Page 8 - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, March 23, 1989

Records
Continued from Page 7
Which is fine for DM fans, but
there's one more flaw I must point
out. The main difference in this
recording and earlier ones is audience
noise. Applause strains the quality
of sound. DM's music is a very

synthetic, almost sterile thing,
probably best suited for compact
disc, where the sound is optimum.
But here, the concept is broken. Live
just doesn't suit these gents.
Not to knock a good thing, it's
just that the Mode are considered the
godfathers of House, and at the same
time, pop stars. Problems arise.
Synclavier playing and progressive

form come to blows with pop psy-
chology and audience participation.
The dichotomy between synthetic
and organic is stretched too thin.
There's an explosion, and pieces fly
everywhere. Conclusion: this is a
satisfying work, if you're a hardcore
DM fan. If not, better luck next
time.
-Forrest Green

i " I

David Murray
Ming's Samba
Portrait/CBS Records
Reedman David Murray is on the
other side of fusion. Whereas fusion
has too often been submersion,
Murray stands at the point of syn-
thesis and, on this recording, that
means celebration.
Murray has found his way
through the thickets of the entire
jazz tradition, and emerged his own
man. It is a more perilous journey
than might be imagined, one that
some very talented musicans refuse
to take up. Courtney Pine, for ex-
ample, is a wonderful tenor and so-
prano player. But, by virtue of his
self imposed retro-limitations, he
could be playing in 1966. David
Murray could only be playing in the
late 1980s. The strains of Coltrane,
Rollins, and the rest are there, but
they have been channeled through
the now-only sensibilities of Mur-
ray's mind and horn. Like any
musican who has ever made a differ-
ence, Murray has a story to tell and a
vison to unfold - not just a line to
follow.
On Ming's Samba he is backed
unerringly by Ray Drummond on
bass, John Hicks on piano, and Ed
Blackwell on drums. Hicks is a for-
mer Jazz Messenger, and has lent his
elegance to other such lyrically in-
clined saxaphonists as Arthur
Blythe. Blackwell swings mania-
cally, whether pounding out New
Orleans march rhythms, splashing
out African beats, or insinuating
lush textures.
Murray extends and explores the
range of his tenor on every cut; I
don't think he could complacently
run the chords if he tried. He is in-
tensely lyrical in the upper register,
while coming down like a sonic
boom in the lower.
I won't take up the mundane and
unnecessary task of summarizing the
cuts. Suffice it to say there are tan-
goes and blues, ballads and bashes.
And, on the final cut, Murray takes
up the bass clarinet. The dramati-
cally inclined may see Murray, in
the long overdue exposure of a major
U.S. label, wresting the instrument
from the legacy of Eric Dolphy, and
stalking off with it into the 1990s.
-Liam Flaherty

t
t
i
k
t
t
t
l
r
r

6
6

On his eight solo album, Queen Elvis, Robyn Hitchcock continues his
predilection for insects, frogs, and food, as well as captivating songs.

Queen Ida, with accordion, will be playing tonight with the Bon Temps Zydeco, Band at the Ark. Canned
green beans are not required.
Qeen Ida lets bon temps roll

BY BRAD HEAVNER
THERE'S a potion they call zydeco down there in
the sunny swamplands.
"Zydeco" is a patois corruption of the French word
"les haricots," which means green beans. One of the
first songs the French Canadians brought down to
New Orleans was about green beans. It caught on
fast, and the natives kept calling for that "es harico"
song. It's a word that's catchin' on quick these days
up here in these northern parts. Thanks, in part, to Ida
Guillory.
Queen is what they call her. Queen Ida. She's got
herself a little thing goin' we call the Bon Temps
Zydeco Band. She was a bus driver before she gave in
to her calling to return to her Louisiana roots and
squeeze her button accordion full-time for all the fans
of swingin' Creole.
That was 12 years ago. Since then they've put out

six albums on the GNP Crescendo label, and won a
Grammy for one. Her Royal Highness' last
appearance in Ann Arbor was in '87 at the Nectarine
Ballroom, where she played to a packed house and left
us begging for more.
Expect the music to be as varied as the crowd
tonight, from slow waltzes to hard-rocking boogie.
Don't forget your dancing shoes 'cause there'll be
plenty of foot stomping.
You may think that tonight is Thursday night,
but - as they say on the bayou - every night is
Saturday night, and every day is Sunday. Queen Ida
belts out both Creole and English lyrics, and by the
end of the evening you are guaranteed to have learned
a few key phrases to get you by in Cajun country,
such as laissez le bon temps rouler. But you don't
have to know French to "let the good times roll" with
Queen Ida.
QUEEN IDA AND THE BON TEMPS ZYDECO
BAND will be performing at the Ark, 630 1/2 S.
Main, tonight at 7:30 &10 p.m. Tickets are $10.50.

PASS
IT
AROUND!

Robyn Hitchcock
Queen Elvis
A&M
March, 1967: Robyn gets his first guitar. September, 1967: He learns
how to tune it. Likewise, Queen Elvis, his eighth solo record, is a lesson in :'
progress. Over the years, between his solo work and records with the Soft
Boys, he has amassed quite a cult following. They will not be disappointed.
This one is insanely entertaining, and in retrospect with last year's Globe of
Frogs, more accessible, almost qualifying it, in parts, as pseudo-pop. That's
form, by the way.'
"Madonna of the Wasps" is a very straightforward, driving song about a
woman that Robyn may or may not love, his ambivalence being due to the
fact that she becomes a wasp from the waist down, and then freezes up. Is
this about frigidity, or emotional coldness? He leaves just enough vague-
ness about her form as well as function. Coupled with psychedelic guitar
strumming from Peter Buck, this song is simply a gem.
May, 1988: Robyn says that "People are a lot more bizarre than
shrimps." He has a knack for making bizarre observations. Take, for exam- '
pie, "The Devils' Coachman", where he claims "Yesterday I saw the devil in .
my food/ I wasn't hungry, but I played with it/ blood red horns gouged
through my scrambled (egg)." That is a classic example of how Robyn bal-°'
ances deep introspective about life, death, and himself with an offbeat sense-
of humor.
On "Knife", which was recorded completely live, he sings with a sadistic
edge, "Here is a life/ here is a tender trembling life/ here is a life/ and it's:9
quivering under you." But the strangest moment on this disk is on "Wax
Doll", where he exclaims, "If I was man enough/ I'd come on your stump."
Thrills, chills, and spills.
"Veins of the Queen" explains the title of the record to boot. Robyno'
wonders extensively, on vinyl: "Wonder has she any frogs/ does she ever-
chop up logs?" He's drawing parallels between Elvis and her majesty. Is she
alive? Has she ever had an orgasm? By psychologically placing himself in
the veins of the Queen, an almost mythical figure, Robyn attempts to dis-'
appear from the listener's consciousness, while leaving only the songs for
our scrutiny.
But all the same, he still reveals a part of himself in this work, and we
realize he is becoming more human, through the lyrical content, as well as a '
return to more musically edible style, a la Eaten By Her Own Dinner and.
Black Snake Diamond Role. Even the album cover casts him in a more
mortal light. The result is a more user-friendly piece, but still up to his own p
standards, if not surpassing them.

1U

I Cornerstone

CLASSIFIED ADSI
Call 764-0557

CHRISTIAN

FELLOWSHIP

(an interdenominational campus fellowship)
Students 'Dedicated to
Knowing anadiCommunicating
Yesus ChriSt
Weekly Meetings: Thursdays: 7:00 p.m.
439 Mason Hall
John Neff-747-8831
UAC/SOUNDSTAGE PRESENTS... I

VETERINARY MEDICINE:
AN OPTION IN THE HEALTH PROFESSIONS
SCIENCE -MEDICINE . ANIMALS

-Forrest Green


4ErERINyqt',


t.

cf' ER5N4,
. d

Michigan Daily
ARTS
763-0379

A. }.

traditional, sophisticated,
contemporary, informal .. .

A veterinarian can combine these interests to tailor a career
selected from a wide range of opportunities that include biomedi-
cal 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, March 23, 3-4:30 p.m.
CAREER PLANNING AND PLACEMENT
Preprofessional Division
3200 Student Activities Building

0

Rick Astley
Hold Me In Your Arms

I


Your Summer Job
moretian.just employment...
CAW TAB LARC OIP A el,~
Campennedy in on Tj"pai
silve pflnrVillage for theCe
Cai P8~ tdFmlYcm

RCA
Listening to Rick Astley's sec-
ond album is like eating Lean Cui-
sine frozen dinner entrees. Now I'lL.
be the first to admit, that I do listen:;
to Astley's pop ditties when I hap-
pen upon them on t'ie radio. I'll alsq;
admit that I have eaten a variety of: q
Lean Cuisine entrees.
What does this mean? Do I enjoy
doing either?
Nothing. Not really.
Both are quick, easy to store in
the freezer, and leave you totally
void of satisfaction.
Whenever I try to microwave 4
Lean Cusine, it always comes out
cooked unevenly. In addition, a
number of the dinners have to first,

We feature gowns as
shown in Modern Bride
and Brides Magazine
and all the latest styles.

I wM Y /AUJ'n &l ULU itlr ,,,A' 4iv