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Entertainment Page 5 The Bottom Line The Smiths "Rank" by John Pines On their final tour The Smiths recorded a series of live shows, which resulted in the release of their live I.p. "Rank" "Rank is not typical of most live albums. The performance is unusually tight and there is no annoying crowd noise. Admittedly "Rank" is no "Under A Blood Red Sky", but none the less Morrisey and company give songs like "Rusholm Ruffians" and "Bigmouth Strikes Again" a whole new perspective. The only thing that suffers on "Rank" is the production. The overall sound is very clean, but the vocals are downplayed enough that they can be hard to hear at times. Featured tracks on “Rank” include "Ask", "Cemetry Gates", "The Queen is Dead" and "Bigmouth Strikes Again". All these songs are full of energy and everything else, including the vocals, come through loud and clear. The only substandard material on the album is “London”. The vocals absolutely do not fit the music, Overall "Rank" is a good L.p., combining morbid lyrics with happy music; it just a shame that the production could have been a little better. Ton-Léc " Loc'ed After Dark” by Nick Barraco Loc'ed After Dark is the debut album by T6n=Léc, a California rapper who hit the charts recently with his blockbuster rap "Wild § Thing.” The content of the album is somewhat "the usual" for a rap album, containing expected me-praising cuts, such as the title cut "Loc'ed After Dark." The album does contain, again as usual, the driving, pounding beat that rouses some type of primal pleasure in the listener. The underground hit "Cheeba Cheeba” is an unexpected and pleasant suprise, though. I recommend that you don't buy the album unless you have listened to a friend's copy and just can't stand not having one of your own. Alpena Mall On March 4-5, the alpen : Mall presented their annual arts and crafts show featuring exhibitions from as far away as Indian River, Tawas and Cheybogan. Though Northeast Michigan suffered through one of the largest storms of the season the turn-out was good as approximately 5-7000 In all a total of 28 display booths had been set up from Crafts Show 9-4 pm with crafts ranging from wood working to tole painting and basketworks to ceramics. The excellent turnout even under such adverse conditions will further assure the continuation of the event in the future. We can only hope that next winter Mother Nature gives us Winter Festival weather the week of the Winter Festival. Piccolo Quartet Visits Alpena by John Pines Alpena was very fortunate to have the Piccolo Opera Company in town. This event was sponsored by the Thunder Bay Arts Council and performed on Friday ] March 17 at the Alpena High School Auditorium. The Piccolo Opera Company, directed by Marjorie Gordon, gave. a wonderful performance of the works of Gilbert & Sullivan. The show included selections from "Pirates of Penzance", "The Mikado", "The Yeoman of the Guard", and "HMS Pinafore". Opera performers include, director Marjorie Gordon, suprano; David Troiano, tenor; Elsie Inselman, mezzosuprano; and Davis Gloff, baritone. It was an excellent performance and I hope to see more events like this in the future. X-Trax By John Pines * The Jefferson Airplane plans to fly again. In celebration of the _ twentieth anniversary. .of Woodstock, the group plans to record a new Lp. with a tour to follow. It is not yet known if former lead vocalist, Marty Balin, will be on board for the project. * A note on the Grammy awards. The Hard Rock category swas-truly»a-joke.-How..could.a. band like Jethro Tull win over a true metal group like Metallica. Granted, The Crest of a Knave is a good record, but it sure isn't hard rock. * Be on the look out for a new lp. from former Revolution members. Wendy_and.Lisa.-At.this, time no title was set and it is not yet known if Prince will lend a hand. * The Rolling Stones are together again. Keith Richards and Mick. Jagger have resolved their differences, for now, and plan a new L.p. this summer. pee National Censorship Month ? By Staci Radke Many times we hear the phrase “one person can't change the world." Maybe one person won't change the whole world, but he or she can try to change a part of it. A Bloomfield Hills mother, Terry Rakolta, is one of these people. She has written letters to several advertisers who sponsor the Fox TV show, “Married...with Children." Her claim is that this show is unsuitable for family viewing. Her letters have succeeded in reaching at least one company, Tambrands, who has pulled its ads from the show. Rakolta's complaints are legitimate; there is no dispute in that. Of course every parent is concemed with what his or her child sees on television. Some people are telling Rakolta to switch channels if she doesn't like the show. But, we can't continue to switch channels and ignore the problems. CBS' program, "TV101," has recently aired a three-part series dealing with teenage pregnancy. Many people were probably offended with the show because it shows a young girl making the decision to ave an abortion. Some say it is a one-sided program. Actually, it shows the incident in a very realistic light. The young couple cannot afford to have a child; this is the decision they chose. "TV101" doesn't claim that this is the right choice for everyone. Had the show focused on the other side of the issue, it would have received just as many comments. It's gotten to be an almost no-win situation. In addition to TV programs, books, record albums, and movies are fair targets for censorship as well. A few people with some angry views and harsh words think they can tell the rest of us what to watch or read. One such example is Sassy magazine. Many mothers have written to the staff of complaining that the subjects addressed are offensive. Articles entitled "Five Virgins Tell You Why It's Cool" and "My Girlfriend's Pregnant" have appeared in the magazine, as well as topics such as teenage racism, AIDS, birth control, a survey of the honest thoughts of guys toward girls, and an interview from death row, to name only a few. Wait a minute. These parents are complaining about real problems, real issues here. These. articles deal with problems that readers need HONEST answers to. I admire the Sassy staff for their opinions and honesty in their responsibility to their readers. People are complaining because Sassy gives "all you ever wanted to know answers" to its audience. With all the problems today, someone has to address these issues. Even the talk shows are now competing for the sensationalist award." Geraldo Rivera seems to enjoy informing the public about kiddie porn and nude beaches. On the other end of the networks, Sally Jesse Raphael, dresses as a prostitute to "better understand their way of life." What happened to integrity? And self-respect? Exit "The Waltons" and"Happy Days"...enter "Miami Vice" and Geraldo Rivera's satanists. All in all, can we really blame the mass media? After all, it is proven that this is the stuff people are watching. How else do we explain the millions of dollars that a movie like "Nightmare on Elm Street" brings in? This is the sick material we all love, right? Ifa program doesn't contain sex or violence in the preview or first few minutes, do you shut if off or keep watching...honestly? Meanwhile, advertisers are threatened. Producers and writers walk on eggshells, not knowing what to-do. Somebody is always going to be offended in some way. Surely, there is no way for the networks to please everyone. I don't think a few select people should appoint themselves to censor what the rest of the public can watch, listen to, or read. Society, as a whole, needs to examine what has happened in the last decade. TV is now more tisque than ever. While some protest it, others thrive on it. Obviously, some people enjoy the slasher films and Rivera's pornography shows. Somewhere...the industry changed. Somewhere...TV ethics and values are questioned. Somewhere...fine lines need to be redrawn. ...and somewhere in Bloomfield Hills, Terry Rakolta writes yet another letter. The Bottom Line Report Card The Smiths Lyrics A- Music A Performance A Production B Final Grade A- The Bottom Line Report Card Ton Loc Lyrics C+ Music B Performance B- Production B Final Grade B-