'l
ARTS
Tuesday, October 18,1988
The Michigan Daily
feelies
NJ pop
feels.
g~ood
BY BRIAN BERGER
I can't think of a whole lot of
bands who have been inspired by the
Velvet Underground's tender muse
and have not sucked mightily. Yes,
there is a Spacemen 3, an Original
Sins, a Half Japanese, and a
B.A.L.L., but they are the exc-,p-
tions. No, the sad truth is that one
could take all of the pallid poseurs of
the British haircut bands and the
psuedo bohemians of your mershed
out southern guitar bands and not
come up with a band with a tenth of
the power the talent and power of the
feelies.
Yeah, that's right, the feelies.
New Jersey's finest popsters this side
of They Might Be Giants, the feelies
are currently on tour supporting their
recently released album Only Life.
On this record, like on their previous
releases, Crazy Rhythms (Stiff) and
The Good Earth (Stiff), the feelies
have created an uplifting guitar-driven
slab of exceptional warmth and
beauty.
While this may make the feelies
seem as safe as warm milk, they're
really not. Evident on vinyl but more
so live, these five yahoos create one
hell of a noise grumph. If you don't
believe me, consider the fact that
noted noise grumph connoiseurs like
Thurston Moore (musicologist! re-
naissance man) and Tom Prendergast
(Pier Platters/ Bar None Records im-
presario) spent a cloudy Hoboken
Sunday in early June moshing to the
feelies at Maxwells.
They dig it. I dig it. Can you dig
it? Sure 'nuff, yes I do!
TH E fEELIES hit Rick's tonight.
Cover is $7.50, and opening act Big
Box of Nies take the stage at 10
p.m., which should give the feelies
an ETA of about 11:30, so we're
told.
Page 7
Shake, rattle & hymn,
Bono bands with B.B., Bob, and Bible
;
U2
Rattle and Hum
Island
"Am I buggin' ya? I didn't mean to
bug ya. OK, Edge, play the blues."
-Bono
A couple of years ago, when Bruce
Springsteen and the E Street Band
released their live boxed set, it
seemed like the media would nomi-
nate the guy for saint at any mo-
ment. It was enough to make me
sick, all the magazine covers and ref-
erences to his gritty urban poetry or
his galvanizing rock 'n' roll to save
your soul. The easiest reaction then
was to backlash against the torrent of
seemingly mindless praise - until I
actually sat down and tuned into Live
1975-1985, and realized (as if I didn't
know it all along) that it was a real
classic, the perfect showcase for a
brilliant artist.
I wanted to hate the guy, just like I
wanted to hate the guy in my high
school who was class president and a
nice guy, but it was hopeless.
Now U2 is the biggest band in the
world, and again the temptation rises
up to load up the sling and take pot-
shots at Goliath. With the release of
Rattle and Hum, in conjunction with
the film of the same name, Bono and
the boys face up to the task of prov-
ing they have the credibility to match
their popularity. Problem is, they
don't seem to want to bother with
defending themselves; they're just
here to play their music and spread
the Word.
The vehicle they have selected, the
double live record combining old and
new material, will forever be tainted
by associations with Peter Frampton
and the Doobies, but this isn't that
kind of dinosaur-rock, fan-appeasing
product. First of all, there are nine
new tracks here, enough to comprise
a solid studio LP. But by supple-
menting the new tunes with revital-
ized versions of "Pride," "Bullet the
Blue Sky," and "I Still Haven't
Found What I'm Looking For" (with
the assistance of the lovely New
Voices of Freedom), they present a
more fully-realized portrait of the
artists. Add to that covers of two
'60s monuments, "Helter Skelter"
and "Along the Watchtower," and '
you have a rock band with a rock-"
solid grounding in the past as well as
a glimmering future.
In this expanded format, the band..
also gets a chance to try out all the
American music that they discovered
and learned to love on the Joshua
Tree tour. Since the release of that
album, they've backed up American
music icon Robbie Robertson, and
contributed a blustering, gospel-in-
fused "Jesus Christ" to the Woody;.
Guthrie/Leadbelly tribute record, so
the move in that direction doesn't
come as a total surprise. The Bo
See Hymn, Page 8
What
multi-billion
dollar
busines
has an
executive
trap's:
programn
ranked in the
nation's
top ten by
Business
Week?
0i
*7
Surprise, Midwesterners! They do have pop in New Jersey. It
just isn't the same stuff that they call "soda." For a taste of
some, check out the feelies at Rick's tonight.
THE UNDERGRADUATE
PSYCHOLOGICAL SOCIETY
is having its
FALL MASS MEETING
Wednesday Oct. 19
West Lounge, South Quad 7:00p.m.
ALL INTERERSTED INDIVIDUALS PLEASE ATTEND
OLD MEMBERS, THIS MEETING IS MANDATORY
BETTER THAN THE BATHROOM WALLS!
Did you know that by donating plasma, you would be
helping someone in need? You could be saving a life.
With this ad, receive $20 for first donation. You can earn up
to $120 -a month. Couples can earn up to $240. If you have
not donated in the last 30 days, receive an addtional $5 bonus
for return visit.
New donating processes make for a safer, faster, and more
comfortable experience.
YPSILANTI PLASMA CENTER
813 W. Michigan Ave.
Ypsilanti
T & Th 10:30-6 W & F 9:30-5
S 8:30-4
MILES 482-6790
US23 Mansfield
I . ' Washtenaw
Give
:Zbt :Ai V o1 Doi
your message a
)RTouch.... .
Personals
i
Michigan
*YPC
1N
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--Ut
764-0557
G
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raldine
F
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r r ar o
h
Alk
It's amazing but true. Buy a Charley's 17 oz. homecoming
mug of beer for $2.00 and get a refill for only $1.00.
This unbelievable but true special is good all homecoming
weekend, Thursday, October 20-Saturday, October 22.
And if you need a couple of days to warm up, don't forget
about our regular early bird specials Monday-Wednesday!
Women's Issi
atU of M
Charley's - U
of M's 1988 hr, :coming Party Headquarters
W 1988
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CEdTime
"Upstairs, Downstairs
and Outdoors in Season"
HOMECOMING 88
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20
9:00pm Kickoff Party at Good
Time Charley's
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21
2-5:00pm Evans Scholars Car
Bash on the Diag
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22
10:00am Mud Bowl: SAE vs Phi
Delts
10:00am Go Blue Brunch in the
Track and Tennis Building
1:00pm MICHIGAN FOOTBALL:
MICHK3ANvs INDIANA HOOSIERS
9:00pm Victory Party at the
U-Club
oli tic s
Wom
&
n
in
P
Rackham Auditorium
October
18
WHJAT'S A OOSI[JR?
8 p.m.