Soul classics revitalized on soundtrack
“The Commitments”
Original Soundtrack
MCA Records
Culled from the archives of great
American soul music, the soundtrack
to Alan Parker’s film “The Commit
ments” features new and arousing
versions of soul classics.
As sung by the band members,
cover versions of such tunes as “In
The Midnight Hour,” “Mr. Pitiful,”
“Chain Of Fools,” “Take Me To The
River,” “Treat Her Right,” “Try A
Little Tenderness” and “Mustang
Sally” are arduous, raucous and ulti
In the role of the Commitments’
frontman. Deco, 16-year-old Andrew
Strong, discovered by sheer incident
at the casting call, exudes thick, grav
elly and often abrasive vocals while
sounding as if he’s been empowered
with some divine gift.
Strong’s ability as sometimes bel
lower is mixed with soft, wistful sing
ing on “The Dark End Of The Street”
and “Try A Little Tenderness.”
His vocals are mirrored closely by
the innocuous voice of Maria Doyle,
former member of Hothouse Flowers
and current member of The Black
Velvet Band. In the role of “Commit
ment-ette” Natalie Murphy, Doyle’s
strains turn heavenly in the songs “I
Never Loved A Man” and “Bye-Bye
Baby.”
“Commitment-ettes” Imelda
Quirke (Angeline Ball) and Bemie
McGloughlin (Bronagh Gallagher)
provide nearly all of the backing vocals,
with Ball and Doyle teaming up for a
striking rendition of “Chain Of Fools,”
originally recorded by Aretha Fran
klin.
Ball also covers “I Can’t Stand
The Rain” with incredible poignancy,
rendering the song as one of the best
of the collection.
In the role of Jimmy Rabbitte, the
Commitments’ manager, Robert
Arkins spends his time trying to mend
the frayed nerves of the band mem
bers. Yet Arkins is an established
musician who contributes lead vocals
on the stirring covers of “Slip Away”
and “Treat Her Right.”
While the film features more than
50 different rock, pop and soul songs,
the soundtrack is contrived exclu
sively from 14 soul classics made
famous by the likes of Percy Sledge,
A1 Green, Otis Redding, Wilson Pick
ett, Ann Peebles, Mary Wells and
Roy Head.
Alan Parker’s story of a struggling
Irish soul band transcends the visual
boundaries of celluloid with dynamic
vocal performances. However, these
cover versions are not to be compared
merely with efforts of the past. In
stead, they should be taken in light of
the vitality and talent of those in
volved.
—Jeffrey Frey
Faces
Continued from Page 9
The program was given the title,
the “Twilight Zone.”
This was not to be the first episode
of the longstanding series. CBS shelved
the episode for nearly a year before
airing it in 1958 on “Desilu Play
house.”
But the idea was bom, and it was a
success.
Early in October 1959, “Where Is
Everybody?” was revealed as the first
episode of something completely
different. For the first lime, other
people were allowed into Serling’s
imagination, the twilight zone.
According to the book, when Ser
ling was asked where the title origi
nated from, he said, “I thought I’d
made it up, but I’ve heard since that
there is an Air Force term relating to
a moment when a plane is coming
down on approach and it cannot see
the horizon, it’s called the twilight
zone, but it’s an obscure term which 1
had not heard before.”
One of the most immediately rec
' Brian Shellito/DN
ognizable pieces of the “Twilight
Zone” is the unmistakable monologue
that preceded each program.
“You unlock this door with the key
of imagination. Beyond it is another
dimension—a dimension of sound, a
dimension of sight, a dimension of
mind. You’re moving into a land of
both shadow and substance, of things
and ideas. You’ve just crossed over
into the twilight zone.”
Originally, these words were not
supposed to be voiced by Serling
himself. The first intended narrator
was Westbrok Van Voorhis, the voice
of “The March of Time.” Orson Welles
was another consideration, but Ser
ling did not like the idea, and Welles’
price was too high.
In January of 1964, CBS announced
its fall schedule and the “Twilight
Zone” was not included. After a life
of five years and 156 episodes, Ser
ling put the series to rest.
“We had some real turkeys,” Ser
ling said, “some fair ones and some
shows I’m really proud to have been
a part ofTJ can walk away from this
series unbowed.”
\ MIU10NS COME 1
1 IB PIGGIES \N
1 QBE m\
||j I Ucri Bat MU M| U«1 ^| j
THE FAR SIDE By GARY LARSON
“You should hoar himl... First he howls and growls
at ms and then he thinks he can make everything OK
by scratching me behind the ears.”
r
Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson
10-7
SNMOH tf
mccm''
I
CALVIN, ONE
OF T\€SE DAMS A
MOOR FACE IS 1
GCHNS TO FREEZE (
LIKE. 'WAT. >
!
21
'I
1
I
i
i
MBS*
ACROSS
1 Stiff collar
5 Swift, graceful
horses
10 Loony
14 Sitarist Shankar
15 Fork over
16 Casta diva,”
from "Norma"
17 A Cassini
18 Replication
19 Kennel sound
20 Horologist
Thomas et al
22 Terminus
23 Moth's bete
noire
24 Military beat
26 Actress
MacGraw
27 Inundated
28 Lodestone
32 Ruth's sultanate
35 Packard
contemporary
36 Minerva's Greek
counterpart
37 Planter's
medium,
39 Airman's medal
Abbr
41 "Harold Teen,"
eg
42 Pollen holder
44 Utter
46 Picnic drink
47 Hard
48 Muslim scholars
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE
v I It .. U ^rTyirfBFiBTHTc 1
I EIT1CM EIV1E [N |S |c |H |L
It- . L I T~|7T^^^^
50 Paul Bunyan’s
cook
51 An Assyrian
capital
54 A Marx
57 Pindar product
58 Put the kibosh
on
60 Shield bearing
61 Linda of
'Dynasty''
63 White or Blue
river
64 Fabulist
65 Pacific battle
site: 1944
66 Joy
67 *-Christie''
68 Atlas addition
69 Use the Morse
code
DOWN
1 God who had
gold-tipped
arrows
2 Old German
coin
3 -Culp
Hobby, first
Secretary of
HEW.
4 Comic film
classic, with “A"
5 Bow
6 Manumitted
7 Long, long time
• Tie
• Agn6s or C6cite
Abbr
10 Annual Ume
11 Neighborhood
12 "Phffft!" e g
13 Sprinter's goal
21 Musical tool
23 Some London
lodgings
26 Coal product
26 Japanese diver
29 Galba's
predecessor
30 Geraint's lady
31 Bark cloth
32 Red and Black
33 Kind of ad
34 Commedia
dell'
38 Caller's word
40 Hot. in Hidalgo
43 Cereal grass
45 Hankering
48 King, pawn, etc.
52 Banish
53 Paris's choice
54 Runner Budd
55 Innisfail
56 Outline
57 Chamber for a
chef
59 Landowner's
document
61 Samuel's
mentor
62 Establish
