'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 . .- I < --Ut 764-0557 G e raldine F e 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 ues z fy y t +3n f + t } a 7{ : t +tl a. 7 Y S A 9 y t r .k t r 1 P " R 4 L M $ ^ " y. k' 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.