ARTS Tuesday, September 16, 1986 The Michigan Daily Page 5 Winston's 'New Direction' By Rebecca Chung George Winston is chomping at the bit. Most people know him (and usually love him) for his unclassifiable music that some- how is a perfect tonal translation of thoughts and feelings (music which the extremely astute recording companies have ingloriously dubbed "New Age." If it's that new, why do people instantly recognize what Winston is saying?) Those who attended his concert Friday night at Hill Auditorium heard many of those favorites: theme from The Velveteen Rabbit; "Colors," "Woods," and "Long- ihg" from Autumn; "Rain," "Blossom," and "Meadow" from Winter into Spring; "Thanksgiving;" and "Theme and Variations from the Pachelbel Canon." But they heard them played differently than anyone could have imagined. More importantly, they didn't hear Winston shine, they didn't hear him sparkle, they didn't hear him take the piano and turn it inside out, until he started playing things that no "New Age" devotees would even look at in a record store. But maybe they will now. Records' Neil Young LANDING ON WATER Geffen At the risk of making an overly broad generalization, Neil Young's voice and synthesizers just don't mix. Fans and critics alike complained when the legendary rocker dabbled with the electronic sounds on Trans, but just when we thought he had it licked, Young's back in the studio with another keyboard sound. The result is a very irritating album. There's a veryreal plain- tiveness to Neil Young's frail voice which requires an equally sincere musical approach. Key - boards could work well in artistic moderation, but unfor-tunately, much of Landing on Water sounds like a lot of the cheezy tinkering which occurs in many disposable synth-pop bands with a fraction of Young's experience. "Weight of the World" opens the album with a jumpy, blaring keyboard sound which almost overpowers his over-processed singing. Somehow, though, one can still hear his characteristicly powerful guitar playing, a blast of his unforgetable Rust Never Sleeps. The power-chord side of Young shines thorough again on the single "Touch the Night," where he seems to have tamed the synth monster and established what is'probably the most credible, enduring song of this LP. Young has gotten very cynical on the disjointed "Hippie Dream," where he tells us thatthe wooden ships ! are all a hippie dream / capsized in excess / if you know what I mean. But just when it seems he's given it all up he declares, Just because it's over for you/ Don't mean it's over for me. Huh? But the cynicism wins on "Pressure," a throw-away of a ;commentary on Max Headroom, El Dorados, video jocks, and other "yuppie dreams." This is really a low point in Young's career, a tune of the shallow insight one would expect from someone like Billy Joel, if the title doesn't suggest that, alone. Landing on Water is a disappointment which should be avoided by all but the most curious fans of Young's tremendous career. His "hippie days" are part of his past, whether he admits it's over or not; but what prevents his work from living up to those standards now is his inability to create equally good music in these "yuppie days." -Beth Fertig Father Guido ft _ - 1 The most fascinating thing about the concert was witnessing Winston's growth as an artist. Even when he was playing the old favorites, he was playing them anew. Autumn and Winter into Spring only record the bare bones of the ideas that Winston works and reworks into those sets of pieces. Last Friday, he was embellishing. He was trilling. He was moving his hands at lightning speed, and even reaching into the piano to tweak the strings whenever he felt like it. But unfortunately, even this didn't seem to be quite enough for him, especially at the beginning: "The Velveteen Rabbit" and "Colors," both typically Winstonesque, seemed disjointed, strained, pushed to their limits. It was as if Winston couldn't put his heart into them because they weren't big enough for it anymore. It wasn't until he swung into the eternal crowd- pleaser by Vince Guaraldi "Linus and Lucy" (popularly' known as "the Snoopy song") that things started buzzing. People were humming and tapping their feet in their seats, feeling about ten at Christmastime and loving every second of it. Winston played some more Autumn pieces afterwards, but things were different. His down- to-earth, I'm-just-an-ordinary- guy-trying-to-have-fun-even-if- all-of-you-are-overdressed sense of humor (Winston performs in a flannel shirt, jeans, and socks) was coming out. And once he started ripping into "Cat and Mouse," a piece by the great "stride" pianist Thomas "Fats" Waller, there was no turning back. The audience was able to hear all the strength, dexterity, and control Winston had. They had an even better treat when Winston brought out a celeste for his encore, and played a piece inspired by blues pianist Professor Longhair: starting on the celeste by itself, he then moved to playing celeste with one hand and piano with the other, finally turning his complete attention to the piano. It was theme-and-var - iations with a vengeance, with boogie-woogie, ragtime, blues, and gospel making themselves irresitably heard. For people who will always be hopelessly devoted to the "Windham Hill," "New Age," or whatever-you-call-it music that made Winston famous, never fear, even now he is still composing in that genre--he played a new "spring" piece called "Hummingbird," and a new "summer" piece, as of yet untitled--and, yes, he still plays the harmonica at his concerts. But there's more to George Winston than that, and it's about time his reputation reflected it. Look into the Ifitian BUY mm A'd-----__ MR " spE " fre Learn Korean KARATE Improved Health/Self-Defense $1000 Introductory Lessons ecial student rates e uniform with regular membership and politics, and his ramblings therein are funny, but not in quite the same way that traditional comedians are funny. In Father Sarducci, Novello has created a unique persona, a more-or-less regular guy in vestments. Breakfast is at its best when Novello plays off that persona. When father Sarducci points out that standing next to the Pope is uncomfortable for him because his black raiments absorb the heat, while Il Papa's white outfit reflects, or when he discusses his problem with the apparent hy- pocrisy of the Catholic Church's allowing the spaying of dogs while denying humans the same reproductive freedom, he is successful not only because he has hit upon genuinely funny ideas, but because of who he is- -a kindhearted idiot savant en trapped in a confusing and often contrary context. But Sarducci loses ground when he enters more traditional comedic realms, when he dwells on material that with minor emendations could be coming from any comedian's mouth. Conversely, the album's final track, a medley of Beatle songs, is funny only because a man dressed like a priest is singing it. It is clear that Father Sarducci is funniest when he is saying things that are almost like what real clergymen might say. Fortunately Father Sarducci is almost-religious enough of the time to make Breakfast successful. Forty minutes of gentle blasphemy is necessary once in a while. -John Logie No one faces cancer alone. Call us. AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY THE ACADEMY 220 S. Main, Ann Arbor 994-0333 4 Master Keith Hafner GROUP THERAPY FOR SEXUALLY ABUSED WOMEN Therapy Group forming at The Counseling Center for women students who had sexual experiences with members of their families or with strangers and who experience continued problems in living. If you have any question about your participation in the group being appropriate, please call. Group size is limited, and a modest fee will be charged. Group will meet 11/2 hours weekly from September to April. CALL 764-9466. THE OFFICE OF MAJOR EVENTS PRESENTS JIMMY CLIFF THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 POWER CENTER, 8 PM. Tickets at Michigan Union Ticket Office and all Ticket World Outlets. CHARGE-BY-PHONE --763-TKTS IT'S COMING... HP DAYS ARE COMING!N Stop by Ulrich's Electronics on September 18th * A Hewlett-Packard Representative* will be available for questions. *Free Painters Caps* (While quantities last) *Enter to win a $50. gift certificate* It's good on anything in the store * Trade-in your old calculator* It's worth 10 bucks* *(See details in the store) BIUOURCOP EN SUN. O12-4:30 330 S. State/Nickels Arcade - 761-6207 S11I s 1111 +,w STUDENT PHONATHON CALLERS WANTED Part Time Employment Evenings and Sundays School of Education Staff will interview students by phone to call alumni nationwide for alumni fundraising phonathon. * Phonathon held Sunday through Thursday evenings October 5 through November 20 * Callers will be expected to work two calling sessions 1.1 Ask to see the new Business Consultant. It'll change your mind about calculators. Here's why.