European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 10, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                # r Townshend s music reaches a new stage by Edward Karam staff writer Ete Townshend who brought Rock opera to Broadway last season and won a Tony for it is trying to duplicate the magic of Tommy with another work. This time it s the Iron Mao billed As a Quot musical Quot on Townshend s 1989 recording but now transformed into a Quot Rock opera Quot playing at the Young Vic theater in London. What has emerged has the look of cats the sentiments of a Rand the Energy of co spell but unless you be read the original 1968 children s Book by Ted Hughes England s poet laureate or Are familiar with the lyrics from the recording you might easily become lost. Although Townshend has added Quot recitative Quot to link the songs from the Iron Marfa Ibum the adaptation by director David Thacker and Townshend has t fleshed out the characters and much of what happens on stage is  Story told in five Slen Derly linked episodes is relatively simple. A mysterious Iron Man appears Steps off a Cliff smashes to bits and reassembles himself. Discovered by a Farmer s son he terrorizes the Countryside biting tractors in two and chewing barbed wire. The Farmers dig a pit to trap him he Falls in they fill it up. Some time later he escapes and the Farmers decide to offer him a junkyard for his appetite. In the final episode a space dragon lands on Earth and demands to be fed the Iron Man becomes Earth s Champion and Battles the dragon Hughes Story is shot through with whimsy Quot he picked up a Greasy Black stove and chewed it like a Toffee Quot writes the laureate. Quot there were delicious crumbs of Chrome on  but a pal of earnestness has replaced whimsy in the opera and the performers give the songs a Darker Edge than on Townshend album for instance the a deadlocked Black Clad Anthony Barclay who s a Fine performer hardly looks like the Youn hero Hogarth Quot a Farmer s  nor does the chorus which starts out As Farmers end up As the Woodland creatures As it did on the 1989 album. Instead they be become a group of scruffy disaffected adolescents singing Quot the whole world is wrecked by the grown up elect. Cash is the King in die real  a. Later on they complain about adult alcoholism nuclear waste dumps and eating meat. The humor director Thacker has supplied is heavy handed. A Middle class family that inadvertently picnics on the filled in pit is dressed As cartoon characters by Shelagh Keegan in Gaudy flowered prints and loud seersucker. Later on three British army officers Are called on to defend the townsfolk. They prance around waving their weapons and smashing objects. One mimes shaving with a meat Cleaver another clean Bis ear with the barrel of a gun. The rebellion the mockery of the Middle class the anti militarism Are a time worn legacy from hair of course. But Keegan s impressive junkyard of Metal coils car bodies rusted buckets old bicycles etc., is straight from cats. That particular debt does t matter. In the evening s most thrilling moments the scrap Metal shifts and from it arises a 20-foot-High Iron Man his Headlamp eyes aglow tights flashing around tramping around the thrust stage. Inside is the spirit of the Iron Man who emerges in the person of Trevor Michael Georges to Rock the rafters with a song called / cat heavy Metal a later song fast food gets the same treatment from Josette Bushell Mingo who takes on the dual roles of Star spirit and space dragon. As the former she stands on an upper stage in a bluish Light with Angel wings slowly rising and falling behind her but As the space dragon she descends wearing Black garters and leg Armor topped by a Beehive of dreadlocks a what a bad hair Day no wonder she demands Quot fast food a fast Quot rather like the Plant in Little shop of horrors. The Twenty something audience responded to both performers As enthusiastically As at a Rock concert. Townshend s music works on its own whether caressed on the album or belted live. The Rock opera Only works sporadically a and then because of the Energy and Talent of its cast and the technical aspects especially the Iron Man and Alan Burnett s phantasmagoric Ai lighting. Abut too much is unclear when Mushett Mingo ascends on a Barbell into by i lowing smoke during the space dragon s climactic Battle with the Iron Man it s not apparent unless you be read Hughes that the dragon is flying off to the Sun. The Iron Man needs work on its nuts and bolts Anthony Barclay plays Tae Aero Hogarth a Farmer s son in Quot the torn  fifth beatle the who s sing by Matt Wolf the associated press or years he was the Quot fifth beatle Quot the Man responsible for making the beatles sing. These Days the beatles Are merely a photograph above George Martin s desk and he is touting a new tune As producer of the hottest Broadway cast recording of the year the who s Tommy. To borrow a song title from the show it s been an Quot amazing journey Quot indeed who would have thought an angry artefact from the 60s could make sense in the Kinder gentler 90s? Quot it would have been beyond anyone s comprehension Quot said Martin 67, a polite even patrician Silver haired figure More suggestive of an English country aristocrat than a Rock legend. Quot mostly you did t have any higher flown ideas in those Days. Quot you mostly thought Well it s great for now it la be great this year Quot Martin said. Quot i never thought i d be talking about it 25 years later that would have been too pretentious for  when Tommy came out Martin was at the Peak of his eight year association with the beatles having produced sergeant Pepper s lonely hearts club Banda year earlier. After the beatles disbanded in 1970, Martin kept Busy working with Paul Mccartney on two Solo albums As Well As with Neil Sedaka Jimmy Webb the Mah Vishnu orchestra and America among Many others. In a Long career embracing comedy albums composition and his own past As a professional oboist Martin never tried Broadway a and admitted that it took some Arm twisting to take on Tommy Quot Pete Townshend rang me up in january and said we be got this show coming up on Broadway and would you like to record it Quot Martin recalled. Quot i was so astonished and said thank you but Why ask me  do it yourself Quot according to Martjn Townshend wanted some distance from the material a a professional outside Eye As it were. Might he like to try the theater himself Martin demurred mindful of his experience on a 1965 curiosity twang by Lionel Bart who had a hit with Over Martin recalls twang As Quot a terrible bomb that went Down with All lives  but tue producer said the stage Success of the who s Tommy should encourage other such hybrids of Rock n Roll and the stage. "1 could see Paul Simon writing the most fantastic musical and Elton John. There s no reason you should t have on Broadway a show of Lennon and Mccartney sounds Quot he said. Quot there s a Gold mine there of musical resources. But it s got to be done  George Martin left shares a Broadway Success with Pete Townshend. Pop singles 1. Again Janet Jackson 2. Id do anything for love but i won t do that meat loaf 3. At that Sha want Ace of base 4. Haro Mari a Carey 5. Shoop Salt a Pepa 6. Gangsta lean ors 7. Juat Kickin it escape 8. Breathe again Toni Braxton 9. Please forgive me Bryan Adams 10. All Tor love Bryan Adams Rod Stewart sting top albums 1. Doggy style Snoop Doggy dog 2. Ve., Peart Jam 3. Music Box Mariah Carey 4. The Spaghetti incident guns n roses 5. The Beadle a butt head experience Beavis amp butt head 6. Duets Frank Sinatra 7. Bat out of hell ii Back into hell meat loaf 8. The one thing Michael Bolton 9. Common thread the Songa of the eagles various artists 10. Janet Janet Jackson country singles 1. My second Home Tracy Lawrence 2. Mercury Bluet Alan Jackson 3. American Honky Tonk bar association Garth Brooks 4. God blessed Texas Little Texas 5. Soon t Anya Tucker 6. My baby loves me Martina Mcbride 7.1 done to Call him daddy Doug Supernaw 8. Fast As you Dwight Yoakam 9. The song remembers when Trisha Yearwood 10. Queen of my double wide trailer Surawy Kershaw country albums 1. Common thread the songs of the eaglet various artists 2. In piece Garth Brooks 3. Greatest hits volume two Reba Mcentire 4. Let there be peace on Earth Vince Gill 5. A lot about la Van and a Little bout love Alan Jackson 6. Easy come easy go George Strait 7. The song remembers when Trisha Yearwood 8. Honky Tonk Christmas Ajan Jackson 9. This time Dwight Yoakam 10. Honky Tonk Angels doily Parton to Retla Lynn Tammy Wynette. Ramp a singles 1. Gang Sta lean drs 2. Can we talk Tevin Campbell 3. Shoop Salt a Pepa 4. Breathe again Yoni Braxton 8. Never keeping secrets 6abyface 6. Juat Kickin it escape 7. Keep a head up,2pac 8. Cry Tor you Jodeci 9. Sex me Parte i amp ii. A Kel v 10. Hero Mariah Carey alternative Rock 1 a into your arms Lemon Heads 2. Daughter Pearl Jam 3. Laid James 4. Today smashing pumpkins 5. Found out about you Gin blossoms 6. Purple Haze the cure 7. Rubber band Girt Kate Bush 8. The ubiquitous or. Love Grove dead can dance 9. Photograph . With Natalie merchant 10. Because the night 10,000 maniacs adult contemporary classical albums 1. Said i loved you. But t lied Michael Bolton 2. Please forgive me Bryan Adams 3. The River of Dreame Billy Joel 4. Hero Mariah Carey 5. Reason to believe Rod Stewart 0. Dream Lover Mariah Carey 7, hopelessly Rick Astley 8, again Janet Jackson 9, id do anything for love but i won t do that meat loaf 10. Fields of Gold sting 1. Symphonic yes London philharmonic orchestra 2. Christmas favourites Carreras Domingo Pavarotti. 3. Christmas.,., Domingo Ross Carreras 4. Tchaikovsky Nutcracker Berlin symphony 5. In concert Carreras Domingo Pavarotti 6. Gorecky symphony no. 3, Upshaw 7. To Amo Luciano Pavarotti 8. Part the deum Tallin chamber 9. Impatient Lover Bart Olhs Schiff 10. Opera magic various artists a compiled by billboard on disc the Spaghetti incident guns no roses Geffen he emphasis in this album of favorite songs is mostly on obscure Punk and hard Rock tunes. After an opening step into the mainstream the sky liners �?T50s Teardrop Ballad Quot since i Don t have youth album begins its Punk tribute appropriately with the damned s new Rose the 1976 debut single by the first British Punk band to tour America. In re a wild in woolly Romp then proceeds through such highlights As the us subs feisty Down on the farm with Axl Rose employing his Best Johnny Rotten accent the dead boys mocking ainu to it fun a duet with Michael Monroe formerly of Hanoi rocks and Danzig a attitude Duff Mckagan taking Over the Lead vocal. Despite the dangers of indulgence in these kinds of musical tips of the hat Gnu infuses /nc/denf7 with the warm disarming spirit of musicians eager to share some Lively personal Rock passions. A Robert he turn los Angeles times full Moon dirty hearts inns Mercury Here s no turning Back once Singer Michael hut hence charges into Days of rust the Quick entry opener of this Bluesy Funk driven vehicle that ignites with a vengeance. Things slow Down after the gift the album s second song but Chrissley Hynde and Ray Charles Are pressed into service along the route keeping the ride intermittently interesting. Great opening a satisfyingly sultry duet Between Hynde and hut hence a but it was hard to remember what the rest of the album sounded like 10 minutes after hearing it a second third fourth and fifth time. A Deedee Arrington Doke the stars and stripes Beavis and butt head experience various artists Geffen he thrill of being invited into anthrax s tour bus. The humiliation of being kicked off., getting Lucky with Cher. This is the stuff of the Beavis and butt head experience a place that makes Wayne a world look like a think  great irony is that these twin towers of intolerance a amp a would spawn a collection whose stylistic mix represents the kind of Cross Polien Atlon that bleeding heart idealists have been urging for years. The Bias is toward hard Rock but rap alternative Punk Ash Rock mainstream ramp a and even sunny pop Are in the mix. Its uneven but As butt head Points out in a discussion that Borders on the metaphysical it s like you need stuff that sucks to have stuff that a Cool. A Richard Cro Metlin los angelas times code red Jazzy Jeff amp the fresh Prince Jive his album Mana Gemo be accessible without hut hence compromising the genre s energetic Street spirit. Jazzy Jeff amp the fresh Princess coupling of bumping Bass lines and smooth ramp by brilliantly Woven together by producers Pete Rock Dallas Austin and Teddy Riley a make this album irresistible. A Heidi Siegmund los Angeles times 20 the stars and stripes Frida de Ltd Ember of 1993 the stars and stripes