A

Page 8 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, December 6, 1985

Records


Where do you go
when youre hungry,
Q . hurried, lookingto
relax over drins with
friends or anxious to
catch "the big game"?
A Cottage Inn Cellar
Feating* :
Express Lunch
All you can eat luncheon buffet
Weekdays, 11 a.m. -b2 p.m.
$ 4.65
Dinner menu after 4:30 p.m. daily
Happy Hour specials all day
Satellite TV
Downstairs , 512 E. William 9 Ann Arbor " 663-3379

I

T-H0 E A T R E- C O M P A N Y

{-
X

The Fall - This Nation's
Saving Grace (PVC)
It's been about eight years since the
first Fall single cynically chewed its
way out of Manchester UK, paving
the way for one of the "nu-wave's"
most prolific and consistent combos.
Lead by sharp-witted and vindic-
tive/ranter Mark E. Smith, The Fall
dish out a sometimes catchy,
wickedly rhythmic and always
rockin' and repetitious brand of Nor-
thern negativism, completely
oblivious to the latest fads and
fashions that dominate the surroun-
ding scene.
For the last couple of years, the
band's oft-changing lineup has in-
cluded Smith's American born
spouse, Brixe, playing lead guitar and
sharing the songwriting duties with
the rest of the band, and The Fall's
sound has become increasingly
deeper and more diverse. With the
assistance of ace producer John
Leckie, this latest version of The Fall
has proven to be one of the most
focused and effective yet.
And of course, This Nation's Saving
Grace offers more than ample
testimony to this goodness. No big
surprises, no radical changes in direc-
tion; just quality Fall product
somehow different enough from their
previous outings to keep things vital
and interesting. As has been the
trend, the band's sound is a bit bigger
and cleaner here than it's been in the
past, but fortunately, the only result
is an increase in clarity of expression
(The Fall couldn't even "sell out" if
they tried).
ATTENTION
STUDE NTS
SAVE 20%
On all
Michigan Daily
Classified Ads
with Student I.D.
" FIND A ROOMMATE
" SELL UNWANTED
ITEMS
" ANNOUNCE PARTIES
" BUY OR SELL TICKETS
Place your ad Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-
5 p.m. at The Michigan Daily office,
420 Maynard, or Wednesdays at the Fish-
bowl.

As usual, Mr. S mith is in top form,
verbose and bombastic as ever as he
dutifully brings his 'hard-nosed
esoterica down from onihigh to the
ever so attentive listeners below.
Meanwhile, the music keeps moving
and churning, confidently kicking
heaps of spice and life into in-
scrutably simple riffs and rhythms,
all with its caustic tongue sticking out
to decapitate (or at least enervate)
any of the fortunate souls within ear-
shot.
The compositions like "Paint
Work" and "My New House" provide
a nice contrast to more full-blown
rockers (?) such as theraptly titled
"Bombast" and the polyrhythmic "I
am Damo Suzuki." The band's
twisted but straight-forward ap-
proach the ye old classic pop hook is
demonstrated on the album's single,
"Cruiser's Creek," as well as on the
country-ish "Spoilt Victorian Child."
"What You Need" combines cryptic,
collective chants, bouncy guitar and
keyboard lines and lots of primitive
percussion (in addition to some
hilarious lyrics) to make it one of the
LP's strongest numbers.
But individual songs aside, this
record just plain works; and that's no
mean reflection of The Fall's com-
mitment and tenacity, as This
Nation's Saving Grace has got to be a
at least their twelfth full length
album. It's almost impossible to
describe their highly distinctive and
truly uncontrived sound except to say
that in many situations, it's
unquestionably "what you need."
-Rob Michaels
Dinosaur - Dinosaur
(Homestead)
After the first half listen or so, I
loathed this baby with a vengeance,
lumping it with all, of the back to
American basics pseudo-psychadelic,
garage-tinged blandness that seems
all too pervasive in today's indepen-
dent music scene. With a little time,
however, this Amherst, MA. band
began to win my favor with their ear-
thy and endearing debut LP.
Heavily reminiscent of sixties Los
Angeles rock eccentrics Love,
Dinosaur is an unpretentious and in-
trospective trio led by
vocalist/guitarist/songwriter J.
Mascis. Their potential is perhaps
best realized on the album's opening
track, "Forget the Swan", a true
classic in which Mascis' emotionally
charged Neil Young like vocals haun-
tingly drone over the band's well con-
structed and convincingly executed
rock and roll super-riff. It is without
question the LP's finest cut.
Throughout the album, gears shift
and directions change with little war-
nings, as dark, quiet acoustic guitar
lines suddenly explode into noisey and
hyperactive fuzzfests (check out

"Cats in a Bowl" and "Does it
Float?"). The band is pleasantly per-
sonal and understated (sometimes
too much so) and their release main-
tains a confident looseness that is
much appreciated in a scene too often
hampered by contrivance and
rigidity. Although it lacks some inter-
nal consistency, Dinosaur remains a
basically satisfying and rewarding
LP, avoiding many of the pitfalls
which plague the majority of their
genre-mates.
-Rob Michaels
Aerosmith -
Done With Mirrors (Geffen)
Before their unfriendly disin-
tigration, the Aerosmith of the early
to mid-seventies rocked on a plane far
loftier than that of any of their slop-
peddling contemporaries. Their hard-
edged and tight-fisted brand of R&B
raunch was tempered with a highly
developed ear for quality hooks and a
unique aversion to boring excess.
Aided by Jack Douglass' raw and
fiesty production, Aerosmith's songs
genuinely moved; rarely bogged
down with the indulgent pomp and
tired macho posturing that plagued
most every other arena rock act of the
period.
On Done With Mirrors, the original
(and reportedly drug-fee!) band is
reunited, but their original vitality is
only partially recaptured. Years of
cavalier drug usage seem to have
taken their toll on Steven Tyler's once
distinctive and exciting vocal style,
as he too often sounds like he's
fighting the better instincts of his
respiratory system (i.e., nasal, flat).
Some of the Aerosmith economy
seems to have slipped as well, as the
songs are unanimously too long. Ted
Templeman's (Van Halen, etc.)
production is also lacking, making
things sound flat and restrained,
sharply contrasting the jam-filled
open spaces once created by
Douglass.
But along with the bad, there also
lurks some good. A fair number of
these songs (particularly "Gypsy
Boots", "My Fist Your Face" and
"Shela") can't help but work. Here,
classic Aerosmith riffs kick up a dirty
rumpus as Tyler croons, spits and
snarls his Ubangi-lipped way over the
top. The band also re-does guitarist
Joe Perry's "Let the Music Do the
Talking"(originally heard on hfs first
solo album) with generally positive
results. Tyler plays some mouth harp
(something he should have done more
often) on the final cut, "The Hop",
which rocks hard but unconvincingly.
Overall, the band sounds good but
something big is usually missing.
Maybe this Aerosmith thing is just
dated, or perhaps the boys just don't
find it coming so naturally anymore.
Done With Mirrors is by no means a
bad record, it's just not as exciting of

A tradition
lives on

ADOLL'S
HOUSE
By Henrik Ibsen
Translation by Christopher Hampton
December 5 and 6 at 8:00 p.m.
December 7 at 5:00 and 9:00 p.m.
December 8 at 2:00 p.m.
Trueblood Theatre
(in the Frieze Bldg. corner of State and Washington)
Tickets 85 general admission, 33 students with ID
For ticket information, call 764-0450
Monday-Friday or stop by the
Ticket Office in the Michigan League

one as parts of it may lead you to
believe; and if you're lookin' for the
best of this kind of thing, a copy of-
Toys in the Attic (and any of the first
four Aerosmith albums) or perhaps
the upcoming Necros LP would serve
you a whole lot better.

14

-Rob Michaels

(Continued fromPage 7)
about paying due respect to the scrip-
tures, the general consensus seemed
to be that the Messiah was a musical
triumph. A review of the premiere
stated that "the best judges allowed it
to be the most finished piece of
Musick. Words are wanting to ex-
press the exquisite Delight it afforded
to the admiring crowded Audience.
The Sublime, the Grand, and the Ten-
der, adapted to the most elevated,
majestik, and moving. Words, con-
spired to transport and charm the
ravished Heart and Ear."
By 1749, the oratorio was so popular,
in London that "(Handel) could no'
otherwise accommodate than by-
erecting seats on the stage, to such a
number as scarcely left room for the
performers". Also, by this time, the
custom of standing during the-
Hallelujah, Chorus had been well-,
established. For this performance,
not only will the audience be en-
couraged to maintain this tradition,
but will be invited to join the choir
during this famous chorus.
There will be three performances of
the Messhiah this weekend. The
Friday and Saturday concerts will
begin at 8:00. The Sunday performan-
ce, consisting of the entire oratorio,
will begin at 2:00 and run ap-
proximately three hours. To become
part of what promises to be a fun and:
joyous experience (and bellow out a-
few "hallelujahs" yourself), contact
the University Musical Society, Bur-
ton Tower Office, at 665-3717.
CORRECTION: Yesterday's Daily
preview of The Ensemble Theatre
Company's production of A Doll's;;
House incorrectly stated that there
would be only one performance on
Saturday at 8 p.m. In addition to the 8
p.m. performance there will also be a
late afternoon matinee at 5 p.m. Other
performances will be tonight at 8 p.m.
and Sunday at 2 p.m,

I

Hillel OUTREACH TO

VOLUNTEERS
NEEDED'

Jackson Prison
Jewish Minyan
Brunch/Meeting to plan Saturday morning
trips next semester
When: Sunday, Dec. 8th, 11 A.M.
Where: Hillel Library; 1429 Hill St.
What: to bring: your calendar, yourself, your appetite
Contact Person: Phyllis Zarren, # 663-3336
FOOD PROVIDED

i
t

The University of Michigan
has a national reputation
for excellence.
THE COLUMBIA SCHOLASTIC
PRESS ASSOCIATION
awards this
FIRST PLACE CERTIFICATE
to
Caroline Muller and Lricl latton for cNesW riting
Given at Columbia University in the City of New York
in its Gold Circle Awards for 1985.
For the article tit led -
"NeO-Niazi Ital i .c._ r _.

if you've been wanting the American
Express* Card for some time, this is some
time to apply.

can help in a lot of ways as you graduate.
The Card can help you be ready for busi-
ness. It's a must for travel to meetings and

i ;

I


Ah