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Q-Tip Amplified (Arista)
Straight up: Is it even conceivable that Q-Tip, formerly of one of
hip-hop's all-time most innovative groups, A Tribe Called Quest,
could release a solo album anything less than brilliant? Tribe's
last album, The Love Movement, may have been weak, but
when Q-Tip resurfaced this summer with his hit single "Vivrant
Thing," his skills were as potent as ever. That cut joins twelve
others on Amplified, where the Queens, N.Y., MC lays down
jazzy grooves that sound closer to the organic soul of Stevie
Wonder's Innervisions than the high-gloss, cookie-cutter
rap coming out of both coasts' mainstream hip-hop camps. Q-Tip may
be the Abstract Kid, but his jams are still suited to either
top-down driving, dancefloor bouncing, or quiet-time chilling. True
enough, then, that Q-Tip can write visceral roof-raisers
(especially the ultra-funky "Higher"), but most of the tracks are
so much more rewarding if you plant your ass in the seat and listen
closely. Old friend Busta Rhymes shows up on "N.T." and "End of
Time" features a cameo from Korn, but Q's best when he rocks the
mic solo. His flow? It's like butter, baby. As the man himself
explains on the album's hidden thirteenth song, "I'm still here,
take notes and let hope float."(JENNY ELISCU)
Guns n' Roses Live Era '87 - '93 (Geffen)
If ever there was a contender for a "What the Hell Took You So
Long?" award, this is it. A live Guns n' Roses set was overdue even
back in the day when they indulged in such nonsense as releasing
multiple albums on the same day and recording throw-away punk
covers. Now, several years -- and musical revolutions -- down the
line, a double live album from the long-dead original version of
the band finally surfaces. Some will scoff; many more might not
even give a s---. Pray for these fools, because they're f------
crazy. Bar a couple of exceptions, the twenty-one tracks on
Live Era capture one of the last truly great American rock
& roll bands in peak form, tearing ruthlessly through more than
two hours of the most dangerous beautiful noise to ever ignite a
club or shake a stadium. The guitars still slash (pun intended) and
burn like Attilla the Hun on a rampage, the hooks still rip your
heart in two and when Axl Rose introduces "Welcome to the Jungle"
by screaming, "Wake up...time to diiiiiiie!" you just know you're
gonna get hurt. And the songs! When was the last time a bridge
floored you like that sucker punch at the end of "Rocket Queen"?
The band's cover of "Live and Let Die" didn't make it on here, but
songs as brilliantly crafted as "Rocket Queen" and "Estranged"
would have done McCartney proud in his prime. Quibbles? Sure. A
little identification on where and when the different tracks were
recorded -- if only to know, say, when you're hearing Gilby Clarke
on rhythm instead of Izzy Stradlin -- would have been nice. And
surely a couple of the ten songs here from Appetite for
Destruction could have been swapped for another gem or two
from the Use Your Illusion albums ("My Michelle" or even
"Mr. Brownstone" for the underrated "Dead Horse" or the magnificent
"Civil War" would have been a sweet trade). But one good shot of
the terrifyingly intense "Out Ta Get Me," "Pretty Tied Up" or
pretty much any other random cut here and all the minor
shortcomings are forgiven. Grab the nearest available Mansonites or
children of Korn, blast this at them until they're broken down and
shaking like Axl in the old "Jungle" video, and say, "Here kid,
this is how it's done right." (RICHARD SKANSE)
THE ROLLINGSTONE.COM STAFF
(December 1, 1999)