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FOCUS ON: REVIEWS
‘Arc of a Diver’ is breezy
Winwood returns with a splash
By Kate McEiroy
Battalion Staff
Who is this Steve Winwood?
Well, he's no spring chicken.
During the reign of hard rock —
approximately after the Beatles'
Sergeant Pepper (1967) until about
1972 — Winwood was a driving
force in the three British groups,
most notably Traffic, that
oftened smoothed rock music's
jagged edge with haunting jazz
melodies.
So Winwood (influenced by
late 50s American black music)
was instrumental in developing
that Chivas cool, I-don't-give-a-
damn sound that America's
Steely Dan has stylized.
But, alas, Winwood seemed
to fade into the woodwork as
disco beats and other late 70s
concepts (roller boogie!) domin
ated, and rock music instead of
being the popular music became
just a fragment of it.
But happily, one of rock's
finest artists is back with a won
derful album that combines his
early 70s' sounds with the late
'70s' pulsating rhythms — Arc of
RECORDS
A Diver.
Diver ,for the most part, defi
nitely fits Winwood's breezy
style. Like the diver in the title
track, Winwood succeeds when
his music flows "so effort
lessly."
The first number, and so far
the album's big commercial suc
cess, is "When You See A
Chance." No doubt the song's a
hit because from the opening
note, it feels as clear and re
freshing as a dip in the pool. But
the words aren't that comforting
— "When you see a chance take
it/Find romance fake it."
These lyrics set the tone of the
entire album — sort of a cynical
pleasantry. The idea seems to
be, in proverbial Aggie terms, to
go for it — it's the attempt of the
dive, not its splash that matters.
The album's bitterness isn't ob
vious because Winwood's music
gracefully dominates the lyrics
written by Will Jennings,
George Fleming and Viv Stan-
shill.
This concept continues, of
course, in "Arc of A Diver,"
which is now receiving substan
tial airplay. Winwood's vocals
are airy, constantly dipping into
conversahon, and his music is
just as mellow. In "Second-
Hand Woman," which features
University aids art lovers
Continued from page 1
arts in Bryan-College Station,
the community may never
find its own artistic identity
until it separates itself from
the University.
'The people must think of
themselves as a community,"
Christensen cautioned, "and
not as a bedroom of the Uni
versity. As a Bryan-ite that
offends me."
Although it is easy to com
bine the efforts of the com
munity and the University,
one can't take too much credit
for the accomplishments of
the other.
"This community kids itself
if it thinks it has a good arts
program," said Christensen.
"This is a company town, and
it's been satisfied to sit back
and let the University take
care of its needs."
A large portion of work by
the Arts Council is done apart
from Texas A&M. Bates is cur
rently planning for an artist-
in-residence in the Mumford
school district west of College
Station. Previous artists have
participated in the program in
Mumford and Bryan. The
series of outdoor concerts in
College Station is its latest
effort, and the Council is also
working on a complete his
tory of the City of College Sta
tion.
Christensen supports the
work done by the Arts Coun
cil, but goes a step further.
"The Arts Council does as
much as it can," he said, "but
Bryan-College Station
has an excellent facil
ity for the arts in the
Brazos Center.
I don't see why more ad-hoc
groups can't be formed and
sponsored by banks and other
businesses. I see no need for it
(participation in the arts) to be
so centralized."
With recent budget cuts
proposed for the National En
dowment for the Arts, the pic
ture nationwide may look
rather bleak. Locally, howev
er, the arts have some things
in their favor.
Unlike some communities
of its size, Bryan-College Sta
tion has an excellent facility
for the arts in the Brazos Cen
ter. The center is attractive,
convenient and relatively in
expensive to use. Although it
is seldom utilized to the ful
lest, it has tremendous poten
tial for community participa
tion in the arts.
Bryan-College Station may
not stand to lose as much as a
result of budget cuts since it
didn't have much to start
with. Texas ranks 50th nation
ally in state funding of the
arts. Only about 2 percent of
its funds are earmarked for
arts support.
"Hopefully things will be
cut in proportion," said Bates,
"but even if it's cut in half it
will only go from 1 to 2 per
cent."
Whether or not the growing
community of Bryan-College
Station moves ahead in the
arts is up to its people. The
facilities are available, the
money difficulties are sur
mountable and the audience
exists. All that seems to be
missing a group of well-
established citizens willing to
work for a program of its own
that will last.
FOCUS
Editor Cathy Saathoff
Focus will accept any items submitted
for publication, although the derision
to publish lies solely with the editor.
Deadline is 5 p.m. the Thursday before
publication.
a disco rhythm, the song's anti-
hero becomes so bitter he's
rude: "From a cut price lady to a
second-hand woman/ You're
society's slave babe/ You're an
ugly rumor."
The first side ends on a down-
note. "Slowdown Sundown" is
sort of an old Rod Stewart white
man's blues song, complete
with mandolin and a organ. The
song doesn't fit Winwood's
style especially since the lyrics,
not the music, stand out. Ironic
ally, the last song on the
seceond side, "Dust," suffers
from the same problem. But so-
so Winwood would be master
pieces for some of rock music's
less-talented stars.
"Spanish Dancer," which
leads side two, rivals "Arc of a
Diver" for musical supremacy.
Tt'*; rompnicripnf of come of the
early Traffic songs which were
funky and cool instead of being
slick and sophisticated like this
number. And, for a change, Jen
nings' words exemplify the ess
ence of the song: "I can feel the
beat like a Spanish Dancer/
Under my feat making the world
go 'round."
"Night Train" features the
most mystical beat of the album.
Though the words are asinine —
"Paris to Spain/Countries in
Pain ... Out in the dark/ All the
wolves bark" — this is one song
perfect for those tiny head
phone stereos.
Arc of A Diver is the first Steve
Winwood album in a little more
than three years, but it proves
that talent, even when locked
away like a treasure chest, will
always emerge.
COLLAGE
Aversion to nudity kills art career
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A young art student who found nude
models morally objectionable has had to drop her major at
Memphis State University.
The dean "told me there was no way I could major in art
without drawing nudes," said Renee Burbridge, a 26-year-old
sophomore. Soon after she voiced her objections, art depart
ment faculty voted unanimously to continue the use of nude
models in figure drawing.
One instructor volunteered to teach Burbridge independent
ly, but the department rejected the plan. 'These kinds of allo
wances just can't be made for students," said Art Chairman
Lawrence Edwards. He drew an analogy to English students
objecting to certain books, or biology students refusing to dis
sect frogs.
Burbridge's objections were made on religious grounds. She
said nudity in the classroom "was a disrespect to God, and it
seemed to feed on the baser instincts. Why should Christian tax
money be used to pay for nude models?"
— Collegiate Hedlines
Toothbrush doesn't excite Hartford U.
HARTFORD, Conn. — Artist Claes Oldenberg got a large
brush-off recently from the University of Hartford board of
regents.
The regents voted 3-2 to reject placing an Oldenberg sculpture
on the UH campus, even though it wouldn't have cost the school
anything. The proposed sculpture was a 23-foot-long tooth
brush in red, white and blue.
The National Endowment for the Arts awarded the school a
$25,000 grant for the piece, and private donors matched that
amount. But campus officials said the idea of spending that
money on artwork while scholarship funds were lacking rubbed
some people the wrong way.
"I think it reflects a sense that the university should not
appear to be investing a large sum of money in something like
this when we are being financially prudent with faculty salaries
and scholarships," said UH President Stephen Joel Trachten
berg.
Oldenberg's previous works include giant lips on the Yale
campus, a 38-foot flashlight at the University of Nevada and a
baseball bat spanning more than 100 feet in Chicago.
— Collegiate Hedlines
-O