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The Post-Crescent from Appleton, Wisconsin • 62

Publication:
The Post-Crescenti
Location:
Appleton, Wisconsin
Issue Date:
Page:
62
Extracted Article Text (OCR)

and onini Ill Columns on Sup A best lines is given depth by Stewart: "Knowing that you lied- Straight-faced while I cried, Still I looked for a reason to believe." Ron Wood, particularly on pedal steel guitar, and Dick Powell on violin match Stewart's depth and emotional commitment to each'song. All tracks here are great, but Dylan's "Tomorrow Is Such a Long Time" and Hardin's "Reason to Believe" are especially fine. A common comment about Stewart's voice is "there's something about it," much the same thing as is said about Neil Young. Whatever the something is about Young escapes us, but we can see how easy it is to become a Rod Stewart freak. THE WAGNERS "Gonna Take a Miracle" (Laura Nyro and Labelle, Columbia KC 30987).

Rating: 4 stars. For me, Laura Nyro's retrospective of some memorable hits is immensely enjoyable. Over a year ago, when she sang Carole King's classic, "Up on the Roof," Laura revealed the attitude of her consciousness; it lies squarely In the jivey early '60s Songs of social innocence and musical promise, they often are optimistic, as in "Spanish "I'm gonna pick that rose And watch it grows In my garden." Co-starring Labelle (formerly Patti La Belle and the Blue Belles), the album is approached lightly but felt deeply. It is no wonder that several of these items have turned up in many contexts over the years (the Beatles i.e. John Lennon sang "You Really Got a Hold on Me," while the Mamas and the Papas preceded Laura in an equally thoughtful arrangement of "Dancing in the B.W.

"Minnows" (Marc Benno, By our star rating system, 2V2 is right in the middle. Ergo, it denotes an average product; not great, not horrible. Generally, such products sink out of sight in my mind once I've heard them. Benno's is no different. The lp is carefully programmed, varied and lifeless unfortunately.

laid a lot of hype on me, but it was over a product of little substance. D.F.W. I "Bob Dylan's Greatest Hots, Vol. 2" (Columbia KG 31120; two records). The great thing about these two records is the fantastic cross-section of Dylan's talents the selection affords.

From "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" to "Lay Lady Lay" is a world of difference. Both are Dylan at his best. This is one of those what-can-you-say? sets. If you're into Dylan, it's great; if you're not, it's not. I am, and it is.

D.F.W. "Nilsson Schmilsson" (RCA Victor LSP-4515). Harry Nilsson has gotten some rave reviews for this lp, which is overdoing it a bit. Granted, Harry gives us a wide variety of sounds, many having a nice and easy-going, honest quality, but he tends toward overproduction and orchestration, with occasional gimmicky sound effects which are out of place. Without these drawbacks, I very likely would have given it an even higher star rating.

As it is, the highlights occur during the bluesy organ and yocal arrangement of "Early in the Morning" and the fun song, "Coconut," a Latin-rhythm novelty. By far the hardest rock here, "Jump Into the Fire," just misses maximum effectiveness by overuse of echo on Nilsson's vocals. D.F.W. "Rough and Ready" (Jeff Beck Group, Epic KE 30973). Va Another extremely popular combo which, for one reason or another, we never received on a recording is the Jeff Beck Group.

Ironically, Stewart has sung lead for it. These days the lead singer is Bob Tench, whose style isn't nearly as distinctive but is compelling nonetheless. Within the jazzy, bluesy, rocksy format so many strive for, I have heard few, if any, more adept at it. Arrangements are incredibly tight and Beck's lead guitar playing is close to Eric Clapton's and much better than Jimmy Page's. The best instrumental moments occur on "Raynes Park Blues," which display pianist Max Middleton's considerable talents.

Frankly, I couldn't ask for much more in an album than Beck accomplishes here. D.F.W. Therumorsare true. Soup is breaking up. For the past couple of weeks, stories have circulated about the expected' disbanding of the area's best-known rock group.

That fact was verified for me last week. Soup will split on April 2. Doug Yankus' plans are uncertain, but we can be sure he will stay in music. He still has an option on a solo contract ith Big Tree Records. If he wished and Big Tree agreed, might see a solo lp soon.

On the other hand, Doug may shop around for another label, assuming a better deal could be found. Dave Faas and Rob Griffith ill form their own group. The instrumentation is not certain, although we might look for piano, sax and clarinet, because Rob also plays those instruments. Expect to see a four- or five-man combo from Rob and Dave. Apparently, Soup has been "up and down" for some time on whether to split.

I suspect the disappointment when nothing much happened with "The Album Soup" contributed greatly to the final decision. DAVID F.WAGNER "Every Picture Tells a Story" (Rod Stewart, Mercury SRM 1-609). It is not the usual practice of this column to review albums the better portion of a year old. But in the six years of allegedly being on Mercury's complete reviewer service mailing list we never received a Rod Stewart album, and he has had three solos. True, Mercury sent every Mystic Moods Orchestra or Paul Mauriat easy listening release, but not one Stewart.

There is a cult of Rod Stewart fans and, for the record, we wanted to get our views down. Stewart's heavily-graveled voice elicits many comments, pro and con. We find it intense and musical. He is a stylist in a manner that is used for genuine artistic expression not some misguided ego outlet. When he drops out of a hard-driving "That's All Right" into an incredibly poignant reading of ''Amazing Grace," the listener can grasp his great range.

Stewart has a talent in making lyrics believable that few possess. The example that pops to mind is from Tim Hardin's "Reason to Believe." One of that author's "Chicago at Carnegie Hall, Vols. 14'' (Columbia C4X 30865; four records). Neither Bonnie nor I were very impressed with Chicago's past efforts, although the studio products have a great deal more depth. Virtually everything here was on previous releases, most of it better there.

So don't be surprised I don't like this. I find it more telling that a friend of ours who digs Chicago said he found this stuff flat. Its packaging stands out. Whenever the wrappings have more appeal than the records, forget it. The large posters of the group and Carnegie Hall are dwarfed by a super-giant-size mural (almost) of the septet.

And there's a 20-page full-color booklet. The most practical inclusion is a listing of the 50 state voting registration laws. D.F.W. "Jim Carroll" SP-4323). Va Aside from Richard Avedon's clever cover and inside photo combination, the most remarkable aspect of this album is Carroll's very strong acoustic guitar playing, especially on the first three songs on side one and a clever number near the end, "Man," on which Carroll uses his voice in an almost non-vocal manner, merely complementing the other instruments.

At times, Carroll has a Neil Young -style wail; at other moments, he is into a Donovan imitation. He authored everything here except "I'm in Love Again," which is an updating of the Fats Domino '50s hit. D.F.W. Ju'it an Old Fashioned Lovs Song" (Paul Williams, SP-4327). Frankly, I avoided even playing this record for some time, but more fool me.

I had let the Carpenters and Three Dog Night put me off a good thing with their drab renditions of "We've Only Just Begun" and the title but this delightful record restores the meaning, fun and purpose of Williams' songs. His imperfect voice is aided by beautiful instrumentation by a large number of musicians. Graham Nash's "Simple Man" is the only song here not authored by Williams. It blends well with the others. Roger Nichols wrote the music for three of the songs, among them the very popular wedding song, "We've Only Just Begun." BONNIE WAGNER "Living" (Judy Collins, Elektra EKS-75014).

These live performances of songs some familiar, others not are pleasant but not as compelling as her other lps. Among the offerings: Leonard Cohen's "Joan of Arc" and "Blue Raincoat," Joni Mitchell's "Chelsea Morning," Hamilton Camp's musical version of W. B. Yeats' "Innisfree," Dylan's "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" and Judy's own "Song for Judith (Open the Door)." B.W. "Hunky Dory" (David Bowie, RCA Victor LSP-4623).

While there are several cute (the best word) moments, the final impression I get is that "Hunky Dory" is beside the point. The singer, who strikes a Garbo-like pose for the cover, gets in a few jabs at Andy Warhol, Bob "Dylan and the Stones, the latter quite subtly on "Queen Bitch." The cutest of the cute numbers are "Kooks" and "Changes." D.F.W. 6.

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About The Post-Crescent Archive

Pages Available:
1,596,624
Years Available:
1897-2024