ARTS
Friday, May 17, 1985
4
Page 10
Mixed crowd gets happy
concert Wednesday at Hill. Featuring can play them at this point in time.
By Dennis Harvey Gary Lewis and Playboys, the Grass The Happy Together '85 tour at Hill
Roots, the Buckinghams and the Tur- never achieved the hoped-for tran-
ne goes to concerts by middle- tIles, the evening was a cozy trip back scendance, the moment when those
aged performers who haven't through the goldmine of '60s pop 20 years disappeared into thin air -
had a hit since their golden days at classics by a few groups who were but how much can one reasonably ex-
least 15 years ago for any of several never considered much more than pect? Even at its knee-jerk worst
reasons: decent singles bands. Now, in the when a band lamely cranked out a
A) Genuine nostalgia - i.e. you flush of '60s pop revivalism, they're pale shadow of a top-40 classic, there
were really conscious and out there affectionately remembered for the was still something interesting going
buying 45s and saying "God I love fact that they racked up more of those on. None of these bands was ever
this song" when the hits originally incandescent bubblegum singles than reknowned (aside from possibly the
came out. practically any bands this side of the Turtles) for having very strong
B) Wannabee nostalgia - you were Beatles and the Monkees. collective or individual personalities
just drooling in your crib or maybe not The night was, certainly, crammed - they were just solid, high-selling,
even that when the tunes came out with a What's What of pop greats, the low-visibility chart journeymen - but
but in any case you like them now and kind of three-minute classics "they there's a communicative exhileration
resent the fact that an accident of just don't make any more." (Only if in their still being a on stage, man.
time prevented you from having the you've been listening to the dH's, the Gary Lewis and the Playboys are a
first excuse. Three O'Clock or any of at least a fuzzy name in the memory, a "yeah,
dozen newer bands in the same what was their hit?" sort of thing.
C) It's a date night, and you know tradition, you'd know that they do. Their short opening set explained this
that going to these concerts is about And that's basically what we want - they never did anything all that Sixties pop stars The Buckingh
as inoffensively effective as a make- from this sort of affair - just the much worth remembering. The great act in their performance Thursi
out warmup as, say, going to the vicarious thrill of hearing those song (and they know it) was "This of the Happy Together Tour.
latestNeilSimonmovie. sacred golden oldies done by the Diamond Ring," their first record and been together since this Janu
There seemed to be about an equal people who did them in the first place, a million-seller in 1965. though in one form or another the
distribution of motivations among the no matter how they (and we) have The Grass Roots are a different tough inoes an othr the:
audience at the Happy Together 1984 aged, no matter even how well they deal. Their greatest hits collection toured incessantly through the
(in whatever form you find it) is a decade. All sporting suits, ties,
California Institute of the Arts priceless catalogue of American radio looked like the epitome of High Sc
announces the creation of a pop from the mid '60s to the very early Yearbook/Polite Bar Hand Circa I
three-year M.F.A. degree program in '70s. You're forgiven if you may con- the Roots at Hill delivered per
DIRECTING FOR THEATRE, fuse the authorship of their songs with ctory versions of some of the grea
other bands, because in the years of earcandy pieces ever, from "So
TELEVISION & CINEMA their mass popularity the Roots were or Later," to the neglected pop cla
a perfect Rorschach of radio's "Things I Should Have Said," "T
Each year up to six For iformation on admission passage from the Beatlesque boypop ptstion Eyes," "I Could Waits Mi
students will be admitted qirements and application sound of the Turtles and Zombies to Years," and the all-tiime exhilera
to the program with the Office of Admissions, CalArts, the mellower, vaguely countrified king "Midnight Confession." Bey
initial class to start in 24700 McBean Parkway, chart singles of Three Dog Night and a fine sweeping guitar solo f
September, 1985. Valencia, California 91355 or America. Dusty Havey during "Live
call (805) 255-1050. The new Grass Roots have only Today," the focus was always
The Michigan Daily
at Hui
4
4
- ' -. - o v , - - l r
ams managed to be more than a nostalgia
day night at Hill Auditorium as one fourth
ary, original member Rob Grill, who was 4
y've in OK voice but seemed to be on
last something or other. Maybe bands like
and the Grass Roots were always this
that good-but-not-great as live acts - the
hool features a dynamic female singer,
974, Laurie Beebe - a big change from
fun- their original all-boy five-piece - as
test well as original members Carl
oner Giammarese and Nick Fortuna.
assic Their set wasn't extraordinary but
'em- their enthusiasm stood out; you could
lion tell they were itching to cut out the
tion oldies and just play new material.
yond Hence, "Kind of a Drag" was played
rom nicley though without much ex-
for citement - it's such a great song that
on See HAPPINESS, Pagel]
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