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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 16, 1996)
" uar >'- 1 i'' ,% The Battalion Tuesday January 16,1996 tesy of|anetlobe leM logo he Aggielife Page 3 tSlCREWlft Whew! Thank goodness 1996 is in full effect and I am alive. I just escaped, you see, from an evil creature named 1995 and the new regime that violently overthrew those green punk rulers from '94. The name of my pain was Hootie, and he was supported by his henchmen — the Blowfish. Like a drug, the shlock emanating from Hootie entranced the weak and enraged the strong. But 1996 has to be better. Jail your mind and Hootie will follow. By Rob Clark The Battalion \ I student and ng committee, liday gift pur- nas,” she said. ny officer and laid Bevo Bum ;h,” he said. “It ; kitchen after • Berry, Beau- d Texas Coffee len Beaumont ivor brisket at 3urn Barbecue hey won a first Burn sales will StM Club’s en- rovides money noney (for our- udents.” fuch of ’95 seemed like a bad rerun of ’94, | with alternative stars’ sales, and conse- -quently egos, soaring, rap stars continuing to spend more time behind bars than on stage, and ’80s superstars falling flat on their collective ass. "I like chicks that rock" Women continued to dominate as they did the year before. Leading the charge was former Nick elodeon child star, Alanis Morissette, who jumped on the groundwork laid by Liz Phair and Tori Amos with her sexually frank lyrics. The avenging obsessions of “You Oughta Know” ripped through conventional breakup songs and catapulted Morissette into an instant-angst-god- dess by the media. More significantly, but much less-reported, were the efforts of P.J. Harvey, whose To Bring You My Love rated high with the critics but achieved sales nowhere near the stratospherical stature of Morissette. Two more new artists showed promise at the end of the year. Joan Osborne dared to question religion in “One of Us,” and Heather Nova’s “Walk This World” was one of the strongest sin gles of the year. Fronting the latest installment of the British invasion was Elastica, with Jus tine Frischmann’s ir resistible guitar hooks and vocals. Other female-led bands scoring big in Elastica ’95 were Belly, Garbage and Veruca Salt. TLC became a mainstream staple by trashing their cartoon image for a sleek, smooth style. rat$ ! Rap Against the World moderate De- lanced-budget ^makers whose ms would love is say. That is irgument that an Congress if :ed. rvative Democ- to compromise ings from wel- tax cuts. This dicans bargain- tics of this ap- gnature would lecome law, ight News Editor Editor rts Editor ditor Graphics Editor ^ Editor ?nson, Linn Bowden, helle Lyons, Healher ilker arry, Kristina Baffin, homas Dougherty, LeBas, Amy Prolas, !, Stephanie Christo- ) Clark, Erin Fitzeer- Chris Miller, )etnio an, Amy Browning, rmmerman Michele Chancelor, Kvin, John Lemons, tada andy Cater, Amber Jniversity in the Di- i; Fax: 845-2647 ■ment by The Baltal- !696. For classified cDonald and office it to pick up a single tool year arid $50 per all 845-2611. luring the fall and assions (except on ond class postage ling, Texas A&M And while P.M. Dawn and Spearhead defy any real category, Jesus Wept and Home were two of the strongest albums of the year. Finally, rap said farewell to one of its pio neers, Eazy-E, who died of AIDS in March. Eazy was the brainchild of the leg endary N.W.A., who achieved gangsta rap’s first classic, Straight Outta Compton. Money spelled the disaster of the group, but former members Ice Cube and Dr. Dre moved on to be the kingpins of the gangsta genre. Coolio Smashing Pumpkins Oh Sen. Dole, those troublemaking gangsta rap pers were at it again this year. All cynicism aside, new pressures from politi cians turned up the heat on rap in ’95. 2Pac was public enemy No. 1, finding himself in jail on a sexual assault conviction. Fellow Death Row Records star Snoop Doggy Dogg continued his murder trial from a 1993 shoot ing, and it continues to be a news maker in ’96. But such controversy translated into record suc cess, as 2Pac’s Me Against The World and Snoop- proteges Tha Dogg Pound’s Dogg Food shot to the top of the Billboard charts. Most of the news came from those who couldn’t tell a record scratch from a sample. Dole, William Bennett and C. Delores Tucker led the revolt against the “mainstream deviants” and most likely played a principal role in Time Warner’s dropping of rap-dominated Interscope Records. Bright spots came in the form of Coolio, who, de spite mainstream success, stayed true to the game with his monster smash “Gangsta’s Paradise.” Melancholy and the Infinite Sales It was another stellar year for the so-called al ternative supergroups. Trent Reznor spent much of the year ignoring his newfound title of gloomy rock god, while Billy Corgan allowed his creativity to surge past his pretentiousness on Smashing Pumpkins’ mega-double decker album. The head-turning combo of the year was the David Bowie tour with Nine Inch Nails opening. Reznor’s concert performances spurred on another MTV hit, the live version of his tormented song, “Hurt.” Live became the radio darlings of the year with singles churning out of their Throwing Copper album. After months of release, the album reached No. 1 on the Bill board charts because of the strength of “Light ning Crashes” and a tour with P.J. Harvey and Veruca Salt. Green Day slipped considerably in ’95 with its fourth album, Insomniac. While a more mature al bum than Dookie, their signature sound has be come tiresome and ridiculously repetitive. In brighter news, R.E.M. embarked on its first tour in six years, but it wasn’t without a big price tag. Drummer Bill Berry battled a brain aneurysm, and lead singer Michael Stipe suffered a hernia during the tour. But the band was in fine shape for its Texas shows. And it was a busy year for Pearl Jam, first helping out Neil Young on his Mir ror Ball album, and then teasing fans with tour R.E.M. promises and cancellations. Battling the powerful monopoly Ticketmaster was more difficult than Eddie Vedder and company had fig ured, and alternate ticket agencies caused confusion and frustration. After canceling its first show in Austin, Pearl Jam made up for it in September at Southpark Meadows. And despite all the difficulties, Pearl Jam still man aged to prove they have the best act on the road. The summer’s annual altema-fest, Lollapalooza, had another successful year, despite the antics of the year’s biggest media hog... Digging a Hole Ah, yes Courtney Love. How could we forget the year in Courtney? De spite her talent as a songwriter, Love managed to annoy just about everyone in the Western Hemisphere with her nightmarish attitude and antics. It was a year of paradoxes for Love, who negated her excellent performances at Lolla palooza with feuds with Sonic Youth and Cypress Hill. The classiest move of the tour? Love’s Tyson-esque one-two assault of Bikini Kill lead singer Kathleen Hanna. And her intrusion into Kurt Loder’s interview with Madonna after MTV’s Video Music Awards was just plain scary. Don't let the door hit you HIStory was just that. Michael Jackson’s much- balleyhooed mix of hits and new material crashed and burned. A vomit-inducing performance at MTV’s Video Music Awards was one-upped only when the nation shared a collective shudder at the skin-baring “You Are Not Alone” video. But Jackson wasn’t the only ’80s star feeling the heat in ’95. George Michael finally escaped his Sony contract, then signed with Dreamworks SKG. But with a five-year gap since his last album, his status of even matter ing is in jeopardy. Also fuming from record contract feuds was the artist formerly known as Prince, whose output is so prolific that he wants to put out four albums a year. Warner Bros.’ refusal to do so prompted His Purple Pompousness to write “Slave” on his face for all public appearances. And despite releasing his best album in years, The Gold Experience, criti cal applause fell on deaf ears. R&B Rebirth Reviving the soul genre from its All-4-One/Boyz II Men image were a new breed of artists. D’Ange- Best and Worst albums of 1995 Best 1. P.M. Dawn — Jesus Wept 2. Elastica — Elastica 3. Ben Harper — Fight For Your Mind 4. Smashing Pumpkins — Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness 5. D'Angelo — Brown Sugar 6/Garbage — Garbage 7. Neil Young — Mirror Ball 8. P,|. Harvey — To Bring You My Love 9. Spearhead — Home 10. Belly — King Worst 1. Michael Jackson — History 2. Lenny Kravitz — Circus 3. Mariah Carey — Daydream 4. Collective Soul — Collective Soul 5. L.L. Cool J — Mr. Smith 6. Ace of Base — The Bridge 7. Morrissey — Southpaw Grammar 8. Tha Dogg Pound — Dogg Food 9. Bush — Sixteen Stone 10. Any album by a group with the word "Hootie" in it Jackson lo, Dionne Farris, Rosie Gaines, P.M. Dawn and the Brand New Heavies led the way with a more mature sound than the bump and grind of R. Kelly and Jodeci. With ’70s soul making a oomeback on sound tracks like Dead Presidents, D’Angelo’s Brown Sugar called to mind the soul stylistics of A1 Green, making him the most intriguing soulster in years. Grammy Sham The voters for the Grammy Awards must have headphones playing adult contemporary music bolt ed into their heads. This year’s list of nominees was the biggest joke of the year, with Mariah Carey grab bing six nominations. Other ridiculous nom inations included Michael Jackson, AIM- One, Hootie and the Blow- fish and Skee-Lo. Meanwhile, P.J. Harvey and D’Angelo were stuck with only two nomina tions, and P.M. Dawn, Smashing Pumpkins and Spearhead were left out completely. Significance of such awards is always in ques tion, but this year’s crop shows just how behind the times the nominating crew is. So now what? Well, despite ’95’s foul odor, it is a new year with a lot of promise. Albums from Dr. Dre and Ice Cube, Pearl Jam, R.E.M. and Liz Phair should provide some interesting material. ‘ And Tori, yes Tori Amos will be back to rescue the music world with a new album. That alone ought to make 1996 a year to remember. One last thing — petition, march, picket or re volt in any way that you can to stop the incessant playing of Deep Blue Something’s “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” The world would be a better place. Morissette sets a new standard for women in rock H undreds of hung-over music lovers lined up outside an Austin-are a IHOP at 7. on New Year’s morning, eagerly awaiting a turn to slam two cups of coffee and try their unsteady hands at the Operation Game. There was only one thing that would make the masses brave such an odd ritual, not to mention the headache that the buzzing sound would cause if they were unsuccessful. The Operation Game challenge was a contest put on by a local radio station, and every successful participant would receive a pair of tickets to the Alanis Morissette show in Austin which, like every other scheduled date on the Canadian songstress’s tour, sold out al most instantly. That’s right. The whining, one-time cast member of You Can’t Do That On Television has the hottest ticket on the planet. Morissette’s tour earlier this year was met with equal enthusiasm, thanks to her multi platinum American debut, Jagged Lit tle Pill. Moris sette fin ished the year with six Grammy nominations, including one for “Album of the Year.” Ml of these are good reasons why this artist would come to mind for “Artist of the Year,” but the best one of all is that six months ago, none of us knew who this chic was. Morissette took over in 1995, but did not begin her assault until the summer. Her first single, ‘You Oughta Know,” caught on like a California brushfire, and within a matter of weeks, Moris sette was a household name. Let me be the first to shoot holes in Morissette’s seemingly perfect rise to the top because I realize that she is far from perfect. For instance, therapy would do her well. Something needs to be done about her butt-cut hairdo. And she is not by no means the best singer or songwriter that ever existed. But never before have I witnessed such a quick and powerful rise to the top like Morissette demonstrated in 1995. Morissette didn’t just make 1995 the year of women in rock; she made it the year of self-righteous women in rock, a year in which women who were emotionally and sexually candid weren’t pushed into the closet of alter native music like they have been in the past. Morissette’s candor extends beyond her infamous sexual references in “You Oughta Know.” Her lyrics often extend beyond the bitterness that blasted her into the spotlight. “Not the doctor” is one of Morisset te’s most clever songs, with lines like “I don’t want to be your other half / I be lieve that 1 and 1 make 2.” Such witty phrases appear often on Jagged Little Pill, allowing it to rise from a male bashing fest to an impressive display of thoughtfulness. I am anxious to see what will hap pen to Morissette with the release of her follow-up album. Though no talk of a second album has yet to surface, she is in for the challenge of her life when it does. Following such explosive suc cess is one of the biggest challenges a rock star can face, and it leads to the demise of many artists. After all, rock ’n’ roll, like every other profession, is a matter of survival of the fittest. I have a feeling Morissette has quite a career ahead of her, but we’ll all have to wait and see what will happen. For now, though, everything is just fine, fine, fine. Amy Uptmor is a senior journalism major. Morissette
