Staff Reports
Arizona Daily Wildcat
November 13, 1997

Music Meltdown

Various Artists,"A Life Less Ordinary" soundtrack (Innerstate/London)

At first glance, the soundtrack to "A Life Less Ordinary" looks like it could be a contender for the soundtrack hall of fame (if there was such a place, that is). The big names are just piled one on top of the other here: Beck, Luscious Jackson, REM, Prodigy - Elvis Presley, for chrissakes.

And yet, what you end up with is a record which, like the movie it represents, isn't nearly as good as it looks. Beck's track may or may not be good; I don't know, since I'm convinced the world has been deceived into thinking the man has valid musical appeal. Sneaker Pimps' "Velvet Divorce" was surely destined to be a b-side if it didn't end up here. Prodigy's "Full Throttle" is all-too-typical old school techno, without a trace of the progress they've made with their latest album.

REM's "Leave," is a great song, possibly their best, except that here they've included a slower, watered-down version that has none of the appeal of the original. Ash, the UK three-piece who deliver the title-track, have no idea what the term "musical depth" means and they make sure to prove it.

The bright points include Elvis, of course, with his version of "Always On My Mind," backed by a rousing horn section. And The Cardigans' "It's War" has all the winning charm of their last release, "First Band On The Moon." Luscious Jackson doesn't miss a beat on "Love Is Here," keeping their cool cred all the way through.

This isn't really a bad compilation, all in all, but it's no instant classic. Get a friend to give you a copy on tape, don't get your hopes up too high and you won't be disappointed.

-Doug Levy

Various Artists,United Kingdom of Punk (Music Club)

Compiled with liner notes by Tucson's Ron Bally, United Kingdom of Punk is a thorough collection of the British punk rock explosion for the beginner just skimming the surface or for any fan of the well-known genre. Hitting on almost all the charters (in England punk actually received some much-deserved popularity), the compilation is mostly made up of rarely heard live outakes of the hits rather than the usual album tracks.

Aside from the more monumental Damned, Buzzcocks, Sex Pistols and Wire, the album also provides cuts from unforgettables like the Vibrators and the Lurkers, who are often overlooked in their contribution to the scene and sound. In an applaudable effort at completeness, a Suburban Studs song is even included. The only noted disappointment was the lack of Lou Reed-inspired Eater, made up for only by an outstanding, energetic live version of the Buzzcocks' hit "What Do I Get."

I've always regarded UK punk with an amount of animosity, since it has mistakenly been credited as the start of punk rock. Those who know better trace "punk" back to pre-'77 in the U.S. with the Ramones. Before them was DMZ, before them the Velvet Underground and any chosen garage rockers circa the 1960s who were punkers in pure attitude and without pseudo-politico stances. However, the British did come up with their fair share of great music and word is the next compilation is based on U.S. punk anyway.

-Fen Hsiao

Ivy, Apartment Life (Atlantic)

It seems lately that everyone's scared of pretty. Girls in music today don't even want to look pretty, let alone sound pretty. Maybe the only way to get away with being pretty anymore is to be French.

Luckily for Dominique Durand, she is. As the lead singer of Ivy, Durand is as pretty as she wants to be, backed by the shimmering guitar and snaky drums of Andy Chase and Adam Schlesinger. A passel of guest musicians also appear, including James Iha and Dean Wareham, on various tracks.

And it's all really pretty.

Ivy wears its influences on its sleeves. "The Best Thing," the first single, sounds like the previously undiscovered sequel to the Beatles' "She's Leaving Home." "This Is the Day" sports drums shamelessly swiped from the Smiths. "You Don't Know Anything" opens with an uncharacteristically dirty guitar riff; that's from their former tourmates Oasis.

But it's still really pretty.

Personally, I don't mind a band that wears its influences on its sleeve. Lets me know where I am in the continuum of pop culture. I even like "Ba Ba Ba," where Ivy seems to be channeling former rulers of the pretty-pop-bands, the Primitives.

So if you've got a problem with pretty, go read the Ani DiFranco review instead.

-M. Stephanie Murray

The Firm, The Firm: The Album (Interscope records)

What is it with hip-hop these days? It seems like all the artists are re-enacting their lost days of childhood, dressing up like Al Capone, smoking cigars and holding wads of cash. This is certainly true of The Firm, who state that "only one family will stay on top forever." What family is this? The Mafia? The Triads? Not according to this bunch, who imply that a collection of rappers will end up on top of the organized crime world.

Though this ridiculous outlook could appear to be an indicator of the album's worth, one should never judge a book by its cover, and underneath the silly exterior lies some good stuff.

Produced by veterans such as Dr. Dre (Ph.D. in what?) and Trackmasters, The Firm guarantees to impress. Nas Escobar and AZ Sosa rip it up, although Foxy Brown, the notorious S.L.U.T, doesn't come off as well. One great example of her ineligibility to join hip-hop's greats is the track "Fuck Somebody Else," which goes down as one of the worst.

If you're a Nas fan, this album is a sure bet, being similar to his other releases. It contains many of the same artists and rolls on the same beat. Foxy Brown fans (is there such a thing?) may like this, but there seems to be too much insight in the album, which Ms. Brown is incapable of handling. The best tracks are the ones without Foxy, like "Phone Tap" and "Executive Decision."

-James Casey

RETRO REVIEW 1994

Maggie Estep, No More Mister Nice Girl (Imago)

The day I came home with No More Mister Nice Girl by Maggie Estep and put it on, my mother came running into my room screaming, waving her arms, glaring with contempt at my compact disc player. She forbade me from ever listening to that album when she was home.

I just didn't understand her problem. I mean, there I was, 14 years old, listening to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, screaming "Suck my kiss!" and when I bring home an album with a girl screaming "I'm not a normal girl, I'm an angry sweaty girl, so bite me!" my mother flips out.

If memory serves, what really got her was the nice little ditty called "Fuck Me." "Fuck me and take out the garbage! Feed the cat and fuck me! You can do it, I know you can!"

Maggie Estep's got all sorts of this kind of social commentaries up her sleeve. Lumped into the "Spoken Word" genre, she goes on and on about being a sex goddess, wanting to be a vampire, getting a bad haircut, and watching some woman pee on her basement stairs, while her band, I Love Everybody, blares electric guitars and beats drums, accentuating the yells and anger and powerful delivery of her pieces.

Maggie was angry and sweaty back when it was unmarketable and hardcore. If it weren't for Maggie Estep and the first track on this album, "Hey Baby," I'd never have been able to scream "1-800-FUCK-OFF" when some guy driving down the street in a beat-up ugly car asked for my phone number.

-Annie Holub