A Chaotic Release

And so, a mere 10 months after The Gold Experience s release we happily had another release to play with, 0(+>'s second album proper,Chaos and Disorder. No unhappy shots of 0(+> emanate from the sleeve,unlike Gold and Come, just his tearful left eye at the centre of a vinyl record,ungracefully smashed underfoot by a dirty boot, (though not a high-heeled one). 0(+>'s own moniker has been reduced to a ragged red smudge of it s former golden glory. The inside sleeve features more dirty images,a heart down the toilet, indicating his life,(his music?),going down the pan. Pictures of his past glories, guitars, awards, scattered carelessly, Prince is done with,all to a blood-stained background.A surreal card of matches,as if taken from the negatives of a photo, negativity the appropriate term here I think,or perhaps indicating that Warners will never be a match for him. A dollar bill wrapped inside a used syringe, blood money taken as part of his contract with WEA.The usual thanks be 2 God,and a message indicating the finality of the work, the last original 0(+> material for WEA.Significantly we are told May U live 2 see the dawn, an event we perhaps thought had already occurred with the wedding and opening of the internet site. Clearly things are not going to plan in 0(+>'s scheme of things. Instead of the protests and desires to get out of the contract, this cover just says Fuck U Warners!

So to the music.The title track kicks things off nicely, a squall of rock guitars and a disillusioned lyric warning about becoming too content,as things will turn against u. I like it there is an unashamed slab of cock rock,free of any distracting flourishes, it's a straightahead rock workout which I happily admit has me banging my head like a mad thing, as 0(+> screams his head off and freewheels his way through a frenzied testimonial to testosterone. The kind of song I love to hear from him and the best track on the album.

On hearing Dinner with delores on the radio initially, I liked it but thought it very lowkey for a single. Suffice to say its gentle but pacy guitar has charmed me in time, along with the delightfully sung lyrics, as 0(+> recounts the tale of a persistent, shallow admirer,only after one thing from him-Women eh!Sex mad!My introduction to The Same December came with the video played before the 1995 tour,and my reaction at first was that it had a very good chorus.On hearing it properly on record,it sounded like two songs pasted together,one with a stomping rock and roll chorus, the other with a verse sung in a slight whineThe two do mesh with repeated listening though, to a really good song relating how we should concentrate on the important things in life, not getting bogged down by triviality.

I awaited the arrival of Right the Wrong with trepidation, hearing from different sourcs about 0(+>'s venture into country and western.Rubbish!Just because he sings granpaw/yeehaw in a song doesn't mean its country, in the same way that screaming "gettupah" classes a record as funk. Far from being the worst song of his career as one critic wrote, I liked it, and the chorus is pleasing enough Zannalee we should all be familiar with,although slightly reworked, adding on similar sound effects as he did to the updated Endorphinmachine-a fine bluesy rocker.

I Rock, Therefore I Am is almost an extension of Days of Wild in the funky attitude of the lyrics, and at last with the shared vocal, Rosie Gaines has a chance o make her presence felt.Personally,I think Rosie s voice isn't best suited to this album, where it can get buried under the heavy instrumentation of the few songs she's on. She was best utilized amongst the melody and balladry of the Diamonds and Pearls album,where her voice complimented and accompanied Prince's - she's too good to be just a background vocalist. The two songs she should have played a big part in, Into the Light and I Will, and she is nowhere to be heard. The former is gentle and lifting and on first hearing it, I was drifting along quite happily, unaware it had segued into _I_Will_, until I noticed the repeated use of the title. _I_Will_ is a bit too twee for my liking,the weakest track on the album.

Dig U better dead has 0(+> defending his right to die and live again over a light but punchy funk,with a catchy chorus. If we're graced with anymore singles from this album I'd love to hear this and I like it there all over the radio.Had U is an intriguing closer to the album, with 0(+> running the gamut from yearning,persuasion,seduction to resentment and indifference in the minimum of lyrics.Forget the one-night-stand,here we have the one-minute-stand. The music carries you along,sounding like something THAT transylvanian count might play in between bites. Weird but wonderful.

After two plays I liked this album a hell of a lot. None of the songs I would label great (but the second track is getting there), and there isn't one bad song in sight. Rosie Gaines' return to the fold was overplayed in my opinion,and maybe the label of a rock album is overstretching the mark somewhat, just over half the tracks apply.

Summary: another fine album in what is destined to become 0(+>'s underrated period.