About The Red and Black (Athens, Ga.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 1979)
Page h The Ked and Black. Tuesday, May I. 1979 MinirtvieWs Ralph McTell Ralph McTell Live Fantasy By ROBERT HOLLAND Staff writer Ralph McTell Live is an album infused with a great combination of warmth, hu mor and passion that makes it instantly likeable McTell is a gifted songwriter who can sing of his first childhood love one moment, and switch the next to the secret world of a distrubed child, doing each equally convincingly. By BOBBY BYRD Assistant campus editor everybody knows by now. we live in a rock and roll wasteland Top 40 has ceased to be a force in the marketplace, and nobody does the joyous, bouncy stuff that we grew up listening to. Well, almost nobody The Rubinoos harken back to the days when LBJ was presi dent. the Green Bay Packers were dominating the Super Bowl and you could stand to turn up the AM radio in the Mustang The kind of music the Rubinoos do used to be called bubblegum, but in retrospect, that isn't necessarily a derisive term Back To The Drawing Board! is the second album from the Rubinoos. an obscure band of four clean- His self-deprecating wit endears him to the listener in songs such as “Sweet Mys tery." his wistful wish to be able to “do it right just once with the ladies “ McTell deals with more than one American folk hero including “Zimmerman Blues' and “When I Was a Cowboy," a fond tribute to that American movie idol The Rubinoos Back to the Drawing Board! Beserkley Records looking types from California blessed with a sense of humor and a feel for good rock and roll. The 11 songs included here are anthems all—paeans to the wonders of teenage love. The effect is delightful-the songs may be silly on the surface, but they’re so damned much fun that it doesn't matter The titles alone can give you an indication of what lies within: "Fallin In Love.” “Promise Me." "1, 2, 3 For ever "...you get the idea It's young romance we're talking about here, and it’s serious business The LP’s undisputed high light is "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend,’’ a song with obvious lyrics and a wonder ful melody. The message is, of course, pretentious, but it all works on the strength of BSBSaSBB The most memorable songs, though, are the quietly touching tales of sadness “Michael In The Garden” and “Streets ol London"—in which McTell paints his most vivid character images McTell* production of his studio albums have always been relatively sparse, with as little accompaniment as possible But on the live album, McTell is the sole player on guitar and occa sionally piano, and he proves to be an excellent musician His guitar work is perfectly suited to his songs, weaving intricate patterns around the lyrics, always for the proper effect. He also shows off his ability on brief instrumentals such as "Waltzing Matilda" which he threw in as a final encore for an appreciative crowd demanding one more. • • • • • Jon Rubin's boy-next-door harmonies and Tommy Dun bar's crisp, singing guitar But there isn't really a weak cut on the album. The whole thing pervaded with a happiness and a spirit that you'll find from no other new artists these days. The opening verse from Bovfriend” is indicative of that spirit. "Am I just imagining—Or do you really have a thing—For me. like I think I see when I see you smile—And the smile's for me?—I gotta tell you—Hey! You! I wanna be your boy friend!..." It isn’t always easy to get away with stuff like that, but these guys do it with ease Their music sounds, if comparisons are necessary, like a cross between the early Beatles and the Raspberries In short, it’s great rock and roll The value of the Rubinoos is that they remind us of the time when Top 40 music had, at least, some feeling to it. The band tore the house apart in Atlanta two months ago opening for Elvis Costel lo, and for good reason. The power of rock and roll isn’t dead—you just have to look a little harder to find it. The Rubinoos are worth taking a chance on. saves Collins’ Fox concert B\ C ATHY M. LEWIS Executive editor The house was filled to capacity with fans of the pretty blue-eyed lady with the ex pressive voice, but without the help ot the lighting man it would have been just another concert Saturday night when Judy Collins played at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta Backed by a finely orches trated band. Collins put the acoustical quality of the theatre to good use as her voice climbed up and down the musical scale: an entertaining feat considering the over powering arrangements and her poor choice of songs at the beginning of the first set. With one exception—Arlo Gurthrie’s classic "City of New Orleans" which she opened with—the arrangements were too commercially accurate to involve the audience to any extent. But when the band left the stage and Collins stepped to the piano, the singer brought the first six rows to its feet with the wistful “My Father" which she wrote and recorded in 1968 as a tribute to her father. She lost them again, how ever, when she followed with a sing-song version of the Eagles’ “Desperado." Her fans waited patiently for Collins to finish the rendition that was more than pale compared to the gutsy version recorded bv Linda Ronstadt. When Collins came back for the second set in a sexy red dress that set the cameras clicking near the stage, the lighting man decided it was time to put the audience firmly in his boss’ hands And he did it in fine style After opening with McCart ney and Lennon’s “In My Life" and a robust folk song from her protest days, the lights went down and Collins broke into "Starmaker." a song from her new album Three beam lights from the ceiling put a halo around the singer's head and she seemed to float above the stage Combined with the superb quality of her voice, the effect was absolutely awe-inspiring Onstage As the song ended the lighting man pulled one light at a time from Collins’ face and her voice followed his lead until all that was left was a fading echo on the dark stage. No one moved for seconds after the song was over and by the time the audience came out of its trance, Collins had begun “Send in the Clowns.” She received her second standing ovation of the evening and this time the whole theater joined in. She kept the audience with her through the folksy and haunting narrative of “Pretty Polly" followed by the title cut from her new album. "A Hard Time for Lovers ’’ When she left the stage the audience begged her back for an encore They still weren t satisfied after another song but after two bows they gave up and filed, disappointed but content, out of the theatre. Despite a long history of entertaining, beginning with the days when she was pushed on stage behind her father. Collins biggest fault is. surprisingly enough, an inabil ity to talk with the audience She was barely able to get through the introduction of her band Saturday, and the breaks between songs were mere announcements of the next number. But the lack of conversation, which seems to takeaway from her personableness and stage presence, didn’t seem to bother the audience at the Fox For those who have loved her strong soprano since her activist travelings in the sixties, her performance was enough. Haven’s versatile performance pleases crowd By JOHN BAILEY Powerful, rhythmic guitar strumming and gentle ballads characterized Richie Havens’ performance Saturday night at the Capri Theatre in Atlanta Havens, best known for his performance at the Woodstock and Isle of Wight concerts, is one of the most distinctive performers in modem music. His throaty singing style and particular kind of guitar work are not only easily recogniz able, but equally effective on both his own music and his renditions of other performers' songs During Havens' two set performance Saturday night, he switched back and forth between his own works and sensitive interpretations of songs by such artists as James Taylor, Fleetwood Mac, The Beatles and Dylan Havens opened the first set with his own "On Our Way Down.” He then surprised many by going to the piano to play his lovely ballad, “Edu cated Bv Ourselves " Also included in the first set were two of Havens classic works. "Here Comes the Sun" and "Freedom.” Havens’ own work, "Freedom." is his battlecry to keep fighting until the final victory is won After intermisison. Havens took the stage again and started his second set doing primarily other artists' works He performed an upbeat version of Van Morrison's "Tupelo Honey." then went into a soft, mellow rendition of Dylan's “Just Like A Woman " Havens is at his best, however, on songs where he can flail away at his guitar with violent rhythms and let his voice express anger and pain. He displayed this talent on “Handsome Johnny.” Ha vens’ blistering attack on the senselessness of war. The crowd responded with an enthusiasm that remained at a high level through the rest of the set. especially Havens’ lament for youth. "Younger Men Grow Old." When Havens left the stage, the crowd immediately set up a chant for him to return and sing “Freedom" once more When Havens complied with the crowd’s wish, a mass rush began towards the stage. The crowd was not willing to finish when Havens ended the song, and they continued to sing “Freedom" for 15 minutes after Havens was finished Though it was 2 a m. by the end of the show, the crowd seemed disappointed when Havens would go on no longer You can help this dog. His roommate graduates this quarter. He’s going home for the summer but wants to keep his house for fall quarter. He will also need a new roomie for fall... and a new place if he can’t find the right person to sublet for summer. You can tell him about the UGA Housing Guide, summer/fall ’79! May 22 and 23 the Red and Black will distribute 10,000 housing guides along with our regular papers. The UGA Housing Guide will contain ads from students and landlords with information on housing availabilities or situations wanted for both summer and fall quarters. 3,000 extra copies will be available during the summer at orientation and the Red and Black offices. If you need housing help for summer or fall this is the place to find it. To get your ad in this issue, you can pick up order forms at room 309 Journalism or 698 South Milledge, or look in the Red and Black in the next two weeks for handy clip-out mail-in blanks. DEADLINE: All ads must be in by 5:00 pm, Friday, May 18,1979. COSTS: *3.00 for an ad this size (maximum 50 words) ADDITIONAL INFO: Contact Ed Stamper, 543-3414. UGA ‘Housing Guides Summer/Fall 79 THE place to find space. SUMMER SUBLET! Just a couple of craiy guys looking to give someone a great deal 4 BR, ac, dishwasher, disposal, balcony. Just 2 blocks from campus S42-34I4
