TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT!

TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT!

Quote from Phil Spector upon being played “Reach Out” by the Tops: “Man—That’s black Dylan! ” He’s right.

Speaking of Spector, London Records is finally releasing the River Deep Mountain High album in this country. For Christ’s sake, make it a hit this time! Guess Steppenwolf weren’t really into it. at the Ballroom. Certainly didn’t sound like it. Three Dog Night have to be one of the tightest live groups, but please somebldy, give ’em some original stuff,

Lots of credit due to whoever programmed the CKLW History of Rock & Roll. New Teegarden and Vanwinkle LP includes, ‘“Talkin’ ’Bout my ’01 Bitch”, “Season of the Witch”, “Run, Woman, Run”, “Annie Had a Baby”, “Cloud Castle Gates”, ‘‘She Took the Katie and Left Me a Mule to Ride”, and is titled And Anyhow '... Expect the Nice real sopn...

Creem Magazine would like the., Plum Pit to go to bell!

Next super-group for Eric Clapton includes Rob Tyner, Jimmy Optner, A1 Kooper, Satchmo, James Gurley, Dave Miller, and Felix Pappalardi. They will release an album called Smash Hits of Eddy Clayton, Vol. I which will be produced by God, and recorded live at the Drumbeat.

Why, oh why, is Keener playing ‘Time of the Season” by the Zombies j when the version by the Thyme is hot only local, and therefore more deserving, but is far bette? Own up, PauFGahnon!

Skip PrOkop’s new Toronto group has twelve men and haS been taken under the wing of Richie Havens. The group-which includes Ralph Coles (ex-Thyme) will therefore probably sign with MGM.

• Lots of local groups are now signed with major record companies. Let’ssee how many of them will still play the Hideouts and Silverbell after they have had a best selling album!

Rumor h a s: it that the Plastercasters “got” John Sinclair, and Fred (of the. Five). Maybe now you see what I meant in my last column about Procol Harum. I mean, they’re good, but. after playing the same songs; note for note for three years, they’d better be goOd. Go and see them once, but thence forth, listen to the albums, it’s cheaper.

Jimmy Oakley-famed C/W singer-has recorded “Little. Girl”-a song written and recorded by the Frost some time ago on the Date lavel.

Which local group manager quit the Academy two weeks before the scandal broke?

The SRC are going to lose another bass player-and then there were four...Who’s next?

What’s the connection between the Rationals and the Wurlitzer Whiz Kid?

Will all hard-sell record promotion men please re-model themselves immediately so as to become more sincere and honest. Congrats to Larry Benjamin, Russ Yergie and Cliff Gorov for having been born that/ way and making serious adjustments to . remain that way.

Skip Spence is now ex Moby Grape.

Quo t e f r p m A r thur ’s Discotheque: ‘‘Well, we have nothing here but psychedelic acid-rock.” (Mi, really.

Will the. real Byrds please come \ home?

There are many people in this city who are being; nasty in many" ways to young people. If you have any unjust hassles from anyone; who should know better, then let; me, know. Also, if ,you know of. anyone who is doing a good job-and .deserves a mention then let me know. I’d like to opeft the case with a big thanks to : the kids Who. sit and take the ticket stubs and hassles at the Ballroom. Smile and say thanks next time you see them.

To be unexpected is our truth ...

i.a.

UNTIL—Robin Kenyatta. (VorteX 2005)

Richard Walls

Until: This Year; You Know How We Do; Little Blue Devil.

Until: Kenyatta, alto sax; Fred Simmons, piano; Walter Booker, bass; Horace Arnold, drums.

This Year; Little Blue Devil: same plus Mike Lawrence on trumpet.

Yon Know How We Do: Kenyatta, Lawrence, Booker, Arnold, plus Roswell Rudd; trombone; Lewis Worrell, bass; Archie Lee, percussion.

I’ve been trying to think of , a word to describe Kenyatta’s sound, and all I’ve come up with is saccharine, which is pretty close. But saccharine sounds, derisive and Kenyatta’s sound is pleasant to the ear (which may also sound derisive to some people). Anyway, the sound is very sweet on'thetitie_tuaie, a ballad by Bariy Miles, many Jfl the notes squeezed out—oooOGuWA. Onomatopoetic words don’t do it justice. The tune itself is pleasand and the effect relaxing. This is very good to listen to when you’re at peace with your body,

‘This' Year” is partly swung straight ahead, partly ethereal, the quality found both in the melody and the solos. The drums well layed out, tlje bass plays lines against the tempo rather than with it, stuff like that. Stuff that stretches the mind. Kenyatta has his best solo on this cut, entering with a few unearthly notes in the lower register, then displaying enough tonal effects to sustain interest. Bass player Booker -is strong throughout the album, but his playing here is an intergral part of the sucess of the tune. It isn’t often that a bass player makes you very aware of his presence, and the possibilities inherent in his percussive and harmonic function.

“You Know How We Do” has a funny melody, but is mostly boring after that. RossweU is up to his usual tricks, his trombone souiid often resembling agressive farts. Actually, Roswell’s organic spurts contrast rather nicely with Kenyatta’s more lenguid sound. There’s a lot of group improvisation herd but this time it doesn't grabme. After listening to much of this sort of thing, you realize that you have to go inside the music—thus inside, yourself—to get to the feelings most closely related to the music. Gn something like John Coltrane’s “Ascension”, the journey inward is So intense, so complete in its commitment to febmigs that the knowledge yielded through reflecting on what’s happening is* like they saypt’s own reward. But here, with Kenyatta and Rudd, it’s' hardly worth the trip. You become a jaded my stic.

•“Little Blue Devil” is a waltz that’s easy to forget. In fact, with the exception of “This Year*’, the whole album is rather easy to forget, -In the liner notes, Kenyatta says “I’d like to just get people to stand up when I play; I’d like to see them fall on the;, floor and start wiggling”—but he probably realizes that appreciating this music is* a

journey inward tofjuiet knowledge, for, he adds ”It t’would probably shock me more than it would them.”

Dvoraktrjhe Slayonio Danooorrs.;", 3 (complete).

The Cleveland Orchestra-George Szell Conducting

Columbia-MS 7208 PRACTICALLY

' Anton Dvorak (1841-1904) is another nationalistic composer. Bom in Czechoslovakia, his art was primarily a homely one, engaging, lovable; only a misanthrope could resist it ; the music springs from a peasant mind, God-fearing and devoid of all guile. “In spite of the fact that I moved about in the great world of . music”, he once wrote, “I shall remain what I have always been-a simple Qzech musician.’’;'

The twelve Slavonic Dances’ musical language has a melodic freshness and spontenaiiy, a harmonic and formal nonchalance, together With traces of folk tunes and dances. The dances represented are the furiant: a Czech folk dance with two beat rhythm in a three beat measure; a skociia: a leap dance; spacirka: a Czech dance that features strutting and dancing in a circle; kolo: a Serbian round dance.

AESTHETICALLY

The music, of Dvorak (especially these dances) is not considered “heavy classical music”. They’re extremely light and will undoubtedly put you in good spirits. In fact its very difficult sitting still when listening to them. In the music, the vehement spirit of Bohemian village life lurks in countless fiery phrases springing from Dvorak’s imagina. lion.

LOVE IS SUNSHINE...