The Collegian Thursday, September 7, 1989
Don Henley Bids Sad
Farewell to Innocence
by Robb Frederick
Five years have passed since
Don Henley last presented the
music world with a sample of his
artistic genius. During that
hiatus, the 42-year-old ex-eagle
has continued to age and mature,
with obvious effect on his music.
Throughout "The End of the
Innocence," his latest release,
Henley successfully transfers his
emotional passions and peeves
into appreciative ballads and eye
opening domestic commentaries.
The End of .the Innocence"
touches upon an impressive array
of issues ranging from greed,
suicide and rebellion to corrupt
evangelists and. Elvis sightings.
To adequately deal with these
issues, Henley has recruited an
all-star line-up of contributing
musicians including AXI Rose,
Edie Brickell, Patty Smyth and
Bruce Hornsby.
Each artist donates their
characteristic style to this release,
but only Hornsby is allowed to
steal the spotlight. From the
opening piano chords of the title
track, Hornsby's presence
dominates Henley's vocals.
Although the song succeeds in
establishing the somber, mature
sound that governs "The End of
the Innocence," it would be
equally appropriate if found on a
Bruce Hornsby release.
On "I Will Not Go Quietly,"
a surprisingly tamed backing
Summer Sequels Snub
Original Film Releases
by Michael Gettleman
Collegian Staff Writer
The summer movie season
has finally passed. With big
bucks at stake, Hollywood
decided to go with the ever
popular sequel in an attempt to
capture the American audience.
The summer started with
Harrison Ford's return to the
screen in the role of Dr. Indiana
Jones. This action-packed thriller
also starred Sean Connery as Dr.
Daddy Jones, Indiana's father.
The two set off in pursuit of
the Holy Grail. The relationship
between these two added an
interesting yet comical twist to
the thrills which lurked around
every corner. The Jones boys
went up against old rivals, the
Nazis.
"The Last Crusade" satisfied
the young adventurer existing
within most of us, but as it was
with the second Indy outing, this
wasn't as good as the original.
The original cast of
"Ghostbusters" returned to try and
recapture that old black magic.
Well, they missed. I know that
their first effort set very high
standards by being largest
grossing comedy in movie
history, but this one lacked a lot
of the wit which made the first
installment as successful as it
was. -- -
vocal by Axl Rose and a searing
solo by guitarist Danny
Kortchmar drive Henley to his
fiercist work in years. His lyrics
are delivered with a raw intensity
that signals his discontent, and
listeners are left eager for more
complaints.
The topic of greed repeatedly
appears as a subject of Henley's
frustration. The song "How Bad
Do You Want It" illustrates a
frightening level of desparation
through the lines "You're leaving
tongue marks on the carpet / And
I know what you're looking at /
You would walk on your lips
through busted glass / If you
could get next to that." On
"Gimme What You Got," Henley
depicts a world of financial
frustration and describes the
immense gap between classes
through the use of references to
Donald Trump and "A nation of
noses pressed up against the
glass."
Henley returns to this model
of Wall Street urgency during the
song "New York Minute," which
portrays the frustration of an
investor who eventually commits
suicide, leaving behind a family
which lacks any faith in the
future.
Perhaps the finest track on
"The End of the Innocence" is "If
Dirt Were Dollars," a biting
assault on everything from Jesus
freaks to Elvis sightings ("I was
flyin' back from Lubbock / I saw
Besides, not even the Stay
Puffed Marshmallow Man could
make me believe that the lovely
Sigourney Weaver could possibly
fall for the likes of Bill Murray.
Still, seeing Rick Moranis get
horny and then try to be brave did
provide a good bit of comic
relief, as did the idea of slime
flowing freely beneath the city of
New York as a result of un-nice
feelings.
I didn't even pay to see this
movie, and I still didn't enjoy it.
It's a shame because Bill, Dan
and the rest of the guys would
usually crack me up, but not this
time.
Our old friend Freddy took
some time off from his TV show
to make yet another film in his
"Nightmare on Elm Street"
series. This time, he took Jason
to Manhattan where they took
over.
No wait, they invaded the
dreams of Ed Koch and bought
the Yankees from George
Steinbrenner.
No wait, that would be a good
dream. I'm sorry folks, I didn't
see either film and from what I
understand, I didn't miss too
much. Then again, if you've
invested in the previous eleven
films that these two stars have
between them, then you must go
(Continued, Page 10)
Jesus on the plane / Or maybe it
was Elvis / You know, they
kinda look the same") to Fawn
Hall ("She should've had the
Oscar / She must have been
miscast / Her fifteen minutes
went by so fast.") Through his
unrestricted attacks, Henley
recaptures the hard-hitting spirit
that molded his previous hit
"Dirty Laundry" into a successful
single.
Although this release focuses
around subjects that irk Henley,
enough positive material is
present to stop "The Innocence"
from becoming a depressing work
along the lines of Lou Reed's
"New York." This positive spirit
can be seen on "The Last
Wothless Evening," a moving
ballad about the prospect of
rekindling a past relationship, and
"The Heart of the Matter," which
celebrates the human capacity for
forgiveness. This track, which
closes "The End of the
Innocence," encourages listeners
to maintain hope regardless of the
Present circumstances
This release may have been
long in the making, but at least
Henley used the time to create a
work of this respectable caliber.
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listening ear. Send in your letters wit
personal issues that may be puzzlin
troubling you. Letters may be droppi
campus mail or left in the counseling
on the first floor of the Reed Buildi
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