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10 U. THE NATIONAL COLLEGE NEWSPAPER
Life And Art NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1988
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1988. Dollars And Sense
U- THE NATIONAL COLLEGE NEWSPAPEF
'Singing' guitar,
steady backing
fuel Cray band
by Will Renshaw
Kentucky Kernel
U. of Kentucky
It takes a great deal of talent, convic-
tion and emotion to make a guitar talk.
It takes even greater talent to display
this musical voice within a solid, prog-
ressive and believable package. Robert
Cray's latest effort, Don't Be Afraid of
the Dark, while faltering in some areas,
shows strength in all of the above.
Cray's music has gone from a faithful
following of traditional blues in the ear-
ly 1970s, while working with artists like
Johnny Copeland and Albert Collins, to
blues with a progressive feel. Only occa-
sionally has he turned out a commercial
package.
On Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, Cray
pushes his vocals far beyond the limits
set on 1986's Strong Persuader. He
sports a dynamic range, but more im-
portantly, he shows an intense emotion-
al quality, producing vivid images of
pain and pride on which the majority of
the album's lyrics focus.
A second quality is more extensive
use of his band as a cohesive unit and
not simply as a backup team. Cuts such
as "Laugh Out Loud" and "Across the
Line" feature not only Cray's rhythm
playing but also the talents of keyboar-
dist Peter Boe and bassist Richard
Cousins.
One aspect that has not changed,
however, is Cray's lyrical guitar techni-
que. Every solo on Don't Be Afraid of the
Dark is an emotional voice of the past
and a charismatic statement for the fu-
ture of blues guitar.
McFerrin's voice does it all
'by Jett Castle
N The Gamecock
U. of South Carolina
One man can be a whole band - if
that man happens to be Bobby
McFerrin.
On his new album, Simple Plea-
sures, McFerrin uses no drums, no
guitars, no brass section, not even a
synthesizer. The only instrument on
this album is McFerrin himself.
Simple Pleasures delves into more
commercial territory than any of
McFerrin's past records. The result
is a collection of light rhythm and
blues-tinged songs that won't shake
up the music world - but were not
recorded to do so, either.
The album includes covers of
everyone from the Beatles to Cream,
plus four original tunes. The reggae-
flavored groove of "Don't Worry, Be
Happy" and the catchy rhythm of
"All I Want" highlight McFerrin's
compositions.
All of the covers are strong with
the exception of "Suzie Q," which
never kicks in. He adds just the right
amount of soul to Cream's "Sunshine
of Your Love" and takes away just
enough heaviness to make this the
album's best track. He also turns in
an astounding rendition of Eric
Clapton's fuzz guitar on the tune.
Bob Hope gives $10,000 to school
... Native Ohioan and comedian Bob Hope has
contributed $10,000 to the endowment fund in sup-
port of the Dorothy and Lillian Gish Theater at
Bowling Green State U. The money will be used for
students to study film. Hope, who received an honor-
ary doctorate of humanities from the school in 1969,
never worked with Lillian Gish but always admired
her work, according to Dwight Burlingame, vice
president of university relations. Karen Mil-
ler, The BG News, Bowling Green State
U., OH '
.
Professor gets .$500,000 grant ... A
$500,000 grant from the Bristol-Myers Company for
cancer research will soon be used at the U. of
Nebraska, Omaha, Medical Center, according to Dr.
Alan Eastman, who said the grant will be used
specifically to continue research on the resiliency of
cancer-fighting drugs. Of 238 applicants for grant
money to the corporation, Eastman was one of 27 to
receive funding. Rich Cummings, The
Gateway, U. of Nebraska, Omaha
...
NSF donates $28 million ... The only
offshore technology center in the United States will
be established in College Station, Texas, thanks to a
grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).
The foundation awarded more than $28 million over
the next five years to Texas A&M U. to sponsor the
construction of the Engineering Research Center for
Offshore Technology. The center will begin its re-
search by identifying critical technological needs in
the industry and developing methods to meet them.
Dr. Y. K. Jack Lou, a civil and ocean engineering
professor, will be the associate director of the center.
Projected date for the building's completion and
center's operation is Spring 1990. Kathleen
Reilly, The Battalion, Texas A&M U.
...
Tuition decreased by 6 percent ...
A budget plan approved two months ago by the Ohio
Board of Regents will decrease students' share of
tuition costs at state universities over a two-year
period from 41 to 35 percent. The budget, expected
to cost the state $3.3 billion, is part of a master plan
to move Ohio toward a first-rate system of higher
education. The budget must be approved by state
legislators, including the governor. Amy Bur-
kett, The BG News, Bowling Green
State U., OH
Burgard
Continued From Page 16
as well as a little kinky.
"So how do I get these forms, and
when do you need them?"
By now the man has heard my puffed
up posture being punctured repeatedly.
He smells victory, and he moves in for
the kill.
"Well, I would love to help you," he
says, his voice sugarcoated as I feel
pangs of nausea. "But in order to
achieve maximum efficiency - a condi-
tion desirable to both you and The Office
-you need to return the forms by 5 p.m.
Since it is now 4:45 p.m. and Station 17
will be closed by the time you finish
filling them out, it is hardly feasible you
will achieve maximum efficiency."
I am passed the bewildered stage. I
am now in the pissed off stage.
I salute him with the international
gesture and yell, "Listen, you twisted
little android! All I want is a lousy 1
Stop raking me over and tell me wl
can do to get it!
He squirms and, if only for a mom
I can derive some satisfaction in ki
ing that I have caused him to lose s
of his smug composure.
But the moment is only fleeting
clears his throat and says, "I supp<
should expect that behavior f
amateur bureaucrats like you."
I am exhausted, unable to retali
He has won, and we both know it.
saccharine smile returns, as he tell;
to come back tomorrow. Only this t
I must bring a passport, tax ret
statements and a note from my mot
I am numb, devoid of emotion.
"Very well," I croak.
I return the next day. The ma
there, with the same painted smil(
"Good morning. How may I help
Bob Seger was wrong. I don't feel
a number.
I feel like R2D2.
Bobby McFerrin
While the songs op Simple Plea-
sures are good, the album lacks only
one thing. Bobby McFerrin never
really pushes that exceptional voice.
Public Enemy cuts the flash and raps hard
By Steve Marks
The Eagle
The American U., DC
Public Enemy is a rap band making a
name for itself, in just the outlaw way
its name implies.
Their recent album, It Takes A Nation
of Millions to Hold Us Down, is by far
the most radical, progressive and con-
troversial rap record on the shelves to-
day. Where the Beastie Boys tour with
scantily-clad dancing girls and inflat-
able phallic symbols, Public Enemy
gives a potentially explosive concert at
the Riker's Island Correctional Facility
in New York City. Where the Beastie
Boys dwell on girls and parties, Public
Enemy sings "Party For Your Right to
Fight."
Most every song on the album has a
message of equality and respect for
blacks, including the prospect of minor-
ity uprisings to gain power. The sound
is tough; the message is Malcolm X.
The opening cut, "Countdown to
Armageddon," sets the non-stop, no-
nonsense tone that pervades the entire
album. On "Don't Believe The Hype,"
the band lashes out at the press for
statements made about the group,
which they say are distortions -
though conflicting and controversial
statements made by members them-
selves, including a past ideological
alignment with the inflammatory Louis
Farrakhan, have led to confusion about
their views.
One thing that is clear is how Public
Enemy remains loyal to the city origins
of their music. They keep their sound
raw and unglossy, avoiding the slick,
Top 40 sound of their contemporaries in
favor of their own nitty-gritty style.
Cinderella
Long Cold Winter
Tom Keifer, Cinderella's multi-talented lead singer,
guitarist and songwriter, stretches his vocal range
into the hoarse zone on this record, but if you can
overlook some of the harshness, you'll find some
really rocking tunes. Still, in many ways Cinderella's
second album is somewhat tiresome. About the
coolest thing here is "Bad Seamstress Blues," which
leads straight into "Fallin' Apart At the Seams," a
rev-it-up rocker that almost makes you want to bang
your head on the steering wheel. Almost. Tom
Meares, The Tiger, Clemson U., SC
The Smiths
Rank
A live collection, Rank not only fails to allow the
listener to reach any definite conclusions about The
Smiths, but also represents another confusing
aspect of the mystery that surrounds the band. It is,
however, an interesting work. There are no studio
overdubs, which allows the listener to hear on-stage
tune ups and guitar changes. The record gets blister-
ingly energetic one moment and listless the next. It's
a bit unusual that a live record should represent the
final testament of a band not known as dynamic
performers. But here it seems a fitting end. Rank
leaves all loose ends untied, and perhaps that's the
way it should be. u C. Frederick Lathrop,
The State News, Michigan State U.
The Primitives
Lovely
Some albums manage to impress a listener on the
first listen, others take a little longer to appreciate.
Lovely does both. The tunes are so quickly paced
they seem to jump together. Jangly and driving
guitars fuel the album, but Blondie-like vocals truly
guide the tracks, the strongest of which are "Crash"
and "Carry Me Home." "Run, Baby, Run" and "Don't
Want Anything To Change" are the weak links, but
the album still remains a strong one. Matt Pru-
sa, The Maroon, Loyola U., LA
Challenge
Continued From Page 16
of $500,000 brokerage accounts to buy
and sell real stocks in an effort to maxi-
mize the values of their portfolios.
"Across the country, every state is
signed up for the competition, and we're
very excited about that," said Lisa Nol-
let, director of marketing for the Chal-
lenge. The event is unique, she said,
because a full-service brokerage firm
will handle all of the trading activity
and provide human assistance through-
out the event.
By dialing a toll-free 800 line, partici-
pants can start investing with brokers
at a fully-automated trading desk.
Trades are based on up-to-the-minute
stock quotes beamed by satellite from
the exchanges in New York.
"We have been taking literally
thousands of phone calls until 11 o'clock
at night," Nollet said.
Players will be mailed a personal
three-page account statement and
newsletter at the end of each month.
The statement will provide an account
summary, a record of transactions, a
complete listing of portfolio holdings
and current account valuations. A rank-
ings section will show how each partici-
pant fared against others.
"I think it's a great opportunity for
students to get the experience without
putting their own money on the line,"
said Janet Lee, president of the Finance
Club.
The top students at each school will
receive an engraved plaque and a cer-
tificate listing them as a record holder
at their college or university. Students
who double the value of their account
will become a member of the Mil-
lionaires' Club.
"Students who are able to amass
$500,000 will be given awards and their
names will be kept on a roster of the
Millionaires' Club. It is phenomenal for
a student to achieve this," Nollet said.
The top 10 players will be flown with
guests to New York City and honored at
an awards ceremony where they will
each receive a cash prize of $25,000.
While there, they will tour the New
York Stock Exchange and receive a
week-long trip to the Bahamas, among
other prizes.
Winners are getting a 39,000 percent
return on their money, Nollet said.
The event is open to college students
at two- and four-year accredited col-
leges and universities. The competition
is limited to the first 25,000 who apply.
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