SidE ONE'
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
records in review
Wednesday, October 15, 1975,
Page Five
Raitt's songwriting talents Recordsin rief
absf'Fol For The Cit y'-Foghat
FOGHAT USED to be a respectable rock and roll band, espe-
cially back in the days of their first album Foghat. Their
By KURT HARJU Kaz's "I'm Blowin' Away"-that provide credit for most of them-especially on newest effort, Fool For The City (Bearsville 6959), proves the
ON HER LATEST album, Home Plate continuity with previous Raitt albums, "Walk Out The Front Door" and "Pleasin' group still has the talent and energy to be innovative, but has
(Warner BS 2864), Bonnie Raitt touches by featuring contributions from writers Each Other" instead opted to play commercial music that is palatible to the
just about every base but her very own. she's worked with before. She seems to have come a long way top-40 air-wave audience. The album is not without merit, how-
This LP features Raitt primarily as an I GUESS k's precisely the success of from the days when she and a select group ever. "Terraplane Blues" sounds vaguely like something Derek
interpreter of other artists' material her singing that has led her to fill the of friends would retire to a cabin out in and the Dominos used to do, and is probably the best cut on
rather than as a composer, and I'm sorry interpreter, rather than the composer the woods to lay down some funky blues the album. The two guitarists, Dave Peverett and Rod Price
to say that listeners will probably have role. She became so wrapped up in it on tracks on home equipment. do a surprisingly competent trade-off routine in much the same
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to resign themselves to Raitt's new, and
lesser, role in the near future.
Like her last two records, Streetlights
and Takin' My Time, this work is a tour
de force of interesting contemporary
songs that lack only the inclusion of any
of Raitt's original compositions, such as
those extraordinary tunes from Give It Up
or her debut album.
As a showcase for other people's
thoughts and feelings, Raitt has few
equals. Her choices of material are nearly
always good, and I tend to especially
appreciate her fondness for previously-
unheralded writers.
Bonnie manages to do a first-rate job
on every number, and there are a couple
-such as Allen Toussaint's "What Do
You Want The Boy To Do?" and Eric
this LP that she's given up her extra-
ordinary guitar-playing except for some
great slide work on the bluesy "Sugar
Mama."
For the large part, it works out satis-
factorily; the way she phrases Kin Vassy's
"My First Night Alone Without You"
makes it a much more meaningful song
than the lyrics really intended it to be.
She brings a little humor into play on
"Sweet And Shiny Eyes," where a bit
of country-tinged comedy enters in lines
like "in my sweet dreams/ we' are/ in a
bar /and it's my birthday."
Her, concentration on the vocals is
never more evident than in the harmonies
that back her up on almost every cut.
The trio of Venetta Fields, Robbie Mont-
gomery and Maxayn Lewis can take the
I wish she'd throw in a tune by one of was Eric Clapton and Duane Allman did on Layla. Despite its
the oldtimers anyway, because this par- lack of appeal to the hard-core rock and roll fan, the album is
ticular batch of songs sounds' pretty much nevertheless a breath of fresh air after Energized and Rock
the same. To her, and to her producer's and Roll Outlaws.
credit, they do not suffer from the over-
production in Streetlights. The production -Rob Meacham
on Home Plate remains fairly constant,
stressing the vocals and choruses and 'Drive On'-M ot
spotlighting the various solos.
AS A RESULT, each song stands up on ; The award for the worst album of the year has got to be
its own better than in the context of the given to Mott for their latest album, Drive On (Columbia PC
ism own better han in nth cntext the 33705). Formerly named Mott the Hoople, the band has now lost
almyasawhole.Inot d ynamticn the yw most of its original personnel and suffers drastically as a re-
certainty dramatic in the skillful way suit. About the only redeeming value is "The Great White Wail"
Raitt commands the listeners' attention. -and wail it does. Unfortunately, though, Ray Major and Nigel
If Home Plate doesn't feature Bonnie in Benjamin on guitars aren't very original: the riffs and tones
the LP still retains enough of the Raitt coming from their instruments sound an awful lot like Jimmy
virtuosity to provide some charming
entertainment. -Rob Meachum
Raitt
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Pryor displays stale humor
By SEPHN HRSH and tight pussies, or cliches like, °°°°~
yaSTEPHEN HERSH I .i
V nor n i 'ATT }t.P.I S1[l 'fllf? Y . . ... ..:
THE RUDOLF STEINER INSTITUTE
of the Great Lakes Area
Public weekly series of lectures with slides:
i
Fl
my irea ae De sU g
coke for 15 years, and they're
FT'S HARD to record blues mu- not hooked."
sic, because just about any Pryor is a black comedian;
way you do it, it's going to come his rap is in the black vernacu-
out sounding very similar to lar - in black English - and
other blues tracks which have { his main concerns are with
been pouring out of recording blacks in relation to sexuality,
studios for decades. drugs, the legal system, and the
So blues musicians operate economic status quo. His tone is
under a handicap: in order to usually sardonic, and it's often
differentiate their product, they his delivery more than the
have to do something very spe- words he's saying that hit home.
cial. And when they put out dull That is, when he hits home.
albim snr mit nn dulI concerts.
+ } t
i.,.,
"RUDOLF STEINER'S LIFE
AND WORK"
by Prof. E. Katz
+{I 4
i {
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begins Wed., Oct. 15, at 8:00 p.m.
at the R Steiner House, 1923 Geddes Ave.
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HELD OVER!
ANOTHER BIG WEEKI
TONIGHT AT 7 00 & 9:00
Em u OPEN AT 6:45
THE ULTIMATE EXPERIENCE
-
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a
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1
albumsU puLULCU iHC L,
listeners often tend to get the: CONSIDER his bit on prisns:
feeling that they've heard the "Niggers was waiting on Nixon
blues so many times that it's to come to jail. He wouldn't
no longer a viable medium. have lasted two days . .
Comedians have a hard time (Changing his voice:) 'What's
of it, too. To make funny al- happenin,' Tricky Dick? I'm
bums, all they're armed with is gonna see how tricky you are.'
a voice and a laugh track. "(But) I was in jail, and
wasn't nobody fucking me no
AND WHEN their albums place. I made the niggers
turn out not to be funny - when laugh all day long - to keep
you're listening to a recording their minds off the booty."
of somebody's voice, and you're Here he's angry and incisive
supposed to be laughing but you - and his voice is what really
aren't - you tend to get the puts the edge on the bit, mak-
feeling that records are just no ing for one of the few very ef-
good for making people laugh. fective moments on the album.1
You feel sympathy for the But he doesn't even come close,
comedian you're hearing - and to sustaining a good pace -
for the comedian, that spells there snoting par ling, noth -
death. ithere's lotingi sannoh
Richie Pryor 's ..,. Is it Some- inghecopeling intiserap.en
thing I Said? (Reprise MS 2227). The rotne entl "Wh
evokes so few laughs that it'sj Your Woman Leaves You"
hardly worth laying needle to might be nice to hear on the ra-
plastic. And so manyof the dio afew times,ras might a
chuckles Pryor draws are so couple of scattered moments
cheap or banal that they usually during other bits. But as a
draw grimaces as well as whole, Something I Said isn't
laughs: jokes about big dicks all that entertaining.
Gustav Leonhardt-
sparkle and thunder
SPECIAL PRICE!!!
PHYSICIANS
DESK REFERENCE
1976,
$10.25
If ordered by Oct. 15th, and paid in ad-
vance. Mail your check today. Price is
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Offer good only until Oct. 15th for delivery
in Feb. 1976.
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Come to 2nd floor-MICHIGAN UNION
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HELD OVER!
SECOND TERRIFIC WEEK
TONIGHT AT 7:00 & 9:00
P9 OPEN AT 6:45
Wed./] -3-5-7-9 Showtimes
"Thrilling and Unforgettable"
-PLUS-
~ ~~IN rdcin
By RICHARD JAMES
The appearance of Gustav!
Leonhardt's regal figure on the1
concert stage is generally the
harbinger of a thrilling even-
ing's adventure into the intri-
cacies and subtleties of Baroque
harpsichord literature. Monday,
evening's concert at Rackham'
was no exception as Leonhardt;
displayed his flawless technique
and impeccable taste in a per-
formance marred, however, by
some rather unfortunate pro-
gramming.
The performance began in
Leonhardt's home territory, styl-
istically speaking; the French'
Baroque. The repertoire is a
delicate and witty one given to
extreme ornamentation and nu-
ance. The opening Rondaeu
from J. Duphly's "Pieces de
clavecin" was a perfect exam-
ple of this rococco style. Leon-
hardt formed and blended his
ornaments' brilliantly, also giv-
ing a fascinating demonstration
of the French Baroque practice
of subtly altering rhythmic
values.
Raymond Chandler's Classic Thriller!
"FAREWELL, MY LOVELY"
//1= AVCO EMBASSY RELEASE TECHNICOLOR 91 [
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STARTS TODAY
SHOWS AT 1 30-3:45-
6:15 & 8:45
OPEN AT I -15
THE SECOND piece on the ' 1I1I1I1I1 IVi 1., dI 1 1 L/ CIy
program was nowhere near as - -----
successful. Bach's partitas forl
violin and suites for cello have
See GUSTAV, Page 8
isrUE Chassidic festival
Israel's most popu io
*' stokge production
,F ~is coming to
dinner theater I
POWER CENTER FOR
ann arbor inn
PERFORMING ARTS
L®-ki --
MONDAY, OCT. 20, 1975
8:00 P.M.
sponsored by B'NAI BRITH
HILLEL FOUNDATION
at U-M
TICKETS
S'Students-$3.00
Non-students-5. 00
.-... l lL
S
S
~,, .
Added
Performance
Sunday, ae
October 19:
October 1548,1975
7:00 p.m. Mendelsohnheare
"A masterpiece."
-Washington Star-News
G1
g
Musicol Reflections on Current Events
produced & directed by Jerry H. Bilik
th1]nc' PY')1 X.
:. ,)f
n, inhficI
Tickets are available at the office
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