45’s

LUCY — Crabby Appleton (Elektra) A follow-up to the smash “Go Back”, this one should make it just as high. Crabby is not the kind of band that murders you with virtuosity; it is the simplicity of their ideas and the tightness with which those ideas are executed that defines their impact. “Lucy” is of the same mold, though a bit more intense than anything on their excellent first album, If this one doesn’t make it, I may just go back to listening to FM radio. B+

EL CONDOR PASA — Simon and Garfunkel (Columbia) It’s sad to see that Simon and Garfunkel, who have given us so many fine singles, should degenerate to this kind of tripe. Culled from their Troubled Water LP, it could only have been released as a quickie money-maker. I realize that it’s cute, but we all know they’re capable of much better. C—

. FIRE AND RAIN — James Taylor (Warner Brothers) Sure is nice to see old James on the singles charts, and something of a surprise at that You all know the song, so no comment is needed. Still, the somewhat sluggish pace of the song and the understatement in James* delivery are not that well suited for AM effectiveness. A genuinely great song, but only a good single. B

LOOK WHAT THEY’VE DONE TO MY SONG - The New Seekers (Elektra) Here we have yet another name from the past attempting a comeback. The group that gave us “Georgie Girl” is back with a cover of a Melanie song that possesses none of the adolescent charm of the original, and can hardly be considered anything more than ordinary. C-

LUCRETIA MacEVIL - Blood Sweat & Tears (Columbia) Las Vegas’ gift to the rock and roll world is at it again, and this time around they’re trying to convince us that they can get it on. The instrumental track is standard BS&T . concept funk, while David Clayton-Thomas sounds as though he’s wetting his pants. It almost has a good beat, though. D

LONG LONG TIME — Linda Ronstadt (Capitol) This is one of the finest ballads to make it on the singles charts in quite awhile. One of the better songs from her rather erratic last album, it successfully avoids the top heavy orchestration that plagued many of the numbers. It’s a fine display piece for the range and power of her voice, tastefully arranged, and evidences the tremendous emotional impact she is capable of generating. Besides which, I happen to be in love with Linda Ronstadt. B+

DOWN ON THE STREET - The Stooges (Elektra) We all might as well face up to the fact that the Stooges, for as savagely fine a rock and roll band as they are, will probably never be a successful singles group. The Stooges are just not the kind of group one can pick up on for three minutes, for they demand so much more of the listener, and their impact is seriously lessened in a singles context. The B side (“1970”) would have been a more logical choice, anyway. NO RATING.

LOLA - The Kinks (Reprise) I was beginning to think that the-Kinks had left the singles charts forever, but it sure is good to have ’em back. It re-captures a lot of the drive they seemed to lose in their social abstractions, but manages to make its lyrical point as well. Structurally, it is one of the more interesting singles in the past year, and is musically superior to anything the Kinks have given us in a long time. Due to the controversial nature of its lyric (“I’m a man/And so’s Lola”), we were probably lucky to get it at all. It’s a trifle long (4:06) by AM standards, but just goes to show that you can’t get enough of a good thing. A—

SEE ME, FEEL ME & The Who (Decca) Tommy is nearly a year-and-a-half old now, and this one was obviously released to cash in on the Who’s post-Woodstock popularity. Daltry’s “see me ... ” chant nearly drags the song to a pre-mature death, but the “listening to you .. ” portion rescues it in fine fashion. All this considered, however, haven’t we been through Tommy just once too often by now? B

CLOSER TO HOME — Grand Funk Railroad (Capitol) Here we have perhaps the most' financially successful band in the country today, but I still have yet to discover any justification for their success. This song is absolutely horrendous. They are instrumentally only slightly better than average, and Mark Farner’s vocal is painfully flat. They do have some decent ideas, but they just can’t bring them off. I much preferred Terry Knight & The Pack. D+

HAND ME DOWN WORLD - The Guess Who (RCA) These cats really have it. They have perfected the fine art of singles making, and every offering is a sheer delight. This one translates heavy into an instantly relatabte context, it is both intelligently thought out and captivatingty powerful. The vocal, as always, is superb, and the lyrics are interesting. They manage to fuse all the best aspects of singles impact with solid rock and roll. Thoroughly professional, thoroughly enjoyable. An exemplary hard rock single. A

OUR HOUSE - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (Atlantic) This Graham Nadi composition is perhaps the weakest recording to date by CSN&Y. An effeminate, almost obnoxious, little ditty, it must rank with “El Condor Pasa” as perhaps the clumsiest cutsie of the year. After “Ohio”, it’s quite a bringdown. Sweet nothings, indeed. C—

IT DON'T MATTER TO ME - Bread (Elektra) Bread is a group whose two albums ranked only a notch above mediocrity, yet they seem to have discovered a comfortable singles groove. “Make It With You” was positively gorgeous, and this song follows in the same vein. Their instrumental talents are somewhat limited, but the way in which they utilize the talent they possess puts many of the big names to shame. The arrangement is nearly air-tight, the strings are a trifle cliched but don’t really interfere. A genuinely pretty song. B+

GOD LOVE AND ROCK & ROLL -Teegarden & Van Winkle (Westbound) After spending the last couple of years wasting away on Atlantic’s shelf, the success of T&V is welcome, indeed. Their usual organ/drums allignment has been dressed up in Sunday best for this single, and it possesses a distinct revival meeting flavor. Perhaps a bit overdone, it is nevertheless a fine single. B—

FOR YASGUR’S FARM - Mountain (Windfall) Despite what “Mississippi Queen” appeared to say to the contrary, this single affirms something many of us had suspected all along; that Mountain is just another ordinary rock band with high energy pretensions. C

SLIP ON THROUGH - The Beach Boys (Brother-Reprise) Why this was chosen as the single amazes me. From their brilliant Sunflower album, it’s easily one of the poorest cuts. A good song, excellently arranged and recorded, but we’ve come to expect so much more than run-of-the-mill from them. The flip (“This Whole World”) is beautifully classic Beach Boys, and would have been far more deserving of airplay. C+

Ben Edmonds