Jesus Christ, Star of the Stage
Tonight and tomorrow night at the Michigan Theater, the highly
successful.touring company of the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice
musical, Jesus Christ Superstar, will be performing at 8 p.m. The
traveling company features Ted Neely reprising his movie role as Jesus
and also stars Gary Rowland as Judas. Tickets are $34.50 and 29.50
in advance. For more information, call at 668-8397.
Page 8
Tuesday,
March 28, 1995
Crowes take flight over 'Amorica' A t _
F
By Brian A. Gnatt
Daily Arts Writer
In this day of sensitive punk, bland
alterna-pop and washed up super-
groups, it seems like soda cans aren't
the only things being recycled. Cer-
tain groups will come and go, but
only a select few have the guts and
soul it takesto stay in the music busi-
ness for the long haul. As one of the
only few rock bands who actually
made it successfully through the '80s
hard rock era, the Black Crowes have
made it, and secured a place for their
timeless music to live forever.
The Atlanta-based group's jour-
ney has been a long strange trip
through the music and minds of the
brothers Robinson - Chris with his
raspy vocals and Rich's wild blues
guitar - drummer Steve Gorman,
the "bass fishing" Johnny Colt, gui-
tarist Marc Ford and keyboard player
Eddie Harsch.
Released late last year, the Crowes'
third album, "Amorica," has shown
the band's staying power and ability
to consistently record great records.
Since their 1990 debut, "Shake Your
Money Maker" - which featured an
entire album of great rock tracks in-
cluding "Jealous Again," "She Talks
to Angels" and a cover of the Otis
Redding classic, "Hard to Handle"-
the Crowes have been expanding and
changing their music into an even
more diversified style of golden rock
'n' roll.
"I think this record reflects the
biggest change," Muskegon, Michi-
gan native Steve Gorman said. "It's a
totally different band from 'Shake
Your Money Maker.' Everyone's
much older, and hopefully wiser."
Even though the Crowes have ex-
panded since their early days, "Shake
Your Money Maker" is still one of the
best rock albums of the past many
years.
"'Shake Your Money Maker' is a
19 year-old kid, Rich, whojust gradu-
ated from high school, writing songs
with a bunch of guys whojust literally
started to play their instruments two
or three years earlier," Gorman said.
"If we did five shows in a month, that
was just unbelievably busy back in
'87, '88 and '89. We were just a little
club band who rarely got gigs. Then
we went on tour for 20 months, and
you start doing it every night, and
things happen."
After the band's 1992 smash "The
Southern Harmony and Musical Com-
panion," proved the Crowes a musi-
cal heavyweight. Greatly deviating
from the songs on the first and second
bootlegs at all. We've always loved
them," Gorman said. "It's like 'Oh,
wow. That means I got three records
instead of two.' Then you just collect
them. We're music fans just like any-
body else, and when it's your own
gigs, it's kind of cool."
Around the release of
"Amorica," and throughout the his-
tory of the Black Crowes, Chris and
Rich Robinson have been famous
for their brotherly warring. "If it's
about a song arrangement - or a set
list or a song - if it's something
musical, then that affects everybody,
because everybody has different
opinions to begin with," Gorman
said. "If it's about like 'You wore
my shoes in seventh grade, and I
was looking for them, and I'm still
mad at you,' it's a little easier for
everyone to say whatever. They're
brothers. That's just life. As far as I
know, there still have never been
any punches to the face."
After playing a single benefit for
the National Organization for the
Reform of Marijuana Legislation
(NORML) in 1991, the Crowes have
also developed their reputation as a
marijuana smokin' and tokin' band.
"We've never come out and said
'Marijuana should be legalized,"'
Gorman said. "We played at a festival
with NORML in Atlanta in '91. It's a
real tough issue. It's nice to go to a
place where marijuana is legal, but
what would happen in America if it
was legal?"
"The whole legalization process
in America is only going to be ac-
complished by someone who doesn't
smoke," Gorman said. "It's going
to be someone who'll go into Wash-
ington, and prove to the govern-
ment that this is going to make
money. That's the only way it would
ever happen. The bottom line in
America with everything is if it can
make someone money, it's worth
your time. I think there are bigger
problems in the world.
record, "Amorica" gave the band even
greater diversity in the band's music.
But what is "Amorica." anyway?
"Chris has had that word buzzing
around in his head for years now,"
Gorman said. "He used to describe
America as being a country that's not
at all as it seems. The kind of place
that talks a big game, and if you ask
anyone who's not American what they
think of the States, you get a pretty
different idea. In the meantime,
Amorica is sort of a place of what
America should be. Amorica is the
place that we're trying to get to every
night, if only for a couple of hours."
At their shows, the Crowes have
joined the Grateful Dead (who they
will be opening for April 7 in Tampa)
in allowing concert-goers to tape the
shows, and make and trade bootlegs.
"We've never had a problem with
They don't know their telephone number, but if you kiss real good, they'd sure like to see you tomorrow.
" If the voice of the people was
really supposed to be heard, I don't
know if the majority of people want it
to be legalized. Not that that really
matters at all in America, but it's a
touchy issue. The way society is, and
the way it is so repressed, (marijuana)
might as well be heroin in the eyes of
the people out there. They always let
you have enough rope to hang your-
self. They can decriminalize it, and
then come up with statistics that say
everyone on marijuana eats pickles,
and then goes on a rampage. If they
can find a way to make a lot of money
off of it, then they'll legalize it."
As for bigger problems in the
world, Gorman had a few words to
say about his favorite politician. "Be
ing from Georgia and watching our
favorite guy Newt Gingrich running
things is a bit scary."
However, as long as the sun comes'
out tomorrow, the Black Crowes will
be flying high. "As long as it's clear
outside, this is a happy group of
people," Gorman said.
i
wi
A 'Last Dance' for Doc Pomus
Tribute to late songwriter filled with magic moments
By Tom Erlewine
Daily Arts Editor
Tribute albums have become a
dreaded addition to the pop market-
place because they're a simple way
to sell lots of records. Not only will
r'
:
.-i
Various
Artists
-
Till the Night is Gone:
A Tribute to Doc Pomus
Forward Records
the tribute sell, the honored artist's
back catalog will move thousands
of units. This is the kind of thinking
that prompted tribute albums to the
Eagles and Led Zeppelin, as well as
the forthcoming John Lennon set.
Even with the piles of albums re-
leased in the past year or so, a trib-
ute that was assembled for a reason
besides marketing has become a rare
event, and that is why "Till the Night
is Gone: A Tribute to Doc Pomus"
is so refreshing.
With hundreds of songs to his
credit, Doc Pomus was one of the
greatest songwriters of this century.
Not all of them were classics, yet
many were. "This Magic Moment"
and "Save the Last Dance for Me"
have become such a part of our cul-
ture that it's hard to believe that they
were ever written - they seem like
they have always been sung, like folk
songs. Pomus' best songs have that
magical quality; they seem like they
arrived fully formed, as if they were a
force of nature.
Pomus turned to songwriting after
a short, unsuccessful stab at perform-
ing in the '40s. Signing to the fledg-
ling Atlantic Records in 1947, he be-
gan a long, prestigious career, which
included writing hit songs for Elvis
Presley, Ray Charles, the Drifters,
Joe Turner and Fabian, among others.
As a songwriter, Pomus was with-
out peer; stalwarts like Bob Dylan
and Lou Reed turned to him when
they had writer's block. "Till the Night
is Gone" works because of the consis-
tent brilliance of his songs. Most trib-
ute albums rely on the sound of an
artist, not the songs themselves -
both the Eagles and Led Zeppelin
discs were attempts to recapture the
sound of the band, not their spirit.
Throughout the Pomus tribute, the
featured artists respect the spirit of his
writing.
Occasionally, that means the songs
are turned inside out: Shawn Colvin's
slow, reflective take on "Viva Las
Vegas" and Lou Reed's stark, yet
affecting, version of "This Magic
Moment" are far removed from the
original versions, yet they retain the
original emotions. John Hiatt's "A
Mess of Blues" and Bob Dylan's
"Boogie Woogie Country Girl" rock
out with a loose vigor, while Los
Lobos' spare, growling*"Lonely Av-
enue" ranks as one of their finest
performances.
Most of the record is devoted to
fairly straightforward renditions of
Pomus' songs. On most tribute al-
bums, this would be a problem, since
the original songs were designed for
specific artists and their styles. Con
sequently, the songs either don't eas-
ily lend themselves to different inter-
pretations, and when the new ver-
sions follow the path of theoriginal-it
winds up sounding like a pale imita-.
tion. That's not a problem with "Till
the Night is Gone." Since Pomus was
not a performer, his songs had an,
inherent universality that many songs
lack - they could be sung by any
performer and sound genuine. #
That's certainly the case with B.B.
King's smooth but soulful "Blinded
By Love," Solomon Burke's passion-
ate "Still in Love" and Irma Thomas'
wonderful showcase, "There Must Be
A Better World -Somewhere." That
universality also means that the songs,
can be recast and mean just as much.
The Drifters' original version of "I
Count the Tears" was lush and yearnW
ing, yet Rosanne Cash's stripped-
down take on the song is just as moV-
ing. Brian Wilson's sugarcoated pro
duction of "Sweets for My Sweet"
isn't quite as successful as Cash'
interpretation, yet it is no less daring ,
or heartfelt.
Some artists play it a little to'o
close to the vest- Dion's "Turn Me
Loose" is fine but tame and the Bands
misdirected romp through "Young
Blood" draws attention to their aging
voices -- yet the majority of the al '
bum manages td be both affectionat
and entertaining. Unlike most tribute
albums, "Till the Night is Gone" acti.-
ally gives you an idea why the artist"
was important and continues to be
relevant. Even more surprising, it
doesn't wear thin with repeated lis-
tens. Which may not be too surprisin
- after all, these songs are the literal
definition of "pop classics."
Going Home this Summer?
MSU is Close To You...
At Home and Work!
Student Organizarion Accounts Service
[SOBS] GeneralFund Account Conversion
Beginning September 1, 1995, and running through September 30,
1996 SOAS General Fund (GF) Accounts will undergo a conversion. As a result
of this conversion, student organizations can either choose to convert their GF
I If you have a strong
I"