ROCK • A • RAMA

ROCK-A-RAMA

EDDIE COCHRAN — Legendary Masters Series (United Artists UA 9959, 2 LPs):: One of the most evocative covers in re-issue history, intriguing liner notes by Lenny Kaye, an intelligent selection of cuts, and mostly secondrate, lifeless music. Charlie Gillette was right about Eddie — his music is almost wholly contrived and ten years after his death he�s a lot less fun to hear than, say, Gene .Vincent or Ricky Nelson, who were roughly parallel figures and not that great either. Cochran�s influence on rock and roll, through the Who and virtually every other British rock group of note except the Stones (Beatles, Move, Small Faces, etc.), was extraordinary — because he alone of all rockers did a full-scale tour of Britain, because he gave the English a style they could both dig and easily master, because he was great on stage (his performance in The Girl Can�t Help It has all the verve his music here lacks), and finally because he died in England and was therefore perfect cult material. So he was a direct physical link to the real thing, just what John and Pete needed at that moment in time. In the end, though, the three pages Nik Cohn devotes to Cochran in Rock From the Beginning are more exciting than this set. You can still get �Summertime Blues� on a single anyway.

FARTHER ALONG - The Byrds (Columbia KC 31050):: The Byrds — excuse me, McGuinn, rock�s first auteur — are still making records. The reason you can tell is that none of their other records has the same title or cover as this one.

FAMILY ALBUM — Stoneground (Warner Bros. 2Zs 1956, 2 records):: Stoneground is what happens when a group is created out of a scene that no longer exists except in the public�s imagination. The form is mastered but it has no relationship to what is supposed to be the content. The fact that Sal Valentino used to be compared, as a singer, with Dylan, seems like a real sick joke. Lynn Hughes is well-known as the worst female singer in San Francisco {she was the one on the Tongue & Groove lp, yep). The band is highly competent — one might say efficient — but so what? John Blakeley has the best sneer in the group (Tim Barnes is moving up, though). But not even the sneer is real. If you want the real version of what this �San Francisco Band� purports to be, get the Great Society set on Columbia, a recording of innocence, guts, and power, three things, among many others, that Stoneground seems to have heard little about.

ARTHUR �Big Boy� CRUDUP - THE FATHER OF ROCK AND ROLL (because he inspired Elvis, that is), Vintage Series (RCA LPV 573):: RCA has junked their old �Vintage Format� (wine bottles on the covers) and now their re-issues are better than anything on the market outside of those from United Artists. Covers are lovely, photos and notes interesting and informative, selection of cuts (original mono) excellent. And this is probably Crudup�s best lp, recordings from 1941-1954, including the original versions of �That�s Alright Mama� and �My Baby Left Me.� But Elvis� covers are enormously superior, no matter what blues purists will tell you. Crudup wrote good songs but he did not sing or play them in a particularly interesting or moving way. While decent listening, this lp is of mostly historical interest. I bought it, and I�m not sorry, but I just won�t play it much.

BONNIE RAITT (Warner Bros. 1953). This is a strong and warm record of the blues by a first-rate woman singer and an obviously sympathetic band. Junior Wells on harp is a little too good for the group - I mean he really stands out - but he�s playing here not as a session man but as someone who thinks he�s into something quite fine. Bonnie Raitt carries off �Walking Blues� and �Since I Fell for You,� like a master. This lp is a marvelous exception to the simpering pap Warner�s seems to have fallen for lately. Buy it.

GROOTNA (Columbia C31033):: A very solid lp by a solid Berkeley group. Opening cut (�I�m Funky�) is probably the weakest so don�t let that put you off. The band rocks and keeps its sense of humor — this is good party music, which makes sense, since they play mostly for crowds that like to drink while they dance. No frills.