I The Michigan Daily-Sunday, October 14, 1979-Page 5 RECORDS ficult to be as uncompromising naive as the rest of the material is. The song I find most intriguing is "I Don't Miss You," simply due to its smooth layering of semi-Stranglers instrumentation and saccharinely malignant vocals. The real climax of this wilder side of the Shoes, though, is an unexpectedly blistering guitar solo in the first few minutes of "Cruel You." FROM THERE, the album winds down into a soft love triptych called "Three Times." This is probably the most interesting cut, as it allows us to compare the writing and singing styles of the groups's three singer- songwriters. (Only the drummer, Skip Meyer, is excluded.) IN actuality, there is little to contrast. All three voices and songs blend as if they came from one head. It probably doesn't hurt that two of the members, John and Jeff Murphy, are brothers, but that doesn't explain their uncanny similarities to Gary Klebe in vocal and songwriting styles. Any one of these three could easily carry a group on the nonstop hooks (they crank out,) but I'm sure not comlaining that they've decided to stick together. Even the cover proves that this group has the prerequisites for pop greatness-they're so cute even your little sister'll like them. This is the stuff of which Tiger Beat dreams are made. I can't wait to see "Wina Dream FDate with Your Favorite Shoe" featured prominently on a 16 cover. The rest of us, especially those with what we consider more cultured and mature tastes, are going to be more than a little embarrased to own this album, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't. And while I can't say it's in- novative, and I can't say it's surprising, but I also can't say I don't love every minute of it. I Present Tense The Shoes E/ektra 6E-244 By MARK DIGHTON Talk about the All-American success story! The Shoes hail from Zion, Illinois where two years ago they recorded their own demo tapes on a four-track tapedeck in their living room. They can't get any record companies to buy the idea, (I can just hear some record co. exec. saying, "Sorry guys, pop just don't make it these days, but maybe if we had Giorgio Moroder produce it ... ") so they release the demo album by themselves as is. Despite the bad sound quality (even the jacket disclaimer admits that it it "unusual") Black Vinyl Shoes" garners a lot of critical enthusiam. With that backing and the help of an impeccably self- produced single on Bomp Records, the Shoes land a major record deal with Elektra/Asylum. Following in- numerable time delays, monthly changes in producers (even Todd Run- dgren at one point), and increasing critica'l antici-ation, Present Time finally hits the record bins. I'M TEMPTED to say something like "this is the best American pop album since Dwight Twilley's first", but I know how quickly one reacts against those sort of handy phrases. Still, I can't think of any better way to express my unbounded excitement about this album. There certainly are few changes taken throughout its length, but somehow that doesn't matter much. This is an album so perfect that it's almost inhuman. The Shoes throw off pop hooks and climaxes right and left that most groups onlu happen on once in a great while. (Witness Cheap Trick and "Surrender.") The opening cut, a reworker version of their Bomp single, "Tomorrow Night," is the perfect example. It's hard to imagine any improvement over the single, but they manage to add a lot of dynamics to the melodic interplay and even some bite to the guitar riff. This tune just begs to be a hit. But then, what cut on this album doesn't? THE FOLLOWING couple of songs are in a similar vein-breathtakingly simply pop. Unlike the first album, on which a few of the cuts sounded non- descript and even forced, each of the songs on Present Tense is an instantly memorable pure pop gem. Nothing in- novative, nothing surprisingly, but nothing less than perfect either. There's not even a hint of anything out of the ordinary until the last cut on the first side, "Somebody Has What I Had." This is our first glimpse of what is to come on the second side. Yep, the boys finally discover how to avoid their only pitfall-terminal cuteness. On the second side they learn to contrast adolescent angst with startling pop melodies. If titles like "I Don't Wanna Hear It" and "Cruel You" don't illustrate my point, these lyrics from "I don't Miss You" should. Oh, I'm glad you left me And I hope you don't come back You hurt me just a little But I hurt you more than that .. . The headaches that you gave me Are the ones that I can do without You didn't please me then And I don't think you'd please me now. I'm a little sorry that I do find these songs more interesting, but I find it dif- COMING OTHEUNION I love Luci! "More, more!" exuberantly shouts the jolly tenor Luciano Pavarotti, as he good-naturedly pushes yet another piece of cake into his mouth. What's the occasion for such a cake? Why, it's Pavarotti's 44th birthday, and he and a bunch of the fellahs got together to commemorate that never-again moment. The whole shebang was thrown Friday evening at the Chicago Lyric Opera's performance of "Rigoletto." Ice cream was forthcoming. .,______________v Hiey Deadheads! Just as many religious sects believe the navel to be a concentration point for a certain potent energy, so too does Ann Arbor qualify as a sort of belly-button for Greatful Dead fans. Like, these people are everywhere!, clamoring for just one more play of "American Blues," just a few more drowzy licks from Jerry's guitar. Well, the Daily want to seek out the quintessential Deadhead. Which is to say, we're looking for the most dedicated Grateful Dead fan in town, to exault and upon whom to bestow a gift certificate from a local record store. Now, we're not looking for your basic cotton candy-assed fanatic: this is a hotbed of Dead activity, and mere fanaticism is everywhere. We are looking for the wildest Deadophia, for the Dead activist who has gone to the greatest extreme to sate his or her lust for those Krazy Kats from California. To enter our Dead search, simply come to the Daily (located for your convenience next to the Student Activities Building, at 420 Maynard) and seek out the arts desk. Please have with you some Dead credentials: that is, we want to see in print just how overboard you have gone in your fanaticism. A listing of how many concerts you have seen, how many bootlegs, etc., are all important things to have listed. Deadline for all entries is midnight, Oc- tober 22. ERIC'S ACTION SPORTSWEAR - FORMERLY SECOND SERVE RECONTA CLOSEOUTS Women's DOWN PARKA was $130 NOW $70 100% WOOL SWEATERS were $40 NOW $22 Men's & Women's TURTLENECKS were $17-19 NOW $10.50 SKI JACKETS were $70-90 NOW $40-50 SKI HATS & MASKS were $10 NOW $7 chamois-CLOTH SHIRTS with inside nylon trim $13.95 Men-Women's Tiger JOGGING SHOES were $36 NOW $18 Brooks Rac-ball-TENNIS SHOES $13 Assorted Raingear 406 E. Liberty-2 blocks off State St. 663-6771 F: ANN ARBOR CIVIC THEATRE ANNOUNCES: Auditions For "KISS ME KATE" Mass Meeting Monday, Oct. 1S -7:30pm 201 Mulholland Drive (off W. Washington) SINGING ROLES FOR THREE WOMEN, SEVEN MEN. NON-SINGING ROLES FOR FOUR MEN. SINGING AND DANCING CHORUS Production Dates: December 12-16 infor: 662-9405, 662-7282 See Chrissy. See Chrissy learn about life. See Chrissy dance .. . IN THE ROOM ROOM ROOM a drama by DAVID RABE Oct. 19 & 20-8 p.m. Oct. 21-2 p.m. & 8 p.m. Residential College Auditorium, East Quad Ticket Central Mich. Union ¢I Tickets $3 at and at the door a production of the NEW MUSKET COMPANY 763-1107 Cottage INN (good only with thi* coupon) r Carry-Out and FREE Delivery Iti7 8:30 PM HILL AUD. The Nekrasov Russian Folk Orchestra, Stars of the Bolshoi Opera, and Principals from the Kiev Ballet provide a unique combination of three of the Soviet Union's most exciting traditions. A full orchestra devoted to a centuries-old sound of thrilling balalaikas and domras, with Bolshoi artists singing peasant ballads and masterpieces by Soviet composers. Tircets Available S4_ S6 S7.