Ukiah Daily Journal from Ukiah, California • Page 35

5f Pa 14 Thursday, August 28,1980 Hits Misses A figure tries to make it big and By RON GLUCKMAN Joan Armatrading "Me Myself While some admirers sucli as Riclde Lee Jones and Phoebe Snow have won large audiences in America, Joan Armatrading has remained mostly a cult figure here. Worldwide she has captured virtually every honor and award imaginable; from critics and the public alilce. Armatradlng's desire for success in the county has apparently caused her to temper her unique approach to singing. Her last two albums, "Show Some Emotion" and "To The Limit" showed remarkable restraint in structure and reflected American tastes; the former funky and the latter a shrewd pop creation. Despite some moderate singles, neither sold very well in America.

For hersixth domestic release, Joan has augmented her band with some well-known musicians. Ricky Scaggs (Emmylou Harris) and Chris Spedding on guitar, Anton Fig of Spider on drums and Clarence Clemons of Bruce Springsteen's band on saxaphone. The result is her most confusing and frustrating album to date. Production mixes the drums above the singing and clutters some of the tenderest moments with tacky strings. Beautiful Spanish guitar parts are strewn about; sometimes surfacing in the midst of song, from which they just peter out.

Even Armatradlng's lyrical prowess suffers. Except on the warm "Simon," the themetic "All The Way From America," and the romantic "Feeling In My Heart (For You)," the majority of the songs seem shallow, even silly. From a virtuoso like Armatrading, a singer whose range is a full five octaves and a writer of such talent "Me Myself 1" is an overwhelming dissappointment. About half the album sounds better with every listen, but not enough to compensate for so much waste. Rating: B.

David Grlsman "Quintet Brothers) Grisman and his new band of acoustic pickers continue their explorations of Dawg Music; so named because it defies catagorizatibn. Actually a blend of bl'uegrass. classical, and jazz in a contemporary setting, it is multiethnic music for the masses. With a switch to Warner Brothers, Sonoma-based Grisman may find a larger audience for his mellow sound. With a pair of mandolins, violin, stand up bass, and guitar, the Grisman quintet paly a flawless style of mood music.

"Quintet '80" is an album that will appeal to nearly every taste, and every age. In live performance this band is unsurpassed. They will be playing next month at the Great American Music Hall In San Francisco with the. master viloinist, Stephane Grappelll. Rating: A.

Graham Parker "The Up Escalator" (Arista). Had Parker acheived the success he deserved with last year's "Shooting Out The Sparks" we might have been spared this, a second rate rehash of Parker at his most banal. Not to suggest that all of this record is unredeemlng. "Endless with Bruce Springsteen helping on vocals, is excellent. "No Holding Back" is a joyous romp through bubble gum rock resplendent with hooks.

"Jolie, Jolie" succeeds despite the obvious cops. There is just too much gristle and not enough meat on this one. "Devil's Sidewalk" is a boring dirge, while "The Beating Of Another Heart" seems appropriate for Glen Cambell. "Stupefaction" a remake of "Emotional Traffic," manages to sum up this album's deficiencies when Parker chants on the fadeout, "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Rating: Walter Egan "The Last Stroll" (Columbia), Walter has been churning out records to capitalize on his association with Fleetwood Mac. His previous LP, a hard rocking mishap, should have quelled his career.

Instead, Egan returns as a soft rocker with a gentle guiter and a fresh batch of songs, most notably a tender tribute to Tuesday Weld. By not overtaxing his abilities this time Walter Egan has fashioned a very entertaining album of LA rock. Rating; B. Herb Alpert "Beyond" Twenty years later trumpeter Alpert sounds as good as ever. For those who thought his triumph of last year, "Rising" might have been a fluke, "Beyond" is an exquisitely crafted presentation of soft jazz.

Rating: A-. Amy Holland (Capitol). Doobie Brothers' produced, written, and preformed not suprislngly, it sounds like a female version of the Doobies. An interesting version of SHOWTIME for Bo makes her debut and Eastwood gets upstaged by chimp Llberace quurkles in his diamond-studded nightclub act Showtime, the national pay television service, Ijas announced its new Uneup of recent major motion pictures and made-for-pay television programs for its September schedule, according to Jim Langton, general manager of Teleprompter in Ukiah and Willits. The diverse selection of recent movies in September on Showtime include: "10," starring Dudley Moore with his favorite number, Bo Derek, and "A Little Romance," a charming comedy with Laurence Olivier as an eccentric cupid 's helper.

Other top quality films offered on showtime's September schedule include: "Every Which Way But Loose," with Clint Eastwood in pursuit of country singer Sondra Locke; "The Prisoner of Zenda," an uproarious comedy starring Peter Sellers in a dual role as a king and a bie; and "The Concorde: Airport '79," a supersonic adventure featuring an all- star cast headed by Robert Wagner and Susan Blakely. "Centennial," James Michener's epic masterpiece based on the building of the American West, concludes in September with the telecast of Parts IX-Xn. Carousel on Showtime features full family entertainment in September with "Where Time Began," an incredible voyage into the past based drt Jules Verne's adventure classic, "Journey To The Center Of The Earth," and "Where's Willie?" a riotous romp about a precocious 8-year-old who prefers bionic rabbits to baseball. Also on Carousel in September the screen version of Broadway's musical hit, "Fiddler On The Roof," with international starTopol. After Hours on Showtime presents an array of feature films suitable for adult viewing.

Selections include "Lipstick," starring Margaux Hemingway as an enraged wonjian seeking revenge against a ruthless rapist and "The Inheritance," with Dominique Sanda and Quinn in a shocking story of lust and greed. "Van Nuys Blvd." is a rousing comedy about the hottest strip in the country "The Killer Elite," starring James Caan and Robert Duvall, is a gripping drama of action and intrigue. Showtime's original pro-- gramming in September is a blend to suit a variety of tastes. Appearing Tonight on Showtime presents "Liberace In Las musical extravaganza.