earwax
The Cramps are back with their patented Vegas bump-n-grind meets
sleazy psychedelia. The ageless duo's reverbed raunch-n-roll and
junk-culture aesthetic have been corrupting teenage minds for
over two decades. With improved technical proficiency and, lets
affectionately dub it, an obsessive, extended examination of all
that is tasteless, taboo and trashy, The Cramps' psychobilly dementia
is as irresistible as a Russ Meyer flick. The first five tracks are what make this a pastiche of primitive
sexploitations. With the tawdry fluency of "Sheena's In A Goth
Gang" and the overdriven drag-stripped feel of "It Thing Hard
On," Lux and Ivy once again establish themselves as the real deal. Although Big Beat From Badsville misses the "I need Prozac urgency" of early Cramps releases,
it is a definite improvement from 1994's Flamejob. Produced by Gretch-wielding goddess Poison Ivy, this steamy
collection of seedy sexfests and grave garage-a-delia is a must
for all purveyors of schlock. - Geeta Dalal Khaled On 1994's N'ssi N'ssi, producer Don Was played Khaled's delivery
off a burbling electrogroove for musical tension and trans-cultural
frisson. On this CD, Was is relegated to three tracks, and primary
producers Phillipe Eidel and Clive Hunt allow the Arab world's
foremost pop sensualist free vocal reign while a more conventional
smooth funk bottom does its lithe work down below. Though predictably
less startling, this flows compellingly enough, with brass and
strings (real and synthesized by turns) providing both textural
complexity and memorable hooks. Besides, unless you're a fan of
the genre, any North African dance funk should sound plenty startling
to American ears. And though Khaled's emotive wails occasionally
court high romantic melodrama a bit too floridly for my own earthily
rockish tastes, I recognize the sound of an Arab reclaiming Eurodisco
exotica for his own subversively alternative purposes when I hear
it. - Keith Harris Phil Ochs If you attended Lilith Fair this summer, and are truly committed
to using music for social change, you should listen to this box
set featuring an eloquent and tragic folksinger from the 1960s.
Phil Ochs wrote lyrics with a reporter's eye (he'd majored in
journalism at Ohio State) and composed achingly beautiful melodies
with such songs as "Pleasures of the Harbor" and "The War Is Over."
Ochs was sharp enough to attack liberals as well as conservatives
("Love Me, I'm a Liberal," "The Draft Dodger Rag," "Miranda")
His "Flower Lady" slammed both sides of the war movement: "Soldiers,
disillusioned, come home from the war/Sarcastic students tell
them not to fight no more/And they argue through the night/Black
is black and white is white/Walk away both knowing they are right.
This three-CD set includes a lengthy biography, which describes
Ochs's evolution from military school student to nationally-known
folksinger in less than five years. While never a top-40 artist,
he was a regular at anti-Vietnam War protests in the mid-1960s
and was a staple on the college music circuit; his music helped
establish the very idea of "college radio." Stunned by the violence
at the 1968 Democratic convention, Ochs gradually became mentally
unstable (he took to impersonating Elvis in concerts) and his
compositions grew melancholy ("Rehearsals for Retirement," "No
More Songs," "Crucifixion"). In April 1976 he hanged himself in
his sister's home. He was 35, and many saw in his suicide the
death of 1960s idealism. This set works both as historical document
and as excellent music. Phil Ochs was both an intelligent political
observer and a first-rate songwriter. Far too many pop stars are
neither. - Andrew Milner Satan's Pilgrims This instro-surf outfit from Portland boasts a twisty triple guitar
attack and indie rock credibility (their drummer recently did
a stint with Team Dresch). With a warm reverb wash that brings
spy-movie noir to mind, the Pilgrims prove worthy of their Pacific
Northwest surf legacy. There's a few too many covers for my taste, but I guess that's
what being authentic in the surf world is all about. And these
boys are authentic, from their vintage tubes to their matching
outfits. However, their relentless "Devil's Punchbowl," one of
only four originals, and a rippin' cover of the Ventures' "Ginza
Lights" redeems Around The World With Satan's Pilgrims from the ranks of the botomless pit of unmemorable surf-rock.
And for the weak at heart, never fear - as close as this band
gets to Satanism is their matching Dracula capes. - Geeta Dalal
The Cramps
Big Beat From Badsville (Epitaph)
Sahara (Island)
Fantasies and Farewells: The Phil Ochs Collection (Rhino)
Around The World With Satan's Pilgrims (eMpTy Records)