The Pittsburgh Press from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania • Page 86

k2 The Pittsburgh Press Sunday. August 12. 1990 Asleep at the Wheel still rolls strong TOP POP RECORDS By Jerry Sharpe COUNTRY The top pop albums: PLEASE HAMMER DON'T HURT 'EM M.C. Hammer FLESH AND BLOOD Poison WILSON PHILLIPS Wilson Phillips MARIAH CAREY Mariah Carey STEP BY STEP New Kids on the Block COMPOSITIONS Anita Baker The top pop singles, according to Billboard magazine: 1. VISION OF LOVE Mariah Carey 2.

COME BACK TO ME Janet Jackson 3. IF WISHES CAME TRUE Sweet Sensation 4. THE POWER Snap 5. UNSKINNY BOP Poison 6. BLAZE OF GLORY (from "Young Guns Jon Bon Jovi 7.

DO ME Bell Biv DeVoe 8. HAVE YOU SEEN HER M.C. Hammer 9. CRADLE OF LOVE (from "Ford Billv Idol 7. I1L GIVE ALL MY LOVE TO YOU Keith Sweat 8.

I'M BREATHLESS Madonna 9. POISON Bell Biv Devoe 10. "PRETTY WOMAN" SOUNDTRACK various artists fiddle, gotta have a Texan in the band." Another plus is that the whole album comes across as spontaneous playing not studio recording, which it is. It's just what the band needed after falling on their faces with a dud called "Western Standard Time" in 1988. But that one didn't mar their record too badly.

Out of a total of 12 albums (which includes the new one), 11 were good. Meanwhile, the band won three Grammy Awards. Benson, 39, is the only original member of the band. Benson and his buddy, Ruben Gosfield, who later took the name Lucky Oceans, became interested in forming a country band while in high school. That was in Wyndmoor near Philadelphia in the 1960s.

Later in college, they finally carried out their ambition. They quit and, with friend LeRoy Preston, moved to a farm in Paw Paw, W. Va. There on Jan. 2, 1970, they put together what was to eventually become Asleep at the Wheel.

The band moved to California and finally settled in Texas in 1974. (Jerry Sharpe covers country music for The Pittsburgh Press.) The Pittsburgh Press "Keepin' Me Up Nights," Asleep at the Wheel. Arista. With the release of Asleep at the Wheel's first LP on Arista, this excellent Texas-based band proves it's not only as good as ever at its trademark western swing, but does equally well in other forms of country music. For instance, they revive the old boogie "Beat Me Daddy Eight to the Bar" and continue the boogie beat on "Boot Scootin' Boogie." Then they turn to country blues for Harlan Howard's "You Don't Have To Go to Memphis." "Eyes" is a tender ballad, with gravelly voiced bandleader Ray Benson doing the lead as country star Judy Rodman and studio singers Lisa Silver and Carol Chase provide vocal backup.

"That's the Way Love is straight-ahead country, with Benson's lead and vocal backup by out-of-the-spotlight star John Wesley Ryles. But there's western swing, too, among KING OF WISHFUL THINKING Go West 10. the 12 songs. "Dance With Who Brung You" and "Gone But Not Forgotten" represent western swing at its finest. "Quittin' Time" is where western swing meets the blues, aided by some mean sax work from Michael Francis.

Benson, who hails from suburban Philadelphia, started the Austin-based band 20 years ago. Its current lineup has been together six years. In addition to Francis and Benson, other members are John Ely, steel guitar; Larry Franklin, fiddle and vocals; Jon Mitchell, bass; David Sanger, drums; and Tim Alexander, piano, accordion and harmony vocals. Franklin has the interesting background of being a third generation Texas fiddler, and Benson encouraged him to write and sing "Texas Fiddle Man," which he does with flair. In fact, at the end he takes liberty with Alabama's words, "If you're gonna play in Texas, you've gotta have a fiddle in the band," and sings, "If you're gonna play the TOP COUNTRY RECORDS 5.

WRONG Waylon Jennings 6. NOTHING'S NEWS Clint Black 7. WANTED Alan Jackson 8. JUKEBOX IN MY MIND Alabama 9. HE TALKS TO ME Lorrie Morgan 10.

OH LONESOME ME The Kentucky Headhunters The top country singles: 1. NEXT TO YOU, NEXT TO ME Shenandoah 2. WHEN I CALL YOUR NAME Vince Gill 3. GOOD TIMES Dan Seals 4. I'M GONNA BE SOMEBODY Travis Tritt SrOflS CLASSIC bungle BooK Thr ill IVw 'wnpjnv IT II Alll IS GR0DI JAMES BELISHI MONROEVILLE ROBINSON TWP.

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I BMritoMb.HKMHSttPITTtllL.SMS-TRIBllHm.lM: Mat (nar Ammms (FrwHSA. 3 SPECIAL ADDED a classic Donsld Duck cartoon "DUDE DUCK" ThrWrtfwvripin CRANBERRY MALL Rt.19M. SOUTHLAND 9 Rt.51 So. BETHEL CINEMA. Bethel Park SHOWCASE EAST Monroeville CHESWICK Cheswick SHOWCASE NORTH McKnight Rd.

Hp 0 Bioomneia showcase west Robinson Twp. Whitehall Brentwood WHEN IN ET fioftio visit ware nrusneu lUorU niM.i.1..1 It iHr dBlii.t mil liiill1HllrllT IWI REGULAR ENGAGEMENTS START FRIDAY, AUGUST 17 NOPASSS Mcknight pp. Robinson twp. monroeville li jiininrjiinn nmmm imnsm on ROBINSON TWP. MONROEVILLE MALL CRANBERRY MALL ROUTE SI SOUTH MT.

LEBANON FREEPORTRO. 7l00 ARACHNOPHOBIA 7l20 Shown with ARACHNOPHOBIA ft showcase ml CINEMAS STEVE MARTIN is a Gangster, RICK MORANIS is a Federal Agent. ti.it GN HATINKK DAILY UNTIL WU LAT 1HOWS FRIDAY SATURDAY CONTJNUOUS PinrORHANCC DAILY TIMFS tMOirW AKC FOR TODAY OHLY AIR AMERICA1BJ FLAHINERS GHOST 1:00. 3:10. 5:20, 7:35, 9:45 12:45,2:55.5:05,7:15.9:30 mm PG-13C2.

YOUNG GUNS I. if itiM'ii'uaxiicuiiK II IPG-T31 DUCK TALES. THE MOVIE 12:15.2:00 3:40.5:15 12:30.2:40.4:50.7:20.9:40 CRANBcRkt AMU Rt. 19 N. DENIS Mt.

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9-20 A nmiecJy dlxKJt a government witness who gives suburbia a culture PRESUMED INNOCENT 01 12-10. 2:35 5 00. 7:35. 10'05 DIE HARD 2H 00 Attila the Hun. Ivan the Terrible.

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4:50. 6 30 PRETTY WOMAN AIR AMERICAS FLAHINERS 12:45.2:55.5:05.7:15.9:30 1O0.3 10 THE TWO DUCK TALES JAKES THE MOVIE V15 12:15.2 00.3:40.5:15 PRESUMED INNOCENT MO' BETTER BLUES 12 00 2 25.4:50 7:25 9 50 PROBLEM CHILD ESI YOUNG GUNS ii ipgrci 12-30. 2-40. 4:50. 7-20 9 40 2 15.2 00.

3-45. 5:30. 7-20 THE FRESHMAN 7:40 9 40 DIE HARD 23i 12-20. 2-40. 5 05, 7 30.

10:00 lissiiiiiiiiiiiBiSiiii LllLi ill-' ffetr--' IJ 1 ARACHNOPHOBIA THE JUNGLE BOOK El 12-30 2-50. 5-00. 9 uatui ma unit tin ihbw GHOST (PJ53J1 12 00 2:25 9 55 PRETTY WOMAN 8 00,10:10 pSoi, nninoarBiaEop A UNIVERSAL RELEASE. CRANBERRY MALL Rt. 19N.

SOUTHLAND 9 GALLERIA CINEMA Mt. Lebanon SHOWCASE EAST Monroev nroeville Rt.51 So. I Rd. I HARMAR CINEMA Hormarville SHOWCASE McKnight night AIR AMERICAS 1 1 'THE TWO JAKES 1 00 3 10 5 20.7:35 9 45 1-15 4:15.7:10 9:50 FLAHINERS Bill 'DUCK TALES: THE MOVIE (IS 12:45, 2-55, 5-05. 7:15.

9 30 12:15.2:00.3:40.5:15 MO' BETTER II 'PRESUMED BLUES OS INNOCENT OS 12 00 2 25.4 50.7 25 9 50 17:10.2 35 5 00. 05 YOUNG GUNS PROBLEM 1P.0JJJ CHILD E3 12 3 0 2 40. 4 50. 7 2 0 9 40 12 1 5 2 00 3 4 5 5 30 7 20 9 20 ARACHNOPHOBIA 1 1 PRETTY WOMAN IffJ 12-30 2-50 25 8 00,10:10 DIE HARD GHOST EQji' 7 30 10-00 12 00 2 25 4 50 7 25 9-55 THE JUNGLE BOOK ffif 1 41 3-'5 1 50 5 30 ariuwiMit wtai Kopinson iwp. In Press Post-Gazette classifieds today SOLD tomorrow! Call 263-1201 -n- itr'i I'min'iiainiftitl i'Ji I 1 1 I 1 II I ljlYJrT-X1-IJL JLIi-U CRANBERRY MALL Rt.

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