Aggielife
Page 5 » Tuesday, June 29, 1999
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Wild Wild West Soundtrack
CD Courtesy of
Interscope Records
:er
,e
U is quite amazing how a him about
/acky antics in the Old West can inspire
o-called musicians to write about the
C todern urban ghetto. It is also equally
^ mazing that such a collection of songs
ail sound so similar.
cCTT Over half the songs on the album
_L__ound exactly the same with the same
^Orr firee drum samples that could be pro-
-JlIZL-ramined on a cheap Casio keyboard.
'intNir f The only difference in most of the
A oiks is the singer, a few of which are
e ife' er ^ ta * ente d. but the monotony of the
jj^-nusic takes away from the performance,
p.m.-ds Will Smith’s token theme song “Wild
,Vild West” is actually enjoyable, but
HHs most of it’s music from an old Ste-
delVonder tune.
^■Balimos,” performed by Enrique Igle-
;ias is an excellent tune, but fans of the
;ong will want to look elsewhere for the
yT :alent behind the song. Although the song
, was performed by Iglesias, it was written,
/'iproduced, programmed, engineered and
Wmiited by the Groove Brothers.
tor the most part this CD is less of a
* colection of music and more of a good
irijiik coaster. (Grade: D)
The Flaming Lips
The Soft Bulletin
CD Courtesy of
Warner Bros. Records
The Flaming Lips is a band that has
come a long way since its days of writing
songs about girls who smear Vaseline in
their hair.
The band was groundbreaking even in
those days, but the albums that followed
proved The Flaming Lips was at the top
of its space rock game. The Lips’ records
bring to mind what bands such as Spiri
tualized, Ttans Am and Tortoise could
sound like with fewer chord changes and
more melodies.
The last “album” released by The
Flaming Lips, Zaireeka, was a four record
sound experiment that required each CD
to be played on a separate stereo simulta
neously. The idea was a curiosity at best,
but it showed the potential of a band on
the cutting edge.
The Flaming Lips’ newest album, The
Soft Bulletin, proves that larger-than-life
singalongs like “The Gash” can exist in
perfect harmony with soft ballads like
“Waitin’ for a Superman.” The Lips has
successfully combined the grandiose
ideas presented in Zaireeka with the
band’s tried and true pop sensibility to
create what could be the OK Computer of
1999. (Grade: A)
J.T Money
Pimpin On Wax
CD Courtesy of Priority Records
In a music industry saturated with
rappers it would seem that the competi
tion would spur creativity.
At least this competition should pro
vide listeners with unique rappers, each
slightly different than their fellow
artists.
Sadly, for J.T. Money, this is not the
case.
J.T. Money is just another rapper
molded by the industry and record com
panies.
J.T. Money raps about little.but the
standards of living the life of a gangsta.
He raps about his problems with ho’s,
being a pimp, gang bangin’ and weed.
It is the same old song and dance
everybody has heard over the past sev
eral years.
This album is not necessarily all that
bad, it just lacks a creative flovy.
Maybe if Money had spent less time
pimpin’ on wax, he could have been
making his album a little more creative.
It seems he is just going through the
motions of making an album.
With only a couple of songs worth
listening to, nobody is suffering from
not listening to this album. (Grades C)
Dave Hollister
Ghetto Hymns
CD Courtesy of
Dreamworks Records
On the upside, Dave Hollister delivers
as expected on his newest release. Ghetto
Hymns.
On the downside, he delivers exactly
what is expected of an album entitled
Ghetto Hymns.
Listeners would be too optimistic to
expect Hollister’s stolen sound to be a
metaphor for his admitted ghetto up
bringing. After all, wouldn’t a thug musi
cian steal another’s sound and call it his
own? Unfortunately, he lacks the creative
drive to even think up this excuse.
Listeners would also be too optimistic
to expect anything other than the stan
dard G-funk inspired instrumental back
drop that acts like Blackstreet, Dru Hill
and dozens of others have already run
into the ground.
Hollister’s belting delivery deserves
more than this institutionalized hard
knocks drivel. His talent is evident even
on tracks like “Came In the Door
Pimpin’.” •
Listeners should not be too optimistic
to expect him to evolve into a truly origi
nal artist. Until then, take Hollister at
face value. (Grade: C)
Kenny Garrett
Simply Said
CD Courtesy of
Warner Bros. Records
In these post-Kenny G days, it is amaz
ing someone would consider pressing an
other album of a feature saxophonist, es
pecially one named Kenny, performing
with nothing more than a rhythm section
to back him up.
It is even more amazing when the al
bum does not cater to some aging
wannabe Casanova’s love pad mood-set
ting needs and instead follows Garrett’s
inspiration without compromise.
Viewed in this light. Simply Said is
quite an accomplishment.
Purists will not wince during a long-
winded ballad into which today’s saxo
phone players, especially soprano play
ers, find themselves easily trapped.
While Garrett is the star, his support
ing cast gets a chance every now and
again to exercise their chops.
Unfortunately, these opportunities are
few and far between. Garrett seems to
suffer from a lack of faith in his backing
musicians, which takes a heavy toll on
the quality of the album.
In this respect, he has relegated an
otherwise talented, if not memorable,
performance to the annals of jazz medi
ocrity. (Grade: B)
—Kyle Whitacre
—Riley LaGrone
—Scott Harris
—Stephen Wells
PEOPLE IN THE NEWS
—Stephen Wells
tew coin honors Fireworks burn
)iana’s memory
j|oNDON (AP) — A special 5-
. Hnd coin honoring Princess Di-
C na goes on sale
uly 1, her birth-
> ay.
■The coin, worth
?rt§ bout $8, fea-
jres a portrait of
-er profile.
Ti portrait o f
tueen Elizabeth II
on the reverse
ide.
^ Limited editions in gold and sil-
er were sold earlier this year.
All proceeds go to charities rec-
mmended by the fund set up af-
3r Diana’s death in a Paris car
rash in 1997.
VK
DIANA
mini®-
Michael Jackson
MUNICH, Germany (AP) —
Michael Jackson received minor
burns from fire
works used in a
charity concert.
The pop star
was treated and
released after
Sunday’s show
featuring 30 per
formers, includ
ing Luther Van-
dross and
Boyzone.
Jackson’s burns were “nothing
serious,” a hospital spokes
woman said.
It wasn’t his first brush with py
rotechnics.
JACKSON
He was hospitalized with sec
ond-degree scalp burns in 1984
after his hair caught fire from a
smoke bomb while filming a com
mercial.
The concert raised $1.6 million
for UNESCO, the Red Cross and
the Nelson Mandela Children’s
Fund.
England’s royalty
curbs spending
LONDON (AP) — In another
year of belt-tightening, Queen Eliz
abeth II and her family saved more
than $8 million in expenses for
travel and the upkeep of their
eight palaces, Buckingham Palace
said Monday.
They did not exactly take to bi
cycles, like the more laid-back
Scandinavian royals, but
economies included fewer trips on
the royal train
and renting a
modern heli
copter instead of
flying to engage
ments in two Roy
al Air Force heli
copters.
“The royal
household has
achieved sub
stantial savings
and better value for money,” de
clared one government official.
It was the second successive
year the royals have disclosed de
tails of travel costs — part of
seeking to make the monarchy
less expensive, more open and
more modern.
The queen also now pays in-
CHARLES
come tax, supports relatives pre
viously on the government payroll
and has also opened Buckingham
Palace and Windsor Castle to pay
ing visitors.
Peck rewarded
for charity work
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Gregory
Peck was honored by the city for his
humanitarian work.
The 83-year-old actor received
the second annual Marian Ander
son Award on Saturday in front of
400 friends and fans.
Peck received a crystal sculpture
and $100,000, which he donated
to several charities.
Among Peck’s achievements are
his starring role as Atticus Finch,
the Southern lawyer who crusaded
against racism in the 1962 film To
Kill a Mockingbird.
He is also an outspoken sup
porter of gun con
trol and has
raised money for
many causes, in
cluding cancer re
search and civil
rights.
“Our Congress
has been going
around and
around this past peck
week,” said Peck,
referring to the battle over gun con
trol legislation. “What is wrong with
keeping guns out of the hands of
the wrong people?”
The award is named after Mari
an Anderson, the late opera singer
and Philadelphia native.
Anderson was the first African-
American performer to sing at the
White House.
IHl
fF
on
. 10:30
: ELCHICO -
Weekly Drink Specials! -
Monday
Domestic Long-neck Bottles 99<J:
Tuesday
Margaritas 99(1
^Wednesday
Draft Beer 99d: mugs, $1.99 goblets
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Margaritas $1.49
Friday and Saturday
Largoritas (tall margorita) $4.49
Sunday
Draft Beer 99<t mugs, $1.99 goblets
Muncho Luncho
All you can eat, M-F, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. $5.99
m
Wednesday Enchilada Special $4.99
% Discount w/ student ID on Sundays after 5 p.m
1912 S. Texas Aue.
Colleg e Station, TX 77840
693 - 6684
Need new members for
your organization??
WELL, its about that time again...
IV1SC Fall Open House is September 5, from 2-
6pm.
TOBIES ORE OR SRIE ROUI!
It doesn ’/ get any easier! Go 10 the MSC Box Office in Rudder Tower by
Wednesday, September 1st at 5 p.m. and pay $30 for your recognized student
organization or university department. We take cash, check, aggie bucks, credit
cards, or departmental accounts (you’ll need a completed IDT).
Aon t fotcje-b...
Space is limited! Tables are awarded on first come, first served basis, and
only one table per organization. If you have any questions, call Michelle Walker,
MSC Executive Director of Marketing at 845-1515.
• Sponsored By: AASG It E.T~ I INI Ci TTE.AAA - good!
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Persons wB.ii disabilities please call 845-151 5 to inform i
special needs. We request notification, three (3) working
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of yoxxr
days prior
ib ill ties.
GDuck’s Pizza
PIZZA - STRO/VIBOLI HOAGIES
Medium One Topping
Pizza $3.50
* Order 3 for free delivery
The Battalion’s now offering access to The WIRE
A 24-hour, multimedia news service for the Internet from The Associated Press
The WIRE provides continuously updated news coverage from one of
the world’s oldest, largest news services via The Battalion’s web page.
• A comprehensive, up-to-the-minute news report combining the latest AP stories with photos, graphics, sound and video.
• Headlines and bulletins delivered as soon as news breaks.
http://bat-web.tamu.edu