Page 14
The Battalion
Monday, April 24,1989
Jerry Jeff Walker
to perform in B-CS
By Shane Hall
REVIEWER
As part of a concert tour to
promote his new album, Live at
Gruene Hall, country singer
Jerry Jeff Walker will be per
forming at 8 p.m. Saturday at the
Bryan Civic Auditorium. The
concert is being sponsored by
KORA-FM.
Walker, a native of Oneonta,
N.Y., has long been recognized as
an important singer/songwriter
and as a vital force in the Texas
music scene. His songs include
“Drifting Way of Life,” “Gypsy
Songman,” “Cadillac Cowboy”
and “Mr. Bojangles,” for which
he is best known.
He has performed around the
world and has played a wide
range of music. He’s played
acoustic folk, country and, as a
member of the band Circus Maxi
mus, even psychedelic rock. Aus
tin music critic John T. Davis
once wrote that it is easier to
“teach monkeys to tap dance than
it is to classify Jerry Jeff Walker.”
More recently, Walker lent his
talents to the “Don’t Mess With
Texas” television spots.
Live at Gruene Hall, Walker’s
20th album, is his first live album
since 1973’s Viva Terlingua.
Gruene (pronounced “green”)
Hall is located near New Braun
fels. Walker chose to record his
new album there because of his
fondness for performing there.
“It’s an old-fashioned Texas
dance hall,” Walker said in a tele
phone interview Wednesday.
“I’ve played there a lot over the
E ast eight to 10 years. It’s always a
)t of fun.”
Making his first live album in
15 years was fun as well, he said.
The album will be on sale exclu
sively at Walker’s concerts until its
May 1 release date, Walker said.
Live at Greune Hall includes
songs penned by Walker himself,
such as “Lovin’ Makes Livin’
Worthwhile” and “The Pickup
Truck Song,” as well as material
written by Austin singer/songw
riters Steve Fromholz and Chris
Wall, who is Walker’s opening act
Battalion File Photo
Jerry Jeff Walker
on the tour.
For the album and tour,
Walker, who often performs solo,
assembled a lineup of Austin mu
sicians that he had worked with at
different times in his career. Ac
companying Walker’s vocals and
acoustic guitar are Roland Den
ney, bass; Lloyd Maines, steel gui
tar; Paul Pearcy, drums; Brian
Piper, piano; and Champ Hood,
electric guitar.
Live at Gruene Llall is Walker’s
second release on his own Tried
and True Music label (the first
was 1986’s Gypsy Songman). In
the past, Walker has recorded for
major labels such as MCA, Elek-
tra, and Atlantic. But in keeping
with the rebel image he was fa
mous for in the 1970s, Walker
chose to release his new album in
dependently of the big record
companies.
“The big record companies
wanted all the money, but we did
all the work,” Walker said. “So I
decided to do this my way and re
lease it myself.”
Tickets to Jerry Jeff Walker’s
Bryan concert are on sale for $10
each. For additional ticket infor
mation, call KORA-FM at 775-
1240.
New Sputnik Ip not for timid listenen
By S. Hoechstetter
REVIEWER
Dress for Excess
Sigue Sigue Sputnik
EMI Records
This time it’s music. At least that’s
what it says on Sigue Sigue Sputnik’s
latest album, Dress for Excess.
But this time it’s not just music, it’s
lots of sound effects to create an al
bum that is typical Sigue Sigue Sput
nik. As a band popular for its offbeat
style, this album is not for the timid
or conservative music listener.
The band’s musical style is classic
pogo (dare I say teeny-bopper?). But
Dress for Excess still can appeal to
the sophisticated listener who is will
ing to abandon snobby musical atti
tudes and have a good time.
If anything is in excess on this al
bum, it’s the computerized voices
and reverb, but that’s typical Sigue
Sigue, so it’s to be expected.
Neither Tony James nor Neal X,
both of whom play guitar, do any
thing spectacular or out of the ordi
nary on the album. Most of the em
phasis is on the newest band
member, Miss Yana Ya Ya on key
boards and special effects.
The first song, “Albinoni vs. Star
Wars (Parts 1 8c 2)” begins with an
electronic version of 17th century
composer Tomaso Albinoni’s classi
cal work, “Adagio in G minor.” It’s a
slow piece, but then the “Star Wars”
part takes over and blasts the listener
back into the 20th century. It’s loud
and raucous and fun, so beware,
music snobs!
If you’ve heard anything from
this album yet, it’s probably been
“Success (Insider Stealing? Sputnik
Aitken Waterman!),” which has been
getting some airplay. So if you like
this song, you’ll like the rest of the al
bum, because it follows suit.
Lead vocalist Martin Degville has
a sometimes rich, sometimes breathy
voice that he uses to taunt and shock
the listener by making fun of himself
and music in general. He co-wrote
all the songs on the album with Tony
James.
In “Super Crook Blues,” Degville
sounds like he’s doing a simulta
neous impression of Billy Idol and
Elvis Presley as he sings, “Wow! Oh
yeah! Shakin’ in my blue suede
shoes.”
“Rio Rocks! (It’s a City in Shock)”
is a song about the wild, sometimes
illegal party life in Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil as we hear a variation on a
theme of “La Bamba” played subtly
as a background to Bill Mitchell’s
deep voice telling us about the at
tractions of the city.
While most of the songs are not
on the album for their intellectual
content, some of them do address
important issues for the listener to
think about as he thrashes. In “Dan-
cerama (Dance * Dance * Dance),”
Mitchell asks the question of the de
cade: “Is it love or is it sex?” Degville
later sums up the attitude of the
whole album when he sings, “Vive le
shock tonight!”
Every track has voices that simply
speak, as in “Hey Jayne Mansfield
Superstar! (Oooh! She's got it. . .
yeah!)” when voices say things such
as, “Her private life was a public ists’
dream,” and a Mansfield impression
squeaks, “I know I’m so kissable, but
why don’t you pour the champagne
first, loverdoll?”
And in “M*A*D (Mutual * As
sured * Destruction)” Degville pre
sents U.S. and Soviet propaganda
about nuclear arms only to satirize it
all by saying, “I’ll take you on any
day, sucker!” Later, we hear a re-cre
ation of an accidental nuclear attack.
“Is this the Future (Five Years of
T
Acoustic Guitar)” is another sem»
rious song that pokes fun at ii
and the band.
Dress for Excess is not a seriousa!
bum. There’s no evidence of incredi
ble talent. It’s an album meant f«
losing inhibitions to and just I
a good time. It’s crazy and spasi
and 1 recommend it to anyone
search of fun.
s
t hanks to Music Express for led
ing this album for review.
Show displays computer-generated art
y°
By Shane Hall
REVIEWER
For centuries, paints and brushes
have been important tools for the
artist. In this age, the computer is
added to the list of tools. The com
puter can be used to produce art
works of great beauty, as an exhibit
in the Langford Architecture Center
gallery demonstrates.
The exhibit consists of photogra
phy, sculpture and video art by
seven artists. The common element
in the works is that all were electro
nically derived or altered, says Eve
Mosher, a sophomore environmen
tal design major who helped set up
the exhibit.
Dawn Rasmussen, the gallery di
rector, says the artists’ use of the
computer was an important consid
eration in choosing the works to ex
hibit.
“It was important to me to choose
works to use the new tools in a
unique way,” she says.
For the team of Bruce and Susan
Hamilton of Glorieta, N.M., com
puters have played an important
role in their sculpture since 1981.
Three sculptures by the Hamiltons
are on display.
The three-dimensional works,
made of laminated wood, acrylic, ca
ble and brass, are based on forms in
the natural world. One sculpture,
“Snowsnake,” has a spiral shape re
sembling that of a coiled serpent.
Each artist’s exhibit is accompa
nied by a printed statement in which
FAMOUS FIRSTS
FIRST
AIRPLANE
FIRST CAR
The Wright Brothers began
experimenting with kites in
the 1890’s and in 1903
became the first to sustain
flight for 852 feet over the
beach at Kitty Hawk.
FIRST LOVE
She was the only one who
didn’t laugh when you fell off
the jungle gym and broke your
leg. She even let you win at
checkers. What a woman!
The world’s first motor car,
the Lenoir, named after its
inventor, ran at an average
speed of 4 miles per hour. In
1863 the 11/2 horsepower
vehicle made its first drive of
6 miles in only 3 hours.
UNIVERSITY TOWER
It’s time to introduce another Famous First, University Tower. In August, the privately-owned and
managed property will open as a dormitory. At University Tower you'll find 24-hCur on-site security, a
huge bedroom and private bath, full meal plans, an exercise and weight room, study rooms & com
puter room, an indoor pool, a sport-court, a volleyball pit, laundry facilities, housekeeping service, and
a shuttle bus to campus. It's the first and only dorm of its kind at A&M. Call or come by for leasing
information for Fall/Spring ’89-'90!
The Private Dorm of the 90's
University Tower
410 South Texas Avenue
(409) 846-4242
1-800-537-9158
University Place
LQ
University Dr.
TEXAS
A&M
UNIVERSITY
University Tower is managed by one of the most experienced student housing management company in the United Slates.
Dr. Richard A Bems, general manager for Wallerstein Property Management, manages dormitories at the University of Texas
at Austin and Arizona State University for over 1800 students.
the artist explains the process of
making the works on display and the
inspiration for them. According to
the Hamiltons’ statement, the two
start out with an electronic drawing
and, using a special computer pro
gram, expand the idea into a three-
dimensional form.
Perhaps if the computer existed in
the Renaissance, artists such ts
Bronzino and Botticelli might have
used it in their works. Some works
by Robert Anderson of Bloomfield,
N.J., allow us to see what classical
paintings might have looked like had
they been done on computer.
The classical images, one of which
is taken from the painting, “The
Birth of Venus,” use intense combi
nations of red, blue and other colors.
The images themselves shows a digi
tally altered look.
“What he’s done is borrowed
images from classical art and really
created a new painting,” Rasmussen
says. “It’s almost like a collage.”
One of the more interesting ait
humorous displays in the exhibit is;
series of images by Brian Tayloro
Monte Sereno, Calif. Usingaserii
of hand-colored, electronically i
tered photographs, T aylor looks
the crudeness of early computen
His photos show early compute
with their battered typewriter b
boards connected to second-hats
monitors and held together wi
wire, masking tape and inorethaa
little ingenuity.
Other works on display in thega
lery include black-and-white phot
graphs by John Burris of Brookln
N.Y. and some colorful, compute
generated graphics by Victor A
evedo of Eos Angeles.
1 he exhibit will be on displayt
the Langford Architecture Centa
gallery through April 28. Theta
are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Fifty
and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
The success c
ranked Texas At
team has attract
ansto the ballp
season, making
Olsen Field a pc
springtime han^
students this ser
The Aggies ti<
record for the b
a 40-1 mark, set
record for best <
Meet the two toughest cops in town,
One’s just
a little
smarter
than
the other.
JAMES BELUSHI
K-9
AND INTRODUCING JEKRV I .IT AS HIMSI II
GORDON COMMW,ROD DANE,. T-f MEL HARRIS *1 STEVEN SIEGE,
Km
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In HULL*.'UUVL/ltlfin CoMmOlLtLit OllAJU, Prater L/UlTtn OHllilJ h 1/lMVLitViL AlUIULUl'd
CHARLES GORDON “ROD DANTE SS
OPENS IN THEATRES APRIL 28th
FREE SNEAK PREVIEW
inema/
Tonight at 8:00 PM
in Rudder Auditorium!
Tickets available now at MSC Box Office!
26-game winnir
recently won tw
tames against a
Jniversity of Te
10team in the n
The Aggies' fc
continued to im
Olsen Field pub
announcer Derr
ecided to rema
after earlier in tl
laying that he h.
at Ball Stal
Jniversity.
No c
By Chuck Lovej
ENTERTAINMEN1
An epidemic is
plaguing our b
A&M campus.
Students in evei
partment are aban
work in brief but
reckless disregard
ity.
The disease is sp
Its cause is bea
its primary effect i
don.
It is incomparab
Recognizing the D
Webster’s Third
tional Dictionary
fever as “a lazy or
often associated wi
spring.”
A more perfect
the condition coulc
A walk around <
Desha Woodall
painted on her fe