The Heights Review

FILL 'ER UP!!by J.Campbell Moriarity

Running On Empty is a very suitable titlefor Jackson Browne's newest album, thestory of a travelling band, set to music.Surprisingly enough, this record displaysfew of the major characteristics of suchprevious Browne releases as The Pretenderand Late For The Sky. In place of his usualsoul-searching lyrics and somewhat morosemelodies sre tunes that are upbeat andpleasantlyrambling.

The primary reason for this departurefrom his usual style is his increased depen-dence on other songwriters'material. Thealbum includes Danny O'Keefe's "TheRoad," and a Maurice(Earth, Wind & Fire)Williams composition, "Stay." "RunningOn Empty" is alsoBrowne's first live album(although only part was done in front of anaudience, the rest having been recorded"live" in hotel rooms and on the band bus),and this also contributesto the different tex-ture of the album.

The titlesong is well donerock & roll, butit is also quite certainly Jackson Browne,sportingDavid Lindley's excellent fiddle and

Browne's unmistakable lyrics. (". . .1 lookaround for the friends I used to turn to/Topull me through/Looking into their eyes Isee them running too. . .") "Love Needs AHeart" is a bittersweet, melancholy lovesong capturing the essence of beingforced towalk away from love.

On "Rosie," Browne shows himself to bemore than competent on the piano, withwhich he provides the only accompanimentto the song. Browne is also the sole vocaliston "Rosie," except for a light harmony onthe chorus. It is an outstanding song, bothmusically and lyrically.

Unfortunately. Running On Empty suffersfrom a decided excess of filler, including analmost obligatory CB song called "ShakeyTown" ("Now that's a big ten-four/Fromyour back door/Just put the hammerdown"), and a distinctly disappointing"TheLoad Out."

With these two exceptions, Running OnEmpty is an accomplished and relativelydiverse album. Although it takes newstylistic directions, it unquestionably bearsJackson Browne's personal stamp, and isultimately a fine album.

Joni Mitchell: A Big Girl Nowby Kevin J. Nolan

Joni Mitchell's not a littlegirl any longer.The days when she'd giggle self-conciouslywhile warbling about paradise and parkinglots are as far behind her as thechildhood ofany adult.Similarly, her artisticadolescenceis also behind her; the whistful, breathyvocal tones that were the hallmark of"Blue" and "For The Roses" havemellowed into a smokey, self-confidentvoice that could only be described asmature. Mitchell is still fascinated with lovelost and found, but her perspective on thesubject has wholly shifted from naive con-fusion to an attitude that is somewhat tiredand often a bit jaded.

The Hissing of Summer Lawns began thetransition. Coming on the Heels of Courtand Spark and a live set, her two most com-mercially accessible efforts, hissing wassomething of a shock. The smiling, wide-eyed, gosh-l-just-love-you-all Joni her fanshad all known had becomecool and distant,wrapped in a cloak of petulance andbrooding. The trend continued with Hejira.Less musically complex, it still portrayedMitchell as a rich, slightly faded socialitewho'd come to view life with a decidedbitterstreak. By this time,she had alsobecometheideal metaphor for the end of the sixties;goodbye to San Francisco and hello toHollywood. The Summer of Love was over,and its participants were virtually obligatedto embrace the values of a society they'dhoped to obliterate.

Don Juan's Reckless Daughter is theculmination of all that is good,and all that.isbad, about the "new" Joni Mitchell. Andappropriately, its dominant theme is that oflooking back to her past. Not looking backlongingly, nor with any great nostalgia, it ismore analytical than anything else. She'snot yearning to go back, nor is she terriblysorry it's over. She merely wants to stepaside and have a look at it.

The album's strongest point is itsinstrumentation. Backed mostly by veteranjazzmen (Jaco Pastorious' bass is essentialto the album's sound, and Larry Carlton,Wayne Shorter and Aierto also contribute),the album takes the basic churning guitars,

flying bass and subtle percussions of.Hejir;and makes them less monotonous, more tex-tured. On Hejira, each song was given thesame basic rhythms, distinguished by £single, slight touch; Neil Young's harpingor"Furry Sings the Blues," or Larry Carlton.'/*ethereal guitar on"A Strange Boy." DonJuan's Reckless Daughter, on the otheihand, displays a greater instrumental ver-satility without sacrificing the essence of thesound. Mitchell's guitar is sparser.Pastorious' bass more complex andunpredictable, highlighting the dreamlikehaze through which Mitchell views her past.The album has been lushly produced, andthe sound is rich and vibrant, but subtle jttst

the same. The swirling "Cotton Avenue"and the hypnotic percussion-onlybacking of"Dreamland" are but two of the moremusically notablepoints of the album.

Unfortunately, while Reckless Daughterhighlights some of Mitchell's most shiningtalents, it exposessome of her worst conceitsat the same time. Oneof the most endearingcharacteristics of her earlier days as asongwriter, an ability to laughat herself, hasall but disappeared.Where once the idea ofbad guys in Big Yellow Taxis runningaround paving paradise was enough to giveher the giggles, she now intones lyrics justaspretentious and silly with an unsmilingintensity most people would reserve for the

word of God. Mitchell is a skilledpoetess tobe sure; it was, in fact, her dawningawarenessof this on For. the Roses that firstsuggested her change in stylistic direction.But she has come to regard herself so highlyas a writer that she now seems convincedthat every thought that occurs to her is ladenwith profundity. "Talk To Me," for exam-ple, turns out to be nothing more that theramblings of a silly, drunk girl hanging offthe arm of a guy probably about to punchher in the teeth to shut her up. Real cute.The idea undoubtedly struck her as terriblyfunny, but the listener gets the feeling thatyou had to be there.

So it goes with most of RecklessDaughter. Mitchell always had a talent forgiving common thoughts and feelings a uni-que life with her words, but the ideas behindmuch of Reckless Daughter are just tooordinary to hold much attention. This self-indulgence occasionally works its way intothe instrumentation as well; the seven-minute percussion party, "The TenthWorld," must have been gangs of fun forJoni and Co. to do, but the energy level thatis reached by the climax of the track ishard-ly worth waiting for. surprisingly, the trackwhich would be most likely to prove over-introspective actually works rather well."Paprika Plains." Mitchell'sfirst attempt atan epic is hampered by its length (over 16minutes) and by its use of the AmericanIndian as a rather predictable metaphor forthe lost innocence of Earlier Times. But witha large portion of the original lyrics leftunsung, supplanted by a flowing instrumen-tal bridge that nicely avoids being tedious,the piece winds up being quiteeffective, and,in fact, one of the most satisfying pieces ofthe album.

There is a lot to like about Don Juan'sReckless Daughter. It is an entertainingandwell thought-out album, beautiful to listento, at least casually. But it is an extremelyprivate album, and leaves its audience par-ticularly those who expect it to be thought-provoking too much on the outside. JoniMitchell will be in some trouble if she doesnot rememberby her next album that she isstill playing for people.

Boston-Boston

More Disco Infernoby Don NathanIt's funny. If you took away the mirror

balls and hissing cymbals, it could have beena late 60's psychedelic experience. But it is1978, and Boston-Boston is most certainlythe epitome, if not the culmination, of thedisco scene.

Wednesday night was a special night atBoston-Boston, located at 15 LandsdowneStreet, sight of several aborted efforts at dis-cos. The famous Meco Cantina Band, whichgave unto us the Star Wars theme and themusic from Close Encounters, was to per-form, so the press was invited to the spec-tacle. And a spectacle it was.

After digging up some clothes thatmightbe suitable for the "fashionable attire"requirement of Boston-Boston, we set offthrough the rain and lakes that used to be!the streets of Boston. As soon as you enterthe front door of Boston-Boston, you knowyou're in the right place. A foyer bathed inpink and purple light. The musicvibrating inthe floors, despite being a goodly distancefrom the dance floor. Lots of guys in blackpants and expensive haircuts. And, fromaround the corner, swirling multi-coloredlights dancing off the curved walls. Afterchecking our coats (for a fee of $.50--incidental but unnecessary), we entered themain room, passing by the Omelette Room,which is dominated by tape recorded birdchirpings.

Before seeing the actual dance floor, wewere met by a gigantic mirror ballsuspended overhead. It was about six feet indiameter, and an object that I would neverlike to have landon my head.Continuing pastthis shimmering globe,we at last reached thedancefloor.

I suppose that everyone knew that it wasour first visit to Boston-Boston, from theway two sets of eyes popped out and twojaws hit the floor. Every kind of light and

special effect that had ever graced a danefloor, and many that had not, were thereFour smaller mirror balls (about two feet iidiameter) were suspended from the ceilingwith neon rings about them, a la SatutaPink, red and purple lights spinning amslashing to the thudding of the music, alter,nating with countless strobes. The postholding up the ceiling were covered witl

mirrors, which were in turn enveloped byrings of neon, which got progressivelylargeias they climbed towards the roof. And, a<the creme dc la crerrie, a fog descending oveithe floor, although it created more of a hazethan anythingelse.

The pride and joy of Boston-Bostonhowever, is their sound system. And, as mjear drums will readily attest, their claimsof "best on the coast" is quite justified.closest thing I have ever heard to thosispeakers is when a 35mm cannon went off irmy ear. The bass comes through your ears

feet, knees, and any other part of your bodythat happens to be within 40 feet of thespeakers.

After strolling around the place for awhile, ogling at the sights, it was deemedtime to put down some vodka in the true BCstyle. At $1.75 a drink, I was not about tobecome roaring drunk. The bartenders wereall made up in white makeup with blue

? ?

eyebrows, "stars and other markings.(Presumably in honor of the Star Warsevening).

I talked to oneof the bartenders, Mykal,who said he got his job at Boston-Bostonbecause he needed a night job, but did notwant to be as subservient as a waiter. Healso wanted "a little flash." He got it. Oneof the cashiers got her job because she usedto go dancing there all the time and whenthere was an opening, she took it. It gets"packedlike sardines"all the time,she said,

despite the large size dance floor.Due to a pair of 9:00 classes, we were

unable to remain at the Disco Wonderlandfor very long. So, after polishing off thedrinks and taking a spin on thedance floor,weretrieved our coats, with thestrains of theBeeGees pounding into the heads ofeveryone within miles, while visions of JohnTravolta dancedin their heads.

Obviously, there is a great segment of theBC population that ranks disco with suchthings as mud, dog spleens, and otheratrocities. While labelling disco a crimeagainst humanity is a bit much, it has neverbeen one of my favorite genres of music.However, Boston-Boston goes beyondbeinga place to go disco-dancing. It is worth goingthere just to see and experience the lights,sounds and effects. You come outremembering the drug films that showed youwhat an LSD trip was. . .only this is legaland has no h.irmfi:! side effects.

Willthisbecomethe new

Bostondisco

palace?

AnneMarie

Lesniak

JANUARY 30, 1978THE HEIGHTS8-9THE HEIGHTS JANUARY 30. 1978

[NEW JERSEY)Next week, the Heights Revue will be

publishing an in-depth look at the strangephenomenon that is called New Jersey. Manyprominent local social analysts will be con-tributing, as well as theforemost psychologistin the area. In an effort to get afeelfor thestu-dent body's opinion on this matter, we ask youto complete the questionnaire below, and dropit off in the Heights office, McElroy 113.

| Are you in favor of New Jersey? j

| [jYes HNo j

\&£.MtK£Wef\SMax & CoTHHH Bby Dornenburgi, UoaVe r\Qkk. _

tl t M° problem. ,nWo'iiDontdoonc.it./na.K-j- tte He 13hh doesn't /tX>Wdi s 0 /ixstfr OSrtc poM besides J&flVfLrr com& up uJitK ar\ nohodu e*/en A

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