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% 9 ^ ^ j 1 ' ' MB / * ;' FOOT LONG SUBMARINE SANDWICHES i "DELI QUALITY ? HAMBURGER PRICES" AFTERNOON DELIGHT 2:30 pm to 6:30 M-S FOSTER'S, 740ml Big Beer From Downunder Only $l .25 with Purchase of Sub TWO LOCATIONS NOW OPEN 10:00 am Till | Corner of Assembly & Sumter Hwy. 76-378 f J Green * 3 mi. past VA Hospital V ^ _ 771-6151 yA, 776-9242 ^ Jeff. Beck's n< lacks inspiral Rw Tnm Shnnlpv WIRED, on Epic, is an instrumental album, and although Beck has surrounded himself with noted musicians, the results are disappointing. WIRED is nothing more than a sequal to BLOW BY BLOW, and if I had to choose between the two I would have to flip a coin to decide. I can find no great variation between the two, and believe me, I have tried. Beck's guitar work has always been his trademark. Yet on this album it is hard at times to distinguish it from the synthesizer. He does nothing new here, employing lines and techniques he has used before that are now trite and dull. The soaring, biting guitar lines that were once characteristic of his work are now more restrained and confined. WIRED is not a Jeff Beck album. Although supposed to be his project, it is more of a group effort, which in this case is detrimental to Beck's ability. The reason for this may be the line-up of musicians. The two main culprits are Jan Hammer and Narada Michael Walden, both veterans of one of the many versions of the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Their influences are highly apparent. Soloing was the keynote with the original M.O. ? ? * 1 tf A. 11.. Uoonam, trooaman ana naminer cuiisuuiuy attempted to out-do each other, with the end result being a gradual deterioration of the group. With Beck their habits prove fatal to his music, as in "Led Boots." The frenzied, M.O. imitation is too heavy to ignore. The muF'c is cluttered and a failing aHomnt tn di?nlav th?? nnwpr that was once one of Beck's strongest assets. The guitar work is hidden throughout the album and hard to detect in places, which is probably for the best since that which can be found is lackluster and uninspired. This is particularly true in "Come Dancing," a funky, disco tune, and the jazzy "Play II7I iU Tlffn rtnUnt* rfi*v>rv?inlriT onrl 11 folocc * tVlO Willi 1V1C. i I1C guuui 10 giiiiiiucnjr unu uiviv,ou, w>v songs do nothing, they just lie there. "Head For Backstage Pass," another jazz-based number, suffers from the same tired feeling and sounds like a mixture of Tom Scott and Stanley Clarke. ^ CO/ White Pants Khaki PBmRSffl Chamb I Cam pi Kfl BTff Equip we ca mfimwn guar, amimr| and f HQBSSB9H I ar< mnum j E??555? SS B 1316 A ?w album )j Hon, talent I. "Blue Wind" uses familiar guitar lines and Vj exhibits a flaw found periodically throughout the \{ album, that being the length of the songs. Most of ?;< them ramble on, stretched out to the point where nothing is accomplished except to repeat what has I, _i j.. i j ? - KC?u;^" , axreauy ucen uuiic. oujjuic sioi u> uui wan gwu, solid Beck guitar but falls prey to this affliction. "Love Is Green" has a rare treat with Beck on \ acoustic guitar. But the thrill is short lived. The slow, lilting intro blends into a Focus-type song, with a whining electric that could easily be Jan Akkerman. < Thf? r?i#?rp nn thp alhiim is a blues number, the < type Beck does so well. "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" by Charlie Mingus, contains the soaring, biting guitar that is Jeff Beck. The sustained notes wail soulfully with emotion in a way that only Beck can accomplish. The rest of the musicians stay in the background with the guitar up front where it belongs. " Perhaps Jeff Beck is unsure of himself or has lost confidence. That would explain why his talents are hidden. Or maybe that is the fault of producer fWrtfP Martin Whnt is annar#?nt is thp FU?<*k of old. o" ? -ri * 1 the man who was at one time mentioned in the same 1 breath with Clapton and Page, is subdued and boring. It would be easy to blame this on the production, or on the personnel. You could blame it on the song selection (Beck wrote none of the songs; Walden and Hammer penned five of the eight tunes). It mnnW Ko oqcu fn cqv that Hie Hancfprnnc pan ic WUUIU UV VMCJ l>V UMJ va IMV li?U VlWhf am h finally dead and he has begun to let someone else share the spotlight for a change. Some will say that I the raw, crude Beck of yore has been replaced by a ; more intense and determined musician. 1 It is easy to make up excuses, but the fact remains: WIRED is no better than BLOW BY fj BLOW. It is uninspired, tiresome and lacking in Jeff Beck. He is no longer producing the searing, fiery music that he once did. What we have now is muzak, 9 good only for playing in the background, and that is not where someone of this talent should be. I id The Gamecock j ! IAE IN AND BROWSE I pi# a n irrv I !! rKc-vvANoncM i BELL BOTTOMS I I j "ainter's Army Fatigue h trousers I trousers Carolina tee shirts | ir*L 'a. I I r? _ n I li try pnins | |rvuin rui tvu s j Rubber Floats-Boot merit RRY ALL SIZES AND ALL MDSE ANTEED TO YOUR SATISFACTION iTTiMn I j NAY-NAVY SURPLUS STORE I HE YELLOW FRONT STORE AT J assembly St. Ph. 252-1 350 J