Labors of love
Songs from and for the heart by the Eurythmies ,
George Michael and Bryan Ferry
B Y____ D
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.____ T_ A _N_ T A L U S
y the time February rolls around you do not
need Dr. Tantalus to tell you that the
holidays are officially over. The resolutions
have been made and broken, last year’s bills
have arrived, the state o f the nation has been
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explored, and the monsoons have begun in
earnest.
It is time once again to explore the territory
that lies between our heads and our hips — no
matter that we often confuse our heart with
those other portions o f our anatomy. This month
the Eurythmics. George Michael, and Bryan
Ferry help us map out these uncharted areas.
The Eurythmics have been working this ter
ritory for some time now. They have focused on
the myriad o f emotions that we lump together
under the general rubric o f love more than any
other subject. Love has been “ a stranger in an
open car” and the traditional “ ball and chain.”
They have sung about Orwell’s “ Sexcrime”
and noted that these days “ Sisters are doin' it
for them selves.” Their most recent release.
Savage . finds them plowing familiar ground
Once again the Eurythmics find the terrain of
love to be tough sledding. In songs like “ Do
you want to break-up?” and “ You have placed
a chill in my heart’ ’ singer Annie Lennox
describes how her relationship appears to be
falling apart. “ Love is a temple / Love is a
shrine / Buy some love at the five and dime,”
she sings as her love walks away.
Later all the stops are pulled as the Euryth
mics wail into the dance-your-heart-out stomp.
“ I Need a Man.” But this is quickly followed
by a remorseful “ Put the blame on m e” and I
need you.” in which Lennox asks her lover to
"pin me down just for one frozen moment.”
After this roller-coaster ride the album con
cludes with “ Brand New D ay” and the thought
that although she must now walk alone “ I won’t
be sad / But I won't be destroyed.”
The Eurythmics do a credible job o f describ
ing the complexities o f modem love, although
their lyrics are occasionally a bit obscure.
Moreover, their sound, produced by writer
Dave Stewart, is uniformly clean and precise.
The compact disc, however, creates a sound
that at times seems a bit compressed and almost
flat. While some songs are simply musically
routine, the album has enough mature emotional
and musical moments to warrant a positive
recommendation.
The stand-out cut, “ Shame,” deserves spe
cial mention. In this masterpiece, the Euryth
mics contrast the concept o f “ All you need is
love" with the cheap substitutes that mass
culture produces. The first stanza conveys this
thought to perfection: “ Now there’s a lifestyle /
With painted lips / Now there’s a lifestyle /
Everybody wants it / But it don't exist / And I
said sh a rfte.^ ^ “
George Micn^Hs^^nrjerly o f Wham!, also
has chosen this th em efofh is first solo effort.
Faith. The title song kicks o ff the album with
the thought that it is better for Michael to wait
for his true love than to give his heart away to
the first one (man?/woman?) who walks through
his door. This theme is followed up by “ Father
Figure.” “ I Want Your Sex" (the monogamy
mix. o f course) and “ One more try.”
The sound throughout is well produced and
slick — with both the good and bad implications
that such a term implies. Although the sound is
smooth and sure, and M ichael's vocals are bet
ter than ever, there generally is a lack o f soul
throughout the recording. We know you mean
w ell. George, but once in a while you need to let
us know how much you care. The most success
ful vocal occurs on “ I Want Your Sex.” but the
rest o f the album needs more gut feeling and
less precociousness.
More satisfying throughout is Bryan Ferry’s
latest album. Bete \oire. Again. Ferry strives
to explore the different facets o f love, but with a
Caribbean beat. As fans well know, and others
should learn. Bryan Ferry has been performing,
writing and singing terrific songs for the past
two decades. As a founder o f Roxy Music, he
helped create the “ glam-rock” movement o f
the early '70s that heavily influenced every rock
star who has ever worn silk, lace, satin and
glitter.
As part o f Roxy Music. Ferry had an
avalanche o f British and European hits in those
early days, although only “ Love is a Drug”
became extraordinarily successful in the U S.
Later. Roxy Music re-formed without Brian
Eno and released such albums o f smoothness
and sophistication as Flesh and Blood and
Avalon. In these later albums Ferry’s preoccu
pation with love and romance as well as his
distinctive vocal style made him the quintessen
tial crooner o f the rock era.
This trend continued on Ferry’s first solo
effort in 1985, Boys and Girls. The titles o f the
songs alone convey Ferry’s subject: “ Sensa
tion.” “ Slave to Love,” “ Windswept" and
“ D on’t Stop the Dance.” Now Ferry has pro
vided us with a worthy follow-up in which he
again reviews the state o f modem romance.
Each song on Bete Noire focuses on mood
and movement. Lyrics do not so much tell a
story as paint a narrative picture with broad
brush strokes o f vivid images. “ Limbo,” the
opening cut. provides a good example o f this
effort: “ Voodoo warning / is calling / down in
limbo / moonlight lush life / bears strange fruit /
down in limbo.”
The music, with its distinctive Latin or Carib
bean beat, provides a successful backdrop to the
word images cast upon the page and gives the
listener a sense o f place and time without being
heavy-handed or blunt. Ferry also utilizes won
derful backup singers to further enhance the
mood. Sometimes this results in Ferry's voice
becoming buried in the overall mix. but the
result is so soulful that there is no reason to
complain.
On an album as strong as this, it seems unfair
to pick out any particular songs, but “ Day for
Night” and “ The Name o f the Game” stand
out from among the crowd. It is this latter song
that summarizes what all these artists are trying
to say: “ When you know the name o f the game /
you can never play enough / And the way you
love is the same / you can never give enough.”
In an era where love seems more elusive and
difficult than ever, these records demonstrate a
faith that love is worth the effort, though our
attempts may not always be successful. If
Ferry. Michael and the Eurythmics find the road
rough, should we find it any easier? Although
these records may not provide answers, at least
we can discover that everyone appears to be
asking the same questions. That realization
alone may be just what we need to see us
through St. Valentine's Day.
•
5 0 th BIRTHDAY
C elebration for
Sanford D irector
&
SNOW WHITE
Saturday, February 13,1988
in the Atrium of Montgomery Park
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2701 N .W . Vaughn, Portland, Oregon
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7:30 P M -
Starring
THELMA
HOUSTON
with Salmon Dave
Complimentary Cham pagne Bar
& Hors d ’ oeuvres
No-Host Bar
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1
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$20- per person
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A Benefit for the
Right to Privacy PAC Victory Fund
and The Brinker Fund
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Just Oni • 19 • Februars I9XN
r .A V 'i
/ i t i U t n v i • O l • \\\' « M ) \ \