SARTS

The Michigan Daily

Tuesday, January 22, 19

85

Page 7


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Appolonia 6

sings of 80's

sexuality

.. _ . _ ,,

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n the wake of Purple Rain's release,
acts featured in the film have been
ngi on their appearances. Last
A former Prince guitarist Dez
ekerson made his appearance in the
m (albeit for a scant seventeen
seconds) the prime selling point for his
aukrtourThe Time released Ice Cream
Castle, an album whose sales were
fueled byseveral songs from the film.
$w, perhaps inevitably, we have the
lMs in .tie string of Prince's coattail
iders, Appolonia 6.
Some of you may remember the
nials first incarnation, Vanity 6. Ac-
hally "band" is an inaccurate term. The
three official members of the Six do lit-
tIe- more than sing, bump, and grind,
(sort of an R-rated version of the
Supremes), while musical backing is
provided by real talent - in the past
The Time, and on this album The
Revolution and Jamie Starr, a wispy
figure generally assumed to be Prince
himself., Vanity 6 produced only one
album, but it was a ground-breaker.

Vanity 6 provided the feminine coun-
terpart ot Prince's brand of teasing,
sexual punk-funk. While feminists
railed at the band's visual image, an
overstated lingerie-clad come and get
me big guy look, the lyrics indicated a
gender sensibility in keeping with a
modern mindset.
Vanity 6 brought aggressive feminine
sexuality into vogue. There was no
question as to who was assuming the
dominant role in the relationship the
Six were singing about. To label this as
simple dominatrix role-playing is
missing the point, for along with
eighties sexuality, the band incor-
porated a quirky sense of humor, that
owes much to The Time. Unfortunately,
live performances by Vanity 6 were
dismal, and the lack of vocal talent in
the lead singer, Vanity, as well as the
disintegration of her relationship with
Prince put the kibosh on Vanity 6.
Vanity's replacement, Appolonia,
brings a more romantic approach to the
group. Her presence drives the band
back, dangerously close to a pre-teen
sexual mentality. The album's second

side contains spoken passages framing
the recording session as a slumber par-
ty. It comes off as gimmicky and just
too cutey-pie. On the plus side, Ap-
polonia is many times better than
Vanity in the singing department. This
is not saying much, as the Six has never
placed extensive musical demands on
the lead singer, but Appolonia shows
evidence of some singing ability.
Overall, the substitution of Appolonia
for Vanity is an even trade-off.
What makes Appolonia 6 a better
record than Vanity 6 is the music. The
Revolution, Shiela E., and group mem-
bers Brenda and Susan have com-
bined to produce an interlacing of syn-
thesizers and guitars that rival
everything else produced by the Prince
stable. Listen to the Jazz influenced
bass-guitar riff sliding through "Some
Kinda Lover" or the breakneck synth
roll in "Oo She She Wa Wa" and you
can't help but be impressed. The in-
strumentation on every song is first
rate.
It is also fortunate that Appolonia is
given a breather and Brenda and Susan

sing over half the songs. Brenda
possesses a terrific alto, and her vocals
power "Blue Limousine" and "Some
Kinda Lover", making these songs the
two best on the album.
Musical quality aside, Appolonia 6
suffers from an image problem. The
song "Sex Shooter" is a classic exam-
ple. In Purple Rain, the song seemed to
be a simple come-on, but a look at the
lyrics shows it to be much more com-
plex. Appolonia is singing entirely with
traditional masculine metaphors,
telling the 'boy' to whom the song is
directed that she needs him to be a
plaything. Appolonia singing Come on,

Kiss the Gun, is anatomically con-
fusing, but indicative of the feminine
claim to aggressive sexuality that this
group represents.

Appolonia 6 is the other half of the
new androgeny. The feminine
equvalent of Prince, and The Time.
Play this instead of Madonna.


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(Kiek1g(u
Daie
764-0558

*KINGS PODUCTIONS
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Michigan Union; Kuenzel Room
Monday, January 28
Singers 1-3 PM; Dancers 4-5 PM
Instrumentalists & Specialty Acts 1-3 PM
KINGS ISLAND
American Heritage Music Hall
Saturday, January 19,10-3 PM
Sunday, January 20,10-2 PM
Technician Interviews will be held at Indiana University in the
Student Union-Alumni Hall on Wednesday, January 30 from
1-5 PM, and at Kings Island in the American Heritage
Music Hall on Saturday, January 26; Sunday, January 27
from 12-4 PM (both days).
Singers -"Dancers * Instrumentalists
Technicians " Variety Performers*
$190-$270/week
One round trip air fare will be paid to hired performers
traveling over 250 miles to the park.
Contact: Entertainment Department, Kings Island,
Kings Island, OH 45034
c Copyright 1984, Kings Productions,1932 Highland Avenue,
Cincinnati, Ohio 45219
KINGS ISLAND - KINGS DOMINION
CAROWINDS." CANADA'S WONDERLAND®
GREAT AMERICA * HANNA BARBERA LAND


Angst jams at

By Bob King
"Melting pot music," says promoter
Sybil Augustine of her band Private
ngst. The Detroit based trio relies on a
potpourri of styles for the composition
of their songs. Basically pop but eclec-
tic in approach, the band stays novel on
a minutely basis. Though not new in a
radical sense, the band tries to remain
fresh by avoiding simple emulation and
developing their own sound. "We get a
lot of comparison to the Kinks," notes
Augustine. She adds that the Metro
Times described them as "clever and
humorous." Fair enough.
Private Angst performs only original
material, all written by vocalist-
guitarist Greg Gordon, who also
produces their music in the studio. The
trio currently has a mixed repetoire of
"high-energy" pieces and slower tunes.
"They used to be considered hard-
core - a thrash band," explains Miss
Augustine,-except the hard-core
people thought they were too
mellow.. From their bar days in The
Freezer however, it may be true that
the tempof Their medium has slowed
dnjust a bit.
From their Cass Corridor shows,
Private Angst received enough support
to move into the studio, and did quite a

bit of recording at Disc Studio in
Detroit. Though only one song was ever
released from this effort, a cut entitled
"Act Normal," released on a local
compilation under the appelation of
You Pick One, these sessions gave Gor-
don an opportunity to learn the art of
production.
The experience began to pay off last
year when Angst, with Western swit-
ched on bass, returned to the studio to
record was a new four song EP. This
album was released last September at
an annual open-air bash in Detroit
called the Dalley in the Alley. Pressed
on the Catheart label, this hard-to-get
EP side-stepped this reporter's at-
tempted preview.
Out of the studio, the band has had
some wild shows in the Detroit area, in-
cluding a show at the Half Ass in 1983
with their former bassist. Last year
they opened for Green on Red at St.
Andrew's but more intriguing was their
performance at the Detroit Institute of
the Arts. Called in to cover the in-
strumentals on songs written by poet
Jim Carroll, who did the vocals, Angst
also had the opportunity to perform
some of their own songs in the
enlightened yet more serene at-
mosphere of the D.I.A.
After the tragic and still obscure
demise of The Freezer, Private Angst

fh-e Pig
moved into the Un-co-operative, a sort
of hard-core civic center in downtown
Detroit. Using these facilities for both
rehearsals and live shows, the group
created an atypical bar scene; one with
minimal cover and with no alcohol ser-
ved on thepremises. This policy gave
the spot liberty from the State Liquor
Board, and if nothing else opened their
performances up to a much larger
crowd. Problems with heating costs
moved the shows to the Trumball
Avenue Theater, but the group has not
changed their style: All ages are still
free to join in. Miss Augustine explains
their purpose as trying to promote
"good clean fun."
Though currently working in Detroit,
the band has held shows in both Chicago
and London Ontario. Tours through
Lansing and out-state Michigan are
planned for this Spring when the
weather is more amenable. Meanwhile,
Gordon Western, and Taylor are back
at Masterpiece Sound working on a 12"
mini-album. Rather than wait for its
release, however, Private Angst
suggest coming out to The Blind Pig
Tuesday evening for its first Ann Arbor
performance in over a year. The show
begins at 9:30; there is no cover. And
the Blind Pig does serve drinks.

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763-1107

Pool
WEDNESDAYS 7-8:30
2113-3/20
S12/person
Beer
Appreciation
Thursdays 7-9pm
I UI2/7-2/21
$20/person

* *fl Speed Read
)pm WEDNESDAYS7
$50/ person
~ Bridge
WEDNESDAYS7
3/6-3/20
$1t5/person

Jii
i7

ing Basic
7-9pm Conversation
European Travel
*1 ETUESDAYS 7-9pm
S3 2/12-3/26
$18/person
Ballroom Dancing
7-9pm
MONDAYS 7-9pm
2/11-3/25
$28/couple
Dream
-9pm Interpretation
etoTHURSDAYS 7-9 p m.
Section 2"
THURSDAYS 7-9pm
S3 /21
E~~$15/pe son
Cross-Country
10opm Skiing
SUNDAYS 1-4pm
2/10 3/17
$25/person

Registration
JANUARY 21
thru FEBRUARY 6
Michigan Union
Ticket Office
Mime
MONDAYS 7-8:30 p.m.
'2/11-3/18
" $16/person
Financial
Planning
TUESDAYS 7-9pm
2/12-3/12
$18/person
Sign Language
WEDNESDAYS 7-9pm
2/13-3/20
$15/person
Bartending
Section 1: M 7-9 p.m.
Section 2: M 9-11 p.m.
2/11-3/25
Section 3: T'7-9 p.m.
Section 4: T 9-11 p.m.
2/12-3/26
$20/person


Aerobic Dance Winetasting
Section 1: ADV., THURSDAYS 7
MW 3-4pm 3/7-3/28
Section 2: M W 4-Spm
1/28-4/3 $25/person
Section 3: T Th 4-5pm
1/29-4/4
$25/person
Yoga/Meditation Massage
Sectioni: M 7:30-9:30 TUESDAYS 7-
2/11-4/1 2112-3/26
Section 2: T 7-9pm $25/person
212-4/3
$20/person


P'-
Record~
The Cure - The Love Cats
(Fictip Records)
THE LOVE CATS, the new EP from
the Cure, is bright jaunty pop from a
band better known for their doom-laden
synthesizer dirges.
"t's got to be Jazz", says the writing
on the back of the sleeve. Now it isn't
jazz in the true sense of the word, but it
is a boisterous and buoyantly infectious
dance tune, racing along with hints of
rockabilly and the momentum of the
twist.
SAT. & SUN. FIRST MATINEE ONLY $2.00
$ 0 with this entire ad $1.00 off
adult evening admission. Coupon
OFF good for purchase of one or two
tickets. Good all features til 1/24
EXCEPT TUESDAYS
JOHN SAYLES BEST FILM YET!
DAILY 8:30


It's just one of those songs that you
find yourself unconsciously humming
now.and then - you can't help but enjoy
it.
The Love Cats is really about two
felines in love, for after all, "hand in
hand is the only way to land..." as the
song goes.
It's a simplistic theme, but then again
it's certainly a welcome relief from the
oppressiveness of previous Cure recor-

ds.
One word of warning, however, don't
listen to the flip side. It consists of
Robert Smith pleading monotonously
for someone to "Speak My Language"
and a boring mundane version of "Mr.
Pink Eyes." If nothing else it only
detracts from the sincerity of The Love
Cats, one of the most cheerful pop
singles to appear in a long time.
-Mike Belford

4- -
proudly presents
CAMPUS
MEET THE PRESS
in the Kuenzel Room of the Michigan Union
Frank Clan ciola
Michigan Union Directorr
Answering questions concerning the Union
bookstore and Union renovations

r-

4 CHANNEL DOLBY STEREO
DIRECTED BY JONATHAN DEMME
THE TALKING HEADS
DAILY 5:00, 6:50, 10:30

TOGETHER THEY MAY FIND
THE STRENGTH TO KEEP THEIR
WAY OF LIFE ALIVE!
C~
4