THE OTHER PRESS Wednesday, October 5, 1983. CONTRACT Reviewed ‘About Plant Music - by Murray Budden SS ‘On last Saturday night, -a- rock legend came tothe Pacific Coliseum. Robert Plant is one of the original. rockers- via Led Zeppelin fame - who is currently establishing himself as a solo performer. After the proper psycholog- ical preparation, I entered the concert expecting a night of Rock ‘n Roll to remember. However, the concert was mediocre, with only a few flashes of brilliance. Plant belted out song after song, covering a large part of his solo career. __The energy behind the show —-was—Phil Collins of Genesis, Brand X, etc. His superb drumming skills held the band together in the fullest sense. If there were any songs played tightly at all, it was thanks to Phil! It should be noted that Phil had the most up to date percussion’ equipment. This included an elaborate drum kit, electronic and synthesized drums plus an array of access- ories. Plant’s screeching vocals be- came more repetitive as the two hour show progressed. Without electronic assistance, Plant wouldn’t have been able to achieve the long duration on those ugly drawn out howls. But, but, but-don’t let me take away anything from the very capable musicians Robert toured with. Robbie Blunt, the guitarist, CAN play with gra- ce, vivaciousness and spunk; but this time he didn’t. With the intermingling musical styles of the band, the guitar solos sounded the same throu- ghout the show. ‘‘Hey, does- n’t this song sound the same as the last,’’ said the 400 people surveyed. Plant’s song selection includ- ed all of his hits. The most memorable was ‘‘Big Log’’, which made for a reasonably enjoyable musical perfor- mance. The sound at the Pacific Coliseum was very poor as usual. With the mega-bucks spent on sound equipment and the outrageous price of con- cert tickets, why must we have to put up with such shitty sound? The bottom line is that on this ‘‘historic’’ last engage- _ment of his North American tour, the_band seemed tired and bored. YAWN!! by Dave Watson Does the idea uf a seventeen- th century period murder mys- tery sound good? Lots of bawdy humour in aristocratic settings? Thats what “‘The Draughts- man’s Contract’’ promises. Listen to this plot. Mr. Neville (Anthony Higg- ens), is the draughtsman, making a good living through architural sketches of the es- tates of English nobility. Mrs. Herbert wishes to contract for a set of drawings as a surprise gift for her husband who is leaving for two weeks. Neville, inturn demands an afternoon of sexual favours for each of the twelve drawings. Various articles of clothing and a ladder placed up against a. window stand out in the drawings. Giving rise to spec- ulation about the possible murder of Mr. Herbert. The return of Mr. Herbert’s riderless horse adds to the mystery, which culminates in the discovery of the body on the estate. The potential for a suspenseful film is established with this interesting setup reminiscent of Michelangelo __ Antonio’s superb ‘‘Blow Up’’. The Draughtsman’s Contract doesn’t exploit the ‘hidden clues in the drawings to their full advantage, instead relying in the grace, style and cust- oms of 1694 to carry the film. This produces a scenic period piece, with style, but little definite direction. & Heed ERASERHEAD \ by Dave Watson Other Press room 2305 (under the door) The Other Press will normally publish all letters received, subject to-such provisos as appropriateness, due regard for libel, taste and length. Writers should aim to keep letters under 300 words; longer letters may be condensed to meet space requirements. Priority will be given to Douglas College students and employees. All letters must be signed and - include a phone number for verification purposes (though this will not be printed). The staff will consider requests to withhold the author’s name in special circumstances. Letters and opinion published in the Other Press do not necessarily reflect editorial policy Letters may be brought to the Other Press office in room 2305, located off the main concourse in the North Building by the Student Society area, and_ slide submissions under the door if no one is in. The Other Press is a democratically run, autonomous student newspaper, published several times a semester by the Other Publications Society. The Other Press is a member of Canadian University Press and of the national student newspaper advertising cooperative, Campus Plus. Phone; 525-3542 Mailing Address: The Other Press Douglas College Box 2503 New Westminster B.C. V3L 5B2 Images In Vogue Eraserhead is the 1976 di- rectorial debut of David Lynch (The Elephant Man, now wor- king on Dune). This film is indescribably surreal, not in a psychedelic sense, but in a social way. None of the charac. ters act or react to each other . in anything like a normal manner, they behave more ike advanced schizophrenics. Sentences will be abruptly cut off in the middle and resumed a minute or two later as if no time had passed. All this bizarre behaviour is based on real social situations and a fair amount of humour is created by watching someone carry normal social actions to ab- surd lengths. The characters live ritualistic lives, going through the mot- ions of social conventions without the motivations that usually inspires such behav- iour in ourselves. This alone creates a strange, disjointed atmosphere, which is added to by the fascinating dream seq- uences that fill half the movie. The film makes serious state- ments on the effect of indus- trialized society on people. Sociology students will recog- - nize Durkhiem’s Anomie con- cept of society alienating it’s members. The soundtrack is great with walls of industrial noise building to the pain Threshold and abruptly end- ing. The bleak black and white visuals combine with the mus- ic to create the most intense scenes I have ever seen in a movie. The use of hallucin- agens in this movie would be extremely hazardous. Thanks to the Savoy Cinema, Main and 7th A five-song EP-is currently being produced for WEA by Lindsay Kidd and Joe Vizvary. The new EP contains all new material, except for one song on an independent EP that has been re-recorded for the WEA project. The six-piece. Vancouver band has already toured nationally, opening for Roxy Music and Depeche Mode. The WEA EP is scheduled for release late October with a national tour to follow as well. L to R: Glen Nelson (synths), Dale Martindale (vocals), Joe Vizvary (synths), Kevin Crompton (percussion), Gary Smith (synths) and Don Gordon (guitar, synth). Sitting: Bob Roper (left) and Stan Kulin (right).