arts
New Jersey band brings a drone and discipline to its music
By PAT GRANDJEAN
Collegian Arts Writer
One of the great unknown college
bands plays at 8 tonight in the HUB
Ballroom, sponsored by WPSU-FM.
Not only are the Feelies celebrating
their 10th anniversary as the archety
pal modern guitar-based rock group,
but with the recent release of their
second album The Good Earth, the
Feelies are once again a full-time
band. *
Their significance has been
obscured by the spotty nature of their
recording and performing career.
Founded by rhythm guitarist Bill
Million and lead singer and guitarist
Glenn Mercer, natives of Haledon,
N.J. (a suburb just outside of New
York City), the Feelies spent the late
1970 s playing regularly at CBGB’s
and Max’s Kansas City, two New
York City clubs that were also host
ing Television and Talking Heads at
the time.
Before long they obtained a con
tract with Stiff Records in England
and recorded Crazy Rhythms. This
1980 release defined their ongoing
approach to musical composition and
guitar playing. “We use a lot of root
chords, which is the traditional form
in folk music,” Million explained in a
recent telephone interview. “It in
volves a lot of open strings ringing
out, sort of a droning sound.” The
basic guitar attack is complemented
by a richly invigorating percussive
instrumentation, making the music
“all-enveloping ”
The power of the songs is strongly
enhanced by the lyrics, which are
always ambiguous. “Our writing is
not systematic, but the lyrics are
"generally worked out last,” Million
said. “We’re primarily interested in
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CAMPUS ARCHITECTURE—
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Buildings/Interiors
1. What building has the most
confusing floor plan?
2. What is the ugliest building
on the inside?
3. What is the best-looking
building on the inside?
Buildings/Exteriors
1. What building is the ugliest
on the outside?
2. What building is the best
looking on the outside?
Landscape Architecture
(These questions all deal with
man-made structures that are
not buildings. For example, the
HUB lawn wouldn’t be in this
category, but the fountain out
side the Arts Building would.)
1. Where is the best outdoor
place to meet a friend and
eat lunch?
2. What place is ugly and
doesn’t seem to fit in its
location?
Fill out and return to 126 Carnegie Before Nov. 1
The end is near
A little over a week remains (or you to (ill out your architecture survey (orm. How
ugly or beautilul are the Wall on College Avenue, Armsby Building and other
arrangements and will work those out
over a period of time until we’re
satisfied. The songs’ melodies gener
ally stem from throwaway lyrics. We
keep the vocals lower in the mix
they act as another instrument.”
Though Crazy Rhythms was crit
ically well-received, it laid an egg
commercially, thanks in part to
Stiff’s inept methods of promotion.
Million sensed that the British label
held “a weird anti-American preju
dice toward the band the president
of the company took every opportuni
ty to bust us.” A typical example
Stiff’s strategies was the one-date
only European appearance in London
the company booked for the group.
Following the disappointment of
Crazy Rhythms’ release, the Feelies
became a part-time band, perform
ing mainly on holidays and other
special occasions. They became
known for their appearances at Max
well’s, home to the Hoboken, N.J.
music scene. A national tour in early
1985 laid the groundwork for the even
tual full-time reemergence of the
group, but it was a near disaster: a
major breakdown just prior to a
performance in Athens, Ga. nearly
sent them hobbling home for good.
Fired up by the tour experience, the
Feelie’s current lineup including
Brenda Sauter, Stan Demeski and
Dave Weckerman set about re
cording The Good Earth in early 1986.
As they had for the first album,
Mercer and Million controlled the
production of The Good Earth, enlist
ing R.E.M. lead guitarist Peter Buck
as an objective “third ear” in the
recording process.
“(We use a) ‘tag-team’ production
approach,” Million said. “It helps out
considerably just to' have a third
person to say, ‘I think that was a good
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Collegian Photos / Ralph Oswald
take,’ or just to toss about some
discussions about a particular part.
Lots of times when you’re working 15
to 18 hours a day, your ears start to
vacate. It’s good to have someone to
take up the slack, even if only for a
half-hour at a time.”
Million thought Buck would aid the
most with the process of recording
guitar sounds (“because of our dron
ing style of playing, it’s hard to get a
real good sound”) but Buck actually
was more helpful when it came to
designing the drum tracks. He also
tempered the band’s relentless per
fectionism.
“There were a few guitar parts on
the album that I was not particularly
happy with. Peter was actually able
to convince me that the parts were
nice because of the mistakes,” Mil
lion said. As compared to Crazy
Rhythms, The Good Earth was com
pleted in record time (two weeks)
and at about one-tenth the cost, with a
total budget of $4700.
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The Feelies
Million feels that The Good Earth is
the warmer record of the two, and
that it reflects just how much “smart
er” the Feelie’s use of guitar has
become in six years. He pointed out
that on Crazy Rhythms’s “Loveless
Love,” “the guitars are slightly out
of tune that makes them a little
more distinctive. It wasn’t intentio
nal, just our inability to tune a guitar
at the time. There are a lot of situa
tions like that where guitar rhythms
go off and create interesting juxtapo
sitions. That happens by accident to a
lesser extent on the new record,
where the playing is a little more
fluid.”
Stylistically The Good Earth rang
es from the country and western
inflections of “The Last Roundup” to
the edgy and chaotic “Slipping (Into
Something)” and the Magical Mys
tery Tour-ish “Tomorrow To
day.” “When Company Comes”
incorporates the sound of a truck
driving past Million’s house and the
•- * . *
voice, of one of his woman neighbors.
“Glenn and I used to have a lot of fun
sticking microphones out of windows
and stuff,” Million said.
“One day I caught this conversa
tion and thought it was real interest
ing, thought it really applied to ‘When
Company Comes’ ” a song that is.
all bright choral vocals and ringing
guitars. To Million this is a good
example of a song “where the lyrics
are really unimportant the sound
of the voices is really what counts.
“You can’t hear everything that’s
going on in this album on the first or
second listen, and that’s what we go
after,” he said. “My favorite records
have always been the ones where you
can listen to them five years later and
hear something new.”
Not everyone shares his prefer
ences. “We’ve had major labels real
interested in the band since The Good
Earth came out. Warner’s told us
they would put the record out tomor
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Turner doesn't see problem
with giving old films color
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Media
magnate Ted Turner, whose color
tinting of vintage black-and-white
motion pictures has provoked pro
tests from filmmakers, said he is
shocked by the outcry but has no
plans to alter his course.
“The last time I checked, I
owned the films that we’re in the
process of colorizing,” Turner
said. “I can do whatever I want
with them, and if they’re going to
be shown on television, they’re
going to be in color.”
Turner discussed the color-tint
ing controversy after a speech
Tuesday night at the Beverly
Wilshire Hotel.
The debate erupted when the
Turner Broadcasting System re
cently announced plans to color
more than 100 movie classics, in
cluding Casablanca, The Maltese
Falcon, Yankee Doodle Dandy and
The Postman Always Rings
Twice.
“All I’m trying to do is protect
my investment in MGM,” said
Turner, who earlier this year paid
more than $1.2 billion for the stu
dio’s 3,650-title library of movies.
Woody Allen, Billy Wilder, Joe
Dante, John Huston and Steven
Spielberg are among the directors
opposing what they call color tam
pering of films.
Last weekend the Directors
Guild of America said it will fight
vigorously to block Turner’s color-
Cultural center presents
a class act to University
By RON SWEGMAN
Collegian Arts Writer
A dash of commercial pop and
traditional jazz adds some spice to
the fusion sound of A Different
Class, which will play a free con
cert at 7:30 this Saturday evening
in the Paul Robeson Cultural Cen
ter.
Variety is the trademark of this
New Jersey-based band, which is
fronted by energetic vocalist Ken
Covington. Its basic style revolves
around modern soft fusion, but the
group isn’t afraid to step out of
that idiom to try something differ
ent, like the cool sounds of jazz
pop, heard in performers like Sade
and Simply Red. Those who saw’
the band play on campus last year
can testify to its successful, enter
taining blend of jazzy tunes.
One reason for their variety is
Covington himself. Vocalists are
rare in the jazz-fusion world, so his
talents lend a definite edge when it
comes to expanding the group’s
musical horizons and gives it a
greater repertoire to draw from.
Covington has been compared to
such famous jazz singers as Sara
Vaughn and Ella Fitzgerald. Like
those performers, his charismatic
The Daily Collegian
Friday, Oct. 24, 1986
row if we remixed it and brought the
vocals up. We just said, ‘thanks but
no thanks.’ The thought of going back
and redoing this is completely out of
the question.”
Since completing the album the
band has embarked on a college tour
that has taken them from New En
gland to Nebraska. Million worried
unnecessarily about their low-profile
working against them, especially in
places like Champaign, 111., which he
described as “a real Republican
looking town” with no college radio
station. “The promoter for the Uni
versity of Illinois was nervous that no
one would show. We got nervous
ourselves, like maybe we should skip
this one,” he said. Ultimately over
400 people showed up.
After their University date, the
Feelies will play the East Coast for
two weeks as R.E.M.’s opening act,
which will bring them to larger halls
such as the Spectrum in Philadelphia
and the Felt Forum in New York City.
Though pleased to be part of the tour,
Million admitted to being “a little
apprehensive we played at the Ritz
(in New York City) when it was really
crowded, and looking out and seeing
all those people is a little off the wall.
My biggest fear is sound bands
don’t sound really good in large
rooms.”
Tonight’s performance promises to
be much more intimate, offering
songs from both Crazy Rhythms and
The Good Earth as well as covers of
songs by the Beatles, Monkees, Vel
vet Underground, Wire and the Mod
ern Lovers. Though the Feelies play a
lot faster and louder onstage than in
the studio, Million reported that
they’re still pretty disciplined:
“We’re not the Replacements,” he
laughed.
tinting of old films. The directors
also have asked the U.S. Copyright
Office to investigate the legality of
the process
In addition, RKO Pictures Inc.
filed suit Monday to keep its yes
teryear films out of the color com
puter.
The American Film Institute, an
independent, non-profit organiza
tion founded in 1967 to assure the
preservation of the art form, an
nounced Oct. 1 that it also opposes
computer coloring
“I’m really shocked at the
fuss,” Turner said. “I really don’t
think it makes that much differ
ence in the end. I think editing
these movies makes a hell of a lot
more difference in how they look,
especially when they’re chopped
up by 20 or more minutes in order
to fit into time slots. Why aren’t
these people making a fuss about
that?
“Besides, I like things in color.
We see in color. Why didn’t they
make The Sting in black-and-white
if they’re so concerned about his
torical authenticity? ”
The average cost of adding color
to a film is $183,000. Companies
that perform the work say they
are helping introduce a new gener
ation of viewers to classic movies
because black and white films are
getting harder to syndicate on
television and are virtually shut
out of the video market.
vocals add extra energy and daz
zle to both the original and cover
tunes the group performs. The
band sports the usual fusion line
up: keyboards, guitar, bass,
drums and saxophone. With Cov
ington at the helm, the group’s
overall impact has been said to
leave the audience spellbound by
the show’s end.
The band is fresh from an eight
week tour of Malaysia and Singa
pore and a group of performances
at the Sands Casino in Atlantic
City. A Different Class’ visit to
University Park marks the first
gig on a tour that will swing
through several of the Common
wealth campuses. Previous to
these tours, the band had opened
for such jazz greats as Grover
Washington and Ramsey Lewis.
The fact that the band enjoys
playing more than just straight
ahead fusion sets them apart from
most traditional jazz outfits. At
tendance was less than over
whelming the last time A Different
Class appeared on campus, said
Lawrence Young, director of the
cultural center. That is surprising
since the group seems to have
something for almost every music
lover.
and Tina are at the top of the pops this week
Cyndi
By The Associated Press
The following are Billboard’s hot
record hits as they appear in next
week’s issue of Billboard magazine.
Copyright 1986, Billboard Publica
tions, Inc. Reprinted with permis
sion.
HOT SINGLES
l.“ True Colors”
(Portrait)
2. “Typical Male” Tina Turner (Ca
pitol)
3. “I Didn’t Mean to Turn You On”
Robert Palmer (Island)
4. Boston (MCA)
5. The Human League
(Virgin)
6. Blue” Madonna (Sire)
7. I Think of You” Janet
Jackson (A&M)
B.“ Sweet Love” Anita Baker (Elek
tra)
9.“ Take Me Home Tonight” Eddie
Money (Columbia)
10. Cried Out” Lisa Lisa and
Cult Jam with Full Force (Columbia)
11. “You Give Love A Bad Name”
Bon Jovi (Mercury)
12.“ Word Up” Cameo (Atlanta Art
ists)
13.“ The Rain” Oran “Juice” Jones
(Def Jam)
14.“ Heartbeat” Don Johnson
(Epic)
15. Next Time I Fall” Peter
Cetera with Amy Grant (Columbia)
16. It All Away” Genesis
(Atlantic)
17. “Girl Can’t Help It” Journey
(Columbia)
18.“I’11 Be Over You” Toto (Colum
bia)
19.“ A Matter of Trust” Billy Joel
(Columbia)
20. “Love Will Conquer AH” Lionel
Richie (Motown)
TOP LP’S
I.Third Stage Boston (MCA)
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Cyndi Lauper
Tina Turner accepts one of the many awards she received in 1985. Her welcome comeback In this decade continues with
the current number two hit, “Typical Male."
2.Slippery When Wet Bon Jovi
(Mercury)
3.F ore! Huey Lewis and the News
(Chrysalis) .
4. Top Gun Soundtrack (Columbia)
5. Every Rule Tina Turner
(Capitol)
6.Back in the Highli/e Steve Win
wood (Island)
7.Dancing on the Ceiling Lionel
Richie (Motown)
? \
USiC
B.True Colors Cyndi Lauper (Por
trait)
Q.Raising Hell Run-D.M.C.
file)
lO.True Blue Madonna (Sire)
11. The Bridge Billy Joel (Colum
bia)
12. Janet Jackson (A&M)
13. Paul Simon (Warner
Bros.)
14. Invisible Touch Genesis (Warn-
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9 Time: Fri., Sot. 7:00, 9:00,11:00
® Sun 7:00, 9:00
q Place: 111 Forum
3 Admission: $2.00
©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©>©©©©©©©
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er Bros.)
15. Somewhere In Time Iron Maiden
(Capitol)
16. Night Songs Cinderella (Mer
cury)
17. Eat ’Em and Smile David Lee
Roth (Warner Bros.)
18. 'True Stories’ Talking Heads
(Sire)
19. Rapture Anita Baker (Elektra)
20. Don Johnson
Mark Watson is going to Harvard Law School
on a scholarship. The scholarship is for Ejjy
a black appficant from Los Angeles. U
There's a probtem...Mark is white. %
Brother, is he in for an education.
A COMEDY WITH HEAKTAND SOUL.
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CINEMA 5
Matinees: Sat., Sun.: 2:00, 4:00, 6:00
Nightly: 8:00 & 10:00
s 2 OO before 6:15 p.m. 116 Heisfer
STATE
Matinees: Sat., Sun.: 2:00,
Nightly: 7:45 & 10:00
s 2 OO before 6:00 p.m. 128 W. College
The Daily Collegian Friday. Oct. 24, 198 G—25
4:45