THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, November 5, 1994 TAG: 9411040120
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICKEY WRIGHT, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines
FOR THE FEW Nirvana fans who missed MTV's endless repeats of the band's ``Unplugged'' episode after Kurt Cobain's April suicide, the release of this album is fraught with emotion. After months of sometimes misguided eulogies for a ``generational spokesman,'' Cobain's vivid presence in this low-key but intense session comes as a pleasure and a sad shock.
``Unplugged in New York'' (DGC), recorded in November 1993, displays a more emotionally balanced Cobain than the sullen front man on view at Nirvana's Williamsburg show just 11 days before. Seemingly more enthused by pared-down arrangements than the power-rock with which he'd expressed some weariness, the singer gives some of his rawest, most expressive performances.
Cobain sounds as committed as he ever did, even when delivering a series of songs that proclaim, ``I swear I don't have a gun'' (``Come as You Are''), ``Don't expect me to cry for all the reasons you have to die'' (the Vaselines' ``Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam''), ``I must have died alone'' (David Bowie's ``Man Who Sold the World'') and ``Still the life that's inside of me'' (``Pennyroyal Tea''). His nearly evangelical love for other people's music is demonstrated by the covers, and his generosity is shown by a three-song mini-set with guests Curt and Cris Kirkwood of the Meat Puppets.
Cobain precedes a frayed-nerve version of Leadbelly's ``Where Did You Sleep Last Night?'' with a joke about the possibility of buying the folksinger's guitar for a half-million dollars. Cobain's fall seems even more chilling in light of the apparent good humor glimpsed here. ``Unplugged in New York'' reminds us of how many reasons we have to mourn him. Usual stuff from Petty
Tom Petty, ``Wildflowers'' (Warner Bros.). Petty has long reveled in offbeat production touches, most obviously on his psychedelia-damaged 1985 hit ``Don't Come Around Here No More.'' With that in mind, his new album strikes the ear as less a breakthrough than a good bit of the usual stuff (folk-rock guitars, drawling vocals) occasionally refracted.
Appealing but less winning than the 1989 ``Full Moon Fever,'' ``Wildflowers'' takes that album's tack of using both members of the Heartbreakers and outside contributors. Co-producer Rick Rubin's aid is much more in the style he lent to Mick Jagger's ``Wandering Spirit'' than that he gave the Beastie Boys. His affection for retro sounds dovetails perfectly with Petty's. Just listen to the electric piano on ``You Don't Know How It Feels'' or the Mellotron on the Big Star-esque ``Only a Broken Heart.''
The record's best surprise is ``It's Good to Be King.'' At first listen a thin gloss on Mel Brooks' old line, the song soon reveals wistful thoughts like ``the world would swing if I were king'' before its midtempo groove grows ever trippier. A gorgeous orchestrated coda justifies not only radio god Petty's experimentation but also makes me not mind so much the down time on this overly long disc. Crowes in borrowing mood
The Black Crowes, ``amorica'' (American). On their third album, the Crowes augment their open-ended grooves with accents borrowed from '70s funk and soul - the expected (``Can't You Hear Me Knocking''), the not-unexpected (War) and the definitely out-of-left-field (when did these guys start listening to the Stylistics?). There's lots of talk about redemption in addition to the stuff about leaving women and being ``wasted.'' Hey, how do I redeem the time I wasted looking for a hook here? MEMO: To hear music from this week's reviews, dial 640-5555. Press 2468. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Tom Petty's ``Wildflowers'' features both members of the
Heartbreakers and outside contributors.
Photo by ANGELUS
The Black Crowes have recently released their third album,
``amorika,'' which borrows from '70s funk and soul.
by CNB