THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, August 20, 1994 TAG: 9408190100
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICKEY WRIGHT, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 89 lines
THE LABEL of Neil Young and Crazy Horse's new ``Sleeps With Angels'' is the old Reprise Records design, with one difference: It's black, not the usual orange. ``Tonight's the Night,'' Young's classic 1975 meditation on death and excess, was stamped the same way.
Though nearly two decades have passed, Young is still confronting the same issues. ``Angels'' is less than a definitive statement, but that could be because Young is still confused about what to say.
The ghost of Kurt Cobain, whom Young reportedly tried to reach before the discovery of his April suicide, haunts this hour-plus disc. The title track and ``Change Your Mind,'' the 14-minute centerpiece, seem particularly concerned with Cobain's life and highly visible relationship with wife Courtney Love.
``Sleeps With Angels'' is striking in many ways, not least in the hushed piano that recalls the film theme song ``Philadelphia.'' Despite the presence of the potentially fiery Crazy Horse, Young rarely sets his guitar on stun here. Instead, he occasionally sparks a track, such as the mournful urban-violence scenario ``Driveby,'' with a burst of distortion before settling back in with the atmospherics-minded rhythm section.
Young is obviously pained by the self-destruction of another gifted young man and the snuffing out of so many other lives. He's not inclined to rage against the dying of the light on ``Sleeps With Angels,'' but that's telling in itself. Maybe he's just using music to try to make himself feel better, and hoping to do the same thing for others.
``Come'' to Prince
Prince, ``Come'' (Warner Bros.) - Prince is dead. Long live Prince. This album's cover says ``1958-1993,'' a reference to the artist's obscure reasoning that his recent switch from his name to a symbol was a resurrection.
Here, as Prince, he borrows heavily from the sex-as-freedom agenda of his early-'80s classics ``Dirty Mind'' and ``Controversy.''
Elsewhere, Prince plies various planks of his social platform, warning against child abuse in the strange ballad ``Papa'' and holding forth on integration in ``Race.'' ``Solo'' is a weird, near-a cappella art song written with ``M. Butterfly'' playwright David Henry Hwang. The techno-punk ``Loose!'' finds Prince, as always, with one eye on the clubs.
- Rickey Wright
Gentle ``Heart''
Everything but the Girl, ``Amplified Heart'' (Atlantic) - Here singer Tracey Thorn and guitarist/keyboardist/songwriter Ben Watt offer a delightful mix of styles gleaned from previous recordings.
Drawing from their early small-ensemble days and their lush, overproduced work, the pair created a pared-down, gentle sound with occasional strings. A band featuring guest Richard Thompson produces a subtle, economical backing perfect for emotional songs of loss, helplessness, betrayal and longing.
As always, Thorn is in fine voice. Her soulful soprano speaks volumes even when she sings in quiet tones. She knows when to hold back and when to emote as she effortlessly slides her voice in and out of the album's jazzy sambas and acoustic pop ballads.
- Eric Feber
Kansas highlights
Kansas, ``Kansas'' (Epic Associated/Legacy) - Baroque song arrangements, ever-shifting meters and tempos, epic lyrics of spiritual sojourns across horizons and such placed Kansas front and center of the fatuous genre of '70s art rock.
But as the highlights from the group's eight-album career compiled in this boxed set attest, these talented, corn-fed boys were sincere in their arty aspirations - which makes their detours into pretense almost for-giveable.
Sure, the bombastic ``Death Of Mother Nature Suite'' and ``Song for America'' clocked in at about 10 minutes apiece. But while Brit prog-rockers like Yes, Genesis and King Crimson were crafting similarly ornate music to drop acid by, Kansas was talking ecology, Einstein (``Portrait''), existentialist philosophy (``Dust in the Wind'') and relationship with God (``Hold On'').
Casual fans will appreciate this double-disc collection (though the inventive ``Paradox'' is markedly absent). Die-hards will rejoice at the inclusion of an early demo track, the relatively straightforward rocker ``Can I Tell You,'' and several previously unissued live takes. Bum note of the box: the new glossy schlock-rock song ``Wheels.''
- Sue Smallwood MEMO: To hear music from these albums, call 640-5555, category 2468. ILLUSTRATION: WARNER BROS. photo
Prince borrows heavily from his early-'80s classics in ``Come.'' by CNB