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.

Chapin By T. E. Moser Gamecock Swff Writer Enter the world of Harry Chapin. This is a world of glittering fantasy and grim reality. Here we see railroad men who have lost their trains, towns who have lost their lifeblood, and lovers who have lost each other. But Harry's world is not all grim loss. There are songs about a wronged person finding justice, a young man finding what the blues really are, and lovers finding lovers. Perhaps this is why Harry calls his new album Legends of the Lost and Found. If the name Harry Chapin sounds familiar, you might remember his hit "Cats in the Cradle" or perhaps "W.O.L.D." But behind this thin curtain of chart hits are the real works of Harry Chapin, most of which are over the standard 3:09 length for rock singles. Each of these longer works seem more a story than a mere song. However few people have discovered th<?sp longer ballads and Harry has not received the credit he so richly deserves. HIS LATEST ALBUM, Legends of the Lost and Found, is no departure from the long ballad style of Harry. This two record set is live and blends new versions of old Chapin classics with bright new material by the master storyteller. Side one opens with "Stranger With the Melodies." This is the story of a young man in a boarding . "^' ^^WMMH i1'"^ 1 'II1 il'^'i Valerie Haroer and - - r Divorce By David Baker Gamecock FUm Critic No matter how low one rates Gill director, one can't say he isn't adep department. For his new movie, Th Couple in America, Cates has assemt most talented comic actors in Holl; Segal, Natalie Wood, Valerie Harper Marilyn Sokol and Bob Dishy. UNFORTUNATELY, he has neglei of them, save Harper, anything funi The Last Married Couple is practi humor and its script, by John H doesn't attempt to expose a single divorce. In fact, it pretty much ignon have been batted around Hollywoc several years. The plot, and I use the term loosely, Wood in a quandary about why all friends are divorcing. But since the ot divorce in the film's first 20 minute3,1 for Segal and Wood to do in the last h except stand around and wonder why t managed to be happy. Granted, Wood HPI?| i 'Mi];] Wm illy [ reigns house who hears a guitar melody fhrnnrth Kio K?r* ^11" f * .~i _. 1110 mm wuua. lis fill iy morning and the melody is played over and over again, while an old hoarse voice sings of his lost love and life. This first cut shows the tightness of the band, with the piano and guitar interweaving a very fine melody. "The Day They Closed the Factory Down" is perhaps disappointing in that Harry's lyrics are somewhat unclear. The story, told by a prostitute, seems to be the story of a factory town when the factory closes. This song shows an example of Harry's ability to sing female parts without falsetto and still have them sound female. This side ends with "Pretzel Man," a song with a nursery rhyme tune and lyrics about a pretzel man with pretzel hands and a pretzel wife. The song is saved from being immature by electric guitar riffs and a fine trumpet solo by Harry. SIDE TWO OPENS with a long version of "If My Mary Were Here/' which first appearedon the album On the Road to Kingdom come. Marry nas aaaed two new verses to this song which speaks of missing Mary and falling back on an old love for comfort. A wailing cello backs up the vocals, evoking a pleading note in the lyrics. The next cut combines a fast guitar and piano into a song called "Old Folkie." The lyrics speak of an old folk singer who has been criticized for singing the blues about everything, but when action is called for, he is always the only one 1 i jfepii?^ 'Natalie Wood during lunch in 'Li among t] while standing ai jert Gates as a sexy smile can't s t in the casting e Last Married ASIDE FROM 1 >led some of the and Cates' pedesti ywood: George having too many c , Dom DeLuise, screen. DeLuise, Richard Benjamir J 1 cted to give any a.eveioP any sem ny to say or do since we don t kno cally devoid of imP?ssible to car errnan Shaner, cal^' , , new idea about only characi ?s the ideas that ist Harper. With d for the past electric shade of ] essentially Rhoda generates more la , has Segal and e'se does in the ent their married her couples all THAT HARPEf there's nothing sPire someone to . lour and a half only reason we car hey alone have Couple was made looks gorgeous palatable, she'd be AlttUitkXMiK rn fllMi MfiHy1 T ilMUfliIihlnfi'JJftHMWH?Mi bupi en who acts. Side two ends with "We Were Three" which traces the progress of a love affair and the life of an old woman on a park bench. The whole band joins in on this song which includes a guitar and cello duet. "Poor Damned Fool" starts side three. This is a new version of the song that appeared in Living Room Suite. The whole band is again heard on this song of an old love affair which has ended and a new love affair starting. Harry sings in first person about the poor damned fool who let her go and how lucky he is to have her for his own. The next cut is another remake called "Flowers Are Red" from the Living Room Suite album. This song comments on the way teachers stamp out creativity in grade school by forcing every student to conform to the norm. Harry has added a fake-female part for the verses which mimics the teacher's voice. SIDE THREE closes with "Oddjob Man,"which combines a bouncy melody with a fiddlesounding cello in this comical story of an oddjob man hired to repair a rich man's house when only the lovely wife is home. The final side begins with the title tVack, Legends of the Lost and Found. Harry expresses his views of life and love while a cello grates , low, creating tension in the lyrics. A blazing electric guitar gives the Im ^BEHWeSsb^ ?| ffilu jflil ist Married Couple' tie stars round, but arched eyebrows and a us tain a two hour film. rHE INADEQUACIES of the script ian direction, the film suffers from haracters wandering on and off the Sokol, Dishy and (mercifully) 1 are not in the film long enough to blace of a characterization, and w whether we like them or not, it's e about their respective divorce ter who makes a strong impression her dark brown tresses dyed an /ellow, Harper's daffy divorcee is turned nymphomaniac, but she tughter in 10 seconds than anyone ire course of thp film I'S WORK here will probably incast her in a romantic lead is the i be thankful that The Last Married . If she can make swill like this a sensation in a.Woody Allen film. l le in'Le pp?r "%. ~ v' '}. . ' ,' , . V' "*' cut a definite rock sound. In "Tangled Up Puppet," the vocals tell a story of a father seeing his Ud U5IHUI glUWIllg HI IU X VVUHldll and wishing he could still be as much a part of her life as he was when she was small. Here a cello and bass combine to give the song a somber mood. This last side winds up the album with a good-night-I've-sung-it-all song called "You Are the Only Song." This song lets us see what Steigerwa vintaae By Karen Gamecock I Columbia was treated to a Steigerwalt performed Sunday at young man's talent combined beautiful music to amaze and edif; Steigerwalt is a doctoral candi more awards and honors than an; it to say that I am not the first one will I be the last ? who knows, he playing and improving (somehow SUNDAY'S PROGRAM highly skill and his musical empathy. H< major, Hob. 23. It was a slow sluggish.Old ladies in the audien fingers, and I looked around for th But Steigerwalt warmed as his < I second movement. By mid-point ii high; nervous fidgeting in the voluntarily closed and heads swa> Before playing Bartok's Suite, C about the Hungarian composer an eager to share his obvious entfc succeeded admirably. TECHNICALLY FLAWLESS, J scnerzo produced more chills thai was fierce and angry; his sosi audience and Steigerwalt were suite. After a much-needed rest Steij del PetrArca and Mephisto Waltz, an old-time Liberace and that ridiculously difficult to play and a AGAIN STEIGERWALT seem< music. His sonetto was capable, pyrotechnics in the Mephisto Wa he toughed it out and managed a n During intermission, while the breath, I again surveyed the exit was Chopin, I knew ? what I cal demands a great deal from an art as accomplished, pianist can pu knows molto vivace from moder chance, assuring myself that I cc nocturne as breathe. STEIGERWALT BEGAN with t 4, and I knew at once that Chopin The music was so pure, the emo and my breath came in jerks. Ye can, too. taends' T*",~ ' . ".- ' * ' '- ? "!'~"' - 51 KM < ^/^WM.STtV'?| *, ~- -' | gJaff?p?n?n?^^_^? the many concerts are like from the viewpoint of the artist. This is a marvelous album which is probably Harry's best except for Greatest Stories Live. It contains new material which is sure to become old classics. There is also a tightness in the band apparent in the combining of parts and melodies which is much improved over Harry's former albums. This is certainly one of the best albums of the vear which I fp^r u/iii ~ - **wi the recognition deserved. it presents ; concert i Wooten Staff Writer rare talpnt whpn ninnict f.arv I the Columbia Museum of Art. The with some of the world's most / the audience. date at Julliard and has received /body wants to read about. Suffice he has impressed. Nor, 1 am sure, could be anotherArthurRubinstein, !) for 50-or-so years! j ;hted both Steigerwalt's technical i began with Hayden's Sonata in F start; he seemed uninspired and ce patted pursed lips with nervous e nearest escape route. concentration increased during the n the third movement he was flying audience stopped, as eyed in- j ed. )p. 14, Steigerwalt talked excitedly d his ethnic music. The pianist was lusiasm and love for Bartok. He Steigerwalt's interpretation of the 1 the North wind; his allegro molto tenuto soothing and lvrical. The I swept away by that remarkable sjerwalt played Liszt's Sonetto 104 He explained that Liszt was sort of : his music was show-biz stuff, s impressive as a Montana sunrise. ;d uninspired, if challenged, by the but uninteresting. Some keyboard ltz momentarily defeated him, but lice performance. \ ? pianist dried off and caught his s. The second half of the program II sudden death. Successful Chopin ist. Only the truly sensitive, as well ill it off, though every Linus who ato tries. I decided to give him a >uld as easily walk out on a sloppy he Nocturne in C Minor, Op. 48, No. was precious to the young pianist. tion so real, that my eyes crossed s, Chopin can do that. Steigerwalt Sm Vfotag*, P*SP 11 . ?