1 ARTS lV fill . S b i a Page 5 Sunday, September 20, 1981 The Michigan. Daily I FRI., SEPT.25 SAT., SEPT. 26 SUN., SEPT. 27 Davis 0 Miles to go 7pm THE TERROR OF TINY TOWN before he sleeps 9pm I CHANGED MY SEX with Bela Lugosi 7pm PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE with Bela Lugosi 9pm HARLEM RIDES THE RANGE 11pm LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS with Jack Nicholson 1:30pm THE BLOB with Steve McQueen 3:30pm ROBOT MONSTER 7pm ATTACK OF THE KILLER TOMATOES 9pm THE MANIAC with Phyllis Diller 11pm BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS i I. i j_. 1 By RJ SMITH Miles Davis was greeted with a tidal wave of applause the moment he and his band took the stage at Hill Auditorium last night. Yet, although he's making his first stage appearance in five years, this wasn't blind idol wor- ship. Unlike many pop stars coming out of the shadows after a long stint in the dark, Davis didn't go through the motions. He didn't breathe 'easy, thinking past accomplishments would see him through the evening. Although he seems far from sure whereyto take his music next, tie show proved that he's looking for a new direction. And you'd better watch out when he finds it. IN JUST THE few months since his album The Man With the Horn has come out, Davis has already improved a lot on its songs. This is no great feat: Though in general it's quite a good record, it's obvious that Davis hadn't been spending a lot of time in the rehearsal room over the past half- decade. His chops still aren't that strong, and this encumbered most of his playing at Hill. The band, though, has uniformly improved, arid clams and missed notes or not, Davis' playing is speaking again in the beautiful interrogative language he pioneered long ago. Doffing the peculiar cap that's been a constant on this tour, last night's Davis was the Dark Mysterian on stage that he's been so often over the years. Who said he was laughing and talking to the audience in Detroit last month? Perhaps it was just that he was tired, as he seemed rather exhausted. Yet no sleepy man makes sure to turn his back on the audience whenever he's not playing. THE BIGGEST surprise of the show was his version of "My Man's Gone Now," which he constructed quickly out of the ending of "Back Seat Betty." All the new stuff was capital at Hill-and gratefully, there was neither "The Man With the Horn" nor "Shout," the two tracks on the record with airplay (and airplay only) in mind. Yet perhaps at no time did everything sbund so crisp as on this standard. Davis played his most complete solo, carrying through on ideas in a way he rarely did other times during the night., The solo ended, momentarily with a stuttering middle-range trill that seemed to exclaim so much to follow. What came next was a vintage Milesian pause, evoking only abyss. So: Nothing significant, but plenty of good news. The man is back, and the word is that this is no comeback of an atrophied champion.' A lot seems possible. SCHOLARSHIPS-GRANTS- LOANS $3 Billion Computer Data Bank Available Computer will match your qualifications with a minimum of S funding sources or your processing fee will be completely refunded. ACT TODAYIJI Send coupon for information. or call (313) 278-3877 Name Address City State p- Send to: ACADEMIC FINANCIAL SERVICE PO Box 134 (MD) Dearborn. MI 48121-0130 El - " " " " " " " ". SHORTS: HARDWARE WARS DATING DO'S ETC. AND DON'TS 0* 0~*00@*00@0@0000e00S.09.0@0090@* 0e*e ----------- --------- ---------- 737 N. Huron, Ypsilanti 485-0240 Mon.-GREEK NIGHT. Fraternities & free with proper 1.D. Sororities admitted ; T ue.-W RI"F""R."E. AD. Party with ARTHUR RENHALLOW and KEN CAL- BERT. No cover with Gold Cards.-Pitcher Specials. STEVE KING AND DITTILIES Wed.-LADIES FREE; Guys $1.00 before 9:30, p.m. 2 for 1 on drinks. Music after by STEVE KING AND DITTILIES Thurs.-PARTY NIGHT. Pitcher Specials. HUGE CROWD! ADRENALIN Fri.-HAPPY HOUR till 10 p.m. No cover before 9:00 p.m. One-half'cover between 9-9:30 p.m. Appearing again ADRENALIN Sat.-HAPPY HOUR till 10 p.m. No cover before 9:00 p.m. One-half cover between 9-9:30 p.m. BITTERSWEET ALLEY I Daily Photo by PAUL ENGSTROM Davis: The Man With the Horn Tosh vs. Ital: The reggae split By KAREN GREEN The Peter Tosh concert Friday night at Hill Auditorium gave us the oppor- tunity to see and compare original. Jamaican reggae and the new domestid variety. Although there is a basic dif- ference in approach, some similarities in sound and influence suggest a possible direction reggae may be heading as it launches, its, nost serious attack oi American mainstream tastes. A few years ago, it seemed as though reggae would remain only a small and exotic cult phenomenon, appreciated by only a tiny and predominately white audience. THE RASTAFARIAN ideals ex- pressed through the music-including the divinity of the late Ethiopian Em-- peror Haile Selassie, the importance of returning to Africa, and a belief in the mystical , properties of marijuana-were incomprehensible to most average listeners. They simply ignored the message and instead en- joyed the dominant rhythms and syn- copated beats of the music. Peter Tosh seems acutely aware of this American resistance to reggae; he blends in liberal doses of soul, funk, and pop, trying to make a reggae confection an American audience will find more palatable. The influences of New Orleans R&B, for instance. -an important element in the original reggae sound-seem much more overt and deliberate in Tosh's music. TOSH IS OFTEN accused of making "vanilla" reggae; he needs to find a way ofblending soul and funk into his music that sounds less blatantly crass and commercially oriented. In stark contrast to Tosh stood Ital, the opening' band: "Who says that reggae can't rock?" the group asked the audience. An American reggae band, half of its members white, Ital combined a variety of musical styles in a fashion that is brisk, lively, and in- vigorating. Some hybridizations are fruitful, and Ital managed to infuse rock and funk. elements into its music, working again- st the dreamy, almost bliss-out sound reggae at its purest sometimes falls in- to. UNFORTUNATELY, ITAL still han- gs onto many of Rasta's preoc- cupations. It can be downright disorien- ting when the blond female keyboardist starts singing about "fighting down Babylon" and "I and I." Because Ital's sound is based on the fusion of different musical styles within reggae, the group can pick and choose those elements of Rasta which it wishes to retain in its music without ac- cusations of impurity or selling out. Tosh, on the'other hand, has a past association with Bob Marley and roots reggae with which he must come to terms. This leaves his attempts to in- corporate other musical styles into reggae open to suspicion or contempt. SOUL IS ONE of the most obvious in- fluences on Tosh's sound, and one of his best songs is a cover of the Temptations hit, "Don't Look Back." Soul per- meated much of the rest of the set as well, and while Tosh isn't David Ruf- fin, this newer soul influence blended in well with the soulfulness inherent in reggae. Tosh's band consisted of two guitarists, a bass, two keyboards, drums, a background vocalist who also provided additional percussion, and Tosh doing lead vocals and playing guitar during the last part of the set. Over the reggae sound provided by the rhythm section, the two keyboar- dists added a funky and sometimes pop edge to the music. The lead guitarist played in a Hendrixderived funk man- ner, but without a sense of economy and space; his breaks and solos were usually tastelessly long;and dull, more in, keeping with rock stadium histrionics than the tight, meshed reggae sound. Ital is a nine-piece band-tight, funky, eclectic. The group plays a set as embracing as Tosh's without the sense of a rejected spiritualism, tossed over- board as so much uncommercial jet- sam. If the reggae of the '80s is to be recep- tive to funk, soul, and pop influences, it will hopefully retain the deep spiritualism that sets it apart from other musical forms. Ital has the situation well in hand; Tosh is too willing to let some of the content slide in return for airplay. 4 mon-thur 9-7 fri & sat 9-5:30 sun 12-5:30 .t" f are A 2 INDIVID THEATRES 3M Ave. af Liberty 761.0700 "Delectably Funny!" Kathleen Carrot N.Y. Daily LAST 10 DAYSI 1981 ACADEMY AWARD WINNER BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM -j- Fri.-6:50, 9:30 Sat, Sun-1:20, 4:10, 6:50, 9:30 150 WED. SAT. SUN. $1.50'6016:00 - EVERY NIT.LOW $ ~VVPrice! (Exc. Tues. $1.00) 1 { titi"' ; l : :;: ::tiff ":::": :':.;::.: NX. ":ti":ti;1~ :tip ::::; """ :":ti':: . ::tip:; : {i, ,r". 'r,':: :": ti;1. I today... sept. 20 course books formerly sold in the ballroom of the michigan union are available exclusively downstairs...% in the university cellar.. 'J I LAST 5 DAYS %U.l--*--*"-' I II II