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Thursday, November 13, 1900
By TOM MOORE
Willie Nelson
Family Bible .
H T was beginning to look like Willie Neison was going
( 1 through a creative dry spell. Nelson, who releases on
'u the average about four or five albums a year,
released the soundtrack for Honeysuckle Rose in early
August and it wasn't until late October that he released
Family Bible. But his new album was definitely worth the
wait. - '
Family Bible does for white gospel music what Aretha
Franklin's Amazing Grace did for black gospel music.
Franklin with her zesty, heartfelt style brought black
gospel to a wider audience, and Willie Nelson's religious
album is just as accessible.
Family Bible features Willie on vocals and guitar and
his sister Bobbie on piano. The arrangements are kept
simple, and the songs aren't polluted by the Lawrence
Welkish lobotimized sound that is characteristic of most
of today's white gospel.
Family Bible is the best Willie Nelson album since the
classic Willie and Family Live released two years ago.
Nelson always works best with traditional country
material, whether it's songs about drinkin' and messin'
around or songs about the good family life and religion.
On such popular albums as Stardust, Willie and Leon:
Two lor the Road, and Willie Sings Kristofferson, the
material was handled skillfully, but there was a little
something missing. You can tell from listening to them
that Nelson respects the material on these albums he
does ail the songs justice but somehow he just doesn't
muster up that extra, added bit of soul that he puts into
his more traditional material like "Whiskey River," "Night
Life" and the songs on Family Bible:
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Family Bible tunes are taken mainly from old-timey
standard church hymns. "By The Rivers of Babylon,"
"Stand By Me," "There Shall Be Showers Of Blessings,"
"Softly And Tenderly," "Tell It To Jesus" and "Revive It'
Again" have a certain charm to them that latter-day
gospel tunes lack. The tunes give a nice picture of the
simple folk religion in America. -
The hymns are complimented by some newer
tunes "Family Bible" and "In Cod's Eyes" first heard
on Nelson's Yesterday s Wine) and "Kneel At The Feet of
Jseus." The songs on Family Bible are accessible to
religious and non-religious audiences because Nelson has
wisely avoided blaring self-righteous tunes that are all too
common to gospel music albums (witness Bob Dylan's
last two efforts).
Interestingly, in the relatively calm and sober songs on
the album. Nelson sneaks in some rather bluesy guitar
riffs while his sister' s piano playing often leaves the realm
of the church for more honky-tonk soundings. The
combination shows the soulfulness the Nelsons feel for
the material on Family Bible.
Willie Nelson has become one of the biggest names in
the country cross-nver market in the past few years. His
albums usually fil the brims of local record stores. But
occasionally, because he's so versatile. Nelson will throw
a real curve and come up with an album that the record
company executives don't know how to market. This
happened a couple of years'ago with his album of Tin Pan
Ally tunes, Stardust, and it has happened again with
Family Bible. You have to look to find the album. but for
Nelson Family Bible is a must. v)
Tom Moore is arts editor for The Daily Tar Heel.
More from the Special
By MARK MURRELL
The Specials
More Specials
n
F you missed the Specials' first
i alKiirr Arr't rlnen-a!i t'c rr fr Ufa
u to jump on one of the most
enjoyable bandwagons of the year with
the new album More Specials.
This seven-man English band is a
refreshing break from traditional new,
wave. They combine some traditional new
wave themes and sounds with a Jamaican
flavor that materializes a "ska music"
the calling card of many English bands
such as Madness, the Selecter and the
English Beat.
But the Specials prove themselves to be
the best of the new British export. The
Specials are a brisk fun-loving band. They
have a happy sound. Life to these guys is a
spree to enjoy rather than a ladder to
.climb. . . v ;, ,.,.. . , . ,
Enjoy yourself, it's later than you
think .. ;
Enjoy yourself while you're still in
the pink
The years go by as quickly as you
wink .
Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself, it's
later than you think.
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This number, dating all the way back to
1948, is the first and last song on the
album and evokes that Specials feeling
that even in a world of 9-to-5, social
pretensions, nuclear war and ruthless
ladder climbers, there can be laughter if
we will only choose to laugh.
But the Specials aren't naive to world
crisis, and may even go as far as to seem
pessimistic in some songs.
The Mickey Mouse bunch told the
Ayatollah at his feet
You'll drink your oil you schmuck,
we'll eat our heads of wheat.
They see the world as a place that often
offers its young people dead ends, but the
Specials are determined to emerge
laughing.
Working for the Rat Race
You know you're wasting your time
Working for the Rat Race
You're no friend of mine.
. More Specials shows that the Specials
will net become just one more stagnant
band that tries to church out the same
material album after album. The songs on
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More Specials do not all have the short
fast-paced driving quality that most of the
numbers on their first album had. but they
all feature some type of movelty.
There are still lots of good dance tunes
on More Specials and even some good
instrumental.
"Sock It To 'Em J.B" is a song with
lyrics composed totally of titles to James
Bond films. This proves just how off-the-wall
and entertaining this band can be.
They talk about jilted lovers, airplane
crashes, VD, bombs, alcoholics and social
outcasts in a way that anyone who grew
up in this generation has to with
sympathy, but a certain resignation to the
absurdity of it all.
To the Specials, life would be disastrous
if taken seriously. We just have to realize
that to an extent, it ii all a big joke.
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They just playing with a life without
thinking
they talk and talk, say nothing
. Nothing ever change, oh no, nothing
I'm just living in a life .without
meaning ' v '. . .
walk and walk, do nothing i
ever change.
You'd better enjoy yourself. It's later
than you think. And orfe of the best ways
to enjoy yourself is with this album. Q
Mark Murrel! is state and national editor
for Tfcs Diiy Tsr Heel.
"News in tihr c?:u!kcs the htsst news. Rc-d it every day in Vis I
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