Page Two
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Tuesday, September
19, 1972
Page Two THE MICHIGAN DAILY Tuesday, September 19, 1972
:MUSIC
A
Retan r
By HARRY HAMMITT
Upon news of the demise of
the Bonzo Dog Band in early
1970, dedicated Bonzo fans could
only look forward to perpetual
artistic exile. Every once in a
while there would appear a mo-
mentary rays of hope, such as
the astounding KEYNSHAM re-
leased posthumously in the early
summer of 1970. Not even this
fine album could satiate the ap-
petites of Bonzo. fans. Now the
Bonzos are back, after a long
wait with a new album.
There is no denying that the
Bonzos have changed; personnel
on their new album consists of
studio musicians, but this is of
little artistic importance. The
important thing is that the Bon-
zos' attitude towards music re-
mains unchanged. The musical
emphasis has shifted from brass,
to guitar and keyboards, but no
matter what instruments are
available to the Bonzos, they al-
ways use them in an imaginative
and witty fashion.
As for, the album itself, it pre-
sents a different, but still as en-
chanting, Bonzo Dog Band. The
album is called, appropriately
enough, LET'S MAKE UP AND
BE FRIENDLY (United Artists
UAS-5584). As can be expected,
the Dog makes use of a variety
of different musical styles, but
these styles are immediately
more accessible than ever before.
The Bonzos are reaching back in
musical history for inspiration,
but the majority of the present
inspiration is located in music
of the '60s.
As soon as the first notes of
the opening song, the new up-
dated sound of the Bonzos' music
manifests itself. "The Strain" is
a tough rock 'n' roll tune that
invites the listener to join in a
new dance craze much like the
Twist, the Pony, the Frug, and
the Jerk, the only prerequisite
for this dance is a bad case of
constipation. Stanshall's' vocal is
incredibly effective, singing like
Boris Karloff imitating Howlin'
Wolf, he easily convinces you
that he is. constipated. The song
really takes off when Vivian in-
troduces "Bubs" White on guitar
who proceeds to play a devastat-
ing lead consisting of every rock
cliche he knows. Viv then gives
us a talking blues on all the
W/Ift
of
th
trouble that constipation causes
him.
The other strong rocker on the
album is a song written by Spear
and the only one which he ap-
pears on. Since Spear's departure
from the influence of 'the other
band members he has continued
to expand on his clothes fetish
which first made itself known in
t h e unforgettable "T r o u s e r
Press." It was to be expected
that Spear's addition to the Bon-
zo album would have something
to do with clothes. Sure enough,
his song is called "Waiting for
the Wardrobe" which takes us
from the ordering of the Ward-
robe straight through to its de-
livery. He starts in a slow, al-
most Voodoo style, informing us
that he's "gonna sing my song,"
the song dangles momentarily on
a buzzing of a moog or some kind
of tape distortion, then begins to
move out on a faster typical rock
riff as Spear wails "Waiting for
the Wardrobe" in his inimitable
vocal style. When the repeated
vocal begins to wear thin, Spear
yields to "Bubs" White who again
exhibits some fitting guitar work;
halfway through his solo he is
joined by Spear on sax. The song
finally ends with a dialogue be-
tween the two deliverymen andc
the person who is receiving the
wardrobe, all this. is spoken over
a charming and appropiate xylo-
phone.
There are still other numbers
borrowed from the early '60s.
Probably the one song that is
easiest to relate to on an immedi-
ate humorous level is a thing
called "King of Scurf" which is
obviously related in spirit to the
past Bonzo sensation, "Mr. Apol-
lo." The song takes off from the
etarlier style of the Beach Boys
which established them as lead-
ers in rock harmony. The song
uses the falsetto-like voice that
the Beach Boys did so well. Fur-
thermore it is the antithesis of
the strong, school-spirited ath-
elete that the Beach Boys sang
about, rather it's a kid who has
acne and dandruff problems, but
by making the most of these as-
sets he becomes popular with the
other kids as a kind of folk-hero.
The song is sung by Innes with
ad-libbed help from Stanshall and
R o b e r t s. Instrumental tricks
which work to the Bonzos' advan-
tage are the use of violin to bridge
e Dog
the gap between verses and add
a good touch of tension, and a
very effective switch to Latin
rhythms on the congas which end
the song.
No group is safe from the Bon-
zos and the Beatles get theirs in
two songs. The first is called
"Don't Get Me Wrong" which
probably draws from Lennon' s
"Don't Let Me Down," but even
more from early Beatles mate-
rial, particularly "You Really
Got A Hold On Me." 'But there
are definite overtones from other
early English groups whom also
used the Mersey sound. The sec-
ond song is called "Fresh
Wound" which seems to be in-
spired by the legal breakup of
the Beatles. The song is a com-
bination of the typical Mersey
sound with the feel of Lennon's
social protest songs; the song
ends as Innes wails "meet me on
the corner of your life" over a
driving guitar.
"Legs" Larry Smith's biggest
contribution to the album is an
eight minute extravaganza called
"Rusty (Champion Thrust)." The
song was written by "Legs" in
collaboration with Tony Kaye,
late of Yes, who plays piano
and organ on the cut. The tune
opens with a barroom-cocktail
party atmosphere, the piano
tinkles in the background while
voices whisper in the foreground.
"Have you heard about~ Rusty?"
"I heard he was holed up in
Basalino." "No, he was driven
out of Basalino two weeks ago."
TRANSCENDENTAL
MEDITATION
as taught by
MAHARISHI MAHUSH YOGI
s NATURAL TECHNIQUE DEVELOPS FUL
CREATIVE AILITIES
" PROVIDES DEEP REST AND RELAXATION
* LIFE EXPANDS IN FULFILLMENT
INTRODUCTORY
LECTURE
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 20-8 P.M.
ANGELL HALL AUDITORIUM B'
for further info. call 761-8255
I mmi
This overlaps into a country-
style segment that features
"Legs" on vocals sounding like
a Southern hillbilly. The song
begins to build to a climax with
"Legs" plaintive wailing accom-
panied by an effective lead that
constantly tries to steal the stage
away from the vocal. It then
changes gears to an uptempo
vaudeville segment that seems to
be totally unrelated to any other
part of the song and which ends
with no warning. An interesting
beginning to "Legs'" songwriting
career.
A first for the Bonzos is "Raw-
linson End" patterned after a
radio soap opera. The dialogue is
all by Viv with help from some
good sound effects, accompanied
by some intriguing Innes piano.
The story is based on the Peyton
Place-like soapers and is very
well done and has some good
humor in the traditional Bonzo
vein, but since it is only spoken
word, 'it soon begins to wear thin
after enough hearings to memor-
ize all the jokes. No matter, it
has Firesign 'Theater beat cold.
A different style comes out in
"Straight from My Heart," a
schmaltzy, crooning love song
which features a bubbling sax.
Highlight of the song is the pur-
poseful antagonizing of the singer
by the chorus.
Stanshall reaches the peak of
his tremendous genius-in his com-
position, "Bad Blood." Borrowing
liberally from the Johnny Cash
country & western style, Viv
strums away on his ukelele, sing-
ing a song about western re-
venge, but reducing it to such
beautifully absurd terms that it
becomes an instant classic.
This album presents not one
but two .of the prettiest, most
intriguing instrumentals the Bon-
zos have every done. Both tunes
require a bit of getting used to,
but it is well worth it. The first
is called "Turkeys" which fea-
tures some Procol Harum-like
chordal patterns, but derives its
major influence from the music
of Eric Satie. As the piano plays
through a number of runs, it is
joined by the sax which echoes
the run. The song builds in ten-
sion, ,but ends deliberately be-
fore reaching the climax. The
second piece is "Slush" which
seems reminscient to church
music. As the organ plays
through the piece, a cryptic
laugh is interjected and con-
tinued to the end of the song
which happens to be the last cuts
on the album. Perhaps a slightly
unimaginative ending, but, never-
theless, a typically enigmatic one
for the Bonzos.
Now that the Bonzos are back
in business, all their fans can
rest a little bit more easily. Fans
have to be warned not to expect
the same old Bonzo Dog Band
of the past, Rodney Slater has
left the band for good so those
days will never be recaptured.
What you can expect is a healthy
new Bonzoband which is every
bit as inventive and crazy as the
old one. As for those who have
not heard the Bonzos before,
don't expect a typical English
rock band; the Bonzos are far
from typical. Instead, remember
that there are other musical
styles than rock, and that humor
can play an integral part inmusic.
If you are willing to listen, the
Bonzos can and will be awfully
rewarding. The Bonzos are an
experience that cannot be missed.
. dada for now
..
Everyone Welcome!
GRAD:
COFFEE
HOUR
Wedls day, Sept. 20
S8-10 p.m.
West Conference
Room, 4th Floor
RACKHAM
OUTSIDE ON THE TERRACE
Fun, Food, People
NEW PEOPLE WELCOME!
-
...a
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. '"
, ti/,"
r
,r
DUSTIN HOFFMAN, FAYE DUNAWAY, CHIEF DAN GEORGE in
Arthur m lE
Penn's EIb
"A HIP EPIC!"
BIG
MAN
SHOP THURSDAY AND FRIDAY
9:30 UNTIL 9:00 P.M.
perfect your routines In
|Selvo dancewear
--Pauline Kael, NEW YORKER Magazine
"A RAMBUNCTIOUS TRIUMPH! THE '70s FIRST GREAT EPIC! 'Little 'Big Man'
is the new western to begin all westerns!"
-Stefan Kanfer, TIME Magazine
"Dustin Hoffman is the 121-year-old sole survivor of Custer's Last Stand. Director Arthur Penn tells
his tallest of tall tales beautifully. A raucous, sprawling, extraordinarily rich work that is the best
American movie of the year . . . Dedicated to the theory that 'a two-legged creature will believe any-
thing'." -INDEPENDENT FILM JOURNAL
TONIGHT-Sept.19th- & 9:30 p.m-35m= Panavision-Technicolor
COMING THURSDAY-Francois Truffaut's brilliant THE 400 BLOWS
TUESDAY, Sept. 26th-Michelangelo Antonioni's stunning BLOW-UP
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 27th-SOME OF MY BEST FRIENDS ARE ... . (First Run!)
all showings in AUDITORIUM "A" ANGELL HALL-$1
tickets' on sale for all of each evenings performances at 6 p.m. outside the auditorium-
WE HAVE RAISED OUR ADMISSION PRICE TO $1
The Ann Arbor Film Cooperative is established to promote and support filmmaking in the community.
Any profits earned at our film showings are invested in the cooperative's editing and production equip-
ment, our film school, grants to community filmmakers, our 8 mm festival and other projects. It is to
increase the effectiveness of the cooperative that prices have been raised. Anyone interested in the co-
operative or its activities is always encouraged to see k membership and to patronize our showings.
stretch
nylon with the
correct meosure of freedom.
Block ballet tights for adults:
short, overage or tall.
4.50
I
I
I
Also available: Turtleneck
leotard.
Adults small, med., large. 7.50
Jacobson&
SECOND FLOOR
t
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I ':
.2
,,, .. i:.>
Iy.
Vinyl Boots for Miss J
$11 and $12
A marvelous opportunity to
give your budget a break
and to odd sleek fashion
boots of stretch vinyl to
your footwear wardrobe.
A. Pull-on boot in black,
brown or navy. $11.
B. Front-zipped boot in
block or navy. $12.
4.W .TAUoj
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