4
ARTS
The Michigan Daily
Friday, October 4, 1985
Page 8
Chris and Cosey:
electrifying challenge
By Richard Williams
T WAS WHAAA! One of my
now frequent new wavin' con-
cert viewing and reviewing excur-
sions for the Daily paid off. This time
I completely avoided Ohio and in-
stead went on Wednesday to London
(Ontario, as in Canada, that is) to see
Chris and Cosey, ex of the legendary
Throbbing Gristle, creators of In-
dustrial Musick. It was WHAAA!
I know if you're from Michigan you
°1
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A. AA a i
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are supposed to make fun of Canada
but I think it's a real cool place. You
see, their speed limit is higher, about
65 mph, not that it mattered. And they
have straight highways not the
wavy shit we have here. And there
aren't billboards everywhere. And if
you go to McDonalds they give you
vinegar with your fries. Can you
believe it?!
Well, I better take it easy, I'm still
kinda wound up and stuff 'cause of the
gig tht I'm gonna start talking about
right now. It was a WHAAA gig.
It was at this little club called
Bullwinkle's (take notice football
fans). It wasn't very cool and stuff but
it was intimate and comfortable, a
good setting for Chris and Cosey.
The two used to be the more
musical half of the already mentioned
Throbbing Gristle. As their name
suggests this was not the band for the
squeamish but for the hard of hearing
or those souls interested in their loss
of hearing. Simply put, they made the
meanest industrial sound in the
world; they started the whole thing
back in the mid-'70s and it's still with
us today.
But Throbbing Gristle broke in half
in 1980.after their only U.S. gig in San
Francisco, leaving us with our sub-
jects for today, Chris (Carter) and
Cosey (Fanni Tutti).
"Throbbing Gristle had to end. In-
dustrial Records had gotten too
commercial," said Chris.
Chris and Cosey are married and
together have explored the more elec-
tronic side of the Industrial thang.
I've really had it with electronics
lately. Everyone has got them,
everyone uses them and most
everyone abuses them. But not Chris
and Cosey.
"A lot of the mainstream electronic
bands use expensive state of the art
equipment, but we don't," said Chris.
"Ours is very basic - some of our
gear is very old, actually. We don't
use them straight, though. If we buy
something, we rarely just use it as it
is. Because I can't stand it straight.
So we use special effects and process
it. We always did it that way in
Throbbing Gristle."
So what you get live, as you did with
T.G., are versions of their songs that
are radically different from the
record and also change from gig to
gig. This is the non-sterile application
-of electronics in effect. And this is
what playing live is all about. Taking
the material you have and
challenging yourself to do something
better with it live.
"Live we have a four-track Fostex
tape deck that I won in a raffle type
competition. We keep the backing
tracks on it. And with it we can
change the sound for every gig," said
Chris.
"There are always arguments
about using backing tapes," said
Cosey. "But it's still us who did the
music in the first place. The only
thing you can do is put the machines
on tape instead of bringing the gear
and just turning it on. It's too hard.
And it doesn't sound like the records,
anyway."
And Wednesday, it didn't sound like
the records. In fact, 80 percent of the
material was new that will either be
on their new 12-inch release or their
new LP, called Techno-Primitivism.
Chris ran all the electronics which
were processed through assorted
guitar pedals. Cosey played cornet,
guitar that was processed with eight
guitar pedals, and sang. Their com-
panion John Lacey provided video
shots and stills on the back stage
screen.
It was an intense display. The pure
sonics of it all were spellbinding.
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Live, they reached such a level of
relentless energy that it blew away
any past and future vinyl versions. It
was a riveting assault on every one of
the senses.
Most everyone there was equally
entranced, although it was a sparse.
crowd of only 200. Although most
everyone just stood and stared, it was 4
to be expected. I mean, you can dance
to Chris and Cosey but really it isn't
party music and it's much more i
teresting to concentrate on the event.
"I quite like it when people just
stand and watch. They're still into it.
It doesn't bother us," Chris said.,-
The strangest and biggest thing
coming up for them is a 12-inch that
they recorded with The Eurythmics&
Said Chris, "It was their idea. They
wanted us to work with them. We've 4
known them for a long time. It was
done just before they became really
really famous. We wanted to do a sort
of song. We finished it and then 'Sweet
Dreams' became a big hit. And it took
another two years to finish it up
'cause either they were touring or we
were. Then it was difficult to get it
released. There were all sorts of con
ditions. Anyway, it's finally coming
out soon."
Rcords
KeC r
Blue in Heaven -
All the God's Men (Island)
Many "new music" bands seem to
ignore the importance of a good,"
strong melody in a song, instead
favoring a sound that consists of little
more than gimmick-filled production
and a brooding vocal track. On the'
debut album, All the God's Men, Blue
in Heaven proves, with few excep
tions, to be a case in point.
Stylistically, the band owes a great;
debt to fellow Dubliners, U2, relying
heavily on a forceful rhythm section 4
(their first demo tape was, in fact'
produced by The Edge). HoweveF,
Blue in Heaven opts for an eere
sound that is far less anthem-orientd
than that of U2.
Many of the songs on All the God's
Men are marred by an uneven, clut-
tered mix which strongly emphasizes
both David Clarke's solid drumming,,
and the simplistic and boring
basslines of Declan Jones.
Even on a ballad like "Slowly," the 4
keyboards and guitars are buried i
the production and layered with effe
ts, making them almost inaudible. ;
Other tracks are slightly more sue.
cessful. "The Big Beat" boasts a
sparse but effective melody that i
ruined by lyrics like, You 're so
stupid / You believe in everything
/ Well I like you when I'm high.
"Like a Child" contains a frightening,
rolling four/four rhythm set to a
six/eight feel that is wasted on a weak
melody.
Happily, the group manages to in-
clude two exceptions on this other-
wise bland debut. "Julie Cries" and
"Sometimes" are pleasant stand-outs
which contain the album's only
refined melodies. Fortunately, when
given a good tune with which to work,>
singer Shane O'Neill surprises the.
listener with a strong performance.
The driving "Julie Cries" offers a
tuneful chorus, divided neatly bet-
ween the verses and bridge, and,
O'Neill is given a rare dominance in
the mix.
Blue in Heaven chose to open the
album with their finest tune
"Sometimes." The brooding vocal
and sullen melody are immediately
appealing, and all of the playing is
nicely understated and clean; at one
point, the band kicks into a tight in-
strumental break that sounds as if it l
was lifted directly from U2.
But despite these moments of".
melodic polish, Blue in Heaven's All
the God's Men is a disappointing
debut album, burdened by incon-",
sistent production and songs that
simply are not tuneful.
- Joe Acciaolir:
Hello ... is that right?
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Made in Greece
Traditional Greek music and dancing is exciting, colorful and internationally popular, yet it comprises only
a part of the performing arts in Greece. Contemporary Greek audiences have come to expect the reverie
associated with their tavernas (nightclubs), wine festivals, and outdoor pavilions in addition to the jubilant
pomp of their traditional favorites. Giorgos Katsaros' Kalidoskopio of Greece unites the old and the new,
presenting for the first time in North America a program reflecting the dual nature of modern Greek enter-
tainment. iccompanying this 35-member troupe will be the Giorgos Katsaros Television Bouzouki Or-
chestra, whch features Greece's celebrated bouzouki virtuoso, Yannis Bithikotsis. This group regularly
performs on Greek television and the Athens nightclub circuit, often featuring the country's leading enter-
tainers and celebrities. Also included will be a performance by the Eleni Tsaouli Folk Dance Ensemble.
Kalidoskopio of Greece is the first attraction in the University Musical Society's "Choice"'Series and will
perform Sunday, October 6, beginning at 8 p.m., at the Power Center.
t N tRpCK
FASt t
CORRECTION:
The Ariel Restaurant special that ran
10/2/85 should be 10 % off with a Stu-
dent ID.
We regret any inconvenience this may
have caused.
USE DAILY CLASSIFIEDS
The student shape-up special will
give you the choice of (1) of the
following:
" Nautilus privileges
" Unlimited Aerobic Classes
" Unlimited Racquetball
Remember, our Nautilus programs
include the famous abdominal
machine plus 21 other Nautilus ma-
chines, specifically designed to iso-
late individual muscle groups to
improve muscle tone, strength and
flexibility. Our racquetball program
includes unlimited free court time
with 4 day advance reservations
privileges. Our aerobics program is
There are a lot of fast-moving microelectronics Check with your Placement office for our
companies you could join. But only one is on information packet and to see if a copy of our
the leading edge of CMOS, MOS and Bipolar "Fast Track" tape is available. If our campus
VLSI; in memories, logic and microproces- interview schedule is full, contact us directly
sors. ..and only one is the fifth largest inte- Send your resume to University Recruiting,
grated circuit company Advanced Micro Advanced Micro Devices, Dept. UMD, MS-57
Devices. 901 Thompson Place, P0. Box 3453, Sunnyvale,
Ann Arbor
Court Club
2875 BoardwalkI.
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