ROCK& ● A ● RAMA

ROCK& #x25CF; A ● RAMA

JACK BRUCE - Out of the Storm (RSO) ●● Purely prejudicial on my part I admit, but a) I didn’t think Jack Bruce was worth much of a shit even in Cream either compositionally or especially as a singer - in fact about all he did in the latter department was make it possible for Ozzy Osbourne to cut him at his own strident ineptitude; and, b) I think Steve Hunter is one of the finest guitarists alive today, got my vote in CREEM’s latest Readers’ Poll, and did more than many people realize to help break Lou Reed, via his work on Rock ‘n Roll Animal, through to the American heartland Thus it's only obvious' why I’m so disheartened by this album that I refuse to ever listen to it again; it’s Jack’s show, he hogs everything, his songs have actually gotten worse, and he barely lets Steve get in even a single good lick, much less one of those elegantly burning solos he’s renowned for. Steve said he didn’t mlnd ft that way, regarded it as a certain healthy discipline to play some rhythm for a change. 1 regard it as a waste.

L.B

KINKY FRIEDMAN (ABC) •• Kinky’s not Lenny Bruce. but he’s funny and endearing in his own idiosyncratic way. Currently he’s busting his balls trying to figure out how to crack the big time, and he just may do it, but not with this album. His first Vanguard set with the Texas Jewboys suffep l, in spite of some great material, by poor proton (sounded like dishrags in the grooves) and relatively indifferent playing. This one’spure .Nashville professionalism, and while Kinky’s songwriting chops are up (he knows exactly how far to belabor the Jewpoke sagebrush routine), his surroundings again lack the personality that pours out of him like that endless cigar smoke. Great lines; “In a bamboo cage l crossed the ragin’ sea A livin’ page torn clean from history * A hairy, scary, legendary screamin’ souvenir - Don’t you come too dose to me, now don’t you come too near - I’m the wild man from Borneo . ." Straight from the best old cartoons, a.|ca. I Just Don’t Fit, but he’s yet tofigger some way to pull all - that nonchalant alienation ihto one honedcharis, j matic configuration. Give him time, and pick this up - yoti could do far worse, and anyway it just might be a chance to say in future brags that you were there ahead of the rabble.

STANLEY COWELL TRIO t Illusion Suite (ECM) •• PianistCoweU’sbeen around, awhile, mostly with Music Inc., but here he really gets to stretch out and, god forbfcL he’s pleasant.

It mayihot move you but it’s hip apd intelligent and not terribly ambitious. A perfect respite from pedantry of electric jazz and recommended. R. W. LOVE -Reel to Reel (RSO) ** Arthur Lee made three and a half mind-boggling albums back when both Eiektra and L.A. had a charisma of their own. Nobody knows or cares exactly why (or if they do they'd rather not say), but fas lost it aH in the space Of a breath when he moved to Blue Thumb, where he slouched through a couple of dullard trenches. Clive filled his boot with loot and all Columbia got was uncountabatiilions in studio time down the drain and not one usable track while the guy bounced off the walls. Vindicator was There’s a Riot Gain ’ On as done by a wino janitor with incisors missing. Now Arthur’s trying to forget he ever methed up Mick J agger’s own excesses, l.e., the boy’s crawling what 1 guess he thinks is Home, i.e., Curtis Mayfield and all dent Roots. What a grey and curdled bowl of gruel. Forever Changes, but how often for the better? Or is it that you or I wouldn’t know when to quit either? ,, , „

LUCIFER’S FRIEND * I’m Just a Rock ‘a* Roll Singer (Billingsgate) •• Lucifer’s Friend’s first album presented a German group ready to forego the space mush’of so many of its countrymen in favor of roaring, vital (let’s face it - English style) heavy metal, rendered, however, more crushingly pulverizing than Deep Pulp et al could ever hope to do. Since then, somebody must’ve gotten to L.F. and told fern how thoroughlythatfirst set partook of the buried Naziism of their racial unconscious, as they’re out to make reparations this time around - I’m just a Rock W Roil Singer is all nice and controlled, technically fluent, but never the raw blitzkrieg the first LP was. Oh well, there’s always Blue Oyster Cult’s Ne\v Order across town.

R.R

GRAND FUNK - All the Girls in the WorfdBeware! (Capitol) •• These loveable no-talents have been mostly ignored since the death of punk criticism, even though Shinin’On is up there with Diamond Dogs and Montrose as among the premire noise novas of 74, and this disc won’t change that, cause it’s a return to the directionless quagmire erf pre-Todd days, which just proves that having Jimmy len neras a producer is like having no producer at all. And, now that I find that it inspired a sequel, I hate “Locomotion” more than ever.

M.J

CIRCLE - Paris Concert (ECM-Polydor) •• Post-Miles, pre RTF Chick Corea and Co. lay down some heavyweight shit that’s in another galaxy altogether. Four musicians blowing up a sound universe all their own, caged only by limitations of time arid space, creating music that’s Taylormade for free-form fanatics. M.D.

M.D

STANLEY CLARKE (Nemperor) *♦ Mahavishnu Orchetypes playrfiaf kind erf music with an emphasis on rhythm; Clarke is one bad bass man and Tony Williams can kick Billy Cobham’s ass from here to Hoboken.

ROXY MUSIC - Country Life (Atco) •• Golden Throat and his culture jugglers back for a fourth spin with the avant-garde you can dance to, pulsating diddybop. Style is content. K.M. FAIRPORT CONVENTION - A Moveable Feast (Island) •• Ah, Sandy, what big nasal cavities you’ve got. The better to modal with, my dear, Celtic twilight, angloid f olking - live and offkey - making every day St. Patrick’s Day.

K.M.

FANNY -Rock V Roll Survivors (Casa blanca) •• Maybe if they get past surviving they’ll get to inspiring. Anyway, I’m pulling for ’em - this almost makes it.

POCO • Cantanos (Epic) •• So nice. A conspiracy lor us fo get mellow. I prefer hyperkinetic spinal breakdown, but you may need this. It’ll melt you info a puddle.

OHIO PLAYERS - Fire (Mercury) I’m hof even sure if this is the latest O P.’s album, they just keep piling up under my desk and they all got basically the same $&M cover except 1 think the last one was particularly gruesome because the baldheaded chick was stabbing the guy in the back with an actual knife and it looked too real like an outtake from Across 110th St Too bad the .music inside’s never as scary. Seen these guys twice in the last year and they’re one of the worst soul acts touring. Barry White sold out Olympia Stadium, the O.P.’sgot maybe 20 people off their ass. No real “Fire” is why. Also they can’t decide whether to go whole hog psychedelic and make fools of themselves like Funkadelic, or just play it safe and keep on being the yawn they are. Still pull off a nice blackstrappin’ hit single every once in awhile though - “Skin Tight,” all right. But the only thing good about their albums is the covers.

So don’t ever buy one. In fact, don’t buy any soul albums unless you’ve been specifically instructed to by one of your faithful auditors herein— you may hear all that talk about how soul’s gone progressive and artistic, but most of it’s just as production line puerile as the old days when it comes to albums (worse, really), which means just because somebody’s doin’ it to death down in the ghetto don’t mean they’re any less doldrumatic than any white hippie whining about his lack of motivation and the only thing to do is walk on. The only thing to do is dance on, and if the beat’s not there you’re better off on your butt. Rest up, disco desperados. L.B.

LOU CRISTIE SACCO - Paint America Love (Buddah) •• This album provides documentary proof that Lightnin’ Lou finally succumbed to the demon drug that he had preached so mightily against in his earlier MGM sides. Either that, or he had been afflicted by the general greening of Amerika which accompanied the turn of the decade, as this et is fulla songs conciliatory to “campus radicals.” Not one to-fug-or-notto-fug rouser melo-drama like “Lightnin’ Strikes,” sadly, but that loss is compensated for by the inside liner photo of the elusive Twyla Herbert, woman of mystery and co-composer of alia Lou’s biggest. (No fair ripping that shrinkwrap just to see her -pay your 57 cents like a man.)

GENESIS - The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway (Atco) •• The Lamb does no. such thing. Philosophic bilge sliding like puke on top of bloated melodies' Read Borges and axe this mincemeat;

HAWKWIND - The Hall of the Mountain Grill (UA) •• Hawk wind’s best to date (stop laughing). White heat ruboff of Sun Ra, with flints of cozmika muzika. Psychedelic.

T. REX - Great Hits (EMI T. Rex Records, British import) •• A batch of revved-up spit-out asskickers with that monolithic dry hump b^at. It wasn’t all hype. .Hopefully stateside bound. K.M. P.F.M. - Cook (Manticore) •• Ya know why they make westerns in Italy? Because they can get cheaper actors there. Ya know why they I make albums in Italy? R.J,

R.J

-ARGENT - Encore (Epic) •• Encore to what? To Russ Ballard’s departure leaving the band without a competent songwriter? The only suitable encore left for Rod Argent now is retirement.

(This month's rockaramas were written by Richard Riegel. Mark Jenkins, Michael Davis, Kathy Miller, Rick Johnson, and Lester Bangs.)