£SoIibat)§ of £Sarmont) !
Holiday music tuned to specific styles available to suit shoppers
By Sarah Baker
Senior staff writer
Although the days of believing in Santa are
probably over for most of us, and we can’t
remember why we ever wanted to get up at 4
a.m., we’re never too old to enjoy some good hoi
I
iday music.
And if it’s Christmas music - or Kwanzaa
music for that matter - you’re after, there are vir
tually hundreds of albums to choose from.
Holiday tunes, whether they have a country
twang, a swingin’ beat, a bluesy twist or a tradi
tional harmony, always seem to bring a festive
warmth into the season no matter what the holi
day celebration.
Most albums feature conventional Christmas
songs, but the wide range of artists who perform
than are sure to suit almost any tastes.
Compilation holiday albums are a popular
choice and are available in almost any genre.
“Star ofWonder, a country Christmas collec
tion” (Arista, 1996) features 12 traditional songs
performed by the likes of classic country group
BR5-49 (“It Came Upon a Midnight Clear”),
Brooks and Dunn (“Cabin in the Valley”) and
Alan Jackson (“Rudolph the Red Nosed
Reindeer).
“The Alligator Records Christmas
Collection” (Alligator Records, 1992) brings
home the holiday blues with songs such as ‘ "Santa
Claus Wants Some Lovin’” performed by Tinsley
Ellis and “I’m Your Santa” by Lil’ Ed and the
ciues imperials.
“Christmas Stocking
Stuffers” (Columbia, 1998)
mixes the old with the new
and gives the gifts of Mariah
Carey singing “O Holy
Night,” Harry Connick Jr.
performing “Sleigh Ride”
and Johnny Mathis moaning
“I’ll Be Home for
Christmas.”
But if it’s the true classics I
you’re after, check out
“Croon and . Swoon”
(Relativity Records, 1998).
The album features 18 clas
sic Christmas tunes per- 1
formed by the masters of
holiday melody making: Tony Bennett, Andy
Williams and Judy Garland, just to name a few.
Although the majority of albums focus on
Christmas, there are still quite a few records out
there for those who don’t observe the holiday.
“The Kwanzaa Album: Women of the
Calabash” (Bermuda Reefs Records, 1998) fea
tures a trio of female artists who sing traditional
music'dedicated entirely to the celebration of
Kwanzaa. The album presents the traditional
songs with a unique mix of vocals in harmony
with a variety of percussion instruments.
“Festival of Light” (Island, 1996) celebrates
the eight days of Hanukkah with a mix of both
traditional ami original music.
The album carries both instrumental and
vocal tracks, including “Rock of Ages - Ma’oz
Tzur” performed by Mark Cohn and an instru
mental version of “Bikkurim” plucked on violins
and the like by the Masada String Trio.
Aitnougn me
songs tend to be
more traditional,
“A Brazilian Chr
istmas” (Astor
Place Record
ings, 1996) spic
es them up with a
South American
twist
“The Christ
mas Song” is per
formed by Dori
Caymmi the way
you would expect
to hear it on an
exotic island,
complete with
bongo-like drumming and happy flutes.
For those who don’t dig tradition but still dig
Christmas, alternatives are out there ready for the
taking.
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An odd mix of altema-Christmas is available
on “G Come all Ye Faithful: Rock for Choice”
(Columbia, 1996).
Unlikely pick Henry Rollins chants “’Twas
the Night Before Christmas” in a very anti-spiri
tual growl, while Bush re-defines a classic in
“Good King Somethingorother”
“Christmas With the Vandals, Oi to the
World!” (Kung Fu Records, 1996) is the obvious
punk choice, with the band rocking out to tunes
such as “Oi to the World” and “Dance of the
Sugarplum Fairies.”
Squirrel Nut Zippers’ “Christmas Caravan”
has to be one of the best Christrhas albums out
there, with offerings of both traditional (“Sleigh
Ride”) and original, often funny tunes such as
“Indian Giver.”
So, whether you’re looking for something
new or wanting to stick to tradition, it’s definitely
going to be a happy holiday season whatever your
listening pleasure.
‘Psycho’ remake
falls short of classic
By Jason Hardy
Senior staff writer
Imagine taking a two-hour eleva
tor ride where you are continually
bombarded with annoying “Muzak”
versions of classic songs by Elvis,
Chuck Berry, James Brown or Buddy
Holly.
Or think of two hours of solitary
confinement with only a handful of
Puff Daddy recordings.
Each scenario is equally painful
and distasteful, but put them together,
and you have the collective experience
of watching director Gus Van Sant’s
new version of “Psycho.”
As Universal Pictures’ latest blun
der, “Psycho” fails miserably to recap
ture the macabre and sensual style of
Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 original mas
terpiece of suspense and horror.
Van Sant’s version falls way short
by changing what never should have
been changed and by poorly imitating
the elements that make Hitchcock’s
version so timeless. Despite being
remade shot for shot, Van Sant still
took some liberties with certain char
acters and scenes - none of which real
ly work.
The most obvious difference
between the two “Psychos” is the
color. Hitchcock chose to shoot the
original in black and white to empha
size shadows and enhance the sus
pense. Van Sant’s color representation
proves Hitchcock’s brilliance by being
much less dramatic and intense.
However, the mere presence of
color isn’t the film’s major flaw. It’s
Van Sant’s use of color that makes it so
diluted. The odd outfits and strangely
lit sets make the new “Psycho” look
like a cross between “Dick Tracy” and
“Silk Stalkings.” The back office of
the Bates Motel, originally eerie with
the outstretched shadows of stuffed
owls and hawks, now seems, well,
cozy.
Also hindering Van Sant’s
“Psycho” is his cast, the worst being
Vince Vaughn’s depiction of the noto
rious Norman Bates. While Bates’
original incarnation, played by the late
Anthony Perkins, seemed calm and
largely genuine, Vaughn seems like a
psycho from beginning to end. His
goofy laugh and tense facial expres
sions are sadistic and maniacal from
the get-go and destroy any notions of
his^ character’s initial innocence.
Though Airne Heche’s portrayal of
Marion Crane isn’t as blatantly wrong
as Vaughn’s acting, it still doesn’t
exactly work. While Vaughn made
Bates too neurotic, Heche made Crane
too calm and collected, which makes
for some problems with the delivery of
certain nervous lines.
Rounding out this rag-tag group is
Viggo Mortensen who plays Sam
I.... lilii—
Courtesy Photo
ANNE HECHE stars as victim Marion Crane in Gus Van Zantfs remake of the Hitchcock classic “Psycho.” The film
has garnered mostly negative critical reviews and failedto knock “A Bug’s Life” out of the box-office top spot.
Loomis, Crane’s semi-secret
boyfriend. For some reason, Van Sant
made the originally smart and straight
laced Sam Loomis into a cowboy doo
fus, and unfortunately, Mortensen is
pretty good at being a doofus.
Aside from the characters and
color, Van Sant also added a few things
- the first being a lovely masturbation
scene. Though it doesn’t show Vaughn
actually strokin’ it, the damage is done
as it makes Bates look like little more
than a 10-year-old pervert. Also added
were a few Oliver Stone-esque images
of stormy clouds and estranged cows
during the two stabbing scenes. None
of these images would have been
needed had Van Sant accurately recre
ated Hitchcock’s initial tension.
Basically, the only good things
about Van Sant’s “Psycho” are good
simply because he did them the same
way Hitchcock did them. The up-close
facial shots on the cop and private
investigator Arbogast (William H.
Macy) still work, as does the shower
scene, which is virtually untouched,
aside from a bit more blood and a
clearer view of Heche’s buttocks. Also
unchanged is the music which, luckily,
isn’t swing or techno.
While Hitchcock’s “Psycho” ends
with a sharp, stabbing, staccato cli
max, Van Sant’s is drawn out, dull and
cheesy. An appropriate ending for an
inappropriate endeavor.
Ultimately the new “Psycho” is a
sad step in the wrong direction for
ns Facts
Tide: "Psycho"
Stars: Vince Vaughn, Anne Heche and
Juiianne Moore
Rating: R (Violence/nudity)
Grade: D+
rwe woras: sue, dduteo version or classic
' • '_!. _ |
both the director and actors who par
ticipated in it. The sad thing is that, like
Puff Daddy, die kids surrounding me
in the theater seemed to love it.
Of course their end reaction was
that “Vince Vaughn is such a hottie.”
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