The Michigan Daily-Tuesday, November 9, 1982-Page 7

Detroit audience

'psyched' by

Furs

By Melissia Bryan
U uCKY FOR me that someone
suggested seeing the Psychedelic
Furs on Friday because Otherwise, I
would surely have missed one of the
best concerts - ever.
Lest I bore you with superlatives,
ravings and trite analogies too soon in
the review, here come the reasons why
I might have missed the concert. Con-
trary to popular opinion, the new
Psychedelic Furs album did nothing for
me: I found it flat, unappealing, and
generally out of tune. Rundgren's slick
production took from the Furs their
power, rawness, and personal subtleies
that meant everything to me.
Next, I had a very grave concern that
without Duncan Kilburn and Roger
Morris, the Furs would be boring and
disappointing. And last, I saw the
Psychedelic Furs for the second time
over the summer, and Richard Butler
did not come off as the paragon of
gongeniality - he smashed the
mikestand over someone's head. I just
did not have it in me to sit through that
kind of annoyance again.
Our Daughter's Wedding (or how a
pleasant surprise turned -into virtual
nightmare). I admit to being out of it. I
just didn't know that Our Daughter's
Wedding toured with the Furs. So when

I saw the marquee announcing their
appearance, I thought, "Gee Whiz, this
is gonna be some show !"
Our Daughter's Wedding played
snytho-pop music, nothing heavy or
meaningful, but to see them perform
you would think that they had some big
angst message that just had to be
known. They got all worked up and
emotional over absolutely nothing, and
the percussionists hit their little drum '
kits so hard that I couldn't help but
think they studied at the ZZ Top School
of Music.
The singer strutted his stuff un-
necessarily (like we really cared), and
generally looked asinine. It sounded
horrible, too much static, and (AM I
going to fast for you?) was boring.
Someone said to me that Our
Daughter's Wedding should play in
smaller, more intimate places because
they don't come across well in large
theaters. My rebuttal to that is, "If you
can't stand the heat, get off the stage."
Look, this is rock and roll, and I don't
want any excuses. My good humor
returned to me when ODW finally
finished playing.

formance with "President Gas." My
doubts about them immediately disap-
peared. They bowled me over.
The music came across with power
and yet with subtlety and intricacy.
The details that went overlooked or set
aside on the album came out im-
presively in performance.
Richard Butler, vocalist, appeared
lively and interested. He sure looked a
lot healthier than the last time I saw the
Furs; his skin has lost that greenish-
grey pallor. I emphasize Butler's at-
tentiveness simply because I get so
tired of these dopey British bands
whose foresworn duty is pout, strut, and
sneer. Butler, on the other hand, ap-
proached his audience and allowed
them to get close to him, too. He didn't
tease, back away, or appear apprehen-
sive.
Butler's characteristic vocals -
somewhere between a croon and a
growl - contrasted with the sustained
guitar line and haunting saxophone.
Butler's real talent conveyed the sim-
plicity and purity of his slower, subtler
creations. His gravel voice soothed and
brought out emotion without pretense
or camp.
The new musicians (keyboards, cello,

and sax) worked brilliantly with the old
material adding many layers of sound
and complexity. Sister Eueope exem-
plified the influences that the new
players have added to the original core
of Butler and Co.
I have the pleasure to say that this
performance was not a show, the
Psychedelic Furs simply gave a con-
cert. None of your Hollywood Squares
stage sets nor LSD inspired light shows
to be found here. I appreciated the fact
that they cut the frills and the bull
played. If I may use the term
"highlights," I must say that songs that
came very near to my heart, were:
"Sister Europe," "President Gas,"
"Danger," 'Love My Way," and "Pret-
ty in Pink."
Their set included all the new songs
plus great renditions of their older bet-
ter known songs, including 'Imitation of
Christ" and "India" as encores. I won't
admit to being carried, huddling and
shaking from the concert, but I will
admit to being emotionally drained
from their performance. The
Psychedelic Furs are an inspiration
because they have changed so radically
in the past year and have emerged
stronger and more diverse.

Daily Photo by DOUG McMAHON
Royal Oak Music Theater last Friday

Without delay
Psychedelic Furs

or ado,
began their

The
per-

The Psychedelic Furs played at the
night.


Was (Not Was) will be

___fll

By Rob Weisberg
S W'EET PEA Atkinson- that's a
name you may not know. "Was/Not
Was?" Now that may ring a bell
(remember "Out Come the Freaks?").
Well, Sweet Pea's a veteran Detroiter
by-way-of-Ohio soul singer who-has a,
record out called Don't Walk Away
which happens to feature the musicians
of the Was-Not Was orchestra and the
songwriting and production
(respectively) of David and
Don Was. And those folks will be here
at Second Chance tonight, playing for
free-how often do established
musicians do that? - to help Sweet Pea
promote his album.
The combination of Sweet.Pea's
straight ahead soul singing,
reminiscent of an Al Green and/or Otis
Redding, with the warped funk music of
Don Was and the allegorically
traditional lyrics of David, produced
something strikingly effective. On the
Sweet Pea record, though, the sound is
more traditional and less shocking both
musically and lyrically.
'I think if we had done another
Was/Not Was album at that point," ex-
plains Was, "it would have sounded like
that. The only thing that we really

stopped to premediate was making the
songs fit Sweep Pea. On the Was/Not
Was album we didn't write for Sweep
Pea - we just wrote songs, and some he
had to fit."
Was concedes, however, that the shift
in sound was partly the result of record
company pressure. Choosing more
standard material for Sweet Pea - who
doesn't write songs - "was almost
being thoughtful to him not to mess up
his career," says Was. Theyw ere
afriad that leaving the record folk as
baffled as they were by the Was/Not
Was debut might be dangerous.
Sweet Pea's voice will be at the
Chance tonight, though most of the ef-
fects won't. "There's a lot of
technology on the records," says Was,
"and you just can't recreate that. So
what you have to go for is to recapture
the feel.
The result is rougher, but ideally
more energetic music. "What we lack
in polish we make up in performance,"
says Was. Adding to the energy will be
local rappers Felix and Jarvis, of

"Flamethrower Rap" fame - they'll
also do some stuff from their forth-
coming album - and Carol Hall, who
shares a duet on the Sweet Pea album
and has recorded a version of "The
Beat Goes On" with the Was people and
that's doing well.

Daily Photo by ELIZABETH SCOTT
Andy Cox, Dave Wakeling, and David Steele, relax after

Members of The English Beat, (from left to right)
Sunday night's performance.

Ran ing En is Beat
(Continued from Page 5)

ANN ARBOk
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can write a song about nuclear war on-
ce, there's no point doing it twice.
(Entrance of Dave Wakeling)
D: Can you still shock an audience?
Wakeling: Yeah, you can walk off
halfway through the number; that gets
em going sometimes.
D: What do you think the message of
the new album is, compared with the
old ones?
W: (grins) There's light at the end of
the tunnel, but it's a fucking long tun-
nel.
D: Do you seek out certain musics
when you're trying to find a new style?
S: Like Star Trek-bravely go where
no man has been before ...
W: No, I don't think so. Only African
music. That's the only thing that I'll
seek out.
S: You don't seek it out in Bir-
mingham (Beat home base), you just
dump it in great huge lumps, great
lumps of reggae, great lumps of hindu
music, great lumps of shitty pop
music-You don't have to seek it out, it
just arrives there.
D: What would you like to ask your-
self? What would you like to say?
S: Would you like a chicken curry?
Yes, please. I'd love one, I can't stand
this American food.
D: Do you like donuts?
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S: No, I like curries. Indian food.
Hard to find any.
D: Do you like touring. . at all?
S: I like touring-it's the gigs I don't
(laughter).
D: Well, it seems like you're having
a ball up there.
W: We're only putting on the air.
(breaks into song) "If there's a smile
on my face . . . it's only there trying to
fool the public."
S: (wan) I'm really depressed. Under
this happy veneer it's absolute
depression. You have good days and
you have bad days.,
D: What gets you going through the
bad days?
S: Nothing.
W: (laughs) Just the fact that, you
can't get away, really; you're stuck
here, and just wait until it gets better
again.
D: Any final comments?
S: Give me ten dollars, quick.
W: And me. Well, I didn't come in
right at the beginning so I think I should
get six. Six dollars.


~edO--pse
iHg DAVE BRUBECK


 FAMILY CHSdeM a aHda
A FAMILY CHRISTMAS SHOW

Tues., Dec. 14
8 PM Hill Aud.
ANN ARBOR
ALSO: Brubeck Quartet
Tickets 8.50, 7.50, 6.50 on sale
at Michigan Union ticket of.
fice, and all CTC outlets.
For info coil(313763 -6922
GroupR otes Auoioble
call (313) 763-5924

-announcing Martys
EIGHTH ANNUAL
B A L L OON S A L E'-------------------------

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I l l I i t l l i 1 1 1 3 1 / 1 1 1 1

i


ADMIRAL HYMAN G. *
RICKOVER

e

Will Speak On

"Technology and Society"
Tuesday, November 9, 1982

Daks of London London Fog Sero of New Haven Alan Paine
Austin Reed Corbin Lid Deans Kenneth Gordon
AnthontAllen Oavid Brooks Byford #.G.Hook
Pendleton Pappogallo Woolrich Trafalgar

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