THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, December 24, 1994 TAG: 9412230093
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICKEY WRIGHT, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 156 lines
TWO ROCK ALBUMS recorded 30 years apart sit in the Top 3 of Billboard's album chart of the year.
Not surprisingly, the CD release of Pearl Jam's ``Vitalogy'' (Epic) brought the band its second No. 1 disc in 14 months. A highly publicized double set of Beatles radio performances, ``Live at the BBC'' (Apple/Capitol), is at No. 3.
Not only do the records' strong sales speak to the wisdom of pre-Christmas releases but each also shows its creators at a peak of energy equalled by massive popularity.
Despite singer Eddie Vedder's ongoing angst regarding fame and existence itself, ``Vitalogy'' finds the Seattle band making some of its most assured music yet. The catchy riff and melodic chorus of the opening ``Last Exit'' belie subject matter drawn from the best-selling book about suicide.
``Spin the Black Circle'' is a punkish rant celebrating the vinyl LP (the medium in which ``Vitalogy'' was first issued). The song's imagery may be taken to suggest heroin or a love affair.
The group occasionally locks into a hypnotic forcebeat reminiscent of Public Image Ltd.'s ``Second Edition,'' notably on the powerful ``Satan's Bed.''
The noise collage ``Stupid Mop,'' the official closer, is less successful. While a child philosophically discusses why spanking, and not hugging, gets you ``closer to the person,'' the drone goes on and on.
At least ``Mop'' raises questions of just what's going on. Vedder's muttered spelling of ``privacy'' on the snippet ``Pry, To,'' and his paranoid fantasy of finding ``Bugs'' everywhere, including his bed, refer all too didactically to the celebrity he's actually managed pretty well. Vedder's negation is better served by the charging attack of ``Not for You,'' one of the hardest rockers on a very hard-rocking album.
Like Vedder, the Beatles quickly wearied of the 25-hour-a-day demands made on pop godheads. ``Live at the BBC'' allows a two hour-plus listen to the Fab Four as a great band, and also as a distinctly family-like unit. Drawn from oft-bootlegged radio sessions taped between 1962 and 1965, ``BBC'' presents the lads dealing in their usual eclecticism, weighed heavily toward the early rock 'n' roll that was a large part of their education. Many of these songs, including the Lennon/McCartney composition ``I'll Be on My Way,'' never showed up on official Beatle releases.
At the same time, bits of interviews and sketch humor demonstrate the self-sufficiency the Beatles were forced to rely on more and more as their profiles grew ever more inflated. And had their songwriting not grown at such astounding speed, many of these songs would have made perfect cuts on the likes of ``With the Beatles'' and ``Beatles for Sale.''
Much more discursive than those 14-cut LPs, ``BBC'' does at times seem to give almost too much value for money. ``The Honeymoon Song'' may be the soppiest thing McCartney ever sang with the group. And the group is better on Chuck Berry songs than on Elvis material. Any reminder of the verve, punch and vocal expressiveness of this period of their work is welcome, though. Lots of people appear to agree. MEMO: Local overtones
Egypt, ``Soul Hammer,'' (Trumpeter)
Singer Jeff Brodnax's move to Egypt might seem like a step backward.
After all, the man did good, however briefly, with the Beavis and
Butt-head-endorsed, now-disbanded national rock act 24-7 Spyz. On the
other hand, Brodnax never sounded as at home as on the latest from these
popular regional rockers.
``Soul Hammer'' finds the heretofore ultra-funk foursome moving in
more metal-edged directions. This new heft is honed by crisp production
from Tres Swann, label head at the Norfolk-based Trumpeter
Records/Cygnet sound studio. Brodnax's soulful wailings and warm
harmonies add heart.
The funk's still at the core, though; witness Egypt's headbanging
read of P-Funk's ``Super Stupid,'' featuring tasty guest horn from
Norfolk sax man John Finney.
If metallic funk-rock doesn't taste like yesterday's flavor to you,
then, baby, swing this great big soul hammer.
- Sue Smallwood
TWO ROCK ALBUMS recorded 30 years apart sit in the Top 3 of
Billboard's album chart of the year.
Not surprisingly, the CD release of Pearl Jam's ``Vitalogy'' (Epic)
brought the band its second No. 1 disc in 14 months. A highly publicized
double set of Beatles radio performances, ``Live at the BBC''
(Apple/Capitol), is at No. 3.
Not only do the records' strong sales speak to the wisdom of
pre-Christmas releases but each also shows its creators at a peak of
energy equalled by massive popularity.
Despite singer Eddie Vedder's ongoing angst regarding fame and
existence itself, ``Vitalogy'' finds the Seattle band making some of its
most assured music yet. The catchy riff and melodic chorus of the
opening ``Last Exit'' belie subject matter drawn from the best-selling
book about suicide.
``Spin the Black Circle'' is a punkish rant celebrating the vinyl LP
(the medium in which ``Vitalogy'' was first issued). The song's imagery
may be taken to suggest heroin or a love affair.
The group occasionally locks into a hypnotic forcebeat reminiscent of
Public Image Ltd.'s ``Second Edition,'' notably on the powerful
``Satan's Bed.''
The noise collage ``Stupid Mop,'' the official closer, is less
successful. While a child philosophically discusses why spanking, and
not hugging, gets you ``closer to the person,'' the drone goes on and
on.
At least ``Mop'' raises questions of just what's going on. Vedder's
muttered spelling of ``privacy'' on the snippet ``Pry, To,'' and his
paranoid fantasy of finding ``Bugs'' everywhere, including his bed,
refer all too didactically to the celebrity he's actually managed pretty
well. Vedder's negation is better served by the charging attack of
``Not for You,'' one of the hardest rockers on a very hard-rocking
album.
Like Vedder, the Beatles quickly wearied of the 25-hour-a-day demands
made on pop godheads. ``Live at the BBC'' allows a two hour-plus listen
to the Fab Four as a great band, and also as a distinctly family-like
unit. Drawn from oft-bootlegged radio sessions taped between 1962 and
1965, ``BBC'' presents the lads dealing in their usual eclecticism,
weighed heavily toward the early rock 'n' roll that was a large part of
their education. Many of these songs, including the Lennon/McCartney
composition ``I'll Be on My Way,'' never showed up on official Beatle
releases.
At the same time, bits of interviews and sketch humor demonstrate the
self-sufficiency the Beatles were forced to rely on more and more as
their profiles grew ever more inflated. And had their songwriting not
grown at such astounding speed, many of these songs would have made
perfect cuts on the likes of ``With the Beatles'' and ``Beatles for
Sale.''
Much more discursive than those 14-cut LPs, ``BBC'' does at times
seem to give almost too much value for money. ``The Honeymoon Song'' may
be the soppiest thing McCartney ever sang with the group. And the group
is better on Chuck Berry songs than on Elvis material. Any reminder of
the verve, punch and vocal expressiveness of this period of their work
is welcome, though. Lots of people appear to agree.
Local overtones
Egypt, ``Soul Hammer,'' (Trum-peter)
Singer Jeff Brodnax's move to Egypt might seem like a step backward.
After all, the man did good, however briefly, with the Beavis and
Butt-head-endorsed, now-disbanded national rock act 24-7 Spyz. On the
other hand, Brodnax never sounded as at home as on the latest from these
regional rockers.
``Soul Hammer'' finds the heretofore ultra-funk foursome moving in
more metal-edged directions. This new heft is honed by crisp production
from Tres Swann, label head at the Norfolk-based Trumpeter
Records/Cygnet sound studio. Brodnax's soulful wailings and warm
harmonies add heart.
The funk's still at the core, though; witness Egypt's headbanging
read of P-Funk's ``Super Stupid,'' featuring tasty guest horn from
Norfolk sax man John Finney.
If metallic funk-rock doesn't taste like yesterday's flavor to you,
then swing this great big soul hammer.
- Sue Smallwood ILLUSTRATION: Photo of Pearl Jam
TRUMPETER RECORDS photo
Egypt's ``Soul Hammer'' album finds the ultra-funk foursome moving
in more metal-edged directions.
by CNB