Cuesday November 12, 1974
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Page Five
Tuesday, November 12, 1974 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Five
.
Records in review
SESSION GUITARISTS are usually not renowned for their origi-
nality, but they can usually be counted upon to "cut the
parts". And Ronnie Montrose, on. his second solo venture, Paper
Money (Warner BS 2823), does just that. His chord structures,
though right out of the Bad Company Bachman-Turner Overdrive
playbook of heavy metal, are on target. His overdubbed solos
are cogent, with a good bottom provided by his new bassist Alan
Fitzgerald, who doubles on synthesizer. Vocalist Sammy Hagars
(who also penned the lyrics) and drummer Denny Carmassi, both
hold-overs from Montroses' last album, round out the band.
Notable tunes on the album are "Connection", the old Jagger'
Richard composition, which offers a rare glimpse of Ronnie1
Montroses' ability on acuostic guitar; and "Starliner". The latter
is reminiscient of Montroses' guitar on the "Frankenstein" single
released by Edgar Winter a few years ago. The only true disap-j
pointment, ironically enough, is the title cut.
-Bob TaubI
Unlike his previous solo attempts, Todd Rundgren has put}
together a tight group and, as a consequence, produced a very
fine album, Utopia (Bearsville BR-6954).
Rundgren is the electronic genius behind the comeback
of Grand Funk Railroad and before he formed Utopia, did all of
the instrumentation and production on his albums. The band now
has six members playing anything from synthesizer to cello,4
with Rundgren himself playing the guitar.
The album begins with the title track, Utopia - a toned
down tune that features "Moogy" Klingman and Ralph Schuckett
onkeyboards. Rundgren's vocals are in tune and add tremen-
dously to the piece.
The reverse side is entitled, "Ikon" a song in four distinct
parts. The third of the four segments features M. Frag Labat
on the syntheisizer. Instead of attacking you and knocking you
down with weird sounds like so many other groups do, Labata
soothes you. The fourth segment is downright funky, and some-
times lapses into a spacy, Mahavishnu type of jazz-rock.
-Rob Meachum
000 "
N SPITE OF Maria Muldaur's meteoric populariyt, one would
be hard put to claim her as an original musician. On her
first album released since achieving her fame, Waitress in a Do-
nut Shop (Reprise 2194), she continues at doing what she has
done so well before: taking the familiar traditions of "working
class" country blues and folk, as well as 1930's urban jazz, and
making them live right now. Donut Shop is a delicious mixture
of grit and country corn, and lib-ism and earth-ism, and warmth;
and sex, sometimes so straightforward that it would make my
glasses steam, if I wore glasses.
In addition to Muldaur's vocals, the album features the
talents of Paul Butterfield, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, Wendy;
Waldman, Doc Watson, Merle Watson, and Linda Ronstadt,
among others.
The vocal harmony arrangement on Waldman's "Gringo En
Mexico" is particularly pleasing.
-Ron Langdon
000 !
Without any question, Tracy Nelson is the best vocalist in
country-rock. One need look no further than her most recent
album, Tracy Nelson (Atlantic SD 7310), for ample proof of this
claim. She gives us 10 numbers on which she shows fine range,
intelligent delivery, and a style that is clear and throaty, grace-
ful and personal.
A chief pitfall of vocalists' albums is the tendency to over-
produce and thus overshadow the vocals themselves. Nelson never
falls into that trap, her arrangements are always fitting while
remaining simple and unadorned.
Tracy Nelson has received relatively little attention, even
though she is one of the very best current female vocalists. Her.
album contains no amazing peaks of energy, just consistent good
music by a woman whose voice is nothing short of perfect.
-Harry Hammitt
weather
Report: Jazz
LECTURE!
Christianity,
The New Left
and1
By STEPHEN HERSH
Weather Report's infectious
funkiness, technical fluency
and flowing dynamism managed
to obscure the disquieting over-
crowdedness and stuffy beer
hall quality of Chances Are Sun-
day night.
The members of the ensemble
are musical athletes, who run
around the keys, frets and skins
of their instruments no less
skillfully than outstanding clas-
sical musicians, though in a dif-
ferent vein, of course. Their
songs are tightly orchestrated
and precisely executed, and
some si
their solos are generally capti-
vating.
The band's music is coming
from two major directions. Oc-
curring chronologically first in
most of its compositions is the
long melodic line, composed by
Joe Zawinul and played in uni-
son by Zawinul on keyboard or
synthesizer and saxist Wayne
Shorter.
The other major characteris-
tic of Weather Report's sound
is its frequent similarity to the
music of Sly Stone and other
soul groups, owing primarily to
the cooking bass work of lanky
Al Johnson. The soul music pas-
oulfucl
funk
sages are in a sense more sat- phone and dance a sort of a
isfying than most soul music jig.
because the frequently occuring Joe Zawinul sat perched
time changes make them Intel- among a battery of synthesizer
lectually interesting, and keyboard units, directing.
Ishmael Wilburn's furious, al- the band with subtle gestures
most non-stop drumming forms somewhat in the manner of
an appealing counterpoint to Frank Zappa or Miles Davis,
Johnson's articulate bass play- and at times staring into space
ing. And Dom Um Ramao on with a John McLaughlin-esque
assorted percussive instruments blank look in the eyes.
lends both rhythmic and, visual
interest, staying in the back- Sopranoman Shorter played
ground for most of the time deftly, fluidly and purely. His
playing tambourines, congas, solos and Zawinul's, however,
etc., but occasionally coming took a back seat to the state-
to the front of the stage to rat- ment of the themes and the
tie a shaker before a micro- churning continuity of thecom-
positions. A couple of their im-
provisatory passages worked
extremely well, but most of the
solos took place in the context
of little or no chordal motion,
and were thereby burdened.
So the band is heavily influ-
enced by the recent work of j
Miles Davis, subordinating the
solo work to electric- and elec-
tronic-sounding ensemble play-
ing.
In addition to playing music
from all of the Weather Report
albums, the group played Za-
winul's "In a Silent Way,"
which Zawinul recorded both
on his solo album and while
a member of Miles Davis's
band.
Tickets for the show were
sold out a day in advance, which
turned away many disappoint-
ed fans who did not know that
tickets were being sold in ad-
vance. A number of people, how-
ever, managed to buy stand-
ing room admission directly be-
fore Weather Report began
playing at 11 PM.
---
& The State of Israel
GIVEN BY
MR. MILTON HIMMELFARB
Editor-Commentarv Magazine,
American Jewish Yearbook
American Jewish Committee
Director-Institute of Human Relations,
Noted and controversial observer and commentator
of the American Jewish scene
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 13-4 P.M.
ROOM 2225 ANGELL HALL
EASTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY S
OFFICE OF STUDENT LIFE
PRESENTS
THE PLYLLIS LAMHUT DANCE COMPANY
d.:v ti
NOV. 15 & 16 PEASE AUDITORIUM 8 P.M. $2.50
Tickets available at McKenny Union and at the door
With the Support of the Michigan Council for the Arts
This event is made possible with the support of the Michigan
Council for the Arts. Established in 1966 by the Michigan.
Legislature, the Council piovides a wide variety of programs
and services in the performing, visual, and literary arts,
available to community groups and organizations throughout
the State. For further information on how this agency can
contribute to tihe cultural growth of your community, write
to: Michigan Council for the Arts, 1200 Sixth Avenue, Detroit,
MI 48226.
HUMANITIES
LECTURE SERIES
Second Lecture ,Tuesday, Nov. 12
Lecture Hall 1, Modern Language Bldg.-4 p.m.
The special Humanities Lecture Series offered in coordina-
tion with the University Theatre Production of Shake-
speare's PERICLES (November 27-30, in the Power Center
starrinc auest artist Nicholas Pennell) continues Tuesday,
November 12, at 4:00 p.m. with Professor Marvin B.
Becker speakinci on AN HISTORIAN'S VIEW OF AN-
OTHER PERICLESI Professor Becker is a member of the
History faculty. He has authored two books, FLORENCE
IN TRANSITION: THE DECLINE OF THE COMMUNE,
Vol. I, and FLORENCE IN TRANSITION: STUDIES IN THE
RISE OF 'THE TERRITORIAL STATE, Vol. 1.. He has also
written more than thirty articles.
NEXT WEEK, Tuesday, November 19, in the Rackham
Amphitheatre, Professor Elizabeth Douvan of the Psychol-
oav Department will speak on MOTHERS, DAUGHTERS,
VIRGINS, BAWDS: THE WOMEN IN PERICLES.
THE PUBLIC IS INVITED TO ATTEND ALL LECTURES
Daily Photo by STEVE KAGAN
joe Zq win Il, keyboard player with Weather Report
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310 MAYNARD
"One of the last great entertainments!"
DISCOVER A "LOST" FILM:
The Private Life
of Sherlock Holmes
Director - BILLY WILDER
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' I"FAR-ouT" FILMS
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Fraternities, Sororities and
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341 S. Main 769-5960 ANN ARBOR
CHARLES LAUGHTON as 1939
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
(AT 7)
Laughton's quasimodo was "even more horrendous" than
Lon Chaney's Fabled performance. With Maureen O'Hara
and Cedric Hardwicke.
MICHELANGELO ANTONIONI'S 1961 ,a
,'
Awesome excitement!
MSEHME.LEVINEpesets
GEORGE C. SCOlT
,MIKE NICHOLSri
THE DAY
OF IME DOLPHIN
leochiceire Pai visier A Arc Embassy Patcue
Tuesday & Thursday at
7 & 9 only
Wed. BARGAIN DAY at
1-3-5-7-9 p.m.:
Until 5 n.m. All Seats $1.00
Is The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes the best American
film of the last five years? This 1970 Billy Wilder produc-
tion, which opened as Radio City Music Hall's Christmas
attraction but soon drifted into critical oblivion and' com-
mercial disaster, now aualifies as a maior rediscovery of
the '70's.
However, don't let its relative obscurity fool vou--The Pri-
vote Life of Sherlock Holmes is for from being an esoteric
film. In fact, it may be one of the last great entertain-
ments--a film in which style, comedy, plot. and meaning
are blended with the ease and assurance that character-
ized the old Hollvood masters.
In addition to its lively script, visual flair, and fantastic
Miklos Roszo score, The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes is
also one of the most ingenious mysteries ever written for
the screen. A cage full of canaries, a mysterious woman
saved from drowning. "a swan that really isn't a swan,"
four midgets at a lonely, ravesite, agroup of four Trappist
monks, a "red runner" the code-word "Jonah". Kaiser
Wilhelm, and Loch Ness: these are iust a few of the clues
that unravel in an intricate chain of events leading to a
truly surprising conclusion-perhaps too surprising, even,
for the redoubtable Mr. Holmes.
But, besides being a mystery, The Private Life of Sherlock
Holmes also has mystery, if you know what I mean. And at
the center of this mystery is the character of the leaendary
arch-decettive, Sherlock Holmes. The film opens with a
safe-deposit box beina opened and a series of dusty obiects
beina extracted from it--a hypodermic, a violin concerto,
a deerstalker, a pipe, and a Rosebud-like alass ball con-
tainina a bust of Queen Victoria. A handwritten manuscript
narrated by Dr. Watson tells us that 50 years after Holmes'
death, we will learn of this case, one of Holmes' few
faiures
Was Holmes realIy a supersle-uth, or was he the creation of
his sometimes overzealous chronicler, Dr. Watson? Was
Holmes one of the last romantics, or an unfeelina thinking
machine? Was he a homosexual, or the victim of a tragic
love affair? At the end of all these questions is a syringe
filled with opium, which allows Holmes to conquer the ag-
onizina boredom that so often afflicts him and to smooth
over the contradictions in his elusive character.
Finally, the film is about myth-makina. Sherlock Holmes,
the Loch Ness monster. Romanticism, the Victorian age-
these are some cf the myths the film treats, myths that be-
come real more than the reality that debunks them, iust as
World War I will debunk the Nineteenth Century that is
dyino at the film's end. The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes
is a very funny film and a very melancholy one, very cyni-
cal and very romantic. It is an old-fashioned film and a
very modern one. It is a film for all audiences, particularly
that rather large audience that missed it the first time
around, and perhaps now, five nears after the fact, film so-
cieties and revival houses will give it a well-deserved second
chance.
3 NIGHTS! Tues., Wed., Thurs., Nov. 12, 13, 14
A
and SPECIAL GUEST
STARS
Friday, Nov. 22 Crisler Arena-8 p.m.
Reserved Seats $6.00 and $5.00 available beginning today at
UM Union 10-5:30 p.m. Also at Briarwood Hudson's and Huckle-
berry Party Store. Sorry, No Personal Checks.
I
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SMAAI 'fr
L
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a
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DAMN
YANKEES
Come see the great 4n y
All-American Sport
MENDELSSOHN
THEATRE
Tuesday & Thursday at
7&9only
Wed. BARGAIN DAY at.
1-3-5-7-9 p.m.
Until 5 p.m., All Seats $1.00