FEATURED ALBUM -- PAST FEATURES

October - November

STING : Mercury Falling (1996)

We all know that everything Sting does is golden, but Mercury Falling is truly a testimony to that. From beginning to end, the combination of Sting’s distinguishing talent as a lyricist along with the unreplicated musical arrangements are heard. Most albums have at least one song that is either weak, bad, or just plain annoying. (You know, the song you always skip over. We’ll call it the “Grace” or “Miami” of the album.) Not so in Mercury Falling’s case. It’s almost impossible to dislike any of it’s features, even if Sting is singing in French and you haven’t got a clue as to what the lyrics mean. One of the most powerful and valuable features of the album is it’s philosophical imagery, found in just about every song. Listening to “The Hounds of Winter” makes you feel that bitter cold that causes Sting to tie “my coat around my ears.” And when Sting recounts for us “the first time I saw the work of heaven and the line where the hills had been married to the sky,” you only dream that you could also experience that beautiful life-altering moment. From issues as controversial as murder (“I Hung My Head”) to Sting’s own personal difficulties (“I’m So Happy I Can’t Stop Crying”), the songs give us great advice, especially on coping with delicate hindrances that you will undoubtedly encounter at some point in your existence. The most profound advice given to us by Sting is not to give up, to trust yourself in times of trouble. He tells us simply, “Let your soul be your pilot … he’ll guide you well.” And later, “Everybody’s got to leave their darkness sometime.” For some strange reason, knowing that a rock star could get past his difficult divorce gives us the strength and knowledge to say we too can get past anything. And despite the unbeatable imagery, personification (“Every blade of singing grass was calling out your name”), and other details that make Sting a phenomenal poet, his cathartic advice to always return to what you know, your own soul or nature, is what makes Mercury Falling more than just great, more than just another awesome Sting album - this advice makes Mercury Falling quantum.

Week of August 17

DAVID BOWIE : The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust

More than an album, Ziggy Stardust is a full-fledged rock opera in which David Bowie tells the tale of an alien named Ziggy who comes to earth, warns of the soon-to-be Armageddon, and forms a rock band in the midst of it all. With its outrageous, yet totally poetic and totally Bowie, lyrics, David Bowie shows his true vocal talent on this album, and the juxtaposition of the alien voice and the wailing saxophone on songs like "Soul Love" is extraordinary. The album is full of layers of carefully arranged music, in which Bowie distinguishes from the earthling voice and the alien voice.

The album begins with the song "Five Years," in which the human race learns that the earth and all life will cease to exist in exactly five years. Bowie sings, "And it was cold and it rained so I felt like an actor / And I thought of Ma and I wanted to get back there ... We got give years, that’s all we’ve got." Moving into "Soul Love," which is one of the finer moments on the album, we hear Bowie tells us in a rather heartbreaking and desperate way, "Love descends on those defenseless, idiot love will spark the fusion / Inspirations have I none - Just to touch the flaming dove." One of the more outrageous parts of the album is on "Moonage Daydream," on which alien Ziggy declares, "I’m the space invader, I’ll be a rock ‘n rollin’ bitch for you / Keep your mouth shut, you’re squawking like a pink monkey bird, and I’m busting up my brains for the words." This song not only introduces the Ziggy Stardust character, but it also displays solid playing by guitarist Mick Ronson. "Starman" is a pivotal moment in the album, as it captures the "spaceship" sound and those on earth finally notice Ziggy - "He’d like to come and meet us but he thinks he’d blow our minds." Bowie and his character did blow our minds with the rest of the album. With "Lady Stardust," the audience begins to realise that this alien has emotions: "Femme fatales watched from shadows to watch this creature fair, boys stood upon their chairs to make their point of view, I smiled sadly for a love I could not obey, and Lady Stardust sang his songs of darkness and dismay." The song also provides great piano in the beginning, along with even better lyrics and vocals. "Star" shows the fantasy Ziggy has of being a rock star - "I could make it all worth while as a rock ‘n roll star," and the funky song, "Hang On To Yourself" sort of introduces Ziggy’s band - "You’re the blessed, we’re the spiders from Mars." "Ziggy Stardust" tells the story of Ziggy, the alien with "screwed up eyes and screwed down hairdo," and a "snow white tan," who plays his guitar left-handed. Ziggy "took it all too far but boy could he play guitar," while "making love to his ego." Finally, this rock opera ends with the anthem-esque "Rock ‘N Roll Suicide" that provides the perfect end to a perfect album and an sacred song to listen to whenever you think the world is out to get you. Bowie simply tells us, "Oh no love! You’re not alone."

The album caused sort of a Ziggy mania, with fans who attended concerts dressed up as Ziggy, makeup and all. Bowie himself was very into his character, and wearing lavish makeup along with dresses was nothing out of the ordinary for the chameleon himself. "I’m certainly not embarrassed by wearing a dress, or ashamed ... They were men’s dresses. I thought they were great," explains Bowie. And in the midst of the Ziggy explosion, Ziggy was gone, allowing Bowie to explore new music and the character which can be found on Aladdin Sane. Over all, Ziggy Stardust rebels against standard rock and what was acceptable to write or sing about, establishing Bowie as the master of breaking the barriers.

Week of August 10

THE CLASH : The Singles

Since Mick Jones and Paul Simonon recruited Joe Strummer into their band in London in 1976, The Clash have made a name for themselves in the music biz as politicopunk legends and pop-rock gods. As the band progressed from records that verbalized their anti-establishment, antagonistic views to more radio-friendly and lyrically intelligible tunes, The Clash has influenced hundreds of thousands of fans and artists alike through their musical trail-blazing and their direct impact on bands like U2. This singles collection, spanning a much too short career of about 5 years, traces that transformation with a solid musical foundation remaining constant throughout. The album includes several quintessential Clash tracks with bare-bones playing and sloppy singing, such as "White Riot" and "Complete Control." However, it actually offers more of their innovative punk swagger in cuts like "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais" in which they fuse the two kinds of rebel music, reggae the other, into a fantastically resonant sound. While trying to break through to the more conservative American audience, The Clash soon began to cater to their interests, even incorporating xylophone and organ into such pop-rock gems as "The Call Up" and "Hitsville UK" and proving themselves to be masters of their game. Despite directing their music towards commercial acceptance, the band was able to sustain a kind of artistic integrity, buttressed by Paul Simonon's peerless and perfect bass-playing. Simonon's basslines range from the pseudo-reggae stylings of "Bankrobber" to the jazzy melody of "This Is Radio Clash" and back to the jumpy pop pacing of "Know Your Rights." Funkier than even George Clinton and much groovier than Mr. Adam Clayton himself, the bassline of "The Magnificent Seven" is my favorite of them all. While their most groundbreaking album, London Calling, is still the most enduring testament to their visionary career, The Singles shows how the band had come full circle in their musical exploits. And yet no matter how revolutionary and commanding their work was, it will always be a shame that everyone who listens to this album will probably walk away humming their biggest radio hit, "Rock The Casbah."

Week of August 3

THE BEATLES : Rubber Soul

"The Beatles were always looking for new sounds, always looking to a new horizon..." -George Martin, Beatles producer

As Bob Dylan put it, Rubber Soul is when they stopped being "cute." Beatles fans were used to the energetic pop that seemed to define the lads from Liverpool, but with Rubber Soul the band proved to the world that their success would not be short-term and that it was not generated by the music industry nor by mere chance, but by true ability and complete genius. Whether it was due to drugs ("Rubber Soul was the pot album," according to John Lennon) or a deeper concentration and commitment, the lyrics are not only more sophisticated than those on previous albums, but the music takes on an entirely new level and intensity. "’Norwegian Wood’ was the first use of sitar on one of our records," said George Harrison. His sitar use would prove to be more than experimentation and would eventually lead George into a new and more fulfilling lifestyle. In the past, the Beatles generally wrote pop songs that did not address the pressing issues of 1960s or even those of their own lives. As John Lennon said, "I had one mind that ... churned out things about ‘I like you’ and ‘you love me’ because that’s how Paul and I really did it." This is not the case for Rubber Soul. The strong melodies on the album are combined with even stronger countermelodies and harmonies. This album is not just two guitars, a bass, and drums. This is not an album created by four inexperienced musicians hoping to catch a big break in mainstream America. Rubber Soul is an album that goes beyond the hype that the Beatles would not stand the test of time. It introduces the songwriting skills of George Harrison: "You’re telling all those lies about the good things that we can’t have if we close our eyes" ("Think For Yourself"); Paul McCartney’s piano skills are often overlooked but provide great sound on "The Word" and "Drive My Car"; John Lennon’s internal struggles are introduced on "Nowhere Man"; and, "In My Life," one of the most unforgettable and poignant Beatles’ songs, containing an amazing harmonium solo by George Martin, was born - "’In My Life’ was, I think, my first real, major piece of work. Up until then it had all been glib and throw-away," according to Lennon. Rubber Soul is full of emotion, and one of the most lasting moments is found on George Harrison’s "If I Needed Someone" ("If I had some more time to spend then I guess I’d be with you my friend, if I needed someone"). The song is not only a lyrical treasure but also contains a great back-up vocal by John Lennon. The entire album faces a variety of life‘s issues: secret love affairs ("Norwegian Wood"), battling the inner demons ("Nowhere Man"), and, most importantly, life and mortality ("In My Life"). Above all, Rubber Soul is breakthrough because it re-introduced the Beatles and allowed them to shed the pop star skin for a newer face that would lead to the unbelievable music heard on every single Beatles album to follow. As Ringo Starr put it, "A lot was changing - our attitudes, our lives - at this time; and the Rubber Soul sessions were the start of the build-up to the end, in a way."

[Editor's note: "In My Life" has been on many of U2's setlists for the Elevation Tour, most likely because of Bono's little baby Johnny.]

Week of July 26

RADIOHEAD : Kid A

This is an album like no other. It is entirely different from the previous Radiohead sound, which is more clearly heard on songs such as "High and Dry." The experimentation that went into the production of this album proves to be a success and reminds me of nothing I’ve ever heard before. "How to Disappear Completely" provides an incredible atmosphere that coincides with the song’s lyrics. The song’s music, with its calm and hypnotic guitar arrangements, as well as Thom’s lingering vocal clearly demonstrate the surreal lyric, "I’m not here, this isn’t happening." "Optimistic" is another example of the great craftsmanship of Kid A. It supplies the excellent rock that Radiohead gained its reputation for in the past, yet it does not sound like the "old" Radiohead. "You can try the best you can ... The best you can is good enough" is perhaps the most important advice on the album. "Idioteque" also generates not only terrific ambiance but also lasting lyrics. It is arguably the most innovative song on the album, and its cornucopia of ideas is breathtaking, not to mention the unbelievable chorus, "Here I’m allowed anything all of the time." The final track, "Motion Picture Soundtrack" is a bit reminiscent of David Bowie’s "Memory of a Free Festival" in its beginning musical arrangements and its descriptive language. Its ending lyrics, "I will see you in the next life" only makes awaiting more Radiohead music more difficult.

Week of July 19

INXS : Full Moon, Dirty Hearts (1993)

Put the red lights on
Don't tell them that you're gone
Leave behind your fears
You know they can't be wrong.
- "Kill the Pain"

This is an album full of surprises. The greatest surprise, and conceivably one of the finest assets to the album, is the Ray Charles appearance on "Please (You’ve Got That...)." INXS have always been a soul-driven band, and Ray Charles helps to exemplify their definitive sound. The title track also features an incredible appearance by Oscar Wilde. Not only is the music on the entire album magnificent, but there are also many instances of the extraordinary Farriss/Hutchence songwriting skills. From simple messages such as "Everything affects ya" on "Time" to the more poetic "All this bitter fighting makes no sense to me/We’re only talking circles, losing sympathy" on "Make Your Peace." The solemn track, "Kill the Pain," is more than a great song but also a haunting reminder of events that would come just years after writing the songs. Perhaps the most poignant element of the album can be heard on "Freedom Deep" in which Michael Hutchence’s voice is both serene and evocative. Lyrically, it is one of the finest songs on the album - "Show me the way, give away the truth I’m looking for/I need a new way out of here, the door is opening/Freedom take me deeper." From emotionally-driven soulful rock to peaceful melodies, Full Moon, Dirty Hearts is a true gem from INXS. The only thing that bothers me about the album is that I purchased it for only one dollar at Cheapo’s Records, and its worth is so much more.