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™

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7

40 - Friday, December 11, 1998 — North Shore News

Bob Mackin’s
top 10 CDs

HERE are the 10
compact dises that
spent the most time in
my CD player over the
last 12 months.

#10) Sinead Lohan — I
Am No Mermaid
(Universal)

Treland’s other Sinead has
lots of hair. a milder attitude
and a brighter future.

#9) Sonic Youth — A
Thousand Leaves (DGC)
Al Thousand Lraves contains
IT songs by New York's fib-
ulous four -- Thurston
Moore, Kim Gordon, Lee
Ranaldo and Steve Siielley.
The Allen Ginsberg tribute
Hits of Sunshine is a true
highlight.

§ 8) Veda Hille — Here Is
A Picture: Songs for E.
Carr (Page)

The Commercial Drive
denizen outdid herself with
an ambitious concept album
based on the writings of
British Columbia’s greatest
visual artist, Emily Carr.
87) Sun Ra — Space Is
The Place (Impulse)

OK, so it was recorded in
1973. But it was restored
and re-released in 1998 to
celebrate the 25th anniver-
sary of the finest moments
of the late Sun Ra —~ a
weird and wondertul
jazzman who claimed to be
from Saturn.

96) Mudhoney —
Tomorrow Hit Today
(Reprise)

The Seattle quartet that
defined grunge doesn’t
record much anymore. But
when it does, you can
expect nothing less than
excellence. This time a dif:
ferent producer and socially
conscious lyrics from singer
Mark Arm signal a change
for the better.

@5) The Evaporators — I
Gotta Rash! (Nardwuar)
North Shore treasure
Nardwuar the Human
Serviette gives us another
bargain CD /vinyl package.
This one includes the topical
Subarto Stomp — preceded
by Jean Chretici's famed
APEC pepper soundbite.

@ 4) Tuatara — Trading
With the Enemy (Epic)
REM guitarist Perer Buck’s
other bad dishes up its see-
ond plete of exotic world
music and jazz. Infinitely
more interesting than
REM’s latest.

M3) Mark Lanegan —
Scraps at Midnight (Sub
Pop)

The smokey-voiced
Screaming Trees’ singer
takes another solo diversion
with an album that’s best
described as a spaghetti
western mavie soundtrack
waiting for a movie.

2) Propeilerheads —-
Decksandrumsandroc: itd
roll (DreamWorks)

The British electronica duo
of Alex Gitford and Wilf
White cooked up the
hippest slab of beats and
bytes of the year, Cant help
but appreciate the irony of
History Repeating, the
theme song of cyclical pop
culture trends.

@ 1) Grant Lee Buffalo —
Jubilee (Slash)

There are some 30,000 CDs
released cach year, which
means gems like Grant Lee
Buffalo's Jubilee are bound
to get overlooked by radio’s
gatekeepers. Singer/guitarist
Grant Lee Phillips and ~

= drummer Jocy Peters pro-

duced rock and roll’s sleeper
album of 1998.
~~ Bob Mackin

LORRI MEL Oy
a

NEWS photo Bob Mackin

HAITIAN band Boukman Eksperyans put on one of the best shows of 1998 when
they performed at North Vancouver's Under the Volcano festival in August.

Top concerts of the year

B10) Royal Grand Prix,
Starfish Room, Jas. 17.

A pinch of the Ramones and
a dash of Z »p plas a tad
of Cheap Trick equals
Vancouver's Royal Grand
Prix. What an equation!
What a show!

® 9) Neil Finn, Vegue
Theatre, Aug. 7

Ex-Split Enz and Crowded
House frontman mases his
first solo foray to the west
coast. He introduces guitar-
playing teenage son Liam
who'll be a star in his own
right someday.

8) Ashley MacIsaac with
the Vancouver Symphony,
Grouse Mountain, July 26
What a pleasure to spend the
hottest day of the vear atop
the North Shore for a sum-
mit meeting of Celtic and
classical music.

& 7) Rheostatics. Richard’s
on Richards, Jan. 28
While the Rolling Stones
tacked B.C. Place, Toronto's
finest four offered nearly
three-hours of uninterrupted
musical bliss to their devoted
fans.

8 6) Jon Spencer Blues
Explosion, the Rage, Oct.
27

Don’t you dare tell con-
summate showman Jon
Spencer that rock and roll is
dead!

@ 5) Boukman Eksperyans

at Under the Volcano,
Cates Park, Aug. 16

The ninth annual anti-
palooza stays true to its
independent roots, but man-
ages to score a coup by
attracting one of Haiti's
biggest acts.

@ 4) DOA’s 20th anniver-
sary, Starfish Room, Feb.
27

Like the Energizer bunny,
Joey Keithley just keeps on
going and going. After a set
of new material with his new
rhythm seetion, he slowly
tilled the stage with DOA
alumni until there was ne
room left to stand or amps
co plug into.

@ 3) Paula Cole at Lilith
Fair, Thunderbird
Stadium, Aug. 31

I guess Sarah McLachlan
doesn’: care if she gets
upstaged once in awhile,
even on her home turf.
Paula Cole didn’t have

the lights or dazzling

stage set that the headliner
did, but she did have the
musical diversity to snag
the queen’s crown on this
dav.

& 2) Pearl Jam, Pacific
Coliseum, July 19

ft rook nearly five years for
Searttie’s arena rock heroes
to make another trek north
of the border, but it was well
worth the wait.

GRANT Lee Buffalo’s Jump — the sleeper of 1998.

1) 54-40, Vogue
Theatre, Nov. 28

54-40’s two-hour career
retrospective — highlighted
by songs from its brilliant
Since When album — was
an extra special treat on the
final night of a cross-country
tour,

Back-up singer Coco Love
Alcorn, who honed her eratt
at Carson Graham, ought to
be made the band’s fitth
member.

—- Boli Mackin

Michaei Becker’s top 10 CDs

[liked this music very much in 1998. Ten to
hang on to:
@ Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Cools Ville Records/EMI-
Capital 1998,

Hey Min Wing Pips. this disc sseangs non-stop bard, just
the wary Cab Calloway sould have os d
BThe McGarrigke Hour, Hascibal/Rykodise, 1998,
HNCD 1417

Musical pals, children, present partners and ex significant
others gather round the
hearth for warm songs and

honest musicianship. i
@ Billy Bragy & Wilco — i ee
Mermaid Avenue, Elektra | . .. BH ARES .
e ~ 4

1998, 62204

For this special project
Bragg and America rockers
Wileo had access te over
1.000 complete lyrics len
behind by American folk leg
end Woody Guthrie. Fifteen
surface here with tunes writ
ten in posthumous collaboration. A glorious and ragged affair.
@ Metalwood 2, 1998, MAX-0059

Groovacious tusion deluxe trom four fantastic young
Canadian players. This dise bubbles and cooks.

@ Alvin Youngblood Hart — Territory, Hannibal
Rvykodisc 1998 HNCD 1431]

Hard evidence of just how deeply the blues can move the
spirit. The dise is wholly engaging throughout, ranging from
ska to electric Zappa-like excursions, western swing, waltz-
time and stark balladry.

Frank Black and the catholics, Sonic Unyor Records
1998, suncd048

The Pisies had a good ride on the alternative pop wave.
The defunct band’s frontman lives to ride the riffs again on
this, his best solo outing to date. Play it loud, young rocking
dudes and dudettes.

@ Dodgy — ACE A’s + Killer B's, A&M Records 1998,
314 541 018-2

Paisley toned Brit kids play way up high on that wiggly
wall of mutti-lavered vocal harmonies, jangly guitars and pol-
ished brass fills.

BP) Harvey — Is This Desire?, Island Records 1998, 314
524 563-2

Pop’s most enigmatic mistress mucks about with forces of
nature. Lots of buzzing instruments and dangerous whispers.
Moody and compeliing.

Mi Galactic -- Crazyhorse Mongoose, Capricorn Records
1998, 314-558-842-2

Nutritious soul, funk and jazz gumbo from a hor band our
of New Orleans. Gritty jams throughout.

& Faithless — Sunday 8PM, Arista Records 1998, 07822-
19029-2

Hear how beat, tricky mixing, smart sampling and soulful
Iyries can actually come together for something utterly intosi-
cating.

— Michael Becker

Send a Photo of Your Pet for our

1998 Pet Album

Hey furball, “you ~

! hear these are
actual size.

Actual size of Pet Greetings. —
Greetings do sot include the comic balloons!

What d’ya
mean actual size?
Rm I'm a BIG dog!

FOR JUST
$1 00

ors)

Prizes for cutest pet and

ofher random prizes for

pet gift certificates.

B And to put a bit more more ‘Ho-Ho' in
- your photo, let us know if you would like
Reindeer Antiers ©, a Santa Hat

or just your pet Si!

4 PET'S NAME

I NAME of MASTER/MISTRESS

ADDRESS
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8 prone cH)

i DOG «CATS COTHER

E cHequea visa
A carse

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eum som nent ws cr acess soem comes moe mee cos mall
Deadline for submissions is December 17. Please attach picture
Of pet and include a SASE so we may return fhe photo to you.

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