The Michigan Daily-Wednesday, November 9, 1977-Page 5
Hard rock releases
By TIM YAGLE
UFO
Lights Out
Chrysalis CHR/1127
UFO's latest album Lights Out of-
fers good rock 'n roll in varying
degrees of raucousness.
UFO has been producing hard rock
tunes since it formed in 1970 in
England and have remained almost
unknown since then except for a live
album UFO Lands in Tokyo produced in
1972 which ,opened some ears. Their
three Chrysalis albums have made den-
ts in the American scene.
The first tune, and my favorite, "Too
Hot To Handle" really lets you have it
with Michael Schenker's blasting,
heavy-metal lead guitar leading the
way. This tune has a simple Aielody, as
does every tune on the album, and has a
real blood-and-guts mid-section where
the guitar and thumping drums make
you want to increase the volume even
more. The FM stations inDetroit have
caught on this number and are giving it
much well-deserved airplay.
THEN, THE band shifts gears to
lighter rock with "Just Another
Suicide" with Schenker's ear-pier-
cing guitar solos in the spotlight, as
they are throughout the album. It's a
nice tune but it drags a
bit.
"Try Me" could be classified into the
Easy Listening category. This tune is
ideal for the lay-back-in-the-easy chair
crowd. The instruments come in one at
a time so there's something new to
follow and dream to all the time.
It's back to the hard stuff and, skippy
guitar riffs with the title cut "Lights
Out" which features a "Barracuda-"'
like" melody (be aware Heart fans) in
the refrain. "Try Me" should get some
airplay.
UFO has been playing in the dark (so
to speak) since it formed seven years
ago. But they have been making a few
more people notice them with each LP
release. With the single "Too Hot To
Handle" being recognized; and deser-
vedly so, UFO should make 'further
inroads into the American rock
scene and take their place among the
rising heavy-metal bands.
THIN LIZZY
Bad Reputation
Mercury SRM-1-1186
THIN LIZZY'S latest album Bad Re-
putation has not quite lived up to
the standard the band set for itself with
its two previous albums.
Lizzy's "stardom" began with their
Jailbreak LP released in the summer of
1976, even though they have been
together since 1970. This popular album
spawned chart-breaker "The Boys are
Back in Town" and the little cut.
Their follow-up disc Johnny the Fox
did not follow-up Jailbreak's success,
with only a few tunes receiving air play
in Detroit.
That Woman's Gonna Break Your
Heart features leader Phil Lynott's
bass with a buzzing guitar on its coat-
tails but the guitar lies in the
backgroung on "Killer Without a
Cause" where the melody is the vocals
and bass.
The guitars are occasionally in the
'spotlight. Scott Gorham's lead guitar
crackles down the middle of "Dancing
in the Moonlight" which sounds like
some rhythm and blues a la Bruce
Springsteen.
With the exception of "Soldier of For-
tune", hampered by Lynott's clumsy.
introduction but having a smooth,
flowing guitar; the melodic tunes are
anything but exhilarating. Most are
low-keyed, lacking what Lizzy superbly
exemplifies: excitement.
COULD THE FACT that Lynott and
guitarist Brian Robertson are not get-
ting along hinder the band's well-known
ability to unleash gripping rock 'n roll?
Thin Lizzy is a mediocre to good hard
rock band that has been known to
generate some excitement both on and
off stage. But to maintain this
"reputation" they have to keep the
good material coming and Bad
Reputation is somewhat deficient in the
good material department.
Onstage at Cri slerDaily Photo by ANDY FREEBERG
Barth Wind and Fire shines
By PATRICIK FABRIZIO
ARTH, WIND AND FIRE, the
kings of 70's soul, appeared at
Crisler Arena Saturday night with
singer Deniece Williams and her back-
up band Pockets. The near-capacity
crowd showed signs of growing impa-
tience with the lateness of the band,
which is usual for most superstars now.
However, the wait was worth it. E F
. and W presented a slick show that gave
everyone their money's worth.
The show opened with what was sup-
posed to be nine cylinders descending
from outer space, but due to technical
difficulties only six appeared. Accom-
panied by a dramatic voiceover and a
pair of glittering gongs, the nucleus of
the band appeared in the cylinders. Ex-
tremely elaborate costumes and
special effects characterized the open-
ing. The first exit had a Houdini flair to
it. We thought the band was inside a
large pyramid but,' through some
sleight of body, they were actually in
* costume on stage.
AFTER THE CROWD begged them
back on stage, they obliged, then exited
in the reverse manner in which they en-
tered, except further technical prob-
lems thinned the number of operational
cylinders to three. All in all, the special
effects were one of the most entertain-
ing parts of the show.
The songconsisted of a number of
piecd, osfsnotably shining:Star and
Sing a. ig.'ey playfd fear alittle less
than two hours and their stage work in-
cluded a number of guitar, sax and
other instrumental solos. The guitar
and sax solos were definitely impres-
sive to the non-musician, but to a train-
ed ear the solos displayed a lack of tech-
nical expertise. The horn section was
especially poor, with boring arrange-
ments and generally unimaginative
playing.
The show was carried, mucically and
otherwise, by the lead singers, Philip
Bailey and Maurice White.
DENIECE WILLIAMS is a new soul
singer in the Diana Ross/Donna Sum-
mers tradition. Relying more on an ex-
cellent range and quality material than
MAYA DEREN
NIGHT
DEREN was one of the leaders of
the post-war experimental film
movement. Her films sweep and
soar through the world of the ab-
stract. 'Films include: AT LAND,
MEDITATION OF VIOLENCE, MESHES
OF THE AFTERNOON, RITUAL IN
TRANSFIGURED TIME, and THE VERY
EYE OF THE NIGHT.
THURS: BICYCLE THIEF
CINEMA GUILD
TONIGHT AT 7 & 9:05
OLD ARCH. AUD.
$1.50.
the groans and moans of Donna Sum-
mers, Deniece Williams andther talen-
ted backers Pockets, got the crowd
warmed up just right.
All told, the Earth, Wind and Fire
show had something for almost every-
one. For the serious fan, the, show was
the greatest in every respect. To the
casual listener, however, recognizable
songs, theatrics and a generally enter-
taining performance by Bailey and
White added up to a shining show.
a,
and the DETROIT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Sunday afternoon, November 27 at 3:30
All-Dvorak Program-Challenge Grant Concert
Ford Auditorium
Hear the Detroit Symphony
Orchestra under the baton of Music
Director Antal Dorati in Dvorak's
Symphony No. 9 ("New World")
followed by Dvorak's Cello Con-
certo featuring the man called the
world's greatest living cellist-
Mstislav Rostropovich. This special
Challenge Grant event is presented
to benefit the Detroit Symphony as
it attempts to raise 3 million dollars
in new funds required to qualify for
a .1 million dollar grant from the
National Endowment for the Arts.
Tirkmtc- /TAY rearltjrotihJP omnugnt
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I also wis
1977 Fun
solicitati
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