'Thursday, April 5, 1973
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Page Three
Thursday,. IMII Api ,17 TEMCIA AIYPg he
Follett's
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featuring
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Imprinting
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FOLLETT'S
New releases: From Free
to Black Oak Arkansas
By HARRY HAMMITT
Black Oak Arkansas is a punk
rock band who have appropriat-
ed their name from a southern
town. The title of their most re-
cent release, Raunch 'N' Roll
Live (Atco SD 7019), is an apt
description of the music found
within. Among shouts of high en-
ergy, the band plays a collec-
tion of forgettable tunes which
have nothing to redeem them.
None of the three guitarists in
the band seem to have much
talent, and lead singer Jim Dan-
dy proves that he's no singer.
Albums are recorded live to
serve as collections of greatest
hits or to capture energy and ex-
citement that don't come out in
the studio. This album serves
neither function, being appar-
ently only an attempt to make
money.
* * *
Nils Iofgreni first came into the
public eye when he played with
Neil Young a few years ago.
With this newly earned fame he
was able toland a record con-
tract for his own band, Grin.
They have released several al-
bums, and All Out (Spindizzy KZ
31701) is their most recent. All
Out covers no new ground and
as such it will probably remain
in relative obscurity.
There are some nice things
about the album, nevertheless.
Lofgren and his brother Tom
pull off some fine, crisp guitar-
work. None of the band mem-
bers are particularly good vo-
calists, but drummer Bob Ber-
berich does have an interesting
style that sounds like a muffled
Alice Cooper.
Guest Kathy McDonald turns
in the finest vocal performance,
but her two tunes unfortunately
suffer from lack of melodic im-
pact and weak group interplay.
If she were added as a perma-
nent member, perhaps the
group's future efforts would
have the energy and intensity
that the present album lacks.
* * *
Linda Lewis is one of the
newest English female singers
on the scene. Coming from mix-
ed English-West Indian heritage,
she blends the two types of mu-
sic. On her second album,
Lark (Reprise MS 2120), Lewis
plays guitar and piano, recruit-
ing a number of reputable ses-
sion musicians to back her up.
She has an unusual soulful voice
which is clear and wispy. Most
of her music is pop oriented, but
she sometimes blends a unique
sense of rhythm with these pop
themes to come up with some ra-
ther unique music, particularly
her tune "It's the Frame"
where she plays some almost
atonal acoustic guitar.
Lewis also comes through with
a strong live cut called "Little
Indians." Based on a poem by
Robert Louis Stevenson, this
chant is accompanied by a Carib-
bean percussion instrument call-
At Michigan's
Crisier Arena
Sat., April 7
8:00 p.m.
Tickets on Sale at:
MICH. ATHLETIC DEPT.
1000 S. STATE
Prices $5, $4, $3, $2
ed a guito. Lewis' voice floats
above the percussion, creating a
nice simple statement. But Lewis
indicates that she knows how to
use the advantages of the stu-
dio, particularly in her use of
double - tracking.
* * *
One of the most respected
white female vocalists in the
blues - folk - rock - rhythm 'n'
blues circuit is Tracy Nelson,
formerly of Mother Earth.
Her most recent contribution is
called Poor Man's Paradise (Co-
lumbia KC 31759) which does
little to add to her reputation.
The album is superbly produced,
all the performances are more
than competent, and Nelson
again shows that she rightly de-
serves her reputation. She has a
strong, gutsy delivery which is
crisp and clear. She never
chokes or slurs any of her words
like Joplin sometimes did. But
the failure of the album lies
totally with the compositions
which may be slickly arranged,
but lack any energy, depth and
interest.
* * *
Contrary to other 'published re-
ports,' Heartbreaker (Island SW-
9324) by Free does not indicate
a strong comeback by that band.
This album suffers in compari-
son with Free Live which is pro-
bably the best album by the or-
iginal Free. Some of the trouble
lies in the fact that Free has un-
dergone some personnel changes.
The only originals left are vocal-
ist Paul Rodgers who also plays
guitar here, and drummer Si-
mon Kirke.
The first cut "Wishing Well"
is definitely a good tune featur-
ing good strong jabbing guitar
along with tough vocals, but
nothing else on the album comes
up to this quality. Both "Heart-
breaker" and "Seven Angels"
are songs which have uninterest-
ing riffs stretched much further
than can be warranted. Free has
done good things in the past, so
given a chance they may -do
good things in the future.
*' * *
Pink Floyd has established a
reputation for their apparently
disconnected use of sound ef-
fects, creating a music that has
been termed as "space music.
Here, on their latest release The
Dark Side of the Moon (Harvest
SMAS 11163), they have dropped
any pretensions to space music
and come back to the pop world.
This album is a collection of
tunes with certain resemblances
to King Crimson, particularly
in the effective use of saxo-
phonist Dick Parry on "Money"
and "Us and Them." Guitarist
David Gilmour also gets a
chance to open up with some
searing solos on "Money". Bass-
ist Roger Waters and Gilmour
do all the vocals and their high
pitch along with a certain echo
quality gives them a unique tone.
Richard Wright on keyboards
never plays anything straight,
but uses a lot of distortion de-
vices which complement the
tune.
Rather nice straightforward
songs which are superbly pro-
duced. Perhaps not one of Pink
Floyd's best albums, this re-
cord, nevertheless, has many
pleasant things to offer.
* * *
Finally we end on a nostalgic
note. During the summer of
1964, there was a 45 on the radio,
an uptempo boogie piano over
which the singer crooned in a
very unique high-pitched whine.
The name of the song was "You
Really Turn Me On" and the
performer was Ian Whitcomb.
Nothing has been heard of
Whitcomb since, at least until
now. The album that he recently
released is called Under the
Ragtime Moon (United Artists
UAS 0598) which is produced by
ex-Bonzo Neil Innes. This is a
superior production but because
of the type of music here there
is probably not enough interest
for this album to be successful.
On the album Whitcomb plays
piano and does low-key vocals,
performing a fine collection of
fifteen ragtime and vaudeville
tunes including three that he
wrote. With tunes like "I'm
certainly Living a Ragtime
Life," "Yaaka Hula Hickey Dula
(Hawaiian Love Song)," "Robin-
son Crusoe's Isle," and "We're
Going to Celebrate the End of
the War in Ragtime (Be Sure
That Woodrow Wilson Leads the
Band)," the album is a fine con-
tribution to the understanding of
ragtime for the modern listener,
and should not be passed up.
A passion
By SARA RIMER
Donald Hall speaks softly in
the cultured tones of one who
truly loves words. One would
think that the melodious voice
and carefully chosen words stem
from his education at Philip
Exeter Academy, Harvard, Ox-
ford, and Stanford, but it goes
deeper than mere schooling. The
words flow from an intrinsic need
to create, to play with words.
This University professors ex-
plains, "If I couldn't write, it
would be my sentence to death."
Only a man with Hall's passion °
for words would rise every morn-
ing at 4:30 to begin writing when
the only sound is, "the pen mak-
ing little tiny mouse noises."
Hall wrote his first poem at
the age of 12, and plunged heav-
ily into poetry at 14, deciding it
would be his life's work. "The
first thing I remember is a
combined feeling of wanting to
be terrific and feeling weird and
alienated at 14 years. Poetry
was perhaps a rationale for being
set apart."
He clearly recalls one fateful
night when he was 14. At a Boy
Scout meeting ("I was a terrible
Boy Scout, always a tender-
foot.") Hall fell to thinking and
bragging with a 16 year old boy.
He announced, "I wrote a poem
in study hall today." However,
this revelation did not create the
expected effect since the boy
astonished Hall by revealing that
he had just quit school to write
poetry.
At this time Hall wanted to be
a writer, an actor, "to be things
important, but I had no direc-
tion." His Boy Scout acquaint-
ance became a "great romantic
figure" who helped channel the
boy, who already loved reading
and words, into poetry. From
this, Hall discovered T.S. Eliot
and listened with the reverence
one would give Socrates to the
poetry discussions of a group of
Yale freshmen.
His first poems were great,
long, free v e r s e dealing with
blood, death, and other violent
themes. Hall early began his
DRAMA-Student Lab Theatre presents The Exorcist; Mro-
zek's Enchanted Night at 4 in Frieze Arena; Gilbert and
Sullivan Society produce Princess Ida at Mendelssohn at
8; RC Players present Chekhov's The Three Sisters at 8
in RC Aud.; UAC-Musket enact West Side Story at 8 in
Power.
FILM-AA Film Co-op presents Truffaut's The Bride Wore
Black in Aud. A, Angell at 7, 9; Cinema Guild shows
Welle's Citizen Kane at 7, 9:05 in Arch. Aud.
MUSIC-SPECIAL-CAAS and Trotter House present Jazz
Symposium at 8 at 1443 Washtenaw.
POETRY-Don Hall reads at Pyramid Gallery at 7:30.
Donald Hall...
for poetry
practice of revising, and con-
tinues it today, often reworking
a poem that he may have begun
15 years ago.
Hall's first public recognition
came, when, having decided that
he was a socialist and an atheist,
he nevertheless e n t e r e d an
American Legion contest. His
colorful, metaphor-filled speech
in free verse, different from the
other entries, won the town and
the regional competition. Hall
was unfortunately struck down
by the German measles before
the state contest.
Once he began writing, he
never stopped except for a tor-
mented two-year period in which:
"I couldn't write. I had no quiet-
ness, just all war." In alluding
to those years in his 30's, Hall's
relaxed, contented face briefly
reveals a flash of pain. One un-
derstands that Hall is not a man
who has shielded himself from
life's suffering. With the help of
psychotherapy, he began to write
again. Hall discussed his poems
in therapy the way others dis-
cuss their dreams.
Although he admits that the
illness of Sylvia Plath produced
good poetry, he does not believe
that one loses one's creativity
along with the loss of neurosis.
He likes Plath's poetry, but de-
scribes it as "one, shrill, pain-
ful note. Without neurosis, one
can come forward, and lose dis-
tortion." He is trying to work on
the problem of health and suf-
fering with prose. "Suffering and
frustration are necessary, but
how do you handle it? I do be-
lieve one can live so as to avoid
self-destruction."
Hall is presently experimenting
with automatic writing; that is,
writing without sense or steering.
He views it "as an exercise and
an opening up of the mind." He
plays with words hoping to find
something to talk. "When you
find a new noise, you find your-
self able to say new things you
didn't know you had in you."
He compares his fooling with
words to fingerpainting, only de-
ploring that unlike painting "you
can't get your body into it." He
asserts that in poetry, "It is the
fingerpainters that go on and
develop." Hall feels it is impor-
tant for an artist to turn to the
primary thought of a child in
whose world metaphors are mag-
ical. To Hall, "A lyric poem
seems to say again and again,
'Get loose, get loose.'"
Hall the poet, has another
identity as Donald Hall, the pro-
fessor of English at the Univer-
sity since 1957, and as traveling
poetry reader. Teaching, not as
essential to his living as is writ-
ing, is more like a hobby that
he finds relaxing: He enjoys the
contact with students. The young
boy who once wanted to be an
actor surfaces in Hall, the poetry
reader. His nervousness some-
timesleads to wild improvisa-
tions, and the audience is usually
entertained as well as moved by
his poetry.
Echoing a statement he once
made that "skill is cheap," "Hall
declares that "talent is com
mon." But talent is no longer
common when, as in the case of
Donald Hall, "you really love
poetry and love yourself writing
it. Writing is an enormous pleas-
ure, and the only thing is to try
to make it as good as it can be."
Have a flair for
artistic writing?
If you are interes;-
ed in revieh ing
poetry, and music,
drama, dance, film,
or writing feature
stories a b o U t the
Iarts: Contact Arti
Editor, c/o The
Michigan Daily.
_a_-@ aft-mom
FLAMENCO FREAKS
Internationally known Flamenco guitarist Juan
Serrano will be taking appointments for private
instruction this week. Call:,
Ann Arbor Music Mart
7Te
ie e
Daily Photo by JOHN UPTON
Hall
(MATZOR)
with YAACOV AGMON, G LA ALMAGOR
9:30-9:00 MON.-SAT.
769-4980
336 S. State St.
F-.
"/
. . Best Israeli film .
It
--DAVAR
7l &9, SAT.-SUN., AprI 7-8 at ILLEL,1429 Hill Admission $1.00
SERIES NOW ON SALE!
t.v.
tonight,
6:00 2 4 7 News
9 Courtship of Eddie's Father
50 Flintstones
56 Operation Second Chance
6:30 CBS News
4 NBC. News
7 ABC News
9 I Dream of Jeannie
50 Gilligan's Island
56 Classroom Meetings
7:00 2 Truth or Consequences
4 News
7 To Tell the Truth
9 Beverly Hillbillies
50 I Love Lucy
56 Course of Our Times
7:30 2 what's My Line?
4 Circus!
7 Michigan Outdoors
9 Movie
"Tarzan Triumphs" (1943)
50 Hogan's Heroes
56 Behind the Lines
8:00 2 The Waltons
4 Flip wilson
7 Jacques Cousteau
56 Advocates
500Dragnet
8:30 50 Merv Griffin
9:00 2 Movie
"Don't Make Waves" (1967)
4 Ironside
7 Kung Fu
9 News
56 An American Family ... and
Reality
9:30 9 Happy Though Married
10:00 4 Dean Martin
7 Streets of San Francisco
9 Adieu Alouette
50 Perry Mason,
56 Masterpiece Theatre
10:30 9 Countrytime
11:00 2 4 7 News
9 CBC News
50 One Step oyBend
11:20 9 News
11:30 2 Movie
"Lizzie" (1957)
4 Johnny Carson
7 Jack Paar Tonite
50 Movie
"Doorway to Hell" (1930)
12:00 9 Movie
"Blockheads" (1948)
1:00 4 7 News
1:10 2 Names of the Game
1:30 9 Movie.
"Swiss Miss." (1938)
2:40 2 TV High School
3:10 2 News
wcbn
89.5 fm
9 The Morning After Show
12 Progressive Rock
4 Folk
7 Talk Back
8 Jazz
11 Progressive Rock
cable tv
channel 3
3:30 Pixanne-children
4:00 Today's woman - Dr. Eva
Jesse, from the original
"Porgy and Bess"
4:30 Something Else
5:00 Stratosphere Playhouse
5:30 Local News
6:00 Love and the Law
6:30 NCAA Super Sports
7:00 Community Dialogue
8:00 School Board Meeting
MUSKET '73
WEST SIDE STORY
April 5, 8:00p.m.
April 6, 8:00 p.m.
April 7, 2:00 p.m.and 8:00 p.m.
April 8, 3:00 p.m.
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