The Michigan Doily - Friday, August 2, 1985 - Page 9
Records
"political awareness" except that to the point of sterility. Knopfler -
Dire Straits - Brothers Knopfler remains too hazy and with notable assistance from
detached in his musings to really keyboardist Alan Clark, who helped
in Arms (Warner Bros.) make a firm commentary on him develop his melodic sense - has
anything. Three songs, "Across The been searching for his own sound with
If it hadn't been almost three years River," "The Man's Too Strong," and some measure of success, but even
since Dire Straits' last album, the "Brothers In Arms," all deal with the the more notable efforts - the
disappointment of their latest, subject of war, but all retread essen- cinematically styled lush
Brothers in Arms, might be a little tially the same ground with the same arrangements for Love Over Gold, the
easier to take. Anytime a songwriter mix of naivete and pretentious beautiful if tepid score for Local Hero
and his band take so lengthy a hiatus poeticism - I'm a soldier of for- - never really gelled.
between albums, there's cause for une, I'm a dog of war/ And we those effots, only watsred down con
conernharand whileMar Knofslot don't give a damn who the killing siderably, meticulously layered and
fulness in the interim - having scored is for/ It's the same old story with overdubbed with muted horns and
three films as well as produced albu- a different name/ Death or glory, ethereal synths into a mushy pop-
ms by Dob Dylan and Aztec Camera it's the killing game- to come up with impressionistic background that blurs
- it's pointedly obvious from his anything commendable. almost unnoticeably from song to
latest work that the one thing he's "Money For Nothing" is the only song. It's as if Knopfler, instead of
gone slack on during this time is the song where Knopfler stalks any new working the arrangements out with
songwriting. Maybe he just doesn't stylistic ground, and even here, his the band before hand, took thembasic
have anything else to say. character sketch of a blue collar
Knopfler's strongest hand was: bloke's encounter with rock video is remixing and rearranging them,
always with his fragilely phrased, an obvious copy of Randy Newman, droppng ina sax solo here to flesh out
tenderly bittersweet requiems to lost and reeks heavily of snide caricature. a boring section, a little twang-bar ef-
love, most notably in "Love Over I'm particularly bothered by cameofthe resra oestgsplaofclor
Gold," "Hand In Hand," and "Romeo vocalist Sting's constant singsong the e bein cul
and Juliet." Most of the material on chorus of I want my MTV proportioned, balanced, innocuous
the first side of Brothers is similarly throughout, because it seems an ob- abstract design, the aural equivalent
formulated. Formula is the key word, vious trick to enamor AOR program- of the kind of paintings you find
because even the best of these songs, mers, while lacking enough real hanging on a hotel room wall.
the opening "So Far Away" and "Why venom to risk offending video album, it's too carefully crafted and
Worry," are rendered unmemorable programmers.cmpeeynfesietbeha.t'
by their fluffy sentimentality and What probably hurts the album completely inoffensive to be that. It's
willfully popish arrangements, while most is its anorexic musical state, just, as its very best, merely
"Your Latest Trick" is a casebook which finds Straits' once-great pleasant background music, and at its
study in self-indulgent metaphor, with rhythm section stifled into playingw '
lines like: My Door was standing lazy, jazzified-muzak arrangements, - Byron L. Bull
open/Security was laid back and heavily doctored at the mixing board-ByoL.ul
lax/But it was only my heart got
broken/You must have had I
paskeYmade utofax. a GET CAUGHT IN THE FALL CRUNCH?
passkey mad out of wax. FI

Ray Charles performs tonight at Meadowbrook beginning at 8 p.m. Lawn
seating is still available for $12.50 through the Union ticket office and all
Ticketworld outlets.
lie genis-Ray Charles

R AY CHARLES is a musical
genius.
This is not a term to be bandied
about lightly. I have heard the term
applied to Barry Gibb of the BeeGees.
Barry Gibb is a highly successful
writer of mediocre songs. He has a
passable falsetto. He is not a musical
genius.
Ray Charles has performed in and
panded virtually every genre of
American popular music. He defies
classification. His recorded output in-
cludes jazz, country and western,
rock and roll, rhythm and blues, soul,
gospel...imagine what a challenge
this is for record store owners.
Yet when Ray Charles performs
live, the distinct genres, the disparate
sounds unite. While they maintain
their individuality, and membership
their respective genres, they
ecome part of a transcendant whole.
Two years ago Charles performed
at Hill Auditorium. The man was
transformed, transported by his
music. Rocking perilously every
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which-way on a flim
stool, he pounded an
the keyboard. His
emotion. It was like h
on his soul.
That was Ray Ch
night. I heard abou
where a crowd memb
request in the middle
stopped, and replied
terrs that he didn't c
wanted to hear, and
ned into a lecture on
expect from a perforr
Ray Charles perfoi
p.m. at the Mead(
Festival. Knowing th
the venue, and the pa
expect genius.

sy-looking piano
d pranced over
voice was his
having a window


arles on a good It's an old and cheap critical ac-
it a bad night, cusation to make of a writer that he's
er shouted out a only inspired when he's miserable,
of a song. Ra but it's worth noting that Knopfler
in no uncertain wrote histbest stuff when he had
are what the guy someone to kick around - the in-
the evening tur- famous Holly Vincent - and now he's
whatit is fair t- just repeating old routines without
wh it at any passion. The songs here come
mer. nigh across as mere exercises, or at best
w roo gMusic sketches, with the real heart and
e atmosphere of soul yet to be painted in.
tns itattractsThe other half of the album, in fact
trons itat the whole secondside, shows Knopfler
concerned with global matters,
- John Logie something that might be mislabeled

NO WAY!
We have GREAT EFFICIENCY 1 & 2 BEDROOM APART-
MENTS to lease for the Fall Season, close to CAMPUS, with
all the amenities: A/C, disposals, free parking. Room to
breathe! /'.

RALPH'S MARKET
709 Packard (Near State)
THIS WEEK'S SPECIALS
Haagen-Dazs
$1.99 a pint
Ground Beef
$12791lb.
American Cheese
$2.49 lb.
Hours: Sunday-Thursday 10:00 a.m. - 12:30 a.m.
Friday & Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.

Tiffany-Colony-Madison Apts.
736 PACKARD No. 100
665-2194