ARTS The Michigan Daily Sunday, April 21, 1985 Page 5 'Recordsl Tears for Fears-Songs from the Big Chair (PolyGram) Just when it seemed sanity could not endure the arrival of another good British synth band-life was so much easier when you could count on them all being safely, ignorably mediocre-to- bad-Tears for Fears emerged with the doggedly promising 1983 The Hurting. In description this band soufnded pret- ty oh-no: tortured boy-sensitives (well, look at the name they chose for themselves), sheltered from the fearful glare of the outside world in their 5000- track studio in Mum's basement., delicately penning tunes of slender pointy-noised English adolescent poetic despair (tra-la) as an army of syn- thesizers buzzed 'round them. One should have been able to laugh them off as Moody Blues meets Janis Ian via the Human League. The unfortunate dilemma was that Tears for Fears wrote generally ex- cellent songs to support their rather soggy teen angst, and the production on The Hurting was, with a few minor missteps, right-detail-in-the-right-place genius. I couldn't tell you what * listening to laser disc sounds like, but that was one LP I want to hear that way when I can. Aside from a couple of freefall tumbles into arty pathos, the album was near-classic high-tech pop, kept somewhat problematically uneven by the depressive undercurrent, but otherwise almost as adventurous an LP of far-ranging studio-epic pop as The The's Soul Mining. The follow-up, Songs from the Big Chair, confirms Tears for Fears' strengths and weaknesses, adding a few new wrinkles. The range of moods Curt Smith and Roland Orbazal (and continuing producer Chris Hughes) managed to convey via both songwriting and studio wizardry on The Hurting is more emphasized than ever here. The slide of track number from ten to a minimal eight (pretty slim pickings after a year-and-a-half of ab- sence) is indicative of the complexity attempted throughout each of Big Chair's individual tracks. Like Heaven 17, Tears for Fears are increasingly interested in creating a near-symphonic elaboracy within the synth-dance context, flirting earnestly with other musical forms (especially jazz, in the vague mood-oriented way that pop composers tend to think of it), jerry-building cathedrals on simple pop foundations. Such willful inflation could easily turn gaseous, as many (very dumb) people thought it did on Heaven 17's recent How Men Are; but with skill and instinct to back up the ambition, this could be just the sort of big thinking that breaks down those paper-mache genre walls and creates the truly great pop LP. But where Heaven 17 have the benefit of a more mature image, more emotionally ob- tuse lyrics and a lighter, funkier touch (not to mention a production sense bor- dering on faultless), Tears for Fears' are more simply read emotionally- speaking and more directly '80s-twelve- inch-sounding musically. While Heaven 17 always sounds a cool jump ahead of everybody else, Tears for Fears is right now-hence they run a greater risk of sounding conventional and/or attenuated. Songs from the Big Chair takes its time, expanding songs with a deter- mined first-flash-of-success confidence. When it works, it works gorgeously; when it doesn't, "Indulgence" flashes steadily on and off in the brain like those neon "Eat at Joes" marquees in Bugs Bunny cartoons. A moment of ill judgement-underestimating the public yet again-has led PolyGram to release as the record's first single the generically cheerful "Everybody Wan- ts to Rule the World" instead of the European hit and LP opener "Shout." This latter tune is a slow-burn suc- cess to the ears; like the debut album's title cut "The Hurting," it has an mention a lilting chorus. Nearly as ab- sorbing is the centerpiece "Head Over Heels" (it must take some nerve to ab- scond the title of an already very-well- known recent tune by somebody else), which similarly builds deliberately on a simple compositional foundation to an anathemic intensity of wistful please don't romantic outcry. These tunes may not have a lot in common with "Roundabout," "American Pie" or "Stairway to Heaven" on the surface (aw, shaddap, you jaded art-dogs, you know those are great songs, no matter how sick of them you pretend to be), but they struggle for a similar expanse and grandeur of rising tension. More slight but very appealling is the rather beautiful piano/sax/vocal lament "I Believe" (rather too pup- pyishly "dedicated to Robert Wyatt (if he's listening)" on the cover); a fairly swinging "Broken," with ominously rising keybaord phrases that sound like the old Stranglers; and "Mothers Talk," already a European hit, which after a dreadful Eurodisco string opening tur- ns into a big-beat dancefloor hurl before eventually fizzling out. There are lesser production mistakes scattered throughout, but the real sen- sibility errors are the overall blandness of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" and the final seven-minute snoozefest, "Listen." This track seems determined to lull everyone past caring with its scarcely one-and-a-half melodic ideas and general air of Valium-heaven ambient-ethereal hoodah. , Drenched in faint operatic backing vocals and vaguely Third- Worldly all-together-now-everybody- everywhere sentiments (you can tell by the chorus, which is in some obscure language we're denied - a translation of), the song must be saying something terribly international-nay, univer- sal-and unity-oriented, but. . . zzzz- zzz. Meanwhile, back at Mum's garden- surrounded studio, the enchanted fey "Christopher Robin's" who comprise Tears for Fears (with a bit of session help) stand on point, tremulously on the edge of brilliance. Songs from the Big Chair is like potato stew-everything's great, but once in a while you get these unpleasant lumps. -Dennis Harvey Mark Knopfler-Comfort And Joy/Original Sountrack henogram ) Cal/Original Oin rack (Mercury) Two years ago Mark Knopfler took time out from Dire Straits to write the score for Bill Forsyth's Local Hero, a' lush, beguiling work that incorporated everything from pop and jazz elements to traditional Scottish folk melodies. This year sees two more soundtrack releases, one an EP of material from Forsyth's Comfort and Joy, the other oa full lenth album of Pat O'Connor's Cal. The first, available only as an import, is a pretty but uninspiring three piece set don in slick, mellow jazz style, the best track being "A Fistful Of Ice Cream," featuring a beautiful in- strumental reworking of an old Dire Straits song- "Private In- vestigations." The Cal soundtrack on the other hand offers much more, a quietly meditative collection of music, featuring guitars, mandolin, and uillean pipes in delicate arrangements that stir up ghostly images of ancient Irish folk music. It's not as sensual a score as that for Local Hero, but has greater depth. Not just for Dire Straits fans. -Byron L. Bull Tears for Fears band members appear 'tortured boy-sensitives,' but do they really have a 5000-track studio? Their new album, 'Songs from the Big Chair,' confirms the strengths and weaknesses established on 'The Hurting,' their first LP. initially disorienting beat, a slow one that refuses to turn bump-and-grind, along with a neurotically dramatic at- mosphere (including some slightly overwrought lead vocals). It's not an immediately endearing song, but it's compelling, and could be a devastating psyche-out on the dance floor if accom- panied by an appropriate cacophony of disco-hell lighting overkill. There are two masterpieces here of big-canvas melancholy dancepop, songs that bug you at first and then grow and grow with each listening. "The Working Hour" is a fine epic of pseudo-jazz/blues moodiness, a strong descending bassline filled in by wailing sax, bongos and lyrical keyboard, not to -----A N N A RBO R- $ COUPON. with this entire ad $1 00 off any $4.00 admission 1 or 2 tickets. Good all *1.00features thru 4124185. * R ising reggae band bops at Pig BASED ON A TRUE STORY By James Mayes O NE CAN SUM-UP Bop Harvey's Wednesday night performance at the Blind Pig in one word- fantastic, entertaining, unique.. . (alright, maybe not one word). This mega-talented Reggae band combines politics,amusic, and philosophy into something I won't Blood guts, death and * ore death call music-it's more than that. It's the communion of a band and it's audience; soon neither is distinguishable. At the end of the night both part, but long for a rejoining. The band has other towns and other audiences, but we must wait longingly for their return. This is the Bop Harvey experience which all those in attendance at the Pig discovered. Their music, most of it original, filled every corner and permeated all minds. The band had a message embedded in its music and the crowd listened. The music behind the message was creative while always maintaining the reggae background, but there was something unmistakably different about it. As lead singer Word E. Smith puts it, "What we do is a fusion of many dif- ferent styles designed to break down those barriers which prevent reggae from being played on the more popular radio stations." This form of reggae, while not sounding pop-ish, draws popular appeal, as evidenced by the highly diverse Wednesday crowd. Yet there is more to this band than just creative genius, they have tangible musical talent. One of the players, Miles Davis is a PhD can- didate in trumpet, and pianist Scott Culling is in the Greater Lansing Sym- phony Orchestra. The remainder of the band; Joel Hamilton-rhythm, horn; Dan Stechow-bass guitar; Steve Shoha-guitar; Randy Sly-drums; and Word E. Smith-vocal, rhythm,. guitar, have all, except for Smith, had formal musical training. Smith is a special case in that he seems to be a natural musician. The talent is exploited-most of the members are featured in at least one song. The horns are always showing themselves strongly in every song, not just the features. The bass player, Stechow, is extremely talented, with an ability to maintain the stability of a song while developing his own per- sonality on the instrument. Piano player Scott Culling isn't very evident (unless you listen'carefully) but when he is featured we find out just what Greater Lansing sees in him. The same holds true for Randy Sly, we know the drums are there but there really isn't anything to appreciate until he is featured- but when he is... Davis, one of the main reasons the horn section is so powerful (not taking anything away from Hamilton), plays an unbelievable solo and shows us just what makes a doctoral candidate. The band lists as its one main in- fluence the legendary Bob Marley, but though they play some of Marley's and a few other artist's stuff, no real outside influences are generally apparent in their original compositions, except for perhaps the world itself. The band has an EP coming out which will include "Tongue Tied," and - their theme song "Nation From Nation." Also coming up is an exten- sive tour of Ohio, Wisconsin, Kentucky, and Illinois. For those of you who missed them a the Pig, don't despair they will be back in Ann Arbor on Saturday April 27, at the U-Club. zEKS!M SAT.,SUN. FIRST FIE D SHOW MON. 4:30, 7:00, 9:35 $2.00 SUN. 1:00. 4:00, 7:00. 9:35 BASED ON A TRUE STORY MASK Starmng CHER SAM ELLI7Tt and ERIC STOLTZ El" MON. 5:00, 7:20, 9:40 SUN. 12:30, 2:45.5:00, 7:20, 9:40 " z :,; ::: Sti i:r :ti j$ v.;r :} RESEARCH POSITIONS By Joshua Bilmes HAVING NEVER seen a Friday the JThirteenthNmovie before, I was *thrilled by the opportunity to finally see an entry in one of the few film series to ever last as long as five movies, and * quickly made tracks to the State to see Friday the Thirteenth Part V-A New Beginning. It is not really a good movie. Vincent Canby reviewed it in five sentences in The New York Times, concluding: "It's worth recognizing only as an ar- tifact of our culture." To an extent he's right; the film has absolutely no :characterization. It's more predictable *than the sun rising in the morning. But therein lies the charm of the film. Some twenty executions are fit in- to ninety minutes. That works out to one execution every four and a half minutes. Bravo. It's just plain fun, because you know just who is going to get killed and when, and you know pret- ty much how. It is not so much a horror *movie as a very lengthy bad joke. Taking themovieyseriously is the wrong approach. The entertainment is the :thing. The audience had a wonderful time cheering the good guys on (and the bad guys too) and giving warnings to the soon-to-be victims. The perfect placement of the hatchet (right between the eyes, or in the back and out through the stomach, for example) by the gen- tleman in the hockey mask drew Sraucous applause. And who can resist 1214 S. UNIVERSITY * DALY1,3, 5, ,:10 3020 Washtenaw, Ypsilanti GIRLS JUST T WANT TO HAVE r FUN HE, 5, 7,9ONLY SECR 1PG" 231 S. 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