Word: musicalization
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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There was more to Waller's music than the swoony "Honeysuckle Rose", his most famous song. Many of the numbers furnish a disturbingly candid view of Harlem life. The eerie "Viper" describes a marijuana hallucination in which the singer dreams of "a reefer--ten feet long." And every line in the poignant "Black and Blue" furnishes a brilliant play on the word "black" creating a clear statement of what being black meant in America then--and, unfortunately, means today as well...
...wonders how deeply Waller resented the Harlem ghetto that, ironically, his music made so fashionable among Cafe Society. Ain't Misbehavin' might have benefited from a few lines providing some insights into Waller's character, or at least some biography. A brief description of Harlem during this period would be a welcome respite from the somewhat relentless pace of the nonstop singing. Nevertheless, Ain't Misbehavin' has plenty of moments you'll wish would never end. At the Wilbur Theater...
DEWITT: The Deer Hunter. Well, first off, five bucks for a movie is an outrage--although you guys'll have to pay $25 to get your car out of hock--and frankly. I almost didn't go. Dolby or no Dolby. That music--Christ--I still have a headache. And the gun shots--every time they blew up a face I hit the roof. It was very well filmed. Vilmos Zsigmond is a genius. Well edited. Those weren't Pennsylvania mountains, though. Man, it was elaborately bogus--the choral music in the mountains, the Russian Orthodox Church that looked like...
About the lyrics, don't brother. Besides the fact that the music and vocals give a more accurate measure of his talent, Hancock usually doesn't write his lyrics anyway. The most flagrant example of horrid lyrics comes through all too plainly in "Tell Everybody." "Honey from the Air" shows how a meaningless set of words can still reflect, with the help of solid backup vocals, hard work and good intentions. "Honey" 's pliant use of instruments stretches the sound beyond the poor lyrics...
Classic performances by Peter Sellers in three roles: the crippled scientific adviser to the President, Dr. Strangelove; the effete U.S. president; and a British air force captain. George C. Scott turns in a good leer as a stodgy hawk, Buck Turgidson. Great choice of music, too--"When Johnny Comes Marching Home" as the planes head...