The Stiff Sheet … November 1995
Archived
Meat Puppets
No Joke!
London
When Kurt “Blow-Brain” did Nirvana Unplugged and invited Curt and Cris Kirkwood onstage, Helen Wolf wrote, “this only proves the Meat Puppets can dust Nirvana flat.” She couldn’t have been more on target. And now that the only residue of that band is the Poo Fighters, you have a chance to make the Meat Puppets the choice of a new non-generation. And who better to carry the torch than the defamed trio of self-proclaimed delusionists from PAC NW (That’s the cool way to say Pacific Northwest.)? This record is so fucking good I can barely stand it. I’ve snapped! Do you understand? Buy it! Listen to me, I’m a raving lunatic and I tell you to buy the new Meat Puppets record. Do it now FOOLS. I command you. Heed my warning: do not do anything else until you own “No Joke!” Comprende? Capiche? Unnerstan? —Mr. Pink
David Bowie
Outside
Virgin
What can you say about Bowie? Even when he decided to take some time off (like the 80s), he was better than most. Let’s face it, the man is as close to genius as we have. On Outside, David Bowie returns to some of that genius you remember from Low, Hunky Dory, and Ziggy Stardust, all the while maintaining that ‘90s erection that you’ve come to expect. This is not Bowie’s best record, nor is it a replica of any of his great albums. It is new Bowie, with a familiar twist, and this time the accent is on passion. Some of it is dancy, some dirty, all Bowie. If you don’t already own this record, or don’t buy it now, then I simply cannot help you. —Maxx
Joan Armatrading
What’s Inside
RCA Victor
Imagine Tracy Chapman’s voice crossed with Graham Parker’s songwriting and then throwing in some passionate guitar and you have got Joan Armatrading. The slide guitar with her sometimes powerful and occasionally raspy voice on Beyond The Blue will force you to deny any girl rock or pretty pop stars. The modesty of What’s Inside makes Alanis Morissette sound like exactly what she is: a naive, whiny bitch. Armatrading is accompanied by Tony Levin (of King Crimson), Kronos Quartet, The Memphis Horns and produced by David Tickle (Prince, Debbie Harry). For an artist who considers herself primarily a songwriter, guys and gals will fall in love with her voice in this album. This is her twelfth album and maybe her best. —Sue Denim
The Smashing Pumpkins
Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness
Virgin
The comparisons that will be made to this album will be many. Most will be, oddly enough, to Beatles albums. One reason is the obvious romantic approach to the record, i.e. Magical Mystery Tour. That, and just the whole look of this double CD. Disc 1 is called “dawn to dusk,” while Disc 2 is called “twilight to starlight.” There is a lyric book and a picture book. Very much like a fairytale. Another reason for comparison is that this is The Pumpkins’ major work, much like The White Album was that of The Beatles. This is Billy Corgan’s rock biography, just as that was John Lennon’s. Now before anyone gets too upset, this is not comparing the two bands, or those records to each other musically. Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness is, however, one of the finer albums of the last five years. True fans of this band will LOVE this record, while casual listeners ofthe Smashing Pumpkins may find themselves avid followers after hearing it. It has achieved the magical Autumn storybook mood that it set out to be. Time will prove the importance of the album in the history of modern music, but I guarantee it will not be a forgotten effort. So, while I am not quite ready to deem this record “A Classic” or “Great” (at least not yet), I am willing to put it up against anything I’ve heard since Hootenanny, Murmur, or Concrete Blonde’s first record. —Maxx
Urge Overkill
Exit The Dragon
Geffen
A new record from the kings of spy rock. I don’t know what the hell that is, I just made it up cuz it sounds cool and somehow it adequately describes Urge Overkill. The thing I like about this band is that they are setting the trend of the non-trendsetters. Nash Kato and the boys bring it bigtime on Exit The Dragon. Although they may be a retro 70’s trio, they are not rehashed power/pop/punk/puke, like so many records out today. Urge Overkill establishes themselves as more than a fly-by-night band, more than those guys who covered “Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon.” They are the new kings of the wild frontier, at least as far as Detroit goes. They expand on their sound on this record, while being experimental. Best Tracks here are the opener “Jaywalkin,” “Somebody Else’s Body,” and the pseudo-balladish “View Of The Rain” (probably the best of the bunch). Another highly recommended record from the guy who told you about the Charthogs. —Maxx
Unsane
Scattered, Smothered & Covered
Amphetamine Reptile Records
My band played a college show with these guys at the School of William and Mary in Virginia, and besides being the only other band that got as piss-drunk as we did, they were also the only other band that complained about the school’s policy to serve vegan food to bands. This lust for meat formed a brothership between the two bands. I can say without a tinge of bias that this is the Best Record these guys have ever made and currently the best record of ‘95. Known for their particularly gruesome record covers, this is some of the best music I have heard in years. It kicks any lame ass shit you’ve been listening to and calling punk. There is so much raw aggression here it’ll make you smile like a cannibal. This record is kickin’ like the handicapped. —Sausage King