Muncie Evening Press from Muncie, Indiana • Page 28

PAGE T-10 llDi Daniels, Tucker bands revive southern rock Things are coming fogef her for Evie "On the Tracks" Ronald Hawkins i A By SUE BYROM United Features NEW YORK "I'm like a female Michael Jackson," says Eyie Sands, laughing. "I've known I was going to be in music from about age four and started singing 'and playing guitar as soon as I could." Evie has been an active recording artist since 1970 and is currently recording for RCA Her latest album is "Suspended Animation." Her songwritlng, however, goes back much further. "It was nice that Barbra Streisand chose to record 'Love In the Evie says with modest understatement. Other singers who've recorded her songs include Dionne Warwick, Frankie Valli, the Manhattans and Gladys Knight who recently recorded "I Love Making Love To You" under the title "Love Gives You the Power." "Although I love all aspects of my career, playing on sessions, writing and performing, the thing I've always wanted to do is produce, and that I'm finally starting to have really come to-. gether well in the last few years." But Evie can still remember when things were difficult.

"It's been a few years, but I can re- "MILLION MILE REFLECTIONS" by the Charlie Daniels Band, Epic Records. "RUNNING LIKE THE WIND" by the Marshall Tucker Band, Warner Brothers Records. Although their musical styles are much more sophisticated than "southern rock," the Marshall Tucker Band's and the Charlie Daniels Band's new releases add more fuel to the revival of "southern rock" in 1979. The reunion of the Allman Brothers Band has given considerable impetus to this spring's revival, but these new releases may do even more. The Marshall Tucker Band LP was originally recorded for Capricorn Records, but Capricorn sold the rights to Warner Brothers after the Tucker boys signed a contract with Warner Brothers.

The Charlie Daniels LP is the first album by Charlie and company of new studio material in some time. The lives of cowboys, drifters, broken- hearted persons, misfits, the hard-working fellow next door, honored and passed over musical geniuses are prominent themes of both groups' songs. And both groups also combine elements of country, jazz, rhythm and blues and rock 'n roll in their music. The new Marshall Tucker Band album is one of the group's best and probably will be one of its best selling LPs in a series of gold and platinum selling releases. "Running Like the Wind" opens impressively with the title cut, a nine-minute-plus tune featuring Jerry Eubanks' superb flute work and some dandy picking by Toy Caldwell and George McCor-kle.

Doug Gray's vocals are both powerful and effective. "Last of the Singing Cowboys" is an effective espousal of western swing, used appropriately to tell the tale of a blind man who continues the legacy of "singing cowboys." The only problem with the song is the somewhat excessive horn section which makes the MTB sound a bit like Chicago. The Tucker boys also deal with unfaithful and failed loves and the wisdom of the. elderly. One of the more effective tunes is "My Best Friend," a song about the deepening love with the best friend.

The horn section here is not as obtrusive but instead is quite helpful to the overall sound. The CDB's "Million Mile Reflections" is filled with great songs, catchy riffs and the potential for giant hit singles. The CDB opens with "Passing Lane," a song about how the band has been turned off by disco and punk rock and hits the road as a solution to the blues. "Jitterbug" is based on a 1930's-style character who leads a fast life and will either be caught by the law or an angry husband. The tune uses '30s style music, featuring honky tonk style piano, a scat lead EVIE Once sold soft drink bottles to buy food.

member fishing under the refrigerator for a dime. I'd collected all the old soft drink bottles together that I could find (for the money-back return), but needed another dime to buy bread and milk. That coin had rolled under there six months before, but I got down and put together a rod with a coat hanger and gum and got it out!" vocal and spicy horn section. "Reflections" is Charlie Daniels' salute to the late Elvis Presley, Janis Joplin and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Daniels indicates he was particularly struck by the death of his close friend, Ronnie Van Zant, lead singer of Skynyrd.

But, the real treats of the album are "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" and "Rainbow Ride." Between these cuts, unfortunately, is the saccharine "Mississippi." In "The Devil Went Down," Daniels "recreates" a fiddle battle between the devil and "good ole boy" who shows the how the fiddle is supposed to be "Rainbow Ride" is a rainbow of musical delights. The Charlie Daniels Band will appear Friday, May 11, at the Indianapolis Convention Center. It should be a good time. "GIMME SOME NECK" by Ron Wood, Columbia Records. Ron Wood has been a member of some of the best rock 'n roll bands around since the early 1960s.

With his new "Gimme Some Neck" LP he establishes himself as a solo artist. Wood has worked with Jeff Beck, with Rod Stewart and the Faces and is currently a member of the Rolling Stones and Keith Richards' "New Barbarians." Throughout most of these efforts, Wood has been a superb support musician, serving as an on-stage target for the antics of the likes of Stewart and Mick Jagger. Wood has a fine support cast on his LP including most of the Rolling Stones, Mick Fleetwood, Jim Keltner and Dave Mason. Bob Dylan penned "Seven Days" for Wood's use on this LP. "Seven Days" is the highlight of the album, featuring Wood's vocal, which is about as close as you can get to sounding like Dylan without being Dylan.

As with much of the material by the Stones and Stewart, Wood's solo release deals extensively with sexual and other relationships. But, it lacks the variety of their efforts and suffers from the sameness of approach. Only the brief "Delia" provides a respite from the heavy guitar approach as Wood delivers a short dobro solo. Yet, Wood provides some good rock guitar work throughout. Unfortunately, his most inventive creations are his fine drawings on the cover of the LP.

Age of romantic piano is revived By Daniel Webster Knight-Rldder Newspapers The romantic piano is the practical result of the age of spectacular players. The rise of the modern instrument and the appearance of the Liszts and Kalkbrenners, the Henselts and others prompted the pianists and their friends to produce vehicles for their brilliance. The romantic revival of the last two decades has revived much of this music, and more examples have appared among recent releases. Idil Biret, the Turkish pianist, has recorded Liszt's 1833 transcription of Berloiz' Symphonic Fantastique (Finnadar SR 9023). How the solo piano could recreate the orchestral colors of the piece was Listz's preoccupation, and he managed remark--ably.

Miss Biret shows no sign of awe at the piano writing and manages to produce something near Berlioz, but much nearer Llstz. 'i Mary Louise Boehm plays Kalkbrenner and Moscheles (Turnabout 34678). The Moscheles Concerto No. 1 is a piece for piano with five stringed instruments. The music reflects Moscheles' own facility at the keyboard, and Ms.

Boehm ripples through it brightly. Its sense of form make it seemed restrained indeed beside Kalkbrenner's "Ef-fusio Musica," a solo piece that justifies its title. This music is orchestral, even monstrous in its conception, but ardent and demonic in execution. Raymond Lewenthal, a father figure in the romantic piano revival, is represented in a two-disc set of concertos by Scharwenka, Henselt, Rubinstein and Liszt (CBS MG-35183). These performances, with the London Symphony, restore pieces that were standards a generation ago.

The Rubinstein Concerto No. 4 is for the super-virtuoso, clangorous and orchestral in its sound, withering in its physical demands. Lewenthal's large hands make the piece seem possible and musl- cal In this reading. TOPS IN POPS SINGLES 1. KNOCK ON WOOD, Amll Stewart (2).

2. HEART OK GLASS, Blondle (6). 2. 3. MUSIC BOX DANCER, Frank Mills (3).

3. 4. REUNITED, Peaches Herb (S). 5. STUMBLIN' IN, Suzl Quntro and Chris Norman (8), 6.

WHAT A FOOL BELIEVES, Dooblc Brothers 1 7. 1 WILL SURVIVE, Gloria Gaynor (4). I WANT YOUR LOVE, Chic (. 8. 9.

GOODNIGHT TONIGHT, Wings (10). 10. IN THE NAVY, Village People (14), ALBUMS SPIRITS HAVING FLOWN, Bee Gees (4). 2-HOT, Peaches Herb (31, MINUTE BY MINUTE, Dooblc Brothers (I DESOLTATION ANGELS, Had Company (5). DIRE STRAITS, Dire Straits (2).

PARALLEL LINES, Blondle (III), ENLIGHTENED ROGUES, Allman Brothers Band I.IVIN- INSIDE YOUR LOVE, OcorRC Benson (9). BLONDES HAVE MOItK KIN, Rod Stewart (7). BREAKFAST IN AMERICA, Supcrtrump (14),.