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6 • The Red and Black • Friday, January 19, 1990
A&E
Pinkard and Bowden’s comedy
is no rib-tickler, fails on own merit
"Pinkard and Bouden Live” by
Pm hard and Bowden on Warner
Brothers records.
By JEFF WOHL
Contributing Writer
Comedy records aren’t
usunlly a gtxxl purchase. The
humor that was funny once
dwsn’t hold up after repeated
playing. One exception is some
stuff Bill Cosby did in the late
60s and early 70s.
In the same vein, live records
aren’t usually a good buy, be
cause the sound quality at con
certs is not as good as the
original recording, and you miss
the visual effects of the show.
Again there are exceptions:
‘‘Frnmpton Comes Alive,” by
Peter Frampton and “Live
Bullet,” by Bob Seger and the
Silver Bullet Band.
But l>eyond all that, "Pinkard
■ ALBUM REVIEW
and Bowden Live” fails on its
own merits.
In 1984, they had a minor
success with “Where’s the
Dress?” -a song that combined
the Boy George craze with Clara
Peller’s "Where’s the beef?”
But the song that jumps off
the label and encourages you to
try P&B out is “Jim and Eddie
(Purple Haze/Green Acres).”
A few years ago I heard an
Athens band named Evil Casey
Kasem and the Cracked Zild-
jians play a version that was
outstanding. If you missed it
you really missed an event. The
P&B version is only the first few
lines and isn’t that funny or
good.
Some of the better songs on
the tape are parodies of country
songs: “I was a Froggy” takes
the tune of ‘The Highwayman"
from the standpoint of a frog
and Kris KristofTerson’s “For
the (kx>d Times” becomes “For
the Good Dogs."
‘The Ballad of Dick and Jane’
is funny because of the common
slang for the male appendage.
However it’s so oovious it
could’ve been written by two
witty third graders.
"Libyan on a Jet Plane” is
only funny as a title. It’s sung to
the tune of "(I’m) Leaving on a
Jet Plane.”
It’s live. It’s comedy. It’s not
real g<x>d.
Mnybe it’ll be six years before
they release another tape.
-Jeff Wohl
“Pure,” an album to acquire
for upbeat pop, first-rate vocals
By COLEEN BROOKS
Entertainment Writer
■ ALBUM REVIEW
The Primitives’ “Pure” (RCA),
their latest release, is truly a thing
is the follow-up to the
band’s 1988 album "Lovely," and it
continues to showcase the Primi
tives’ brand of upbeat, danceable
pop. But while their sound remains
basically the same, the band has
undergone some changes in the
last two years. The lineup changed
with the addition of a new bass
player, yet the biggest change of all
is in the appearance of the band’s
lead vocalist, Tracy.
Tracy has thrown out her bubble
gum pop-image of snow white
bleached hair and vampy red lip
stick and replaced it with a more
mature look of red-brown hair and
more natural makeup. This change
to a more grown-up image is re
flected in the added maturity in
this album’s lyrics, and the growth
of beauty
"Pure”
Tracy had undergone as a singer.
Her sweet, crystal-clear voice is
better than ever on “Pure.”
"Pure” has two distinctly dif
ferent sides. The songs on side one
are slower and more mellow than
the ones on the flip side. The album
begins with “Outside", an incred
ible song in which Tracy’s breathy
vocals really shine. No credit is
given in the liner notes to the male
vocalist who does “All the Way
Down” and “Shine," but the sharp
contrast between his dark vocals
and Tracy’s lighter ones is star
tling. Each voice compliments the
other.
Side two is a collection of un
ashamedly dance-oriented songs.
Every song on this side is upbeat
and positive. One song, "Secrets,”
has already been released in the
states and MTV is giving it lots of
airplay. All of the songs on side two
are wonderful, but “Way Behind
Me” and “Never Tell" are two of the
best.
In case no one has noticed the
emphasis yet, I think that Tracy’s
voice is one of the most out
standing things about The Primi
tives. Their music is great, with its
heavy guitars and bass, but it’s
Tracy’s vocals alone that make
every song perfect. Her voice is one
of an ever-maturing little girl,
beautiful in its simplicity and
ringing with emotion.
Some may charge that “Pure” is
lightweight pop, and it may well
be. But if so, lightweight pop has
never been done quite as well or
with as much style. With its combi
nation of slick pop tunes and
Tracy’s unique vocal stamp, “Pure”
is definitely an album to add to
your collection.
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University 'Sysiefn 01 Georyui
International Intercultural.Studies Proyram
STUDY ABROAD
EARN ACADEMIC CREDIT
A Representative from the Universi
ty System of Georgia's International
Intercultural Studies Program will be
on campus to talk to interested stu
dents about a variety of opportuni
ties to study abroad in Western and
Eastern Europe, the Middle East,
and the Americas.
Monday, January 22 1PM-4PM
Room 144 at the Tate Center
For more info., please call the ISP
office at 542-1557.
U.S.S.R. CANADA
Gangster hopes airplay
By MICHAEL PISANI
■ INTERVIEW
Gangster can be heard on 96 Rock’s
Peach Jam this Sunday at 9p.m.
Derrick Nunnally and Del Smith
have been involved in the Athens
music scene for more than 13 years
and are trying to break out with
their band Gangster.
One could reasonably proclaim
themself an area music expert if
one can recall that they originated
in 1977 with members Nunnally,
Danny Bell, John Gibbs, Joe Dead-
wyler, and were fronted by Michael
Stipe.
Gangster is not your average
Athens fare in that they could be
| classified in the hard rock-heavy
metal category.
When osked to describe their
sound Nunnally said,“We really
have more of an international
guitar sound than a local sound.”
Gangster’s self-titled EP (ex
tended play) was released at the
first of this year and contains four
songs. Guitarist Nunnally writes
the music, while vocalist Smith
supplies the lyrics.
“Please Don’t Break My Heart,”
a song off the EP, was featured on
96 Rock’s Peach Jam, which fea
tures Georgia recording artists ex
clusively. The initial airing of the
song generated interest from host
Blake Watson who felt theydid not
sound like a typical Athens band.
Nunnallv hopes that Sunday’s
show and tne release of the EP will
generate interest from record la
bels.
“Last time we were on Peach
Jam, we received praise for our
songwriting abilities, so we are
hoping for some label response this
time,” he said.
As for long term goals, Nunnallv
said "I would love to make enougn
money playing music to live on, it’s
what I love to do."
Gangster’s EP on Metal Blue Re
cords is available at both Down
town and Wuxtry record stores.
brings local support
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