Page 14
The Battalion
Thursday, April 13,1989
Reviews
)yStacey Babin
flTERTAINMENT Wl
Julian Lennon struggles through ‘sophomore slump
By Keith Spera
REVIEWER
Julian Lennon is at a critical junc
ture in his career, and he knows it.
His first album, 1984’s Valotte,
was a decent-sized hit, especially for
a debut album. It sold more than a
million copies and yielded two top
10 hits.
Album No. 2, 1986’s The Secret
Value of Daydreaming, however,
was plagued by the “sophomore
slump,” which has affected more
than a few new artists.
The scenario goes like this: A
group’s first album comes out, they
get a whole lot of publicity, people
are interested in them because
they’re something new, and the al
bum sells.
Buoyed by this success, the group
quickly records a follow-up album.
But now the novelty of the new band
has worn off, and - unless the second
album is really strong (it often isn’t,
due to the haste in which it is made,
and because the band might be
tempted just to copy its earlier suc
cessful formula), it won’t sell nearly
as well as its first.
Because Julian is the son of a mu
sical legend, the hype surrounding
his first album was greater than
usual. Music fans and critics alike
couldn’t wait to hear how the “son of
John” would sound on an album of
his own.
By the time The Secret Value of
Daydreaming rolled around, every
one already knew what a Julian Len
non album sounded like, and its
sales were not as terrific as Valotte’s .
With his third album, Lennon is
out to prove that his first hit album
was not a fluke, and that he is worthy
of a reputation as an artist and not
just somebody’s son.
No doubt about it — he gets an A
for effort. He took no chances with
this project. Julian called in a whole
mess of talented people to do guest
shots on this record, among them
)trn
Schmidt (formerly of the Eagles),
Marilyn Martin, and Fiona. He
worked on the record for more than
a year and a half, putting together
25 songs from which to choose.
No fewer than 29 people are cred-
can do to save a friend/ I’ve given
her my all it’s useless to the end.”
A couple of songs later, however,
in “Make It Up to You,” we get the
same old story about the musician
having to leave his love to go out on
B.
►ecause Julian is the son of a musical legend, the
hype surrounding his first album was greater than
usual. Music fans and critics alike couldn’t wait to see
how the “son of John” would sound on an album of his
own. With his third album, Lennon is out to prove that
his first hit album was not a fluke, and that he is
worthy of a reputation as an artist and not just
somebody’s son.
ited as having performed on at least
one track of Mr. Jordan . Therein
lies its problem. Instead of the
“rough sound” Lennon has said he
was hoping to achieve on this album,
he has produced a 10-song collection
that is more craft than excitement.
Still, at times Lennon displays
both talent and daring.
The biggest chance Lennon takes,
and the most noticeable departure
the road, but don’t you worry, be
cause when he gets back, he’s going
to ....well, just consult the song’s title.
The music shows promise, but
then any spark of life it possibly
might have is smothered by cautious
playing and by Lennon trying to in
sert too many pieces of sound into
each song.
Justin Clayton (Lennon’s longtime
guitarist and writing partner) and
John McCurry provide a guitar
sound that never really cuts loose.
The guitar licks are fiat, chopped-up
and boxed, and are usually coated by
too much keyboard sound.
With as many as 12 people con
tributing to a single song, you can ei
ther have a tune marked by a whole
lot of standout performances, or one
in which nothing stands out and ev
eryone just blends into the general
blandness of the song. Unfortu
nately, the latter is generally the
case. Lennon mistakenly assumed
that the more parts he put into the
songs, the richer they would be. But
that is not the case — they offer
nothing to latch onto anywhere, just
an even flow of sound.
The album’s title refers to an old
movie in which a musician is taken to
heaven before his time, and Mr. Jor
dan intervenes to allow the musician
to complete and fulfill his life on
earth.
Lennon is trying to say that his ca
reer is not washed up just yet, and
that he still has more to offer. Next
time around, maybe he should try to
give us less.
Peter Frampton, Timothy B.
from his previous work, is his vocal
performance on Mr. Jordan . We
discover that not only can he sing in
a smooth, high voice reminiscent of
his dad’s, but that he is capable of
descending into much lower vocal
territory and sounding like David
Bowie.
Lyrically, Mr. Jordan is at times
clever and emotional, but it can turn
around and suddenly become
riddled with cliches. “Angillette” is
Lennon’s statement that he has done
all he can to try to persuade a friend
not to kill herself, and that now she
most help herself. “Have a nice day
with your Stoli and Gillette,” (Sto-
lichnaya vodka and Gillette razor
blades), Lennon sings as he throws
up his hands in frustration. “Can’t
you save her Lord ’cause I can’t go
on like this/ there’s only so much one
Directors’ triple-bill anthology ‘dream come true’
for film enthusiasts; ‘New York Stories ’ a winner
By Shane Hall
REVIEWER
“New York Stories”
Starring Nick Nolte, Rosanna Ar
quette, Heather McComb and
Woody Allen
Directed by Martin Scorsese, Fran
cis Coppola and Woody Allen
Rated PG
A movie that pools the talents of
Martin Scorsese, Francis Coppola
and Woody Allen, three of Ameri
ca’s best directors, is like a film buff’s
dream come true.
In “New York Stories,” an anthol
ogy of three short films, the dream
not only comes true, but is satisfying
as well. “New York Stories” is one of
the few great movies to be released
so far this year.
The common thread running
through these films is New York
City. All three directors have done
some of their best work in New
York, so the city is the perf ect setting
for the anthology.
Scorsese’s contribution, “Life Les
sons,” is the first and best of the
three. In fact, “Life Lessons” alone is
worth the price of admission.
In this film, Scorsese shows us the
darker side of New York City’s fash
ionable art scene. It is familiar terri
tory for Scorsese, who presented a
nightmarish vision of the Soho art
district in his 1985 film, “After
Hours.”
“Life Lessons” stars Nick Nolte as
Lionel Dobie, a middle-aged painter,
and Rosanna Arquette as Paulette,
Dobie’s live-in assistant and girlf
riend. Paulette is an aspiring artist.
Actually, their relationship is one
of convenience more than anything
else. Dobie uses their constant fric
tion for inspiration in his work. For
Paulette, Dobie is her passage into
the art world.
Both Nolte and Arquette are
memorable in their respective roles,
presenting the tension between their
See New York/Page 15
Around Town
Live Music
Brazos Landing
Brazos Landing is at Northgate.
Everyone is admitted. Beer, wine
and mixed drinks are served. For
more information, call 846-3497.
Thursday — Moments Notice.
Rock. $3 cover.
Friday — Alison Rogers and
Andy Van Dyke. Folk. $4 cover.
Saturday — Spy Vs. Spy. Reggae.
$5 cover.
Sunday — Arson. Jazz. $5 cover.
times are 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Ends
Friday.
Cyborg. Rated R. Showtimes are
7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
She’s Out of Control. Rated PG.
Showtimes are 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Opens Friday.
Call 775-2643 for more informa
tion.
Cow Hop Annex
Next to the restaurant at North-
gate. Those 18 and older ad
mitted. Alcohol served to legal
drinkers. Call 696-5522 for more
information.
Thursday — The Killtones.
Rock/blues. Cover.
Friday — Flesh Harvesters. Rock
’n’ roll. Cover.
Saturday — Agent Orange.
Dance rock. Cover.
Wednesday — Singalong with
Sneaky Pete. $ 1 cover.
Post Oak Three
Located in the Post Oak Mall. Call
693-2796 for more information.
Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adven
ture. Rated PG. Showtimes are
7:20 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Ends Fri
day.
Chances Are. Rated R. Show-
times are 7:10 p.m. and 9:20 p.m.
Dream Team. Rated PG-13.
Showtimes are 7 p.m. and 9:25
p.m.
Say Anything. Rated PG-13.
Showtimes are 7:15 p.m. and
9:30 p.m.
Schulman Six
In Bryan at 2002 E..29th Street.
Twins. Rated PG. Showtimes are
7 p.m. and 9:45 p.m.
The ’Burbs. Rated PG-13. Show-
times are 7:10 p.m. and 9:25 p.m.
Her Alibi. Rated PG. Showtimes
are 7:15 p.m. and 9:35 p.m.
The Fly II. Rated R. Showtimes
are 7:05 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Ends
Friday.
New York Stories. Rated PG.
Showtimes are 7:20 p.m. and
9:55 p.m.
Sing. Rated PG-13. Showtimes
are 4:45 p.m. and 9:50 p.m.
Troop Beverly Hills. Rated PG.
Showtimes are 2:15 p.m. and
7:25 p.m. Ends Friday.
Mississippi Burning. Rated R.
2:15 p.m. and 7:25 p.m. Opens
Friday.
Working Girl. Rated R. Show-
times are 7:05 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
Opens Friday.
Plaza Three
In College Station at 226 South
west Parkway. Call 693-2457 for
more information.
Rain Man. Rated R. Showtimes
are 7 p.m. and 9:40 p.m.
Leviathan. Rated R. Showtimes
are 7:20 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. Ends
Friday.
Major League. Rated R. Show-
times are 7:10 p.m. and 9:50 p.m.
Disorganized Crime. Rated R.
Showtimes are 7:20 p.m. and
9:45 p.m. Opens Friday.
Manor East Three
In Bryan in the Manor East Mall.
Call 823-8300 for more informa
tion.
Dead Calm. Rated PG-13. Show-
times are 7:15 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
Dangerous Liaisons. Rated R.
Showtimes are 7:20 p.m. and
9:45 p.m.
The Rescuers. Rated G. Show-
times are 7:05 p.m. and 9 p.m.
MAKE US YOUR CHOICE FOR VIDEO ENTERTAINMENT
t'
The
Paramount
Theatre
99*
Movies on Tuesdays
Thursday including
NEW RELEASES
• VHS & BETA
• Free Memberships
• Players & Camcorders Also Available
693-5789
Located on the corner of Texas & SW Parkway
in the Winn Dixie Center, College Station
Emiliano’s
In Bryan at 502 W. 25th St. Beer,
wine and set-ups served. Call 775-
9539 for more information.
Friday — A1 Chavarria y
Grupo Mayo. Spanish. Cover $5.
Frank’s Bar and Grill
In College Station at 503 E. Uni
versity Drive. All ages are ad
mitted. Beer, wine and liquor are
served to legal drinkers. Call 846-
5388 for more information.
Saturday — Don Pope and
Friends. Jazz. $2 cover.
Kay’s Cabaret
At Post Oak Mall. Those 18 and
over are admitted. Beer, wine
and liquor served to legal drink
ers. For more information, call
696-9191.
Thursday — Hank Townsend.
Soft rock. No cover.
Friday — For Crying Out Loud.
Rock/comedy. $2 cover.
Saturday — Stonefish Square.
Rock ’n’ roll. $2 cover.
Movies
All movies and showtimes are
provided by the theaters and are
subject to change.
Cinema Three
Located at 315 College Ave. in
the Skaggs Shopping Center. Call
693-2796 for more information.
Fletch Lives. Rated PG. Show-
times are 7:15 p.m. and 9:15 p.m.
Lean On Me. Rated PG-13. Show-
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846-7275
109 Boyett
Northgate
Leisure time and h<
sanimportant reflect
onalilies, says Dr. Ed
eation and parks de
essor, who emphasize
[uality free time to al
lisdasses focus on \
iate the outdoors an
line.
“We have twice as
ime, but we are not e
leath says. “Studen
:ourseson how to live.
The “professional
ears, he says, are son
History
jContinued from page
ampus of the original
ersity, which was four
lere, surrounded by t
luebonnets and othei
an be found the ruin
aeold school building!
le university mergec
iniversityin 1886.
Also on the site is
ioles house, the old-
fehington County.
Washington-on-the-
ndependence are in
rrunty, but Brazos Co
sshare of historical lar
For a brush-up on t
Irazos County, first
Iryan County Courtho
:rsection of Texas anc
eieral historical mar
outh side tell the stoiti
lie most important pec
.ounty, including \
Iryan, for whom tl
Etc.
ASSOCIATED PRESf
• Hertz and Avis n
to worry yet, but sot
live hotel operators ai
some unusual transy
their own.
The Westin Lenox
lanta has a 1961
Phantom V at the di
lests, who can rese
or trips throughout t
The 20-foot limoi
scribed as “sapphire
silver mink top.” It
from a private collect
mond, Va., accordin;
spokesman, and has a
Italian burr walnut, L
and Wilton carpet.
While it’s not unus
tels to have their own
or vans meet guests at
The Westcourt in th
hilltop conference
Tempe, Ariz., sends
taxi to meet its guests <
the Phoenix Sky Ha
port.
One of the resort’s
taxis is a 1962 diesel, t
the Central Automo
London, says C.V. He
manager of the pro
other two came fro
Coach, USA, a Detroit
cializing in British can
"We wanted somet!
live and immediately
hie for our guests,” say
• Privacy. An inn v
sd bed and fireplac
eluded beach. Places t(
a favorite person.
Romantic hideaway
hidden anymore, n
newsletter of that titl<
travelers find them.
The small hotel in
Oscar Wilde died or
New Orleans where
Audubon lived and
detailed in the newsk
and published by Bat
entrepenuer wh
sensed a need for ror
for vacationers.
She said a survey c
ers showed that abort
"ant “romance” or ;
destination” for thei: