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Book Review: Grass for his Pillow
by Lang Reid
 This
week’s book was sent to me for review, directly from Asia Books, so I
felt duty bound to read it. Written by Lian Hearn, an obviously talented
lady who studied the Japanese language and has written the Tales of the
Otori. This book, Grass for his Pillow (ISBN 0-330-42734-2, Picador
paperback) is the second of the trilogy (shades of the Lord of the Rings
movies).
The book is set in a sort of Japan of old, with the
principal characters being Takeo and Kaede. Takeo is the heir to the Otori
clan, but in actual fact was adopted and belongs to the secret
“Tribe”. He also has supernatural powers, which makes him a much
wanted player in the battles between the clans.
Kaede is the other central character, an heiress who
controls much of the areas under question and is therefore another
important player. In those days the men were the powerful ones, to whom
allegiance had to be paid, but the resolute Ms. Kaede is intelligent
enough to be able to see her way through the maze.
Takeo and Kaede are lovers, but are initially unable to
unite the warring parties, as Takeo’s allegiance to the Tribe means that
the Otori are after him, as well as the Tribe. He appears to be in a
lose-lose situation.
However, with many battles fought, several scores
slaughtered, and the odd bit of deft lethal needlepoint by Ms. Kaede, the
couple manage to get together before the last page, in true romantic novel
format. But the final answer comes in Part 3 Brilliance of the Moon, which
is out soon.
Perhaps I have a problem with unfamiliar names.
Pasternak’s Dr. Zhivago baffled me and defeated me. I tried several
times to read it, but the further I got into the book, the more it seemed
like I was reading a Moscow telephone directory. I have to admit I had a
similar problem with this book. The plethora of Japanese names tumbling
in, one on top of the other, made me think I had woken on the Japanese
bullet train with a severe case of amnesia while holding the extended menu
from a Japanese restaurant. I didn’t know where I was, despite the
inclusion of a map in the front of the book of the “Three Countries”
(easily denoted as the West, the Middle and the East) with towns such as
Kumamoto, Hagi and Terayama clearly shown.
Again, despite the list of characters in the front,
with the principal players from the Otori, the Tohan, the Seishuu, the
Tribe plus others so succinctly catalogued as “Others” such as Lord
Fujiwara and even the names of five horses, for the equinophiles, I was
left continuously thumbing backwards to see who belonged to whom, who had
taken what from whom and who wasn’t paying the rent.
For those who want a medieval Japanese cross between the Matrix series
and the Lord of the Rings, this book is for you. It has no Hobbits or
strange naked jumping creatures or people in black trench-coats that can
fly, but it has everything else.
Mott’s CD review: Hagar, Schon, Aaronson, Shrieve (HSAS) - Through The Fire
Mott the Dog
Remastered by Ella Crew
 5
Stars *****
What a band! A true eighties super group. What on
earth possessed them to get together? I have no idea. Why they
disbanded? Not a glimmer either, and they only made one album, which was
even stranger, as apart from one classic cover they were all original
songs - and it was a Live album. (Even being with all the crowd noise
cut out.)
So, who have we got here? Well, on lead vocal is one
of America’s finest ever singers and charismatic front men - plus all
round maniac - Sammy Hagar. He is an ex of the greatly lamented
Montrose, and the not so lamented Van Halen (or Van Hagar as they became
known at the time), plus, of course, of a glittering solo career.
On lead guitar we have one of America’s most
respected axe men (a real musician’s musician), Neal Schon, ex
Journey, ex Santana, and ex an amazing stint with Paul Rogers.
On bass guitar is one of the best showman this dog
has ever seen treading the boards. It is the great and incomparable
Kenny Aaronson, who also happens to be one of the nicest guys you could
hope to meet. Kenny is of ex Foghat, ex Derringer, ex Joan Jett, ex Blue
Oyster Cult, and ex Bob Dylan.
Then behind the drum kit is Mr. Michael Shrieve, a
solid man in more ways than one. As ex Santana, his drum sound was
almost as important to that band as was the guitarist’s.
So, after that slightly over the top opening,
what’s the music like? Do you really think this Dog is that stupid to
give it such a big build up, and then dish it? No, of course not. They
simply pour Rock & Roll out the speakers. First song up is ‘Top Of
The Rock’, a great name for an opening number and a great number
indeed. Schon is at his hard rock best, peeling out the opening riff
before falling back into the up-tempo groove with Aaronson and Shrieve,
to allow Sammy Hagar to come in over the top. That proves this dog’s
point that he is one of the best singers to come out of America’s Rock
and Roll circus, and when Hagar is singing about being on top of the
world, I’m a believer. A couple of times Schon is allowed space to
come roaring back into the songs, where he absolutely nails a couple of
solos whilst Aaronson and Shrieve fill out the sound not leaving space
for even an Iron Filling.
‘Missing You’ continues in similar fashion,
leaving the listener stunned like getting a perfect one-two from Lennox
Lewis in the opening seconds of your one shot at the championship.
Surprising for a band on its debut.
We then get three songs all joined together into one
epic of immense scale, a tale of ancient time. All is revealed in
wondrous expectation by the storytelling powers of Sammy Hagar. The
other three lay down really hard and heavy grooves with some faster than
the eye can see soloing from Neal Schon. But it is the tightness of the
whole band that leaves your jaw dropping. Most groups of musicians would
not attempt an epic of this proportion unless they had been together
several years and had several safe studio albums under their collective
belts. This quartet, however, pulled it off with great aplomb, trooping
straight out onto the stage and laying it down in front of a live
audience.
Cover songs are always a bit dodgy, obviously risking
the chance of being held up in comparison to the version by the original
artist. The more well known the song, the more difficult the challenge.
Taking on an all time classic like Procol Harem’s ‘Whiter Shade of
Pale’ takes either great bravery or shows suicidal tendencies. Our
bunch of intrepid heroes turn in a version that can only be said is as
good - if not better - as the original. It starts off with Sammy
Hagar’s voice only supported by some acoustic guitar ... then the band
build it to a crashing climax, including one of the best solos Neal
Schon has ever laid down on the live stage.
The album closes out with three more hard and fast
songs that leave the audience baying for more. I would be very surprised
if any of the musicians on this album have been involved with a finer
body of work. As I said, I have no idea why this lineup only lasted the
one album, but it is a real corker. It will leave behind a fine legacy
to a fine band. Presumably the lure of greater financial gains took
their toll, but this lot could have conquered the world of Rock &
Roll if they had just given themselves a little bit more time.
Songs
Top Of The Rock
Missing You
Animation
Valley Of The Kings
Giza
Whiter Shade Of Pale
Hot And Dirty
He Will Understand
My Home Town
Musicians
Sammy Hagar - Vocals
Neal Schon - Guitars
Kenny Aaronson - Bass
Michael Shieve - Drums
To contact Mott the Dog email:
[email protected]
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