-Friday, October 12, 1979-The Michigan Daily B-52's A T MOTOR CITY ROLLER PAILACE Energy and ecclectic surrealism STARTS TONIGHT FRIDAY 7:05-9:35-SAT. & SUN. 12:35-2:40-4:45-7:05-9:35 What happens when kids grow up and parents don't. ,,r" : 4 , . " ti' ; . . 1 . . By PHILIP DOLIN I wanted to buy a candy bar before joining the crtowd in front of The Motor City, Roller Palace, in Detroit, where the obscure, new wave band The B-52's were about to perform. As I gave the cashier my quarter she told me that she wouldn't be caught dead at The Roller Palace because it is a scuzzy, disgusting pit. Being a mild admirer of the new wave scene, '1 took this as a good sign, and entered the theater. Pushing my way in-sharing floor- space with psychedelic colored roller skates-I noticed that The Roller Palace was indeed a roller palace, with the stage set off on one side of the wooded surface. The 52's were an hour late but the time was easily spent staring at my fellow ticket holders. Mast of the rock and roll pilgrims were -dressed in ceremonial garb, incliding the latest in worn leather jackets, tight pink pants, and blue and black striped hair. EVENTUALLY, when the 52's emerged, they erergized directly into their theme song, the amazing "Planet Claire." This tune combines some ec- clectric pieces of sixties' rock with the band's own unmistakably ultra-modern style. It begins with a driving guitar progression borrowed directly from the old Peter Gunn spy series. Lead vocalist Fred Schneider adds a scin- tillating walkie talkie beep beautifully computerized tightness. The most cohesive forces were the harmonies supplied by Katie Pierson and Cindy Wilson. Their high pitched screams and trills were omnipresent and perfectly executed throughout the entire eveing; In "Dance This Mess Around,' the;: girls borrow a few lines directly fron Diana Ross and The Supremes: Walk talk in the name of love Before you break my heart But they continue to assault reality: 4'- The B-52 S --l-, if7 Trini Alvarado Jeremy Levy Kathryn Walker John Lithgow Terry Kiser David Selby Roberta Maxwell Paul Dooley Irene Worth A Lion's Gate Production United Artists synchronized with Cindy Wilson's bongo beat. The band also adds some progressions from some of the old James Bond movies for more sixties input. Guitar player Ricky Wilson also uses an old Mosrite guitar to continue the motif. He dazzled the crowd with his powerful melodies which countered the keyboard and vocals. THE BEST PART of the B-52's are the lyrics they sing. No one says they are cerebral, however, they fo often border on the surreal. Exemplary is the description of Planet Claire: Planet claire has pink air All the trees are red No one ever dies there Noone has a head They continued to play all of the songs off their only album, including "52 girls," "Dance This Mess Around," and "Lava." All songs contain the same Why don't you dance with me I'm not no limburger Just a limburger The B-52's played a few songs that were not on their album, and a few. more tunes were simply announced as "dancing music." The appreciative Roller Palace patrons responded to the high energy sound by continuously dafn cing the syncopated jerk. After the first few songs, the crowd of about 500 spread out over the entire floor engaging at what looked like a prom given by the Adams' family. RECORDS1 TERRYS GILLIAM & JONES' MONTY PYTHON 1975 By KURT HARJU Think of Bonnie Raitt's career as an inverted bell curve. Her first two albums were masterpieces that really put her on the graph: They were also peaks she's failed to match since. Sweet Forgiveness signalled a definite upswing, however. Her seventh and most recent album, The Glow, con- tinues the rising trend. If Raitt keeps this up, she might even surpass AND THE HOLY GRAIL In the days of yore, lion-hearted men of noble thoughts court modest women with reverent words and chivalrous deeds. But not in this comic travesty featuring the cast of lunatics led by GRAHAM CHAPMAN and JOHN CLEESE. "Sets the cinema back 900 years." Color. Needs subtitles. Short: BANANA I (Norman Magden-1976) A parody of educational TV and language lessons, this - hort shows how to conjugate the verb "to banana." The feeling is infectious and each of the remaining nine songs are infused with the same energy. Strong ren- ditions are given to the couple of Issac ayes-David Porter tunes, "I Thank ou" and "You Good Thing (Is About. To End)," which open the album. The. traditional Jackson Browna song-one' of her early trademarks-has returned" for the second LP in a row. "Sleep's, Dark and Silent Gate" (intended as a, tribute to Lowell George to whom she dedicates the record) is even more. heartfelt than her version of Browne's "My Opening Farewell" from Sweet Foregiveness. Raitt transforms Tracy Nelson and% Andy Mahon's "I Could Have Beene CINEMA GUILD TONIGHT AT 7 & 4:05 OLD ARCH. AUD. $1.50 The Glow Bonnie Raitt Warner Brothers I CINEMA Ij PRESENTS A DEATH IN VENICE (Luchino Visconti, 1972) The late Lchino Visconti was famous for his lush, beautiful filnts, and one of his most gorgeous is this adaptation of Thomas Mann's novel. An aging composer falls in love with a beautiful boy in Venice during a plague. tar sitdied, the film chronicles the last days of the man's love dn,4i46 i-W tusic from the symphonies of Gustav Mahler. "A master- pfecel A (11fitraofrare beauty, a work of pure enchantment! Dick Bogarde is bfil W -NY Daily News. With Marion Berenson, Bjorn Anderson. (130 min)7:00 ONLY (Roberto Rossellini, 1945) Shot during the dying days of the Nazis ii Rome, this powerful film of human drama spawned Italian neo-realism. Most of the people in the film are not professional actors, and much of the footage was shot by hidden cameras. However, the tensions and heroic resistance of the main characters are so intensely recreated as to make this film a masterpiece. (103 min) 9:15 ONLY previous highs and have a hit record with her next release. While Raitt has always been a sen- sitive and enthusiastic interpreter of other musicians' works, her albums in- creasingly became unfocused collec- tions without strong underlying themes to support them. Her lows were usually better than many of her contem- poraries' best stuff, but they never- theless prevented her from becoming a superstar. The .tow has spark, though, and the promise of more fireworks to come. For this album, Raitt recruited Peter Asher-the recording whiz who gave booster shots to the careers of James Taylor and Linda Ronstandt-to help produce the best sounding music she's had in years. More importantly, Raitt has included one of her original songs-only the sixth she's ever recorded and the first sin'ce she wrote three for her 1972 classic Give It Up-and that's reason enough for ap- plause. "Standing By The Same Old Love" demonstrated the assertiveness and committmentt that are echoed elsewhere in the set. What appears at first to be advice to the lovelorn; later, the song becomes a moving anthem to maintaining control on all of life's endeavors, and, for Raitt in her musical career. She sings an encouraging expression of her own ambitions: And I want you to know That I'm not just along for the ride And I won't settle for less than Everything I've got inside. Bo nnie Raitt Angell Hall $1 .50, $2.50 Double Feature Tomorrow: FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILV ERS Your) Best Old Friend" from a balled into a bluesy lament with the help of her trusty electric slide guitar. Her best though, is the fast rocker "You're Go'n- na Get What's Coming" by Robert Palmer. Raitt's is one of the most unusual female voices in rock and Asher helps give it wider appeal without significan- tly changing her style. If Raitt sticks with him and permits time for the comi- bo to cook, popularity and platinum aie not out of the question. Applications being taken for new members Mpp, U-M Office of Major Events presents WWWW welcomes EAGLE .S. THEL CG m RU> r 7 I LAW r'i C 2 arrmranxe' s suxaa s*IS-",TfTS ssr aasassrs'oms Henle y-GlC * WFra Do) Foidcr ".Joe Wa lshi 4 ) f i " n R a v a4 + .M M4 a, T ii iiothy B. Schuit 'Two concerts SATURDAY AND SUNDAY I