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4 AGGIELIFE
Tuesday February 25, 2003 THE BATTALION
The Ramones
"We're a Happy
Family: A Tribute to
the Ramones"
Columbia Records
Though not known for sell
ing millions of albums, the
Ramones have surpassed
industry standards by influenc
ing several of today’s major
bands. “The Ramones Tribute
Album” features an impressive
and diverse list of artists
including Red Hot Chili
Peppers, Pete Yorn, Rancid,
Marilyn Manson, Green Day,
Garbage and Tom Waits per
forming their favorite Ramones
songs.
As pioneers of punk, the
Ramones made three-chord
melodies look easy by blending
simplistic guitar and Joey
Ramone’s distinct vocals.
Second generation punkers
Green Day and Offspring fol
low suit on their flawless rendi
tions of “Outsider” and “I
Wanna Be Sedated,” while Rob
Zombie lends creative talent on
his version of “Blitzkreig Bop.”
Kiss also does a suprisingly
good job on “Rock and Roll
Radio ” keeping it fun and
energetic.
Most of the tracks are worth
listening to, but Tom Waits’
take on “Return of Jackie and
Judy” should be skipped
because he sounds like a rav
ing, drunken bum. Manson’s
cover of “The KKK Took My
Baby Away” is also somber and
disappointing, leaving little
trace left of the Ramones’
original. Any music fan can
enjoy this album, but it is an
absolute must for every
Ramones fan.
—Chris Elmi
Sum 41
"Does This Look
Infected"
Island Records
Aimed with herds of teen
admirers, Canada’s punk pride
and joy Sum 41 has come out
with its third release “Does
This Look Infected” in ample
time to make up for Blink-182
and Green Day taking some
time off. From its album cover,
one can assume that the
album’s title refer to the state
of the band’s music, and
whether or not it has been
infected by the mainstream
virus yet. The answer to that is
a definite maybe.
On its third album, the quin
tet has shed its super fast-paced
beach rock tunes for a heavier,
moodier feel that sounds like a
direct product of “Orange
County.” Between the last
album “All Killer No Filler”
and its latest outfit, the band
has graduated from song titles
such as “Crazy Amanda Bunk
Face” and “All She’s Got” to
less female-oriented, more
thoughtful picks such as “All
Messed Up and Over My
Head.” The first single off the
album is the anthem “Still
Waiting” which was the brain
child of post-9/11 chaos. A
noteworthy track on the CD is
the tentatively titled “Hell
Song” in which Sum 41 uses
erratic riffs and super rhymes
from front man Deryck Whibly,
and sounds like secret disciples
of the Offspring. The song
“Thanks for Nothing” has drum
mer Steve Jocz step in to lend
some Beast ie Boy-type vocals,
keeping with the band’s tradition
to pay homage to all of their
musical influences through their
music, hip-hop artists included.
Despite repeated TRL expo
sure and accusations of being a
commercial garage act, these
underage keg pushers have
managed to stay out of control
and smugly obnoxious. While
the average age is still younger
than the members of N*SYNC.
Sum 41 uses “Does This Look
Infected” to prove they still
have the careless talent and
self-destructive tendencies that
are the perfect combination for
a good ol’ neo punk album.
—NishatFatim
Pacifier
"BuUitproof"
Wild Side
Pacifier’s debut self-titled
CD ft the answer for insomniacs
because it will put you to sleep.
Lead vocalist, Jon Toogood,
strains for mediocre vocals
accompanied by cliched lyrics;
subsequently, he fails tol'weup
to his last name. Pacifier has.,
filled its album with random!-
bombs, possibly to sound mott
edgy than it really is.
The band is trapped in an
early 1990s rock sound that has
lost its originality. While it’s
hard to distinguish between
songs, the track “BuUitproof'is
one worth playing. But a gener
ic-sounding guitar and the
Pacificer’s annoying frontman
will make listeners want to
check out what’s playing on the
radio instead.
The bottom line: Pacifier is
uninspired and lacks creative
direction. If this CD is any indi
cation, Pacifier is destined to
remain another unknown band
in the rock world. Listeners
should not waste time or money
on this lackluster album.
-Chris Elm
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PEOPLE IN THE NEWS
Streep receives
Artistic Honor
PARIS (AP) — Meryl Streep
was awarded France’s highest
artistic honor, and she thanked
the country for “loving women of
a certain age — in movies and in
life.”
France’s culture minister,
Jean-Jacques Aillagon, named
Streep, 53, a commander of the
order of arts and letters, praising
her “courage, delicacy, sensitivity
and determination.” He said she’s
been a star in France since 1985’s
“Out of Africa.”
Streep thanked her fans in
both French and English.
“Usually, America doesn’t
reward people of my age, either
in day-to-day life or for their per
formances,” she said.
“I hope they’ll understand,”
she joked.
Streep and fellow American,
director Spike Lee, won honorary
“Cesar” awards — France's
equivalent of an Oscar.
Mills distraught over
press criticism
LONDON (AP) — Former
model Heather Mills says press
criticism following her marriage
to Sir Paul McCartney has left
her “absolutely wiped out.”
“The lowest point of my life
has been since the press turned
on me really badly, which sounds
crazy,” she said Saturday. “Now
I’m at that stage where I feel
absolutely wiped out.”
Mills, who lost a leg in a traf
fic accident 10 years ago, said
some newspapers had turned
against her because she rarely
opened up in public. The bad
publicity had even caused manu
facturers of prosthetic limbs to
shun her, she said.
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