The Michigan Daily-Wednesday, November 30, 1977-.P6ge 5
Dr.
Feelgood: Flawed but good
Not now, dear'
You wouldn't think the famed Danish prince (John Wojda) has nunneries on his mind in this scene from the PTP
production of "Hamlet". Wojda and Monique Fowler as Ophelia will grace the stage at Power Center today through Dec. 3
at 8 p.m. and on Sun. Dec. 4 at 2 p.m. only. Tickets range from $4.50 to $2, and are available at the PTP ticket office in the
League and at all Hudson's ticket outlets.
Rex s new rock:
By TIM YAGLE
M ANY OF YOU have probably never heard of a band
called Rex. Their first album, Rex, didn't get too
much attention, but they're beginning to make people notice
them by accompanying Motor City Madman Ted Nugent on
his extensive U.S. tour.
Rex has just released its second LP, Where Do We Go
From Here (Columbia 34865). It contains slime pretty good
straight ahead rock 'n' roll from a basically straight ahead
rock band. Although some of their music sounds a lot like
something Aerosmith or Kiss would play, much of it sounds
original.
WHAT IMPRESSES ME about this band is lead singer
Rex Smith's voice. It's very powerful and sounds natural,
and whether he yells or goes low in the scale, it still sounds
great. Getting it might be worthwhile just to hear his voice.
The title cut, "Where Do We Go From Here" isn't the
grehtest tune to open the album. It has a slow rhythm and a
rather dull lead guitar. "Where" doesn't really do what a
lead-off tune should do - make the listener want to hear the
rest of the album.
"Do Me" is a patient rocker with an intense guitar that
blends well with bass for a rich sound. The lead and bass
guitars and the drums are blended well to make the song
sound worthwhile.
Steady but dull
THE BEGINNING of "Burn Your Bridges" reminds me
of the way the British band Sweet used to begin their tunes -
with -the bass and drums pounding out an ear-catching
rhythm. Actually, the rest of the cut is similar to Sweet's
lively style.
"7 Come 11" is a wicked, fast-paced rocker but the
guitars sound like they were just thrown together. It's one
big, loud noise.
One of the better tunes on the disc is "You're Never Too
Old To Rock And Roll." Although a bit repetitive in sports, a
driving guitar and springy rhythm practically force you to
turn up the volume.
AFTER THE FIRST couple of seconds of "Stealin' The
Night Away," I thought I was listening to Kiss's "Makin'
Love." Once again, a good, harsh guitar is in the spotlight
with a mediocre screeching solo to complement the rhythm
guitar.
Rex lets go with all the energy the band has left in "Run-
ning Wild." Heayy, thumping druots, a sizzling guitar and
accentuated beats make "Running Wild" one of the most ex-
citing numbers on the LP and a great finale.
Perhaps the best way to foresee Rex's future is to look at
the album title. They may just end up being another heavy
rock band. Then again, touring with Ted Nugent may be the
best way to launch them into the spotlight with other
emerging bands.
By MIKE TAYLOR
I APPROACHED the new Dr.
Feelgood album, Sneakin' Suspicion
(Columbia PC 34806), with serious
reservations.
Their first album, Down By the Jetty,
had been critically acclaimed, but was
never released in the United States.
Malpractice, Dr. Feelgood's first U.S.
release, received good reviews also, in-
cluding one I mistakenly wrote after
listening to it only a few times. It was
only later that the record began to
sound forced, cold, and mechanical.
For a group that played primarily
rhythm and blues, this sound just didn't
wash.
I also remember seeing a Dr.
Feelgood concert in New York shortly
after the album came out. The band
was very disappointing: instead of
giving a lively,' fast-paced show, they
offered one that was so slow and
monotonous I was glad to see it finally
end. I much preferred the opening
group, The Ramones, and gazing at the
rest of the audience, which included An-
dy Warhol, Tom Waits, and members of
Television and Talking Heads, New
York's leading 'new wave' bands.
I DECIDED that all the media hype
floating around at the time had fooled
me into thinking Dr. Feelgood was a
good group. When the band's third
album, a live one called Stupidity, was
not released over here, I began to think
that Dr. Feelgood was indeed one of
those countless flash-in-the-pan groups
that come and go before you realize
they're gone.
So, imagine my surprise when I
walked into a record store to discover
Dr. Feelgood had made a fourth album
after all. I was not overly eager to hear
their new music, but somehow the disc
found its way to my turntable. It soun-
ded good, and I'm pleased to report that
after many return trips, Sneakin'
Suspicion still sounds fresh.
The attempted rhythm and blues of
Malpractice have been replaced by a
more straightforward blues tinged
rock'n'roll sound. The songs them-
selves are more in a blues-rock vein
than before.The cold, mechanical ap-
proach of the band, which hasn't
changed, doesn't fight the material as it
,did before: rather it serves as an effec-
tive format for the album's hard
driving rock tunes.There are rough
edges to be sure, but in general the
music is clean, precise, and powerful.
HALF OF THE TRACKS are covers
of fairly obscure rock and blues songs.
The rest were written by Wilke John-
son, the band's lead guitarist and a gif-
ted songwriter. His lyrics frequently
deal with the individual as an outsider,
someone who just can't seem to fit into
society. He frames these pessimistic,
dream-like visions with dynamic, cat-
chy rock melodies. The non-originals
are not quite as successful, but never-
theless, several of them are worthwhile
efforts.
One of the covers, "Lucky Seven," is
a marvelous piece of rock. The whole
group sounds good on this one. Lee
Brilleaux's catchy singing and well-
placed harmonica playing, Johnson's
strong and rhythmic guitar riffing,
John Spark's clear bass lines, The Big
Figure's drums, and Tim Hinkley's for-
ceful keyboards all combine to produce
tight, exciting rock.
An old Dr. John tune, "Lights Out", is
interesting but not very significant.
"Nothin, Shakin' (But The Leaves On
The Trees)", an ordinary sounding
blues tale of rejected love, lacks spirit.
Willie Dixon's "You'll Be Mine"
reminds me of "Honey I Need", a won-
derful old Pretty Things song. Unfor-
tunately, "You'll Be Mine" s iffers in
that comparison; it needs the sense of
pure release.
DR. FEELGOOD does a capable job
on "Mama Keep Your Big Mouth
Shut", but it lacks the ferocity of earlier
versions by Bo Diddley and, once again,
The Pretty Things.
"All My Love" is Johnson's only un-
successful number. Strongly blues in-
fluenced, it features very heavy'soun-
ding guitar licks. Unfortunately, it's
just not very inventive-the whole thing
is rather plodding.
"Walking on the Edge" works much
better. Johnson uses slide guitar to
achieve a persistent, unrelenting
feeling. It's about someone who "star-
ted out feeling good/some other mor-
ning and another neighborhood/can't
remember what went wrong."
JOHNSON must not be completely
pessimistic, because "Time and the-
Devil" is quite the opposite. The singer
believes that sooner or later, "Time
and the devil's gonna bring me
everything I need."
Best of all are the two tracks that lead
off the album, "Sneakin' Suspicion"
and "Paradise", an almost narcotic
bluesy tune, features Johnson's fastest
guitar. Though it starts as a positive
love song, it quickly becomes clear that
it's not about paradise at all. "Every
night you look so mearvStaring at your
TV screen I got lost inside a dream
Back when we were seventeen You tur-
ned me around, Irene, Irene."
"Sneakin' Suspicion", a tune about
being lost and confused, rambles along
like a dream. Brilleaux's vocals are
menacing and plaintive at the same
time. The rest of the band provides ex-
ceptionally solid back-up. Like the rest
of the record, this is not a great song,
but it's highly entertaining.
It's good to see a group like Dr..
Feelgood improve and grow as it ages.
Unfortunately, it always seems for
each step, you fall back two. Tensions
apparently grew quite fierce during the
recording of Sneakin' Suspicion, and
Wilke Johnson recently left the band as
a result. Without his perspective,
dynamic songwriting and his excellent
guitar work, the band may once again
have to redefine ite musical approach.
What's next for Dr. Feelgood is
anybody's guess.
APPOINTMENTS
NEW YORK (AP) -- The appoint-
ment of Jeff Katzenberg as vice
president-programming for Para-
mount Television Service has been
announced by Paramount Pictures
Corp.
In another announcement, Para-
mount said John Barry had been
signed to write theascore for the
movie "First Love."
the n arbor film cooperative
TONIGHT Wednesday, November 30
THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS
(Orson Welles, 1942) 7 ONLY NAT. SCI.
Welles offers an exquisite interpretation of the Booth Tarkington novel
that follows the decline of the Amberson family and the rise of Indus
trialism. More lyrical and tender than CITIZEN KANE, the highly original
use of sound and camera are perhaps more inventive and cinematic than
any film previous. Along with the always welcome Mercury Theater
players-such as JOSEPH COTTEN, RAY COLLINS, and AGNES MOORE-
HEAD-are newcomers TIM HOLT and ANNE BAXTER. "Seen today, THE
MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS seems, if anything, more impressive than
when it first appeared."-Arthur Knight.
Plus Short: THE DENTIST (Leslie Pearce, 1932). W.C. Fields as a
dentist with a weird assortment of patients, including a man with such a
thick beard that Fields cannot find his mouth. A classic of American
comedy. Screenplay by W. C. Fields.
TOUCH OF EVIL
(Orson Welles, 1958) 9 only NAT. SCI.
This dark, brooding masterpiece, panned by critics and shunned by audi-
ences when first released, is now recognized as yet another triumph
for Welles. A narcotics, officer (Charlton Heston, in perhaps his most
honest and underplayed role) and his wife wander into a hot, seedy
Mexican-American border town and run afoul of the awesome and
corrupt sheriff, played with incredible menace and brutality by Welles.
The film won the Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and is a
must for any Welles devotee. "A stunning nightmare."-N.Y. Times.
JANET LEIGH, MARLENE DIETRICH, DENNIS WEAVER. The long version with
added footage discovered a year ago.
Single admission $1.50, double feature $2.50
Yamaslta fals on second disc
By MIKE TAYLOR
JUST AS MOVIE sequels rarely equal
the original films, albums designed
to follow successful audio ventures of-
ten seem more like second thoughts
than worthwhile works. Such is the case
with Stomu Yamashta's Go Too (Arista
AB 4138), which features many of the
artists who made last year's Go such a
treat.
Go was a kind of musical circus. The
talents of Steve Winwood on vocals and
keyboards, Al DiMeola on guitar, Mike
Schrieve on drums, and numerous
others came together to form a com-
plex, cohesive work complete with
story-line and varied instrumental and
vocal techniques. Flowing orchestral
bits were punctuated by rock ballads,
and emotions ran from sad to joyous in
a couple of minutes' space.
But, as with many good things, once
was enough. Although Go Too lacks
Winwood, who apparently had tired of
the project, it has all the other folks
from Go, plus Linda Lewis and Jess
Roden adding outstanding vocals.
There's no real reason it shouldn't be as
good as the original was. Unfortunate-
ly, it's a sadly mediocre and unimagin-
ative record.
THE CHIEF PROBLEM is the mate-
rial. Yamashta's music for the most
part is hopelessly empty, and Michael
Quartermain's lyrics are trite and
inane. Perhaps their artistic wells have
run dry, or perhaps the Go concept has
simply run its course. DiMeola's guitar
playing is as fiery as ever, and the rest
of the musicians seem to be doing their
best with the material that's been han-
ded to them. But it all seems pointless.
If Yamashta and Quartermain have
nothing interesting to say, why did they
make the album?
Two spacy instrumentals frame the
vocal numbers 'that comprise the bulk
of Go Too. "Prelude" is the more tol-
erable of the two. Sounding like the
calm before the storm, it appears full of
expectation. Unfortunately, the grand
music it promises never quite
materializes.
Most tragic, though, are the vocal
tunes. The tedious lyrics are almost
impossible to avoid, and they frequent-
ly mar music that would have been
quite pleasant had it just been left
alone.
ESPECIALLY IRRITATING is the,
album's reliance on disco-oriented rhy-
thmic patterns and vocal arrangemeh-
ments. Within a true disco format,
these techniques often achieve superb
results. In what is supposed to be
"space rock," it's horribly inap-
propriate. "Seen You Before," "Mad-
ness," and "Wheels of Fortune" are the
worst offenders in this respect. The
vocalists come off shrill and flat, and
the dramatic playing of DiMeola and
others gets buried in absurd arrange-
ments.
Of course, even John Denver comes
up with a hummable ditty every now
and then; this record's sole bright
moment is "Mysteries of Love." Begin-
ning with synthesized sounds of the sea,
it breaks into a short Japanese theme.
Keyboards and orchestra then enter,
quickly building a rich, melodic tex-
ture. It's a gorgeous tune, and Roden
and Lewis sing the strangely intelligent
lyrics with conviction and emotion.
Still, one good song hardly makes a
record, especially when the surroun-
ding material is worthless. The makers
of Go Too would have done better not to
have made it, and the buyers would do
better not to buy it.
..& t:"
University ofMihia
UL
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G
,
'Universit y of M ich igan
Gilbert and Sullivan Society Presents
or flunthorne' l BINe
Q Q UC 3s
PRODUCERS AND DIRECTORS
Needed
to work with new theatre company doing mime,
children's theatre, improvisations, etc.
Applications Accepted Until 5 pm Dec. 6
2nd Floor Michigan Union
763-1107
IM-I
O "I
a.
Forties Dance nears
at Michigan Ballroom
By A LAN RUBENFELD lessons will be given in most dorms this
0
ID YOU EVER wonder what those
dances were like that Mom and
Dad went to many centuries ago? Well,
here is your unique opportunity to find
out. WCBN and the Michigan Union
Programming Committee are pleased
to present "The Fabulous Forties" on
Friday evening, December 9th at the
Michigan Union ballroom.
This gala extravaganza will include
week before the dance to help get you
"in the mood" for the big night.
So dust off your tuxedo, step into
those satin dresses and high heels, and
get ready for a little jitterbugging and
swinging to the Andtews Sisters, Billie
Holiday, and the great Tommy Dorsey
and his orchestra. It will be a real "Sen-
timental Journey" back into the not-so-
distant past of those wonderful forties.
/
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Tickets for Wednesday, December 7, 8 pm at $3.25
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