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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 10, 1989)
Page 12 The Battalion Monday, April 10,1989 Reviews Guitar master Preston Reed transfixes local crowd By Keith Spera REVIEWER Preston Reed began his Saturday night show at Brazos Landing in a casual enough manner — he walked onstage, tuned his guitar for a few minutes, and then simply started playing. There was no surge of light, or crash of cymbals, not even a spoken introduction of any sort to indicate that the concert had begun. None was needed. As soon as Reed touched his hands to his guitar and began to play, everyone in the place stopped munching on their seafood and stared, transfixed, at the stage. For there, dressed in black from head to toe, under the dim light of a single blue bulb, a ceiling fan’s light, and a pink neon figure, stood a man who has no business playing in front of 100 or so people in a bar and grill. In a just world, he’d be touring arenas right now, with the members of Bon Jovi working for minimum wage setting up his equipment. Instead, Bon Jovi plays empty gui tar riffs in front of thousands of peo ple, with dozens of crew members to attend to the band members’ needs. Chris Ocasek lacksfather’s talents; Glamour Camp boring, predictable Glamour Camp Glamour Camp EMI Records ★ By Suzanne Hoechstetter REVIEWER I hereby nominate Glamour Camp’s album, Glamour Camp for the most boring album of the year. At best, the music is repetitive and predictable. If you do not like surprises, variety or decent music, Glamour Camp is the album for you. The songs all sound so much alike that they just run together into one mega-song that lulls the reader into a deep sleep for the duration of the album. A better name for the band and the album might be Boot Camp because the things I’ve heard about military boot camp sound like the Glamour Camp experience. There is a lot of repetition, pain, anguish, frustration, and you just want it all to end as quickly as possible. I suspect the only reason this album exists is because the lead singer is Christopher Ocasek (yes he is the son of Rick Ocasek). The production of this album may be one of those cases where Daddy pulled some music in dustry strings so son could cut an album. Son Christopher may have music in his blood, but he should have kept it there and gotten a real job instead of inflicting his music upon the unwary music con sumer. Almost every song is about the cruelty of love and how it compares to weather phenomena such as hurri canes, harsh winters, dark skies and wind. Using such imagery can be poetic in small doses, but the band floods (excuse the pun) the album with these trite meta phoric devices. The music itself leaves a lot to be desired. Despite the fact that 16 people contribute to the instrumentals, no variety or difference is discernible in the songs. Glam our Camp should have heeded the adage “too many cooks spoil the soup.” Every once in a while, Eddie Martinez or Sid McGin nis might break into a guitar solo that is almost en ergetic enough to make the listener take notice, but ev erything else is repetitive. Songs like “She Did It” and “On the Road” sound as though they could have been old Cars songs — except for the fact that The Cars, at least, had some variety and talent. The family vocal resemblance can be heard in some songs such as “Fall For You,” but Christopher Ocasek does not sing with as much heart, enthusiasm or sincer ity that his father, Rick, does. Can you see the pattern forming here? There are few good things to say about Ocasek or his buddies in Glamour Camp. “Lifeless” is such an appropriate yet ironic song title for one of the most energetic and different songs on a lifeless album. It is clearly the best song on the album (which is not saying a whole lot) but it’s not worth listen ing to the rest of the songs to get to “Lifeless,” the last track on the album. Yet another bad song on the album is “Neverlasting” which could also be called “Neverending.” This is one of those songs overloaded with weather and nature im agery. The brief song includes a total of nine references to things like the air, sky and the stars. Nothing on Glamour Camp is worth spending hard- earned money to hear. That is a shame because the al bum had potential, but it was wasted on musical and ly rical cliches. Music is supposed to entertain the listeners, not bore them. It is only a fine line between relaxing the listeners and putting them to sleep. Glamour Camp has crossed that line by miles. Listening is not a pleasurable experi ence. They try to create an innovative rock-n-roll album but fall flat on their faces in doing so. They don’t look so glamourous now, and this listener is not a happy camper. Thanks to Music Express for loaning this album for review. DEUVERY ON THE DOUBLE. At Little Caesars® when you order one delicious pizza, we automatically bring you two, for one low price. And we bring them fast. That’s delivery on the double. Only from Little Caesars? BUY ONE PIZZA... SET ONE FREE! Buy any size pizza at the regular price, get the identical pizza FREE! Price varies on size and number of top pings. Valid only with coupon at partici pating Little Caesars, not valid with any, other offer. One coupon per customer. Cany out only. TWO PIZZAS j One for you. One for your buddies. I One pizza with cheese & five items one pizza with | cheese and one item. j Small $7." + tax | Medium $9" + tax j Large $ll. 99 .a. Valid only with coupon at participat ing Little Caesars, not valid with any other offer. One coupon per cus tomer. Cany out only. 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At Reed’s shows, there is no sing ing, but his brief introductions to songs, and the images that the music creates in the minds of the listeners, are lyrics enough. Saturday night, Reed was the only musician onstage, yet his talented hands and innovative playing style made you think a bassist and drum mer were also performing. Reed alternated between a six-and 12-string acoustic guitar, both of which were equipped with internal microphones and magnetic pick ups. The notes from the guitars were run through Roland reverb and cho rus effects and then an equalizer be fore coming out of the speakers, so the sound produced was much sharper, with more of a ringing sound, than what usually comes from acoustic guitars. He changed playing styles throughout the night. At times, he wore picks on the tips of his fingers. Or he would strum bass notes on the guitar’s thickest strings with his thumb while picking notes with his other four fingers. He used a slide at one point to stretch out notes into a countryish twang. He’d tap the neck of the guitar or the guitar’s body, in the style of one of his major influences, Michael Hedges, to produce a rhythm, while picking with his other hand. “I really wanted to learn how to play drums on the guitar,” he said after the show. “Once you get into striking the strings, it makes this connection be tween percussion and melody. It’s really a whole new world that I’m ex- treasure chests.” H is complex songs are draw, from a variety of sources. “It’s dif ferent every time,” Reed said. “Usually songs are pieced gether over time,” he said. “I start with ideas that 1 recordoa a small tape recorder. Once a week 1 listen to the ideas, and kindofMd songs that way. “On the other hand, someofm) best songs are sudden inspirations." Examples of such songs included “600 Tiny Time Capsules,” inspired “O I I wnce you get into striking the strings, it makes this connection between percussion and melody. It’s really a whole new world that I’m exploring. I’m trying to get kind of spatial sounding, but I’m also trying to hold on to the folk sound, and the blues, and all my roots, and also get into some rhythmic stuff. I’m trying to raid all the treasure chests.” — guitarist Preston Reed ploring.” by a Contact cold capsule commer He described what he tries to do cial, and “Cane Bay,” which Reed with his music this way: “I’m trying wrote immediately after his lira to get kind of spatial sounding, but scuba diving experience. I’m also trying to hold on to the folk The suspended-time rhythmsand sound, and (lie blues, and all my dreamy feel of “Cane Bay,” accu roots, and also get into some rhyth- rately mimic the sensations of scuba mic stuff. I’m trying to raid all the diving, according to a diving emhu siast who attended the show with me Photo courtesy Bryan College Station Eagle Guitarist Preston Reed Other selections included “The Torch Song” (“my idea of an early 60s dance song,” Reed said), “White Espadrilles,” “Flatonia” (a two-pan song Reed wrote about Texas, witha fast, hoofbeat sound driving part two), “Bye-Bye Boo-Boo," and “Hie Road Less Traveled,” which Reed stopped midway through with the anouncement, “I’m sorry, I forgot how to play the rest.” The crowd forgave this little mis take, and stomped and cheered and clapped enough to bring Reed out for three encores. Those who attended the intimate show at Brazos Landing should con sider themselves lucky — Reedonh performs about 60 shows year. The day may soon come when he’ll graduate to the level of felb ace-guitarist Stanley Jordan, and find himself in bigger halls andap pearing on the Tonight Show. Is he ready to be on national TV: “I don’t know — I’d be scared,"ht said. His career, which he started pur suing seriously at the age of 18, is starting to take off; while his first three albums came out on the small Flying Fish label, his latest, Instru ment Landing, is on MCA Records, He also may move away one day from solo performing. “I’d love to orchestrate and ar range music for a band,” he said. “Like a kind of a fusion band. We’d have a singer to sing stuff-1 just want to play guitar.” ‘Major League’ not a grand slam, but still a winning ticket for viewers cast of characters who provide some good laughs throughout the film. There’s also an appearance by Bob Uecker as the commentator at the Indians’ games. The movie follows the team throughout the season. You can probably guess how it’s going to end. Nevertheless, the movie offers plenty of funny moments that make it worth seeing. Of course, the movie comes with a subplot, as well, which involves Tay lor’s efforts to rekindle an old flame. His bookish former fiancee is en gaged to a wealthy lawyer. In her words, the lawyer has grown up. She considers Jake nothing more thana grown-up child. Tom Berenger is appealing as Jake Taylor. Through Berengeh performance, we see Jake as the jok ing sort as well as someone with only one chance left at making it bigin the major leagues. Charlie Sheen, who must enjoy doing baseball movies (he was in John Sayles’ spectacular “Eight Men Out” last year), is great as well, plat ing Rick Vaughn. “Major League” isn’t the besi game in town, but for laughs it's a winning ticket. Alley Theater’s tour closes with performance at A&M “Major League” Starring Tom Berenger and Charlie Sheen Directed by David S. Ward Rated R ★★★ By Shane Hall REVIEWER It’s no “Bull Durham,” but “Major League” may well be this year’s pre mier baseball comedy. In this film, the Cleveland Indians go from cellar dwellers to pennant winners. Now, if that isn’t movie magic, I don’t know what is. The film starts with the ex-show- girl wife of the team’s deceased owner taking over as owner. She de cides to fill the roster with over-the- hill veterans and inexperienced rookies. Her hope is that the team finishes dead last and that atten dance drops low enough for her to move the team to Miami, where she will get numerous perks. So when the team’s spring train ing opens, they have a motley crew of players in the lineup. Tom Be renger plays Jake Taylor, an aging veteran who was playing in the Mex ican leagues. Charie Sheen as Rick Vaughn is an ex-convict whose base ball experience is limited to the Cali fornia Penal league. Corbin Bernsen of “L.A. Law” fame plays Roger Dorn, a vain char acter who is more interested in mak ing commercials and product en dorsements than in playing baseball. Add a voodoo practicioner from Cuba and the flashy Willie Mays Hayes (“I play like Mays, run like Hayes,” he boasts), and the result is a OPAS will present the Hous ton-based Alley Theater’s final on-the-road performance of Ar thur Miller’s play, “A View From the Bridge,” tonight at 8 in Rud der Auditorium. The Alley Theater, a regional theater founded in 1947, has de veloped into “one of the most suc cessful regional theaters in the nation,” according to the New York Times. Director Beth Sanford is cele brating 25 years with the Alley Theater on this 27-stop national tour. Texas A&M is the theater’s last stop before returning to Houston for a final performance of this tragic slice-of-Iife play. “A View From the Bridge’is about a dockworker in love with his niece, whom he and his wife have raised. When the niece falls in love with an illegal alien, the uncle be comes jealous and reports him to the authorities. Philip LeStrange plays Eddie Carbone, the dockworker. LeS trange is a veteran Broadway ac tor who has worked with estab lished actors such as John Lithgow. Tickets for tonight’s perfor mance are available at Rudder Box Office. ASSOCIATED PR A Texas teen-; for the Junior Li some thoughts ah ers. "Raising a pig how much fun de] of the pig,” Jenny vil Herald of Hon A great-grandn ginia, egged on b) in-law, finally got a high school diph “I dreaded mat thy Johns, 71, ol the Ravenswood ( When the 91-y an egg and poultr tra, Texas, died, San Saba (Texas factly noted that dian Territory a brought across tl covered wagon. In the Bonm which has served Idaho, since 189 Bauman offered "If you think y much governmer you’re not getting paying for.” So it goes in th tryside. While cerned itself with the S&Ls and th< Tower, the topic Cow-Calf Sympo Neb. was closer to ing the Cow of the There are thir the state of the n; ca’s 7,498 weekli find in the Congre Sure, there’s soi The taxpayers i Mo., may be stucl medical hill resul putation of both who escaped fro and suffered sevi at large, says the view. The Osawatorr worries that Osa tion as a railroad ping; the Union about routing e through town. Naval provid ANNAPOLIS, i most 80 years afte break made officia cal milk supply. Academy is still ru iry to put milk on I tables. The cows don’t ture-book campus River, but down thi is the 865-acre U.S Iraqi; reflect seen fi BAGHDAD, Ir thada Haddad, on ing sculptors, spei ingthe Iranians in The horrors he experienced at the dramatic impact or “I saw too many war and they come Haddad said. He lost his stud! the southern port took a direct hit f Ifire during fiero city. “It was a very, ve ence,” he said. Six months ai cease-fire, few sig remain evident c Baghdad. But the battle s the capital’s musei studios. Gone are the i the bedouins on scenes from the mountains — all ti artists favored bef< in September 1980 In their place c Cures and painting carnage the artists Three sculpture played at a recent tion, show small, 1 ting twisted and their faces. The gn oner of War.” A statue comme sile attack was c hammed Ghani, statues inspired 1 “1,001 Nights” ar marks. A girl in t shattered stumps f A painting