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