ARTS
The Michigan Daily
Sunday, October 21, 1984
Page 5
Tones on Tail: a subtle
reminder of Bri
By Richard Williams
O UT OF THE ashes of the now
extinguished blaze Bauhaus, rises
a new form of the sinister, Tones on
Tail. TOT carries on with the traditional
Bauhaus taste for the macabre, but
charts new courses of twisting the pop
thing.
TOT is comprised of Daniel Ash
(vocals, guitar and synth), Kevin
Haskins (drums and backing vocals)
and Glenn Campling (bass) who was
unofficially Bauhaus' fifth member.
The formerly mentioned Bauhaus has
proven to be very influential in
England. Take a glance at the nmr's
indie charts and you will see a cross
section of bands that pledge allegiance
to Bauhaus. The Gothic and Batcave
scenes owe a lot to them.
TOT continue to provide the uncom-
promising variations in style and tone
that Bauhaus did. They have stayed
with their label, Beggers' Banquet, and
have released one album to date, the
amazing Pop.
Pop attends to a myriad of textures.
Most of them poking sinister fun at the
conventions of pop music. "Lion," the
second single, is neo-psychedelic, but
only in sound arrangement. It features
ethereal synths, downcast soothing
guitars beneath even vocals that float
like swans on glass.
"War" is about nuclear war but
avoids cliches and isn't preacy. It sim-
ply states "Here comes trouble."
"Happiness" is a bizarre transgression
into cocktail jazz that is severed with
subtle sarcasm. "Performance" was
the first single and is an amazingly
powerful romp through electronic dan-
cedom that is even more enticing than
New Order's "Blue Monday."
"Slender Fungus" is a psychopath
collage of strange sounds that destroys
the pop concert. Pop is just a joke to
TOT as they lyrics convey, but we play
all the things you are/Bomb song,
Swan song, Red hot jazz/burn our-
selves out, just to please.
tish skill
The album finishes with two
acoustic/ambient planes of glass,
"Real Life" and "Rain" which remind
me of a cross of Pink Floyd and Brian
Eno but not a derivative of them.
Tonight's show will offer those
disillusioned with British music a
reminder that the Queen's land still
produces consistently the best bands
around. Bauhaus was often considered
to be the best live band in the world with
the dual enigmatic characters of Peter
Murphy, the lead singer and Daniel
Ash, the guitarist. We may be treated to
a delightful surprise on this dark and
gloomy October evening.
Tones on Tail will appear at St.
Andrews Hall in Detroit this
evening. Doors open at 9p.m.
RNN
..RBO
;5th Avenue at Liberty St
Daily Photo by SCOTT ZOLTON
Queen of the Blues Koko Taylor brought her intense blues singing to Rick's Friday night.
ueen of the Blues less than regal
By Joseph Kraus
K OKO TAYLOR, "Queen of the
Blues" and her regal entourage
graced Rick's with their presence
Friday night, but all was not royal
bliss.
Crass commerciality and subdued
jealousies within the band under-
mined what was otherwise a top-notch
~show.
There is no doubt that Taylor is one
;of the finest women blues singers in
the country, and last night gave every
indication that she is still in prime
form.
Her gravel-laden voice gave a new
edge to such traditional rock-tinged
blues classics as "Hey Bartender"
and there was not question that she
was giving the show her all.
'Slowing up' for "I'd Rather Go
Blind" the sweat rolled down her
forehead and onto her fist clenched
tight around the mike. And her facial
'Muscles didn't unclench her whole
time on stage.
But in spite of her powerful voice
and energy, there were problems.
The more public problem with the
show was the unabashed commer-
cialization of the blues.
Many performers of Koko's stature
'nake themselves available quite a bit
more for signing their records in bet-
ween sets, but few hype it up as much
as she did - selling Koko buttons and
T-shirts.
With a full 15 minutes left in the first
set, Koko began announcing that she
was going to give free autographs.
When she left the. stage lead
guitarist and second string vocalist
Emmitt Sanders went into a five
minute routine about the "free t-
shirts." "They're free except for
tax," he said. "Tax is $8."
Between sets Sanders clarified his
role in the sales process. "I don't sell
them, I just speak of it and tell the
audience who to contact," he said.
The second problem with the show
stemmed from a rather unlikely
breeding ground for trouble: Sanders'
personal talent.
Sanders played a strong lead to
Koko, but when a singer of her ability
gets on stage, there isn't much room
left for anybody else. No matter how
well he played, Sanders could never
have escaped her shadow.
And while he was everything he
needed to be with Koko, it became ap-
parent when he fronted an opening set
that he was capable of being quite
a bit more.
While she did let Sanders lead the
opening set, Koko didn't seem to be
the type who would be willing to give
up any of her spotlight.
When asked how she got the
nickname "Queen of the Blues," she
said, "I didn't get it, the public gave it
to me. It called me the Queen of the
Blues because I sing the blues out
here (on tour)."
And with a dominant personality
like hers hovering over him, Sanders
seemed a bit unfulfilled.
"Supporting her is the job that I
do," he said. "As long as I'm playing
with her that's my primary function
and I enjoy it."
Something's fishy when a bluesman
calls playing guitar a "job."
He added later "I think it (playing
with Koko) brings out the best in me,"
but he also said that he was working
on a solo album. Claiming that the LP
should be out within 60 days he said
that the working title is The Price is
Too High and that it includes entirely
different personnel from those in
Koko's band.
But the important thing about the
blues is that it be good, and in spite of
anything else that might have hap-
pened, Koko was indeed good.
Sanders, along with rhythm
fuitarist Michael Robinson, drummer
Vince Chappelle, and particularly
bassist Jerry Murphy made up the
tight backdrop over which the Queen
held court.
And the dance floor, never empty,
gave testimony to Koko's immense
talent, and made clear that however
heavy rests the head that wears the
crown, she can still belt out the blues
with the best of them.
A-ha! Swashbuckling pirate fun on film
Professional Theatre Program Special Attractions
presents
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1984 - 8:00 P.M.
3y Byron Bull
HE FRIDAY night screening of
j The Black Pirate at The Michigan
Theater made two points readily ap-
parent: Douglas Fairbanks knew how
to make great movies and the Michigan
knows how to show 'em. Pirate may
not be the most spectacular swash-
buckler, but it still ranks as one of the
imost enjoyable. The 58 years since its
release have only enhanced this vintage
blend of adventure and romance, like a
well aged bottle of wine.
Without a firm stylist directing it
(Fairbanks watched over all his
vehicles with complete control ala
George Lucas), Pirate is a little crafty,
and unstyled.
"The production design, with some
outlandishly baroque pirate ships that
could have come right out of a Terry
Gilliam/Monty Python film, was rich,
maybe too much at times.
What Pirate does exceed at is its ac-
tion, with a heavy dose of burlesque wit.
Fairbank's, whose athletic prowess
'Hvals Charlie Chaplin's, was clearly
the stuff screen legends are made of,
clamoring up sheer rock precipices or
brandishing a sword against a whole
shipful of filthy rogues joyous abandon.
_The print, a rare copy of this, the first
technicolor feature, was not so full of
color as it was just various shades of
brown. While that admittedly has its
detractions, it did lend the film a cer-
tain, very elegant antique glow, like
polished brass.
- No amount of praise can lavished
upon organist Dennis James and con-
ductor Carl Daehler, who led the Ann
Arbor Chamber Orchestra in a live per-
formance of the films original score.
The music, captured with restrained
but not unexciting enthusiasm, added
so much color and texture to com-
pliment the onscreen action that I
wouldn't want to imagine them as
separate elements, or having to see the
film with a mere recorded soundtrack.
James' organ work, full of subtle lit-
tle shadings and flambouyant,
nostalgic punctuations was particularly
magical.
I don't know how many more classic
gems the Michigan Theater can
resurrect in this successful manner, but
one hopes there are at least a few more
left to brake up the monotony on the
umpteenth campus showing of
Casablanca.
b--
POWER CENTER
tickets at P.T.P. in Michigan League, 764-0450
0 0 0*0 0 1
WE WANT TO TAKE-YOU
TO THE MOVIES!
Fairbanks
... holds on tight
ANN ARBOR
Thoters 1 I - 5th Avenue at Uberty St. - 761-9700
DAILY FIRST MATINEE ONLY $2.00
SNEAK PREVIEW TONIGHT AT 8:30 P.M.
In the middle of the night, when there's no one else
CHOOSE ME (R)
A SERIOUS COMEDY
Lienevive ?\~lL sler-
Starting Oct. 22
The Michigan Daily
will give a movie
pass for two to
see "Choose me,"
courtesy of the
Ann Arbor Theater
to the first 100
readers presenting
this ad to our
office.
Genevieve Keith
Bujold Carradine
W Ann
Warren
See both "Choose Me" and "Privates On Parade" tonight
at 6:50 p.m. or 8:30 p.m. 2 movies for the price of one!
I
.