Page Two
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Sunday, November 14, 1971
Page Two THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Sunday, November 14, 1971
Commander on disc: Sining
to
youth
at
71
Fun, freaky, hybrid
By AL SHACKELFORD
Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen are Ann Arbor's
all-time favorite band, so I better be pretty careful what I say
in this review. The last time I saw the Commander, in an over-sold.
Alley, avFreak in back of me started to mutter something about
"neg vibes" when I booed the strained Airmen version of "What
Made Milwaukee Famous." I exited to dirty looks as my ears were
assailed by an almost note-for-note version of Merle Haggard's
"Workin' Man Blues." It was a poor set by a fun band.
That performance at the Alley put me in the mood to say bad
things about Commander Cody's first album Lost in the Ozone
(Paranount PS 6017), but most of it is pretty good. There isn't
anything innovative on it, or even very creative, but the guys have
done their homework and come. up with an authentic-sounding
mixture. of straight country and old rock and roll. The only
instrumentalist who bugs my ears out is lead guitarist Bill Kirchen. -
Kirchen really has his licks down, ranging from fast, clipped coun-
try on "Lost in the Ozone" to Charlie Christian-like jazz on "Mid-
night Shift." That last song sounds like the hybrid of a session
uniting an early Elvis with the Benny Goodman Sextet.
The West Virginia Creeper, recently memorialized in Esquire
magazine, confines himself to strongly-derivative licks, nice to
listen to but nothing that will make Rusty Young or Sneeky
Pete shake in their boots. He does take a nice solo on "Seeds and
Stems (Again)" and adds interesting novelty work to"Hot Rod
Lincoln."
I guess my big complaint with Commander Cody is that, as
a country-rock band, they aren't anywhere near as good as Poco
or the Flying Burritos; and, as a straight country band, they don't
have anywhere near the soul of Merle Haggard, Conway Twitty,
or any number of others. So where does that put Commander
Cody? Basically they are a freak .act, a hippie band that plays
country music that is pretty straight and pretty good.
My favorite song on Lost in the Ozone is a Billy C. Farlow
.une called "Daddy's Gonna Treat You Right;" it is real pretty and,
for my money, establishes. Farlow as the star Airman. He sings
pretty well, especially on the rock numbers, and the album's best
original material consists of Farlow compositions.
Side one moves along pretty well until the inevitable dug-
up religious song comes up, this one a honey called "Family Bible."
Religious songs are in popular vogue ("Put Your Hand in the
Hand," 'We Need A Whole Lot More of Jesus"), and this one is as
phony as the rest. Rhythm guitarist John Tichy contributes for-
gettable singing and a super-lame spoken break to this tune.
Side two is also mostly thumbs-up: "Lost in the Ozone" and
"Midnight Shift" stand out as the top numbers. The album ends
up with "Beat Me Daddy," 5:08 of superfluous boogie recorded live
last summer at Hill Auditorium.
NOTES: The Flying Burrit Brothers are currently wowing
audiences in the East with a repertoire of bluegrass, old tunes by
Hillman-Parsons and new ones by Rick Roberts.
The Burrito is: Chris Hillman, bass; Roberts, rhythm guitar
and lead vocals; Mike Clark, drums; Al Perkins, steel; and Ken
Woods, banjo. This boffo lineup is occasionally supplemented by
bluegrass all-stars Byron Berline, fiddle and Al Bush, acoustic
bass. The Gilded Palace .of Sin (A&M SP 4175) is the Burritos'
first album and one of the best country numbers of all time, if
anybody's interested
TONIGHT
HAROLD GOETZKOW
Internationally known researcher for Peace
Action. Former U-M faculty member-now
with Northwestern University.
8 P.M.-First United Methodist Church
120 S. State-Wesley Lounge
6th WEEK 'DIAL 86416
At 7-9 P.M.
"WILL GLUE YOU TO YOUR CHAIR AND FILL YOU
WITH AWE. THE PHOTOGRAPHY IS A MIRACLE OF
ARTISTRY. THE SOUND TRACK IS SUPER."
-Liz Smith Cosmonolitan Mannzin
By ABBY MILLER
This old world is mean and
cruel,
But still I love it like a fool
This world, this world.
I'd rather go to the corner
store
Than sing hosanah on ,that
golden shore ...
That song seems to express
Melvina Reynolds and her songs.
She's a 71 year old grandmoth-
er from Berkeley who combines
youthfulness and wisdom. She's
written hundreds of songs, well-
known ones like "God. Bless the
Grass." "Little Boxes" and "Mag-
ic Penny." I've heard so many
of Melvina's songs sung by oth-
ers and so many wonderful
things about her. Friday night
at the Ark I finally got to see
her and hear her sing her songs.
Melvina sits there and con-
verses with the audience with
natural transitions between her
conversation and her songs. The
songs are a crystallization of her
thoughts and impressions. They
speak of things we're all con-
cerned about, but bring them
into focus and convey her out-
look. ". . . This is an exper-
ience that touches them (the
audience) so that they laugh
and sing about it - it suddenly
gets lifted out of individual
needling so that everyone is
holding it up; it's carried by
everyone," she said about
"There's a Bottom Below." She
writes about specific incidents
and larger issues, but there's
something universal in each.
They express recognition of
what's hard and bad in t h i s
world, but no illusions a b o u t
changing them tomorrow. Yet
there is an optimistic feeling.
We're here and have to try to
make a better world and there
is something good in just that.
Her songs can be poignant,
like "Turn Around." They can
be good humored and poking fun
as in "Fantastic Man." She's
ple, but as she says, you can't
be concerned about people with-
out caring about the world they
Corner of State and Liberty Sts.
DIAL 662-6264
OPENS 12:45
Shows at 1, 3, 5, 7, 9:05
FRANK ZAPPA'S R
..images
Czech quartet
here Tuesday
The renowned Prague Quar-
tet will give a concert at 8:30
p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 16 in Rack-
ham Auditorium, under t h e
auspices of the University Musi-
cal Society.
The program will be Haydn's
Quartet in C Major, Op. 54, No.
2; and music of Two Czech
composers, Janacek's Quartet
No. 2 and Dvorjak's Quartet in
G. Major, Op. 106.
The Prague Quartet began its
public performances in 1956 and
since then has attained an es-
tablished reputation on several
continents. During its f'irst
tour of America in 1965-66 the
quartet was so well received
that the following season it was
booked in a series of 30 success-
ful concerts throughout the Uni-
ted States.
O A PERSONAL G1FT
The monogrammed
CIRCLE PIN
is a cam pus tradition
many sizes and finishes to
choose from
STERLING or GOLD FILLED
No charge for engraving
from $3.75 to $8.00
0 ? ,
arcade jewelry shop116NcesAad
16 Nickels Arcade6
for beautiful jewelry
O STOP IN AND BROWSE
Lt9<L t)tOUO t)ceOt> t«) t)!> t
4
4
*
Watch
J EAN-LUC
GODARD
AS HE MOVES FROM
THE BOURGEOISE TO
THE REVOLUTIONARY
FROM MONDAY TO
MONDAY AT
live in - hence "The Cement
Octopus" and "The Faucets are
Dripping in New York City."
Way back in 1956-she wrote "We
Don't Need the Men." She's been
with it for a long time.
Singing along on simple re-
frains, laughing and respond-
ing was more like sitting around
the living room enjoying some-
one you respected and were fond
of, than being at a performance.
Feeling Melvina's love for life,
concerned primarily with peo-
and people, her compassion and
gentle humor was a warm ex-
perience.
THE ALLEY
330 MAYNARD
PINBALL
NEW MACHINES
11:30 A.M.-12 MIDNIGHT
5 BALLS PER GAME
i
Cinema Guild
i
PETER FONDA, NANCY SINATRA, and MICHAEL POLLARD in
Roger
- Corman's
THE WILD
ANGELS
W EN E RA TI ®IE
the n~e lerate woma
* BLAZING COLOR*
Plus 2nd feature*
ar_ 1 nem412-3300
-- - tulleg
with Bruce Dern and Members of the Hell's Angels, Venice, California
"A Shocking Reflection of Our Times
"One of the most imoprtant films of the last decade"
BENEFIT for PIONEER II (Pioneer Nigh Free School)
by the ann arbor film cooperative
WEDNESDAY -November 17th --ONLY!
Natural Science Auditorium - Pothecolor -75c -7 & 9:30 p.m.
. .
.
I
'UL
.L h
THE ALLEY CINEMA
PRESENTS
TOMORROW ONLY-Mon., Nov. 15
400 BLOWS
dir. FRANCOIS TRUFFAUT
First and foremost of the new wave masterpieces is
this moving story of a young boy turned outcast-
actually the autobiography of Truffaut's childhood.
" Cannes Film Festival--Director's Award, 1959
" Winner-New York Film Critics' Award
SHOWS AT 7& 9:30 $1.00
330 MAYNARD
sponsored by ann arbor filb cooperative
The School of Music and Department of Art present
MOZART'S OPERA
THE MAGIC FLUTE
(IN ENGLISH)
NOV. 19,20,22, & 23
MENDELSSOHN THEATRE
i
$1.50 and $3.00 ($1.50 tickets for U-M students only)
I
Conductor: JOSEPH BLATT
Stage Manager: RALPH HERBERT
INFORMATION: 764-6118
BOX OFFICE HOURS: 12:30-5:00 P.M. November 15-18
12:30-8:00 P.M. November 19, 20, 22, & 23
Closed Sunday, November 21
as
own
_./
.
TODAY ONLY at Nat. Sci. Aud.
E
Shows at 1
'3,
5,
7,
9,
&
1
1 P.M.
Ave.
I_1ELLSTROM CHROICE0
"John Schlesinger's 'SUNDAY, BLOODY SUNDAY'
is a film of such subtlety, such perception and such
maturity that it makes all other films-even the best
of them-that pretend to deal with the way we live
in 'adult' terms seem adolescent and superficial.
It is not only a furthering of the creative skills of
the director of 'Darling' and 'Midnight Cowboy' and
therefore a fascinatingly beautiful film in technique
and performance, it is also a multi-leveled consider-
ation of the love we live by, the settlements we
make to continue that living, the innocent desroyers
the generations bring upon us. Conceived by Sch-
lesinger, with a screenplay by Penelope Gilliatt, the
film critic whose writings are marked by delicacy of
feeling, its very contemporary story of triangular
love is ultimately brought to searingly compassionate
universal terms. It is that rare film that illuminates
the deeper corners of he heart, that probes beyond
the obvious concepts, that expands our understand-
ing." -Judith Crist, NEW YORK MAGAZINE
Joseph Janni pwdsucon of John Schlesinger's Film
SudaSunday"
5S MT W T F S
Down Madison
"PUTNEY
SWOPE"
11~ThP Trli th anri .ant iI NM'vip,