From: owner-seven-seas@smoe.org (seven-seas-moderated-digest) To: seven-seas-moderated-digest@smoe.org Subject: seven-seas-moderated-digest V2 #160 Reply-To: seven-seas@smoe.org Sender: owner-seven-seas@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-seven-seas@smoe.org Precedence: bulk seven-seas-moderated-digest Monday, May 26 2003 Volume 02 : Number 160 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 24 May 2003 09:28:55 -0600 From: "K. F. Smith" Subject: seven-seas-moderated RewiReviews.com http://www.rewireviews.com/IanMcCullochSlideling.asp As nice as it's been to have Echo & The Bunnymen back a third time around, apart from a smattering of brilliant singles, 1999's What Are You Going To Do With Your Life? is the band's only consistent return to glory, and guitarist Will Sergeant has proclaimed it as basically an Ian McCulloch solo album. So, perhaps what we've been waiting for after all is a resumption of Mac's solo career. Because regardless of whether he's co-opting shades of Lou Reed in the gritty and chugging riffs of album opener 'Love In Veins' and the sliding 'Sweet Jane' bass of 'Baby Hold On' or roping in Coldplay's Chris Martin and Jonny Buckland to give 'Arthur' an ominous OK Computer modernity, McCulloch remains one of the most distinctive voices in the business. If things start to drag in the direction of the Bunnymen's Flowers, Mac kicks the chorus into high gear in his trademark croaky and wheezy fashion ('Another Train'). And on 'High Wires' the rhythm section snaps in a way that it hasn't since Les Pattinson and Pete de Freitas were still in the fold. 'She Sings (All My Life)' is classic Bunnymen, the blueprint that the Jesus & Mary Chain must have tapped into when they wanted to clean up and find some sunshine circa Stoned & Dethroned. And leave it to McCulloch to have the balls to save the best for last (and not even list it on the back cover): 'Stake Your Claim' rivals the aforementioned Mary Chain in postpunk swagger, piling on layer after layer of controlled distortion and Sergeant-like 'Lips Like Sugar' riffs, and ups the ante on uplifting album finales like 'Ocean Rain' and 'All My Life' as about five McCulloch's sing in the round, "Know what I want now/ know what I want now". Ah, so do I: more of this. 8. -sfenn/may 2003 Further listening: Mysterio (1992) 7. Candleland (1989) 9. ====================================== The Official Seven-Seas Web Page. www.bunnymenlist.com ====================================== ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 24 May 2003 09:33:28 -0600 From: "K. F. Smith" Subject: seven-seas-moderated Billboard Magazine http://www.billboard.com/bb/reviews/album_article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id = 1894153 The best Ian McCulloch solo moment is still the 1992 single "Lover Lover Lover," and that was a cover of a Leonard Cohen song. Depressingly, the extended Echo & the Bunnymen reunion has also yielded more wishful thinking than any true rock'n'roll sparks. Doing nothing to disturb this trend, Slideling is tastefully produced, temperately performed, and utterly forgettable. Coldplay's Chris Martin and Jonny Buckland add characteristic touches to two songs, "Arthur" and the title track, although that does little to lift those numbers above the wan level of the rest. There is nothing on this bloodless, even tuneless album that would indicate that it's the product of the poetic rocker who once sang the Bunnymen's thrilling "The Back of Love" and "Killing Moon."-BB ====================================== The Official Seven-Seas Web Page. www.bunnymenlist.com ====================================== ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 24 May 2003 09:37:45 -0600 From: "K. F. Smith" Subject: seven-seas-moderated Eye [Toronto] http://www.eye.net/eye/issue/issue_05.22.03/music/ondisc.html Ian McCulloch's career has had its doldrums, but when he gets to the bottom, he gets back to the top of the slide. While taking time off from Echo & The Bunnymen, Will Sergeant is spacing out with atmospheric guitaronica and Mac has cast off his trenchcoat, enlisting friends like John Simm (from 24 Hour Party People), Jonny Buckland and Chris Martin (from Coldplay, the "second greatest band in the world," says Mac) to make an engaging, summery record. He gives full vent to his fondness for Leonard Cohen and (especially) Lou Reed on worldly, jangly tunes; he may not be as self-consciously crafty a wordsmith as either, but he more than makes up for it by singing figure eights around both. "Light up my lonely life," croons Mac; on Slideling, there are enough chiming guitars, arm-waving choruses, ba-da-bas, doo-doo-doos and la-la-las to do just that. MIKE DOHERTY Ian McCulloch plays Lee's Palace May 24. ====================================== The Official Seven-Seas Web Page. www.bunnymenlist.com ====================================== ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 24 May 2003 23:55:01 +0100 From: "Noose Boy" Subject: seven-seas-moderated Slideling/Slidling Apologies if this has been covered but anyone know why the LP is Slideling and the track Slidling? ====================================== The Official Seven-Seas Web Page. www.bunnymenlist.com ====================================== ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 24 May 2003 19:39:43 -0500 (CDT) From: Amy Moseley Rupp Subject: seven-seas-moderated Re: seven-seas Slideling/Slidling > Apologies if this has been covered but anyone know why the LP is > Slideling and the track Slidling? Read somewhere (was it here?) that someone connected with the recording wrote "Sliding" incorrectly as "Slideling" and Mac liked the latter word. It sure is a confusing tonguetwister! Perhaps a slideling is a small child who is playing on a slide? ;-) - --Amy ====================================== The Official Seven-Seas Web Page. www.bunnymenlist.com ====================================== ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 25 May 2003 21:52:02 -0400 From: "David & Bernice Whiting" Subject: seven-seas-moderated OT: Mark Burgess US solo tour Alright folks, I apologize for going off topic here, but I know there are some Chameleons fan around here. Mark Burgess is doing a solo tour here next month and the reviews from across the pond have been very positive, thus far (2.5 hour sets). Here is the schedule for those who might be interested: 6/17 The Troubadour - Los Angeles - confirmed 6/18 open 6/19 The Detroit Bar - Costa Mesa - confirmed 6/20 Que Sera - Long Beach - confirmed 6/21 Las Vegas - Cafe Expresso Roma - confirmed 6/22 Santa Barbara t.b.c. ?? 6/23-6/25 San Francisco (1 or 2 shows here) venue(s) tba 6/26 open 6/27 Subterranean - Chicago - confirmed 6/28 Knitting factory - New York - opening for Cinerama - conf. tickets now on sale 6/29 Maxwell's - New Jersey - confirmed - tickets now on sale 6/30 DC - Black Cat - Backstage - confirmed - tickets at door 7/1 Baltimore - Talking Head 7/2 10 High - Atlanta - confirmed - tickets on sale soon - www.DarkHorseAtlanta.com 7/3 & 7/4 off 7/6 Orlando - Will's Pub - 7/7 Tampa/Dunedin - Dunedin Brewery - confirmed- tickets handled by WMNF - http://www.oceanbreezewebs.com/dunedin/ ====================================== The Official Seven-Seas Web Page. www.bunnymenlist.com ====================================== ------------------------------ End of seven-seas-moderated-digest V2 #160 ******************************************