Monday, November 17, 1986
Daily Nebraskan
Page 9
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' Jimtmld
The Communards, "The Com
munards" (MCA Records)
Whine, whine, whine. Drone, drone,
drone. That's what these two fallout
victims for Bronski Beat do on their
debut effort. "The Age of Consent,"
Bronski Beat's smash debut album, was
an eerie collection of political rhetoric
and techno-pop pablum that was a
dance staple in clubs from Los Angeles
to London. Jimmy Somerville's pierc-
ing, caterwauling vocals illuminated
the songs with shades of Alison Moyet,
Sylvester and Judy Garland and melo-
dramatic lyrics that sounded like corny
Tennessee Williams soliloquies.
Somerville left the band last year
and decided to pursue other musical
both maudlin incoherence and sappy
'passidhhe're.' : ' " "
The best track is the hit single
"Don't Leave Me This Way," a white
snnl remakp nf Thelma Houston's late
70s disco weeper. With an '80s sensi-
bility and modern technical gloss,
Somerville and partner Richard Coles
create harominc, lively spirit as back-
ground vocalists croon like gospel sin-
gers in a funky church choir. But when
the LP segues into several tales of the
gay blues that are drowned out by
i " -
1
The Communards: Romantic revolutionaries or disco dudes
droning for 'dollars?
Somerville's overly sentimental, annoy
ing falsetto.
The most irritating aspect of this
album is the band's overly pretentious
approach. Somerville and Coles would
like us to think that they are gay revo
lutionaries, fighting for human rights
and the death of homophobic ignorance,
"The name 'Communards' was origi-
nally used to describe a group of
romantic revolutionaries whose des-
perate insurrection in Paris, 1871, was
extinguished by a week of bloody,
block-by-block street fighting," the
album's press kit claims.
How deep, guys.
Songs like "La Dolarosa," "You are
My World" and "Lover Man (Oh, Where
izer and piano rhythms to create the
hotef toenageri& of pain Sbmefvlll6
sings about with all the plausibility of a
soap - opera star doing Shakespeare. ;
Allot this drama sounds tiuht. infec-
tious and distantly engaging like
most of Culture Club's white sould
fables but the duo's contrived polit-
ical aura fails to lend much veracity to
their musical' energy. Their gimmickry
somehow ruins the lighthearted, bright
sound of their music, making it diffi-
cult for one to identify with their polit-
3T
Courtesy of MCA Records
Brian MaryDaily Nebraskan WFZK-i-A
Brian MaryDa!
ICS.
Scott liar rah
The Pretenders, "Get Close"
(Sire)
Ah, how well I remember the ideal
ism of my youth. Back when things were
important. Wealth and evil, rock 'n'
roll was everything, and the world was
divided into two kinds of people
those who thought Chrissie Hynde was
beautiful, and those senseless clods
who didn't. My goal in life then was to
have Chrissie teach me the Cuban
Slide, just like in the song. I still don't
know how to do it, but it doesn't seem
to matter now. I'm older now and not
same as I was years ago.
Unfortunately, the same is true of
he Pretende Get Close, nheif latest
Lp. ISLa mlx.ed ba& moments of great-
ness thrown in with agonizing moments
of mediocrity.
The Pretenders, of course, have been
basically just Chrissie Hynde and Mar
tin Chambers and the best hired hands
available since 1982, but this was still
pretty darn good.
"Learning to Crawl," ( 1983) was a
ste oyfn from tne 'orjginai band's
legendary WOrk, but still a fine album,
and impressive considering two of the
four band members had killed them
selves with drugs just months before,
leaving Hynde and Chambers to pick
up the pieces.
The band now consists of Hynde,
T.M. Stevens on bass, Blair Cunningham
on drums and "Learning to Crawl" hol
dover Robbie Mcintosh on guitar. Orig
inal drummer Martin Chambers makes
on track.
The best moments on this album are
most of the slower songs and Jimi Hen
drix's "Room Full Of Mirrors." Besides
being the best song on the album,
"Mirrors" is the only one with Chamb
ers, Mcintosh and bassist Malcolm
Foster the band left over from
"Learning to Crawl." "Hymn To Her,"
"When I Change My Life," "My Baby"
and "I Remember You" all sound as
excellent as anything Chrissie's ever
done. All are slow ballads. Anyone
who's heard the Pretenders first two
albums can tell you that they had about
two slow ballads each and blistered
your feet the rest of the time.
Which hrings us to the disappoint
ment. It never picks up. Nothing like
"Precious," "UpThe Neck," "Day After
Day" or even "Talk Of The Town." Too
bad, too, because that was what the
Pretenders were best at, and nobody
was better at it than they were.
Chrissie Hynde is still a brilliant
writer, however, and she still has that
voice. Years from now, people-will sit
around in basements, talking about
Chrissie Hynde's voice in the same nos
talgic, reverent tones they used to for
Billie Holliday. Until then,' perhaps it's
best to count our blessings and be
thankful for any chance to hear Chris
sie sing.
Geoff McMurtry
See REVIEW BOARD on 10
By Chris McCubbsn
.Senior Reporter ' ;
Tlis week has tccn set aslia
across the country w a tints to cele
brct3 zll ejects cf the vhual cr.J
rerfcnr.zr arts fhtioixl Arts
'2i:. Llr.cclr.itcs will h:v2 mere
C rn 23 crr-rtur.itirs toJ::n Li th?
tM3 week Metre li Arts V.'rck.
AcccrJLn3 to re2 El.eli.Ick cf the
Linccln Arts Council, National Arts
Week and Nebraska Arts Week were
held together for the first time last
year. Last year marked the 2Cth
ar.ruversary of both the National
Endowment for the Arts and the
NLrr!;3 Arts Council, Sheldrick
said.
John iMcNamara of the Nebraska
Arts Council said that NationalNe
braska Arts Week is going to become
an annual event.
The v.eek kicked ciT yesterday
with "After Hears With The Arts," a
series Gf r.ore than 30 events in 13
Nebraska cities. Lincoln's "After
Hours With the Arts" events in
cluded a reception and exhibit by
the Lincoln Artists Guild in the NEC
building and a special performance
of the UNL Theater Department's
production of "Chekhov in Yalta.'
Sheldrick said that the LAC did
not directly assist in scheehlini the
;f 2C? p; v
it:.
;U4
r--i :
5. rtj utii. Si,, ... i . l
- . . - ! p '
0yri?4 MArt3 in ilia PfeW tm ;
drick said. . . .
Five percent of tha stores' salijs ;
: that day gq to LAC, she $ai& , ;
"Arts in the Aisles" is the LACs ,
orJy fcfj-r$!s!r4 activity, Ofer & :
dick ssii. . ' - .;
Shelirick said a positive aspect ;
cf "Arts in the Aisies" is its avails .
State of the Arts
Compiled by Stew Magnuson
Staff Reporter
At The Wick Alumni Center:
The Moran Woodwind Quintet will
perforin a concert fh the great hall of
the Wick Alumni Center at 8 p.m.
tonight. The guintet is composed of
UNL School of Music faculty members
who will perform works specifically
written for woodwind quintets. The
works include: Jean Francaix's Quintet
in E, Theadore Blummer's Quintet in B
flat, Opus 52 and Adolphe Deslandres'
Quintet for E. The concert is free.
Lincoln Community Playhouse:
The Lincoln Community Playhouse
will perform three one-act plays this
week at the A. Enerson Gallery Theatre,
2500 S. 56th St. The plays are "First
born" by Amy Hinds, "Graceland" by
Ellen Byron and . "Eulogy!! by. James
Richardson. The three plays explore
bility to the public
"It doesn't te2 ranch cDit ta .
just walk throng the stcrc," the.
T:.3 f:I!ov,i.l i.) a !U tzzl
da!;l cv-.r.ts Lr Nil:. ':a Arts
Wee'.; .
;n. i: :-Q.:a:t,t;:-:ir::ek
i k,
T;
I.'- I. CeJ,-ry C-..:.'::,et Lur.ch-N-Arts
L.rica l'.;,:roity Flics Art
Center, 4322 Cliciand. For tickets
call 4(:5-SeC2.
8 p.m. "Ccrcracnies in Dark Old
Men," Neyo Enscrr.ble Company,
Kimball Recited Kail. Fcr tickets
call 472-3375.
. Nocru Gallery Gounner.tLunch-N-Arts
Series. University Place Art
Center, 4822 Cleveland. For tickets
call 4C6-8632.
7 and 9 p.m. "Fcr.ch Can Can,"
ShelJon Film Theatre. Tickets at
theibcv 1
Kocser, John II. Ames Series, Ben
nett Martin Public Library, 1 4th and
N streets.
8 p.m. Larry Lusk, piano, Kimball
HecitaJ Hall.
8 p.ra. Gallery Theatre "One Act
We.. . .it;..,
. .
ty.IorUtUtse'JUj
mmm:
$ p.m.
llSeilSIilBSiiliiiia
t i ifl V A 41 1 lutfi, v --J.
. ' 'a p.::. "FjkuA Cfct' hl-:
IaTl;ei;tr0,itkr,a! rerjcif :
ir:;3 at 7 arJ 9 par:. 7 !
S p.m. U;lb Ur.ivcrsity Sbjers,
Kir.:b::i recil Hall.
8 p.m. Callcry Thc:',rs 40r,e Act ;
Plays" Uitcob Ccsi urty Hay :
hoi: jo. Fcr tichcts c; :l '. ' V ' '. .".
- 12 U p.r.. uArts in the Mil;?, ," ;
Linccln Arts Cour.cii.
how one event can affect a person's life.
Show times are at 8 p.m. Thursday
through next Sunday. Ticket prices are
$4.50 for adults and $3 for students.
Music:
At the Zoo, Lincoln blues outfit, The
Tablecrackers play tonight. Cover is
$1.50. At Chesterfield's, the 18-piece
jazz group Mother's Big Band plays from
9 p.m. to 11 p.m. No cover. At The
Drumstick, Right Here plays at 9 p.m.
At the Royal Grove, High Stakes plays
tonight and throughout the week.
If you know of an event you
would like us to announce, send
press information to:
"State of the Arts"
c o Daily Nebraskan
34 Nebr. Union
, . 1400 RSt.
Lincoln, Neb. 6S5S3-0448