Page 6-Sunday, September 17, 1978-The Michigan Doily R E C 0 R D i New in town? For the latest in news, entertainment, sports ... you should subscribe to LR .e AiRtbignta Call 764-0558 to order your subscrip- tion. .. delivered to your door Tues- day-Saturday JOHN HUSTON'S 1961 Power In The Darkness Tom Robinson Band Harvest STB-11778 sixties into movements toward social change hasn't been completely forgot- ten. Tom Robinson remembers what idealism is - a fierce determination to overcome all obstacles in the way of a better future. The front cover of the Tom Robinson Band's first album, Power In The Darkness, sports a massive clenched fist. The back cover includes quotations by Eric Idle, William Burroughs, and The Clash, and a pitch for Rock Against Racism, a campaign by musicians and rock fans against 6ppression and tyranny. The inside sleeve features the gay switchboard telephone numbers for Los Angeles and New York. THE ALBUM, which includes one full-length LP and one 12-inch, seven- song EP, contains songs with titles like "(Sing if You're) Glad To Be Gay," "Up Against the Wall," "Ain't Gonna Take It," and "Better Decide Which Side You're On." Yes, the Tom Robinson Band (TRB) is a political band. But unlike New Wave groups like The Clash, The Stranglers, and the .late, great Sex Pistols, who cover political themes with chaotic, often} vicious music, TRB uses an old-fashioned rock style derived from electrified folk bands. The band, including Robinson on bass and lead vocals, "Dolphin"- Taylor on drums, THE MISFITS Starring CLARK GABLE, MARILYN MONROE, MONTGOMERY CLIFT, THELMA RITTER & ELI WALLACH and a Screenplay by Arthur Miller. This film revolves around a bunch of neurotic present day cowboys, interesting writing, dynamic and inventive direction and the last screen appearance by Gable makes this a must-see if you haven't yet. Tues: Hitchcock's THE LADY VANISHES & SECRET AGENT Cinema Guild is seeking new members-applications at ticket desk. CINEMA GUILD' By MIKE TAYLOR All of us - you, me, rock 'n' rollers, punks, longhairs, dope smokers, squatters, students, unmarried mothers, prisoners, gays, the jobless, immigrants, gypsies... to stand aside is to take sides. If music can ease even a tiny fraction of the prejudice and intolerance in this world, then it's worth trying. I don't call that "unnecessary overtones of violence." I call it standing up for your rights. Tom Robinson, 1978 It's nice to know that the idealism that guided thousands of people in the TONIGHT AT 7:00 & 9:15 OLD ARCH AUD $1.50 Danny Kustow on guitar, and Mark Ambler on organ and piano, rarely takes off the way so many New Wave bands do. Still, TRB manages.t main- tain an even rock base throughout the 17 songs, even if most of the playing is not terribly exciting. Robinson's lyrics are so overtly political that they often me closely resemble chants and slogans heard at protest rallies than the kind of "poetry" most serious rock 'n' rollers strive for. Take these lines from the title track, for example: Freedom.. . We're talking about your freedom, Freedom to choose what you do with your body, Freedom to believe what you like, Freedom for brothers to love one another, Freedom for black and white. THOUGH. SUCH lyrics serve to illustrate the LP's political motives, they will also alienate listeners who resent being shouted messages and slogans. Except for a few numbers. (most notably the loveable "Martin"), Robinson's songwriting lacks the warm, human spirit of artists such as Bruce Springsteen, who writes about politics by detailing human relation- ships and encounters. Robinson is gay, so several of his songs naturally deal with oppression of gays. The best of these is "(Sing if You're) Glad To Be Gay," a sing-along set on a jazzy, mellow background. The chorus is so catchy you can almost imagine Anita Bryant singing along. "Glad to Be Gay" and three. other songs were recorded live, and placed on one side of the second disc as a "mini- concert. The musicianship on these tracks explodes wvith the free-flowing energy missing on the rest of the album. Ambler's organ solo during "Don't Take No For An Answer" beats anything he does elsewhere on the record. WHILE MANY of the songs, in- cluding "Up Against the Wall," "Ain't Gonna Take It," and "Better Decide Which Side You're On," are simple,' guitar-based effortsf "The Winter of '79" and "Long Hot Summer" attempt to create complex visualizations of political struggle. "Long Hot Summer" states Robinson's recurring theme of progress through unity best: Hey Dan, give us a hand, We won't make it alone, But we can all make a stand, Nexttime the whistles blow, Get your feet out on the street, When you feel the heat is on. For a touch of power-pop, there's "2- 4-6-8 Motorway," Robinson's hit single last year (in England) about the pleasures of the road. Though this tune was first thought to be non-political, Robinson's since said it's about a gay truck driver. In addition, the chant "2- 4-6-8, gay is just as good as straight, 3-5- 7-9, lesbians are really fine" is often heard at gay pride marches and rallies. And if we fail, if we all get swallowed up by big bianis before we achieve a thing, then we'll havta face the scorn of tomorrow's generation. But we're gonna have a good try. Fancy joining us? Tom Robinson,1978 AUDITIONS Soloists Chorus Orchestra Johann Strauss' GYPSY BARON Sign up Wednesday, Sept. 20, 7:30 pm Conference Room, New Fire Station Corner Huron and Fifth THE COMIC OPERA GUILD 'lor further ifo:'665-6074 _ Don't Look Back Boston Epic FE35050 By TIMOTHY YAGLE Some say it was worth the wait. I' not sure I agree. Boston's long- (and I mean long awaited follow-up to their incredibl successful debut effort (past quintupl4 platinum) is finally here, ironicalli called Don't Look Back. The ironi4 aspect of this two-year baby is that thed are doing exactly that. The tunes fron Boston are written all over Don't Lool Back. BOSTON IS a band of five Americai rockers, including M.I.T. graduate. songwriter - arranger - producer - lead - guitarist-perfectionist Tom Scholz, that put the initial right foot forward and produced some catchy tunes on their firstLP. But Don't Look Back simply sounds like a rehash of Boston - coupling new lyrics with almost th same music. "I never set out to create anything new," Scholz has said. "I just wanted t# make a record I could listen to all the way through." The buzzing Boston guitar sound, like that of the Eagles' Joe Walsh, is uni mistakable. That often monotonous sound can sometimes lull you -4 especially on the new album. If anything, Don't Look Back showcases lead vocalist Brad Delp's semi-strong voice more than the first LP. THE RELATIVELY tame "Don't Look Back," the album's opener, in- tricately disguises "Peace of Mind" and some solo chords from "Long Time". The song proceeds non-stop into a typical Tom Scholz keyboat creation, "The Journey", a soothing eerie instrumental that makes you feel like you're being taken on a possibly one-way, cosmic journey into the land of the unknown. "Party" and "Feelin' Satisfied" sound similar and typify Boston's hard driving, party-down sound found in "Smokin' " and "Rock 'n Roll Band." The Boston sound is simply good pat music. All four tunes have the same drawn out, chord structure and ih- vigorating sound. Boston's first attempt at a ballad, A Man I'll Never Be", is a numbing, ldy song that just sits there but, again, spotlights Brad Delp's voice. If you liked Boston, chances re you'll like Don't Look Back because the two are so similar in flavor. Scholz, practically the sole creator of the LPs, lives dangerously on neither of the two albums. That's where he could be making a big mistake. The band could simply be sitting pretty on their unex- pected success without being creatively ambitious, like Foreigner (many have compared these two "overnight sen- sations.") They've found their suc- cessful formula and now don't"dare stray from it. Guess again, guys. I * Te Ann Arbor Film Cooperative presents at AUD. A Festivl of Yugos/v Films in America As the Yugoslav "New Wave" emerged from the ideological constraints of the 1950's, two trends came to the fore: a tendency toward highly eperimental film (such as Makavejev) and a direct, no-holds-barred depiction of social problems, treated in the best tradition of realist cinema. A factor which unites all of the young directors, however, is sexual explicitness. The Festival (co-spgnsored by the Ann Arbor Film Cooperative, the Center for Russian and East European Studies, and Yugoslavia Film) highlights the best directors of both trends. The Festival will run from September 15 to September 24 and may feature talks by Yugoslav filmmakers as well. Short films will be shown with each feature as time allows. ALL SCREENINGS IN AUD. A, ANGELL HALL. ADMISSION IS FREE. SUNDAY, SEPT.17 - ADMISSION FREE CRAZY DAYS (NikolaBabic, 1977) C2ONLY-AUD. A During-a ten-day holiday, thousands of Yugoslav workers employed abroad come home on vacation. The result is gambling, drinking, love making, brawling, and murder. An exciting first feature by documentary director Babic, who catches the pace of social realities and doesn't let ideology interfere. SPECIAL EDUCATION (Goran Morkovic,1977) 4 ONLY-AUD. A-ADMISSION FREE A "Juvenile delinquent," son of a wandering prostitute, is sent to a home where an unconventional social worker reaches out-to his scarred wards. Slavko Stimac is impressive as the young boy; he was tapped by Sam Peckinpah for a role in Cross of Iron. MONDAY, SEPT. 18 ADMISSION FREE 6T7DAYS (Ziko Mitrovic, 1974) 4 ONLY-AUD. A A multimillion-dollar epic war film about the Uzicka Republic, which defied the Nazis and stood as the only "free territory in occupied Europe" for 67 days. Mitrovic is a veteran action and adventure filmmaker, a chronicler of Yugoslavia's struggles against freedom invaders. WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 20 ADMISSION FREE A VILLAGE PERFORMANCE OF HAMLET (Kristo Papic, 1973) 4 ONLY-AUD. A Papic is one of Yugoslavia's foremost documentarists, one who has consistently managed to tackle real social problems. Here he uses the device of a play within a play, moving as Shakespeare did from comedy to tragedy, to expose corruption, abuse of power, and the cult of personality. FRIDAY, SEPT. 22 ADMISSION FREE (Zivko Nikolic, 1977) BEASTS 4 ONLY-AUD. A Gothic setting on an isolated rain-swept island; a mysterious and beautiful woman draws the local villagers into a night of dangerous dreams and desires . . . A symbolic, expressionistic film with echoes of Bergman and Kurosowa. SATURDAY, SEPT. 23 ADMISSION FREE DON'T LEAN OUT (Bogdan Zizic, 1977) 2 ONLY-AUD. A The "adventures," loneliness and tragedy experienced by a young man who expatriates himself to West Germany to work. The effects of this large-scale social upheaval on human relationships is an urgent theme of contemporary Yugoslav cinema. THE WIDOWHOOD OF KAROLINA ZASLER (Matlaz Klopcic, 1976) 4 ONLY-AUD. A, Klopcic is Slovenia's leading filmmaker-direct, frank subtle and lyrical in his examination of life. U- h. ~ .....s thoimpat ofindutriaizatio~n on an Apine villadin particular on. a woman wh6 r -.. U eel ipse AnnArborJazzFestival 1978 In Celebration of the Music of DIKE ELLINGTON- IN p . ....nini (Hill Auditorium September 21-241 LAST YEAR: LINDA RONSTADT JACKSON" BROWNE EW&F STEVE MILLER MAJOR EVENTS USHER MEETING THIS YEAR: MARTIN MULL BILLY JOEL and More! THURS,21st-8pm FRI,22nd-8pm MARY LOU WILLIAMS JOHNNY GRIFFIN STAN GETZ DEXTER GORDON MAX ROACH Qt./ARCHIE SHEPP FREDDIE HUBBARD - Tm SAT23rd8pm SUN, 24thl pm TAILEY TURRENTINE II V I ORCHESTR KENINUELL CHICO FREEMAN KENNY BURRELL' UETLW SU NRA HUBERT LAWS- SU NRA SUN,24th-8pm MERCER MOSE ALLISON ELLIkGTON/ ART BLAKEY DUKE ELLNGTON ORCHESTRA FESTIVAL SERIES TICKETS NOW ON SALE AT MICHIGAN UNION BOX OFFICE (M-F 11:30-5:30) $30, 25, 20 - OLD USHERS: NEW USHERS: 6:00 pm Mon., Sept. 18-1978 CONFERENCE RM. 4, Mich. Union 6:00 pm Tues., Sept. 19-1978 CONFERENCE RM. 4, Mich. Union The Ann Arbor Film Cooperative presents at Not. Sci. Aud. JOSEPHIfS FESTIVAL ADMISSION FREE In the days of the great studios, the B-film director worked against near insur- mountable odds: less-than-shoestring budgets, two-week shooting schedules, inane scripts, and talentless actors were the norm. The fact that Joseph H. Lewis made films under these, conditions and that his films are always interest- ing and often quite good are amazing. The fact that a few of them are bona fide great films is strong evidence of genius. During the next four weeks, we are showing free of charge seven of his best films, culminating with his master- piece, GUN CRAZY, on October 2 and a special visit by Mr. Lewis. Monday,S.ptember 18 ADMISSION FREE MY NAME IS JULIA ROSS (Joseph H. Lewis, 1945) 7 ONLY-NAT SCI