Psychedelia lurks behind Dukes ’ shadow
By Geoff McMurtry
Staff Reporter
The Dukes of Stratosphear,
“Psonic Psunspot,”Geffen Records
The opening notes of this album
sound suspiciously like the beginning
of the Mamas and Papas’ “California
Dreamin’.” It’s only for a few sec
onds, and it’s really not the same at
all, but it’s best to remain suspicious
through the whole album because
remnants of 1960s psychedelia lurk
behind every shadow.
Record Review
Like XTC, the Dukes of Strato
sphear have been one of the most
inventive, original and critically ac
claimed pop groups of the last 10
years, but they’ve always been
plagued by an unwanted critical
comparison to the Beatles. They’ve
always insisted on being judged on
their own merits, but the melodics
were just too much for some critics,
easily caught up in the pretty pop
harmony at the surface of their most
accessible efforts.
Finally, in 1985, they apparently
had had enough. The boys sneaked
into a studio, chased each other
through every psychedelic musing of
their most Pcpperesque fantasies, and
emerged with the sparkling EP “25
O’Clock." They gave themselves
names like Sir John J >hns and The
Red Curtain. The co\er, liner notes
and sound of everything on the album
were so psychedelic that comparisons
were reversed. They had out-Beatled
the Beatles.
Apparently, they liked the idea. As
if merely submitting a near-constant,
always changing stream of XTC rec
ords weren’t a diverse enough chal
lenge, the Dukes of the Stratosphear
have reappeared, this time to leave
their psychedelic footprints on a full
album.
Once again, the Dukes w in in the
best song title category, with nomi
nees “Collideascope” and “You’re a
Good Man Albert Brown (Curse You
Red Barrel).”
The sound is still deeply rooted
among the flowers of Sgt. Pepper
psychedelia, but this time the lads
manage to run through the whole ’60s
garden before getting caught. Cute,
charming little English schoolgirls
tell Peter, Paul, Mary and Grace Slick
a version of "Alice In Wonderland"
that may be more hallucinogenic than
the original. Herb Alpcrt’s muted
trumpet lines rear their foam-rubber
heads briefly, and the album closes
with ‘Pale and Precious,” a slow, soft
ballad interrupted with choruses that
cram every Beach Boys surf harmony
into three or four lines.
As befitting anything touched by
XT.., I mean Dukes, the melodies
swim all around you, jump up to
barely nudge your outstretched hand
and exhort everybody to jump in
‘cause the water’s fine. But once you
do you hear lyrics like:
‘‘Have you seen Jackie,
He’s a strange,
strange, strange,
little girl.”
Like any deep woodland pond,
every song has something lurking
beneath the calm, placid prettiness on
the surface. IfXTC is going to be lazy
enough to make us wait eight months
between albums, the Dukes of the
Stratosphear will be a more than
adequate fill-in.
■
Courtesy o Gel fen Records
I I
Concerts include
Houston, Rogers
Whitney Houston, the 23-ycar-old
Grammy-winning vocalist, will per
form in concert Nov. 3 at the Omaha
Civic Auditorium Arena.
Houston’s first self-titled LP sold
more than 8 million copies in the
United States and 14 million copies
worldwide. It is the best-selling debut
ot all time by a solo performer.
Houston is the first woman ever to
have an album debut at No. 1 on the
Billboard charts with her second LP,
“Whitney.”
Hits tike “1 Want to Dance With
Somebody,” “The Greatest Love of
All.’ How Will I Know”and“Saving
All My Love For You” have kept
Houston on the airwaves and the
charts,
1 he Omaha concert will be per
formed in the round. All scats arc
reserved and the ticket price is SI8.75.
Tickets arc available at the Civic
Auditorium, Younkers and Pickles
Records. Phone charges may be made
at 342-7107. The concert begins at 8
p.m.
Kenny Rogers, with special guests
Ronnie Milsapand T. Graham Brown,
will perform at the Civic Auditorium
Oct. 20 on his 10th-anniversary tour.
Rogers’ latest LP, “They Don’t
MakcThem Like They Used To”ishis
43rd of a career that began in the late
1950s. Rogers was named Favorite
Country Music Performer at the 13th
Annual People’s Choice Awards this
year.
Reserved tickets for the show arc
516.75. The concert begins at 8 p.m.
Milan calls
Midwest home
MILAN from Page 9
and apply it to teaching.
“UNI. had everything I was look
ing lor in the terms of how I wanted to
use my knowledge in helping stu
dents.”
Besides leaching. Milan said she is
dedicating her lirst year in Nebraska
to choreography. Oncol her first proj
ects will be as co-artistic director of
the newly formed Lincoln Contempo
rary Dance Theatre.
“It s a company ofdancers with the
idea of bringing dance to those areas
of Nebraska that don’t have many
dance opportunities and to generally
interest people into learning a little
more about dance,” Milan said.
Nebraska may not be as adventur
ous as her eight-month dance tour of
South America or as glamorous as
being a feature performer in a New
York City production, but Milan is
comfortable with her choice.
“I was raised in the Midwest. This
is home to me. I’m happy here,” she
said. =
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GO FROM COLLEGE TO THE ARMY
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