Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Nov. 9, 1989, edition 1 / Page 13
Part of Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
DTH Omnibus Page 5 Thursday November 9, 1989 QlNl SIA1 Rock's sons of the South are back home R.E.M. with Pylon Friday, Nov. 10 Greensboro Coliseum Tickets $18.50 R E.M., the underground sen sation-turned-supergroup of the 80s will bring their unique fusion of fqlkrockprogressive music to the Greensboro Coliseum Friday night. The fab four of the decade is in the middle of the second leg of their Green tour. Last April the Group visited the 20,000-plus seat arenas of Chapel Hill and Charlotte, but some how it seems fitting that R.E.M. should opt for the smaller arena of Greensboro this time around to give something back to a city that has long supported the group's efforts in nightclub gigs as an underground band. As is inevitable with all coming- The Lion of Zimbabwe is the Si Thomas Healy of-age rock groups, questions have arisen in the wake of R.E.M.'s recent Top 40 success. Long-time fans ques tion the band's integrity in produc ing an album with such inane singles as "Stand" and "Pop Song '89." Further, the band's decision to play in arenas 20 times the size of clubs that witnessed their first successes worries some fans that the band will lose their passion and spontaneity and resort to near-perfect playing and crowd-pleasing that has never been R.E.M.'s style. A quick glance at R.E.M.'s history as a band that does things its own way should reassure any dubious fan that the R.E.M. of old is not gone just more mature. R.E.M. has been acclaimed as the consumate college band, the leader of an anti-pop revolt and America's best rock and roll band, but all of these accolades are irrelevant if one conscience of his country ------ .- ...vx ' w - , - 1 ' - S - ' , - J- - - - - takes away the single factor underly ing the groups achievements; R.E.M. is the model for any band that wants to follow its own path to success and deflect all outside interference. As a fledgling quartet with a skill for producing songs of passionate intensity coupled with a dreamlike imagery, R.E.M. sparked a fire in the imagination of college students of the early '80s. Avoiding the clear-cut party music of peer bands such as the Clash and the B-52s, R.E.M. created a reputation for eccentric, jangling guitar sounds that skirted popular notions of what rock music should be. R.E.M. took this ability and en trusted it to fresh young producers who left the band's work unspoiled and unique. Mitch Easter, a little known pro ducer directed the band's first efforts. At the group's insistence, instead of using a larger Boston studio, they recorded in a small studio in Char lotte whose main client was the P.T.I ministry. The result was Murmur, an album that Rolling Stone named the eighth greatest rock album of the '80s. The politics of music in Africa Thomas Mapfumo and The Blacks Unlimited Friday, Nov. 10 ArtsCenter Tickets $1 2.50 public, $1 0 friends usic and politics are a pow erful combination, but while . groups such as R.E.M. and U2 struggle to raise awareness in America and Europe, few if any Western bands will get a chance to have the direct effect on the politics of their country that Thomas Mapfumo and The Blacks Unlim ited have had on the struggle for independence in Zimbabwe over the past two decades. "The Lion of Zimbabwe" will bring a sample of the biting political satire that inspired the independence movement in Zimbabwe to the ArtsCenter Friday night in what promises to be a unique opportunity to sample the political and cultural life of southern Africa. Starting with "Murembo," a tra ditional song of the Shona people that he released in 1973, Mapfumo kept up a steady stream of works that criticized the social and political conditions in his country. After Ian Smith and his fellow white settlers broke free of the British Empire to create an independent apartheid state, Mapfumo became even more active. Using metaphor, personal stories and parables in singles like "Pamuromo Chete" ("Mere Big Mouth"), Mapfumo cut the racist R.E.M.'s reputation for achieving success on its own has been rein forced by later career moves. The group turned down early offers to tour with such big names as the Clash, U.2. and the Go Go's. And their Long-time fans question the band's integrity in producing an album with such inane singles as 'Stand' and Top Song '89' choice of opening bands in recent tours has reflected the group's own musical ideology. Now R.E.M. is in the middle of the most successful tour to date. The band's latest album Green has gone platinum, and singles such as "Stand" and "Orange Crush" have made it higher on the charts than any previ ous singles. But for all intents and purposes Kelly Thompson regime to shreds. During the struggle for independence from Smith, he released "Hokoyo!" ("Look out!"), "Pfumvu Paruzeva" ("Trouble in the Rural Areas") and "Tozvireva Kupiko?" ("Where Shall We Tell It?") to name a few. They are now con tained in the powerful Chumurenga Sin&s, 1976-1980. Because his music provided a ral lying point for the fighters and gave biting commentaries of the govern ment, Mapfumo was arrested several times for what the Smith govern ment called "subversive songs." The authorities were unable to prove the charges and had to release him. It was during this period that Mapfumo gathered a permanent ac companiment, The Blacks Unlimited. One of its most distinguished mem bers is Jonah Sithole, who is renowned as the first to transpose the music of the mbira, the thumb piano that is Zimbabwe's national instrument, to the guitar. This combination fused into what is known as chirnurena, one of the most dpminant musical forms in Zimbabwe made popular by its swinging, pulsating sound. After Zimbabwe gained independ ence in 1980, Mapfumo continued to sing of the problems of Zimbabwe and of the southern Africa region. He came into international promi nence and by 1985 had completed tours in England, Holland, Germany, France and Italy. At this time, the band again altered their sound with the R.E.M. of Green is as strange as ever. With such doleful and evoca tive tunes as "Hairshirt," "The Wrong Child" and "You Are the Everything," the group has simply added another chapter to the continuing saga. The jangling guitars of classics such as "Harborcoat" have been replaced by the mandolin strumming of "You Are the Everything." Things are differ ent but just as uniquely R.E.M. as they have ever been. The on-stage passion that has char acterized the group is also still pres ent in post-underground R.E.M. The April show in Chapel Hill proved that fans can still expect weird an tics from rock's most enigmatic vo calist, Michael Stipe. Stipe was in triguing last spring, going from epi sodes of spasmodic dancing to mourn ful poses that sent the crowd through a series of emotions. While fans can always expect the unexpected at an R.E.M. concert, they should not expect to find a band that has sold out to pop charts and danc ing teens. R.E.M. is a group that, no matter what they do, will always be doing their own thing. the addition of keyboards and more emphasis on the bass line. Mapfumo also removed the extra-light guitar. Mapfumo's latest effort, Corruption, is his first release on Mango Records, an American label. He continues his political barbs, this time aimed at the new ruling elite in Zimbabwe and throughout Africa. In Zimbabwe, Mapfumo and The Blacks Unlimited often play for up to seven hours at a time in beer gardens. Here in America, however, they are appearing in mostly large auditoriums in several major cities, including Washington, ' D.C. and Miami. For Chapel Hill residents, this concert will be a unique chance to view the band in an intimate set ting. With guitar, percussion, bass, horns, singers and dancers to back Mapfumo up, it promises to be a wild show. P-ecycLe Recycle Recycle Us. GET SMART WITH OMNIBUS
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Nov. 9, 1989, edition 1
13
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75