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PAGE 4-THE CLUSTER, MAY M, 19H
Album Review
The Song Retains The Name
By RHETT THOMAS
It’s been a long time since Led
Zeppelin took the stage, and since
thar'breakup in 1980, many bands
have tried to take their place. The
Cult, the Mission U.K..
Whitesnake and Kingdom Come
have all had varied degrees of suc
cess when attempting to “become”
the next Led Zeppelin. While they
all side riffs, drum parts, and even
lyrics, these bands never went all
the way to remake a Zeppelin song
(possibly out of fear of embarrass
ing themselves with a poor
interpretation.)
There is a small independent
record label in California,
however, that has attempted the un
thinkable: they have produced an
entire album of Led Zeppelin
covers. Mad Rover Records has
released the album cover states,
“contains eleven struggling young
bands interpreting some of Led
Zep’s most bitch in' tunes.”
For you purists who can’t take a
joke, this album might not be for
you. Quite a few songs poke fun at
Plant, Page. Jones, and Bonham,
and if you are a weak at heart Zep
diehard, listening to The Song Re
tains the Name will send you cry
ing back to your Zcppel in
collection.
Imagine, if you will, a rap ver
sion of “Black Dog.” replete with
sampled Page solos and obnoxious
chanting. Covered by The Royal
Mixers, it’s a pretty funny re
examination of the tired old
warfaorse. especially when they
toss in a few “Yeah boy-ee’s!”
Also on the lighter side is “Liv
ing Loving Maid,” by Rich
Hardesty and the Del-Rays, which
sounds like a surf-punk -Elvis
Presley impersonator reinterpreta
tion. “Good Times. Bad Times”
by the Dalai Lamas and “Four
Sticks” by the Earwigs (which is
propelled by a hilarious sax. line)
also receive an irreverent but gen
tle treatment.
“Down By the Seaside” by the
Flying Boats, on the other hand, is
considerably more downcast and
serious in tone than the original.
Dark and brooding, thL track
comes closest to actually
duplicating the Zeppelin sound,
although sounding nothing like the
original. This is easily the best
track on the album.
“In the Evening” gets a strong
treatment by Twice Shy. although
it seems they could have been a bit
more creative. A group known as
the Fool Killers cover “No
Quarter,'' and they do quite a nice
job, turning in a tough and riveting .
tune. “Immigrant Song" by Head-
face is the absolute worst. It is a
serious attempt, so one can’t say
they were being irreverent when
they turned this song into a heav
ing mass of organic slime, There
is no excuse for the poor musician-
ship and godawful singing this
“band” possesses. (The only bad
song on the album, however.)
Movie review
The Now Classic Harvey
By MARK H. ROSEN
If you have had the opportunity
to see Field of Dreams. You rtdty
recall a scene where Kevin Costner
shuts the television off that his
daughter is watching. We are only
able to sec a scene where Jimmy
Stewart ts discussing a giant rabbit
before Costner berates the man by
calling him “sick.” The film that
was playing on television is the
now-classic Harvey (1950), which
is about to be released on video for
the first time. Based on a play by
Mary Chase, the Film spins the
whimsical tale of tippler Elwood P.
Dowd and his six foot invisible rab
bit companion. Dowd firmly
believes that the rabbit exists even
though people cannot see anything
Everyday. Dowd swings into his
local pub for drinks. He is friend
ly and courteous to everyone as he
walks with his friend. His older
sister, played to the hill by
Josephine Hull, is so embarrassed
that she tries to get rid of him for
her daughter's "coming out” social
tea. When he returns and in
troduces everyone to his friend.
Hull becomes the laughing stock.
Dowd's sister has no choice but to
commit him to a sanitarium.
Jimmy Stewart gives his mow ef
fective performance by actually
making the audience believe that
-Harvey exists. Dowd poses ab
solutely no threat to society yet he
is consisteruj^Tookfcd at as crazy
and in mu of confinement. The
humor in this gentle comedy is wat
ching everybody cringe in the
presence of a very nice man and his
rabbit. What is very important is
the ostensible purpose of the film.
That purpose questions whether so
meone is mentally ill or not based
on how they perceive the world
around them. Because Dowd is so
kind, should his family, as well as
society, be worried that he pals
arounnd with a six-foot rabbit. If
you look at the film the way I did.
you will not find anything wrong
with Dowd. It is also possible that
some people will actually SEE
Harvey. Dial was the case with the
hospital coordinator in the film.
Henry Koster directs with a steady
hand. Many scenes take a natural
setting, and Dowd will recognize
Harvey as the cause. For example,
when Dowd notices a swinging
chair moving, he calls for Harvey
to get up and follow him. One issue
that the film takes a little too light
ly is Dowd's alcoholism. One
could spend days justifying
Harvey’s appearance as simply a
drunken delusion. Dowd asserts
that it U Harvey that suggests they
go get a ’pop. ”
Whatever stance you choose, you
cannoot deny that Harvey is a
classic comedy. Stewart is so sub
dued. you may not even recognize
him. Hull won*5n Oscar for her
supporting role as Dowd's worried
sister. A classic scene involves her
getting mixed up as the patient
when she tries to commit her
brother. Jesse White, best known
as the lonely Maytag repair man.
makes his feature film appearance
The film proceeds effortlessly even
though the utic character ts basicaiy
non-existent. Look for it on video
in May
All in all. this is a nice little
curiosity for Led Zeppelin fans. It’s
alwqys nice to hear cover versions
of songs, for it opens up aspects
one might not have heard in the
original. If you've never heard an>
Zeppelin stuff, this is not the place
to start. These songs might retain
the name, but not the style.
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