Page 12
That What is Not
is not that bad
Brad Kane
The Collegian
"...So when I picked it up and
looked at it, I stared at the damn
thing for about five minutes,
trying to figure out what it was
on the cover. Then I noticed the
title - That What Is Not - and it
hit me. Boy, oh boy, isn't John
Lydon a sneaky little bastard? He
gets better as he gets older I tell
y0u..."
Oops, sorry, just describing
Public Image Limited's new
release to a friend, or at least
describing the cover. In fact, it's
quite a cover, worthy of some
first rate, highly intellectual,
deeply stimulating discussion.
But hey, John Lydon, PiL's
frontman, has never been one to
let anything controversial go
untouched, and yes, the cover
leans a bit to the controversial
side. To sum it up, the artwork
resembles, well, female genitalia
actually - or is it? But hey, that
what is not, remember? Ha, what
a guy that Lydon.
Well, this review could go on
a bit about the cover, considering
it's a bit more interesting than
the music located within, but in
all fairness let's give it a try here,
what do you say?
To begin, it should be noted
that it took the band eleven
releases to dig heartily into its
roots - those cultured by Lydon
from his Sex Pistol days. On
That What Is Not 's opener, the
driving, stinging "Acid Drops,"
Lydon samples his chant from
the Pistols God Save The Queen,
‘The ‘Matdißo,;
‘Present
‘The ‘Two QentCemen
of Verona
cA p
W A Comedy
• By
‘William Shakespeare
<jj|| Studio Theatre
Tenti State ~ ‘Behrend
iMarch 27-28, April 2-4, 10-11 at 8 p.m.
March 29 and April 12 at 2:30 p.m.
$4 general admission, $3 students
$2 “groundlings"
for reservations, call 898-6016
"No Future," at the end of the
song.
Some punk purists may
groan, but actually the sample is
used constructively. In a song
dealing with unabashed
censorship, the chant brings the
song to a clever, intriguing close.
Repetition of the phrase burns
the song into one’s memory,
which is good, but that doesn't
happen often on this release.
An example of this is the
entire second half of the album.
Aside from the rock-drenched
This review could
go on about the
cover, considering
it's a bit more
interesting than the
located
music
within.
stomp of "Love Hate", Lydon and
Co. (guitarist John McGeoch and
bassist Allan Dias) have given
the phrase "throwaway song" a
new name.
"Terminal Boredom," Lydon
intoned many moons ago on
PiL’s self-titled debut from 1978.
It seems now that the phrase may
work in 1991 just as well as "No
Future" did. Well, even John
Lydon isn't perfect.
However, there are a few
decent tracks on the album.
"Luck’s Up" rides a persistent
bass line to a catchy chorus, and
"Covered," the album's first
The Collegian
single, utilizes both harmonica
and "The Tower of Power" horn
section to accentuate the quircky
messages behind Lydon's
songwriting: "Some unions are
based on trust: some unions arc a
must; trussed up like a turkey;
upside down on a turn key - you
and me."
It is good to keep in mind
with the release of That What Is
Not that Lydon seems to be
finally becoming influenced by
others, rather than the other way
around. Lydon's music has been
inspiring creative musical minds
everywhere for years.
Now, with what appears to be
a resurgence in punk-influenced
music, Lydon has taken notice,
brought in producer Dave Jcrden
who is noted for his work with
harder-edged bands and, voila -
PiL has come as close to a
modern-day punk album as can
be. Not since the early 80's has
PiL been this thrashy and
metallic - which is both good and
bad.
It's good because a return to
one's roots always provides the
potential for innovation and re
interpretation. It can also be bad
because sometimes a band will
end up doing little more than
rehashing the same material over
and over.
Sorry, Mr. Lydon, but I'm
leaning toward the latter here.
Punk's dead, at least flat out
thrash punk is, but I get the
feeling that PiL will be back in
due time, creating and expanding
once more - That What Is Not is
just an intermission from it all.
Springsteen
wanted in Erie
Petitions are being
circulated to
persuade Bruce
Springsteen to
perform at the Erie
Stadium on his
upcoming tour. A
goal of twenty
thousand signatures
has been set and
petitions can be
found at : Record
County and Cruisers’
on Buffalo Rd., and
other reputable
businesses.
The completed
•etitions will be sent
to Bruce
Springsteen's
manager and USA
Today. For more
information contact
Pat Riazzi at 454-
1266.
The Cowboy
throw some
punches on Black
Eyed Man
Robb Frederick
The Collegian
"Black eyed man I'm warning
you / the people around here will
not be soothed by a simple line
or two," Margo Timmins sighs
on the title track of the latest by
the Cowboy Junkies. She's
somewhat of an authority on the
subject soothing crowds, that
is having built the Junkies'
reputation on her silken,
hypnotic voice, and having
learned the lesson herself after the
dud reception the band's 1990 disc
The Caution Horses received.
That aptly-titled disc found the
Junkies fighting to recapture the
rich atmosphere of their brilliant
major-label debut, The Trinity
Session. And although Horses
gave us a glimpse of guitarist
Michael Timmins' songwriting
potential, the music was not only
cautious, but unnecessarily forced
- kind of like treading water in a
kiddie pool.
On Black Eyed Man, the band
ventures out a bit further...but
not too far.
The Junkies' sound is still
rooted in Margo’s voice, which
sweeps into each song like a
&i) Review
spectral whisper and floats along
Alan Anton's heavy bass lines.
She's loosened the belt a little
this time around, however,
reaching even higher up the scale
and then dipping back down for
an occasional stab at barroom
blues.
The end result lies somewhere
between the spiritual and the
playful, an odd mix that
nonetheless comes together on
the disc's first track, "Southern
Rain."
The song, based around an
uncharacteristically strong guitar
line, also charts the continued
emergence of brother Michael
Timmins as a poignant, witty
songwriter. We get a string of
intense images, quickly sketched
and just as quickly left behind,
that document the emotional
yearning that dominates most of
the record.
"I thought I'd never tire of a
dollar / But this life has grown so
hollow / Every night there's
lipstick on his collar / Every
morning I wash it away,” Margo
sings, cloaking the words with
her trademarked soft resignation.
The clouds lift on "Oregon
Hill," a sharp commentary that
juggles the subjects of small
town gossip, the stubborn
memories of first loves, and the
celebration of "the joy of
The best things in life can
be found in The Collegian
Thursday, March 26, 1992
Junkies
sleeping in." That's quite an
agenda, but Michael artfully
intertwines his subjects,
punctuating the latter with a
rousing horn section that digs
deep into America's ragtime
roots.
The Junkies adopt a shuffling
honky-tonk sound for "A Horse
in the Country" and on the title
track, a disturbing number that
documents the martyrdom of a
local outcast who has jilted his
lover.
Depressing as it may sound,
Michael at least leaves his
scapegoat with dignity intact:
"With a noose around his neck
/ cicadas trilling everywhere / he
says to the people gathered round
him / it ain't the water that’s not
right around here."
The sound
unfortunately, the subject
pure Americana, but these
Canadian natives revive it with a
fresh exuberance that is lough to
resist.
With "The Last Spike,"
Michael turns his narrative skills
to the economic front, mapping
out a recession-battered town that
is all too believable for today's
listeners.
Other highlights include the
Townes Van Zandt-pcnned
"Cowboy Junkies Lament" and
"If You Were the Woman and I
was the Man," a gentle ballad
that pairs Margo with guest
vocalist John Prine.
The high point of Black Eyed
Man comes with the next track,
however, "Murder, Tonight in the
Trailer Park."
The song frees the band from
its usually subdued tone, drawing
forth a surprisingly catchy groove
that packs more energy than the
entire Caution Horses disc.
Michael supplements the
arrangement with his finest
narrative to date, a dark depiction
of a neighborhood trying to break
away from a spiraling chain of
events.
"I've been saving pennies /
been looking forward to this day /
No time for questions / are you
coming or are you going to
stay?” Margo wails.
Like most of Black Eyed
Man, the song stems from the
desire to get out, to be
somewhere else, to be someone
else.
It is a dilemma that the
Cowboy Junkies still face. With
Black Eyed Man, however,
they've finally left the past
behind and begun the search for
the next stop.