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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 20, 1983)
10 Wednesday, April 20, 1933 Daily Nebraskan 4 Album Review Arts Si Entertainment 'Let's Dance': 'Creative mastery' mil ' Let's Dance David Bowie EM I-Am erica Years of experience can't grant a man the ability to be a consistent artist. His consistency grants him the years to create more and more work as his abilities follow his interests in varying directions. For David Bowie, the performing has gone on for nearly 20 years, and with the creative diversification he has always shown, his career bears the mark of true consistency. Now, three years into the '80s, nothing could be more true. Let's Dance is a work of creative mastery. Bowie has put down on vinyl some of the best work created in the '70s, and his creativity has not allowed him to stop with the onset of the '80s. Let's Dance is as fresh as Bowie has ever been. His work here sets a new standard for the whiz kids toying with the ideas Bowie long ago brought up. Piece by piece, Let's Dance is as good as music has been all year. Categorizing the elements of Let's Dance would be a worthless effort. Every cut on the album has no outstanding factor to set it above the other works. Bowie has obviously taken the time needed to make an album that succeeds in every aspect. From cut to cut, the listener will toil to select a favorite. The time is wasted; the album is a favorite. The entire work was meant to be enjoyed. Material on the album was created primarily by Bowie. He collaborated with Iggy Pop on one flawless cut. "Cat People" was written by Giorgio Moroder with Bowie providing the lyrics, and another song, -'Cftrninal World," was the creation of three other writers. In effect, Bowie is proving that he is capable of doing other material as well as his own . . . with a feel ing that strikes the listener awestruck. Let's Dance is an album meant for any one and everyone. I really don't think there is a listener around who won't under stand this album, aside from the musically depraved. David Bowie has created a master sound for 1983. It will be redone and copied by artist after artist. In the end, Let 's Dance will emerge as one of the best of the year. Give the credit to one of the cornerstones of modern-day music: David Bowie. Let's Dance is pure excellence. -Todd R. Tystad Men load 'Cargo' with heavy reggae Cargo Men At Work Columbia When Men At Work released their debut album, Business As Usual last year, the critics loved it immediately. The radio stations and the fans, however, were a little more Fickle. The album sat in most record shops for months collecting dust. At this point in time, it's hard to believe that some record store owners were just short of returning their ship ments to the company. And then, "Who Can It Be Now?" took off, and Men At Work became both the sleeper of the year and the best new group of the year. The newest Men At Work LP, Cargo, won't be sitting in the racks very long. This record sports 10 new songs, most with a heavily reggae-influenced sound. Two of these - "Settle Down, My Boy" and "Blue For You" - are destined to be huge singles. On the band's current single - "Over kill" - vocalist Colin Hay laments: Day after Jay it reappears Night after night my heartbeat shows the fear Ghosts appear and fade away The song moves steadily behind Hay's distinct style at the microphone, and is highlighted by Greg Ham's saxophone and Ron Strykert's calculated guitar playing. Outside of a smooth sound and Hay's vocals, the mass appeal of this band may come from the target of the lyrics. ' : .--C--' . "'" Like "Who Can It Be Now?" from the last album, "Upstairs In My House" and "I Like To" hit that deeply liidden nerve which tells us that we all have our own private little insecurities, instabilities and idiosyncracies which we never let anyone see. Hay and the other "Men" put their's right out front. like to pull the plug in the tub Sit and watch the water flow down the drain I like to, I like to I like to look at pictures in a book Never read the writing just put it down I like to, I like to Cargo, while it doesn't stray far from the sound of Business As Usual, has enough of a difference to indeed make it new. And really good. While it may not be fair to compare the two bands, I must say that Men At Work are the Beatles of the '80s. Randy Wymore 'Seat Surrender': Soul of The Jam Beat Surrender The Jam Polydor The Jam. From the beginning of the late-Seventies British youth explosion, they have been one of the most prolific and consistent rock bands in the world, rivaled only by the Clash and XTC in their polished mix of bright, melodic sounds and socially-aware lyrics. Last year, as you may be aware, the trio led by Paul Weller broke up to pursue their individual musical goals. They had devel oped an instantly recognizable sound, marked by Weller's dry tenor and scratchy guitar, Bruce Foxton's edgy bass, and the stridently syncopated drums of Rick Buckler. Not only was their sound purer (in a strict rock 'n' roll sense) than that of the Clash, it was prettier, lately adding horns and female backup singers to thicken the attack. While the Clash was dabbling in other styles and hard political, as opposed to so- cial, stances, the Jam targeted themselves on one goal: to become the best rock band around. Accomplishing that led to the breakup. The Jam was the most popular group among the British audience for the past two years, and as every good Yankee should concede, British post-primitive 0 i rock 'n' roll lias produced far more musical groups of lasting consequence than any list we might dare offer. Beat Surrender is the final studio re cording from the Jam. To their recorded legacy they add four new songs and an other try at the old nugget "War," which they previously covered on the late-1982 EP Vie Bitterest Pill. This time it carries more impact, and the vocal track is streng thened (important when tackling lines such as "War! What is it good for? Absolutely nothin' "). Overall, the record takes the band far ther in the soulful direction they had been pursuing since their last studio LP, Vie Gift. "The Beat Surrender" is a punchy, emotionally soaring tune complete with piano and blaring horns. Next comes "Shopping," a supremely soulful number with, of all things, a flute solo. On to side two. Here comes the real fun: "Move On Up." The smoothest trum pet hook around, plus some nifty work on the ivories, all hitched to a funk-flavored backbeat. Ooh-la-la. Dig the discobration percussion break. Pure sonic heaven, but the radio stations won't touch it. Corpor ate constipation. Soul returns for "Stoned Out of My Mind," which concerns hard times with the opposite sex, a puppy-dog relationship: And you took my mind and my body and now you want to take my soul." Wel ler doesn't often take such a dim view of love relationships, but stranger things than the "Stoned Out of My Mind" scenario have been known to happen. The Jam's re corded history is rife with love songs, most with a twist: If that's what you want, check out "English Rose" (All Mod Cons), "Monday" (Sound Affects), or "Happy To gether" (Vie Gift). None of your standard Air Supply limpid romanticism here, just real situations and real feelings, just like real people might have. Anyhow, Beat Surrender should not be missed. If you miss this record, you've missed an era. - Bob Crisler with a spate of albums in recent days. Between Nelson, Conway Twitty, Merle Haggard, Hank Williams Jr. and Mel Tillis, 30 or so LI'S were released in 1982. This would not be so bad if the record buying market were healthy; however, it is not. The problem is even more ex treme in country music, which has been always a relatively low volume business. Say the typical country record buyer bought all five of Willie Nelson's albums last year (not that unusual an occurrence in the tiercely loyal world of country music); little time or cash would be left for the lesser-known, developing artists. Tougher Than Leather is a case in point. This is Nelson's second release in 1983 (the third, a duet LP with singer Waylon Jennings is due in late April), wliich, at this rate, means Willie will release eight records by year's end. Un like other artists, Nelson is able to do well with this load. Tougher Than Leather, for example, may be the singer's best effort since the landmark Red Headed Stranger LP of eight years ago. In fact, Tougher Than Leather is being touted as the sequel to that album, al though it seems the albums are more thematically linked rather than sequen tially. Like Red leaded Stranger, this LP attempts to tell a story, albeit an obscure one. More important than the concept, though, is that, for the first time since 1975, Nelson has released an LP entirely comprised of new, original tunes (with the exception of sister Bobbie Nelson's bouncy reworking of "The Beer Barrel Polka." Songwriting, as both Nelson and his fans seem to have forgotten, truly is ol' Willie's forte. Certainly, he must be ranked as being the most accomplished country songwriter since Hank Williams. Like Williams, Nelson is able to communi cate a myriad of emotions through de ceptively simple songs. Even a hackneyed phrase like "karma" suddenly takes on new meaning in Nelson's music. (The word, incidentally, is featured twice, in "Some where in Texas," and most incredibly, "A Little Old Fashioned Karma Comin' Down.") In addition, Nelson's skills as both producer and arranger shine here. His use of song reprises ("Changing Skies," "Somewhere in Texas" and "My Love for the Rose" are all featured twice here) is both innovative and intriguing. His vision of creating a musical story instead of merely another LP consisting of 10 potential singles also deserves merit. Too much Nels OH Yet with al1 these kudos, I still can't help but feel some resentment toward Nelson and his excessive recording sche- dampens iov of LP most country musicians today; however, that rlnpcn't nii Uim t ! ....... i 6,,v mm wic Ilglll IU, DaSl- cally, be snotty about it. If his need to be in the studio is as insatiable as it seems, he should concentrate his efforts to champion the cause of new, undeveloped talent. Toucher Than Leather Willie Nelson Columbia I should say at the outset of this review that I really did enjoy this album. Despite this, however, I still have problems with both Tougher Than Leather and Willie Nelson. My problem with Nelson is this: he is one of a handful of country music super stars who have deluged the marketplace Yes, Tougher Than Leather is a fine recording Let's just hope it's Willie Nelson's last for awhile. - Mike Frost
