page eight The River Bruce Springsteen Columbia XPC2 36854 In many ways The River is. comparable to Bob Seg- er’s Against The Wind. While both albums try to expose these _ north-east rock scene veterans Seger opted for a quieter, mellow sound that appealed to a wider audience. In doing so, a lot of loyal fans thought he had sold out. Such is not the case with Bruce Springsteen. Already in the rock press The River is being accepted as a ‘‘good’’ album; it is not considered his quintessen- tial album’ as many would consider Born To Run to be. But even Born To Run is no indication of his talent, to truly appreciate Bruce Springsteen one must see him live ... To really understand Bruce Springsteen, or Mr. Springsteen, as rock writer Robert Palmer of the ‘‘pres-_ tigious’’ New York Times refers to him (it’s amazing how pompous eastern, esta- blished papers really are) one must go back to the mid-seventies and look at the state of rock and roll music. By 1973-74, it was appar- ent that rock and roll was no longer fun, instead it was a product that was to be served up as the most palatable to the [8-35 mar- ket. Rock and roll was, and is, business. Middle-aged teen-agers too young to remember the sixties were enthralled to learn that musicians like Paul McCart- ney had once been the member of a rather obscure band kindly remembered as The Beatles. Survivors like Mick Jagger and the Stones no longer staged concerts, but circuses where the clos- est Jagger ever got to the audience was by swinging over them on a rope. The whole rock spirit was, quite honestly, dead. But in 1975 a rather un- usual event occurred: Springsteen found himself on the covers of both Time and Newsweek, the establi- shment magazines of North America. In a sad sort of way it seemed contrived, B - Sides hy Dan Hilborn ~ Most new bands in this town have neither the imag- ination nor the talent to play good new music. Not so with the B-Sides. Last Friday night this six-piece group opened the Hallowe’en Masque Ball and ignited the audience with their catchy style. The music that this group plays defies normal classifi- cations. They have a defin- ite reggae influence but according to bass player Scott Martin they are not totally a ska band. Martin prefers the term a modern dance band but then the band is not as tame as that name implies. Bobby Blue Herron, a midget Blues Brother clone, is the most visible member of the band as he bounces between the keyboards, his guitar and the microphone vet Martin says that there is no real leader and the band is a total democracy. The B-Sides started last Friday’s show with two songs that have been re- corded for the Vancouver Compilation II album, ‘‘Un- derground Radio Stars’’ and ‘‘Spy Versus Spy’’, and it didn’t take long before the audience was bouncing about like the band was. “Bedtime for Bonzo’’, undoubtedly their -best tune, along with ‘‘She’s a Raver’’, is scheduled for release as a single later this month. ‘‘Bedtime’’ is a whimsical look at presiden- tial candidate (as of this writing) Ronald Reagan and includes monkeyish squeeks and squawks as background vocals. It also includes a warning that Ronnie likes to push buttons. Other outstanding songs include ‘“‘Suburban Cow- boys’’ (guess what that’s about), and ‘‘Go see Sam’’, a song written by Bobby Blue about drugs. The other members of the band are Chris Taylor on drums, Dan’o Fifo on gui- tar, keyboards and vocals, Richard Reverb Ozimer on keyboards and Tony Bea on. guitar and vocals. Martin says that all the’ guys in the band write’ songs and that, ‘‘There are tons of songs that we have- n’t even played yet.’’ The B-Sides will be play- ing with two other bands at the Bridgeview Community Centre, 11411-126A_ St., Surrey on Nov. 14. The cost is $2 or $3. This band is definitely one of the ‘‘hot new acts”’ in town and should be seen before. they become _ too popular. Next week - Iggy Pop reviewed. The Other Press and not many people, at least not consumers, paid attention. But by this time Spring- steen, like Seger, had built up a cult following all over the north-east United States. It was this cult, along with constant club performances that was to enable Springsteen to live up to the hype he had been a victim of. In cities like Boston, Philadelphia and Cleveland, a Springsteen concert was an opportunity for the disillusioned rock fan to party. Performances that started at one a.m. and ended at five a.m. were not at all uncommon for Spring- steen and his co-horts. By word of mouth and the tour that followed the rel- ease of Born To Run it was becoming increasingly clear that this bar veteran was starting to make waves. Springsteen, like a religious messiah, was on the mount and his sermon was rock and roll, pure and simple. After a lengthy contract dispute, Springsteen releas- ed Darkness on the Edge of Town in 1978. That year saw him do an extensive North American tour in small halls, but a barrage of fans forced him into some- thing he had always dread- ed, the inevitable fact that he had to play hockey rinks to satisfy the demands of his fans. To some it would be apparent that a live album was the next project Spring- steen would undertake, but to his credit he didn’t lay back. Instead he embarked on his most ambitious pro- ject to date: The River, a double album that included songs that he did not in- clude on the Darkness al- bum. Point Blank and Inde- pendence Day written dur- ing the tour made it to stage and appear on the new album. Both are haunt- ing ballads that deal with the desperation of living with and leaving loved Rock rr’ roll River flows. ones. The title track, The River, is a ballad along similar themes of the past. A young couple, on their own, face the unknown future after a New Jersey wedding and the images of dark industri- al north-east come into the mind of the listener. The photograph on the album back only drives the point home. But the most refreshing aspect of this album is that it’s a PARTY album. This is an album you can listen to when you feel low and alone. It is here that Spring- steen reveals his true self. For encores at concerts he doesn’t play so much r and b tunes, but one-hit ‘“‘trash’’ classics. Cadillac Ranch is obviously an influ- ence of Springsteen’s fond- ness to such songs as Quarter to Three by Gary “U.S.’’ Bonds and Be My Baby by the Ronettes. Also included in his performan- ces is the so-called Detroit. Melody of Devil With the Blue Dress and Good Golly Miss Molly. Other cuts that stand out are the optimistic Hungry Friday, Nov. 7, 1980. Heart and a rollicking Got a Crush on You. The Ties That Bind is a chilling song dealing with escape. Co-producing this album. was fan-turried-producer Jon Landeau and guitarist ‘*Miami’’ Steve Van Zandt. Springsteen is reputed to have began a world tour in major U.S. markets before moving to Japan and Eur- ope. I had the fortunate -experience of seeing him in Seattle (on only three hours sleep in two and a half days, but that’s another story) and it was, well, tre- mendous. How many per- formers do 4-hour concerts ,in an era where an hour and fifteen minute set, with an obligatory ‘‘encore’’ is the norm? Canada is being consider- ed for a January tour, but in this case it may only mean central Canada. Spring- steen’s last concert in Van- couver was relatively laid back so it’s hard to say if he’ll be back. I wonder what the wea- ther is like in Toronto this time of year ... Rob Guzyk Police - Zenyatta Mondatta by Phil Staines Zenyatta Mondatta is a good reason for Police fans to breath a sigh of relief. It is a success, and it is an improvement for the group. ‘Don’t Stand So Close To Me”’ opens the album, al- ready a hit, in fine Police tradition. Songs such as “Canary in a Coal Mine’’ and ‘‘When the World is Running Down, You Make the Best of What’s Still Around’’ are fine composi- tions, musically and lyrical- ly. As far as a message, you look at the title’s and you have it. Bass player and vocalist Sting has an inno- cent way of saying things. His words don’t hurt any- one, yet they describe many different types of people that exist in our society. Drummer Stewart Cope- land’s ‘‘Bombs Away’’ is a little more of a _ blatant putdown of politics and big business. Guitarist Andy Sommers seems to be responsible for a slight change in the bands style. He is using a lot more effects on his guitar, while his riffs are ridiculously simple. Allin all his playing is a main ingredient of the Police sound and a vital part of their success. ‘‘De Do Do Do De Da Da Da’’ is a clever little num- ber. Think of someone with the IQ of about twelve, who persists in arguing a worth- less point, and you may find that De Do Do Do De Da Da Da is all you want to say to them. Zenyatta Mondatta has the making of a traditional Police album, with its punk, _reggae beat, choppy guitar, and Sting’s booming bass and impressive crooning, yet the album is a progres- sion for the group. It contains a few access- able songs which are prov- ing tobe the favourites of fans in the same lines as “‘Roxanne’’, and ‘‘Walking ‘On The Moon’’, yet this album has more to say for itself. It should stand the test of time and marks the maturity, and staying power of a more experienced group. It’s good to see them constantly getting better.