DJ Play, The Premiere CD Review Column

By Daniel E. Klatt

The gates are wide open in this column and lots of assorted characters strolled or pushed their way through.

One of the freebirds what Thunder Throat herself, while a simple man came by rail. Another artist walked through the same gate delivering bread while the new idols just crashed through and landed right on this page. A quartet of strings bowed, and then walked right through.

You can come, too. The party's diverse, and full of good verse. That's all I want to do, bring good music to you.

COUNTRY

Various Artists, Skynard Frynds, (MCA Records)

The interpretations of Lynyrd Skynyrd classics by several of country's best artists sound good, but something's missing.

Rock music fans know many of these songs by heart and can sing them from memory.

Alabama's version of the Skynyrd anthem "Sweet Home Alabama" is more mellow and melodic than the original and Travis Tritt doesn't bring as much attitude to "Don't Ask Me No Questions" as the version fans know and love.

Confederate Railroad's "Simple Man" would sound great unless listeners compare it to the original, where it, too, fails by comparison. The same is true with Sammy Kershaw's "I Know a Little."

Hank Williams Jr.'s version of "Tuesday's Gone" stands out as the remake as abrasive and gut-level as the original. Realistically, that's the sound that made Lynyrd Skynyrd famous.

The "Freebird" cover by Wynonna is not among the top three best songs ever recorded, as is the original, yet her song stands out nonetheless.

Although all but one of these covers fails in comparison to the originals, they do serve their intended purpose. By paying tribute to Ronnie Van Zant and other band members who died in a plane crash, these artists make listeners aware how important the originals were, and still are.

These songs are a large part of what makes rock and roll so great.

Click here to reach a Lynyrd Skynyrd homepage with many cool related links, such as a lyric database and tryvya quyz.

OOO

ADULT CONTEMPORARY

David Gates, Love Is Always Seventeen, (Discovery Records)

For the longest time, this music remained unplayed in my stack of music. The source of my hesitation was that the question,"Is this the same David Gates who sang "Goodbye Girl" remained unanswered. That song stands as one of the most beautiful in the last three decades. But one listen of "17" and listeners recognize this artist is the same, although his voice may have matured with age.

"Save This Dance for Me" is an original Gates song that makes listeners glad they gave this disc a chance. The beautiful ballad is better than a majority of the music easy listening stations play and is good enough to reestablish the artist that made Bread an everyday musical consumption.

The title track is another song that would make a good single. "Ordinary Man" and "I Will Wait for You" also sound pretty good. "Avenue of Love" and "Heart, It's All Over" sound contrived and fall over on their figurative faces.

"I Can't Find the Words To Say Goodbye" is a good mellow ballad that features the familiar sounds that made Gates a national ballad-master. This track as well as about half of the songs on the disc were cowritten by Billy Dean, who has made a name for himself in contemporary country circles. Dean also sings background vocals on many songs.

In contrast to the golden Gates' voice, "Dear World" is more interesting as an open letter about hopes and dreams. The lyrics are the star of this song, and Gates' vocals complement the words well.

People who enjoyed the singer's music in the past will enjoy his sound today. His style has matured, but in general, that reflects a singer's natural growth. If love is always seventeen, Gates will always sing a good love song.

Click here to reminisce with the great lyrics to "Goodbye Girl."

OOO

CLASSICAL

Lafayette String Quartet, Borodin/Stravinsky/Shostakovich, (Dorian Recordings)

The three composers represented here were all born in St. Petersburg in Russia, although each lived in a different time. Alexander Borodin was a leading member of the Russian nationalist composers known as "The Mighty Handful." He lived from 1833-1887. Borodin helped pave the way for Igor Stravinsky, who lived from 1882-1971 and evolved during the "Silver Age" in which Russia developed an international reputation for poetry, painting, ballet and music. Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) lived through the 1917 Revolution and Stalin.

Represented here brilliantly by the Lafayette String Quartet are Borodin's "String Quartet No. 2 in D Major" (1881), Stravinsky's "Three Pieces for String Quartet" from 1914 and Shostakovich's 1946 composition "String Quartet No. 3 in F Major, Op. 73."

The four women comprising the quartet - Ann Elliott-Goldschmid and Sharon Stanis on violin, Joanna Hood on viola and Pamela Highbaugh on cello - met 11 years ago while members of a Detroit-based chamber orchestra.

Borodin's composition is full of beautiful violin harmonies and the four movments range from moderato to andante.

Stravinsky's work, in three parts, is rather disjointed and ends by the time listeners notice they don't like it. The selection lasts about seven minutes. Shostakovich's five movements are more uplifting and also capitalize on the violin's divine sound.

This disc should delight classical music lovers unfamiliar with the lesser known composers and may entertain those who already know the sound of Stravinsky.

OOO1/2

HEAVY METAL

New Idol Sun, Reach, (Pavement Music)

A song title such as "Butterfly" might sound out of place on a hard rock disc, but the strong guitars of Mike Davis and rough vocals of Matt Hilzendrager leave no doubt that this sun is hot. The song also brings good lyrics and quality music.

As good as that track sounds, "Magnet" gives a strong social commentary as well as good quality musically. The song describes how television has become a god for countless people, who bow to the electromagnetic waves and submit to the "anti-thought machine." The words ring too true.

"American Flush" talks about how pollution is eroding the American dream. The song sounds more average than the other tunes. The lyrics aren't as strong and basically follow the cliche formula: verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus.

Formulas are alright, because people are comfortable with them, but they diminish the originality rating for any band. The first two tracks mentioned probably follow similar standards, but they stand out nonetheless. "Snake Oil," too, features good vocals prominently and the music fits in perfectly with the singing. "Past the Point of God" sounds equally good with a lengthy instrumental introduction and drawn-out vocals that propel listeners into the lyrics.

"Half the Sky" is a compelling story of a drifter who meets a girl and ends up killing her. "My Brother, I" is a similar song about brotherly hate, when one son takes the other's wife and the first demands a fight to the finish. These are the best examples of the tone of the disc, ranging from negative to violent.

New Idol Son shines in its lyrics more than anything, but the whole package sounds good. The vocals and music sound somewhere between Iron Maiden and Queen's Ryche, with a slight Sisters of Mercy quality.

OOO

Ratings are based on a scale of up to four discs, with one meaning the music is a waste of listeners’ money and four denoting an excellent disc that belongs on everyone’s shelf.

(C) 1995 Daniel E. Klatt Enterprises.

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