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f riday, jsnusry 23, 1977
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S' ii-ovonie Stewon1 s music remains consisveov
Revfew by Michsd Zsngiri
Considering the time it was released, an eight minute
song about Polish partisans and the Invasion of Russia that
you couldn't dance to, could hardly hum along with and
had nothing to do with meeting, keeping, loving or losing
a lady, was as unlikely a hit as possible .
Yet there it was, "Roads to Moscow, highly literate,
emotionally intense, tastefully done with a great deal of
depth, and as mysterious as the mm behind it. .
The man was Al Stewart an English folk artist who
quickly became a cult favorite with his first American
album, Past Present, and Future, came back strong with
his second, Modem Times, and is currently riding high on
the charts with his Year of the Cat LP.
However, Stewart like so many recently discovered
artists, is not exactly a new comer to the industry. He has
four' previous albums, dating back to Bedsitter Images
(1967) all available as imports.
Stewart's music has remained consistent through the
years. Although the time span between the imports and
domestic albums is fairly large, there are no songs that
would be out of place transposed to other, more recent
albums.
out on the weekend
Sheldon Art Gallery Continuing exhibits
. Poets reading at 3 p m. Sunday (Gallery).
Paintings from Sales-Rental Gallery (Art Shop).
Arthur B. Da vies, Painting, Prints and Drawings.
Photographs by Christopher James.
Faculty exhibition. ,..
Film and TV
Foreign Film: The Nonconformist, 7 and 9 pjn.
Sunday.
Sheldon Film Theatre: loose Ends 3, 7, and 9 pjn.
Saturday.
ABC TV Roots Friday-Saturday
Union Program Council
Walpurgisnacht-all night-Nebraska Union, Friday.
Warrington Colescott-Artist in residence, prints, Neb
raska Union Lounge, Friday,
Lincoln Community Playhouse
The Me Nobody Knows, 8 pjn. Friday-Sunday and
2 p.m. Sunday.
Musk
McCoy Tyner, jazz pianist, Nebraska Wesleyan Univer
sity, 8 pjn. Sunday. , " : , ; .
Al StewartAVendy Waldman concert, Pershing Audi
torium, 8 pjn. Sunday.
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Stewart's vocals merit a completely separate discussion.'
His gentle accent and careful phrasing are certainly
among the most interesting being done. However,
Stewart's real power lies in his lyrical poetry, which often
has no rival in a time when lyrical de-emphasis and
bumping booties are the rules rather than the exceptions.
From ihe beginning, Stewart's best materials have been
first person narratives, although a real historical insight
has been shown in recent releases. (
. Stewart's early albums are no exception. Although
rawer, they have the additional benefit of being more per
sonal. -
The title track from the import album Love Chronicles
is just that-a chronicle of first love through infatuations
break-ups, physical encounters and finally the last affair
that just might last. It is a monumental effort, taking
nearly a side of the album.
It moves through it's several phases in much the same
way the Gordon Light foot classic 'Canadian Railroad
Trilogy " does and ends with as much power.
A surprisingly restrained Jimmy Page, adds the lead
guitar on this track with very nice results.
. Love Chronicles is a strong LP with two other standout
cuts on ihe flip side. Vld Compton Street Blues," a
sympathetic song about a young girls eventual drift into
prostitution, and 77ie Ballad of Mary Foster" a song
dealing with a trapped existance of a house wife.
Orange, another import is similarly strong. "News from
Spain " is about the disbelief accompanying a love break
up with a curious notation at the bottom of the lyrics
saying "Sadly you can't choose the people you fall in love
with".
The album standout, however, is Vv&Af of May 4th"
"Night" is another Stewart epic. It also deals with the
strain of a relationship. In it the couple have reached an
impasse, and tensions at a party cause them to "almost
dare" each other to go off with another partner for the
evening.
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It ends with the Stewart-male taking another woman
home and the woman spending the night with' another
guy. The results are emotional and strikingly realistic.
Stewart makes interesting comments about the illusion of
freedom and emotional detachment. It is very draining.
Rick Wakeman docs the organ parts on the album, and
again the results are subdued and very tasteful.
The remaining two albums, Zero She Flies and Bed-
Folk artists Al Stewart and Wendy Walden will
be appearing in concert at Lincoln's Pershing
Municipal Auditorium Sunday at 8 p.m.
The concert, produced by Lincoln Radio station
KFMQ, will be Stewart's first Lincoln visit.
Tickets are $5.00 and $6.00 day of the show.
sitter-Images are strong, although the latter's use of over
orchestration is often distracting.
Zero She Flies, however, contains an offbeat
adaptation of a poem by Pete Morgan called "My Enemies
Have Sweet Voices".
It is contained in an irresistable funky acoustic blues
complete with a fine and powerful harp part and some
scat rhythm in the background.
Bedsitter Images is consistently good. No power cuts
dominate, although "Manuscripts" is close.
The imports also showcase Stewart's considerable
acoustic guitar talents with one and sometimes two in
strumental tracts per album. It leaves you wishing that his
American albums would include similar tracts.
Stewart, who calls Bob Dylan his last idol, has reached
a point where he stands alone. He is the only exciting
thing to happen in folk music in the last Ave years.
Hopefully, he will continue to carry that heavy crown
in the coming years. "..
T&ks socli in America.
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