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 - - - - GIVE BLOOD TO KEEP A GOOD THING GOING. The Michigan Daily OFFICE HOURS Circulation Dept. . 9 a.m.-3 p.m. 764-0558 Classified Dept.. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. 764-0557 Display Dept... 11 a.m-4 p.m. 764-0554 Please try to call our offices during these hours. ATTENTIONL WANTED WAITRESSES, BOUNCERS and BUSBOYS apply in person 9-5 310 MAYNARD "One of the last great entertainments!" DISCOVER A "LOST" FILM: The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes Director - BILLY WILDER $10 per donation to buy gas. Detroit Biologicals 4:2 W. MICH. AVE. YPSILANTI, MICH. Phone 487-9400 Mon., Tues., Thurs. 9 to 5 p),m. Try Daily Classifieds {'I Box Office Sales Begin TODAY M Union 10 a~m.-S :30 I Tues. & Thurs. camplet e shows at 7:30 and 9 p.m.. open at 7:15.. wed. complete shows at 1:30- 4:00-6:30 & 9 p.m.. open at 1:15 ' I"FAR-ouT" FILMS UFO-Target Earth PLUS- The Devils Trianale PRESENTS GreekNight Every Mon. & Tues. . No cover charge * Pitcher Beer 1/2 price * Discount on mixed drinks Fraternities, Sororities and Dormitories WELCOME! 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 i' SMAAI 'fr L U a 1 SOPH SHOW'S 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