ROCK-A-RAMA
THE SOPWITH CAMEL - In Hello Hello (Kama Sutra):: The story behind this is that a record company hears that another name of a moderately successful rock group is not gonna die, and (record company) decides to pick up free publicity by reissuing the group’s first album.
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ROCK-A-RAMA
THE SOPWITH CAMEL - In Hello Hello (Kama Sutra):: The story behind this is that a record company hears that another name of a moderately successful rock group is not gonna die, and (record company) decides to pick up free publicity by reissuing the group’s first album. A San Francisco group too gang; notice how all this ties in? Second-rate Spoonful from the selfsame era and hence nifty. Listen first.
LABELLE — Pressure Cookin’ (RCA):: This is an uneven album. Which means that some of it is really good. Seven out /of the nine songs are by Nona Hendryx, but only three of them match catchy lyrics with tightly paced music, and it’s really hard to remember them afterwards. But you can hum “Open Up Your Heart” all alone after a few listens and still want to hear Patti LaBelle over and over. Friend Stevie Wonder wrote it for them, and it’s the best song on the album — which is a left-handed compliment.
SPIRIT — The Best of Spirit (Epic):: If Spirit were British they would now be legend. Fantastic psychedell paranoia stuff, musicians better than just about anybody you’re apt to name. And when you see how much you like this stuff you 11 probably want Spirit the two album reissue, out in conjunction with The Best of Spirit. Hey, Columbia, now do Moby Grape for jthe underprivileged.
MARIA MULDAUR (Warner Bros.):: Maria, famous forever, ’cause o’ Kweskin Jugband, finally hits the level of Garden with her goodtimey vocals, helped by , the likes of Dr. John, Richard Greene, Ry Cooder, Klaus Voorman, Et Cet. Slit tfie shrinkwrap, sexist, and look at those eyes on the inside cover.
NATIONAL LAMPOON - Lemmings (Banana/Blue Thumb):: These are the only folks besides Firesign worth listening to in comedy. But it is still essentially a one shot item. Anybody you play it for who’s gonna understand it has already got it. Stick it onna shelf. #
BACK DOOR (Warner Brothers):: Whole different story here. This trio (Limeys all) stride out stifflipped on sax, bass and drums. They gigged around England about as near underground as you can get these days (i.e., small clubs frequented by jazzo creeps) until discovered by Felix Pappalardi, who helped them get their first, privately pressed LP mass issue4 via Kinney. Sincere and not too heavy
— no kozmo konsciousness a la Pharoah and Yodel Thomas, Frinstance — and if you always liked early 60s “free” jazz in Ornette Coleman vein you may well love this.
BEDLAM (Warners):: Pappalardi again; he’s apparently been on a talent hunt through the kidney pie hinterlands as intent as Alan Lomax’s jaunt thru the South to discover Fred McDowell in 1961. Except it’s turning out more like A1 Kooper’s Atlanta carpetbag
— Pappalardi sponsors, produces and guides these bands, who shape up as fitting T-neck within fairly straightlace defined Cream/ Mountain doorsills. Bedlam are amped-up harsh and shrill, lots of goggle-eyed quasiluridities, and they play like a bloodlust seething acid baby was setting a welder’s torch to their collective asses. Middling fair stuff.'
BLUE (RSO):: Somebody must know why this triad of supra-competent Angloched middlemen are suddenly getting the old “clean” (i.e., no bux, just grazzruts enthusiasm) push, when they sound to most of us like the insulated apogee of solid, mainstream, popsounding professionalism — you know, all those whoopie epithets that make you know you don’t need to hear yet another nice little well-behaved album by a bunch of shinysnouted nonentities.
AMERICAN GRAFFITI (MCA):: Totally superb, eleven songs more than Dick’s twoalbum set, and with no whitelight duds. Flash Cadillac’s the only ringer, but they’re nifty enough to make it stick. Educate yourself. It’s gotta be weird to you if nothing else.
LEFTY FRIZZELL - Sings the Songs of Jimmie Rodgers (Columbia):: This album is one of those sterling arguments for reissues. Lefty’s an even grittier edge on the early 50s C&W scene than Hank Williams. More than a prissy punk like the Hag is ever likely to be.
THE BYRDS - Preflyte (Columbia):: All nostalgia’s prettified quease, but this dream beat out most of the competition, so if you loved the Byrds but hated that Asylum lazarus atrocity and still thought McGuinn’s touted solo album was overrated and pretentious, then this reissue is probably for you. Relatively rough takes by most standards, down to demo tapes and the like, but it’s got that magic feel that touched you when and you don’t have to dig far to find it. Plus theliners by hiplet rock kulture’s grand old man Billy James are nifty, as were his words aback Mr. Tambourine Man, and capture the era perfectly.
