The Springfield News-Leader from Springfield, Missouri • Page 94

Page edited by Everett Kennell; call 837-1378 after 1 1 a.m. 6G News-Leader Sunday, September 28, 1997 Entertainment Carey's 'Butterfly will burn up cash registers Ratings The pop diva adds some hip-hop elements to some of her dozen songs. I i characters get a turn, from Marvin: the Martian on "All Shook Up," Daffy Duck on a quackling "Don't Be Cruel" and Foghorn Leghorn on notably unsubtle "Love Me Tender." Daffy, Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd take on "Hound Dog" in their own; inimitable style. I Adult Elvis fans will likely be; aghast at this desecration of Presley's music. But this could be a sly way to-introduce the King to a tiny genera-) tion of potential Elvis fans.

Play this for the Little tykes, then slip on the1 real "Hound Dog," and they may go' on from there. Reviews of recent releases and reissues appear Sunday in Life Times. "Happier Days" and boogie woogie of "Cryin' Shame." Johnson's forte has always been ballads, and he acquits himself well with the slow songs. It would have been nicer, however, if he had picked up the tempo more often. Country fans might go for a few of the songs along with adult contemporary lovers looking for a mellow time.

Bugs Friends "Sing Elvis" Kid Rhino This was certainly the silliest of the Elvis tributes that popped up during the recent observances of the 20th anniversary of his death. On it a herd of Looney Tunes characters "sing" their way through 10 of Presley's biggest hits. The whole gang warbles on "It's Now Or Never." Then individual No One Get You Down," done in 1992 with the Hispanic MC's, and the percolating theme from a movie called "Salsa" that was never released. The packaging is all in Spanish, and the cover features a clever lenticular design with a bouncing low-rider car. It's clearly geared for a Spanish-speaking audience, but anyone who likes War and doesn't have a best-of by this talented group would enjoy the work here.

Texas Chainsaw Orchestra "Texas Chainsaw Orchestra" Rhino If you are looking for an aural treat for the person who has just about everything and then some, this collection of really "heavy" music could be just the noisy ticket It's all performed by necessarily muscular guys wielding a wide array of construction equipment, from chain saws and power drills to staple guns and even a thick rubber band. The result is dissonant but vaguely tuneful as they roar through "The Sabre Dance," "American Woman" and a thudding "Chain Gang." There's clearly some talent here, not to mention a lot of coordination, but it's hard to imagine anyone actually sitting down to listen to this except at a party. It's a great novelty gift for fans of really loud music or a good way to irritate a neighbor. Bob James "Playin' Hooky" Warner Bros. Bob James' smoothly burnished jazz may not be as rough around the edges as some fans would prefer.

But if you are in a mellow mood, or need help getting there, this easygoing 10-track set should work nicely. James' keyboards are backed by colorful washes of strings, the spicy sax of Boney James on the lilting "Mind Games" and relaxed "Night By Mark Marymont News-Leader Mariah Carey "Butterfly" Columbia On her fifth album, pop icon Mariah Carey 11 No. 1 hits, 80 million albums sold makes something of a breakthrough, adding nonthreaten-ing, if infectious, hip-hop elements to some of the dozen "Butterfly" songs. The opening "Honey," available as a single in myr-hmmmmh iad mixes, is pro-CD REVIEWS duced by the hot- ter-than-hot Sean "Puffy" Combs and dotted with samples from the Treacherous Three. It marks Carey as a thoroughly modern pop star and, no doubt, that's why it went to No.

1 its first week of release. There are other likely hits, including the easygoing funk of "The Roof and "Breakdown." with rappers Kra-zie Bone and Wishbone of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. It's about enduring with grace after your heart is broken. While it may seem to be a comment on Carey's well-publicized breakup with her husband, Tommy Mottola, president of Columbia Records, Carey says not so. Carey includes plenty ot sumptuous power ballads, always her specialty.

They range from the aggressively overproduced title track with her stylized vocal pyrotechnics, to the subtle but breathy "My All." Even the most serious fan may be hard-pressed to spend much time on the meandering breathlessness of "The Fourth Of July" and grandiose "Whenever You Can." Carey will sell millions of this and rack up more hit singles. While she Notional Battlefield PARTY WAREHOUSE Discount Wedding and Party Shoppe BEAUTIFUL NEW FALL PATTERNS FOR YOUR SPECIAL OCCASIONS All at discounted prices A must Buy it Keep it Listen to it forever. Good: Buy it. Keep it. Even if you stop listening to it.

Fain Worth having if you are a fan of uneven albums. Poor. If you buy it, you'll have to keep it Sky" and other selected players. Rick Braun contributes trumpet and flugelhorn to the smooth urban groove of "Love Is Where," and newcomer Rasheeda adds a sultry vocal to George Gershwin's "Do It Again." Stuff like this used to be called easy listening until it was revived as hip cocktail music. James and company aren't that laid-back or corny, but he's clearly interested in offering a relaxed, nonthreatening environment If that's what you are looking for, this is a great album.

Michael Johnson Intersound Michael Johnson's first album in almost three years is an interesting hybrid. There are a few new songs, including a countrified version of Kenny Loggins' "Whenever I Call You Friend," with a winsome assist by Alison Krauss. And there are new versions of his old hits. Pop successes include "Bluer Than Blue" and "This Night Won't Last Forever." Country fans will recall "The Moon Is Still Over Johnson Her Shoulder" and "Give Me Wings." While they recall the original renditions, they have quieter, simpler arrangements. You also get a couple of up-tempo songs in the slinky, slightly epical Orange peel texture is great for oranges but not a welcome sight on your thighs.

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The 14 tracks feature old favorites like "The Cisco Kid," "All Day Music" and "Gypsy Man" done in English. There are also English and Spanish versions of "Low Rider," which is something of an anthem in the Latin-American community of East Los Angeles. The strutting nine-minute Latin remix will probably be played at parties for years. The album also features a longer version of "East L.A." one of the standouts on War's fine 1994 album, "Peace Sign" with a nice vocal assist from Jose Feliciano. That album's "Angel" is also here in Spanish.

For more variety, they include the Latino hip-hop remix of "Don't Let The Associated Press Radiohead lead singer Thorn Yorke performs in a concert Sept. 13 in London. cuit album to listen to or obscure in any way. It's just the sound we had in our heads," he said. "If we wanted to be willfully obscure and difficult, we could have made a much more willfully obscure and difficult record." Ask what sounds Yorke, guitarist Jonny Greenwood, guitarist Ed O'Brien, bass player Colin Greenwood and drummer Phil Selway drew inspiration from, and you get a stew of popular music: Marvin Gave's "What's Going On?" the Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds," some Kraftwerk, some Bjork.

'fry to find a common thread, and Radiohead's daring move pays off SERVING SPRINGFIELD TOO! 21 4-A VILLAGE CENTER NIXA MO MV MARINE HOURS: M-F, 9 A.M. 5 RM. DRIVERS LICENSE RENEWALS: M-F, 9 A.M. 5 P.M. CALL FOR DRIVERS TESTING TIMES LOCATIONS "OK Computer" wins with the critics and fans, despite its unfamiliar sound.

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Yorke leaves the interpretations to others, but notes he's been writing more as a reporter these days. "The record before was very much about my personal feelings a drunk guy on the back of a bus feeling sorry for himself," he said. "This one was much more about being a witness to the external world. It's very much more of a difficult way to write." He writes almost like a shopper, drawing up compulsive lists of Images and arranging them into categories that become songs. He "sees" melodies in colors, the colors that ended up on the album's cover.

The singer grows visibly depressed when shown a newspaper review of a Radiohead show. Although complimentary, it depicts him as wallowing in angst. To Yorke, that misses the cathartic nature of the experience. "The point of our music is you start at one point and if it works, you're in a much better space when it's ended," he said. It also neglects his changed song-writing focus since "The Bends" came out in 1995.

That's his wallow-ing-in-pain album. "There was no point in going over that ground again, because I was no longer in that space," he said. "It would be dishonest. It would be a fantastically neat marketing ploy to produce more, but more wasn't there." LeatherSuede Cleaning Refinishing (Reg. $25-35) NEW YORK Some music is made for the dance floor, some for political rallies.

Radiohead's music is for headphones the big, plush ones that let you lean back, close your eyes and become lost in sound. Cue the British band's new album, and you'll hear shards of guitar cutting and swirling through dense, trip-py compositions. Holding it all together is the unnervingly beautiful wail of Thorn Yorke, who sounds like Johnny Rotten if he could actually sing. The sonically daring "OK Computer" has received near-unanimous praise as an album-of-the-year candidate and manages to recall the dubious "art rock" era without drowning in its excesses. How hot is Radiohead with the rock cognoscenti? When the band played New York's Irving Plaza this summer, the VIP section was crowded with Madonna, Sheryl Crow, Courtney Love, Marilyn Manson, Joan Osborne and members of U2, R.E.M.

and the Beastie Boys. Yorke knew all this was coming the minute "OK Computer" was finished. Yeah, sure he did. "It took a year and a half to do, and it was very difficult to be sure of our ground because the ground itself was very unfamiliar," he said. "At the end of it was a week of sleepless nights worrying about it thinking, 'This is not what people are expecting.

Oh God, we're Capitol Records wasn't pleased. There was nothing like "Creep," the 1993 hit song that gave Radiohead its start In fact, there wasn't anything remotely close to a catchy song that radio stations could embrace. "I think some panic buttons were hit which was cool," Yorke said. Capitol came around when the reviews came in and the album showed strong initial sales. Radiohead's music is as demanding of listeners as rock 'n' roll generally gets.

Songs develop slowly and shift dynamics abruptly. Melody is there, but it's not drilled into the brain with repetition. Perhaps because the five members of Radiohead grew up in the post-punk era, the ridiculous elements of "progressive" rock ham-fisted classical references and ponderous solos are missing from what they do. "I never considered it to hp a diffi- 4 Q6dding Bells Are Ringing! Congratulations To These Engaged Couples Who Have Registered Their Gift Preferences At Dillard's, CD ANNUITY 12r282423 GUARANTEED RETURN ZERO FEES OR SALES CHARGES IRA'S SEP'S ALSO QUALITY ZERO MARKET RISK $10,000 MINIMUM ZERO RISK TO PRINCIPAL ShehirtWood Opportunities Stephens Insurance (417)725-8207 (800)733-9730 Jennifer Muehlbach T. Scott Lee Ruth Ann Wood John Lewis Humiston Shelley Hogan Jeffrey Fielder Amy Francka Brian Perkins Kerry Ragan Michael Miller Celinda Starkey Jeffrey Welch Elizabeth Wood Joseph Ortbals Jennifer Stuart Paul James Amanda Monroy Boyd Carr Beth Nilges Mark Hecker Kim Auten Michael Slavens Bridgette Kopecky Gary Leonard Rana Bauer John Post Stacey Taylor Keith Matlock Amy Wagasy Lance Robbins Julie Waggoner Dion Webb Lisa Miller Joel Conover Sundee Woodring John Leingang Tara Parks Troy Hines Korin Nelson James Gulshen Jennifer Voyles Matthew Martin Marilyn Meyer Loren Broaddus Sarah C.

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