ARTS
The Michigan Daily Tuesday, April 5, 1988 Page 5
Makeba,
Masekela bring
message
back
home
By Todd Shanker
As a child, nearly everyone won-
ders what it would be like to live in a
distant land or be a part of a mysteri-
ous culture. Sunday evening,
Miriam Makeba and Hugh Masekela
proved that nothing on earth can tell
you more about the soul of a people
than the indigenous music of their
respective culture.. Through their
beautiful and deeply spiritual music,
Makeba and Masekela communicated,
at a very visceral, basic, subcon-
scious level, exactly what it means
to be a Black South African.
Masekela heated up the gor-
geously-lit Power Center stage first,
floating through a lush instrumental
and hypnotizing the near-capacity
crowd with his free-swinging African
horn arrangements. Makeba then
joined Masekela on stage and per-
formed a lilting rendition of her in-
ternational hit, "Pata, Pata," com-
plete with locked-groove, hip-
swiveling female background vocal-
ists. This far-out, Third World
Supremes dance excursion continued
for a few more songs, ending with
the cool, flowing "Meet Me at the
River."
Masekela followed with a dramatic
staging of a song called "Coal
Train." Prefacing the tune with
barbed-wire political statements
about South Africa's apartheid
regime, Masekela then let the band
ooze into some purple-flamed solo
work while his gravelly growl seeped
slowly into the piece. The song's
surging momentum ended in a flurry
of exquisite trumpet solos, emotion-
ally saturated vocals, and an early
standing ovation for Masekela.
Makeba then returned with her
background singers, each of them
adorned with bright African tapestries
and traditional headdress. Performing
a set of songs from her latest album,
Sangoma, the "Empress of African
Song" was definitely at her most
majestic. Makeba's elegant vocals
soared from her lips in kaleidoscopic
haikus while her undulating word
rhythms kissed the thrilled audience
softly on its cheek.
Next it was Masekela, raising his
fist triumphantly during the blood-
tingling "Bring Him Back Home," a
song calling for the release of
imprisoned African National
Congress leader Nelson Mandela. The
crowd of all ages and races danced ec-
statically in the aisles, including a
balding, elderly man seated a couple
rows in front of me, who performed
one of the grittiest African squat-
dances I've seen in quite a while.
Masekela kept 'em dancing, continu-
ing with a movingly soulful, yet
tension filled cover of Fela Kuti's
"Lady." By this time, the sheer emo-
tion of the performance was simmer-
ing in the veins of nearly everyone
present.
As the show continued its
"alternating performer" schema,
Makeba took over the microphone
yet another time. After a sky-high
African parable called "Third World
Convention," Makeba sang the
Masekela penned "Soweto Blues."
Dedicated to the thousands of children
murdered and jailed by Botha's
Afrikaaner police, "Soweto Blues"
crackled like a smoking gun.
Makeba's imaginatively elastic
phrasing bordered on miraculous,
while her dynamic vocals had the
impact of a bullet against soft flesh.
Finally, after a thundering standing
ovation, Makeba and Masekela re-
turned one last time to perform a
colossal cultural sing-a-long called
Records
Elvis Hitler
Disgraceland
Wang Head (With Lips) Records
"We're not tryin' to convey some
dark image (we're too fuckin' goofy
for that)." This quote from Len
Puch, Snake-Out's guitarist, neatly
summarizes the philosophy of the
metro area's burgeoning new wax
purveyors, Wang Head (With Lips)
Records. Wang Head's release of a
few months ago, Elvis Hitler's Dis-
graceland, remains true to this
spirit.
Elvis Hitler plays short, speedy,
psychotic, power-chord rockabilly
songs about Hot Rods and Cadillacs
in Memphis, as well as more eso-
teric tunes like "Battle Cry of 1,000
Men" and "Ten Wheels For Jesus."
A standard rock critic phrase, coined
by my roommate, would describe
.them as "kind of like the Stray Cats
on acid."
Disgraceland owes a lot to Elvis
Hitler's label mates Snake-Out.
Puch produced the record, while an-
other member supplied the beer for
the sessions. Elvis Hitler alsocovers
"Green Acres," a Snake-Out fave,
breeding it with "Purple Haze" to
create "Green Haze."
Elvis Hitler's forays into rocka-
billy dementia work quite well, but
he is not exactly on an unexplored
road. Hasil Adkins is still waiting
farther up this road, but this leg-
endary gentlemen isn't exactly a reg-
ular live attraction, while Wang
Head's "stars" do appear regularly at
rock bottom cover prices. To sum
up, another quote from Puch is in
order: "We just set up and play and
have a good damn time." What
could be better?
-Brian Jarvinen
ELVIS HITLER and SNAKE-
OUT will appear tonight at the Blind
Pig. Doors open at 9 p.m., cover is
affordable, so check out the show.
The Damned
The Light at the End of the
Tunnel
MCA Records
The light at the end of the tunnel
they are, but they're also the light at
the beginning - releasing both a
single and an album before the Sex
Pistols, who later elbowed their way
into the scene to expand and
eventually exploit it. Ironically,the
Sex Pistols broke up just as The
Damned began to snowball, ulti-
mately evolving intotoday's world
renowned, and highly respected,
foremost English punk band.
Light, a double album, follows
our heroes through the long journey
from garage band to the present
death-dance, pop-punk misfits, be-
coming an audial journal of their
progress. It's not only a collection
of some of The Damned's best, but
also serves to show their uncanny
ability to stretch their talents past
the confining stereotypes of "punk
rock." With nine albums and over
ten years of great talent to choose
from, Light, a veritable smor-
gasbord, shines throughout with
choice cuts. Exemplifying their
expansive range, the LP contains
everything from the machine-gun
rapidity of garagey "New Rose" and
"Neat, Neat, Neat" to the sugar-
sweet "Trojans" and "Eloise."
From that May day in 1976 to
present, from Damned, Damned,
Damned to 1986's Anything, The
Damned have been doing it right,
releasing cut after cut of sizzling
musical genii. And Light, MCA's
tribute to over a decade of great
rock, though a fine album, barely
does these boys justice.
-Robert Flaggert
Jerry Harrison
Casual Gods
Sire Records
Eclectic pop rhythms from former
Modem Lover and foundingrmember
of the Talking Heads. More com-
mercial than his solo release, but at
its best just as enjoyable. Appear-
ances from guitarist Chris Spedding
and P-Funk guru Bernie Worrell on
keyboards add just the right spice and
keep things interesting. A couple of
toss-off tunes, but Heads fans should
be well pleased with this guitar and
rhythm gumbo. Startling cover and
sleeve art is worth at least part of the
price of admissions.
- Marc S. Taras
I
VETERINARY MEDICINE:
AN OPTION IN THE HEALTH PROFESSIONS
SCIENCE
9 MEDICINE
* ANIMALS
dJESERftN4R,
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A veterinarian can combine these interests to tailor a career selected from
a wide range of opportunities that include biomedical research, private
practice (including specialties), wildlife and zoo medicine, and more.
TO LEARN MORE, MEET A REPRESENTATIVE FROM
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY'S
COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE
Thursday, April 7 --2-4 p.m.
CAREER PLANNING AND PLACEMENT
Preprofessional Division
3200 Student Activities Building
"Set the Children Free."
This splendid group of South
African performers created an unfor-
gettable evening of rhythmic ambi-
ence and Xhosa magic. Sunday's
rich cultural experience also proved
that Miriam Makeba and Hugh
Masekela are talented, dedicated per-
formers, in whose incomparable
voice and surging trumpet, African
music has found its zenith.
Y '.\ o
Congratulations!
The nominees for the
1988 University of
Michigan Recognition
Awards are...
Firas Atchoo
David Austin
David Baum
Beth Bernhaut
Geoffrey Bissell
Maria Buffington
Kenneth Butler
Shelley Chiesa
John Coleman
Paul Crystal
Pamela Dunbrock
Robert Earle
Shelly Ebbert
Debra Facktor
Hillary Farber
Christopher Fedewa
Beth Fertig
Jonathan Ford
Patrick Gallagher
N. Gail Gilliland
Lilly Glancy
Natalie Green
Nancy Hecker
Kurt Heyman
Samara Heyward
Jennifer Hoeting
Steven Hovan
Lily Hu
John ifcher
Mark Jaffe
Dyan Jenkins
Robb Johnson
MarianKeidan
Catherine Kel
Seth Klukoff
Anne Kubek,
Scott Langenburg
Taeku Lee
Mary Leichliter
Gardiner Leverett
Jesse Levine
Briane Long
David Lubliner
Stephen Lutz
Arlene McFarlin
Audrey Miller
Jonathan Murray
Tracy Oberg
Patricia Payette
Yvonne Perry
Karen Pica
Barbara Ransby
Robin Rhein
Patricia Riley
Elizabeth Scamperle
Paul Schneir
Gail Silberman
Tobin Smith
James Speta
John Strek
Laura Stuckey
Margrette Taylor
Heidi Van't Hof
Lisa Waggoner
Marci Weis
David Weismantel
Michelle White
John Yamamoto
Group Nominees
Alpha Phi Omega
Amerian Medical
Student Association-
Arnold Air Society
Black, Hispanic, and Native
America Student Psycho-
logical Associations
Dental School Student Council
Galens Medical Society
Greeks for Peace
Michigan Music Theory
Society/in Theory Only
Michigan Union Study
Lounge Volunteers
Michigan Image Task Force
Michigan Video Yearbook
NROTC Unit, University
of Michigan
Nursing Students Association,
Breakthrough to Nursing
Committee
Peer Educators for Sexual
Assault Prevention
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity/
Sigma Sweethearts Auxiliary
Pi Delta Sorority
Residence Hall Repertory
Theatre
A
CENTER FOR
W STERN EUROPEAN STUDIES
Learn Swedish in Sweden
at the
Uppsala International
Summer Session
Earn 8 in-residence credits for 8 weeks of
intensive Swedish (beginning, intermediate, or
advanced). The program runs for 9 weeks,
June 26 - August 19. This will be two four-week
sessions with one week vacation between them.
For more information, contact the
Center for Western European Studies
764-4311
or visit the office at
5208 Angell Hall
How to runyu
xo tke >*
The American Express' Card can play a starring role
virtually anywhere you shop, from TIsa to Thailand.
Whether you're buying a TV or a T-shirt. So during college
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everything you'll want.
How to get the Card now
College is the first sign of success. And because we believe
7 in your potential, we've made it easier to get the American
Express Card right now. Whether you're a freshman, senior
g 4or grad student, look into our new automatic approval
offers. For details, pick up an application on campus. Or
call 1-800-THE-CARL) and ask for a student application.
The American Express Card.
11 1, <Don't Leave School Without Its'
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