10 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, April 5, 1995 I':- 'Leeds' reissue changes impact of Who classic By Tom Erlewine Daily Arts Editor At first glance, this reissue of the Who's seminal 1970 album seems like another installment in the band's ceaseless series of pointless repack- aging. No other group in history has gotten so much mileage out of so little recorded music. Stacks of shod- dily assembled Who greatest hits The Who Live At Leeds MCA Take a Look Back at Bob Dylan Bob Dylan is the first punk rocker. If you don't believe us, take a look at D.A. Pennebaker's remarkable documentary, "Don't Look Back." Pennebaker followed Dylan as he toured England in 1965, right after he went electric. Sir Bob was at the height of his career, tearing people apart verbally and confounding everyone he came in contact with - he literally terrorized people with his mind. "Don't Look Back" is worth it alone for the scene between Dylan and Donovan, where Bob puts the well- Intentioned hipple in his place with a performance of "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue." See it at the Michigan tonight at 7 p.m. - tickets are only $5. They just don't make rock stars like this anymore. nkofa stirs emoti ons albums clog cut-out bins across the country - there have been at least five records that contain nearly iden- tical material released domestically, in addition to a handful of rarities albums that are nearly as repetitive as the hits albums. Theoretically, last year's box set, "Maximum R&B," was going to end all of the repackaging by providing a de- finitive portrait of the band. Instead, it sparked a new series of reissues (which may have been the result of the box being surprisingly haphazard in its ex- ecution - several tracks had new parts overdubbed or were assembled from a variety of sources, like the live "See Me Feel Me" and "A Quick One"). However, this series of reissues is different - for the first time, the Who and MCA are doing things right. Over the course of 1995, MCA will be reissuing the Who's catalog, restor- ing the original artwork, remastering the sound and adding a huge amount of bonus tracks to each disc. "Live At Leeds" is the first disc to be released in the series. Technically, "Live At Leeds" ful- fills all of the promises of the series. All of the artwork has been repro- duced in minature, with unpublished photos and newspaper clippings in- cluded with the extensive liner notes. Sonically, the disc is clear without losing the hyper-distorted power of the original album; thankfully, the bass and guitar remain panned on separate channels, which was one of the most distinctive features of the record. With the exception of "Tommy" and a brief jam on Willie Dixon's "Spoonful," all of the Who's performance is included on the 77- minute disc and all of the unreleased numbers are as strong as the original six tracks. Initially, it would seem like nothing went wrong in the repackaging and, technically, that's true. However, all the additional material has significantly altered the very feeling and impact of the original "Live At Leeds." In its original incarnation, "Live At Leeds" was generally acknowl- edged as one of the finest live rock albums ever released, mainly because of the pure sonic fury of the Who's performance. Before "Leeds," the Who were a completely different band live than they were in the studio; while they had recorded several tight, hard-rocking albums, as well as im- maculately crafted guitar-pop, they never had captured the undeniable explosiveness of their live show. Amazingly, "Live At Leeds" cap- tured that sonic fearlessness. What made it translate on record was the intense fury of the half-hour album; .- Roger Daltrey, captured right before he became an insufferable twit. the music went by so fast, it was hard to tell what hit you, even with the 15- minute "My Generation." Adding 40 minutes to "Live At Leeds" drasti- cally changes the character of the record. No longer is it a lethal blast - it's a structured, well-paced record that builds to a climax instead of giv- ing you nothing but climax. Of course, the additional music is surprisingly solid-especially the roar- ing mini-opera "A Quick One, While He's Away," the chiming "Tattoo" and the ferocious "I'm A Boy" -and it will certainly appeal to the devoted Who fan. In fact, it will only appeal to the devoted fan. Where the original "Live At Leeds" was an album for most ca- sual rock 'n' roll fans, the new version is only for the converted. Nevertheless, the high quality of the repackaging as- sures that the upcoming reissues of "Who's Next" and "The Who Sell Out" will be invaluable to any collection. By Fred Rice Daily Arts Writer "Sankofa" is powerful and poetic. It views slavery from the vantage of a slave, a perspective that Hollywood will probably never show you. The title, an Afkan word, literally trans- lates as "return to your roots to re- cover what you have lost and move forward." It's the film's crucial di- rective, a moral, for both the central character and the audience to abide by. But the director/writer/editor Haile Sankofa Directed by Haile Gerima with Oyafunmike Oguiano and Nick Medley At Michigan Theater Gerima never allows this didactic element to become preachy or over- bearing. For the most part, he subtly fuses this message into a gorgeous work of art. The film opens at Cape Coast Castle, once a departure for slave ships to America, but now a site visited by several white tourists and a fashion shoot. Mona, an African American model, is posing in a neon orange Tina Turner wig and a re- vealing bathing suit for a callous white photographer. While a bit excessive, the gist is that she's lost sense of her roots. Slavery still con- fines her through contemporary im- ages. A spooky old man sneaks up on her and orders her to return to her past, and she somehow magically transforms into a slave of the planta- tion era South. Most of movie takes place here, depicting the day to day life of slaves and witnessing how . countless brutalities gradually change her. Oyafunmike Oguiano's strong performance draws the audience into Mona's despair and pain, as well as her courage and hope when joining a rebellious group that will test her sense of morality; she's given the opportunity to kill her abusive owner, even though she believes killing is wrong. Her story is interposed with that of Joe, the head slave, who suffers from a tortured sense of identity. He has distanced himself from his people and his blue eyes and lighter skin have placed him in favor with the white priest. Nick Medley delicately throws his character into violent mood swings and balances them through his serene contemplation of church paintings of the Virgin. Indeed, many shots of contempla- tive faces help make "Sankofa" so visually striking. Gerima laces vari- ous scenes with simple close-ups of the field workers that express the weary sense of dignity, and perhaps a quiet rage, that the story is building to. Gerima also conveys that rage through beautiful use of color, from the red scarves of the rebellious slaves to the fields that they set ablaze. "Sankofa" is incredibly moving. Keep on digging the pop of the Dirt Eaters. By Heather Phares Daily Arts Editor Friday's show at the Blind Pig featured three of the finest local / dream-pop bands: The Dirt Eaters, Dirt Eaters Blind Pig March 31, 1995 Viola Peacock and Naming Mary. Viola Peacock's set was a trip into blissville, brought down to earth by the band's powerful drumming. Songs like "Gael," "Eating," "Colder" and "Angel" were all driven by ethereal, droning, repetitive guitar lines, ce- mented by understated bass lines and, of course, their kinetic drummer. While some of the songs went on too long and blended into each other, on the whole the set was tight, focused and entertaining. The Dirt Eaters' set was also very entertaining. A spin-off of the lo- cally-based, critically acclaimed ethe- real art-pop group His Name Is Alive, their sound is similar to that group, but noisier and more rock-oriented. They've recorded with His Name Is Alive on the group's last studio al- bum, 1993's "Mouth By Mouth," and have recently been gigging in the area to try out new material. Happily, their latest set was also their best. While at earlier gigs (like the 10-band bash at the Majestic Theater and their performance at WCBN's ben- efit bash) their new material seemed unfocused and inferior to theirprevious weird, poppy successes, this time around the Dirt Eaters and their music seemed entirely ready for their audience. Much of this has to do with the superior acoustics and sound system at the Blind Pig. At the other two shows, the band's vocalist, Karen Neal, seemed lost in the mix. But at this show her voice, a rather delicate instrument re- sembling Natalie Merchant's, was miked well,only improving hersinging on songs like "New Broken Jaw," "In Every Ford" and "Gospel." Melissa Elliot's guitar work was also impres- sive; again, the sound at the Pig made every intricate yet catchy riff and line that much more noticeable. Also interesting was the fact that the band's usual bassist was absent, with their normal guitarist and co- songwriter Warren Defever handling the low end. This instrumental switcheroo lent the band a sparser, stripped-down sound that was strik- ing in its simplicity. Musically, the new songs show a lot of potential. "New Broken Jaw" alternates between a quiet, forlorn verse and a chaotic, squalling chorus, "Bladder" combines some intriguing polyrhythms and angular guitar lines with Neal's fragile voice and many of the other songs like "Pigeon" and "Wyoming" blended these elements of beauty, harshness and strangeness into new forms of bent melody. The only problems with the show were that it didn't go on longer and that the band currently has no new record that they are promoting. However, word has it that the band may be putting something out soon. At any rate, keep an eye and an ear out for the Dirt Eaters; they're one of the best bands around the area. Goo Goo Dolls A Boy Named Goo Warner Brothers Every wonder what happened to good ol' rock 'n' roll? Well, rock 'n' roll supposedly moved to Buffalo, the home of the back-to-basics band, the Goo Goo Dolls. With their fifth re- lease, "A Boy Named Goo," the band returned to the studio to make an album replete with hooks, lines and more than a few sinkers. Taking their cue from the Ramones, the Goo Goo Dolls want music to return to the heyday of rock. Thus, their brand of "hardcore pop" was born. Firmly standing by the theory that there just isn't enough gut-wrenching, guitar- based rock in our "pure pop" world, the Goo's have taken it upon themselves to start a revolution, attempting to return us to the days of old R.E.M. and the Replacements. But, sadly, their latest attempt is pretty non-revolutionary. "Flat Top," seems merely to be stan- dard jangle pop - fun, but nothing really unique. "Name," one of the few slower songs on the album, is actually one of their best. You can hear the lyrics, and the fact that it's unhurried distinguishes it from the rest of the album, all of which sounds pretty much the same. Though the record is natural, this seems to come primarily from the fact that it sounds like someone just hit the record button while alocal band was banging away, then took the recording to the studio to polish it up. Not the kind of "natural" most bands are looking for. Even more disappointing is that the Goo Goo Dolls could not come up with enough of their own material. Instead, covers from the Lime Spiders and the Enemies arefound, bothofwhich surely sound better when done by the original songwriters. Overall, the Goo Goo Dolls have set out with high hopes, and left us with merely lower expectations for next time. - Lise Harwin Juicy For the Ladies Slow River Records Indie-pop goddesses that formed a band to spite their possessive boy- friends, Juicy are four women who play music that is as much influ- enced by riot grrl manifestos as it is by Pavement's melodies. Songs like "Rocketscientist," "Psycho Ex-Boy- friend," "Rocketboy" and "Fuck You I'm Cool" show that any boyfriend's silly behavior isn't nec- essarily the fault of any girl, or even the girl's problem. Oh yeah, and they rock too, in a low-fi sort of way. Sort of like the sitive feelings and home taping to glorious effect. Juicy are definitely a find; score one "For the Ladies." - Heather Phares Nick Drake Way to Blue: an Introduction Rykodisc Though he never found the fame he longed for while he was alive, Nick Drake, now over 20 years dead, is finally selling some records. Ev- ery year, he sells a few more as more are drawn to his breathtak- ingly beautiful and small body of work by the testimony of big names in the music business like J Mascis, Lucinda Williams and Dave Pirner. . Each of his three albums and a com- pilation of previously unreleased recordings are available now, along with a fine collection from all four discs entitled "Way to Blue" that serves as an excellent introduction to Drake's music, a folk-inflected blend of pop and poetry, beauty and sadness. Drake's recorded life is fairly evenly distributed on "Way to Blue." Five songs are taken from both his stunning debut, "Five Leaves Left" and his slightly overblown follow- up, "Bryter Layter," including the stunning "Cello Song," the brilliant "Time Has Told Me" and the abso- lutely amazingly beautiful "North- ern Sky." Four songs are included from Drake's troubled, introspec- tive and incredible third album, "Pink Moon." Though only two tracks are chosen from the posthu- mous compilation of rarities "Time of No Reply," both are 0' Pick The Taste America Loves.! Hot Pockets And Lean Pockets Are The Tasty Hot Meals In A Crispy Crust. 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