The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, October 21, 1993, encore, Page 6, Image 6
O October 21
19 9 3
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t 1^^^^
Five against
one: Pearl Jam
shines on'Vs.'
BY ERIC JAMES STAMEY
Staff Writer
Even though ,
Pearl Jam finds ip^|p ::
itself in the |||||^
morning of success,
"Vs." ?
the first 500,000 HBpiii
copies of the . , IHpii;
album are unti- If ^|||||,
stubble on the
i PH
band's sure to jjijfl
be long career. | ??H
After becom
inn thn foctoct
?mi? iiav iaoiVdi
overnight success in music history,
Pearl Jam finds itself in the pivotal
position of releasing a follow-up to
its magnificent debut, "Ten".
Unlike Nirvana and Guns 'N
Roses, Pearl Jam has maintained its
brilliance. "Vs." is an album of
immaculate Pearl Jam sound. The
band didn't add keyboards and
orchestras but kept to the musical
sincerity and emotion that has gotten
the band to where it is. "Vs." is
a testament of what Pearl Jam is
going through musically and mentally.
The atmosphere of the album is
luugnci uian len, ine lyrics are
coarser and the music is darker.
"Go," the opening song, reveals a
driving beat with a hard-punching
sound that melts into the next song,
"Animal." "Blood" is the coarsest
song, with Eddie Vedder's voice
stripping through the mic in the
mist of a thundering musical tempo.
"Vs." is not better or worst than
"Ten." It's an album of Pearl Jam
today and the direction the band is
taking. After "Ten," everyone
expected an unreachable, superhuman
effort, but Pearl Jam stayed
U/ith itc Koort
1M1 no 11VU1 i anu lliauc 11) UW11
kind of record.
Pearl Jam hasn't reached its
zenith, and its veins roar with music
yet to.be born. The band is on the
right path to making the most extraordinary
album ever. "Vs.," with its
power and emotion, is a wonderful
step to the immortality that awaits
Pearl Jam.
'Demolit
Lenina takes
refuge in her llfflfflR
cozy California UtaUUgml
apartment and
lines the walls
I with artifacts of
I a civilization | J3ilS111 S
long forgotten:
I Weapon" posters %
i the ^Red Hot
) Chili Peppers. fpfe^
i;j How she longs
-I for a piece of 20th century action!
In "Demolition Man," a curious
new action/comedy adventure, the
z 1 st century has become quite
sedate. Red meat, sex, profanity,
cigarettes and basically anything
people in society enjoy have been
made illegal. You can guess how
Sylvester Stallone and Wesley
Snipes, enemies from the 20th century,
react when they're thawed
from cryoprison and forced to battle
in these new surroundings.
Stallone plays John Spartan, a
cop dubbed "the demolition man"
because of his tendency to destroy
property during routine rescue proWriter
porti
JL
By MELISSA TENNEN
Encore Editor
Snuggled under the quilted
corners of a grandmotherly
house lies a story of beautiful
honesty and the coming of
&ge. yj
Such is Kaye Gibbons' lat- ;
est book, "Charms for the i
; Easv Life." J
Gibbons isn't a master of ;
plot development, but this '
certainly doesn't trip the PQ jj
book up. The three fiery and
tough-willed women in the novel mak(
generations: Charlie Kate, Charlie's
Sophia, and Sophia's daughter, Margart
Rush keeps i
By ERIC JAMES STAMEY
Staff Writer
After 20 vears and 18 albums 1
Rush is still going strong, remaining
the kings of musical genius
with its latest effort, "Counter- |
parts."
From the album's opening, Rush
explodes, putting to rest all doubts (
of age's effect on the music. With
"Counterparts," Rush continues to '
push the bounds of rock 'n' roll j
closer to ultimate perfection. And (
there, in the realm of perfection, the c
band still stands alone as it always
have.
nru ^ tt c "o
nie uieme ior counterparts is
human relations, and the album
ion Mai
cedures. One time, he goes tc
and is imprisoned in ice unt
parole hearing.
Snipes is Simon Phoenix, i
tal villain incarcerated on num
counts. He's never forgiven Si
for tracking him down and bri
him to justice.
I was taken aback when I le
about this future world the
makers had created. Retina cc
hand-held fiber optic commi
tions and computerized gr
were some of the neat gat
introduced. Since the time of
Big Earthquake," the pop mus
society has been television jit
At one point, Dan Cortese
annoying Burger King guy,
the Jolly Green Giant song
piano bar.
In the future, if you have a
lem, you can visit an auton
Compu-Chat psychoana
machine that will cheer yoi
Since humans no longer "exch
bodily fluids," they have
through virtual reality.
Stallone and Snipes clearly
trouble with the vulear lane
laws, and they are fined hunt
ays poign
I Margaret tells t!
of passion and hui
grandmother came
|T wearing her mothei
f. remedies for curing
boils seem to work
' methods. Charlie
retirement after qu
?!of medicine that res
Sophia is a worn
</////$ fect man. especial]
'//A/ her husband wear
from a pickpocket i
him at the altar, bu
; up three of marriage. No te;
daughter, band died of a mysl
;t. Against her m
ueoues 10 pui on t
rock V ro
rolls through several
somber, emotional
episodes of love and lust.
With Neil Peart's thundering
down beats clothed in
elegant grace, Alex Lifeson's
primitive guitar rage f
ind the thumping of Gedly
Lee's masterful bass, y
ve find Rush dipping into ?
i hard sound again. Yet ?
mother innovative sound ^
hat is far superior to any
)f the band's younger
:ounterparts.
The album bursts open w
Animate," a song that captu
'our attention and cripples you
i' silly acti<
X) far of times by an annoying wall comil
his puter. The police aren't equipped to
deal with two 20th century titans
i bru- and only hope that the best man
crous wins.
>artan Sandra Bullock, who plays Leninging
na, is excited that some action has
finally arrived in this sterile,
arned washed-out society. Nobody has
film- died of any reason other than natur>ding,
al causes for 16 years,
mica- This politically-correct society,
affiti led by the high priest Dr. Cocteau,
igets does have its enemies. Edgar
'The Friendly, played by comedian Denis
>ic of Leary, and a gang of renegades live
lgles. in the tunnels and sewers under the
, the city, eating red meat, smoking and
sings enjoying what is left of their lives,
in a Leary perfectly translates his come-dy
routine into a character who is
prob- the fulfillment of his every nontated
P.C. dream.
lysis Snipes acquires heavy weaponry
i up. uvsui a museum mill lllllUCUiaieiy
iange begins to wreak havoc on the
sex world. The Stallone-Snipes fight
sequences seem almost arbitrary
have because the film's future world is
uage interesting in itself.
Ireds Stallone plays up his dumb-guy
ant coming-of
ie story with a brilliant sense she is ready,
nor as she recounts how her blind date for
forth from the 19th century he thinks it
r's shoes. Charlie's homestyle woman to at
! leprosy, malaria, hernias and again,
better than the local doctor's The book it
drove the doctor into early tic ^ wil j
lestioning the sloppy manner . v d
>ulted in devastating results. ana portrayed
an determined to find the per- rare y re s
ly when during her wedding her style" ^ei
s yellow shoes he received ^ut one 8e
is a joke. She would have left olinan, doesr
t she was married to the idea writer, which
ars were shed when her hus- She remains li
erious cerebral hemorrhage. Smelling
oiner s wisnes, Margaret comes a book
college for a few years until an honest writ
lling with 6 Con
listen with its supreme a
musicality. "Between Sun s
and Moon" is an extraordi- s
nary song that makes you o
; become a part of the music a
and feel the openness as if c
you were flying. It is y
m mm mortared by Neil Peart's
} fabulous lyrics: "In the js
^ Mmm s''ence between whisper ^
anc* shout/The space ^
" between wonder and
doubt/This is a fine
place/Shining face to ^
face/Those bonfire lights in the mir- 1
ith rr*r r\f eK?/TK^ ? %/?/?/* ?? til
.1.. .vi vi oivjr/ nit UCIWCC11 WOll"
res der and why." SI
to "Secret Agent," one of the 111
m
wus<
9
on caper
image to a comedic end. While
frozen, he has been partially re-programmed
as a seamstress and occasionally
knits sweaters for Lenina.
His macho image is somehow
threatened by this new society.
When a co-worker asks Lenina
why Stallone uses profanity when
he talks to friends, Lenina replies,
"That's the way insecure heterosexual
men bonded in the 20th century.
Snipes is fairly annoying, and it's
a shame to see him play such weak
characters in recent action flicks
after a promising start to his career.
t rar* t At" \ A "
lyu^iui iviaitu LUOilluUUl lldi d
real skill in transporting us to this
new world, but he needs to learn a
little bit about pacing an action
film. Because there are some slow
parts, this might not please every
action fan.
The screenplay isn't much,
either. Once again, it took three
writers to script lines such as
"Simon Phoenix has risen from the
ashes."
Overall, "Demolition Man"
delivers the goods. It's an action
film that doesn't take itself too seriously.
-9 op etrvrv
U^V Ul-Vi J
Sophia's attempt at arranging a
Margaret ends once the date says
might not be appropriate for a
tend college. Sophia never tries
; written with Gibbons' characteristic
characters are richly developed
as models for feminism. Gibbons
into poeticism, which is fine given
r style is not a matter-of-fact one
ntle power. Gibbons, a North Cari't
try to be a typical Southern
is something to be commended,
ke her characters, true to herself,
of grandmotherly knickknacks
promising a sense of honesty from
er.
inter parts'
Ibum's hardest songs, contains
everal time changes and musical
tyles that capture the cryptic hope
if f ha OAnrt' r> rr'
? jung o pi uidguniM. 111c
lbum also contains an instrumental
ailed "Leave That Thing Alone"
tat has a mystic feel.
"Counterparts" shows that Rush
i still excited about its music and
aving fun. The band's musical
itegrity is so strong that Rush
Jems like it can go another 20
jars, "Counterparts" being its halffe.
This is what all Rush fans
ream ot. We want to live with this
)irit forever because Rush makes
lore than music. The band makes
agic.
C-FM