JUKE BOX JURY

It's been a drab month, folks. Left reeling by three months of skull-scorching singles, I was a bit shocked when the year seemed to fizzle out The Move, the Wackers, Slade, and Bowie still lurk around the nether regions of the charts, but never make the air anymore even in LA, while the crap proliferates all around. "Highway Star" didn't make it, heavy metal is represented by Uriah Heep's "Sweet Lorraine" (Mercury 73349) and Black Sabbath's "Tomorrow's Dream" (WB 7625), the worst single yet for each, and there ain't much for us fans of production pop now that "America" by the Dillards (Anthem 51014) looks like a stiff.

But wait. There's "Rock & Roll Soul" by Grand Funk (Capitol 3363) which keeps getting better Oust listen to Farner's guitar during the last minute and try to tell me these guys got no imagination), and also "I Wanna Be With You" by the Raspberries (Capitol 3473), whose Top Ten status I pray for every night. And as for pop, I'm willing to accept Albert Hammond's * It Never Rains in Southern California" (Mums 6011). His "Down By the River" (Mums 6009) was also a nice record, protest lyrics and all.

And I can hardly ignore Elton John's "Crocodile Rock" (MCA 4000), which is nothing less (or more) than his own "American Pie." Only this time I'll spare you the analysis — it's more the sound than the message I'm interested in here. This may be the ultimate in manufactured confectionary pop. To tell the truth, until I heard this record I didn't even realize anybody was trying to outdo Frankie Avalon, but Elton really hits it when those "nya, nya nya nya nya nya's" come in; totally synthetic, or I'll eat my Candy & the Kisses records. Another thing that makes this record neat: have you ever noticed how every Elton John single seems to get played a million times before it leaves the air, making you thoroughly sick even if you managed to like it a little at first? This is one I know I'll never tire of. I didn't think the old boy had it in him.

I'm sure glad Don McLean didn't try to do another "American Pie" for his latest album. Instead, the single is "Dreidel" (UA 51100) and while it's about the meaning of life, in a way, it's mostly just a good fast song. Same goes for Yoko, whose latest flip side is called "Move On Fast" (Apple 1853) and does it ever rock. Great, lyrics too, about how we

should all smoke a little grass and "truck on through infinity." Another cute catchy record from Dr. Hook, that's what I'd call "The Cover of Rolling Stone" (Columbia 45732). I don't like it anymore than I liked "Sylvia's Mother." But I like it a lot more than "Your Mama Don't Dance" by Loggins & Messina (Columbia 45719). Who listens to this crap?? I really want to know. There oughta be some kind of board that passes judgment on whether groups like this can use the words "rock and roll" in their songs, the way they don't allow meat companies to label their product "hot dogs" unless it contains a certain amount of the real stuff.

The new Wings single (Apple 1857), by contrast, is terrific. "Hi Hi Hi" is one-dimensional, sure, but let's give credit where it's due. It's his first successful attempt at a solo rocker, and compared with "Admiral Halsey", it's a delight. If you liked "Burning Love" by Elvis, you know what I mean. Paul could be a lot of fun if he'd just get his act together, and I think he's on the right track. On the radio today I heard a special promo tape he had made for stations to play before "Hi Hi Hi." It was about 3 minutes long and full of dense babble as any Beatles Christmas message, which it resembled. Paul and Linda and the band interjected comments like "hope you'll buy our new reck-awd, we think both sides are great!" in the cutest Liverpudlian accents, over a mad montage of the record itself and some wild keyboard and guitar work from Wings. The total effect was mania — completely self-generated, of course, but good enough for me.

Just look at those charts. Who could doubt that R&B is staging a major siege of the airwaves, with the top twenty full of A1 Green, Billy Paul, Harold Melvin, the Temptations, Johnny Nash (love that record!), the Stylistics, Stevie Wonder, the Spinners, Jackson Five, Curtis Mayfield and the Four Tops. That's really something. Expect also (at long last) a big reggae splash in this country next year, and blow-by-blow reports (no rudeness intended) from yrs. truly. Semi-reggae arrangement of "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" by Blue Haze (A&M 1357) has caught my fancy of late, and "Harry Hippie" by Bobby Womack (UA 50988) ain't bad either. And it looks like the Cornelius Bros, are gonna get away with selling the same song yet a third time with "I'm Never Gonna Be Alone Anymore" (UA 50996). Between them and A1

Green there are more vacuous, innocuous singles with nearly identical titles than I ever thought I'd like.

Bobby Sheen is now on WB with "Something New To Do" (7662). Before that, among other things, he was the guy in B.B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans. Darlene Love was the girl, and I hear tell Spector's gonna release all that stuff again. Everybody from those days was better then, you know, and that includes Arthur Alexander and Dion, whose "Burning Love" (WB 7658) and "Running Close Behind You" (WB 7663) go on my shelf only because I have all their other records.

The Shells (the Shells'?) are still around, believe it or not, and their latest record is a newly-uncovered 1957 recording of "My Cherie"/"Explain it to Me" (Johnson 099), never before released. Their "Baby Oh Baby" is one of the all-time great group harmony records, of course, and it's nice that collector Wayne Stierle was able to make this happen. Send a buck for the record to Johnson Records, 1619 Broadway, New York, NY. 10019. Another collectors" special is "Something" by Battery Park, the second release on Art Turco's Vintage Records (Box 2144, Anaheim, CA. 92804), on beautiful green plastic. This acapella version of a George Harrison song doesn't thrill me (the Persuasions they ain't) but it's good to see anybody still singing like this, and the flip isn't so bad.

ODDS & ENDS: The only Christmas record worth mentioning this year is "Santa Doesn't Cop Out on Dope" by Martin Mull (Capricorn 554). I think he was hopped up on the stuff when he made it, though. Ronnie Hawkins does a nice reading of Ricky Nelson's "Lonesome Town" on Monument 8561, most restrained thing I've heard from him. Bobby Vinton mauls Garence "Frogman" Henry's "But I Do" (Epic 10936). Brownsville Station has a new one, "Red Back Spider" (Big Tree 156) that's worth hearing. Chip Taylor's "Angel of the Morning"(he wrote it for Merrilee Rush originally) is about to crack the charts (Buddah 325) and is just lame enough to be a hit. "Little Willy" by the Sweet (Bell 251) is moving up a bit, might do something. Also bubbling under is Argent's latest, "Tragedy" (Epic 10919). Not bad, but try flipping it for a real raver called "He's a Dynamo."

AUSTRALIA ROCKS: Australian reader Brian de Courcy has sent me a pile of recent local hits, along with some magazines and stuff. Interesting. The scene there seems very active, with a large number of home-grown hits on the charts — and no Rick Springfield or Daddy Cool either. I don't know where Rick stands, since they've got this guy Johnny Famham who's supposed to be more of a David Cassidy than David himself. His latest hit is "Rock Me Baby" and he'll be touring here soon. Aussie pop singles in general seem to have a soft, professional sound about them, but no distinctive style. Most interesting thing

to me was "Boppin" the Blues" by Blackfeather, which credits Carl Perkins but is in fact a totally different song. Also on the Australian charts are Hawkwind, El Chicano's "Brown Eyed Girl," Dave Edmunds" "Promised Land," the Raspberries, and the perennial record from local rocker Johnny O'Keefe. The stations there have names like 5KA, 6K4 and 3UZ. How about that!

I always try to close with some note on how you can become more involved in record collecting fandom. This time I want to turn

you on to a guy named Alan Betrock, formerly editor of one of the leading fanzines, who has started a new magazine devoted to buying and selling oldies of the "60s and "70s, old rock mags, posters, tapes, etc. This seems destined to become a major marketplace for rock memorabilia, and even now I think you'd be surprised at some of the things being offered. Write to Alan at 37-06 89th St., Jackson Hts., NY. 11372 for a sample.