Thursday, November 21, 1974 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Nage Five Thusdy, ovmbe 2, 974TH MIHIANDAIY -'ceAiv Records in review THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND has been relaxing recently, giving their members a chance to do things on their own. Gregg Allman has already released a solo album. Now comes the live recording of his tour, called (what else?) The Gregg Allman Tour (Capricorn 2C 0141). Gregg Allman is a very talented, very promising, singer- organist-composer. Unfortunately, his solo venture never really gets off the ground. The size of the band proves itself too un- wieldy to be successful. There are some good moments, however. The entourage performs "Dreams" in a more appropriate ethreal fashion than did the Brothers. Both "Turn On Your Lovelight" and "Will theI Circle Be Unbroken" are well-done. but they are the type of song that lends itself to a big band interpretation. Mostly, the band is just too big to get going, the music is weighted down by the size. Perhaps now he can leave this trip behind and get back to the Brothers where he belongs. -Harry Hammitt At the 1973 Edinburgh Festival, Leonard Bernstein blew the world away. He had some assistance from the London Sym- phony Orchestra and the Edinburgh Festival Chorus, soprano Shelia Armstrong and mezzo-soprano Janet Baker. Their wea- pon was the Gustav Mahler Symphony No. 2 in C-minor, the "Resurrection Symphony." Fortunately, Columbia Records decided that this Olympian performance should be recreated in the studio. And so it was put to vinyl at M2-32681, a two record set. Bernstein recorded the "Resurrection" previously with the New York Philharmonic in 1964, and similarities between the two performances do exist. However, the LSO puts the Philhar- monic's rendition where it belongs-a poor second place. Frankly, this is a very moving, introspective performance. I recommend it without reservation as the definitive recording of this work. -Tony Cecere LEO KOTTKE HAS created a fine reputation as a leading virtuoso of the acoustic guitar. On his newest album, Dreams and All That Stuff (Capitol ST-11335), he does nothing to tarnish that reputation, but nothing to greatly enhance it either. His music and playing are just plain fine, shading into brilliance. Kottke's music is always alive and moving. Kottke moves back and forth between a barrage of chords and various picking techniques. He spends a lot of time laying foundations on thet lower strings rather than going hogwild on the high strings likef many lesser guitarists would. . Kottke works with sparse arrangements; instead, there iss wonderfully subtle, simple interplay with Kottke and anotherc guitarist, a piano, a dobro, a steel guitar. On this album, Kottke again proves just how good he is. He does it with what he puts in and what he leaves out. AndI that is the mark of a truly great guitarist.t '100 quaint C By GEORGE LOBSENZ A familiar part of everyone's early childhood memories is the much-cherished nightly bedtime story. This was a pastime dominated by a whole spectrum of fanci- ful characters which ran the gamut from Dorothy Dainty to Yertle the Turtle. But by far, the most most popular of t h e s e storybook personages was A.A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh. And now, UAC's production of 100 Aker Wood has at last brought the lovable Pooh to his rightful place in the theatrical limelight. 100 Aker Wood is a musical adaptation by James Rodgers of the works of A.A. Milne. It includes 12 songs, all written by Rodgers (except for some occasional lyrics by the original Milne), which are interspersed amidst a conglomeration of some of the best of Milne's tales. Attending Winnie's threatrical debut were some slightly sheepish chaperoning adults and a majority of vastly appre- ciative tots whose squeals of deli'ht (and irritation) punctuated the performance. The play opened with a warm greeting extended by Nanny, played by Kay Frini- sery, who captured the essence of the lker Woc A ildhood English nanny with her prim yet effusive mannerisms. Shortly thereafter, Christo- pher Robin appears on the scene and asks Nanny to read him a story before he goes to bed. Operating within this context of the bedtime story, the world of Winnie-the- Pooh and his pals comes to life. Inter- rupted by the intermittent narration of Nanny, one by one, the unique inhabitants of 100 Aker Wood are introduced. All the characters were well done, as each remained faithful to the figures of Milne's stories. The acting was perhaps a little overly expressive, but this was natural considering the material and the audience. Pooh Bear was portrayed with con- summate skill by Bob Shalwitz who gave Winnie the somewhat oafish air that we would expect of him. With a voice like dripping honey and ;movements seemingly immersed in oil, Shalwitz turned in a con- vincing characterization. Also outstanding in the cast were Valerie Brown as Eeyore and Piglet as Sandy Ryder. Brown's Eeyore was appro- priately droopy and melancholy; Ryder's i fa nta sy Piglet achieving the frantic flutterings of Milne's frenetic creation. The musical aspect of the show added another djmension to the frivolity, quick- ening the pace when it dragged with some lively bouncy tunes, including "I'm Just an Old Grey Donkey," Eeyore's version of the blues as he laments his pitiful state, and "It's Just A Little Anxious To Be," Piglet's commentary on the problems of being small in a big world-problems well- understood by many members of the audience. Although the singing did grow strained at times it was at all times ener- getic and the piano accompaniment helped smooth over the rough spots. The costumes, by Nancy Missimi and Sue Mahoney deserve special applause. In all, 100 Aker Wood is just one of those efforts you simply can't avoid liking. Not only is it well-done for what it pro- fesses to be, it is refreshingly free from any "deep meaning," a quality which permeates most all forms of art around campus. During the overwhelming ser- iousness that comes from end-of-the-term pressures, it is a welcome relief to find something totally light-hearted. Doily Photo by STEVE KAGAN Well, where next? Winnie-the-Pooh (played by Bob Shalwitz) and Christopher Robin (Lorel Janiszewski) hold a strategy session in the midst of their search for Eeyore the Donkey's tail in UAC's musical "100 Aker Wood". NBC "s Sraises ratings wnith Godfat her' -Harry Hammitt Mike McGear has been a member of both Scaffold and Grimms, both humor-oriented English bands. He now has re- leased a solo, McGear (Warner Brothers BS 2825), which is pro- duced by Paul McCartney. McGear's biggest commercial appeal is that he happens to be Paul McCartney's brother. And McCartney runs roughshod overf his brother, dominating the al- bum throughout.x McGear's only real chance to show his stuff is on Bryan Ferry's "Sea Breeze," a very interesting and strong pseudo- classical ballad. Otherwise, it's McCartney's record; he wrote all the other songs, and the mu- sic is performed by his band, Wings.- For someone as talented as McCartney, he falls flat on his face, offering no strong tunes. "Leave It" and "What Do We Really Know?" are the strong- Mike McGear est uptempo numbers, "Rainbow Lady" is the slow one. Even McCartney's singing doesn't save an album which isn't down- right bad, just innocuous. -Harry Hammitt TACKSON BROWNE IS not the last of the wistful young roman- tics. But he plays the part with gusto - this time out, on an alarm called Late for the Sky (Asylum 7E-1017). The album is Browne's third straight success, continuing the distinctive soft-rock style of his earlier albums. Browne's fine new guitarist David Lindley plays with just the right spirit to match Browne's own - laid-hack but emotionally intense. Browne's lyrics are one of his strengths - simple words that tell some complex stories. At times he sounds much too old and sober to be one of us, like some hip Mary Worth offering advice and commentary to a confused generation. When he's not tending to other people's problems, he's got plenty of his own - and then we get introspection rock. In other hands it would be hopeless schmaltz. But Browne's tasty tunes and literate lyrics make it all very pleasant to listen to. -Tom Olson * 0 * In the past few years, Foghat has been slowly establishing their reputation as a solid high-energy rock 'n' roll band. Now with the release of their fourth album, Rock and Roll Outlaws (Bearsville BR 6956), they seem intent on keeping that reputation. The band is steeped in the high-energy tradition. The pitfall in this type of music is that quantity and volume will super- cede quality, but Foghat plays with an understanding that keeps the music alive. With this type of music, the band has to keep things moving. Foghat does this, in the context of essentially simple music, by small nuances: short guitar licks, change of tempo or volume, and twin guitar riffs. The music is powerful, simple, and pure. Even though the music is simple, it never fails to rock with a fierce intensity. "Chateau Lafitte '59 Boogie" is a rock 'n' roll number that continually changes and just won't quit rocking. 't l 1 l '1 4 I « R 1 ' i I' , By FRANK S. SWERTLOW NEW YORK (UPI) - TV sets in more than 25 million homes tuned into NBC Saturday night for The Godfather Part 1, ac- cording to the A. C. Nielsen survey released Tuesday. The apparent interest of Mafia chic made the first half of the film the top-rated show for week ending Sunday, Nov. 17. And NBC's use of blockbuster tactics against CBS's big Satur- day night lineup swept the rat- ings for that evening and helped the network win last week's rat- ings. In the overall ratings for the 1974-75 season, NBC is now within two-tenths of a point of first place. CBS has won the annual rat- ings' championship for the last 18 years in a row. So far this season, CBS has dominated the ratings, but NBC has kept the race .closer than it has been in years. ABC has been the door- mat this season. Although The Godfather Part I was the top show, it did not fare as well as the telecasts of other big films. It fell behind Airport, Love Story and The Poseidon Adventure in the num- ber of American homes watch- ing. Airport had 28 million homes while The Godfather had 25.3 million. However, NBC is not crying about the statistics. "We had the No. 1 show; we won the week; and we are two-tenths of a point from CBS," said an NBC spokesman. Much of NBC's strength this year stems from the successes of its new shows while the new shows on other networks have not fared as well. NBC also has been bolstered by the highly rated World Series and the use of Godfather on two nights-Saturday and Monday-both of which CBS usually dominates. A R T S ...................... ................:::r . :: ::: :;.......... _ ._. '_ .. _ _._ ___. ______ .T _ .__ " 14 .: A rosmth ill concert Aerosmith appears in concert Mahogany Rush and Madman. for $5 and $6. LAST FLING FOR 'LAST TANGO'? Friday night ii Crisler Arena at 8 p.m. Also playing will be Tickets are still available at the Union ticket desk (763-4553) Manfred Mann is makin- an unusual free affer on eir new UAEL album. Anyone purchasing the album is entitled to a free" square foot of land in Br~con, Bard ales. Buers f the albumB acardi must register their claim be- fore December 1975. . . Blaick Oak, Arkansas sponsored a sim- 0 ilar give-away two years ago. 11mv c7 Lisbon loses By STEPHENS BROENING Funes comedy Gendarme in St. Associated Press Writer Tropez, was judged fit to be LISBON, Portugal - The; seen by all age groups. Portuguese government h a s Explanations for the crack- changed, but one thing seems down varied from the assertion constant: Sex on the screen is that "the Port , s blin ic' still a no-no, and the leaders of the April 25 revolution plan, to keep it that way. The latest victim in their campaign against erotic enter- tainment was Last Tango in Paris, which closed under pres- sure recently after a 14-week run at the Sao Jorge Theater. By the time Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider did their. last last tango, close to a third of Lisbon's one million popula- tion had seen the film. A film industry source said, "It could have run for another six months." The Lisbon press reported that the counteroffensive inter- rupting Last Tango's run was ordered by Premier Vasco Gon- calves, the general who took over the government in July. While censorship has not been formally reimposed, Goncalves told a private meeting of film distributors late last monthto thin the mix of erotic films or face government action. At the start of this month, 10 of the 26 movies being shown in the capital were forbidden to anyone under 18 years of age, and another seven were "not recommended" for teen-agers. Only one film, the Louis de TONITE ONLY' Mercury Record's MIKE SEEGER UIILLIU - gU e p PJC 1snL ready" to digest such matter, to a more political argument advanced by leftists that erotic- ism is taking people's minds off revolution. Maria Theresa Herta, a lead- ing feminist frequently in trou- ble with the ousted right-wing regime of Marcello Casetano, said she disagreed with the gov- ernment's move. "I detest Last Tango because of the way it treats woman as a sexual object," she said. "But I think it's for the public to de- cide whether or not to see it. libido There is as great a danger of left-wing puritanism now as there was of extreme right-wing puritanism before." Horta, Maria Isabel Barreno and Maria Colba da Costa were acquitted May 7 of offending public morals in their book, "New Portuguese Letters." But the verdict had been expected. The Justice Ministry under the Caetano regime had recom- mended acquittal of the three Marias on grounds the evidence failed to prove their book was pornographic. The title of the book derived from a 17th century Portuguese classic built on fictional letters from a Portuguese nun to a French soldier who stole her heart. KOSHER MEAT KO-OP Ordering Meeting Sunday, Nov. 24 7:00 p.m. HILLEL, 1429 Hill Information: 663-4129 2 ...~Bacardi light = rum's subtle flavor won't _t overpower or get lost in SScrewdrivers, } '=Bloody Marys, Martinis or tonic. Just use it like gin or vodka. BACARDIjrum. The mixable one. -1 POETRY READING THURS., NOV. 21-7:30 P.M. Dial 650 * Cable 8 Ann Arbor's only underground radio station -a- -a Foghat continues to play simple fine, unpretentious skill. high-energy music with a -Harry Hammitt DONALD HALL, ROCHELLE SIEGAL, MARY RUSS reading from thir works GUILD HOUSE-802 Monroe UNIVERSITY THEATRE PROGRAMS PRESENTS in the POWER CENTER November 27-30 William Shakespeare's Pericles featuring NICHOLAS PENNELL Guest Artist in Residence Nowak on the Rock Cindy Havron Jumpin' Joe Dzeidzic Lucky Chucky Gerry Zonka Brother Jim Thaddeus The Mad Hatter Helen Kelly Paul Smith's Duck ... and countless others 'Playin' what you demand... iR we have it on hand' Request line: 763=3535 WITH e Try Daily Classifieds THIS AFTERNOON |I What? Sip Bacardi before you mix it? n-.-e JUDY GARLAND in 1954 George Cukor directed this fine film about Hollywood that concerns a new star rising (Judy Garland) with the help of a falling one (James Mason). Garland's performance is brilliant-wrought from both the tensiion of her own private life at the time and vast talent she always possessed. This is .