Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

I ?^H| g^ ^jj^py M ^g^y|p^ r~? ~ -J nun hasn 't I By Jeffrey Charney Gamecock Staff Writer Of all albums being released by iinlrnnn/nc thic cnmmnr if uroc a UIU1I1VTTIIO tllto ullilllllVl y IV uao u welcome relief to discover that Bob Dylan had released his new album, Slow Train Coming. Although I had heard no other reviews on the album, I quickly snatched it off the racks and rushed back with predictably high expectations always associated with an artist such as Dylan. After ^Alburn Review | my first hearing, I thought I had been decieved by my own ears, for believe it or not, Bob Dylan had found religion! Not since Paul McCartney ?a1 n oi wirfl A Vt n ? T 1 cicaacu U UlStU Silicic lldVC 1 CVC1 been more surprised. After recovering from the initial shock of Dylan's words, I played the album once more. I realized that although Dylan's words expressed for a different cause, the album is surely an improvement over his pretentious Street Legal album. Dylan's words are no longer only aimed in a rebellious nature but rather state his convictions and newlv found faith in Christ. Hardlv the convictions that you would USCprofe radio jazz By Dale Smoak Gamecock Staff Writer Jazz in?Retrospc2t is a slice of jazz history brought to us weekly, over the airwaves, by Dr.Benjamin Franklin V, an English professor at USC. The half-hour show airs Friday evenings at 7 ? iift mn /m o p.in. un wnn, lAJiumuia FM) and is repeated Sunday afternoons at 5:30 p.m. It airs Saturday at midnight on other member stations of the South Carolina Educational Radio Network. Each show, built around an educational angle, focuses on musicians who have influenced the course of modern jazz. Franklin says he tries, whether the listener i: i i. <. -t:.. -t nuucra or nut, iu uiciuue it suite ui history in each program." His scholarly approach to music, he feels, stems from his being a professor. He feels that his approach is useful and hopes that he does not come off as didactic or pompous. fc??1???????? I We've Come i t; I 8 g? rini ? p. y i ost musica expect from Jewish-born Robert Zimmerman. The first song on the album,"Gotta Serve Somebody," exnresses Dvlan's faith in the inevitability of death that each of us will encounter. Although the subject has been drilled into our minds over the years, Dylan's words are effective. Sadly enough, the song has been released as a single, but hopefully it will not be over-preached by singlenromotine deeiavs. The next song,"Precious Angel," communicates the need for someone to help discover and share the joy of religion. This song's steady beat is characterized by excellent guitar work by Dire Sraits lead guitarist Mark I/"nArvflTK?*AiirtViAiif flio oIKnm ivuw^iAci . iiuuu^uvut wit aiuuni, Knopfler as well as the Straits' drummer Rick Withers combine with Dylan to provide one of Dylan's best albums musically. "Believe in You," explains the harassment that those who believe have to endure. Although Dylan attempts to be a little melodramatic in this song, his message is conveyed without the dramatics in the title cut,"Slow Train Coming." "Slow Train" mixes Dylan's defiant views on the world situation with his newly found convictions in the "Slow :ssor hosts : program Ideas for the show are easy to come by for Franklin, given his jazz background. He has been listening and collecting records for _1 A. A. A AAV aooui iweniy-uve years. 1 started with Chris Conner," he said, "went to Billie Holiday, then to Lester Young. When they died (Billie and Lester, in 1959), I kicked myself for not having appreciated them fully, and got into it more. "He said he jots down ideas for show themes whenever he thinks of them. Whenever it is time to tape more shows, generally once a month, he nulls some records and goes to the WLTR studios. Franklin said that he can tape five shows in about three hours. Interestingly, some of Franklin's policies on the makings of his program liave their analogies in jazz. He does not use a prepared text for his comments, using only a tew notes, wntcn ne lutens 10 cnora changes in a tune. From these, he improvises his comments, much as Sm Jazz, pa go 9 got a lot ii meet your SG tie first meeting of will be TODAY ( in tne uancott (J< (located behind t: Open to the USC C UPPOSTSTUDENTQ I taieru train just around the bend," which will end his feelings of defiance, i Surprisingly, this old and new combination results in the album's best song. oi/Ia Avu^no urith A 11<C aCVUUU OlUC upviUJ mm | "Change My Way of Thinking," a title which reflects Dylan's new state of mind. Again the focus is on social injustice but is contrasted with heaven, where there is "no pain or Duraen. The next song, "Do Right To Me Baby" is a rendition of the "Do Unto Others" proverb. The song's vocals, lead and acoustic guitars provide the perfect mixture for the smoothest song on the album. "Man Gave Names to All the Animals,"seems to be a snappy tune with a trivial rhyme scheme. However, Dylan is no trivial songwriter, which is proven in the cleverly deleted rhyme concerning the devil in the song's thoughtprovoking last line. In "When You Gonna Wake Up?" Dylan poses the well-worn question, 44 When will we wake up to the sin around us and find comfort in our faith in Christianity?" Although for the moment Dylan escapes sounding like a gospel preacher, 44 When He Returns" seems only to trap Dylan in a sea of his own repition. Seemingly,"When He Returns" is Hagman By BHI Douglas ' Q?m*cock 8t?M Writer Some people thought it would be difficult for the television; ? LI! _ A. _ 1. _ A " waicmng puonc 10 accepi actor Larry Hagman playing the role of a bad guy. ^rvt^Rn\/iF^w l! I -??I After all, Hagman made a career of portraying good-guy Maj. Anthony Nelson on NBC's I Dreeam of Jeannie, and later lead roles in NBC series The Good Life, and Here We Go Again. But Hagman more than sucPMsfullv ehr?H thn> orvvH.oiiv imacro vvuu.HU,; ? ?? ?" O"/ """Ov last season by portraying the unlikeable J.H. Ewing on CBS' night time soap-drama Dallas. "I love it," Hagman said. "I have more fun with it because I get to be an on-going villian. Usually the villian gets killed off or something." Hagman has become so accustomed to the J.R. Ewing role he a store fox n?epresenT;aL: the 1979-80 Senat 9/5) at 6:00 p.m. anter, Room 105. he Russell House) Sommunity OVBHNH1HT .5 mmn- i a culmination of Dylan's feelings c throughout the album but instead results in the album's most r pretentious tune. s Bob Dylan has really gone all out \ to expose his Christianity, for even i i u i. *1 v uic IIUIII auu uulk uuvci ui uie L album reveals the symbolic cross, fi The question remains whether or not Bob Dylan is truly sincere in t his newly-found faith. Certainly a t! man with Dylan's status is not in f need of money and surely the I pnrriintinn nvicfinrf in tsvslair'c r wt i upuvn VA10Un& ti> vvuaj a society gives Dylan many other ? likes badnow can be seen off-camera wearing western garb, including the white Stetson hat he sports sliiiMnrr ftia oknui UUI Illg UIV OAIVTT . "People recognize me and come up to me and say I just hate you on that ahnw hut nf pnnrco T nAnaw watch it," he said. Prior to his role in Dallas, Hagman played "heavy" parts in Mother, Jugs and Speedand a bit part in Superman. In Mother Jugs and Speed he played an over-sexed ambulance driver who enjoyed necrophilia. In Superman he played a military officer eager to . give Valerie Perrine mouth-tomouth resuscitation. "Dick Conner gave me the part in return for a white Stetson," he said. "I was broke at the time. I fired my manger and as soon as I did Donner called me up and gave me a three-line in Superman. It was a good amount of money for three lines. We shot the master in one day, but then the next three I Ives. >e causes to write about. Dylan has taken much risk in ecording Slow Train Coming, for iome will despise it solely for its vords, while others will abide by t. Hopefully, the album will not >ecome a tool of the commercial irtists and aspects of religion. If sincerity is actually felt hroughout Slow Train Coming, hen the album is nothing short of a nilestone. The album proves for Dylan's career, as well as rock nusic today that "the times surely irea-changing." guy role days it rained. I just stayed up there collecting money." Hagman said though he has been concentrating on dramtic series for the last two years, he still enjoys performing comedy. "I loved I Dream nf lonrt m'o Hut I got tired of it after five years," he said. "It was a drawing room comedy. We seldom left the little apartment." Hagman, son of stage actress Mary Martin, was coaxed into show hllsinMB Kv hio mntkn* ? vj ??iu iiivuici JBSkIk "She begged me on bended knee to be an actor/' he said. "She begged me to tour in Annie Get Your Gun and I said no mother. I want to be a Cowboy. I went down to Texas and learned to bail hay in 120 degree heat and dig ditches, then I begged my mother to let me be an actor." Hagman's 21-year-old daughter Heidi is now becoming an actress and has had bit parts in Dallas. "I've gotten her on some of the Dallas episodes so she can get her cards since it's so hard to get into (ho nninn '' Kq dqIH ???'?** #? V??x/ IUUV1I| ?>V iJMIU. A III Q 111X11 believer in nepotism, having my mother start me out in the business."