July 21, 2002

Rolling stoned
The Rolling Stones are the grand old men of rock. Well beyond retirement age, these old geezers are still plugging away, playing globetrotting gigs in stadia across the six inhabited continents. But even though they might be making total fools of themselves in the process, what is featured on Hot Rocks: The Very Best of the Rolling Stones 1964-1971, is a collection of amazing blues-based rock standards that helped launch the careers of every raunchy frontman from Steven Tyler to Anthony Kiedis.

The double-disc does an excellent job of culling material from the Stones early and middle periods. Covers like the touchy-feely, soulful Time is on my side and almost folky Play with fire showcase the Stones considerable range in that formative period. Satisfaction, with its instantly recognizable riff, is such an established part of music lore, that it was recently covered by — horror of horrors — Britney Spears. The brash Get off of my cloud gives way to the galloping, jangly rhythms of Paint it black. The strange combination of bass and xylophone in Under my thumb should take one’s mind off its incredibly misogynistic lyrics, which will definitely cheese off the armchair feminist.

In Ruby Tuesday, Mick Jagger and the lads strike a less threatening pose. With Brown Sugar, Jagger and company try their hardest to prove that these white boys have a soul.

Disc 2 opens with the pent-up rage of Jumpin Jack Flash. This is one hell of a nursery rhyme. The Stones get political with the anthemic hooliganism of Street Fighting Man. The sitar on this one adds a totally wicked element to the tune. Sympathy for the devil is a mischievous little tune about our buddy Mephistopheles, based on a sparse piano riff and lots of percussion. The sprawling You can’t always get what you want rounds off the tail end of the second disc. With a choir providing the majestic intro, this marathon track works its way thorough various peaks and valleys of offbeat lyrics and acoustic strumming into an explosive finale.

The Stones might be about 25 years past their prime. But one should pick up this collection to hear for oneself why this band actually mattered — once upon a time. —Q.M.

A spirited tune
With Bryan Adams and Academy Award winner Hans Zimmer at the helm of affairs, the soundtrack of Spirit: stallion of the Cimarron rocks two music worlds — western rock and wild, raging rock.

The movie covers the story of a wild horse and how it ruled the wild American frontiers until it met man. Starting the lineup is Here I am. Guitars are important instruments while making music, the bass, hollow and electric appliances tune well here, thanks to Zimmer’s composition. Adams energetic vocals also pitch effectively to produce a heartbreaker, which addresses the birth of a child. I will always return is a sad tale of lost love and wars. Over here, Adams defines Spirit’s (the horse) capture, but also warns of the emotion and determination with which he will fight for his freedom. In You can’t take me, Spirit gets roughed up when defying all odds. He preserves his pride by challenging the calvary who is trying to break him. The breaking continues (with chorus this time) in Get off my back, a funny but well tuned song. A lot of kicking and riding goes into the song where violins and drums orchestrate the situation. Side A ends with defeat and disgrace with the instrumental Sound the bugle. Still the message is to stand tall with grace no matter what.

Side B is filled with instrumentals that are sweet, not-so-sweet and resentful. Run free, Rain and The long road back are some of the few which move the heart and soul. Zimmer is known for making award-winning soundtracks. He made the soundtrack for the Oscar winning Disney classic Lion King. Spirit’s soundtrack is for the young and old alike. Adams is no novice when it comes to rendering good music for any situation. The tracks are just right for an energetic youth who wants action all the time. —Khurrum Anis