Jr t.j 1wr w 1w ,,-.. ~T .rV, - w l r Power-pop platoon performs Aren't Canadian spirits always better, anyhow? 4 By Brian Jarvinen A Condominium of Your o for the Price of the Dor or an Apartment / When critics write about pop music, they invariably use adjectives derived from the literal use of the word 'pop.' Lately, though, pop music tastes more like Kool-Aid than anything else; you can drink the stuff forever and not get any satisfaction. Listening to The Pur- suit Of Happiness, on the other hand, is more like drinking revved up 100 proof Southern Comfort; definitely sweet, but packing one hell of a kick. (I guess that would make Metallica the Everclear jungle juice of rock, but that's another story). TPOH's sugary delights result from the interplay between front man Moe Berg andbhis excellent backup singers Kris Abbott (who doubles on guitar) and Leslie Stan- wyck. The kick is supplied by guitar power-chords and the insistent rhythm section ofdrummer Dave Gilby and bass player Johnny Sin- clair. The band first reached American audiences in late '88, but they have been gathering steam in Canada for a while now. Edmonton natives Berg and Gilby formed the band in Toronto in 1986; before that Berg had been in several bands and per- formed as a solo artist. Several of TPOH's songs date from Berg's solo act, including the ubiquitous "I'm An Adult Now," the video for which first broke the band in Canada in '86-'87. This, in turn led to several Canadian independent singles and eventually to a contract with Chrysalis. For their major label debut, Love Junk, The Pursuit of Happiness Listening to The Pursuit Of Happiness is like drinking revved up 100 proof Southern Com- fort; definitely sweet, but packing one hell of a kick. Introducing Tower Plaza Condomini a community which combines "off cc independence with "on campus" spire much, much more. . .and all for the price your paying to live in a dorm or apartment! went in the studio with produ Todd Rundgren, a perfect mat given that TPOH songs are easi mistaken for a new Utopia sing The work with Rundgren has g nered the band plenty of attenti' which Berg described as a "bonu While working with Rundgren, t band re-recorded some of their son of which Berg says, "I'm still hap with the old songs but obviousl like the new versions from worki with Todd better - the old or were recorded under primitive con tions." Of the band's obvious Ru] gren influence, Berg has said in other interview, "The truth ist record would have sounded a bit l Todd no matter who was producin Since the release of Love Ju "I'm An Adult Now" has done fa well on rock radio, but the videor relegated to MTV's 120 Minu show. This is odd, considering song's previous video success (al with a different, cheaper versic Berg notes "We've had more vid in Canada. I don't really underst the video industry here yet. I ct really spend my life worrying ab it." cer ch AV ~ M ar- on, s. the Igs, )py y I :ing nies & * j I. A The newly-mature Replacements will play the Michigan Theater tonight, in concert with Pursuit of Happiness. Replacements:Re s without a clue grow up di- By Jim Poniewozik nd- Ever notice how, when sitcom an- producers want to kiss up to the 18- our to-24 target group, they slip in a ike reference to whatever cool new rock g." 'n' roll band is hip with kids today, daddio? Well, a few weeks ago, on nk, an episode of Day By Day, a teenage irly character exited a scene saying he had was to pick up the new album by - not ates Bruce Springsteen, not Michael the Jackson - but the Replacements. bbeit On national TV. n). If you flipped channels to MTV, eos you may have seen their video, "I'll and Be You," featuring Paul Westerberg an't looking suav-ey and debonair in a bout golf shirt. Not on some special "new i music" show at 1:30 a.m. In the -middle of the day. For normal hu- mans to watch between Rick Astley and Vixen. Welcome to the big time, boys. The Replacements, it seems, have become the world's favorite prodi- gals. People are using words like "reserve" and "maturity" to describe the band that recorded "Gary's Got a Boner." Tousling their newly-kempt hair and chiding them about what little monsters they were when they were just this big. And what little monsters they were. From their first concert as a pack of drunk, scared kids in Minneapolis, to their coming out as a pack of drunk, scary adults, the Replace- ments have always embodied that which is childish in rock 'n' roll. Singer/songwriter Westerberg, gui- tarist Bob Stinson, bassist Tommy Stinson, and drummer Chris Mars mixed a love for the classic pop of bands like Big Star and the Raspber- ries with a hate for peace and quiet, and attacked the resultant monster mash of ill-fingered chords with a 4th grade gym class fervor. And if this was evident in their early studio work (and album titles) like Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash and The Replacements Stink, it was even more so in their live shows. The four-man garage army quickly became known for crashing through covers such as Elvis' "Do the Clam" like a bowling ball through a set of glass pins, roaring through originals with string-breaking fury, then falling drunk off the stage. But as the band gained critic's kudos with 1984's Let It Be,1985's Tim, and 1987's Pleased To Meet Me, they also racked up some losses: Bob Stinson (kicked out after showing up several songs late for one too many of the band's con- certs), Westerberg's single status (he married a former Schoolkids' Records employee), and much of their bad-boy standing. Enter the late '80s Replacements: redeemed, rested, and ready to live past age 30. On their latest, Don't Tell A Soul, Westerberg takes dark, confessional looks at insecurities professional ("The things you hold dearly/ are scoffed at, and yearly/ judged once and then left aside" form "They're Blind") and personal, as on "Back to Back". Westerberg writes of "rebels without a clue," as he calls himself: people who don't know what they want, but want it badly - and who are getting ever farther from it ("The richer are getting richer," he sings on the funky "Asking Me Lies," "The poor are getting drunk"). What are probably the best lyrics of his career are backed up by soulful tunes that surprised many by rarely venturing beyond mid-tempo. Though some lack the sheer pop ef- fervescence of Pleased, the new songs reach new heights of warmth and subtle visceral probing. And Westerberg shows on "I Won't" that he can still rant like the crabbiest toddler. So Junior's given up his incorri- gible ways and come home for the weekend. He's settled down, gotten hitched, and cleaned up his act. But Friday night, the folks are leaving him alone with the kids. And they're still a little nervous... 01 THE REPLACEMENTS with guests THE PURSUIT OF HAPPI- NESS play the Michigan Theater tonight at 10 p.m. ~A Great Location! 1 block from cai stores, restaurants and entertains your doorstep. ~A plush lobby with the security of a conceirge. -26 floors of spectacular views of capi the football stadium and the city -On site management and mainten serve you 24 hrs a day, every day. _Maximun soundproofing providint privacy and quiet and your own pe freedom All these advantages and more f same cost as a dorm or an apart Reserve your unit today for fall C LU W~ For Exam Preparation Choose to EXCEL! i; . . by phoning or visiting our of Models Open Daily 4 Learn to Anticipate the Exam, - Improve Your Test-Taking Skills - Use Your Study Time More Effectively * Achieve Your Maximum Potential Score Test Preparation 996-1500 1100 South University PAGE 4 ON) z wU LU LU TOWER PLAZA CONDOMI] " Above the Rest in College Housi, 555 East William Ann Arbor 663-1530 A Triad Community -J WEEKEND/MARCH 10,1989 k A f s K a / ' i