Oregon daily emerald., June 28, 1973, Page 8 and 9, Image 8

albums
“To the World”
Rudy Romero
Tumbleweed Records
Copyright 1972
And speaking of clandestine operations, our old friend Rudy
Romero has released a mellow-type rock LP that no one seems to
know anything about. Sadly, the album’s most outstanding feature is
one you’ll notice before you even get the thing on the old turntable: it’s
pressed on pure white vinyl. Very snazzy, and it’s just got to have
some symbolic significance. But ponder it no further; I am about to
urge you never to get this disc as far as the door of the record shop,
much less out of its jacket.
Rudy Romero’s 'To the World” album is music to study calculus
by, or better yet, music to go to sleep by. Let one who knows tell you —
the soporific effects of this one are such that the biggies in the
tranquilizer business are liable to sit up and take note.
Enough rambling. On to the music. The first two cuts on side one
are — well, they kind of slip my mind right at the moment. Anyhow,
the third cut does stand out. Lyrics like these stick with you whether
you like it or not:
You don’t ever have to feel that way.
Don’t let anybody make you pay.
Well, you better check yourself.
Don’t depend on anybody else
To put you in the mood.
Nothing like original and inspirational words to help you make it
through the day. It has been asserted that the words in rock music do
not exist as a part of the art, that it is simply a tradition to put words
with your music, and that, therefore, people are picayune to complain
about a song’s words being didactic trash or even total nonsense. If
you’re one of these music-is-only-to-wiggle-to people, then you and I
may have some serious arguing to do. But, some other time.
The above excerpt is, I think, a representative sampling of
Romero’s lyrics, so I’ll not annoy you with further examples, except to
say that the title song is the last cut on the album. The reason for this, I
submit, is the same as the reason that pitchers always used to bat last.
Romero’s music is apparently borrowed from varied sources.
Why he chose the bad points of each of his borrowees is a question I’ll
have to ask him next time we meet. The slow vocal arrangements are
vaguely reminiscent of James Taylor, but without James’ fine lyrics
or his sensitivity or his good back-up musicians. The hard rock
selections like “Doin’ the Right Thing” sound more than a little like
Steppenwolf, bid the transition from the mellow sounds of most of the
other cuts is never quite made. It’s hard rock without the hard. The
violin intro in the song “To the World” is soap opera-ish enough to
make Neil Young’s outlandish string work on “Harvest” look good. It
is the closing bars of this title song, though, that really titillate my
musical curiosity. From a slow, bittersweet song about the world and
our place in it, we slide into a conclusion a la Herb Alpert: a gala,
brassy affair which suggests, perhaps, that we should be sad and
introspective in a festive sort of way. Huh?
Hank Itkin
“The Pointer Sisters”
The Pouter Sisters
Bine Thumb Records
Copyright 1973
Care to take a pleasant stroll down music’s memory lane? In 42
minutes and 21 seconds? That’s how long it takes to listen to both sides
of the Pointer Sisters’ premier album.
These four “foxy” sisters — Anita, Bonnie, June and Ruth —
transcend the time boundaries of jazz-singing on this superb album: a
fine amalgamation of jazz singing from the late 1920s to the present
day, coupled with the advantages (and conveniences) of modern
production and instrumental techniques and innovations. There’s a
little bit of something for everybody on this album, from “scat” to
sold, from barbershop to “bee bop doo wee.”
The voicing is reminiscent of the older styles like that of the An
drews Sisters (anybody remember them?) and the pulsating harmony
of King Pleasure and Lamberts-Hendricks-Ross, the latter beautifully
illustrated on the album in “Cloudburst” (side one, second cut),
“Jada” (side one, third cut) and “Naked Foot” (side two, fourth cut).
The lyrics of this “word jazz” are based on the instrumental jazz solo.
The sisters demonstrate the consummate skill of using voices
instrumentally on “Jada” and “Cloudburst” and especially in their
“scat” version of “That’s How I Feel’” (side two, first cut), originally
written and performed by the (Jazz) Crusaders.
“Yes We Can Can” (side one, first cut) and “River Boulevard”
(side one, fourth cut), old sounds updated with the soulful beat of the
1970s, help to successfully strip away any anachronistic labels which
nostalgia detractors may care to post on this album.
The musical accompaniment, like the singing, is as close to
perfection as human error (or the lack of it) permits. Pay special
attention to the “funky” piano of Tom Salisbury and (on “Old Songs”)
Norman Lansberg who doubles as the vocal arranger on the album.
The “Hoo Doo Rhythm Devils,” backing the sisters in the 1950s ren
dition of “Wang Dang Doodle” (last cut on side two) perform
creditably.
The Pointer Sisters demonstrate their writing and arranging
talents in their own “Sugar” (side two, second cut) and in “Jada”
which they co-authored and arranged.
Together, in this meticulous molding of sounds, it can adamantly
be contended that, “They definitely be jammin’!”
For those not interested in jazz singing, take note: excellence in
any form is excellence nonetheless. The singing of the Pointer Sisters
is excellent, the music is excellent, and the arrangements are ex
cellent. In short, the album is excellent.
“The Pointer Sisters” was produced by David Rubinson &
Friends, Inc., with personal management by Adam’s Dad
Management Company. Exactly how much of a hand The Almighty
had in this goes unmentioned, but for nostalgia buffs, jazz freaks, and
music maniacs, the Pointer Sisters are most definitely a godsend.
Author’s note: The Pointer Sisters will appear on the summer
premier of “The Helen Reddy Show” at 8 p.m. today on KVAL-TV,
channel 13.
Gregory “D.C.” Gudger
“Anthology"
Quicksilver (Quicksilver Messenger Service)
Capitol SVBB 11165
Copyright 1973
It seems like quite a while since I have beard anything from the
group that used to be one of the standbys of the sound that shook the
entire music industry, the “San Francisco sound.” But never fear, it
doesn’t matter if the group is still together or not, the money men who
control the music will keep you going until the last, pennies are
squeezed from every last pocket and there is no longer any interest in
the group at all.
Capitol Records has released a double album, “Anthology,” a
compilation of some of Quicksilver’s best material culled from
previous albums from the past six years. I can’t really complain that
much about “greatest hits” albums. True, for the avid Quicksilver
fan, the album contains nothing new, but for many people it will be an
opportunity to listen to some fine music from a band that has main
tained a degree of excellence that few other bands have been able to do
in the last several years.
Getting down to basics, the album contains 16 cuts, the earliest
having been recorded in late 1967 and the latest recorded in October of
1971. To fully appreciate the album, you must understand a little bit of
the history of the band. Quicksilver was one of the original bands that
popularized the music that came from the Bay Area in the late 60’s.
Although they have always maintained a strong following, Quicksilver
never had the appeal of the charisma of the Greatful Dead or the
Airplane. Maybe it was good far us that Quicksilver never really
became a household word. They never tried to break into the Top 40,
instead they concentrated on producing music that can wily be con
sidered today as a classic example of a short period in the history of
rock and roll.
I remember reading a review of one of the first Qucksilver
albums. The reviewer was indignant that the album contained only six
cuts. It didn’t really matter whether the six were all great, he felt
slighted that he didn’t get to listen to what he considered a full com
pliment of material. Thank god, we have gotten away from the
assumption that albums are to contain six tunes on each side, none
being more than two-and-a-half minutes in length.
There are so many fine cuts on this album that it would be hard to
list them all, so I will only cover a few, a few that happen to be my
favorites.
The album opens with the original members of Quicksilver and the
original sound that is so representative of the time and the area that
the band came from. “Pride of Man” is the first cut. It’s a good way to
start the album, an old Hamilton Camp tune that has been done by
several groups, but none better than the Qucksilver version. It’s clean
and concise and features the fine guitar work of John Cipoflina.
It is really interesting to listen to the changes in style and sound
that the group goes through during the short span that this record
covers. The two biggest and most distinctive sound change^involved
pianist extraordinaire and sometimes Rolling Stone Nicky Hopkins
and vocalist Dino Valenti. When Hopkins began to sit in with the group
the change was indeed radical. With Hopkins, Quicksilver loses some
of the loose jamming effect that they had and instead picked up a
smooth, flowing quality. Hopkins’ influence on the band is first felt on
“Edward, The Mad Shirt Grinder.” Written by Hopkins, the tune
opens with a good piano lead and, again, some outstanding guitar work
by Cipollina. Quicksilver has always seemed to me to be more im
portant instrumentally than lyrically. More emphasis was placed on
the instrumental sound than the words.
Getting to Valenti, I have found probably my two favorite
Quicksilver numbers, “Fresh Air” and “What About Me.” Both were
written by Jesse Oris Farrow and both sound auite similar, but. damn
it, they’re nice. Valenti’s voice is very distinctive, not very smooth,
but not rough either. It’s a good combination, and he takes advantage
on both of these tunes. He has the ability to kind of soar and grab you at
the same time and take you along with him.
In addition to tne numbers that have been mentioned, the album
contains 13 tunes that are well worth listening to.
“Anthology” is a fine example of a history of a group that may not
have left as big a mark on music as other groups but was, in its time,
one of the very best.
My only complaint with the album is the way Capitol packaged it.
Black cover with “Quicksilver” emblazoned in silver—real original.
Not only does the cover lack any imagination, but the inside is totally
lacking in any information about the band. Seems to me that if this is
to be considered a “greatest hits” album they could have spent a little
time and effort and given the listener s little more than just the title of
the song and the length it runs. Oh well I guess it doesn’t matter as
long as it sells records. Other than that, I don’t think you can go wrong
purchasing this album.
Wocc Micklns
“The Age of Television— A Chronicle of the First 2S Years”
Narrated by Milton Berle and High Downs
Warner Brothers
Copyright 1972
Do you like Milton Berle?
How about Hugh Downs or Arlene Francis?
Well then, friend, this album is for you! Besides the narration
provided by Berle, Downs and Francis, you will be treated to such
historic stars of the silver tube as Howdy Doody, Art UnUetter,
President Johnson, and the entire cast of the Ding Dong School as they
learn by rote for whom the bell tolls. All of which is to say that “The
Age of Television ” attempts, in the short space of one record, to detail
and describe the first 25 years of the television age. You might think
that this is an impossible task given the time alloted (with some of it
pre-empted for narration), and you’d be right: the subtitle
“Chronicle” given to the album is sheer imagination on the part of
some overworked production designer.
What is on the album is a hodge-podge of representative shows,
from a Lucky Strike Hit Parade jingle to the Apollo 15 touchdown on
the moon. None of it is in order, and game shows are freely mixed with
the Oswald assassination. Ibis juxtaposition is bothersome at first,
but on a second listening the effect comes across as highly symbolic of
the chaos — and power — which television is capable of creating in the
mind of the viewer. Like the album, television can and does move
instantly from a vice-presidential attack upon the networks to the
sweet innocence of the Ding Dong School kids.
What saves the album from total ruin (unless of course you enjoy
Milton Beiie) is some tight and imaginative editing. One sequence
uses the click of the channel selector to present a rapid-fire presen
tation of familiar oldies.
Someday, an album will be produced which will allow the listener
to truly hear a representation of television’s early years — in
chronological order please!
But, till then, kids, it’s Uncle Miltie and the Texaco Star Theater.
George Buddy
“Diamond Girl”
Seals and Crofts
Warner Brothers
Copyright 1973
Seals and Crofts have a higher cause than simple music.
Their lyrics sometimes seem so abysmally obscure that they’re
unintelligible—it’s just that for some songs, you just have to have the
key for the code.
And for other songs, the understanding of their higher cause helps
to place the reference for the lyrical, ideological dreaming.
That cause, that code, is the Baha’i faith.
Take, for example, the song “Nine Houses.”
Nine houses that faith built
And all of us, all of us abuse them
The Nine Houses? The proposed Nine Baha’i Houses of Worship
scattered world-wide — fairly obvious with a basic knowledge of the
faith.
That code goes further, however, into the Baha’i philosophy of
living, giving and growing together in unity. It is a thread that runs
through most of their songs, rather blatantly religious or touchingly
personal.
We’ll have children of the Kingdom
They won’t be torn by war, nor will they
Kill or hate or hesitate to love... justice
(Seals singing about his Black wife, Ruby Jean)
In the dazzling light uniting black and white
You are the rich brown earth
And, I’m the flowers that grow
It is that thread of the unity of man, the unity of races, and
perhaps the eventual unification of nations that pervades, touching
perhaps all their lyrics.
And, perhaps, touching their music. It seems to have a style for
everyone, a versatility and a range of instrumentation and voices that
blends softly from folk to hard rock to country to easy listening.
With this album Seals and Crofts have seemed to break out of a rut
they followed through their first four albums — the predominance of
the harsh, twangy sounds of Seals’ guitar and Crofts’ mandolin
scarcely mitigated by their equally nasal vocal tones. While it sounded
interesting, it also became monotonous.
The guitar and mandolin duel frequently in this album, also. But
as they have matured as musicians, Seals’ and Crofts’ ability to utilize
other styles has made this into an album that, like the Baha’i faith, has
something for everybody — if you’re into that something.
The title track “Diamond Girl” warms the heart of any person
concerned with sweet, uncomplicated, simple love songs. And, “Ruby
Jean and Billie Lee” weaves the singers’ love and commitment for
both their wives and the Baha’i morality with customary soft, tight
harmony.
Seals and crofts resurrected two eddies, one an amusing little ditty
about a cowpoke on the run, the other an early GO’s-style inanity that
would have been more peaceful, and perhaps would have sounded
better, if left to rot in the graveyard of the group’s antiquities.
The most striking aspect of the album is the versatility of the
musicians — a versatility that makes this an album almost anyone can
enjoy.
Scott Spittal
“Living in the Material World”
George Harrison
Apple Records SMAS 3410
Copyright 1973
Any album with a title like this is bound to be music with a
message. And George Harrison’s latest release is just that.
Harrison’s message is simple. Belief in the Lord Sri Krishna will
help you to eventually escape from “the material world.” While you’re
here, however, faith in Krishna can help to make the world a better
place.
This message is found over and over again in the songs in this
album. It is also visually portrayed in the design of the record jacket,
which has drawings from the Bhagavad-Gita inside, and on the record
itself. One side of the label features the symbol of Sri Krishna; the
other has the symbol of the material world, an expensive, deluxe
automobile.
Clearly, Harrison is deeply involved in his religion, and the lyrics
ring sincere, if a bit overstated at times. If you’re into the Krishna
movement at all, and want the guidelines of the religion spelled out,
this album is definitely for you.
“Living in the Material World” has other merits besides its
religious message, however, Musically, it is excellent. Harrison’s
music tends to flow continuously around and through your head, so if
you aren’t particularly concerned with escaping from the material
world, you can just listen and absorb the sounds.
Harrison is joined by an impressive array of musicians, including
Nicky Hopkins, Ringo Starr, Jim Horn and John Barham, who plays
string instruments. And there is Harrison’s guitar, which shapes each
song distinctively.
The title song is a bouncy number which without the lyrics, might
belong to the Osmond Brothers. In it, Harrison comments on, among
other things, the history of the Beatles:
Met them all here in the material world
John and Paul here in the material world
Though we started out quite poor
We got “Richie” on a tour
Got caught up in the material world
The breakup of the Beatles was probably the inspiration for the
only song on the album that doesn’t reflect Harrison’s hope for love,
peace and faith. A sense of bitterness and weariness cranes through
when he rings:
You serve me and I’ll serve you
Swing your partners, all get screwed
Bring your lawyer and I’ll bring mine
Get together, we could have a bad time
We’re gonna play the sue me, sue you blues
The album also includes two beautiful, simple love songs — “Who
Can See It” and “That is All” — and a bit of philosophy, Harrison
style, in “Be Here Now.” Then there is “Give Me Love (Give Me
Peace on Earth),” which has been picked up and overplayed by top-40
radio stations. But it still remains a catchy, sing-along tune, with
Harrison’s religious beliefs again clearly expressed.
You may or may not agree with George Harrison, but no matter
what your religious inclinations are, “Living in the Material World” is
just a good sounding, well put together record.
Cynthia Spiaelli
books
“Go Hare Yourself an Employer”
Richard K. Irish
Copyright 1973
If you’re graduating soon, here is a book that can tell you:
— How bring able to solve the London Times crossword in two
hours can help you get a job (you state that you have been “com
mended by many supervisors for accurate recollection of
miscellaneous facts”).
— Why you should make a prospective employer define your new
title (a “hydraulic mechanic” is probably being hired to fix com
modes).
— What kind of answers a woman applying for a “judgment job”
should give to typical chauvinist questions (Q: Why did an attractive
girl like you major in archaeology? A: I wanted to study the decline
and fall of twenty-three male-dominated civilizations. Q: What does
your husband do for a living? A: What does your wife do for hers? Q:
Do you know you are the sexiest chick I’ve interviewed in two months?
A: Do you know you are graying at the temples?).
— Where a high-paying job is necessary and where it isn’t (Toby
Tyler did the right thing working for the circus for nothing; in New
York City, a $30,000 a year job is a must).
The who, what, where, why and how of job hunting is outlined by
Richard Irish in a very readable book. A cliche phrase like “urbane,
light and witty’ does seem to describe the book. But I must hasten to
add “useful and informative.”
Irish seems to have a good perspective of the situation — the
unemployed situation, that is. Although he himself is a personnel
director now, he has been in the shoes of the unemployed and talks
from their point of view. And, thank God, in this day of too few jobs for
too many trained people, Irish quickly brushes aside the too often
repeated idea that the ability to get a job is merely a matter of “being
in the right place at the right time." He most certainly admits to there
being an element (a large element) of luck in finding the right job, but
Lady Luck can be helped along.
Although Irish does not preach a sermon of Que Sera, Sera,
neither does he hand out any Horatio Alger formulas. Irish simply acts
as a spy-counterspy, looking at the hiring procedure from both sides,
and tells us, the hirees, what the hireres are thinking — what they
expect. And, for anyone who cares to receive the “under the counter”
information, he can be most valuable.
Be forewarned: “Go Hire Yourself an Employer” is not a book for
existential philosophers or counter-culturists. It’s a book for people
who sincerely believe that a job (a paying job) would be a nice asset.
Irish deals with many, even most, of the usual topics dealt with in
books on how to find a job. He tells you how to write a resume and
whether first impressions are important (they are; but the best they
can do is get you to first base on a walk — from there on it’s talent and
skill) But, Irish doesn’t waste too much time on those things that most
people already know. Instead, he tells you how to negotiate a salary,
how to find out exactly what your responsibilities will be and who
you’ll answer to before you accept a job, and some of the petty biases
likely to be encountered in interviews for jobs.
Of particular interest is the chapter on “special situations.” In
this chapter, Irish discusses, in his breezy and close to irreverent
question and answer format, the problems (and ways to get around
them) of discrimination. Whether you are a woman, a racial minority
group member, an ex-Vietnam veteran, or a conscientious objector,
Irish has at least a few words of sound advice. But, although his
writing shows compassion, he won’t cry for you. He will try to tell you
how to overcome other people’s biases. The chapter also has a few
words for the growing number of teachers who can’t find teaching
jobs. °
‘Go Hire Yourself an Employer” won’t of course, in all
probability, change your life. It won’t give you a magic formula to
getting a four-figure income immediately after graduation. Irish
would be quick to point out that few formulas exist in a capitalistic
society where personal whims and the desire to make a profit move
the whole economy.’ But, it could be a very helpful and valuable book
And, if you’ve been living on abundant food rations through your years
of college, and you’re convinced the living could be better and that
“anything’s worth a try,” give this book a try. (Borrow it if you can’t
afford it.)
Rita Thomas
“O Jerusalem!”
Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre
Pocket Books, 1973
745 pages
A lot of books have been written about the founding of Israel, and
with 1973 marking the 25th year of the country’s existence, there will
probably be many more.
It’s unfortunate that “0 Jerusalem!” isn’t one of the better ones.
It’s unfortunate, because Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre
have a rare ability to make history come alive in their non-fiction
books. “Is Paris Burning?” is proof of that. But “0 Jerusalem!,” their
latest effort at collaboration, falls short of their potential.
“O Jerusalem!” suffers from being too ambitious, from trying to
cover too much territory. It starts out in November 1947, with the
United Nations’ decision to partition Palestine into two parts —
Jewish and Arab. It follows the consequences of this decision — the
withdrawal of the British, the power politics among both Jews and
Arabs, and the seemingly endless bloodshed — to the end of the “War
for Independence” in July 1948, when an uneasy peace once again
settled over Israel.
The period of time involved is not that long, but it covers some of
the most action-packed days in recent history, and Collins and
Lapierre approach it awkwardly. They attempt to repeat their
technique, so successful in “Is Paris Burning?,” 0f telling the story by
focusing on the individuals involved - not only the famous, but the
average people involved in the struggle for independence
But in “O Jerusalem!,” they attempt to draw in so many in
dividuals that this technique backfires, leaving the reader struggling
through a bewildering number of names and places, and frequently
losing the overall thread of the story among them.
“O Jerusalem!’’ does have its good points, however. One of the
strongest is again Collins’ and Lapierre’s ability to portray both sides
of an emotion-filled struggle without taking sides.
Both Arabs and Jews are shown to be sympathetic human beings
— two different and yet similar peoples condemned to fight each other
for the small piece of land both claimed as their ancestral home.
And at least one historical character emerges clearly from the
mass of details Collins and Lapierre include in their book. She is Golda
Meir, the woman that David Ben Gurion once called the “best man in
my cabinet.” Cynthia Spinelli
"Out of Discontent: Visions of the Contemporary University”
Craig R. Eisendrath and Thomas J. Cottle
(Photographs by Laurence Fink)
Schenkman Publishing Company (Cambridge, Mass.)
Copyright 1972
The time has come for retrospection. Books examining the four
years of revolution on this country’s campuses are rolling off the
presses. Sociologists, political scientists and educators themselves are
taking a part in analyzing the situation. “Out of Discontent” is another
book of “looking back.” Unfortunately, it’s hard to tell exactly what
the authors are looking back on.
The book is well-written for the most part and presents some in
teresting theories as it looks at the American university with a
psychological theme in mind. However, Eisendrath and Cottle at
tended college in the ’50s. They use the viewpoint of the ’50s to examine
the period of the ’60s. This inconsistency alone is enough to muddle
their well thought-out theories. Added to this problem is the fact that
the pictorial essay included seems to portray the ’70s, when “non
violence” once again had become the key tactic. One begins to get the
impression that the incidents at Columbia and Kent State never took
place.
The book is valuable (if it can be read with an acceptance of its
weakness in not recognizing the more bitter aspects of campus
discontent) in its handling of some previously ignored aspects of the
university. For example, a major theme of the book is the
psychological transition students must make when they go from
family to university. It is suggested by the authors that we, the
students, don’t really leave home, but take all the rituals of family
with us and force them upon the new environment. This is reminiscent
of a theory we’ve all heard before — that the period of adolescence is
prolonged in American youth by the four years of college. My own
reluctance to accept such a theory had to be altered somewhat by the
evidence the authors present. They don’t quite carry it off, however, to
the point of making the theory a lot more believable. And again, the
fact that the authors could be talking of students anywhere in a 25-year
period causes confusion in the reader’s mind in trying to weigh the
theory.
Perhaps one of the most valuable parts of the book (no sarcasm
intended) is the extensive bibliography the authors have included.
Education or sociology majors would probably find it extremely
useful.
Laurence Fink’s photography is only fair and tends to be rather
trite in its subject matter.
Had Eisendrath and Cottle managed to zero in on a particular
period of time, whether it be the ’50s, the early ’60s, or the late ’60s and
the ’70s, they could probably have done an excellent job of analyzing
that period with their unusual psychological approach. As it is, the
disorientation between the authors’ viewpoints and experiences, the
time period being referred to, and the accompanying photographs, is
enough to reduce their collection of interesting theories, set forth in a
well-written essay, to nothing more than mediocrity.
Rita Thomas