find some reviews at spacerock.co.uk
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New Reviews
Ray Luzier on drums, Toshi Hiketa on guitars and James LoMenzo on bass have become the Hideous Sun Demons. Now I did see DLR last time round, but even I never expected an instrumental fusion prog jazzfest! This is what it was like back in the day when musicians decided to kick back and enjoy themselves, get down to some serious improv, and kick out their muso jams. Each musician is at the top of their game, with some especially remarkable guitar work from Toshi Hiketa. Which, once you know his background as instructor at GIT (Musicians Institute) and Osaka School of Music in Japan, explains the technical prowess, but he has passion as well. I've been a fan of Mr LoMenzo for years ( I saw you with White Lion!), so his skill came as no surprise, but the rest certainly did. Considering they just wanted to "explore various types of music that both interested and inspired them", they've turned in a remarkable effort, which manages to merge melody, fire and progressive intent. One for fans of Liquid Tension Experiment and their ilk, the highlights for this listener were the mellow “4 Seasons” and the fusion frenzy of “Osaka Funk”. A wonderful release!
Title track: Gary Primich's harmonica much appreciated on Kane composed song. 'Estrogen Bomb'- pulls no punches- 'more power than dynamite'- a song about strong women. The artist is very frank in depicting her own life and consequent celebration of being, well, trashy. So, for trashy people everywhere and for people who just like the blues Texas style delivered with honesty and high energy levels backed by some superb musicians this is for YOU. 'What Happened to the Girl?'- David Grissom's nice guitar licks
embellish a sensitive song by Kane. The punchiness of the marvellous
rhythm section of Preston Hubbard and Damien Llanes shines through. A Bull Moose Jackson song brings in the Texas Horns and acoustic bass- superb! Fast forwarding a bit, 'Misunderstood' shows Candye Kane's credentials as a serious blues/ jazz composer- the clarinet/ piano/ rhythm guitar/ brushes arrangement works well and there's a tasty guitar solo from Jeff Ross. The harmonica sound on the cover of Leiber-Stoller's 'I Wanna Do More' is great, the boogie woogie of 'Work What You Got' is great fun and Candye shows she can turn her hand to the big blues ballad on 'I Could Fall For You' lifted by a great sax solo. A fascinating paradoxical character Mistress Carmen is revealed before Ms Kane reveals she is not afraid to tackle any subject! Honky tonk piano gives way to a sobering reflection to finish with as voice and piano take us out with a rendition of the 1955 standard 'Let There Be Peace on Earth'. Simply stunning!
Reviewed by Phil Jackson for Zeitgeist Deep Purple - Live In Stockholm 1970 Widely bootlegged since year dot, this has long been hailed as one of the finest Mk 2 performances caught on tape. And time has not withered it's impact. If anything, the remix and remastering has made it even better than on the several other 'unofficial' versions I have lying around. To be fair, "Speed King" is a bit uneven, but by the time they hit "Into The Fire", this is the sound of a band that knew they were white hot. Even that hoary old chestnut, "Child In Time" sounds fresh and vital. Which it was in 1970! But then, it's off into my favourite of all Mk 1/2 worlds - "Wring That Neck". Shorn of Gillans histrionics, Deep Purple were peerless, when it came to instrumental mastery. And this one of the finest versions of "Wring That Neck" going. Twenty minutes of sheer magic. I never liked the Purple version of "Paint It Black", regardless of the drum solo, so skipped on to that other gem, "Mandrake Root". Of all the tracks here, this is where the remix seems to have done most good, with the muddy bass cleaning up well. Then it's hit single time, with "Black Night", and we're off home. So, should you buy this, if you've already got "Scandinavian Nights"? Well, yes. First of, the running order is right, the sound is clearer (and louder), you get the usual high quality Purple Records booklet (and reproducing the ticket on the CD is a neat touch), and this is as good as Mk2 Purple gets.
British Sea Power - Please Stand Up
Probably better known to an uncaring public for their idiosyncratic stage shows, than their music, British Sea Power deserve a wider audience for their skewed pop records. After all, how many times do you hear a singer going “quack, quack”, instead of “gak, gak”. This is the second single from recent LP 'Open Season', and finds BSP singing about the important things in life, such as railway timetables over a deceptively chirpy and melodic, Flaming Lips type backing. If you haven't started your BSP exploration, this is as good a place to start as any, but make sure you buy the version with the video!
Jem - They This song has been floating around since June 2004, when it was part of an EP, but Sony / BMG / ATO / GlobalInc are determined to make Jem and her album 'Finally Woken', the defacto replacement in middle class houses for all those worn Dido CDs. And they may be successful, for this is inoffensive, in the extreme. Which is a shame, because Penarth singer songwriter Jem Griffiths has a great deal off talent lurking within the kiddy choruses and trip hop beats. Something demonstrated by her O.C take on the dreadful Paul McCartney song, 'Maybe I'm Amazed'. She gets to stretch out and show us that there is substance beneath the hype.
The Magic Numbers - Forever Lost OK, the claims of “British Flaming Lips” are a bit mad, but The Magic Numbers do have a precocious talent worthy of your attention. Melodic, off centre, harmonic, sweet with an undercurrent of scary, this is very good. It shimmers, it glistens, it takes off in flight, like a remarkable amalgamation of Jefferson Airplane, Sandie Shaw and , OK, a bit Flaming Lips. It has fragility, power and handclaps. Which is a very good thing. Buy it, right!
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