Inter...

Rip It Up, Issue 220, 1 December 1995, Page 10

Inter...

ROLLING STONES Voodoo Lounge CD Rom (Virgin) You have been cordially invited to attend one of the exclusive Rolling Stones parties in the Voodoo Lounge — a centuries old Louisiana mansion that has been converted into a wicked house of pleasure by it’s mysterious owner, Baron Samedi. Amongst the leather-clad party goers you will meet the various Stone idols in their natural surroundings, from Keith taking a leak in the little boys’ room to Mick making the moves in the little girls’ room. If you’re important enough, you may acquire a VIP pass which will access you to the debauched Baron’s bathroom or the groupie laden VIP bar — but how many computer generated rock babes does one need?

The real enjoyment for the fan lies in the numerous portraits hanging on the walls. When clicked on these pictures reveal actual live and interview footage never seen before. All the emphasis is on the Voodoo Lounge tour and album so don’t expect to hear ‘Gimme Shelter’ or ‘Tumbling Dice’ playing in the background, but the the golden Keith quotes throughout justify the purchase. Voodoo Lounge is more user friendly than previous interactive music CDs, such as the Bob Dylan one, and is the first with a bent sense of rock ’n’ roll. AARON PRESTON • Record companies are embracing Enhanced CD (E-CD) formats for many new releases. These audio compact discs play both in a CD player and in a CD Rom drive. Sony and Philips have named their Enhanced CD format CD Plus. It uses a stamped multi-session technology. CD Plus may be the name that catches on with the public. The first releases in New Zealand are the Rolling Stones’ Stripped (Virgin), the Cranberries’ Doors and Windows (Polygram) and Kulcha Doom (Warners). • New Enhanced CD Releases scheduled are: Supermodels in the Rainforest (Right Stuff/EMI) — allows you to do your own photo session with the models to music by Duran Duran, Soul II Soul, Enigma etc.

Soundgarden Alive in the Superunknown (A&M) — “A lot of what we do is visually inclined,” says Kim Thayil, “So, it’s a natural step to take our music and create a new experience based on it.” Michael Jackson History (Sony). Randy Newman Faust (Reprise) Monster Magnet I Talk to Planets (Polygram) — “it’s about getting inside our minds. It’s really trippy,” says the band’s Dave Wyndorf.

• New CD-Rom titles: Sting All This Time — Sting on who has influenced him, scenes from his movies, interviews and performance (Starwave). Devo Presents the Adventures of the Smart Patrol — a game created by Devo’s Gerald Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh with new music (Inscape). Residents Bad Day on the Midway — a game (Inscape). BB King On the Road With BB King — a tour bus travels through his career from the 30s to today (MCA). Peter Gabriel Eve (Starwave). MTV Unplugged. Queensryche Promised Land (EMI). Forest Gump Music Artists and Times (GTE).

• You can listen to audio samples of Shihad (and tour dates) via the web site of their Northern Hemisphere record label Noise, at http://www. noiserecords .com

• Meatloaf has an online site to coincide with the release of his album Welcome to the Neighbourhood. The site reportedly features a downloadable Meatloaf screen saver and a mystery game. The online site is http://www.meatloaf.mca.com

• Flying Nun don’t have a date for their planned web site but they can be contacted via E-mail at info@flyingnun.co.nz. In the meantime, Flying Nun recommend the net site kiwimusic@mit.edu

• Everything But the Girl have a 60 page worldwide web site created by the band’s Ben Watt at http://www.ebtg.com