WASHINGTON (AP) — More
than a dozen dinosaurs, a pair of swans
and an*ox will appear on U.S. postage
stamps next year. The 1997 program
will also feature this country’s first tri
angular stamps, classic dolls, airplanes,
composers, coaches and the African
American holiday Kwanzaa.
“The 1997 program celebrates
America,” Postmaster General Marvin
Runyon said. “These beautiful images,
each of which is truly a work of art,
commemorate our heroes, history and
humanity.”
Though some details need to be
completed, the bulk of the 1997 stamp
program was announced Tuesday tty
the Postal Service.
Scheduled for release in May are
the first triangle-shaped stamps in U.S.
history, a shape popular in other coun
tries. A U.S. mail stagecoach is on the
red triangle stamp, while a blue ver
sion displays a clipper ship.
A pair of large panoramic sheets
will be issued in Mayor June display
ing the world of dinosaurs. The two
sheets totaling 15 stamps depict a scaie
in Colorado 150 million years ago and
one set in Montana 75 million years
ago.
Dolls could also prove a big seller
with a set of 15 colorful stamps depict
ing such popular dolls as Raggedy Ann,
Baby Coos, Maggie Mix-up, Scootles
and Alabama Baby. They are sched
uled to go on sale in My.
The lunar new year is the first stamp
off the blocks, proclaiming die Year of
the Ox in early January. The newly
popular African-American holiday
Kwanzaa will mai-k die end of the year
beginning in October, and the usual
Christmas stamps will include a Ma
donna and child, holiday wreaths and
American holly.
The popular love stamps will be
back in 1997, this time using a pair of
swans, their necks curled to form a
heart.
A pair of botanical prints by the
German artist Maria Sibylla Merian
will appear on stamps and Bugs Bunny
will grace another stamp. Another set
of stamps will feature classic Ameri
can airplanes.
I sefof four legendary football
coaches will be issued — featuring
George Halasand Paul “Bear” Bryant,
with the other two yet to be announced.
Other famous people on stamps will
include Raoul Wallenberg, the Swed
ish diplomat who saved thousands of
Jews from Nazi terror; Benjamin O.
Davis Jr., the first black to reach the
rank of brigadier general in the U.S.
Army; and novelist and playwright
Thornton Wilder.
Musical stamps will honor classi
cal composers and conductors, opera *;
singers, and the centennial of the first
performance of John Philip Sousa’s
“The Stars and Stripes Forever.”
Social issues will also make an ap
pearance with a stamp focusing on
helping children learn. Postal cards will
feature two views of the Golden Gate
bridge and a pair of 1847 stamps will
be reproduced on souvenir sheets.
Various artists
“The Wizard of Oz In Concert: Dreams
Come True”
Rhino Records
Grade: B
When the Children’s Defense Fund
decided to put on a benefit perfor
mance of “The Wizard Of Oz,” they
put together one heck of a cast.
The cast includes pop singer Jewel
as Dorothy, Roger Daltrey (from The
Who) as the Tin Man, soul singer Jack
son Browne as The Scarecrow and
Nathan Lane (who you may remember
from either “The Birdcage” or “The
Lion King” where he was the voice of
Timon) as the Cowardly Lion. Debra
Winger (from such films as “Terms of
Endearment”) plays the Wicked Witch
of the West and Joel Grey (who’s big
in the theater community) as The Wiz
ard.
So, with talent cramming out of the
eyesockets, the show has to be great,
right? Well—not exactly.
Despite all the big names involved
in the project, or maybe even because
of it, the show doesn’t mesh into a co
herent whole.
At many points in die show, (me
voice overwhelms another and leaves
the rest stuck in the background. Usu
ally it’s Lane who’s the most dominant.
There are some points, like when
Jewel is singing “Somewhere Over The
Rainbow,” that it doesn’t click. Noth
I
ing you can put your finger on; just
somehow it’s not how it should be.
It isn’t a bad production, however.
A few of the numbers are really good,
such as Lane doing “If I Only Had The
Nerve.”
A lot of the numbers, especially
“We’re Off To See The Wizard” and
“The Lollipop Guild” are almost sick
eningly sweet. Cute’s one thing, but this
is far beyond that. It’s almost disgust
ing — there’s only so much one can
take.
If you find a copy in a used CD
store, then you’ll probably pay what
it’s worth. It’s not worth picking up new
though, because it just can’t pull to
gether. —Cliff Hicks
Black-47
“Green Suede Shoes"
Mercury Records
Grade: A
Black-47 has one of the worst
streaks of luck in America. The band
keeps putting out good records, and no
one’s listening.
Black-47 has now put out three al
bums, as well as been on Letterman,
Leno and O’Brien and still no one’s
really caught on to it yet.
The first album, “Fire of Freedom,”
was a fantastic blend of New York punk
and traditional Celtic music. The
band’s name even derives from the
Potato Famine of 1847 in Ireland.
On its third album, “Green Suede
Shoes,” the band has added more depth
to the sound, throwing an element of,
dare I say, ska into the music.
The title track, which appears in
both acoustic and electric forms on the
album, tells the story of the band’s mis
fortune over the past few years, from
the disaster in Hoboken to the van
crashing off the Turnpike near Provi
dence.
Both versions of the song provide
something different—the electric ver
sion is something to dance to, while the
acoustic version is something to laugh
with. Each of them is great.
The album is full of instruments that
aren’t common in the rock scene to
day: saxophones, trombone, uilleann;
pipes, tin whistles, a bodhran, a djembe
and a low whistle. What this mix of
instruments leaves you with is a sound
that is part New York ska, part Irish
traditional, part rock, part jazz and a
whole lot of fun.
“Green Suede Shoes” wanders in
and out of the traditional stuff as well,
including a song in Gaelic, “Mo
Bhron” or “My Grief.”
The song “My Love Is In New
York” tells the story of a man who goes
to fight in the Vietnam war and is
forced to leave his love among the Big
Apple.
Stories are the best aspect of Black
47. Tliey weaves tales better than al
most any other band working today.
From the comedy of “Czechoslova
kia,” which talks about marriage, com
munists and credit cards, to the seri
ous political commentary in “Change
Come Slowly.”
A little snippet of David Lettcrman
at the beginning of the album says
“Black-47, ladies and gentlemen. You
guys are gonna be huge, aren’t ya?”
> May they be so lucky — they de
serve it.
—Cliff Hicks
Londoner’s novel wins 1996 Booker Prize
LONDON (AP) - Graham Swift
won the 1996 Booker Prize on
Tuesday for his comic novel “Last
Orders.”
Swift, a 47-year-old Londoner,
collected a $32,000 check at an
awards ceremony in London’s
Guildhall. The prize, established in
1968, honors the best novel written
in English in Britain or one of its
Commonwealth nations.
“Last Orders” tells the story of
four people who meet to carry out
the {tying wish of their friend, who
asked that his ashes be scattered into
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the sea in the county of Kent.
Carmen Callil, chairman of the
Booker judges, said: “Choosing the
winner was torture, but we finally
settled on 'Last Orders,’ a wonder
ful bode that will give great plea
sure to thousands of people.”
Other nominees were “Reading
In The Dark,” by Seamus Deane of
Northern Ireland; “A Fine Bal
ance,” by Rohinton Mistry, a native
of India who lives in Canada; “Alias
Grace,” by Canadian Margaret
Atwood; “Every Man For Himself,”
by Beryl Bainbridge; and “The Or
-/
chard On Fire” by Shena Mackay.
Bainbridge and MacKay are Brit
ish.
Before he was announced the
winner, Swift said, “Whatever the
result, it’s an honor for the book and
I’m very glad.... There is a check
from Booker, of course, but more
significantly it does clearly have an
effect on the sales of the book.”
The Booker Prize can more than
double hardback sales of the win
ning book.
“I just about get by,” Swift said,
“but it has to be said that writingis
not the securest of professions.”
American Heart (1
Association
©1992, American Heart Association
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