Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 20, 1986)
ARTS A l NTl RTA!N MKNT process of assembling these elements into a Rorschach tapestry is compelling Lish presents an astonishing, if revolt ing, book-length characterization of a mad man from the inside looking out. By repre senting the narrator’s thought patterns with twisting and jolting syntax, Lish gives even the simplest description a sinister spin: "For instance, for instance—speak ing of the cellar, for instance—I once went down to our cellar with their dog once—I once went down into our cellar with Iris Lieblich and her dog once—I went down there with her and with Sir once." Lish also creates an excruciating cumulative effect by piling odd detail on top of twisted obser vation until even unadorned sentences hit like hammer blows Though this is only his third book of fiction, Lish, 52, is already an important character in American literature. For the past 10 years he has been an editor at the prestigious Alfred A. Knopf publishing house, and before that was the fiction edi tor of Esquire magazine for eight years. The bookshelves in his Knopf office are jammed with multiple copies of the books he has edited, including the work of such acclaimed writers as Barry Hannah and Roy Blount Jr. He’s also an indefatigable teacher of writing, with continuing posi tions at Columbia and New York Universi ty and frequent appearances at workshops around the country Of all these activities, teaching gives Lish the most satisfaction: "It’s how I get my greatest pleasure and feel myself most usefully used ” Still, Lish has built a substantial critical reputation with his first novel, "Dear Mr. Capote,” and a collection of short stories, "What I Know So Far.” In "Dear Mr. Capote” Lish also dealt with the interior mental state of a psychopath. Although he tried to avoid writing about the same gen eral subject again, he says, "Every time I came to the page my impulse was running along these lines.” In fact, Lish says he experienced a "psychotic episode” during his adolescence as a side effect of an ex perimental drug he was taking to clear up a skin disorder. Lish says he has never succeeded in translating the particulars of his experience into fiction, but it certainly has influenced what he writes and how he writes about it. And helps to account for the astonishing power of "Peru." R G UPDATE Atlantic’s Mother Lode of Golden Oldies Nothing else in the music ■ebusiness suggests an air of mystery and hidden treasure like "the vault”—the place where record companies store old material that’s faded from pop charts and aural memo ries. In reality, the vault is usually a warehouse some where in exurbia The treas ure, however, is real—and no one’s cache can match the mother lode of golden oldies at Atlantic Records Now Atlan tic is sharing the wealth in a big way—with a monumental reissue of seven two-record sets called "Atlantic Rhythm and Blues 1947-1974." To gether and separately, these albums vividly depict the his tory ofR&B, and the music on them is guaranteed to make you shake your moneymaker. Atlantic may not have in vented R&B, but the label's artists and producers helped to perfect the form. Its roster reads like an RAB Hall of Fame: Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, the Drifters, the Coasters, Wilson Pickett, Sam and Dave, the Spinners, Roberta Flack and many more. The early Atlan tic blend ofblues-tinged vocals and owing-era instrumenta tion evolved into a potent and, just as important, popu lar combination. Within two years of its founding in 1947, Atlantic began to produce very successful records—and the hits just kept on coming. From the. early ’60s through much of the ’60s, Atlantic was the dominant record label for rhythm and blues. In fact it’s possible to trace the development of R&B by listening to the reissues in or der. But the primary intent of this compilation is pleasure, say the project’s two produc ers, Am Goksel and Bob Por ter. "I don’t think people are into education,” says Porter. "If they can be informed while they're entertained, fine.” The first two-record package (1947-1962) shows the nascent Atlantic sound: emotive sing ers, driving rhythm sections and fat, growly saxophones. Each set shows the tremen dous imagination of Atlantic's musicians, arrangers and pro ducers. Working within the tradition, but creating dis tinctly different forms of mag ; ic, are such immortals as quicksilver Clyde McPhatter and earthy Ray Charles. Tint frtfc The songs are clas sic. While later hits—like Sam and Dave’s "Soul Man” or the Spinners’ "Could It Be Pro Falling in Love”—might be more familiar, the older oldies are just as wonderful. Listen to Big Joe Turner belt ing out 1952’s "Sweet Six teen” with a mighty horn sec tion, or the dazzling vocal interplay on the Chords’ 1964 "Sh-Boora.” Wilson Pickett makes true grit a blessing on 1966’s "In the Midnight Hour.” And Redding’s post humous hit "(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay” from 1968 is a subdued heartbreaker. Ah aarthy MB tamaftai: Ray Charles (1958) PHOTOS »Y MICHAEL OCHS ARCHIVES B-t ip9C-t Aretha (c. 1965) Many of the great Atlantic artists show up a number of times: for example, 15 Drift ers’ tunes—including "Money Honey ""Save the Last Dance for Me” and "Up on the Roof”—are scattered across the compilation. In a few in stances, the set gives two different interpretations of the same song. Redding and Franklin both did "Respect,” but their versions are very dif ferent and both astonishing* Inevitably, over the course of the nine-odd hours of musicon "Atlantic Rhythm and Blues 1947-1974,” there are some low points—the last two-rec ord package (1969-1974) is a cut below the others—but all of the sets are worth your hard-earned money and care ful attention. You will listen and laugh and dance and, fi nally, be awed. R G