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Slick
discs
DanceDisk
SLK
Millionaire Records
The Whip b/w Skaffle
Wild Child Discs
By Ben Ticho
T'S GETTING A little claustrophobic
in here. I'm locked in this room with
a bunch of local bands, each trying to be
heard over the other, and me just wan-
ting to play my new Dire Straits EP.
The SLKmen are winning out, probably
because they've got the numbers (eight
upstanding youth of America) and this
new album of practically every original
they've composed since breaking out of
the Halfass a couple years ago.
The Urbations, with a more modest-
sized 45, have got the guns - a full
lineup of Ann Arbor's finest bristling
brass, although the report is more a pop
than a bang. "The Whip" (billed as the
umpteenth "brand new dance") opens
with the roar of a gunned motor and
never stops to look behind, while a
standard rock bass keeps the motor
running smoothly. Andy Boller's
production of Dave Mulholland's tune
faithfully reproduces the party sound
that keeps the Urbs the core of the
Sound of Detroit series.
An instrumental with a chipper
change of pace, "Skaffle" integrates
electronic warbles into the saxophone
solos and jumping keyboards. All in all,
a "fun" single, one which bodes well for

4

Phil's
bill
Phil Collins
Hill Auditorium
8 p.m., Saturday, February 5
By Susan Makuch
N THE beginning, there was
Genesis; now there is Phil. Phil
Collins, that is. Yes, Phil is going it
alone for the second time in as many
years. His current solo tour, however,
is his very first.
The driving force behind one of the
most potent rock ensembles in recent
history, Collins has made quite a name
for himself in the last couple of years.
But, it wasn't always gold records
and platinum albums for the young
man from Chiswick, England. As a
child, Phil fooled with a toy drum set,
but found acting an equal pleasure. He
starred as the Artful Dodger in a West
End (London) production of Oliver at
the age of 14. Later, concentrating on
his musical talent, Phil joined an ac-
claimed rock group called Flaming
Youth. They weren't hot enough,
however, and the combo soon fizzled.
It seemed that this multi-talented
drummer would never see the fame
that everyone predicted for him. But
then again, Phil was only 19 years old,
and certainly not washed up in the
world-wide music business. lie per-
sisted, and finally made it into a barely
recognizable band called Genesis. In
1971 he debuted with the group oin the
Nursery Cryme LP.
Peter Gabriel, at that time, was

6)

Phil Collins: Leading the horns
thought to be the spark that ignited
Genesis. So, when Gabriel deserted the
group in 1975 to pursue an individual
career, many speculated that it would
spell the end for Genesis. Those
pessimists did, indeed, underestimate
Collins. He took the lead singing reigns
from the absent Gabriel with apparent
ease and filled a crucial void within the
band. As a matter of fact, Phil did the
job with such vitality that he actually
increased the trio's popularity.
Tony Banks, co-founder of Genesis,
once said (with a little bit of under-
statement) that, "Peter (Gabriel) and I
thought he (Phil) would be very good
for the band. Quite honestly, he
became far better than I ever thought
he would. He ended up being by far the
best musician in the band."
Since 1975, Collins has been the lead
singer, drummer, co-writer and co-
producer for Genesis. These varied ac-
tivities opened the door to a separate,
but equal, solo recording career. In-
stead of abandoning the group once it
reached a successful peak, he decided
to stay with the band, only now he
would supplement Genesis work with

his own individual efforts.
His first such attempt was his debut
album, Face Value. The two singles
from that LP, "I Missed Again" and
"In the Air Tonight" burned the charts
in 1981. But, unlike standard
procedure, Collins did not tour (by him-
self) to promote that album. This solo
tour in 1983, will be his very first.
Not content with just writing, drum-
ming, singing, and producing his own
material, Phil has recently ventured in-
to the world of record production for
other performers. He handled the
behind-the-scenes action for Scottish
singer John Martyn on an album en-
titled Glorious Fool, released on
Genesis' own label, Duke (distributed by
Atlantic).
If there's a song on the radio this
week that begins with a definite Phil-
sounding drumbeat, it's because he had
some say on ex-ABBA member Frida's
hit single, "There's Something Going
On." You see, Collins produced that
track. He has also contributed to some
of this year's most anticipated works,
including Robert Plant's Pictures at

Eleven.
If all
Collins
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SLK: Jumping for joy

the group and their hard-working
manager, John Sinclair. Won't blow
anybody's brains out, though.
Back to the boys with the blue suede
shoes on the cover and the gold vinyl in-
side. DanceDisk, as might-be expected,
is well-suited for the ballroom. You got
retakes of "Trigger Talk" and
"Lorale" (released as their debut
single) as well as the more recent
"Bored and Tired" and "Television"
ditties; all with prominent (if relatively
straight) ska beat percussion and
Jacques Mersereau's sax.

I like Art Brownell's Graham Mc-
Pherson imitation; I like "So Hard,"
Bill McNally having fun on the
sidelines, the "nah nah nah"s of
"Television," and at least two of Mike
Behrman's guitar leads. If they keep
plugging away, Slic is bound to get
signed by somebody somewhere; it's no
secret, however, that they could use a
little infusion, new direction, fad;
maybe another change of hairstyle.
Seriously, somewhere out there is a
producer who could drop the couple
hooks needed to fan the flame. You

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coulda been a contenda, and all that.
Right now, the group treads familiar
ground; it's time to get in the ring and
punch out something that doesn't turn
Dave Wakeling around. The fandom is
there, even beyond Rick's. So is the
drive; anyone who goes solo far enough
to make DanceDisk has some musical
(and financial) guts.
Which leaves me back in the little
room humming "Caravan" softly to
myself and thinking, Well, they made it
this far down the road. Hope they don't
get a flat tire.
Meissner
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- 1
-




ST6R TR EK DRY
at MICKEY RAT'S
10 Brand New STAR TREK Video Games
on FREE Play
100 FREE STAR TREK t-shirts
to the first 100 people
500 FREE STAR TREK posters
to the next 500 people
2 FREE passes to OPENING NIGHT OF THE MOVIE
STAR TREK III to the first ten people
dressed in Star Trek or outer space costumes.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 5th

Terrif ic
trio
Tom Paxton/Bob Gibson/AInn
The Ark
7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Friday and
Saturday, January 4-5, 8 p.m., Sun-
day, January 6
By Jim Boyd
D O YOU HAVE feelings of self-
revulsion because you missed the
Ann Arbor folk festival? If so, don't
worry-you have a :fantastic oppor-
tunity to redeem yourself this weekend
when the terrific trio of Tom Paxton,
Bob Gibson and Ann Hills visit the Ark,
Ann Arbor's premier folk haven.
The trio, dubbed "The Best of Frien-
ds," is touring major cities on the East
Coast, as well as visiting Gibson and
Hills' native Chicago. I'll bet you're
wondering how a small, pastoral
college campus like ours manages to
draw, as only New York and Philly
could, such big names as Paxton and
Gibson.. Well, the answer is that they
like it here. Ann Arbor manages to

provide
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12 Weekend/February 4,1983.

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