Juke Box Jury

Oct. 25

I keep waiting for it to end, but the rock renaissance just keeps on growing and growing. You Angloid ravers in particular had better start working overtime if you hope to buy all the good stuff that’s coming out. My personal favorites at the moment call themselves Slade, and their new single, “Mama, Weer All Crazy Now” (Polydor 15053) is not only their best yet but possibly the most exciting single of the year. I know I’ve bestowed that title on a few others already, but who cares, it’s been a great year! This one takes the raw drive of “Get Down and Get With It,” and leaving out the distracting, hand-clapping intervals pushes it to a tingling, reverberating finish. And the song’s about drinking; what more could you ask! If you wanna know my extended thoughts on Slade, send $.50 to 8824 Betty Way, W. Hollywood, Ca. 90069 for the Nov. issue of Phonograph Record Magazine. But get this single before another day goes by and start boogalooing.

There are a number of ties for second place this time. Raspberries follow their delightful hit with “I Wanna Be With You” (Capitol P-3473) which is, if anything, more sweetly harmonic 1965-Beatles than “Go All The Way.” In fact, it’s from their new album, Beatles '65. In the same vein, Stories fulfill their potential at last with “Top of the City” (Kama Sutra 558), which has overtones of Beatles, Badfinger and Slade. It’s more of a rocker than the Raspberries platter, and has my vote all the way. The softer side of this style is presented by a Canadian cat named Pagliaro, whose “Some Sing, Some Dance” (Pye 65,012) was brought to my attention by none other than Dave Marsh, via Marty Cerf. This record is so charming I can’t restrain myself from playing it at least ten times a day. If you liked the way John Lennon sang “oooh” in 1964-65, you’ll love this, and that’s only part of it.

It’s like all of a sudden everybody’s remembered how to make those perfectly constructed, thoroughly satisfying pop singles that used to come out of the Brill Building about this time last decade. Not one of these records will answer anybody’s questions about the meaning of life, but they sure give meaning to a.lot of otherwise ordinary minutes. This, by the way, is Pagliaro’s third record on Pye. One of the others, “Loving You Ain’t Easy” (65,006) is also tremendous. Love those echoing acoustic chords and sublimely elementary changes!

As long as this seems to be England’s month to rule the waves again, let’s note a few related items before moving on. The Wackers were last year’s big answer to Badfinger, but while still rooted in that vein they’ve moved on to develop a sound more purely their own. “Day and Night” (Elektra 45816) is a delightfully catchy song with a sort of cha cha rhythm. The flip is more their usual fare, a lovely Beatlish ballad. Blackfoot Sue has had some airplay with “Standing in the Road” (R&M 1386) and it’s no wonder. I hate to compare it with anything, but it’s got bits of everything I like about this kind of heavy English rock, including piano right out of “Shakin’ All Over.”

I’d be ecstatic if Deep Purple’s “Highway Star” (WB 7634) made the charts, especially since “Silver Machine” didn’t. It’s so great to have car songs again, especially when they’re as killer as these. But we’re more likely to hear Daniel Boone’s latest, which is still okay by me. “Annabelle” (Mercury 73339) is an improvement over “Beautiful Sunday,” still gimmicky as hell but the forced cheerfulness bothers me not a whit. And call me infidel if you will, but this record actually reminds me in spots of the Move!

RCA has issued an EP to celebrate their acquisition of David Bowie’s two Mercury albums. It includes “Space Oddity,” “Moonage Daydream,” “Life On Mars,” and “It Ain’t Easy,” and needless to say it’s a must for all Bowie fans. On a more esoteric level, Epic has issued (at last) Trevor Burton’s “Fight For My Country” (10851), originally released a few years ago under the name Balls. Besides Burton it features Denny Laine on vocals, and both sides are rockers.

Standing up to that many British gems is no small challenge, but our boys make a \ respectable showing. I still can’t get over all these great records! A surprise from the Dillards with “America” (Anthem 51014), a beautiful tune that reminds me of the Beach Boys’ “Sloop John B.” I’m also real happy to be able to hear Lobo’s “I’d Love You to Want Me” (Big Tree 147) on the air. “Me and You and a Dog Named Marijuana” was all right, sounded vaguely like the Byrds in places, but this is really fine, a shameless cop from B.J. Thomas' shameless Beach Boys/ Phil Spector cop of not too long ago. Sooperdooper.

Couple of weird records from MGM. First marks the resurfacing of Davie Allen & the Arrows, famed (“Blue’s Theme”) instrumental group of 1965. They had a record back then called “Apache ’65” and their new one is more of the same. “Little Big Horn” / “Dawn of the 7th Cavalry” (14432) is a good record for its genre, only thing is the genre’s been dead for years. Oh well, stranger things have come back. Interesting historical note: the Arrows at one time included Mike Curb, now President of MGM. Also a member for awhile in 1968 was Jim Pewter, now host of a leading syndicated oldies show. And guess what — Jim bo himself is now signed to MGM as a singer and has a single out! And it’s good! Musicians include Davie Allen, as well as Sonny Curtis and Jerry Allison of Crickets fame. “Linda Lu” (14446) is a fun, throwaway oldie, but the flip, “Ebony,” has real hit potential, believe it or not. Sounds rather like Del Shannon singing a protest/love song.

“Song Seller” (Columbia 45688) is the Raiders’ best outing since they shortened their name. It even sounds a bit like Slade, of all things! It’s one of those “play my record, Mr. Deejay” things, only more on a “Paperback Writer” level. Good, good. Ditto for the Osmonds’ “Crazy Horses” (MGM 14450). Rock out, boys! “Elected” by Alice Cooper (WB 7631) is every bit as gross as “School’s Out” and almost as much fun. But not as much fun as it would be to have “Choo Choo Mama” by Ten Years After on a single, so get on it Columbia.

And speaking of elections, “Convention 72,” by the Delegates (Mainstream 5525) is the first break-in novelty record to make the charts since about 1964. Not bad either. How about that!

I used to love blues, but I’m sure getting sick and tired of The Blues. Even the selfparodying “blooze” school bores me, almost as much as critics who spell it “blooze” and think they’re being clever. Everyone even remotely tainted with the stuff should go back to Chicago where they belong. However,

I don’t mind saying that the J. Geils Band is great, great enough to transcend categories and capture a place on my turntable. Their last single, “Dead Presidents,” still isn’t on an album and 1 doubt if their new one will be either. It’s “Honey Dripper,” and Buddy Guy joins them for an electrifyingly understated interpretation. It sizzles, it pops, it makes you boogie all over. It’s outasite. The other side has Buddy Guy working out with Dr. John and Eric Clapton (no J. Geils), an odd bunch of guys and one that doesn’t especially move me.

Remember folk rock? P.F. Sloan, the Grass Roots, the Beauchemins, the Turtles? If the answer is yes, 3 out of 5, then you must remember “Let Me Be,” one of 1965’s most popular protest anthems. Well, ol’ P.F.’s back with a remake of it (Mums 6010, dist. by Columbia) in the acoustic folkie idiom. Getting back to his roots, I guess. That’s okay, he’s entitled. Pick this one up for nostalgia’s sake.

I can’t get into Louie & the Lovers’ new one, “El Paso” (Atco 6902) but it’s good to see them on a new label and still making records, anyway. But they should definitely get out of Miami and go record at Huey Meaux’ studios in Texas. The song, by the way, is credited to “Mary Robbins.” Huh? I also can’t dig this group Trammps, whoare into funkifying early ’50s R&B beyond recognition. But I discovered something. If you play “Sixty Minute Man” (Buddah 321) at 33 RPM, it sounds almost normal!

Odd record from Apple is “Saturday Night Special” by the Sundown Playboys (1852). It’s an authentic cajun/zydeco band from Lake Charles, Louisiana. Might surprise you to learn I like this kind of music, but I do, and this record is a good example of why. Even more off-the-wall is “Brother Bill” by the Five Blind Boys of Montana (Vintage 1000). It’s a really old, semi-gospel-sounding, almost acapella group harmony track rescued from the cobwebs by collector Art Turco and issued legally as the first release on his new Vintage label. It’s a jive classic, beautiful bass line, and bouncingly uptempo all the way. Flip is another rocking group number, “Well Done Baby” by the Sparktones. Send a buck to Box 2144, Anaheim, CA. 92804 and prepare to snap your fingers.

And that’s it for singles. Not as many obscure ones this time, but more truly great records than I’ve heard in one month for as long as I’ve been doing this column, almost two years. Something’s definitely in the air. The quality of soul music is getting better and better, a wave of interest in traditional country music is mounting, early R&B may get the same treatment soon, and right now white groups, especially the English-influenced ones, are about to break on through to the other side of the dark tunnel they’ve been leading us through.

There’s even surf music around, in “Gonna Hustle You” by the Legendary Masked Surfers (UA 50951 - Bruce Johnston, Terry Melcher, Jan & Dean, Leon Russell and others in what’s sure to be a collector’s classic a year from now).

Offhand, it looks to me like 1973 is gonna be a vintage year for car radios. Take one out for a ride today.