Countryside, Milwaukee & Palatine
MELECHESH
Enki
Continued from page 28
from old wounds so lustily that one might
even call it her drug. Not that emotional
masochism is the whole story – Jesse
Winchester"s "Bless Us All," for instance, is
a benediction, Bob Dylan"s "Unbelievable"
a curse, and the Beatles" "Wait" a miracle of
stylistic re-imagining. But none of them
would feel as convincing as they do if they
too didn't convey a sense of hurt.
–Arsenio Orteza
7
YES
Progeny - Highlights
From Seventy-Two
(Rhino)
Knowledgeable fans of British progressive rock generally agree that the golden
age of this music began in 1969 with the
release of King Crimson's In The Court
Of The Crimson King, and ended with the
1975 release of Genesis' The Lamb Lies
Down On Broadway. In the middle of these
releases were the best recordings ever
made by Emerson Lake & Palmer, Pink
Floyd, and Yes. This newly discovered
group of live recordings made by Yes during its 1972 Close To The Edge tour is a 2 CD
compilation of the best tracks from a more
expansive 14 CD boxed set. The tracks
released on 1973's iconic triple LP live
Yessongs, also came from this batch of
complete shows the band made on the
tour. For those massive fans of the group,
only the boxed set will suffice, but for
more pragmatic music lovers, this 2 CD (or
3 vinyl disc) version will do just fine. YES
is in fine form here, playing some of the
best tracks of its early career such as "And
You And I," "Yours Is No Disgrace,"
"Roundabout" and the entire "Close To The
Edge," suite. The performances are tight
and powerful, and far less self-indulgent
than they eventually became with albums
like Tales Of Topographic Oceans. Yes has
lasted in many different configurations for
nearly 50 years. It's a safe bet that many of
its fans will say this period was the band's
best.
– Bruce Pilato
8
KANSAS
Miracles Out Of Nowhere
(Legacy)
If you're thinking of investing in this documentary for its accompanying soundtrack, you'll be better off with an official
Kansas compilation. If, however, you
mainly want to know how "six guys from
Topeka [ended] up becoming one of the
most successful rock bands in the world,"
the DVD will answer that question and
more. The humorous anecdotes – especially the one about Steven Tyler's futile
attempts to sabotage a Kansas show – will
come as a welcome surprise to anyone
who has always assumed that Livgren,
Walsh, et. al. were as serious as their introspective, prog-rocking songs. And
although the original sextet hasn't played,
recorded, or toured together for years, it's
nice to see that they still get along well
enough to reminisce happily about the
days during which they did.
—Arsenio Orteza
6
(Rhino)
Enki requires patience. Despite an alluring list of ingredients (Middle Eastern
blackened/thrash outfit residing in
Germany, recording in Greece, Max
Cavalera guests), Melechesh plays it
straight: workmanlike, if unimaginative in
its streamlined, pile-driving approach for
six tracks. Then the wrecking ball: "The
Palm, The Eye, and Lapis Lazuli" might be
Enki"s shortest song but its savagery cannot be contained. While black metal has
trended toward the ethereal and progressive lately, "The Palm" practically swaggers – all fist-pumping, arena-sized beats
owing heavily to commercial-peak
Megadeth. The closer, "The Outsiders,"
arrives totally unexpected, then, in crashing, multifarious suites that take 13 minutes to resolve and thrills from start to end.
– Steve Forstneger
6
RHIANNON GIDDENS
Tomorrow Is My Turn
(Nonesuch)
Not long ago, Rhiannon Giddens was
"just" a Carolina Chocolate Drop. Now,
she's also a New Basement Tape, the liveliest thing about Another Day, Another Time:
Celebrating The Music Of Inside Llewyn
Davis, and the proprietor of this ambitious
experiment in blending excerpts from the
Dolly Parton, Sister Rosetta Tharpe,
Elizabeth Cotten, Hank Cochran, and
Charles Aznavour songbooks. In short,
she's risking overexposure. There's no
gainsaying her taste, her talent, or her
good intentions, but there's also a sense in
which her awareness of all three colors the
resulting music, making it seem more willful than it should. You can tell, in other
words, that Giddens knows how good she
is. To the extent that her producer and
patron T Bone Burnett enables her to forget, it doesn't always matter.
–Arsenio Orteza
Sat. Apr. 11
Holiday Inn
Countryside
6201 Joliet Road (Rt.66)
Countryside • 847-409-9656
Show Hours: 10-4pm
Sun. Apr. 12
Serb Hall
5101 W. Oklahoma
Milwaukee, WI
10am-4pm
Sat. May 16
6
Holiday Inn
Express
SOUNDGARDEN
Echo If Miles: The Originals
(A&M)
When it comes to Seattle grunge heavyweights, Mudhoney was grungier,
Nirvana more revered, Pearl Jam more
mainstream, but no one was more metal
grunge – and therefore Lolla – ready – than
Soundgarden. This 14-track offering collects previous recordings that never
appeared on a regular studio album,
including "Heretic" featuring bassist Hiro
Yamamoto, a creative force in the band's
mid – to late - '80s beginnings. "Birth
Ritual"--originally on the Singles soundtrack--is one of singer Chris Cornell's most
memorable vocal deliveries, and opening
track "Heretic" and "HIV Baby"– a gem of
a garage-rock, punk/grunge explosion-further reveal him to be one of rock's most
powerful singers. For a full collection of
Soundgarden rarities, the band is releasing
on vinyl only six albums-worth of such
material (called "Echo Of Miles"), these
tracks included, scheduled for May.
1550 E. Dundee Rd
Palatine, IL • 847-409-9656
Show Hours: 10-4pm
– Jason Scales
6
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