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ARTS

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h. Michigan Daily Wednesday, April 23, 1986 Page 9


Records


?avid Holt - Reel and
Lock (Flying Fish)
At his show this past March, Doc
tWatson asked people to buy this
4lbum. It is, sadly, the last record
MVerle Watson ever worked on.
i Holt is perhaps best known for his
3how, "Fire on the Mountain," on the
1ashville Network. A banjo fanatic,
lie's worked with the Watsons on and
tff for years.
k Doc himself betrayed the greatest
law of the record when he said,
iMerle and I did our very best not to
*ake away from his (Holt's) music on
this album," Doc's presence here, in
pite of his efforts, steals the spotlight
om Holt and plays up the younger
gan's weaknesses.
Holt does manage to retain enough
<f his identity to oversee a good album
qnlike any of Watson's own. Several of
the songs move more slowly than
Watson's tend to, and with Holt's city-
smooth voice they take on a brand
4ew feel. The strongest cuts are Holt's
Own compositions. "Goodbye, Good-
bye," "a new song in an old style,"
ieworks Mississippi River style har-
i onies into lively new tune. "I've Got
You" is a love song to his wife that
rhakes the most out of the Watson
connection without overshadowing
1Iolt. "Meeting is Over," Merle's last
ong, is ominously named, but doesn't
quite do justice to the performer's
great career.
Most of the songs are lively, though,
and Holt's good humor is evident
roughout. If Doc Watson asks you to
}uy an album, it's a good idea to buy
it, and there are reasons beyond mere
nostalgia to pick this one up.
-Joseph Kraus
SWANS - Greed
(K.422/PVC)
Social commentary. It is evident in
All art forms. Through entertainment,
4wareness of certain issues can be
developed. It is an important job.
$omething must raise our conscien-
ges.
SWANS have always been in that
Oiusiness. They shock you to
4wareness. Michael Gira, the singer,
s grownup in-acorrupt world: He
als in swift and horrible terms. You
have to believe him when he says, I'll
ut off my right hand/And stand
ii your shadow. Or at the least the
rhessage. He has lived a life crueler
than most. He gives short, concrete
4nd heartfelt messages. And they
ren't pretty thangs. But they are
real.
But on past efforts the shock value
1times could have been too much.
st too much pain and agony to
bielieve. After a while the shock could
become meaningless. Now, SWANS
gve us their most accomplished work
t4 date, Greed. The issues are ob-
1(ous. Everyone is willing to sell
themselves out. It is human nature.
he need to be important. The need to
b loved. Such fragile concerns. And
Michael is again pointed about the
hll in our heads, but this time they
dpn't beat the head quite as hard and
now we can feel the message better.
SWANS throw themselves totally
into the circle of bewilderment.
VANS are a way for us to release our
bewilderment. After listening to any
ok their records I feel cleansed. Like
SWANS are taking all my pain and
I
ACTIVISTS
Apply now with state's largest and
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Citizens' Lobby is hiring. Help win

the ballot proposal to stop rate hikes
,for the Fermi & Midland nuclear
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perience.
Call 663.824.
Rebirth presents:
Mark Murphy with trio
and
Wendell Harrison & Friends

hate into themselves, into those
grooves on the record, like a good
friend listening. Sometimes you need
it.
So the message is clear. Money
corrupts us. And Michael states it
clearly and simply. Every word in
every song is important. And so there
are very few words. And he repeats
them over and over again for the
maximum emphasis.
For the first time on a SWANS
record we have pure melodies. Things
you can hum. Yet all the tension and
power is there. No question of sell-out
here. Side one starts with "Fool,"
which has a lilting piano part with a
terse industrial drone. "Anything For
You" is classic SWANS with lots of
grit and a shower of noise. "Nobody"
has background females crooning and
hissing, and a spicy, drawn out guitar
part that makes the tune. The side
finishes with "Stupid Child," which
bears the taste of recent Einsturzende
Neubauten, with out-of-kilter in-
dustrial percussion, buzzing guitar
and mounting vocals.
Side two is even better, beginning
with the title track, which is governed
by a steady yet emphatic drum line,
more guitar and female voices (like
on "Nobody"), and is the catchiest yet
most startling cut. "Heaven" is the
album's sparsest track with large,
gaping drum fills, thick major guitar
chords, and a sweet drone by Gira .

Things finish with "Money Is Flesh"
which rocks it out the most with a slow
but danceable beat, not unlike their
last single, and more searing guitar
and fun industrial noises. A fine en-
ding to a lovely rollercoaster ex-
perience.
SWANS continue to challenge the
senses. They may bring up the sad
side of existence, but only from the
dark side can you find true "heaven."
--Richard Williams
Keith Jarrett - Standards
Live (ECM)
The Keith Jarrett piano trio which
has produced two previous volumes of
"Standards" and have now released
this new live album may be the finest
small group around. Bassist extraor-
dinaire Gary Peacock and virtuoso
drummer Jack DeJohnette have
achieved a telepathic quality in their
musical conversations.
This session was recorded in Fran-
ce last year and sparkles as only
something old which has been turned
into something new can sparkle.
Jarrett's loving reading of "Stella By
Starlight" is oh, so sweet. The trio
dances beneath the night sky;
Jarrett's squirrel-speak vocalise
urging his partners on to glorious
voicings of their own. Everybody
should sit up and take notice when

Gary Peacock is playing. DeJohnette
and Jarrett's relationship dates to
their mid-sixties assocation in the
band of West Coast sax star Charles
Lloyd. Their exchanges on this record

are generoi id exciting.
The trio ; ings straight ahead
through Richard Rodgers' "Falling In
Love With Love." They will sweep you
off your feet with the Jerome Kern

pearl "The Way You Look Tonight."
There is so much music on this record
that it'll make your ears tingle! This
one's a gem. -Marc S. Taras


World Traveler Pock-
Convertible from luggage
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COMPLETE
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51

STUDENT ACCOUNTS:
Your attention is called to the following rules passed by the
Regents at their meeting on February 28, 1936: "Students shall
pay all accounts due the University not later than the last day
of classes of each semester or summer session. Student loans
which are not paid or renewed are subject to this regulation;
however, student loans not yet due are exempt. Any unpaid
accounts at the close of business on the last day of classes will
be reported to the Cashier of the University and
"(a) All academic credits will be withheld, the grades for
the semester or summer session just completed will not be
released, and no transcript of credits will be issued.
"(b) All students owing such accounts will not be allowed
to register in any subsequent semester or summer session
until payment has been made."

330 S. State

5BUOR

761-6207

IT'S THE COOLEST HEAT YOU'LL EVER FEEL.
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JUDD NELSON ALLY SHEEDY
IT'S BELOW MIAMI, AND ABOVE THE LAW

ATTENTION
PREGRADUATES
& GRADUATES
A SPECIAL PLAN OFFERED BY
JIM FRESARD PONTIAC
You can take advantage of our
special plan on a New 1986 car
or truck. Plusi Defer your 1st
month's payment for 90 days and
receive 4 year Paint Protection

APRIL 26, 1986
Pease Auditorium -

EMU

Admission $10.00
(313) 875-0289
s C