0 0 S 9 w w :...................... ":::.::::r, ::: ".: r::::::::::::.;.:::::::.:. ::.:::.:::::.:.v:.:::::::"r .:::::: _ ..................... ........................::.................. .... . f .................:.::.. :.::.::::::r, :::::.:.......................,.........:.:::.::..::::::::: :.. ....................... ./ ... ...... :: ..::: :.::......,:...r.....v............r........................................................... :..:v:::::vw:.v:". .. : ':;'.;: ¢:ti i::3.ti:{";";:"r ": ":.v.v:+": :b'l."Siii:". is $i:tiS:;'i: :"::+4ii:"Si+iS';:if: ::i::fi.....:::. .:: ui\. S td Curtain call By Michael Baadke Nylon Curtain Billy Joel CBS T HE TENSION on Billy Joel's new album, The Nylon Curtain, is so thick you could cut it with piano wire. And that's just what Joel does, chop- ping out tunes with such a bitterly hard edge that it seems as though someone other than him has a hand in it. For all of his rock 'n' roll tough-guy stances, Joel is still one of the acknowledged masters of the pop melody, a reputation based mainly on the world-wide success of his single, "Just The Way You Are." His last studio LP, Glass Houses, was an at- tempt to build Joel's street-rocker image, and although it was at least par- tially successful in that attempt, the songs still featured a pop smoothness in production that has been Joel's trademark. With Nylon Curtain, Joel turns his back on all that to create a new field for himself, one which cannot be described in simple formulaic terms. The album fairly shouts with rebellion and a sup- pressed anger which seems to stem from feelings of guilt and apprehension. The concept of sin is mentioned in three of the album's nine songs, and even in the sole love song on the album ("She's Right On Time"), Joel describes him- self as "a man with so much ten- sion/Far too many sins to men- tion. " All of the songs work to express universal concerns at a purely personal level. "Allentown," the album's opener, conveys the stinging frustration of unemployment with stunning exactness. Joel is successful in making the listener feel the sense of betrayal and broken dreams which the song attempts to communicate. "Goodnight Saigon," which closes side one, addresses with blunt direc- tness the physical and emotional devastation caused by the Vietnam con- flict. In each of these songs Joel acts as narrator, bringing the anguish to gut level, and each taut emotion is for- cefully felt as Joel makes a hero of the abused. The tension which underlies the whole album is brought out most dramatically in "Pressure." The driving beat of the song backs Joel as he throws life's nasty truths into the listener's face: But you will come to a place Where the only thing you feel Are loaded guns in your face, And you'll have to deal with Pressure. Like so many of the songs on Nylon Curtain, "Pressure" relies heavily on Liberty DeVitto's relentlessly pounding drumwork, and Joel's own keyboard virtuosity. These elements, combined with Billy Joel's hard-edged vocals, create an album which is musically stark, but beautifully so. The familiar band is there, with David Brownband Russell 0avors on guitars and Doug Stegmeyer on bass, but their roles are played down on this album. The few embellishments to these tunes are scattered string arrangements, eerily reminiscent of the late-era Beatles. Some of Joel's background vocal arrangements (par- ticularly on "Laura") also bring this image to mind. This sense of musical starkness is equally conveyed by Billy Joel's lyrics, A f iner, di n er By Diane Pa wlo wski Central Cafe 332 S. Main Hours: 7 a.m.-midnight Monday-Thur- sday; till 4 a.m. Friday, Saturday; till 9 p. m. Sunday. C ENTRAL CAFE is the kind of restaurant you want to share with your best friend. Although many customers do eat alone, it seems a shame to waste the atmosphere, and the food, on one person. This is a place to sit and talk. It is a place to pour over your studies while discussing them with your friends. At the Central, no one rushes you. Your coffee cup is refilled without asking, and the corn chips that come with your dinner seem to last forever. The Central Cafe's wrap-around win- dows, cluttered bulletin boards and pine wainscotting add up to a country- down-home atmosphere. It is the sort of place where you really should keep an eye out for someone you know, someone who will come bounding through the door at any moment to share conver- sation and plans of good times to come. In fact, you can never be quite sure who will walk in the door. In the past, customers have included Ella Fit- zgerald, members of Fleetwood Mac and the jazz group Sun Ra as well as Andy Warhol and Walon Jennings. s The Central is an example of customized and evolved diner chic. Ac- cording to owner Raul Perdomo, it originally was built in 1930 as a diner. The restaurant had classic design with a horseshoe-shaped counter, grill, and plastic-covered menu's listing of an array of dishes ranging from hot dogs and hamburgers to the classical diner sandwiches and dinners such as hot turkey, roast beef and chicken. In 1976, though, the sign atop the diner proclaimed Goebel's Snappy Ser- vice. In the window, another small sign in the window announced, "For Sale." "The place has always been a diner- type of operation," Perdomo says. "It's been either an Andy's or a Joe's or something like that." Perdemo bought the restaurant in 1976. He had worked most of his life in the food service industry, holding jobs as dishwasher, busboy, pizza delivery man and eventually, restaurant manager. Billy Joel: No more pop which are characterized by a descrip- tive directness which forces the listener's attention to the song's meaning. The music seems to act only as a vehicle for the lyric, and this is a dramatic reversal from Joel's previous efforts. "Scandinavian Skies" is a song at od- ds with the rest of the album. There is no apparent explanation for the uncon- nected imagery throughout the song, but the distorted strain of Joel's voice, combined with the vague and "I can remember the day I bought it: July 4th. I had gone home early from work the night before, and stopped off for a beer. Someone I was talking with told me about the diner. I called the owner the next day. I remember it so well because there was a family picnic that I had to pull him away from," Per- domo says. After extensive renovation and remodeling that included the removal of that classic counter and grill set-up; he and an ex-partner opened the Cen- tral on October 29. This past week an autumn-colored floral arrangement on their counter near the cash register proclaimed, "Happy Sixth Anniver- sary." Perdemo began to change the menu shortly after the restaurant was opened. Hot dogs were the first item to go. Although he noticed that some items on his menu sold better than others, he couldn't spot a trend-a definite preference on the part of his customers. Then, one evening he was home wat- ching TV. As Perdemo recalls, that night the main characters in three dif- ferent programstdid the same thing: they went or sent out for food from a Mexican restaurant. Perdemo began adding Mexican items. "I felt that if television is some sort of reflection of the culture and wishes of the American public at large, then this was a type of food perhaps people might be interested in," he states. Perdemo, who is from Venezuela, formulated his own recipes based on his experiences. He feels one of the benefits of this menu is its versatility. Both vegetarian and non-vegetarian burritos, tacos and tostadoes can be prepared. Also, because of the menu's simplicity, customers can purchase menu items at any time. 0rt This weekend: DETROIT BLUES BAND the finest cappucino ... the best wines, beers and liquors ... For further information call 996-8555 Central's menu includes standard Mexican-American fare. Sandwiches, side orders such as hash browns, french fries and cole slaw. In addition, Hungarigan goulash is available, the recipe for which was developed as customers voiced their opinions on its authenticity. It is not the standard macaroni-and-hamburger mixture many label as goulash. Instead, meat, potatoes and green pepper are served in one dish, a broth from the stew-like mixture is served in another. A combination plate of one taco, one enchillada and one tostada cost $6.25. The dinner comes with refried beans, rice, chips and a homemade Ranchero- type hot sauce. Three different hot sauces are available at the Central, and two (the Ranchero and a green Jalapeno sauce) are Perdomo's own recipe, made fresh as needed. The refried beans served with the dinners are almost bland. Perdomo ex- plains that they are not cooked with bacon or other heavy oils, as is usually the case. Also, he explains that most dishes are prepared so that they will be mild to the taste, rather than over- spiced, as is often the case in Mexican restaurants. Perdomo has a good point. Although Mexican food can be delightful and a pleasant change of taste, in too many mysterious lyric, gives the song a dif- ferent kind of tension all its own. The Nylon Curtain is an album that hits hard, very hard, and that comes as a shock from Billy Joel. But it also hits with a consistent directness which gives the album a definite validity. He's handing us a slice of life in its nuts-and- bolts state; considering his fame as the king of mainstream pop, this makes The Nylon Curtain a peculiar, but definite success for Billy Joel. Central Cafe instances res authentic by a cayenne and leaves the cu: buds and an thirst, rather Mexican food, some aficiona food that you while. At the case. You will for more. New Gargoyle Films Presen M*A*S*H-7:00 CATCH 22-9:15 Saturday, Nov. 13 & Sunday, Nov. 14 Movies shown in the Law School, 100 Hutchins Hall, (corner of State & Monroe) We're Your Kind of Movie People! Water By Susan Makuch H2O Hall & Oates RCA THE PERFECT combination of H & ° yields water. It also yields something a little more rhythmic and potent-the newest release from that dynamic duo, Hall & Oates, entitled H20. The follow-up album to the enor- mously successful Private Eyes, cap- tures the same sense of adventure and vitality that Hall & Oates are fast becoming famous for. r His a com- pilation (like all other, Hall & Oates projects) of songs written by Daryl Hall, John Oates, and Sara Allen. The tunes present a uniform feeling that is blusey, rhythmic, and smooth. The LP begins with the new single "Maneater." The producers of this album (Hall & Oates) were smart to choose such a catchy tune with which to lead off. It grabs the listener's attention with no problem whatsoever. The evocative lyrics add to the allure of this pulsating song. This type of song is found more than once on H20, however. "One On One" contains more quasi-erotic lyrics (writ- ten by Daryl), but this time to more mellow, flowing notes. "One on one I wanna play that game tonight," as the chorus goes, makes the musical piece one of the best on the entire album. The nice thing about H20 is that every composition is unique and different. The duo can readily go from a song like "Maneater" or "One On One" to something a little more funky or bluesy. This is illustrated when the pair begin* singing such tunes as "Crime Pays" or "At Tension." The latter number, writ- ten entirely by John Oates, is very solid in its rock 'n' roll background but adds a little jazz and blues for good measure. The song, about a soldier afraid to kill, relates the story not only in powerful words, but in throbbing beats as well. The only really weak moment on this album occurs when we get our usual, obligatory John Oates ethnic com- position. Last time it was "Mano a Mano," this time it's "Italian Girls." It's very trite, with lyrics like "Ooh but where are the Italian Girls." The remainder of the LP is aided immensely by the presence of the first solid Hall & Oates band. Charlie De Chant on saxophone is fabulous. He contributes such energy and en- thusiasm on tracks such as "Maneater," "Art of Heartbreak," and "One On One." He is probably the most effective member of the ensemble besides Daryl and John themselves. In addition to Charlie, G.E. Smith (guitarist extraordinaire) has hooked up permanently with the duo. His ex- cellent solos lend a smoothness to the album that was lacking in the old days of Hall & Oates. The group is rounded out with Mickey Curry on drums and Tom "T. Bone" Wolk on bass. This new band, which began on the Private Eyes LP, is not just a studio or touring group. They do both. This is where Hall & Oates ran in- to problems before. They'd have all kinds of different musicians in on each studio track and then get lost while per- forming on the road with a new set of players. With this vital new addition, Hall & Oates have achieved the prominence and excellence in one album that has all but alluded them for the past few years. The musicians on this album do make the difference. Hall & Oates began a new cycle in their career about three years ago with the Voices album. They were well on Vi Hall & Oates: Making waves their way to new sounds and messages: They almost made it to the finish line with their last effort,. Private Eyes. But they've reached the top of the mountain with H20. A perfect mesh of old and new styles, along with a cohesive musical back up, make H20 as smooth as water. Ann Arbor's Newest Korean Restaurant KANA STUDENT 10% OFF, SPECIA L STUDENTS ONLY Bul Ko Ki Bar-B-Q Sandwich 2.80 Veggie Tempura 1.50 EVERYTHING IN THE LIVELY ART A Publication of The Michigan Daily EAT IN OR CARRY OUT-CONVENIENT TO HILL DORMS! 1133 E. Huron Former location of Raja Rani M-Sat 9-9 M-Sa 9- 6 Weekend/November 12, 1982 11- ,jjef Y * I ~ .. . .I- * - , -