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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 8, 1980)
tuesday, sprit 8, 1930 daily nebraskan page 9 Commander Cody keeps bar-band sound kicking By Michael Zangari Commander Cody and I lis Lost Planet Airmen are cardboard characters from a 1950s sci-fi flick. The band that reverently wore their name through sleazy bars and half-filled concert halls several years ago drifted off into space, leaving a string of uneven albums and the lone Commander at the helm of a band of marauders which once included Nicolette Larson. In its prime, the band churned out hot boogie woogie, country swing and rockabilly that was unfettered by con temporary community standards. Raw and loose, Cody and crew kept a bar-band tradition alive when slickness was beginning to be a by-word for success in the music business. Above all, Cody was fun and unpredictable, and what eventually killed the band was a series of producers who tried to wrestle them down into a form-fitting country-rock girdle. "It just wasn't any fun anymore, George Frayne (Commander Cody) said in a Lincoln interview several years ago. lie didn't need to speak, though; the last three albums spoke louder than he did. Fine moments Although consummate Cody performances are all live, the early studio albums have some fine moments. Country Casanova and Hot Licks, Cold Steel and Tucker's Favor ites move a little too far into country swing for me, and are somewhat uneven at ihzt.Lost In The Ozone, however, maintains a balance of material containing some of the band's best songs. Ozone contains their one bonafide hit recording, the golden nugget "Hot Rod Lincoln'. Frayne's rare sing-talk style surfaces at its best over a rockabilly boogie guitar and a host of special pedal steel effects that are real enough to make you puU over if it happens to come over the radio while you're driving home from, Grandmother's. "Coin Back to Tennessee" and "Annie's Been Working on the Midnight Shift round out the rocking numbers with simple but infectious beats and fine vocals. Of the ballads, "Seeds and Stems (Again) tells the tragic story of a man down on his luck. lie's lost his dog and his girl, and the finance company has repossessed his Symposiums to focus on world policy The world of international politics will come to Nebraska this week as two major symposiums will take place in the Lincoln area. The UNL Department of Political Science is sponsoring the Hendricks Symposium on "U.S. International Econo mic Policy In An Age of Scarcity" on Thursday and Friday at the Lincoln Hilton Hotel. Also on Thursday and Friday Doane College is holding the "Mid-America Arab World Symposium." David Rapkin, assistant professor of political science, said 16 of Ihe top political science scholars in the United States will discuss the United States' money, food, energy and commodity policies at the symposium. On Thursday at 9:15 a jn. a panel will discuss "Alter native Models of International Economic Policy and the World State System." Discussed at 1 pjn. will be "U.S. International Policy and the World State System." At 3:15 pjn. "The Global Energy Crisis and U.S. Policy" is scheduled'.T-''fe-l',M, ' On Friday at 9:30. ajn., a panel will discuss "U.S. Policy Responses to Challenges from the Third World." The Mid-America Arab World Symposium will be high lighted by a talk by Sheikh Faisal Alhegelan, the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the lnited States. He will speak at 8 pjn. on Thursday at Doane College in Crete. Also on Thursday, Doug Edwards of CBS News will speak at a noon luncheon at Doane. The Arab symposium will move to Lincoln Friday for an open forum at Sheldon Art Gallery at 10:30 am. Parti cipating in the forum will be Edwards, L. Dean Brown, former U.S. ambassador to Jordan, and Clovis Maksoud, the ambassador to the United Nations from the League of Arab States. Dick Kimbrough, Doane College director of communi cations, said that several representatives of oil corpora tions and agricultural groups will be at the symposium. Young will speak Friday during Honors Convocation UNL's top scholars will be honored at the 52nd annual Honors Convocation at 10:30 am. Friday, April 11, in the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Chancellor Roy A. Young will speak. About 2,500 students will be honored for outstanding academic achievement and 19 faculty members will be recognized for distinguished teaching. A reception will precede the convocation at 9 am. in the sports center. w Classes on City Campus will be dismissed from 10-noon so that students may attend the convocation. East Cam pus classes from 10:30 am. to 12:30 pm. will not meet. where can you save lotsa $$$ every Tuesday? Right here in the Dailv Nebra skan. Our Every Tuesday Coupon Page will save you money all over Lincoln. Tuesday in the Daily Nebraskan. ri a j USA (i j j L UNL Students-Cape Kanncdy ' T" We'll Give You a New Perspective on Things. You'll get a new view of exciting careers in Air Force ROTC. Benefits include: excellent salary, advanced education opportunities, worldwide assignments, 30 days paid vacation a year, medical and dental care, , plus much more. ; For information, contact:. Lt CoL Tom SMnncr. Rm.203f.lN Bldj. 472-2473 y home. If that's not enough (as the chorus sadly laments), he's "down to seeds and stems again, too. "Lost In The Ozone Again, which opens side two, is a Panama Reddish uptempo ramble that should be a theme song for the bar hopping crowd. Boogie woogie The real highlight of the album, though, is when the Commander lets loose on a piano boogie woogie called "Beat Me Daddy Eight to the Bar.' Frayne is one of the finer boogie pianists in the business and he pushes the song to its logical extremes. If all this weren't enough, the cover of the album is a classic bit of hippie-dippie memorabilia. Of the live LP's, Live From Deep In the Heart of Texas represents the live Cody to a "T". It has the added benefit of presenting some of the best material from the afore mentioned albums. "Smoke, Smoke, Smoke (that cigar ette) "Too Much Fun', "Riot In Cell Block No. 9 and "Rock that Boogie" is Cody at his best, raucous and raw. Local artists Sour Mash have borrowed a bit from the Cody legacy. Fantasy Life Although radio stations unfailingly advertise an appearance by Commander Cody as with his Lost Planet Airmen, Frayne has been doing solo work for several years now. Although he made momentary waves with his song "Stealing at The 7-1 1" (he ended up having to change some words), his solo work has not been monumental. The horrendous album Flying Dreams is worth having, however, for one song. It has to do with a man who leads an empty life working in a factory, lie comes home every day to his wife and kids and then procedes to indulge in his fantasy life, consisting of wandering the stars with Barbarella. It eventually takes over his entire life. While this may sound a bit schlocky, it manages a kind of dreamy poignancy that makes it a classic in my library. C 3 4ih SHOCK FREE WHEN YOU BUY3 CHECK OUR LOW PRICES GUARANTEE INSTALL FREE U.S. and FOREIGN CARS MUFFLERS and PIPES 2118 "N" ST. KIqs! i 13th 8 P 475 2222 I 5:30-7:30-9301 5 IS? 20 9 20 Kramer vs. m Kramer U 5:25-7:35-9:45. 3. $ drive m 488 5353$ Opan 7:00-Show-7:45 2 biq hits! "Heaven Can Wait' end -Foul Play- (o) I ID ART DISPLAY Featuring the works of the Art Depart ment's Illustration. Students: Ron Furrer Phil Tworek Carlton Bruett Sue Stutheit . Joe Comstock Sherri Halverson' Bret Dietrich Michael Hofeidt Linda McCaugherty Mary Stevens Jim Beal -V Sally Flint. Bill Ervtn " April 7-14 Nebraska East Union n P Least Vbual Arts Commit Gateway fo a great way of Me.
