10

54

Fifty-four forty. It isa number. It is a band. In fact, it is a great band. For those poor souls ignorant to the goings on in Charlottetown, 54-40 is a great band who played at the barn on September 11 to a huge crowd.

In what was their first visit to this fair Isle, ina career that spans around fifteen years, this Neil Osborne fronted band managed to reel in all kinds of fans including, I am sure, the quasi-fans who's somewhat misappropriated devotion sprouts from the Hootie cover of "I Go Blind." The true 54- 40 devotees were out in full force singing along to all the hits that the band has had over the years.

Hamilton's power pop sensation, the Killjoys, started the evening off with a set that lasted about an hour and made me wantto sing "I Go Deaf." It was SO loud! Not being a fan of the Killjoys, puts a damper on any kind of good review I would give them, but they do put ona live show that is com- parable to their recordings, so for those people that are fans ofthese boys, it was most likely an enjoyable set. I have one question though? What was with the cowboy hat? Are glam rockers here to stay?

54-40 took the stage af- ter a small light show that in- troduced the Canadian rock veterans to the stage. Half way through the set, Osborne took

off his hat and stated "This is my haircut,” referring to his newly shorn locks which were

The Panther Prints

AUBDIOD LL

"40

first seen in the new video for "She Lies To Me,” and then proceeded to belt out the song of the same name. Definitely one of the best pieces of stage banter I have witnessed in re- cent history. Sure they con- trived it, but it was smoothly delivered.

Hit after hit was played throughout the hour and a half- set that seemed to fly by. The set list ranged from "She-La" (from the album "Dear Dear"), to "I Go Blind" (from the al- bum Sweeter Things: A Com- pilation) to "Assolholic" (from the Smiling Buddah Cabaret album) to "Love You All" (from the practically brand spankin' new album Trusted By Millions). All the big ones and a few not-so top forty, but beautifully crafted all the same. The show seemed flawless: an arena rock concert in a little barn. It was, to put it simply, excellent.

It is definitely going to be hard to find a show at the Barn in the future that will rival this one in quality, but it will sure be worth a try.

WE NEED YOUR BOD

THE PANTHER PRINTS NEEDS A

STUDENT-AF-LARGE FOR OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS.

STUDENTS SHOULD NOT BE PREVIOUSLY INVOLVED WITH EITHER THE PAPER OR THE SU.

FOR DETAILS CALL AL AT 566-0629

Sept 17, 1996

by Marko Peric

Rebecca St. James God (Forefront)

Gravity Kills Gravity Kills

Driving beats and great lyrics characterize this self-ti- tled CD from Gravity Kills. Perhaps best known from the “Mortal Kombat” soundtrack, this group describe themsleves as noisemakers, but their music is far from just noise. Using combinations of unusual sounds, (ie., car horns, techno, synthesizer...), they create a sound which is somewhere be-

tween hard rock and alterna-

tive. People who enjoyed the “Mortal Kombat” soundtrack ill enjoy Gravity Kills.

_ Coralie Gill

Afro Celt Sound Systerm Volume 1: Sound Magic

Imagine African drum beats, tin whistle, bagpipes, and a touch of techno all rolled up into one CD and you have Afro Celt Sound System's first al- bum. Surprisingly, this is an excellent CD. The music is unique, fun to listen to and lends itself well to dancing. At the very least, this colourful CD looks neat. I would recommend Sound Magictoanyone looking | for something a bit different.

Coralie Gill

If you do not remember Rebecca St. James’ previous self-titled album, don’t worry. This sounds nothing like it. The sweet little pop vocals are gone, as is the light and cheerful music. This new CD is edgy, hardhitting, and at times downright loud. Musically, some people have drawn comparisons to Alanis Morissette. Lyrically, however, St. James is her own person -- she wrote more than half the songs on the disc, and the messages are often very clear.

Apart from the title track, some other tunes really stand out. “That’s What Matters” is an interesting song based on the book of Ecclesiastes, and “Me Without You” is a fun, cleverly- worded track. As for the other songs on this disk, that will depend on your musical preference. The disc might not be for everyone, but this reviewer enjoyed it.