The Michigan Daily-Sunday, April 16, 1978-Page 5 PLA TTER PANS,& PLA UDITS ;. .... , ;r 6 'R ,. .t of Pharoah Sanders N A RECENT Eclipse lecture at Trotter House, Archie Shepp referred to various legendary jazzmen and put Pharoah :Sanders alongside such figures as Charlie Parker, John Coltrane and Ornette.Coleman. Indeed, Sanders can be acknowledged as an in- novator of our time, and this is confir- nied by his history, which consists of having played tenor and soprano saxophone beside the legendary John Coltrane. Today, Pharoah Sanders is ten years beyond his work with John Coltrane, which brought out such fantastic albums as Cosmic Music, Live in Japan, Om, Meditations. Whether this puts him in the ranks of the masters I'll Love Will Find A Way Pharoah Sanders AristiaA4!61 leave up to Shepp and Arista press releases. His latest album, Love Will Find A Way, is worth a listen. I don't think that it can be classified with the jazz masterpieces of our time. The album opens with the title cut, a pleasant-sounding theme reinforced by the Water Family, a background vocal section. After talking with Shepp, I have the impression that these vocal sections are a sign of reaching a level in jazz where the record executives feel the album is salable enough to invest money in vocals. Well, regardless of the music industry scene, the vocals of Phyllis Hyman add a stunning touch to several of the cuts by putting an extra feel on the jazz sound. Once when I was talking with Sam Sanders, a Detroit jazz musician of no relation to Pharoah, he told me he felt the main ingredient to Motown's suc- cess was the mixture of a jazz orchestra with vocals. Perhaps this album is evidence of that theory; when listening to "Got Give It Up," written by Marvin Gaye, you can hear the jazz influence. The Gaye tune made me wonder about the direction Pharoah is taking, but I trust it's just .a fun little tune played very well, presenting the nine-piece horn section that accompanies him on this work. Sanders' latest work has over 26 musicians, including the likes of Lenny White, Wah Wah Watson, Alex Blake and the producer and percussionist of the album, Norman Connors. The second side more clearly represents the direction that Pharoah Sanders has taken in recent days, ex- pressing a slower-pace, less concerned with avante-garde exhibitionism. The first cut, "As You Are," brings out the sensual tongue of Phyllis Hyman which at some points seems middle-of-the- road, easy-listening music. The album, on the whole, appeals to several tastes in listening, containing a disco song, a little funk, a little or- chestra, all interpreted in a jazz man- ner by Sanders. After listening to this album, I felt that the music recruiter for Hollywood ought to give Pharoah a ring, for some Of the cuts sound like soundtracks to Hollywood films. This isn't necessarily derogatory, it merely expresses the sound he's exhibiting. The last cut, "Everything I Have Is Good," is late-night jazz sound enhan- ced by a piano solo by Bobby Lyle. The album is pleasant and worth giving a listen to. It's one of those albums that you can play while your parents are in the room. -by Matthew Kletter Manfred Mann's Earth Band T HE GRADUAL evolution of Man- fred Mann's Earth Band has created a respected and rather dig- nified rock group with a definite artistic bent. Their latest LP, Watch, is another conscious effort by the band to promote their own seriousness. It is basically successful, both creatively and intellec- tually. Watch is an impressive follow-up to the Earth Band's previous album, The Roaring Silence, which produced the monster hit single "Blinded By The Light." Although The Roaring Silence does contain a number of fine tunes, the music drags at times, and there is a lyrical vagueness through most of the album which tends to irritate after repeated listenings. Some of these deficiencies have been The synthesizer work of Mann takes the lead role on the new LP, rather than being blended into the rhythm section as it often was on The Roaring Silence. Mann dominates the instrumental break in "Martha's Madman," a Watch Manfred Mann's Earth Band Warner Bros. BSK 357 powerful song which delves into the ,shadowy world of insanity. His lively synthesizer arrangement adds a strangely incongruent element to the song which quite positively promotes its theme. MANN'S KEYBOARDS also play an intregal role in the Earth Band's live version of "Quinn The Eskimo," also included on Watch. Mann first recorded this Bob Dylan composition about ten years ago, and its release as a single brought him a moderate amount of notoriety. The updated version rocks tremendously, in a way Dylan undoubt- ably never intended. There's a con- tagious energy in the way the Earth Band performs the song, as Mann trades off the instrumental lead with guitarist Dave Flett; the band builds up a frenetic pace until just the right moment, when they calmly glide through the last verse of the song. There's a pleasing variety of material on Watch which adds to the fresh feel of the LP; most of the tunes were composed by persons outside of the group. The Earth Band may be taking note of the success of "Blinded By The Light" (a Bruce Springsteen tune), and opting for the possible suc- cess which such outside influences seem to bring. Not a bad idea, really; the weakest tune on Watch is "Chicago Institute," an Earth Band composition dealing with a rather hackneyed paranoic version of the future. The remainder of the songs are all en- joyable, due primarily to the fine per- formances by the band and the diverse selection of material. Included are a Slade tune entitled "Drowning on Dry Land," which features solid perfor- mances both on acoustic and electric guitar. Chris Hamlet Thompson's vocals on this song are quite strong, blending well with the changing in- strumental textures within the song. An uptempo John Simon-Robbie Robertson composition, "Davy's on the Road Again," opens side two, again with notably tight instrumental work. Sue Vickers' "California" is one sur- prising inclusion on the new album. By Earth Band standards the tune is downright mellow, dominated by acoustic guitar and rolling smoothly from start to finish. The surprise is a pleasant one, as the tune works well. Although their sound hasn't changed all that much, the improvements made by Manfred Mann's Earth Band have been considerable. As veterans of the music business, it's good to see them finally rocking their way to the top. "Blinded By The Light" was their springboard; Watch could set them flying. -by Michael Baadke Muddy Waters, ; Fleet wood Mac BLUES PEOPLE have notoriously short lifespans. Muddy Waters, luckily, is a survivor. Last year he joined forces with Johnny Winter, James Cotton, and a band of veteran blues players to make Hard Again, a lively collection of modern blues. Now he's followed it up with I'm Ready, named after a Willie Dixon song. Fleetwood Mac made some excellent blues music in the late sixties before they died, only to be reborn a few years later as a pop group. The Original Fleetwood Mac consists of tracks recorded in 1967 but never released. Stripped of the gloss that charac- t izes most rock and pop, the blues can b an honest, emotional music form. Unfortunately, because repetitive rhythms often replace melodies, it can also be deathly dull. These new records illustrate both ends of the spectrum. I'm Ready has the same stark, realistic production Johnny Winter gave to Hard Again, but it's not as fresh. It's a carbon copy of its predecessor, and as everyone knows, carbon copies are never as good as the original; they're invariably fuzzy and less distinct. There's nothing as power- ful as "Mannish Boy," and overall the LP lacks variety. ONLY ONE OF the nine tracks ac- tually has a melody-Sonny Boy Williamson's "Good Morning Little School Girl." This light, breezy tune is full of life; unfortunately, the same can't be said for any of the other songs. Two by Willie Dixon, "I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man" and the title track, "I'm Ready," offer solid blues riffs, great harp playing by Walter Hor- ton and Jerry Portnoy, and passionate vocals by Waters. But Winter's guitar' playing is undistinguished. Four new songs by Waters are slow and sluggish. Excellent slide guitar by Waters and Winter, and a few im- pressive guitar solos by Winter make the songs enjoyable, but hardly anything to get excited about. "Rock Me" and "Screamin' and Cryin"' are substandard old Waters tunes. Ap- parently he put his best material on Hard Again. The Original Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac Sire SR 6045 ALTHOUGH A DECADE old, Fleet- wood Mac's blues is a good deal fresher than Waters' new record. Perhaps it's because of their youth, or perhaps it's because they synthesized the styles of many blues artists, forming a crisp coalition of approaches. Most of the tunes were written by Peter Green, then one of the band's two guitarists. "Leaving Town Blues" and "Watch It" feature vibrant guitar riffs and strong, earthy vocals. But "Drif- ting" and "First Train Home" simply plod along. "Rambling Pony No. 2" is marred by incredibly sloppy playing. Green's best tunes are "A Fool No More," a slow song bound together by stinging guitar work and urgent vocals, and "Fleetwood Mac," a bouncy little instrumental featuring delightful harp playing and a few mournful saxophone riffs. Jeremy Spencer, the other guitarist, contributes "Allow Me One More Show," a pleasant enough acoustic in- terlude. He also arranged "Mean Old Fireman," another soft change of pace. The band seems to have no energy during B.B. King's "Worried Dream," which is unfortunate since it could have been one of the LP's highlights. On the other hand, James Williamsn's "Can't Afford to Do It" is a marvelous piece of blues-tinged, danceable rock'n'roll. The Original Fleetwood Mac must be seen as an interesting relic of the past. As an album, it fails for pretty much the same reasons I'm Ready: lack of variety, little in the way of melodies, and unevenness. Anyone interested in finding out what a great band Fleet- wood Mac was before they became trashy pop messiahs would do much better to check out the Vintage Years anthology or Kiln House. -by Mike Taylor Marlena Shaw TODAY, JAZZ VOCALISTS cannot expect exclusively jazz market- oriented albums to be profitable. They must expand their repertoire to include pop, rock or rhythm and blues. After years of mainstream jazz participation, Marlena Shaw plunged into the R & B market in 1975 with an LP called Who Is This Bitch, Anyway? Shaw's subsequent LP's have con- tinued this diversifying trend which has caused some people to wonder if Shaw is a jazz artist at all. Jazz, however, is not a type of material; it is a way of in- terpretation. so the only question here is whether Shaw can handle different songs without losing her jazz touch. Her new album, Acting Up, proves she can do it. Acting Up is a versatile album. Its songs range from ballads and blues to jazz and disco. After the frantic up- tempo cuts of Shaw's previous album, Sweet Beginnings, it is refreshing to hear Shaw singing slower,softer tunes. SIDE TWO IS the better side. It opens with "You Bring Out The Best In Me," a soul tune which was recorded several years ago by the Natural Four. Shaw's arrangement changes the song dramatically. She slows down the pace, gets inside the lyrics and releases a sassy, sensous rendition. The nest cut, "Dreaming," is an easy-going number made for Shaw's voice; a voice which, over the years, has become polished and matured. She reaches for notes and ties them like ribbons. Her intonation and phrasing comes across emphatically when singing disco tunes like "I'm Back For More,'" a song boasting call-response chase with background singers. Unlike some disco singers who scream, Shaw handles her gutsy shouts with perfect longer piano romp that has a catchy, hand-clapping, toe-tapping rhythm. It is astonishing to see Shaw's growth as a musician considering her informal Acting Up Marlena Shaw Columbia JC 35073 musical training consisting mainly of piano lessons from her uncle and professional gigs with the Count Basie band and trumpeter Howard McGhee. Shaw shows potential as a pianist, songwriter and composer that she ought to explore further. "Mama Tried" is also interesting for its portrayal of Shaw's style. She varies the melody with high and low notes, scooping and bending them. Shaw also varies the lyrics by suddenly breaking off into an ad lib monologue that goes beyond the lyrics in telling the truth; then just as suddenly bouncing back in- to the lyrics to continue the melody. The real treat of the album is the "Theme From Looking For Mr. Good- bar, (Don't Ask to Stay Until Tomorrow)." Here.she expresses the emotional confusion of a woman who looks for love but rejects it when she finds it. Backed by fine percussion and string sections, Shaw tells the familiar story as if it were completely new. The jazz arrangement here is excellent. Acting Up is one of the best albums Shaw has made. Her strengths as musician and songwriter are still-to be fully exhausted. Hopefully, Shaw will soon gain wider recognition as a major jazz artist. Acting Up shows that the potential is there. -by Eric Smith Iggy Pop GGY IS A major wound to the music industry (and most sensitive people) that had almost healed over. True, there are plenty of painted- faced Bozos around today that have at- tempted- to replace him, but they are merely laughable pacifiers for the 8 to 13 year old set. Iggy Pop and The Stooges, on the other hand, enraged people. Coverage by the media of the two is impossible to compare. Ig was too outrageous, us), but Iggy doesn't sound as restrained as when recording with Bowie. This LP is easy to like on the fir- st listening, as opposed to some earlier material that would often clear a room of people. "KILL CITY," the title tune, is a strong rocker about life in the big city. Ig sings of "winding up in some bathroom, over-dosed and on your knees." He has always had a unique and poignant insight to the workings of the world and its people. "No Sense of Crime" is a beautiful song with a harmonious acoustic guitar line that's quite different from anything the Ig has done before. "I Got Nothin"' is a statement on the condition of his life, somewhat self-explanatory. The way Iggy says something, even something simple, can conjure up a multitude of meanings. The photo of Iggy and Williamson on the back cover shows Iggy with his hair dyed white and as gaunt and twisted as ever. Somehow, though, he still manages to maintain his childlike charisma. THIS COULD BE his first commer- cially successful record, and some people are worried over the possibility of his converting into one of the money- bent types found commonly in the music business. Anyone who has delved into the nature of his psyche and grasped the ideas he puts forth under- stands this couldn't be the case. Unless he is so burned out that he is mindless (as some have always claimed), he will not be a pat financial instrument for the fat-cat music in- dustry. Whatever his motivation, people are now cringing at the thought of hearing Iggy Pop assault the airwaves regularly again. I, for one, am ready. On the other hand, a healthy dose of Ig in the morning would help anyone greet the cruel, harsh world. Have you had your Iggy fix today? -by Doug Heller Warren Zevon LATE LAST YEAR, Warren Zevon returned home to Los Angeles after a year's exodus in Spain and Africa. He had with him memories of people and incidents, and a bunch of new songs. And he made an album, Ex- citable Boy. Naturally, it's rich with images of-friends, enemies, events, and places. Who else but Zevon could fill an LP with songs like "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner," an Irish ballad that touches down in Denmark, Biafra, Johannesburg, Lebanon, and Berkeley. "Werewolves of London," a nonsense-horror tale, and "Veracruz," a mystical step back in time? Zevon first appeared a couple of years ago in Jackson Browne's shadow. Browne had just produced his second album, and Zevon seemed destined for at least some success. But like his first album, Wanted Dead or Alive, the record drew little attention. Excitable Boy isn't likely to suffer the same fate because it's a great record, and great records always draw some attention, even if they aren't commer- cial smashes. Zevon's songs are magnificent, perhaps because he lets others help him write, and his band, composed of Jackson Browne-Linda Ronstadt veterans like Waddy Wachtel and Danny Kortchmar on guitar, Leland Sklar and Kenny Edwards on bass, and Rick Marotta and Russel Kunkel on drums, is energetic and tight. Browne and Wachtel's production is clear and crisp, and engineer Greg Ladanyi's sound is flawless and im- mediate. Stringing all this together is Zevon's fluid piano and stunning voice, an eerie cross between John Cale and Bruce Springsteen. THE ALBUM IS a breakthrough for Zevon in the same way that Blonde On Blonde was for Dylan, Born to Run was for Springsteen, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spicers From Mars was for Bowie, All the Young Dudes was for Mott the Hoople, and Rocket to Russia wa§ for the Ramones. This time Zevon's put all the right ingredients together, and the result is' explosive, magical rock'n'roll. "Johnny Strikes Up the Band" is the best tune about rock'n'roll since Bowie's "Lady Stardust." The inevitable fight for attention between Zevon's voice and Wachtel's guitar ad- ds to the song's tension; both of them win. The boys go disco on "Nighttime in the Switching Yard." The lyrics are short and simple, but not inane, and the playing sharp as could be-in all, a great dance tune. Zevon wrote "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner" with David Lindell, a former soldier of fortune and owner of ,an Irish bar in Spain where he used to sing. The tune, which follows a mer-' cenary named Roland around the world, is a disquieting blend of absurd humor and pathos. "Veracruz," another song about war and change, r:+ 31 ] h Kill City Iggy Pop, James Williamson and Friends Romp IMR 1018 dangerous, and perverse, and was never treated mildly on the news. RUMORS SPREAD about him faster than the peanut-butter he used to cover himself with when, in olden days, he would swing into the audience on a rope. Of course, no one wants peanut- butter smeared on them; they'd back off, and Iggy would splat on the floor. There are plenty of soggy tales about the exploits of Iggy Pop, but it is un- deniable that he was ten years (or more) ahead of his time. People today are trying still (and failing) to do what he did back in the '60s. For anyone who has never heard of Iggy, it would only be fair to say that his music often defies precise analysis. The lyrics are mixedly vulgar, seemingly innocuous, deceptively ambiguous, and usually hard to understand. But their power and beauty comes from the delivery. Only Iggy could scream "Come on!" differently and in- terestingly ten times in a row. THE GRINDING METAL rock ac- companiment perfectly suited the feelings Iggy conveyed. It's when you come to Ig himself, his voice and the totality of his expressive self, that there is nothing else to compare to. Ig is Ig. Detroit is probably the city that loves (?) him best. After starting The Stooges in intellectually effete Ann Arbor, making three albums and touring inter- nationally, Iggy suffered a breakdown of sorts (musically, financially, or other) and didn't release any records during the last four years. EARLY LAST YEAR David Bowie (who mixed Raw Power) unleashed. (probably literally) Iggy into the world again. They co-wrote The Idiot, which was followed six months later by Lust for Life, another collaborative effort. Bowie's influence on Iggy's music is disturbing-one or the other should have total freedom, rather than trying to adapt to each other's styles. Now, on Kill City, a limited edition pressed on puke green transparent vinyl, Iggy Pop and James Williamson (fnrme~r iiiitar nlaver for The Stooges) VARREN (.ZEVN Excitable Boy t Warren Zevon Asylum 6E-118 TIephone don 'rring/And h'sunreove1to hie Never thought 1'd ha ve to) par so dearly For what was a/readv mine, or uchalong, lt time!w etnademodlIve. Shlim olve/ando,,, lre, 33-- And abandoned love. !A cirenall r like oa artr,. The hurt getwor and the heart gets har der Zevon's quite confortable make;n fun of himself and others with nftt , songs like "Excitable Bo. "Werewolves of London," jnfJ "Lawyers, Guns, and Money."Al' have silly, off-beat lyrics, but sem strangely profound in their simplicftyl' The music ranges from the bright poji of "Excitable Boy" and "Werewolg' of London" to the mock-seriousness'ot "Lawyers, Guns, and Money." Mst' importantly, Zevon and the band sefeW, to be having great fun playing these tunes. Too many rock'n'roll stars ha lost their sense of humor; luckily Zey'y still has his. "Tenderness on the Block," co- written with Jackson Browne, is rgt up there with Browne's best. A love13 , lyrical tune, it evokes the magico1Q growing up: Mana, where'syourprett litle ,rjroni t, Trying torn be/reeshe can wa/k-thats right. She's growing up/She has a young moan waiting, She s'gro'witp/She u" a ong an waitin, W~ide' eve/She 'l be street wie. To thetie/An dthe fire talk She'llfind true love/Andtenderness on the block. - On the inside sleeve is a photogrgh of a plate of food prepared by Zevpngs wife Crystal. There are potatos #1tl parsley sprinkled on them, peas, g nish, and bullet-shaped carrots, shaped appropriately, because in the center; stead of meat there is a Smith & Wess gun. The photograph, which even ii name, "Willy on the Plate 'Is'zf2&A4 essence-the happy gunslinger who lil joys above all else a good home-cooKe, meal. -by Mike Tafiir Michael Franks ICHAEL FRANKS isn't foaI IVI anybody. His demeanour is sog*' keyed that he might have been lotu the shuffle, were it not for one fact he is easily among the most innovdtive songwriters to emerge from (ti musically bland seventies. iMI although his tunes show traces of sp fine jazz influences, he has a sy which is uniquely his own. Consider - his latest LP, Burchfield Nines. No one but Michael Franks cp ld write a love song entitled "In Seardh'f the Perfect Shampoo" and actdly make the concept succeed. The pleasant inanity of the song is whqt stands out the most, as Franks offer4o . "suds away' all our troubles/In , million ph bubbles." The music on the song, -And throughout the LP, is a relaxed eon- bination of light jazz and soft rock,i ;- Burchfield Nines Michael Frank Warner Bros. BSK 3/67 maculately produced and completely free of gloss. There are no background vocalists on this album. Franks' sub- dued vocals quite adequately bled in with the uncomplicated but intri A'jgg arrangements of his tunes. SOME OF THE finest studko musicians on the East Coast pe featured on Burchfield Nines, inclgdipg John Tropea, (guitar), Steve Cadd (drums) and Ralph MaDonald (per- cussion). They match, if not excelldtyke artists on Franks' two previous albums, a crew which included the likes of Larry Carlton, David Sanborn and Jopn Guerin. Subtlety is the key to the music on Burchfield Nines. With five musicians in the bank, it would be easy to overplay Franks' melodies (and subsequently drive them into the ground). This group shows their professionalism by t(egi- pering their performances to a near- perfect degree; the balance and flowf the music is as smooth as can be founid anywhere.