THE BEAT GOES ON

THE BEAT GOSE ON

Alice Cooper's Pure Protein Diet

By now you�ve all seen the Alice Cooper Alcohol Cookbook we presented in these pages a couple of issues ago, and the Cooper�s reputation as no-nonsense tipplers precedes them wherever they go. You�ve heard the talk, but do they really have the credentials to back it all up?

It sure looks like they do. Alive Enterprises, Alice Cooper�s management firm, released firgures to the effect that the band shelled out $32,000 for beer last year. Dissecting this figure (and taking Budweiser as the common denominator), we find that this equals 16,000 six-packs, or 96,000 cans of beer. Breaking it down further, it comes out to 19,200 cans of beer per band member, or 52 cans a day for each of them. Over two cases of beer a day for each member! When reached for comment, Alice burped.

Wet Willie

Jack Hall, bassplayer for the Wet Willie Band, sat cross-legged on the floor of a quiet, 'tree-shrouded house in Macon, Georgia. Along with three other band members lead singer Jimmy Hall, keyboard player John Anthony, and drummer Lewis Ross (guitarist Rick Hirsch had gone fishing) — he was discussing recent reviews of their most recent album Drippin � Wet. One review, written by a rock critic in Texas, had made a special impression, and Jack quoted from memory, � Not a particularly good set... with quasi-Duane Allman tiffs throughout... �

�For sure, we are just dike the Allman Brothers,� Lewis interrupted with a light but firm tone of sarcasm. �Critics have been telling us that all along and it�s ridiculous. �

Wet Willie has a slight identity problem; They know who they are, of course. But the recurring Allman Brothers comparison has been hard to deal with, because the Allmans have earned such a solid reputation as the Southern rock and boogie band. Therefore, rock critics and music fans alike have been quick to compare and judge other Southern bands against the Allmans, with the usual conclusion that those bands can�t quite measure up. In Wet Willie�s case, the prejudice toward them may be increased, since they record for Capricorn Records, the same label as the Allmans, and they live in Macon, which is also the Allmans� home. A careful listen to Wet WillieV music, however, will show that any comparison of the two bands beyond Capricorn and Macon (and the fact that the two groups are good friends) is, indeed �ridiculous.�

Wet Willie moves in a very distinct musical idiom; their whole presentation is based on the classic Rhythm & Blues performances they witnessed and loved as young musicians in Alabama. Jimmy : �We grew up in Mobile watching people like Clarence Carter, Otis Redding, Percy Sledge, The Knights of Ebony, and of course, James Brown. Those early shows were mighty fine.'�

When Wet Willie formed, their music became naturally and deeply Rhythm & Blues oriented. When they recorded Wet Willie II, they complemented their own material with songs from such Southern soulers as Titus Turner, Little Richard, and Otis Redding. Wet Willie revived Otis�s �Shout-Bama-Lama� into an allout rocker that was the record�s high point. Drippin� Wet, recorded live in New Orleans, also contains a heated version of �Shout-Bama-Lama� (which has become their standard concertcloser), as well as material from Arthur Crudup, Milton Larkin Sr., and Taj Mahal.

Taj Mahal�s name also pops up in discussions about Willie�s next album. �It would be very nice if we could get a Southern musician with deep Southern roots like Taj Mahal or Dr. John to produce our next record,� Rick (back from fishing) explains. �We hope to have the next album out around October. We should have a lot of new material worked up by then. We still want to draw on old Southern Rhythm & Blues songs and give them the exposure they deserve, but we�d like to do about 90% of our own writing on the next album.�

Their stage show is also a clear indication of Wet Willie�s early R & B experiences. They learned that the band must have a strong visual and vocal focus, a �star of our show,� to be their direct link to the audience^ in Wet Willie�s case that means Jimmy. They understand that the purpose of the music is to plant a funky, high-heeled (but steel-toed) boot firmly on Jimmy�s ass, to propel him through his role as a front man. He is where the music and the people are supposed to slap hands.

To strengthen this effect, Wet Willie recently added another R & B standard: women back-up singers. Nicknamed the Williettes, Donna Hall and Ella Avery were a natural choice to join the band. Donna is Jimmy and Jack�s sister, and she has done Capricorn session work as a back-up vocalist for White Witch and The Marshall Tucker Band, as well as Wet Willie. Ella has also added vocal support to Wet Willie in the studio, most notably on �Shout-Bama-Lama.� But her real background can be found on the �Chitlin� Circuit� of small, predominantly Black Southern clubs, where Ella toured with artists like Candi Staton, Clarence Carter, and Arthur Conley.

Wet Willie live is a steamy, sweaty experience, unique among rock bands because it doesn�t rely on glitter tricks or heavy-metal flash — it�s pure, homemade Alabama grits and soul. The only catch is that this type of stage show can sometimes be confusing to rock crowds, especially non-Southern ones, who aren�t generally familiar with R & B forms. Jimmy understands. �They�re not around that kind of music, they didn�t grow up with it like we did in Alabama, and they don�t hear it on the radio nowadays. But we�re trying to change that.�

But it�s not always easy. They still tell the story of the night at Madison Square Garden (somewhere way above the Mason-Dixon Line) when Wet Willie was leaving after a concert, and they were rushed by a group of kids waving pens and paper for authgraphsi Recognition at last. �Hey,� the kids shouted, �aren�t you guys in the Circus?� Confused pause. �You�re not? You�re just in a rock and roll band?�

As the band continued down the corridor, they were approached by a second group of kids, again waving pens and paper. Ah, this time for sure...� Hey, aren�t you guys in the Roller Derby? You�re not? You�re just in a rock and roll band? Aw, gee...�

When Wet Willie finally reached their waiting limousine, Lewis hesitated a moment, turned to the others and smiled. �Look y�all,� he said, �at least they didn�t think we were the Allman brothers...�

Housewife Murdered By Dryer

A San Francisco housewife, recently found dead in her neighborhood laundromat, was thought by local police to have been the victim of foul play. Upon closer examination, however, the cause of death was found to be of an unusual and highly bizarre nature.

The housewife, it turned out, was murdered by one of the laundromat dryers. Investigators concluded that her brastrap became entangled in the spinning drum, dragging her head into the machine, where she was beaten to death by the fins. At presstime, no charges have been pressed against the dryer, whose name is Alfred.

The Sutherland Brothers: On The Verge

It�s hard to figure out why the Sutherland Brothers have managed to remain so obscure. Perhaps it�s simply a lack of publicity, because as singers they�ve got more class than any duo since the Everly Brothers and there�s no-one in England writing better songs at the moment. Things�ll be different in a few months, though, when a couple of their songs pop up on Rod Stewart�s next album. But that only means that they�ll be acclaimed as songwriters, whereas they should — and eventually will — make it as performers too. They�re more than just the two guys who wrote those songs for Rod Stewart.

The Sutherland Brothers have been in the �business� less than two years. They signed with Island Records when Iain was 20 and Gavin 19, having previously played in a four-piece band that specialized in Beatles, Byrds and Dylan numbers. But that hasn�t hurt them; there�s no reason to think that k>me sessionman pushing thirty should carry more weight than a teenage tornado who�s so young that he�s only had time to fool with school bands. Experience is a dull substitute for inspiration.

The Sutherlands moved down to London from northern Stoke-on-Trent specifically to make it, working for a few months in a department store to pay the rent while they went about the business of preparing some material for a demo tape. They hadn�t pushed very hard (although Warners had said don�t call us) when Muff Winwood (yes, the brother of Stevie) at Island heard the tape and liked it. He was cautious, however, and it took more songs and a studio audition to convince him that he should sign the band, which he did in the summer of 1971.

(Muff Winwood�s role in this story, has obvious parallels with Chas Chandlers� involvement with Slade. Both had played in mid-Sixties English bands — the Spencer Davis Group and the Animals — that had seen a localized following explode into international prominence, and both have recently been devoting their energies toward repeating that success with young English bands. Chandler�s confidence in Slade has already been amply rewarded, while Winwood has yet to see an appropriate return.)

Their first album {The Sutherland Brothers Band, never released in this country), produced by Winwood, avoided session musicians in favor of bassist Kim Ludman and drummer Neil Hopwood, two old friends from Stoke. This arrangement, extended to live performances as well as on record, worked for nine months, until the brothers decided to go out as an acoustic duo. Since none of their numbers precluded acoustic • treatment, it was a push-over musically. The problem was that conventionally acoustic duos are folkies, so the Sutherlands found themselves booked into folk clubs. Although Cat Stevens could undoubtedly manage that kind of gig, neither Iain no? Gavin felt the part. �We�ve never been the introverted folksinger types,� remarked Iain, �which is what you have to come across with to make it in that line. We�ve always been too true to ourselves to get into that sort of thing.�

The second album Lifeboat (recently issued here by Capitol) worsened the situation, because this time they did employ sessionmen, among them Rabbit Bundrick, Stevie Winwood, Pat Donaldson and John Hawken. Their songs, consequently, sounded very different with only the two of them onstage. They weren�t soft, though, and when they rocked, they rocked: the smallest rock & roll band in the world.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 75.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 22.

Instead of auditioning individual musicians to remedy this situation, they simply teamed up with Quiver, an already established band. When they�re not gigging together, Quiver play dates on their own. So far, apart from the excellent single �You Got Me Anyway,� the fusion has only been tested onstage. The Sutherlands still wear guitars, but they stick tight to rhythm work and let their instruments function more as props. The main responsibility for the band�s sound falls to Tim Renwick�s guitar and Pete Wood�s keyboards.

When the Sutherland Brothers and Quiver record an album, they�ll have been playing together long enough to get the �band� sound which was missing from Lifeboat. �We�re not going into the studio thinking in terms of how many different angles we can get together,� Iain speculated. �If we do ten tracks and they all sound the same, that�s fine. I�ll be pleased if the album�s got an overall sound, as opposed to trying a big ballad and a heavy rock & roll thing and doing a folkie track and a country thing. The best thing about having a band is that you�ve got a fixed sound. We thought about putting on strings or brass, but we really don�t want to do that. We feel the time is right for a really good album from a band, a real no-messing sort of album. It�ll be a first album in a way, and we�d like it to be a first album in the sense of the Byrds� Mr. Tambourine Man or the Band�s first album. Really get a bit of magic down. It can be done.�

The Sutherland Brothers� comparatively brief recording career has already produced more moments of magic than most bands will ever see. Their magic is created by a combination of melody and vocal in which the sound of the words is more important than their meaning, a fact emphasized by the recurring wordless choruses of many of their songs. By now, the �band� has inspired �band� songs. Two new numbers give it away in their titles: �Angel of Rock & Roll� and �Rock & Roll Show.� The latter boasts a line that would seem to sum it up: �If you�ve never had a fever, you can�t put down rock & roll.�

Around the time the Sutherland Brothers and Quiver are in the studio recording their new album, Rod Stewart will also be cutting his next record. They should be released about the same time later on in the year; two good reasons why the Sutherland Brothers will become a" familiar name on both sides of the Atlantic. But however good a job Stewart makes of their material, there�s no doubt that they�d rather make their own reputation. �We�re much more concerned with making it with the band than making it as songwriters,� Iain stated flatly. �We�ve never pushed our songs; we�d much rather get something going for ourselves first.� In a business where advancement should be based on ability rather than seniority, the Sutherland Brothers are overdue for a raise.

John Pidgeon

(Note: Since this article was written, lifeboat has been released in the States on Island. And, as nearly as we can tell, the brothers and quiver went back into the studio and re-cut several of the tracks. The liners don �t make it clear as to which songs feature the band and which employ Steve Winwood & Co., so the rest is left to your speculation. -Ed.)