Page 6-Tuesday, February 7, 1978-The Michigan Daily
0no' s musical wizardry brilliant
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By MIKE TAYL OR ,
RIAN ENO'S MUSICAL history is
a rich one. After founding Roxy
sic with Bryan Ferry in the early
enties, he went on to work with ar-
like John Cale, Robert Calvert,
in Ayers, Robert Wyatt, Nico, and
Roxy mate Phil Manzanera. In the
They made two excellent albums
though, 801 Live, a stunning showcase
for Eno and Manzanera's work, and
Listen Now, a studio effort on which
Eno stayed mainly in the background.
Most importantly, Eno hooked up
with David Bowie. Together, the pair
made two of Bowie's best albums, Low
and "Heroes." Although Bowie
Before and after Science
Brian Eno
Polyor Deluxe 2302 071
released. Then came Taking Tiger.
Mountain (By Strategy), a bizarre trek
through China; Eno's only straight-
ahead rock'n'roll album, it also
remains his most cohesive. Another
Green World, which came out two years
ago, showed a new, more mature Eno.
The instrumentation had become im-
peccable, the production sparkling, and
the tunes, mostly instrumentals, were
better than ever.
And now there's a fourth album on
Eno's solo list. Before and after Science
combines the increased maturity of
Another Green World, the intriguing
lyrics and punch of Taking Tiger Moun-
tain (By Strategy), and the aimless
variety of Here Come the Warm Jets
with a new element - deeper, fuller in-
strumentation, into what may be Eno's
masterwork.
EACH OF THE album's ten tracks is
superb. No wonder - Eno's reputed to
have selected them after recording
over a hundred songs. No two cuts re-
semble each other, yet similar themes
and feelings hold them together.
More so than in any of his past work,
Eno's vocals are just one of the many
layers that make up each song. He's
singing lower than before - perhaps
Bowie's influence - and with unusual
self-contrAl. Consequently, Eno's voice
plays the same role as the various in-
struments do in forming waves of
sound.
"No one receiving" starts the action
off with a funky disco beat, certainly a
new twist for Eno. His booming, inces-
sant voice, flowing through layers of in-
struments, propels the tune. Like most
of Eno's work, the themes and con-
struction are quite abstract, close aural
counterparts to the modern paintings
that fill our art galleries and museums:
"KING'S LEAD HAT" and "Back-
water" are fast tunes in the same vein
as older songs like "Miss Shapiro" and
"Third Uncle." But while "King's Lead
a
Otocess, Eno assembled a series of re-
markable albums of his own, including
thee "rock" records, two droning, but
tiot unpleasant collaborations with ex-
King Crimson leader Robert Fripp, and
the avante-garde, pre-programmed
~iscreet Music.
Last year, Eno brought it all togeth-
r. With Manzanera he formed 801.
NEWS FROM THE
MAJOR EVENTS OFFICE
We are very proud to announce that
Steve Goodman will appear, in concert,
with special guest, Jim Post, on Thursday,
February 16, at the Power Center. Good-
man, whose subtle humor and sensitive
song-stylings have thrilled Ann Arborites
.since his days at the Ark, causes unparol-
lelled excitement whenever he appears.
In a world beset with electronics, where
laser beams and smoke bombs often sub-
stitute for talent, Steve Goodman has
built *o career simply singing his songs-
one man and his guitar. While playing in
his hometown of Chicago in 1971, he was
"discovered" by Kris Kristofferson-and
his career was launched.
In 1972 Arlo Guthrie hod a world-wide
hit with Steve's "City of New Orleans."' In
1975 he signed with Elektra/Asylum and
has released three albums, his latest being
"Say It In Private." With help from friends
like Jimmy Buffett and John Prine, Good-
man has laid down some of his own new
songs, as well as some tunes by Hank
Williams, Smokey Robinson, and others.
Claiming roots that are a combination of
country blues and Chicago urban blues,
Steve Goodman has developed a singing
and songwriting style that has set him
apart from others in his field. In September,
1976, he sold out our Power Center. He's
unique. He's good. Need we say more?
Welcome back, Steve.
Tickets are all $5.00 (reserved) and are
available at the Michigan Union Box Office
(11:30 to 5:30, M-Fri.). For more infor-
mation, please call 763-2071.
TIDBITS: Boz Scaggs' backing band is
known as "Toto," and has an album due
shortly on Columbia Records . . . Mitch
Ryder (of "Detroit Wheels" fame) is on a
comeback tour in Canada . . . Phil
Walden, of Capicorn Records, has been
meeting with Greg Allman and Dickey
Betts, sparking rumors of a possible Allman
Brothers reunion....
retained control over the production
and most of the music, Eno contributed
brilliant instrumentation and a few
lovely melodies. He also encouraged
Bowie to experiment with the Dadaes-
que, rambling lyrics that Eno favors..
TO PERFORM HIS take-offs on real-
ity, Eno enlists the best British rock
musicians around, including four
magicians on the bass, Percy Jones,
Paul Rudolph, Brian Turrington, and
Bill MacCormick, drummers like Phil
Collins of Genesis, and guitarists Phil
Manzanera, Robert Fripp, and Fred
Frith. They may not all be famous, but
they do the job better than any other
rock musicians I know of.
Eno's first solo album, Here Come
the Warm Jets, was a startling collec-
tion of surrealistic tunes, pre-New
Wave punkers, pretty ballads, and one
would-be Top 10 single, had it ever been
Hat" is a blazing free-for-all (what else
can you expect with Robert Fripp and
Phil Manzanera playing on the same
song?), "Backwater" is a polished,
tightly-controlled piece.
"King's Lead Hat" pays tribute to
Patti Smith with the chaotic lines:
Time and motion, time on time
All I know and all I have is time
And time and time is on my side.
Two tunes, "Here He Comes" and
"Julie With. . .", are right out of the
orchestral splendor that characterized
"On Some Faraway Beach" and "Some
Of Them Are Old" from Here Come the
Warm Jets."Here He Comes" is a sim-
ple, extraordinarily pretty ballad;
"Julie With.. ." has the same eerie
beauty Eno contributed to "Warzawa,"
"Moss Garden," and "Neukohn" on
Bowie's Low and "Heroes."
"KURT'S REJOINDER" and
"Spider and I" are closest to Another
Green World in texture. A lush tale,
"Spider and I" ends the album with a
feeling of cosmic gloom. "Kurt's Re-
joinder"sizzles with Percy Jones'
frenetic bass attack. The words are
rather peculiar, though:
Celebrate the loss of one and all, all, all
And separate the torso from the spine.
The alkum's two instrumentals, "En-
ergy Fools the Magician" and
"Through Hollow Lands," are also
close in spirit to Another Green World.
The first is highlighted by a beautiful
theme played by Enoon vibes, and the
second is a simple, but intriguing little
tune.
But most impressive is a song quite
unlike anything Eno has ever done
before, "By This River." Written in col-
laboration with Achim Roedelius and
Mobi Moebius (Cluster), the cut
features a sad piano and synthesizer
arrangement. Eno's half-spoken, half-
sung vocals make the song:
Here we are, stuck by this river,
You and I beneath this sky that's ever falling
down, down, down,
Even failing down.
through the day, as if from an ocean.
Waiting here always failing to remember
why we came, came, came.
I wonder why we came?
You talk to me, as if from a distance.
And I reply with impressions chosen from
another time, time, time,
From another time.
It's Eno's glorious music and lyrics,
along with the instrumental prowess of
his friends, that makes Before and Af-
ter Science a great record. If you'd like
to see why. rock has a serious future,
this one's for you.
I
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Sup ertramp's rehash
a nice mix of tunes,
By PATRICIA FABRIZIO
THE LATEST Supertramp album
is a conglomeration of contradic-
tions. It's not really by Supertramp;
only two of the five current members
participated in it. This makes it as
close to the present Supertramp as
Wings is to the Beatles or the
Yardbirds is to Led Zeppelin. Second-
ly, it's not even a new album;
originally released in 1970, it exper-
ienced the chart motion of a snail.
Now that Supertramp has a bigger
following, the album has been re-
released. This is a common practice
in the music business - the un-
ashamed cash-in. Which brings us to
the third and final contradiction;
cash-in or not, The Early Years is a
good album.
FREE MOVIE
The First Baptist Church nd the American Baptist Student Fellowship wishes
to extend an open invitation to all to attend a FREE screening of Pier Paolo
Pasolini's epic film,
"The Gospel According to St. Matthew,"
FEBRUARY 8 (Ash Wednesday), at 7:30 p.m.
This hard-hitting film is undoubtedly the finest of its genre, and is one of the
best made films of the mid-sixties.
The Church is located at 502 E. Huron Street in Ann Arbor
TONIGHT Tuesday, February 7
the ann aIrbor film coopera te
presehfs oaAud. A
WAGES OF FEAR
(Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1953) 7 ONLY-AUD. A
Four down-and-outs in a sleazy South American town agree to risk trans-
porting two truckloads of nitroglycerine needed to blow up a burning oil
well 300 miles away. Clouzot, working in the south of France, creates per-
fectly the impression of tropical heat and filth. He uses the sustained tension
of the journey to examine his characters and their shifting relationships.
Based on the novel by Georges Arnaud. A suspense classic. Winner of the
Grand Prix at the -1953 Cannes Film Festival. YVES MONTAND, CHARLES
VANEL, VERA CLOUZOT. In French, with subtitles.
VINCENT, FRANCOIS, PAUL AND THE OTHERS
(Claude Soutet, 1976) 9 ONLY-AUD. A
A lyrical homage to male friendship. A box-office hit in France, the film
features outstanding performances by an all-star French cast (YVES MON-
TAND, STEPHANE AUDRAN, MICHEL PICCOLI, GERARD DEPARDIEU). 3 men
approaching middle age find their friendship sustains them through a series
of emotional crises. "A melancholy, romantic tune . . . Sautet is a wizard at
juggling and balancing a large cast; he keeps the incredibly complex
'Dinner at Eight' situation spinning in thin air, and the smoothness of his
technique has its own beauty."-Pauline Kael. In French, with subtitles.
ANN ARBOR PREMIERE.
SHOW TIMES: "Wages of Fear" 7:00 only
"Vincent, Francois, Paul and the Others"9:00 only
ADMISSION: $1.50
The Early Years
Supertramp
A& M 4665
RHYMING NAME
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) - The stu-
dent who acted as the chairman of
the recent University of Toledo
homecoming has a name that
rhymes. She's Mary Terri Karry,
who in her home town of Cleveland,
lives on Londonderry (street).
Henning CarIson's 1969
,HUNGER
PER,.OSCARRSON turns in one of
the most powerful performances
on film in this story of a starving
writer in 19th century Oslo. Rich in
atmospheric detail. In Swedish, sub-
titles.
Wed: Altman's NASHVILLE
Thur: Wismman's BASIC TRAINING
AND ESSENCE
CINEMA GUILD
TONIGHT at 7 & 9:05
OLD ARCH. AUD.
$1 .50
There is no dated quality about the
album. It's easily better than much
of the material released today. The
lyrics are mature, the music com-
plex, and the production simple.
The LP's liner notes read like an
apology. Bud Scoppa begins by
saying that the makers of the album
were an embryonic band with the
same name as the current Super-
tramp. He continues by remarking
that the record does not "display the
full range of ingenuity that marks the
work of Supertramp today."
HE IS, SIMPLY, wrong. There are
no top 40 tracks, no toned-down,
slicked-up, "Give a Little' Bit" type
songs. Instead there are poetic lyrics
andbrilliant instrumentation. The
album may be as close to a rock
classic as a minor group has ever
come.
The record's best tune, "Surely",
is played twice - it opens and closes
the album. Sensitive, steady vocals
and acoustic piano and guitar are
paired with melancholy lyrics and
melody, resulting in a piece of art
unsurpassed by the remainder of the
album.
Curiously, the album has a nega-
tive tone. The tunes are either sadly
pensive or downright depressing.
The introspective nature of the songs
i brought out through lyrical and
instrumental complexity in most
cases.
IN "SHADOW SONG", the im-
agery is so great that it results in
lyrical obscurity. But the lead vocal-
ist, the acoustic piano, and the flute
combine to impart a, feeling to the
song that well compensates for any
ambiguities or uncertainties.
"Try Again", while having a much
more understandable theme, is far
more complex musically. This serves
to separate artist and listener. One
free form balalaika solo is difficult to
appreciate. It, fortunately, has a
masterful electric guitar solo that
really cooks. Richard Palmer, re-
sponsible for both riffs, is at his best
here.
But it has a false ending, folldwed
by some studio experimentation
which eventually, and much too
slowly, leads back into the song for a
fine finish.
A close second for best song, "It's a
Long Road", is currently getting
occasional FM airplay. This tune
comes closer to rock 'n' roll than any
other song on the LP. A catchy guitar
riff unifies the song, which sounds a
lot like Eric Clapton's blues-rock
music. The mid-song rock jam abso-
lutely sizzles - Palmer's guitar
prowess is on full display.
"HOME AGAIN" is a short piece
that was never fully developed. Much
like a Neil .Young song,this tune
deals with the desire to go home -
something with which many disillu-
sioned people can identify. Once
again, vocals and acoustic guitar
combine for a sobering, yet disquiet-
ing view of life.
"Maybe I'm a Beggar" is divided
into three pafts. The first is dominat-
ed by half-spoken vocals that are
pure poetry:
Can we be free
in a world where to love is to own?
When will we see
that our minds must face life all alone?
After a rock interlude featuring
more fine electric guitar work, the
song returns to the original format of
softly spoken lyrics and sparse
instrumentation.
Supertramp has changed a lot
since 1970. Jazzier now, and with a
stronger eye for sales, their music no
longer reflects the artistic sensuality
and the fearless experimentation
apparent in this early record.
Unfortunately, these very factors
sometimes render the album inac-
cessible. But for anyone who is sick
of slick production LP's of the
Rumors genre, this album is well
worth one's time.
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JACKETS
STh prie o topgrae don hs goe1u cosdealyfr098
13 for dinner
When you order our shrimp dinner, you get no less than
14 delicious shrimp, each one deep fried and served with our
elaborate salad bar, Hearthstone toast, and butter. After all,
we don't skimp on our shrimp.
eT he price of top grade down has gone up considerably for 1978.
a New prices are at least 25% higher this year.
BUY NOW & SAVE
TRAILWISE "Manitoba
-on sale now 20% off- $79.40 (reg. $98)
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