Features M PAGE 8 NOVEMBER 20, 1990 Have You Heard the Word? Spoken-Word Albums Return on CD Well
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RETRIEVER Features m PAGE 8 NOVEMBER 20, 1990 Have you heard the word? Spoken-word albums return on CD well. Island Records compiled the Marc Ribot and Gary Windo's by Sammy The unaccompanied, later disc words of Burroughs and Ginsberg progressive compositions highlight displays Kerouac in a splendor of and had them set to glorious this work with spontaneous feels Prestianni spontaneous prose delineating the original music compositions. Bur- within the tight musical structures Retriever Staff Writer many facets of the human character roughs'"Dead City Radio" features boldly accenting Ginsberg's verse. and portraying perfectly the cool a few unpublished works, a couple The poetry selections span the Spoken word albums are spastics of bop jazz in words no of excerpts from the infamous poet's career drawing from four nothing new to the recording music critic could ever touch. The "Naked Lunch," as well as other decades of his "Collected Poems." world, but the recent efforts bard's voice is amiable and enjoy- pieces from writings dating no later Some of the pieces seem as if they and reissues on CD from masters able. His words trail into sentences than 1986, save the thoughtful "Ah were devised for sound and song of the beat generation, Jack like a runaway locomotive guided Pook the Destroyer" from '82. at the outset, particularly "Com- Kerouac, William Burroughs and by a higher power; they never bump On the cover photo Burroughs plaint of the Skeleton To Time" Allen Ginsberg, are as intense and into each other or fall on them- looks ancient, but his recent words with its refrain, "Take them, said enticing, if not more so, than any selves, only surge forward like a prove him to be venerable and the skeleton/But leave my bones I've ever heard. beneficent tidal wave. productive in his old age. His voice alone," and "Refrain" with its tight Rhino Records' "The Jack The only drawback in the collec- is both powerful and haunting as rhyme form and chorus, "Shadow Kerouac Collection" is a triple CD tion might be "Blues & Haikus" as he layers provocative and often changes into bone." reissue of Kerouac's complete it seems a bit trendy or beatnik horrifying images throughout his But the most blatant of these, and recorded works, with a few outtakes dated as the sax players lay down narratives. The NBC Symphony least effective, is the anti-bomb near from the sessions: the 1958 "Poetry melodic chaos after Kerouac's Orchestra, Sonic Youth, John Cale rap chant with its boogie/disco For The Beat Generation" with poetic images or observations. The and others add to the intensity of rhythm and question/reply struc- Steve Allen tinkling light jazz on fragmentary nature of this disc his words with mesmerizing sonic ture on "Whom bomb? We bomb the piano; the 1958 "Blues & doesn't captivate as magnetically as passages. "Dead City Radio" is a them?" or "What do we do? You Haikus" with the bent horns of Al do the other two. The selections refreshing gift from a prolific fiction bomb! You bomb them!" Regard- Cohn and Zoot Sims; and the finest from the Steve Allen show and the writer who digs into the conscious- less of the complaints or reserva- one, which dates 1959, the unac- Brandeis University forum display ness of man and emerges with real, tions one may harbor towards companied "Readings by Jack Kerouac as the personable writing often dark, truths. Ginsberg's stark honesty, his poetry Kerouac On The Beat Generation." personality he became. The entire Ginsberg's "The Lion For Real" takes on a fresh, striking quality This exquisite compilation includes collection lends an insight into the features transcriptions of the poems with the expert musicianship a book of about thirty pages of rare writer's reading style and intelli- included, sOme interesting liner represented on this CD, thus mak- photos, quotes and thoughts of gent, humorous personality that notes and the most diverse and ing it a vital addition to your other writers and musicians on the will prove to be a great discovery challenging musical accompani- literature or music collections. Father of the Beat Generation,. as for generations to come. ment of all of the CDs. Bill Frisell, photo courtesy of Warner Bros., Inc. Kiefer Sutherland is the voice of "The Nutcracker Prince," a new animated film from Warner Bros, based on the E.T.A. Hoffman story. Other voices in the cast include Peter OToole, Phyliss Diller and Columbia Megan Fellows. The film opens tomorrow, November 21. resurrects the Blues by Rob Going ape over a Thornton 'Gorilla' exhibit Retri r Staff Writer Pan two in a IHOpart series sense of what it takes for these Last week. | reviewed the by Teddy animals to survive in the wilds. His "Masters of the Blues" series shots of newborns are especially by Telstar Records. Telstar Durgin impressive. They weigh only four did an excellent job on that series, Retriever Editorial Staff to five pounds, as the exhibit says, and they have done justice to the and are cared for at all times by Chess name. Inspired by this blues their mothers. But the rate of renewal. Columbia Records has Baltimoreans have been development is roughly twice as been looking back in their own going ape over a photo fast as that of a human baby. The archives, and have come up with exhibit at the Maryland display then follows the gorillas a series ol really old recordings that Science Center. Michael Nichols' at different stages of their lives. they call the "Roots n' Blues" series. "Gorilla: Struggle for Survival in In the few weeks that it has been The music they have unearthed the Virungas," reminiscent of the at the Center, the exhibit has dales back as far as the 1920s and Sigourney Weaver film Gorillas in become one of it's most popular '30s, and the recordings are the the Mist, is an amazing collection features. "Gorilla" will run beginnings of blues as we know it of photos taken from some sur- through December and then will one or two people.armed with an prisingly close angles. be moving on. It is produced by acoustic guitar and a song. The first Nichols, hailed as the "Indiana the California Academy of two releases are called Legends of Jones of photography," has gone Science in San Francisco and is the Blues, Volume One and Slide to great lengths (and considerable traveled by the Aperture Founda- Guitar: Bottles, Knives and Steel, danger!) to capture these won- tion. For more information, con- (others to be available soon). drous creatures on film. Through tact the Science Center at 685- The most interesting release is the his pictures, people can get a real 2370. Slide Guitar CD. This has all sorts ol acoustic blues tunes that feature artists who use smooth surfaces on the strings, either a bottleneck, a kniie or a little bottle. The amount ol skill that the players had was and These Three Men still is astonishing. photo courtesy Michael Nichols/Magnum Photos, New York All of the musicians can and do One of the photos of a gorilla infant in Michael Nicholsamazing exhibit, now on view in the Maryland dare to be cute! Science Center. (see BLUES, page 9) Danson and Steve Guttenberg, and Television is overflowing with by Teddy her mother (Nancy Travis, in a them, movies can't get enough of Durgin much larger role). them and there's always commer- But mom has a new man in her cials (don't get me started). Just Warp speed ahead! Retriever Editorial Staff life, a snooty, English millionaire once, I'd like to see some ugly kids (but he's cute!), who plans to send get a part! But, of course, Three Is it possible to die from an Mary to (gasp!) boarding school. Men and a Little Devil Child Sci-fi TV takes a Quantum Leap forward overdose of cuteness? Well, But one of the three men has fallen probably wouldn't be very successful. annoyed by Al, an observer from of his birth, and only as far ahead chances are if you survived in love with her too (and it's so as today. He never leaps into cute!), and must overcome his Of course, if it's babies that you Sam's own time. Al, as played by Three Men and a Baby, you'll likely by Teddy Dean Stockwell, is hilarious as the anybody famous, and never make it through it's sequel, Three bachelorhood to ask for her hand. prefer, the infant Mary makes an appearance during the opening Durgin woman-chasing, wise-cracking mil- changes any landmark, historical Men and a Little Lady. Actually Three Men and a Little events (although one time, he saved credits, taking her first steps (they're Retriever Editorial Staff itary man, who appears in the form The cuteness factor is raised to Lady is a worthy sequel, maintain- of a hologram (Sam maintains a certain Dr. Heimlich from chok- new heights in this follow-up to the ing the same air of humor and light- so cute) and going to her first baseball game. By having her contact with his own time through ing using a strangely familiar, biggest film of 1987, as adorable hearted fun as the first one had. In the '60s, science fiction tele- brain wave transmissions) that only maneuver.). little Mary has matured to the age Robin Weisman plays the five-year mature into a five-year old, the vision reached a high with Star sequel avoids the obvious second Sam can see and hear.