Page Two THE MICHIGAN DAILY Wednes&y, November 24, 1971 Page Two THE MICHIGAN DAILY Wednes~y, November 24, 1971 Van: R By HERB BOWIE Do you remember back in high school when your English teacher wanted to discuss this strange' phenomenon of p o p music and she started talking about . . Simon and G a r - funkel? And do you remeniber reading that Leonard Bernstein thought that the Beatles, for pop musicians, were pretty good, because they use fancy chord changes and stuff like that? Well, I dream of the day when rock will be recognized, not as paraplegic poetry or mutant music, but as an art form all its own. And, when that d a y comes, I'm sure that Van Mor- rison will be one of the prime examples of rock auteur. Morrison is important b e - cause he makes full use of the unique potentials of rock as an artistic medium, a distinction that not many people can claim (by rock I mean any recorded music that includes both a vocal and an instrumental accompani- ment.) Even luminaries such as the Stones often miss the mark because they fail to make the lyrics an integral part of the song. How many of you know what "Brown Sugar" is about? Lesser artists, like Simon and Garfunkel, err in the opposite direction by slapping some med- iocre music and a lame vocal delivery onto nearly poetic ly- rics. What Morrison does is fuse lyrics, accompaniment, a n d vocal into a whole that is more than a sum of its parts. The words by themselves are gener- ally rather ordinary, more con- versational than poetic. Listen to Morrison sing them however, and you begin to get some kind of the feeling behind them. Add a tight, complex accompaniment and you have a strong emotional experience. One factor that enables Van to produce such compelling songs is his simple lyricism. He never philosophizes, moralizes, or fantasizes; instead he sings about the simple aspects of life. With "Stoned Me," for exam- ple, he made nothing less than a great song about nothing more than water: getting drenched in a sudden rainfall, fishing in it, and drinking it fresh from a mountain stream. And when he says that it stoned him, we have to believe him: the power of the vocal and the band's performance cannot be denied: Yet Morrison's simplicity may also prove to be his downfall, for there are only so many sim- ple, obvious things one can write about. Sooner or later, even if his audience doesn't mind endless variations on a single theme, Morrison is going to run out of new ways to say "I love you." On Tupelo Honey he seems to have reached that point. Van kicks the album off with the straightforward rocker and hit single of the album, just as he started off His Band and Street Choir with* "Domino." This time, though, he doesn't burden the song with a theme that's bound to get lost in the excitement of the music; instead he's picked a topic so suitable that only he or Chuck Berry could'have thought of it: a night out on the town looking ock's classical composer .. mages for excitement. Despite a rath- er perfunctory vocal, the cut is absolutely dynamite: it makes me wish I had a car just so I could head out cruisin' and hear "Wild Night" on the radio. As good as Morrison is at rockers like "Wild Night," he doesn't really like them: the response is too stereotyped. And so, with the top-40 material out of the way, we slow down into a mellower pace, one in which Van is free to whisper or shout as he' pleases. "(Straight To Your Heart) Like a Cannonball" is a perfect example of Morrison's genius. The song opens with an electric guitar playing a simple series of four note riffs that jerkily start and stop, perfectly paralleling the good Morrison's in: You know sometimes it gets so hard. And every, everything don't seem to rhyme And I take a walk out in my backyard And go: Doo-doo-loo-doo-loo- doo-loo Doo-doo--loo-doo-loo-doo-loo, Waiting for the sun to shine. The only trouble so far is that the do-doo-loo-doo-loos hit me more like a wet dishrag than a cannonball, but wait - it's all part of the plan. Another des- pairing verse and Van sings: We move along, Keep singing our song, Straight to your heart like a cannonball. By this time the guitar lines have been replaced by a relent- lessly ascending mandolin riff that carries us to some searing flute-work. Just as Van promised, he moves right along: after singing the doo-doo-loo-doo-loos to a heartier melody, the despond- ent mood of the first two verses is replaced by one of anger in the next. Finally the sun breaks through as a background chorus sweetly repeats the refrain "We move along/ Keep singing our song/ Straight to your heart like a cannonball" while Van bursts into some bubbling im- provisation. As the c h o r u s fades out, Van picks up the line "Straight to your heart like a cannonball," repeats it slowly twice, then confidently belts it out - and the song is over. Even i Van were singing in a foreign language, the songs joyful optimism would still be clear. The next cut, "Old, O 1 d Woodstock," is another master- piece: the sparse back-up, Mor- rison's aching vocal and the understated lyrics all work per- fectly together. The theme, again expressing Morrison's con- fidence in the future, is one of the most revolutionary heard in rock in a long time: the joy of having a h6me and family. Woodstock becomes not only a nice place to live but a reposi- tory of traditional American val- ues. And, just as Van keeps coming home to Woodstock and to his family in the song, he keeps returniig to this simple verse: Goin' down to old, old Woodstock. Feel the cool night breeze. Goin' down toold, old Woodstock. Give my child a squeeze. Van's come a long way s i n c e Woodstock: from lover to friend to father, "Starting a New Life" is all about how Van and his family' are moving down the road in the spring to find out where they belong. It's not a very inter- esting idea and the thematic reinforcement it provides is un- necessary. Its saving grace is that it's only about two minutes long. Unfortunately "You're My Woman" is over six-and-a-half minutes. The song is almost painfully simple at times, Van almost speaking his lines with hardly any accompaniment. The lyrics, in sharp contrast to the ones in "Old, Old Woodstock," are cliched and, at one point, even clumsy: In Kingston town now. In Kingston town now, Walk up and down now. Look at the ground now. You went in lay-a-bor. You want in lay-a-bor. And all our friends came through. Morrison's trisyllabic pronuncia- tion of "labor" tries to put more emotion in the word that it can possibly hold, the result being that it bursts and sinks the verse. Still, though, the c u t would be alright had Van not said it all so much better before. Side Two gets back on the track with "Tupelo Honey," ano- ther gem. This is yet another Van Morrison love song, but one with a new dimension. Before, Van has always considered his love a pleasurable experience, and even one he's become ad- dicted to, but never as any- thing more. Here he calmly states that nothing is as im- portant, as his love, and then warmly tells us why: "She's as sweet as Tupelo Honey." The only trouble with t h e cut is that it seems a little con- fused. About four minutes into the cut, Van and the band start building to a nice climax, but in- stead of fading out at the peak, slow down, re-enter the song to repeat a verse, and then go through the ending all over again. The flaw can't be over- looked, but it's more puzzling than destructive. And that's about it. The re- maining three songs are knee- slapping, C&W shit-kickers that'll have you whistling for a few seconds after the album's over and then pass out of your mind without a trace. Van Morrison's in bad trouble. A good album can get by with only three or four greatrcuts, but not if it's got four boring ones. What Morrison desperate- ly needs are some nice little fill- er cuts that can pleasurably transport the listener from one classic song to another. Y e t this seems to be the one thing LEARN NOW ABOUT THE NEXT CPA EXAM NOVEMBER 3-4, 1971 THE BECKER CPA REVIEW COURSE 313-961-1400 Our Successful Students Represent Next Course Begins June 5,1971 --7- --- Morrison can't produce. When he can find a subject he's really interested in he's simply t h e best there is. Short of a return of the pro- lificacy that produced Moon- dance, I can only see one way out for Van: doing others' ma- terial. Rod Stewart does it and it works just fine for him, why shouldn't Van try it? Unless he does, we may not have another good Van Morrison album until Greatest Hits Vol. II comes out, loody Sunday EDITOR'S NOTE: Due to a mis- calculation of page space the fol- lowing conclusion to Neal Gabler's review of "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" was omitted from yesterday's arts page. Its one asset, and a major one at that, is Glenda Jackson. She has already proven herself one of film's most accomplished actresses, and her performance here does nothing to discredit that reputation as a total ac- tress who really knows how to use her voice and body. I would say that her performance is equal to her 'Oscar-winning job in Women in Love, but "equal" doesn't quite give the sense of total equivalence I'm after. This is her performance in Women in Love, Gerda transposed to modern day, though I would doubt very much that you'll care. The other performances don't match Miss Jackson's, but I don't see how you can fault Peter Finch. His role requires him to be an ornament much more than an actor, Jewish and talcum - powdered. Mr. Finch looks both. Murray Head comes off less well. You get the idea that Bob is supposed to be some- thing of a non-entity, an ironic void at the center of his lovers' lives, else why does he sit there scribbling pound note signs? Materialism, get it? But he couldn't be this much of a zero; and when Head, looking like David Cassidy five years hence, winks, pouts, snarls bitchingly, and scrunches up his dandy lit- tle face, he is essentially hol- low and as flat as an untuned piano. However, when Bob decides to depart for the States and peddle his crap, Head's badness works into a larger scheme of art mocking reality. He knows, like Schlesinger, that Ameri- cans are suckers for pretty junk. Aren't wye? Make your 9MOVE With the MGB, the sports car for the man who likes to go his own way. At our showroom now. Overseas Imported Cars Inc. 936 N. Main Ann Arbor 4 cF~TTY~. "One of the most exciting films you'll see this year." Det. News "IF YOU LOVE TO BE SCARED, MAKE IT A POINT TO SEE 'PLAY MISTY FOR, ME'!" Owen Eshenroder, Ann Arbor News CLINT EASTWOOD -Daily-Robert Wargo MALE STUDENTS OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE $3 BY PARTICIPATING IN A ONE-HOUR EXPERIMENT , .,.--------- COUPON .------------, SEND THIS COUPON TO MICHIGAN DAILY BOX NO. 2 FULL NAME (Print) ADDRESS I TELEPHONE NO.__ BEST HOURS TO CALL YOU AGE CLASS Number of previous experiments: 0 1 2 3 4 5 or more Are you part of this semester's Paid subject pool? Yes No Unpaid subject pool? Yes No ---.................................................... it 1i "PLAY MISTY FOR ME" N a " 'k ' BOX OFFICES OPEN 6:30 SHOW STARTS AT 7:00 FM "ONE REBEL COP HAD THE GUTS TO TAKE ON THE ORGANIZATION" SIDNEY POITIER DEBBIE REYNOLDS Nightly at 7:05 & 10:55 AT 9:05 iii k-sclo -- 0I~ W° w -7 NOW! AT BOTH THEATERS! THRU SUNDAY FROM THE HILLS OF TOBACCO ROODY "SOUTHERN COMFORTS" X "SECRET SEX LIVES OF ROMEQ & JULIET" X PLUS A 3RD BIG BONUS HIT At WILLOW At SCIO "PUSSYCAT "TRIP AROUND PARADISE" THE WORLD" I I 1 THANKSGIVING SPECIAL! Ui -11 I I I &ier Dzdyj Calendar Wednesday, Nov. 24 Ij DAILY CROSSWORD PUZZLE Copr 71 Gent Features Corp. Film- Fifth Forum "Plaza Suite" 7 -p.m. "Desperate Characters" 9 p.m. Campus Theatre "Hellstrom Chronicle" 1,3,5,7 and 9 p.m. State Theater "200 Motels" 1,3,5,7 and 9 p.m. Michigan Theater "Play Misty for Me" 1,3,5,7 and 9 p.m. aHURRY-) Corner State & Liberty Streets ND W'EDN DIAL 662-6264 OPEN 12:45 Shows at 1, 3, 5, 7, 9:05 FRANK ZAPPA'S R STARTS THURSDAY MUST JESDA Y! BIG DOUBLE FEATURE "ONE OF THE BEST AMERICAN FILMS FOR MONTHS." -The New Yorker Magazine "A BRILLIANT PORTRAIT OF THE STATE OF TH I NGS TODAY." --Newsweek "WOW, IS IT EVER A FINE FILM!" -Liz Smith, Cosmopolitan 'SHIRLEY MacLAINE GIVES THE BEST PERFORMANCE OF HER LIFE!" -Bernard Drew, Gannett Newspapers "'Desperate Characters' is a double must for serious moviegoers. Even after you leave, it has staying power. You keep thinking about the characters, and you keep thinking about yourself as well. The acting is superb." --Bob Salmaggi, Group W Radio "A Knock-Out of a Movie." -Paaeant ACROSS I Poise. 7 Engineer of the Suez Canal. 14 It grows in India: 2 words. 15 Atom-smasher similar to the synchrotron. 16 Of a long mountain range. 17 Not fit for food. 18 Men of science: Abbr. . 19 The people of an ancient Greek state. 21 Equal. 22 Main theme, in art, music, etc. 23 Paper money. 25 Acquired mom or dad. 28 Nocturnal re- freshment. 30 Embers. 31 Merchandise attachments: 2 words. 36 Give vent to. 37 Had being. 38 Fence material. 39 Itemize again. 41 Maiden in the Forest of Arden. 42 Rodeo scene. 43 Intervals of silence, in music. 44 Ask. 48 Start. 50 Citizen of SW Asia. 51 As before. 52 Lincoln's "Cap'n .." 55 Cleaned house. 58 Buoyant. 60 Uranium isotope separators. 61 Springlike. 62 Population level. 63 Get away. DOWN 1 Down with: Fr. 2 Small lake. 3 Limiteds: Abbr. 4 Hematite. 5 Fields. 6 U.S. writer. 7 Burning glass. 8 Night before. 9 Djected. 10 Quiet. 11 Oil-rich province of Iraq. 12 Cousin to the schottische. 13 Deride. 15 Nutrients in pulp of citrus fruits. 20 Weapon. 22 Ancient isle of Melita. 23 Legal document. 24 Harvest goddess of Roman myth. 25 Baked goods finisher. 26 Cape in Alaska. 27 Nonprofessional. 29 Richly orna- mental. 32 Bird note. 33 Troubles. 34 Obstinate courage. 35 Bodies of water. 37 Cooking fat. 40 Relic of summer. 41 Louisianians. 44 Man's name. 45 Wipe out. 46 Georgia city. 47 Verges on. 49 Actor Allen. 51 Disclaim. 52 Sicilian trouble. maker. 53 Get a return. 54 Waste time. 56 Altdorf's canton of Switzerland. 57 Pithy remark. 59 Curve. DAILY CROSSWORD Cops. '71 Gen' Features Corp. ACROSS current: Abbr. 1 Source of music: 49 Former "Flying 2 words. Finn." 8 Loud, ringing 50 Heroine of sound. Conrad's 13 Cup-shaped "Victory." flower. 51 Barker's talk. 14 Indulged. 53 White 17 Paced. 54 Himalayan peak. 18 Arabian ruler's 55 Never-ending. state. 57 M.D.'s aides. 19 Stratum. 58 Whale. 20 Bedaubed. 60 Go before. 22 Sister. 62 Admiral Nelson. 23 Land of 63 Additional name leprechauns. given to famous 25 Dawson's river. Romans. 26 Antic 64 Proust hero. 27 Baseball 65 Typing jobs. player, Del--. DOWN 29 Artist of Ferd- 1 Former star: 'nand comic 2 words. strip. 2 Assistant 30 Sacred song. resident' 31 Nullify physician. 33 Citizens of 3 Baby's meal. Katmandu. 4 Young rascal. 35 French author. 5 Conciliatory 37 Affluence. gifts. 38 Ladies' man. 6 Goliath, to 42 Mollify. David. 46 Nimble. 7 Ancient hymn: 47 Unit of 2 words. electrical 8 Iroquoian Indian. 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 13 14 17 i18 PUZZLE 9 Unit of light. 10 Surrounded by. 11 Conjunction. 12 Stone. 15 Piano pieces. 16 Signify. 21 Similar. 24 Famous falls. 26 Sad. 28 Be frugal. 30 Dixon's confrere. 32 Nigerian native. 34 - de Calais. 36 Late Argentine: Full name. 38 Light carriage. 39 Syria's second city. 40 Graduating class. 41 Prince of Afghanistan. 43 B.C. ship. 44 Editor. 45 Army huts. 48 Correspondent: 2 words. 51 Mug. 52 Spacious. 55 Miss Kett. 56 Allowed use of. 59 Large labor union: Abbr. 61 Trucklebed. 10 1 i 12 I 2 3 4 5 6 i I I4 1 9 10 17 12 13 fib 15L 11 .cooking rifles Cn~stunt 'Your gowth . . i~ $:::: >k ( l , . l 19 1I S "A BEST BET." -New York Magazine SHIRLEY MacLAINE in Frank D. Glroy Film DESPERATE CHARACTERS COLOR by TVC. . A PARAMOUNT PICTURE 22 30 39 31 29 4 38 - ~ 41 23 27 31 32 0 3b su 134 37 42 40 ' Gh 41 ~~-~ i II E I I 1 I I UI I I I I IIIIIIIi III46 47 -748-- 4 9~