V V V V -IV Aw- -W w w I 1 IUII c ................. .. X, X, ............. . ......... . ............ ............... . ............ ............ Rage in Eden Ultravox Prism Productions Michigan Theatre 8 p.m., Thursday, March 31 By Jeffrey W. Manning T HREE MONVHS AGO, if you asked a music freak what comes to mind when the word "Ultravox" is men- tioned, the answer would by Vienna. A warranted response, bo'doubt; Vienna arguably culminates the '70s electro- pop collection. But these times, they are a changin', and if you ask the same question today, the reply is "March 31, Michigan Theatre. Be there, aloha." Ultravox has been making records since the middle of the '70s, and in keeping with their philosophy of con- stant change and development, they are not the same band they were a few years ago. John Fox founded the band and was a vital member until 1979 when he opted to make solo records. Midge Ure replaced Fox as lead vocalist and the band signed with Chrysalis with a new manager and began working of Vienna Financially and artistically, Vienna remains Ultravox's greatest achievement. The LP received gold and platium sales awards in six countries (not the U.S., of course), and the mystical single, "Vienna," won Best Single of the Year in Britain's Rock and Pop awards for 1979. The band then recorded Rage in Eden which contained two moderately popular singles, "The Voice" and "The Thin Wall," but nowhere near exceeded the success of the previous record. Last December, Ultravox's most recent album was released. Quartet climbed to #6 on the English charts and two songs, "Reap the Wild Wind" and "Hymn,", surfaced in the Top Fifteen. The digitally mastered album has taken Ultravox in an untried direction due to a new producer and a different recording technique. Former Beatles' producer George Martin "sounded like a more bizarre combination than the big names who had been suggested to us, and, as we'd been looking for something more off-the-wall for this album, we all agreed he was the man for the job," commented Ure. The music on Quartet was not written in the studio as the songs on Rage in Eden were. Ultravox experimented in rehearsal studios for three weeks,dthen broke for a week before recording, and decided upon the best bits of the past few week's work. After Roger Mulcahy's video of "Vienna" won France's GrandePrix award, Ure and fellow Ultravox mem- ber, Chris Cross, planned to produce their own videos. "Reap the Wild Ultravox: Fearsome foursome Wind," "Hymn," "The Voice," and "The Thin Wall" are videos which resulted from this collaboration. The duo has also produced promo videos for a score of other English pop groups, in- cluding Phil Lynott, Monsoon, Visage, ex-Specials the Fun Boy Three, and their girlfriends, Bananarama. Lately, Ure has recorded a single en- titled "No Regrets," for which he produced another video. Ure has also produced discs for some more obscure British bands such as Strasse, the Messengers, Peter Godwin, and Steve Harley. The upcoming concert at the Michigan Theatre is part of their first American tour in over two years. Regarding the show, Ure remarked, "We wand a continuity from the release of the first single to the last gig of the tour, and we make a point of being in- volved in every aspect of what people see as well as hear of Ultravox, right down to the tour poster." Though acclaim in America is lagging, Ultravox is internationally known as one of the most influential electropop bands. If you've heard them, you've probably brought your ticket. If not, I can only warn you against missing one of the better shows to pass through Ann Arbor in '83.W And if a complaint comes in, he says, students are likely to get quicker results. In the past, Yadlowsky says, before the bureau had a computer to help keep track of things, "We had more inspectors and we were doing less inspection just for not being organized . the hard ones we'd skip, and we'd do the easy ones. Now we do them all." Owners are not only quicker to make repairs these days, they are almost eager to make improvements - new furniture, new appliances, storm win- dows. "One of the things I've been doing is promising washers anid dryers," says David Copi, an independent landlord who owns 80 campus-area units. Copi says he has to dish out nearly $1,000 for each unit to cover the cost of the ap- pliances and installation fees, but he says it's worth it. It works. "I don't know anybody that has a ren- tal unit and takes money out of it," says Robert Andrus of Andrus Davis Co. "It's the system out there that's going against us right now. "I think rents should go up. Everything else is going up," says An- drus, who says he lost nearly $3,000 on a three-bedroom house last year. A FEW MONTHS ago, Howard Smith decided he was tired of sharing a two-bedroom apartment with three other people. So the engineering sophomore and his friends got together and rented a six-bedroom house near the Hill dorms. By March of any other eyar, students would be lucky to find any six-bedroom houses available. But Smith's landlord was waiting for him with open arms. Not only did the landlord agree to reduce the monthly rent by $65, says Smith, "He said he would fix anything we thought needed fixing." Last year the house got a new kitchen, a bathroom was remodeled, and several rooms were painted and recar- peted, Smith says. "The place was a real dump. Supposely they were having a lot of trouble renting it." Things have changed a lot since 1979. That January more than 25 groups of students booked rooms at the Bell Tower Hotel, hoping to get first crack at apartments offered by Maize and Blue Management Company - whose office is located in the hotel's lower level. But; the company had only 20 apartments Paul Teich: Tenant advocate 0 available and some students who had rented rooms and waited 13 hours for the office to open were left out in the cold. Although Maize and Blue still remains popular, fewer students this yer lined up outside the office than in previous years and they didn't arrive until 6:30 a.m., according to Suzanne Gubachy of Maize and Blue. Other landlords aren't so lucky. Last summer, some were so desperate to rent their units they offered new tenan- ts everything from cash to TV sets. The Wilson White Company, for example, advertised gift certificates totaling $250 for stores including Schoolkids Records and Ulrich's bookstore in exchange for a signed lease. Students are also in a better position to negotiate because they are more in- formed, says Maureen Delp, program director for the Ann Arbor Tenants Union. "I think tenants are becoming more aware of what they're getting for their money." Says University housing's Rumsey: "The students have been coming in here (the housing office) by the droves."They're not just looking at the landlord listings like they used to, she says. They are asking questions about the landlords, the leases, and the neighborhoods. Rumsey says she has also seen the landlords more willing to negotiate than ever before. In one case, she said, a landlord took a house off the market for a week while the students made up their minds. He asked for a small deposit, but said he would return it if the students chose another place. "That was unheard of five years ago," she says. price was se people to coi When Val last Septeml the rents. I last year, a earlier if hi this summer Other land is good for th David Copi, crease rents landlords wo for the same nice place." But any An now matter they have it Oi mo' 14 lime Weather Report Eclipse Jazz Hill Auditorium 8 p.m., Wednesday, March 30 By Jerry Brabenec T HREE TIMES is not enough. The cosmopolitan jazz group Weather Report makes their fourth Ann Arbor appearancethis Wednesday in one of this season's major concert presen- tations. For their latest Hill Auditorium concert, coleaders Wayne Shorter and Joe Zawinul will feature a new rhythm section of younger players, adding new ideas and sounds to the band's 12 years of jazz innovation. Winners of two Grammy Awards, two Gold Discs (Japan) and France's Grand Prix du Disque, Weather Report has been selected Best Jazz Group by the readers of Downbeat magazine for the last seven years. Keyboardist Joe Zawinul is the real force behind the group, and writes most of the music. A native of Vienna, Austria, Zawinul came to the United States in 1959 to study at the Berklee School of Music. During his first gig, Zawinul picked up big band influence '(In the last), landlords wer crease rents as they wanted landlords would rent out any the same amount I could rev place'. indepent Weather Report: Fearsome fivesome that is reflected in Weather Report's material with trumpeter Maynard Ferguson. During a ten year stint with the late alto saxophonist Julian "Can- nonball" Adderly, Zawinul honed his compositional skills, penning Adderly's biggest hit, "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy," one of the first electric piano features. Shorter and Zawinul first worked together in Miles Davis' fusion groups of the late '60s, Zawinul contributing the title tune to the album In a Silent Way. Newark, New Jersey native Wayne Shorter has been voted Best Soprano Saxophonist by the readers of Down- beat for the last 13 years, joining Sidney Bechet and John Coltrane as a truly distinctive stylist on this difficult in- strument. After starting out playing with Freddie Hubbard in Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, Shorter became a close associate of Miles Davis in the mid-'60s, contributing tunes like "Foot- prints" and Nefertiti" and playing tenor and soprano sax up to the album Bitches' Brew. Weather Report's first album came out in 1971. Featuring the virtuosic Czech string bassist Miroslav Vitous and Brazilian percussionist Airto Moriera, the new band's music pulled together sounds from all over the world in ethereal, improvised textures. Ten years later, Weather Report has settled into a groove that is more stylish and funky, and musicians like drummers Chester Thompson, Alex Acuna, and Peter Erskine, and bassists Alphonso Johnson and Jaco Pastorius have all contributed to the band's sound. The new rhythm section features bassist Victor Bailey, drummer Omar Hakim, and percussionist Jose Rossy. The 22-year-old Bailey studied at Berkeley, as Zawinul did two decades earlier, and has recorded with Hugh Masakela and Larry Coryell. Hakim, 23, graduated from New York's High School of Music and Art and has played with David Sanborn, George Benson and Roy Ayers. Rossy, 28, studied per- cussion in Puerto Rico and played with the Puerto Rico Symphony before moving to the studios of New York to record with Labelle and Cameo. Procession, the band's latest album, features moody electronic sounds, high speed bopping, and vocals by Manhat- tan Transfer. As always, the rhythm section is tight and the sounds and arrangements are tasty and sophisticated, with unique sonorities and infectious beats. A good time is cer- tainly in the forecast for Wednesday night, when Weather Report plays Ann Arbor. Landlords realize they have to cater more to tenant requests. "We're quite a bit more in tune for individual requests," says Dave Williams of Old Town Realty. Old Town recently relaxed its policies on pets in its units. Ravalp's Dick Vale says he has noticed students looking around more before choosing an apartment. "Going out and looking at 15 to 20 apartments is not uncommon," he says. Vale has been showing houses every hour, he says, and his showing schedule is booked a few days ahead of time. In order to rent his places, Vale says he is going to have to change his strategy. "Five and 10 years ago the deals they're are still high per-month ef State Univer average of $1 close to their And officio likely to dro very well t creasing der city's p] "Everything Fannie W University ec The home of Weekend could be your home too! Qualified writers and critics are invited to join The Michigan Daily Arts/Weekend staff. Stop by the Student Publication Building at 420 Maynard, orcall 763-0379.