The Wildest Monotone Around

The Wildest Monotone Around

GREG SHAW

Nov. 20

It's been a long time since. I've been exposed to such a concentrated dose of pop as last week, watching the David Bowie segment of Midnight Special. The show itself, all flash and wham barii, was like' one greataudio-visual single; following Wolfman Jerk and all those boring un-produced American" rock shows, it'll have to go down in history like the Beatles" first appearance oh Ed Sullivan. It was a night I'll never forget. We had the TV at the office, working on the magazine while we watched, I was pasting down advance photos of Marianne Faithfull from the show, glancing at the piles of 1965 Who pictures in front of me as Bowie did "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere." Later, Rodney Bingenheimer dropped in, fresh from England 'with some exclusive Suzi Quatro shots and a French copy of the new Sweet single "Ballroom Blitz" (unreleased here as yet) with a fabulous picture sleeve. Bowie himself was down the street watching the show from Rodney's club, where a party was in progress. The Troggs were on TV.

So anyway kids, your world is here and welcome to it. Radio is still dead but the record bins are bulging with brilliance, so get down there with your milk money and start scarfing up some of the fruits. Especially the English ones. Slade is out with "Skweeze Me^ Pleeze Me" (Reprise 1182), their last U.K. smash. No change from their past sound, still the wildest monotone around. Unit Gloria, a Dutch group who used to be on Elektra a few years back, are fronting Bonnie St. Claire on a nice Slade-lift called "Clap Your Hands arid Stamp Your Feet" (Polydor 15075), also just released in England by the Wild Angels, oldies group of yore.

New one by the Troggs, "Queen of Sorrow" (Bell 45,405) a boring ballad backed with a fair Presley ballad,, "Listen to the Man." On the whole, a big letdown. But they have a new one in England that's supposed to be great, so we'll have to be patient.

Remember ol" Chris Hodge, the spacerocker from Apple? He's on RCA now with a tremendous Stones-like blazer called "My Linda" (5003). Well, more like the Sweet actually. Speaking of whom, Bell oughta issue "Ballroom Blitz" fast, and make "Rock & Roll Disgrace" the A-side. It's their version of Mott the Hoople, one of their best ever, and an easy Hit. Blitz" isn't. And while you re writing to the importers, • try to get "If My Guru Would Know" by 18 Karat Gold (German UA/35 606), an Amon Duul spinoff, by far the neatest cosmic-bubblegum pop single I've ever heard, and not scheduled for U.S. release. The singer confesses a variety/of sins involving girls and parties, then wonders what his guru Would say if he knew. The answer: "yeah, yeah yeah yeah, sha-ba-da-do-bah." All right!

Back to America Tor awhile. Aerosmith is finally breaking with "Dream On" (Columbia 45894) and it's about time. This New England group sounds more English than Stories, and this song is ,as hard to get out of your head as any Zombies hit. The Hot Dogs are part of that small British outpost located in Memphis at Ardent Records, and like their labelmates Big Star and Cargoe, they've got that light Angloid pop sound down solid, Their first single, "Say What You Mean""(Ardent 2906) is pleasant, but not overly memorable. A group to watch, though. Another being Ohio Ltd., presumable a part of that fantastic new Ohio pop scene. Their first is "Wham Bam" (Buddah 386), produced by Katz & Kasenetz, and it's great to see those names on that label again. This record sounds'so English it ought to have a picture sleeve (and hey, maybe now with /the vinyl-shortage record companies will start putting a little more care into singles) but not as; much like the Sweet as vou'd expect. But a great, really great recording. Not so for Elio's cover of the Sweet's "Papa Joe" (RCA 0967), but if you recognize the names Michel Pagliaro and Gedrge Lagios you'll want to have this, because they produced it.

More New York consciousness. Garland Jeffreys has given us a tightly-controlled, menacing record called "Wild in the Streets" (Atlantic 2981) that recalls the Velvets in its chilling evocation of punk kids running wild through dangerous big city streets. Great. Another new NY group, Foxtrot, has a version of Hot Chocolate's "Caveman Billy" (RCA 0169), Written by Brown & Wilson Of "Brother Louie" fame. Very Angloid, pretty good.

I ve heard enough Bobby McGees to last several lifetimes, but there's a new one around that's worth listening to. This one's a girl, she's English, ,an,d she sounds like Suzi Quatro. Her first here is "Rock* and Roll People" (EMI 3759), a fine exampl^of "shrill trebly voice over, two chord fuzz rhythm track" rock, not terribly imaginative, but plenty loud. More of the same from Kenny, whose "Take Away.her Heart of Stone" (Atco 6921) is even m°*e high-pitched, though Ibelieve. Kenny is of the male gender — if such distinctions still exist in England. Fine record though.

You won't hear Jackie Milton's excellent version of "Will You Love Me Tomorrow", (De-Vel 6755), if for no other reason than the fact it's on one of those labels so colorful they're unreadable. Instead, we hear Melanie, with perhaps -the only version of that song I've ever hated. But give a listen to "It Wouldn't Have Made Any / Difference" by ^Florence Warner (Epic 11063), a Todd Rundgren song with a very nice eariy-sixties girl group/soul arrangement. And what's the matter with soul music lately, anyway? I like a lot of the Philly groups, but still the whole field seems weak, badly in need of a jolt. And that robot dance has got to go!

Helen Reddy is', queen of my AM heart lately with "Leave Me Alone" (Capitol 3768). Wotta record! Heartbeat, lovebeat! Strange one from the Hollies, ""The Day That Curly Billy Shot Down Crazy Sam McGee" (Epic 11051) is an Allan Clarke song that -sounds like an alternate (better) version Of "Long Cool Woman." Song reminds me of an epic poem.I had io memorize in grammar school once, and this one's some kind of epic itself at 4:52. "Texas Tornado" (Atlantic 2985) is Sir Doug's best in quite awhile, full of that old Tex-Mex sound we used to love. Mike that organ! Miss that beat! Drink that beer! Fine stuff.

Tom Fogerty's "Mystic Isle AValon" (Fantasy 715) is a big disappointment after his last. Sad to hear a man with no lungs trying to, sing. Ever try double-tracking, Tom? Think it might solve your problem. Walker Brothers fans take note: John Walker has just released "Good Days" (Green Mountain 416), produced by Bill Wyman no less. It's not very good. Chuck Berry's newest is "Roll "Em Pete" (Chess 2140), a Joe Tumer/Pete Johnson song from the golden age of boogie woogie, 1941. You wanna know where rock & roll comes from? This is it. Unfortunately, this is a live version and not near what I was hopmg for after seeing Chuck do it on some TV show lust summer.. And finally, bringing things full circle, London has just reissued David Bowie's "Laughing Gnome" (20079). It's from his Deram days, and not awfully good, but what do you want from poor David? Don't knock his voice until you can look half as loud as he does!

I'm way behind .in my fanzine reading, mainly because I've been so busy getting the long-awaited special English Invasion issue of my own fanzine^ Who Put The Bomp, finished and mailed out. Don't know what to say about it except that Ken Barnes, Mike Saunders and I have put almost two years of work into it, and if you're at all interested in 60s rock, you'll want to have these 56 pages, crammed with photos and the smallest type you ever saw. Only one buck from me at Box til'2, Burbank, CA 91510; free in trade for other fanzines.