The Michigan Daily-Friday, February 18, 1983-Page 7 !Spending the night with The Rolling Stones rANN ARBOR-- AL momr" " ' By Mike Cramer A LOT of people call the Rolling Stones "The World's Greatest sock and Roll Band." That statement is pretty well founded. The Stones have been around close to forever (20 years), and have released more albums than just about anybody (28). Discs like Exile on Mainstreet and Let it Bleed are still regarded as among the best rock albums ever recorded. Mick Jagger may well be the world's most recognizable rock performer, and sidekick Keith Richards is one of the -most respected lead guitarists in the ndustry. In 1981, on the heels of the release of their Tattoo You album, the Stones an- nounced their tenth American tour, a huge fifty-concert production which at- tracted over two million fans and a lot more dollars. The concerts were mostly in outdoor stadiums and big in- door arenas, and featured balloons, fireworks, rotating stages, and even hydraulic cherry pickers so Mick could buzz around above the audience. The ILour was soon made into the album Still Life, and has now been made into a motion picture, Let's Spend the Night Together. The movie was directed by a Stones fan-Mick Jagger's old friend Hal Ash- by, whose past films include Harold and' Maude, Being There, and Shampoo.t Ashby's basic plan for Let's Spend the Night Together was to film the Stones in concert from as many angles as possible (to bring thewaudience above and onto the stage, as well as in front of it), and to keep backstage shots to a minimum. Ashby also added in a few bits of older live footage, and mixed up scenes from the three concerts which were filmed to make the movie (one at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona, and two at New Jersey's Meadowlands Arena). Sounds great, right? Well, sort of. As far as I can tell, the advertising for the film is geared not to the long-time Stones fan who admires the band's creativity and blues background, but to the fifteen-year-old "rock fan" who also listens to Van Halen and Loverboy. Sadly, the film itself (and I guess the '81 tour) appeals to this same audience. Most of the songs performed in the movie are either "Hot Rocks"/greatest -hits types, or tunes from the past couple of albums. Not that those songs are really bad, it's just that they're almost to the point of being overplayed. It would be nice to see and hear the Stones play stuff like "Rocks Off," "Stray Cat Blues," and "Monkey Man." Predictable material isn't the film's only problem; the fact is, Mick's voice just ain't what it used to be. He is basically flat throughout the movie. (I was particularly disappointed when in "Miss You," he sang a gutteral "ay-ay- ay-yay-ay-ay-ay" instead of the high- pitched "ooh-ooh-hoohoo-hoo-ooh-ooh" that adds so much to the studio ver- sion). Despite its faults, Let's Spend the Night Together does have its good poin- ts. Some highlights include: the 1960s film footage and photographs of Brian Jones mixed in on "Time Is, On My Side," Keith Richards' vocals on "Lit- tle T & A" and his good o1' rock'n'roll guitar on Eddie Cochran's "Twenty Flight Rock," the consistently good saxophone of Ernie (don't-know-if-he's- related-to-Charlie) Watts, and the closing song, "Satisfaction," which ac- tually sent a little tingle up my spine. Some of the photography is really pretty nifty, and this makes it possible to see not only the expressions (and wrinkles) on the Stones's faces, but the size, feel, and magnitude of these con- certs. There are some genuinely funny elements to the film, too. One is a chorus line of "Honky Tonk Women," including Mick's girlfriend, drummer Charlie Watts' wife, and Ron Wood's daughter. Others are the speeded up footage of the crew setting up for the concert, Keith's dangling cigarette and attitude, Mick's gyrations and ex- pressions, Bill Wyman's smirks, and Charlie Watts' bald spot. Watts and Wyman are their mellow, grinning selves, Ronny and Keith are typically loose and laughing, and Jagger, as usual, is nothing but.. . well, Mick Jagger. Still, the film wasn't as exciting as it might have been; and, like I said, Mick's vocals just aren't that special anymore. The man who once said, "I'd rather be dead than singing 'Satisfac- tion' when I'm forty-five " will probably be singing "Satisfaction" when he's fifty-two. But a lot of us will still go see him and the boys (old boys) in concert (or on film). Thing is, so will a lot of fifteen-year-olds who also listen to Van Halen and Loverboy. 2 INDIVIDUAL THEATRES 54$, Ar.e at Lib" ft"Y 0 GOLDEN GLOBE WINNER BEST ACTRESS - IN A DRAMA - MERYL STREEP SOPHIE'S CHOICE, FRI. - 6:45, 9:30 (R SAT., SUN. - 1:00, 3:50, 6:45, 9:30 Mick wears his 'Nu-Wave' specs proudly in 'Let's Spend the Night Together,' Hal Ashby's film of the Stones' 1981 tour. STARTS TODAY! ,: '1i t y ,' k. , y j k.. 4J ,a DUDLEY MOORE ELIZABETH McGOVERN A comedy for the incurably romantic. LOVESICI( The Core 'S By Tom McDonald I T WAS AN unexpected scene at Rick's Wednesday night. The video games were idle, the dart boards were dormant, and even the pool table was quiet. Because on stage was a band called The Core, an exciting reggae quartet hailing from Pittsburgh who had the packed house at Rick's dancing into the early hours of the morning. Ex- pecting a modest turnout because of the oonflict with exam week, the band drew out the Ann Arbor reggae crowd in numbers, showing that they have the capacity to soon make the transition from the bar circuit to small halls. The Core got off to a slow start, but soon captured the audience with their striking and innovative original material which represents a smooth coalescence of reggae and rock. The group exploits the traditional reggae rhythm, yet manages to amplify it Shrough their eclectic choice of influen- es from the best of various sources in- cluding rock, funk, and R and B. The result is a hybrid that is effective and vigorous. While other American reggae bands often attempt to duplicate the sound of Jamaican bands, The Core makes an effort to forge their own distinctinve style. They realize their musical roots are in the working class city of Pit- tsburgh, and not in Kingston, Jamaica, Dnd thus desire to utilize the range of their domestic influences rather than creating a cheap copy of the Carribean sound. dn first appearance, the band does not have that "reggae look" that one miay expect. Three white players and ond black took the stage. Reggae has been known as a predominantly black idiom, but The Core view it from a dif- delicious re ferent perspective. "We're color blind," says lead singer Tony Miles. "We're just four good musicians who get together to ,play reggae because we like it." Miles is quite accurate with this assertion: their music should not be limited by racial boundaries. However the racial mix has worked to the advantage of the group, as they have appealed to a wide variety of listeners. The Core has a hypnotic stage presence which constantly diverts the attention of their listeners froni their mugs of beer to the music. The six-foot, four-inch Miles is the visual epicenter of the band. Clad in baggy camaflauge pants tucked into knee length socks, a sleeveless green army vest, and a rain- bow colored headband, Miles can be at times defiant, bold, and sensual. The two feet of stage space that he had to play with was simply not enough; he would have been more at home on a stage where his dancing and jumping would not result in an overturned microphone stand or amplifier. Belting out their new single release, "World Citizenship," Miles demon- strated the depth of his vocal delivery. His short winded screams, soulful falsettos, and spiritually seducing modulations capsu lated the range of his ability. Miles' vocal talents are illuminated even further by the solid cast of musicians backing him. Most evident is Kurt Resch, who wields a brash guitar. Usually the guitar serves as a background element in a reggae band, but Resch clearly brought out the energy of the band. His supple guitar work guided the band in and out ot various musical styles with surprising ease. In the song "Keep on Movin'," Resch ferreted out an assortment of tones from his Gibson hollow-body to ggae produce a slick-sounding melody. Bassist Brooks Duer provided a strong rhythm with his driving bass riffs, and drummer Ken Crisafio made up for the bands lack of extra percussion by a solid performance on the drum kit. When the patrons began to feel the ef- fects of the gin and tonics, the small dance floor became crammed with writhing dancers. "I love to deal with the audience," says Miles. "Every night is a new experience. I like these people to get up, forget their troubles and have a good time dancing." When the band left the stage well after 1 a.m., the audience demanded and received a couple of encores. With a reception like this, The Core will undoubtedly return to Ann Arbor-keep a lookout. FRI. - 7:10, 9:10 SAT., SUN. - 1:00, 3:10, 5:10, 7:10, 9:1( *a ************************** .................................................................