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* ? ? _ . J Debut Effort Good And Interesting By GEORGE OLSEN Cucsl Writer - There have been a lot of "in teresting" albums coming out in recent months. Unfortunately, they all lacked that certain touch of musicality which makes the information stored on the vinyl, aesthetic or otherwise, virtually useless. Translation: These albums all stunk. It begins to appear that the production of an "interesting" album requires no amount of actual musical ability. It's garbage of the above variety that makes the debut of Michael Smotherman so welcome. Smotherman's first effort (simply titled, Michael Smotherman) is not only interesting, but also good, an odd combination in these musically depraved '80s. As a debut album, it is comparable in quality to 1977's Klaatu, an album and a group which promptly died due to the Beatles similarities. Smotherman sounds nothing like the Beatles, looks somewhat like David Bowie, and exhibits a talent comparable to the aforementioned. What makes Smotherman's talents comparable to Bowie and the Beatles is his willingness to break molds from the start. The Beatles need not be discussed, and Bowie was a pioneer in glitter and techno-rock before it was fashionable. Smotherman rides his own wave of music here. If labels must be applied, then perhaps "New OrleansL.A.-based techno-euro RandB power pop" might apply. Maybe, but when you're alone in your field, labels are not npppssarv <10 u/f'll Hieruincn tiri+K thn ~J ? - J , .. ^ ?. uwpvuoi. mini UIC iUl iliaillicd (tliu II1UVK on to the music. "Matter of Time," "Fais Do Do," and "If You Think You're Hurting Me" all possess basically the same style, but never grow tiresome through constant listening. They all possess a joyous quality that encourages normally placid feet to pick up the beat and follow. These cuts are driven by a quirky off-beat rhythm section which I would swear I've heard before, and always hated ? at least, until now. "Crazy in Love" is a well done "pop" song, and not buried with the jagged guitar rhythms or Farfisa-style organs which popularize most current "pop" production. see SMOTHERMAN, page 11 I _K . y W<?<*r I April 11 Townshi| Tickets on sale nov I / Travel Center - T( Lr Public $6.00 USC Sti I Sponsored bv F U r ' Cultural Series Co Shuttle available fro to Townshi| Adapted transportati handicapped availa request (7-20 Made Possible by Student Act ? Ludlum J By CHRIS HANDAL Book Critic two years without a Robert Ludlum spy thriller. Ah, but the wait is finally over, with Ludlum's latest violent contribution to the thriller genre, The Parsifal Mosaic. In stores for about a month, The Parisifal Mosaic has already ascended to the top of the New York Times Bestsellers List and with good reason. No one writes more exciting or tense thrillers than Ludlum. The novel opens on a deserted beach on Spain's Costa Brava. The novel's main character, Michael Havelock, stands on a hilltop overlooking the beach, he is there to witness the killing of his lover, which he does. But why was her death ordered and what is the true meaning of Costa Brava? As with all of Ludlum's books, appearances are indeed deceiving and the answers to these questions are only the tip of an iceberg that propels Havelock on a journey across Europe and finally back to the United States. Along the way, Ludlum provides violence and intrigue to a degree most thrillers are not capable of achieving. Ludlum's talent is not that he is a great writer. One chapter begins with the sentence, "with the ! p 8 p.m. v RHUU >wnship jdents $3.00 SHUU I mmittee h >m RHUU I ion for the I f i ble upon 68) J h S f I ivity Fees L?LJI 1 s Frida; Ends The terrifying impact of a bolt of lightning." What Ludlum is is a great story-teller. And the story he tells in The Parsifal Mosaic is at least the equal of his previous books, which include The Matarese Circle, number one the New York Times Bestsellers list for 32 weeks. The Bourne Identitv ? - ? and The Holcroft Convenant. An * integral part of Ludlum's story-telling technique is his graphic description of violence. The scenes seem to come to life in the reader's mind: Havelock lunged, twisting the handle of the knife into his clenched fist, the blade protruding downward, his left hand reaching for the barrel of the .45 automatic. Jenna sprung away; he gripped the long, flat steel as a\v/f iv/utcr^ ? l/OC , oiurri til Iflg the gun back down on the wooden bench he plunged the knife through the mountain bull's hand, the point embedding? through flesh and bone? in wood, the bloody hand impaled. It is tense action like this that has made Ludlum one of the best selling thriller writers in the last ten years, if not the best. U Now, re-i ' f- ? i :f: | *" | " 4. { J >:sw?v<.v.v.i g1 '""VC '^ma . I j_ .. , ' <i?.S i Ai^Wv. 1 ' ' ?* "* * S : : : :;:W.X?:kW? X? V-:;; i.; > >w. ; > . **T" " ' >: ?> ... j STARTS TODAY r Wait Fo Nil : :* . |x.'::;':':'.::"x^:'> M ^feyfe:'v'' Robert Ludlum is authors of the thriller Thrillers are not hard to write. Book stores are full of them. But it is difficult to write thrillers that do not ? ucgeuei tiie iuiu pieuiciauie or cliched plots. Ken Follet is one writer who has fallen into this trap. If one had read iltknate in sight and recorded in new dig t\ rr\r^i ffpp ? t s f :::jv i...... " ................ ^ - -Jb8 ' / r t_V-_r ~iT W-m "W 8 EXCLUSIVE!!! , PRESENTED IN DOLBY STEREO - -0- r Thriller hj.. J::; i. I : one of the premier genre. his first novel, then his last book, The Key to Rebecca, wouia nave neia no surprises from page one to the end of the book. This is what separates Ludlum from other thriller see LUDLUM, page 11 :soun&E=|^^ |pS-t :t | f if. :j| . . i & ^;V.V.if*:...::::j;;...f - ' : h:2.^ rBSft F;- 1 1 C '? j r-;"-' ' : ': .- # V -Wf * $rg* ., - :::%. $ ;:: :r:: ::;;rrr . ;....^,:Vv: : r V. TWO NOTCH o> t-2Q / TtKMO J mmmmsaaamammmmmmmmmmtmamt