• rts
Houston Ballet presents
fine version of 'Giselle'
By DIANE D. DIPIERO
Collegian Arts Writer
It's very hard to take a ballet
such as Giselle seriously. A young
village girl, Giselle, falls in love
with someone whom she believes to
be a young peasant man. Actually,
he is a count, engaged to a lady of
royalty. When Giselle learns about
this, she kills herself. But before
she actually expires, she dances
around sometimes with great
strength, and at other times,
doubled over in pain.
If that weren't awkward enough,
Giselle joins a group of jilted girls
who have ended their lives, the
Wilis. Their mission is to seek re
venge on their lovers by dancing
them 'to death. Giselle reluctantly
begins to weaken the count through
dancing, but sunrise comes, and she
must part from him.
A good ballet company must
carefully construct its presentation
of Giselle, otherwise the lead char
acters can end up looking rather
foolish. Fortunately, last Friday
night in an Artists Series, Center for
the Performing Arts presentation,
Giselle was in the competent hands
of the Houston Ballet. And while the
company's rendition of Giselle
might not have been the best, it,
certainly was enjoyable and well
crafted.
Ben Stevenson's beautiful artistic
direction was enhanced by the high
caliber performance of the compa
ny. One standout was Rachel Jonell
Beard, who played Myrtha, Queen
of ,the Wilis, with the power and
seriousness it demanded. Beard
was strong in facial expressions
and body movement.
Giselle, played by Janie Parker,
Inaudible vocals hurt show
By DEBBIE GOLINI
Collegian Arts Writer
If you were in the mood to mousse up your hair,
wear splattered jeans and hightop sneakers and
dance, the Valley of Kings concert held Thursday
night in the HUB Ballroom was for you. Howev
er, if you went to listen to some music, you were
most likely disappointed.
concert review
The Valley of Kings, a Connecticut-based rock
band consisting of Gabriel Cohen on guitar and
vocals, Ron Sutfin on bass, and Kerry Miller on
drums, performed free for roughly 100 people
'That's Why I'm Here' is Taylor's
By PAT GRANDJEAN
Collegian Arts Writer
JAMES TAYLOR: That's Why I'm ed to those changes at all. Now for the negatives. Friendly,
• Here Columbia PC-40052. His dogged consistency means that conversational, and superficially inti-
It was with a mixture of curiosity one positive element of his older work mate, Taylor's musical style has per
and dread that I acquired That's Why is still present in the new. Taylor has sistently been used to disguise the
I'm Here, James Taylor's first album a gentle, sideways sense of humor fact that he seldom tells us anything
in four years. Because I was once a that comes up in some of his best about himself at all. Of all the singer
big fan of his, listening to this was like early songs ("Knockin' Round the songwriters to emerge in the 1970 s
revisiting my childhood and realizing Zoo," "Steamroller Blues") . (Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, Paul
that the experiences I remember "Mona," dedicated to his deceased Simon), he has been the least confes
most fondly were not as happy as pet pig, continues in this vein and sional. He never expresses a big
they once seemed. In "Song For You works as a mockery of his character- f emotion when he can hedge on it.
Far Away" Taylor intones"Me I've istic self-pity. The bluesy "Limousine Compare "Fire and Rain" to Jackson
been watching more than 15 year- Driver" reflects humor in the playful Browne's "Sleep's Dark and Silent
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You can bet that this is the way the Replacements celebrated the completion of their first major label album release.
Because of the change, the band's latest album is more structured than earlier releases, yet "Westerberg and company
sound like 800 kinds of passion and tension looking for an exit." Left to right: vocalist Paul Westerberg, bassist Bob
Stinson, drummer Chris Mars and guitarist Tommy Stinson.
and Count Albrecht, played by Ken
neth McCombie, executed every
step with grace. Parker also dis
played good acting ability; she
readily conveyed to the audience
the joy she felt when she was with
the count and the pain when she had
when she left him. But her dancing
is her higher attribute she can
make the simplest set of pirouettes
look so dazzling. Each time that
McCombie lifted Parker into the
air, you could sense the audience
members holding their breath. Yet,
the couple made each step look easy
and natural.
Behind these principal dancers
was a group of finely tuned per
formers. Whether working in small
groups or as a whole, the dancers
moved in sync with one another.
Unfortunately, one member of the
Pas de Quatre had a couple of
mishaps, which certainly inhibited
her from dancing to her full poten
tial. It is vital to remember, though,
that a dancer should be entitled to
one off night out of about 100 live
performances.
Perhaps Giselle is not the best
way for people to be introduced to
the Houston Ballet. It is a difficult
ballet to perform, because it re
quires as much dramatic concen
tration as it does dancing ability.
Those who saw the company's pre
sentation of Swan Lake last year
will easily see the difference: Swan
Lake did a much better job of re
vealing the Houston Ballet's preci
sion and talent.
Yet, the show was a success. The
ballet's orchestra sounded wonder
ful. Also, the• village scenery and.
the spooky outdoors setting were
very realistic. Peter Farmer's cos
tumes complemented every aspect
Thursday night. Their show can best be, de
scribed as fast, frenzied and loud. The group
played songs from its recently released album
Victory Garden in two sets, yet it was nearly
impossible to hear or distinguish the words.
As I sat in the first row by the stage, I listened
to Valley of Kings play one song after another. I
can only tell you the titles of four songs, "Love .
Turns to Love," "Come Out Julie," "The Dis
tance" and "Where Have You Gone," for out of
the more than 20 songs they played (some more
than once) those were the ones for wl4ch I could
figure out the words. The guitars and &urns had
a way of drowning out Cohen's vocals. On a rare
occasion, I was able to decipher a few phrases
only to have the instruments come in full force.
Cohen might as well have been lip-syncing up
there on the stage for all the audience could hear.
However, a few people in the crowd didn't
seem to mind: When Cohen said, "This isn't
s/and it hasn't changed a bit," but
he's sadly Mistaken. The world has
changed a lot, and he hasn't respond
Janie Parker's dancing lit up the Houston Ballet's Friday night performance
of the classic romance Gls°lle. Although the dancing was superb in many
places, the performance lacked the sparkle of past Houston Ballet efforts.
The dancers, however, succeeded in making the contrived storyline
feasible, while the scenery and costumes added to the total effect.
of the show. But, especially mem
orable is the conclusion of Giselle.
As dawn breaks, the Wilis' power
dies, and so Giselle must leave
Count Albrecht alone forever. As
the count falls to his knees, Giselle
horns and harmonica. One can imag
ine Cheater Jones doing a terrific
cover version of it.
places white flowers in his hands
and quickly flutters away. The
count is left heartbroken. Any com
pany whose performance brings
tears to someone's eyes is definitely
one of the be§t.
classical music, don't feel you have to sit there
all stiffly," some took that as an invitation to go
up to the stage and dance and they did
interesting dances. Two guys from the audience
ran towards the stage, flung themselves to the
floor, and proceeded to roll around kicking their
feet Others chose more conventional methods of
bouncing to'the fast beat.
The Valley of Kings did perform danceable
music. The tunes were upbeat, fast and had an
appealing quality to them.
Musically, Valley of Kings played very, well.
All of its songs exhibited lively guitar and drum
beats. Sutfin, on bass, looked like he was having
a good time laying down the rhythm, and Miller
pounded out the back beat with as much enthu
siasm. Perhaps if the musicians were less enthu
siastic towards their instruments, the audience
would have been treated to fine vocals as well.
Gate." Browne breaks down and
bleeds all over the listener, while
Taylor goes into all sorts of detail
about what has happened to him
without giving a clue as to how it
makes him feel. The virtue in this is
that he is more accessible, less diffi
cult than Browne. He's always
sounded good on the radio.
With middle age, he's opted out
right for radio-style blandness. There
isn't an original here ,that really
inspires shared feeling in the audi
ence, unless someone out there is
easily moved. Insincere ditties like
"Song For You Far Away" only man
age to deaden the nerve ends of the
serious music lover.
Taylor's musical craftsmanship is
as much a mixed blessing as his vocal
and lyrical habits. On the new album,
both the title track and "Only One"
are pretty much trademark originals.
They're replete with a walking tem
po, ringing instrumentation and or
chestral accents.. You can't listen to
them without hearing "Shower the
People" or "Up On The Roof." Sadly
enough, while those songs were
charming, these are lethargic.
His originals have always earned
higher marks for their arrangements
than they have for passion. Greater
conviction has usually been evident in
his treatment of covers. His versions
of "You've Got a Friend" and "Up on
the Roof," both penned by Carole
King, were certainly the definitive
ones. In his hands "Handy Man" was
gentle and seductive.
No such feeling ensues when one
hears this album's covers of "Every
day" and "The Man Who Shot Liberty
Valance." "Everyday" is so flat that
pardon the cliche Buddy Holly
must be turning over in his grave.
There's no excuse for such a heavy
handed desecration of this efferves
cent song.
"The Man Who Shot Liberty Va
lance" is, both flat and gratuitous. It's
easy to see the appeal "Everyday"
would have for an interpreter, but
'Eco-Rockers
music with a
environment
By JILL S. KOSKO
Collegian Arts Writer
Stamping, slapping, strumming
and humming, Bill Oliver and Glenn
Waldeck performed in 301 HUB last
Tuesday evening, charming the small
but devoted audience with their lively
songs.
concert review
Sponsored by Eco-Action, the duo
played folk songs for nearly two
hours, winning the audience from the
start with their enthusiasm and en
ergy. These guys aren't just any
ordinary folk singers. Calling them
selves "Eco-Rockers," they write
and perform music with environmen
tal themes.
Despite their critical message, the
songs are generally upbeat and en
joyable. Even the bluesy pieces
("Shopping Maul") and the senti
mental tributes to ecological heros
("Song for William 0. Douglas"),
never become somber enough to
alienate the audience. "We want to
present our message in a positive
way and attack in a light-hearted
manner," Waldeck said.
Lines such as "Please don't leave
the water running when you wash the
dog" are typical of their songs' light
ness and humor. Although the lyrics
are consistently sarcastic, they never
become bitter; instead, they are logi
cal and sensible , arguments for the
preservation of our world. One song,
for instance, asks us to think about
"all the trees we read" and points out
that it's silly to take a3O year-old tree
to make a one day newspaper. Listen
ing to those lines, you can't help
feeling a little ashamed, thinking,
"Yeah. . . it does seem silly."
More than their songs, the person
alities of the two men made them a
truly likeable pair. A big man from
Austin, Texas with dark curly hair,
Oliver had an attractive stage pres
ence and a deep rich voice that was a
pleasure to hear.
Almost the exact opposite in build,
dress, voice and style, Waldeck pro
vided an enjoyable constrast to Oli
ver. A Boulder, Colorado tee-shirt
and short pants clothed Waldeck's
small frame• while a jaunty cap
rested on top of his straight blonde
hair. Waldeck's exaggerated facial
expressions reflected the feelings of
the songs. As a former drummer for
many bands, Waldeck improvised the
"percussion" parts by stomping his
workman boots and playing off any
object in his path from a stool to
the back of his guitar. His voice,
higher and sharper than Oliver's, was
pleasant to hear in his two solo num
bers but sounded much better har
monizing under his partner's bass.
blandest album
why would anyone choose to cover
this movie theme from 1962? Is this
supposed to be i significant? If one
were asked to find the one worthwhile
song this record : has the song with
charm, life and feeling it would no
doubt be "Going 'Round One More
Time," a guileless reflection on ro
manticism written by James' guile
less younger brother, Livingston.
That's Why I'm Here demonstrates
that Taylor is,
,once and for all, a
misfit in the world of folk-rock. He's
always symbolized a retreat from the
passion and tension inherent in this
musical form. It was he, more than
anyone else, who signaled the 1970:
radio domination of artists such a:
Linda Ronstadt and the Eagles: Art•
ists who misrepresented rock as noth•
ing more than light-headed por
entertainment. With the advent of
Springsteen, the punks, and alterna
tive radio to start setting things right,
why is he still here? There's no good
answer to that question.
THE REPLACEMENTS: Tim
(Sire) Paul Westerberg, the
guiding light of this quartet, is a real
wise-ass kid: He can leap from piano
to guitar to mandolin and handle
them all as though he had no limits.
Likewise, his compositions run the
gamut from punk-thrash anthems of
disenchantment ("Bastards 'of
Young") to morose ballads concern
ing the loneliness of the long distance
bar band ("Here Comes a Regular").
On the major label debut the arrange
ments are more structured than they
were on the Twin-Tone albums Hoote
nanny! and Let It Be, but this isn't all
that counterproductive: Rather than
sounding tame, Westerberg and com
pany sound like 800 kinds of passion
and tension looking for an exit. It
could, be that moving to the big
leagues was an adjustment, but one
guesses this crew will be at home in
no time. Great tracks: "Hold My
Life" ("because I just might lose
it") ; "Left of the Dial," a defiant
salute to underground bands every-
The Daily Collegian
Monday, Nov. 4, 1985
interweave folk
message about
n HUB concert
Together, Oliver and Waldeck
played their harmonicas and guitars
and, occasionally, even their faces.
Waldeck was especially good at
"face-playing" and could make all
sorts of fascinating popping, clicking
and clucking noises to go along with
the music. By their ability io Imitate
the sound of dropping water, both
Oliver and Waldeck jokingly claimed
the title of rain makers.
Immediately, the duo' involved the
audience by getting them to sing
along with their first song, "Shopping
Maul," a funny, sarcastic piece about
the monstrosities that have become
an institution of our time: "You've
seen one, you've seen them all/ They
gotta zillion parking stalls/ They
make the downtown business crawl."
It was perhaps the group's most
enjoyable song. Other audience
pleasers included "Have to Have a
Habitat" and "Condominium." Be
tween each song, Oliver chatted with
the audience, telling stories in his
light southern drawl.
Like their songs, Oliver arid Wal
deck were down-to-earth people who
placed themselves on the same level
as their audience, treating everyone
there as a friend. Showing his report
oire with the crowd, Oliver called up
a member of the WPSU radio station
(which was taping the show) to play a
hilarious piece about male-female
stereotyped roles called "The Wee
wee Song." The audience sang along
with the refrain: "It's only a wee
wee, so what's the big deal/ it's only a
wee-wee, so what's all the fuss/ it's
only a wee-wee, and everyone's got
one/ there's better things to discuss."
It was one of the show's highlights.
Oliver and Waldeck met 14 years
ago working on a rock pile along the
Chesapeake Bay. "We didn't know we
were both musicians until lunch
break," Oliver laughed. They've been
together ever since, singing and trav
eling to schools and conferences try
ing to make people aware of the
problems facing the environment. "A
lot of people blow it off," Waldeck
said. Ecology has always been a
concern of theirs. "We were never, not
interested in it," Oliver said. "But
even if we weren't interested in ecolo
gy, we'd still be in music."
In addition to his musical work,
Oliver has worked as a substitute
teacher. He knows hundreds of Amer
ican folk, country, and rock songs,
and he composes many pieces him
self. Recently, he released his first
album called Texas Oasis. "He just
seems to get younger all the time
he has so much energy," said Wal
deck, who placed Oliver's age around.
37 or 38. Waldeck himself is 28 and
also writes songs and plays a variety
of instruments, including guitar, har
monica, drums and flute.
As for the duo's future plans, Wal
deck was unsure. "I have trouble
thinking that far ahead," he said.
where and "Waitress in the Sky,"
wherein Westerberg tells an ornery
stewardess just where she stands in
his eyes ("Sanitation expert and
maintenance engineer/a, garbage
man, a janitor and you, my dear").
NEIL YOUNG: Old Ways (Geffen)
--- At least one icon of the 19605/70s
has made it into this decade without
dropping out, blanding out or working
with Thomas Dolby. Young has never
allowed himself to sit still stylistical
ly, and here he indulges his fondness
for pure Nashville country and west
ern. Helping out are Waylon Jen
nings, Willie Nelson, Anthony
Crawford and an entire orchestra of
strings. The album's theme the
romantic mythology of the drifter
and his painful maturation would be
the best way to describe it -- is not
original but there are several en
chanting songs here.
"Misfits" is a mini-country operet
ta, carried aloft by strings, mandolin
and banjo. If Phil Spector (producer
of the Ronettes' "Be My Baby" and
the Righteous Brothers'"You've
Lost That Lovin' Feeling") worked in
Nashville instead of New York, this is
the kind of song he'd create. "The
Wayward Wind" sounds like some
thing from Lionel Newman or Aaron
Copeland. "Old Ways" and "My
Boy" are smaller in scope but no less
emotionally loaded: In the former
Young speaks as someone who has
been disillusioned, and in the latter as
someone who wants to save the next
generation from disillusionment.
When he's good, Young can be as
heartbreaking as and more subtle
than Springsteen.
Young's voice is an acquired taste,
and his duets with the strident Jen
nings don't enhance its appeal. And
the mediocrity of the last two songs
("Bound for Glory" and "Where Is
The Highway Tonight?") dampens
one's enthusiasm for the rest. Despite
these weaknesses, you owe yourself a
listen to this.
Phil Silvers:
By GEORGE GARTIES and
JUDY SMAGULA FARAH
Associated Press Writers
'll
1' l
' ~ it
LOS ANGELES Milton Berle, Sid
Caesar and Steve Allen were among
the 100 mourners Sunday at a funeral
service for Phil Silvers, "the one of a
kind" comedian who made his mark
as television's big-grinning schemer,
Sgt. Ernie Bilko. Silvers, who por
trayed the fast-talking, scheming
Master Sgt. Ernie Bilko in the 1950 s
television series The Phil Silvers
Show, died at his home Friday. He
was 73.
Silvers died in his sleep at 1:30 p.m.
of natural causes after going over
some fan mail with his personal assis
tant, Jean Edwards, said his daugh
ter, Tracy Silvers.
"He was totally professional," Al
len said before the private service at
Mount Sinai Memorial Park, 10 miles
northwest of downtown. "He was one
of a school of comedians who had .a
natural air of authority on stage.
When he went on stage, he took
charge and made people know they
were seeing a professional."
"He was one of a kind. He was a
great comedian," Caesar said.
Long time friend Berle delivered
the eulogy. Others attending included
Morey Amsterdam, Danny Thomas
and Carl Reiner.
Invitations to the service were post
ed at the Friars' Club, a show-busi
ness gathering place in Beverly Hills
that Silvers favored, a club spokes
man said.
Silvers, who started in show busi
ness as a vaudeville singer at age 13,
made his film debut in Hit Parade of
1941. He continued for the next de
cade to play comic roles in feature
films, usually as the hero's friend.
His film credits in later years in
cluded such comedies as It's a Mad
Mad Mad Mad World, A Funny Thing
Happened on the Way to the Forum
and The Strongest Man in the World.
He won a Tony award in 1951 for his
role in the Broadway play Top Ba
nana, and another in 1972 for the
stage version of A Funny Thing Hap,
pened on the Way to the Forum.
But the bald, bespectacled comic
was best \ known for his role as the
rascally con man Sgt. Bilko in the hit
program The Phil Silvers Show, origi
nally called You'll Never Get Rich.
737v;:s
COLON AND
RECTUM CANCER
IS THE CANCER TELL ME
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TO TALK ABOUT. FINISHED.
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Beloved comedian dies at 73
\
W
BUT WHY DIDN'T
f, 4
W mA L ( BEFORE?A B OUT
se
at _it
....A
Phil Silvers
The series ran from 1955 to 1959 and
won three Emmy awards in 1955:
Silvers was named best comedian
and best actor in a continuing perfor
mance, and the show was named best
comedy. The show won another
Emmy in 1957 for best comedy series.
"As Bilko I was the world's worst
conniver," Silvers said in a 1977 inter
view. "But I never won out over a
rookie. It was me against the Penta
gon. That's what made the Bilko show
a hit."
Silvers entertained U.S. troops in
the Mediterranean during World War
His Broadway performances in
cluded parts in High Button Shoes
from 1947 to 1950, Top Banana in 1951
and 1952, and Do-Re-Mi in 1960.
In addition to Tracy Silvers, survi
vors include daughters Nancy,
Laury, twins Candy and Cathy, who
appeared on the television series
Happy Days, and a granddaughter,
Jaclyn. He was married to former
Miss America Jo Carroll Dennison
from 1945 to 1950. His second mar
riage to Evelyn Patrick also ended in
divorce.
\ yERS\~~
,~C~~~~~
RAY CHARLES
with the Raelettes
and the Ray Charles Orchestra
Wed., Nov. 20th, 8 PM
in Eisenhower Auditorium
Student/Faculty/Staff Ticket Sale. Begins Mon., Nov. 4th at Eisenhower Box Office 9.4 PM
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For Applications and Interview Appointments
Scheduled on November 5,6, 7 and 8, 1985
MEETING OPEN TO ALL
Films, Information and Discussion
WITH RETURNED PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS
October 22 at 7 PM October 23 at 7 PM
November 6 at 7 PM
HUB ASSEMBLY HALL 4 2
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