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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 13, 1998)
_I_ Sandy Si mmers DN JEFF LOOS soon will close the doors of his decade-old business, Backtrack Records. Although the store itself, which is located at 3833 S. 48th St, will shut down, Loos will continue running Backtrack Records solely on the Worldwide Web. Lincoln record store to conduct business on World Wide Web 44 I had this guy from Germany buy a Rolling Stones and Miles Davis album, and he s asking me for a seeond order." Jeff Loos owner of Backtrack Record. By Sean McCarthy Staff Writer A "Going Out Of Business" sale is generally the last reason for celebration for small-business owners. But cele brating is exactly what Jeff Loos is doing. After 10 years of keeping the vinyl business spinning in Lincoln, Loos plans to close Backtrack Records, 3833 S. 48th St., and conduct his business at an entirely new address: http: hack track-records.com. Loos opened Backtrack Records in 1088 with 4.000 vinyl albums in stock. Since then. Loos' holdings have mush roomed to 40.000. Along w ith new and used records. Backtrack Records also sells tapes, compact discs and various rock and blues collectible memorabilia. CANDY CUMMERS/lJiN BACKTRACK RECORDS started with Jeff Loos’ collection of 4,000 albums and, in ten years, has accumulated a stock of about 40,000 albums. The store also sells compact discs, cassettes and rock ‘n’ roll memorabilia. Most of Loos" stock in albums will be available on the Internet as soon as he finishes converting his inventor)' to a database program - a Herculean task for one man. For every album, he must t\pe in everything a buyer wants to know : the title, songs, special notes, price and catalog number. Loos plans to sell most of the tapes and compact discs in the store until it closes and then w ill focus on selling \ in) 1 o\ er the World Wide Web. It was onl\ a sear ago w hen Loos enrolled in a six-hour introductorv computer class at Southeast Community College. Before that, his only computer experience was operat ing the cash register at his store. "At first, 1 used to be scared of a computer,” Loos said. "But it wasn't as tough as most people thought.” In early 1998. Loos got an account on America Online. In April, he created his own Web page and started selling his albums to prospective buyers. Loos Please see RECORDS on 10 Sheryl Crow “The Globe Sessions” PGD/A&M Records Grade: B Sheryl Crow is hopelessly in the middle when it comes to the running pack of female artists in the '90s. She's edgier than most of her Lillith Fair contemporaries, yet she doesn't hav e the theatrical zeal of PJ Harvey or Tori Amos. Less introspective than Liz Phair. not as risk-taking as B|ork, Crow is essentially the Everywoman of the pack. After causing thousands of radios to be smashed in 1994 from the played-to-death "All I Want to Do." Crow continued to fly higher than ever. Soon after, she shocked critics by producing a self-titled album far superior to her smash. "Tuesday Night Music Club" She doesn't change the formu la much on her new album. "The Globe Sessions " And for the first six songs, the formula does not need to be rewritten. Much like on “Sheryl Crow," Crow relies on heavy, groove-oriented R&B to propel her strongest songs. But on "The Globe Sessions." it appears that Crow is relying more on blues and less on rhythm. It's a decent risk, and for the most part, it pays off. But Crow does not have the chops developed vet to trade off riffs w ith the likes of Bonnie Raitt. Her v oice is close to sounding like a seasoned blues artist, however. This may be because of her personal life situa tions. Having dealt with the backlash of stardom from displeased fans and the death of a close friend, loss permeates "The Globe Sessions." "Am 1 Getting Through," "Crash and Burn" and the first single, “My Favorite Mistake,” all deal with deteriorating relationships. “It Don't Hurt” deals with the post-breakup blues. 1 he Globe Sessions rails dangerously close to sinking mid way through the album. After a promising first half, blandness sets in with the trio of songs “Anything But Down." "The Difficult ICind" and “Members Only." “Anything But Down" is pure generic rock straight out of the Skynard bible, and "Members Only" is a com pletely forgettable ditty. The only decent song toward the end of the album is “M ississippi,” an outtake from Bob Dylan’s "Time Out of Mind’’ sessions. Still, “The Globe Sessions” is a worthy purchase. It falls short in harnessing the power of Crow’s last album, but it proves that she is definitely an artist that will be around for a while. It may not be the album you choose to sit down and listen intensely to, but it works just fine while you study or work around the house. Call it background mtiMC a an a soul. Scan McCarthy
