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Flagpole Magazine
December 4, 1991
Ear Wax Facts
Ministry
Jesus Built My Hot Rod (Sire/Warner Bros.)
Well, boys and girls,
on the eve of All
Hallow's Eve those
industrial monsters,
Ministry, released their
latest single to whet our
blood-thirsty appetites
before we went our to
slaughter and worship
the mighty dark one.
What to say...Well,
this CD5 is not what
you’d expect, but I
suppose that is how Al
wants it. The first two
songs of the three song
disk are called Jesus
Built My Hot Rod and
are basically remixes of one another that must have excited
Al while he was behind the mixing board. Basically indus
trial orgasmic spewing about fast cars and fast women,
although remix two does feature none only than Gibby
Haynes of the Butthole Surfers.
Song three in entitled “TV Song' and is typical Ministry
that we have come to worship, but although the drums are
equivalent to nuclear holocaust, the guitars seem to have
been toned down. I don’t know, maybe Al’s slowing down,
but if you want to find out you have to wait until January 7,
1992 when Ministry’s self-titled new release finally invades
the stores, followed by a supposed tour with Godflesh.
World War Three anyone?
John Mincemoyer
"Religion is Politics’ cover this aspect. Foreign rhythms are
another ingredient and Fashek fills this by using various
percussion rhythms and horn arrangements from his na
tive Africa. Also by letting Little Steven Van Zandt (Bruce
Springsteen and Sun City) produce the record Majek was
able to attain an almost rock/reggae fusion sound. With all
of these elements blended together, Majek has been able
to create an album that is very pleasing to the ear.
On the whole, Spirit of Love is a good album. Through
his light African reggae. Majek may be able to achieve the
popularity that Ziggy Marley attained a few years ago with
his Jamaican reggae style. The only problem, though, with
Spirit of Love is that only one song is under five minutes and
this may keep his from getting extensive radio exposure.
Charles Weeks
Doubting Thomas
Doubting Thomas
North Carolina has given us some fine melodic guitar
rock over the years, and Charlotte's Doubting Thomas fits
well in that tradition. On their self-released 3-srng tape,
lead vocalist Gina Stewards voice rises and falls witi. grace
and power, while the other four members of the band
supply the lush landscape over which she soars. Appeal
ing as the harmonies and four guitars are, all is not
sweetness and light beneath them. Disappointment and
confusion lie in wait for the innocent in a world in which
“promises are made to be broken'.
The sound quality is good for a self-recorded tape, and
I would like to hear more of Doubting Thomas’ work. I do
wonder, though, which title is correct for the final song; “If
I Were You’, listed on the tape, or "Big Blue Ball', listed on
the sleeve. A proof reader is needed, (contact G. Stewart,
1507 Belle Terre Ave., Charlotte, NC 28205)
I isa McDonald
Majek Fashek
and the Prisoners of Conscience
Spirit of Love (Interscope)
Majek Fashek is a
young reggae artist
from the west coast of
Africa. Somewhat of a
cult hero in his native
Nigeria, Majek has
enjoyed considerable
success there in recent
years. His new album,
Spirit of Love, though,
is his first attempt at
reaching an interna
tional audience..
Majek Fashek has
done a good job with
his first international
release. The album
contains all of the necessary ingredients that go towards
making a record universally popular. Light political pieces
are an example and Majek’s songs, “Majek Beware" and
The Dylans
The Dylans (Beggars Banquet)
There is a fine line
between being influ
enced by other bands
and being derivative.
The Dylans cross it
twice on their debut
album, and the acts
awaiting them on the
far side of the artistic
tracks are The Beatles
and The Stone Roses.
Nothing distinctive
emerges on repeated
listenings, either. It
merely grows more
generic.
This is not to say that Sheffield (illustrious home of
Human League and Def Leppard) hasn’t produced a band
that can make a pleasant sound. The Dylans can play
competently enough in the psyche-dance genre they have
chosen. However, I can get the identical effect, done
better, by listening to “She Bangs the Drum or Tomorrow
Never Knows".
Given their name, and the fact that they look like utter
dorks in their publicity photo, I can hope that it is all a big
joke to prove how easy it is to ride a trend, whether your
music is worth anything or not. If so, the joke is on Beggars
Banquet, who signed them based on demos only, without
the band ever having played live. Yes, it must be a joke.
In short, The Dylans are lame. Avoid them.
Lisa McDonald
Pixies
Trompe Le Monde (4AD/Elektra)
While the title suggests exotica and foolishness, you
know it’s just another Pixies album. You shouldn’t need to
be told what that means, eh? Well, actually, perhaps you
do, for this is another twist for them. Eschewing the ballads
and reverby mixes that marked Bosanova, Black Francis
and pals head straight for the jugular. Granted, there’s the
expected taste of unabashed weirdness; a song about
shrimp spawning in the Great Salt Lake (a location populat
ing many Pixies' songs), an ode to the Eiffel of tower fame
(thought he was a real smart alec/little eiffel, little eiffel"),
some physics (two songs sport the equation for d=r x t), and
of course the demented erotic daydreams you usually find
on any given Pixies disc. I Mean, what can you say about
a song called “Bird Dream of the Olympus Mons"?
Once again, Black Francis handles nearly all of the
vocal duties, and the overall feel of the album is more in the
Surfer Rosa territory. (It’d still be nice to have that occa
sional Kim Deal ditty, though.) It’s nearly a punk thing, but
the production is crisp and tight. Especially effective is the
addition of Pere Ubu keyboardist Eric Drew Feldman on
"Little Eiffel". Judging from the response their two sold out
shows in Athens/Atlanta received, it looks as though the
Pixies have arrived, finally. I, for one, hope they stay.
J. E. Sumrell
Little Feat
Shake It Up (Morgan Creek)
Oh, here’s a brilliant idea! Little Feat does New Or
leans 1 Wow 1 Wait. Didn't they try this idea before on Dixie
Chicken? Wasn’t that in 1973 7 Before most of you readers
were even born'* Augh...listen: Bonnie Raitt’s been doing
this for years, and mostly with these guys’ help. I think it
should be taken as a final, horrifying omen that Warner
Brothers wasn't even interested Good riddance.
J. E. Sumrell
“The King of Pizza"
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