Valley News from Van Nuys, California • Page 37

JLJ 9 72--Von Nuys (Colif.) EW5 East-39-A West-9-B North-3-S No.Eajt-3».A Young Winston' Hailed as Bright Movie Effort THEA PIEGDON, winner in Seventeen Magazine's fourth annual photography contest, shows some examples of her work. Van Nuys student won $100 for photo of boy fishing at Big Sur. TAKING AIM Thea sets focus for shot of her cat, Shim Sham, during one of Its quiet moods. Nineteen- year-old Valley College coed began taking up photography in summer of 1970 after trip to Japan, She hopes to be photographer for news magazine after finishing college. he photos TAKES PRIZE Local Girl Wins $100 With Photo Nineteen-year-old Thea Piegdon of Van Nuys has been awarded $100 for her photo of a boy fishing off the coast of Big Sur in the annual photography contest sponsored by Seventeen Magazine. Thea. now In her third semester at Valley College, took up photography during the summer of 1970 when she went to Japan and purchased her Pentax 35 mm camera there. Dad Helps Her Her photo was one of the winners from among 2000 applicants and reportedly will be featured in the January edition of the magazine. Thea's father also is a grapher and he helped get her interested in the field. So now she borrows some of her father's camera equipment from time to time, she said. The young woman has been taking photo lessons for the past two years through a North Valley Occupational Center program cosponsored by the Marquardt 16555 Saticoy Van Nuys. Uses Equipment She dropped a photo class at the college in favor of the occupational center course, which for a fee of $2 per semester allows photo students to use some of the advanced equipment al the Van Nuys firm. Thea said she plans to transfer to a four-year college and major in photojournalism. She hopes tb be a photographer for -a news magazine after she finishes her schooling. She also enjoys i ng and arts and crafts. Nelson Will Sing New Year's Eve Rick Nelson and the Stone Canyon Band have been signed for a special New Year's Eve concert on Sunday, Dec. 31, at Disneyland, The engagement will mark Nelson's debut at the park. His new Decca a "Garden Party will be released in Mid- November. The Lady's Not for But Her Record Is, So Go Buy Rita Coolidge Thousands of individuals and groups turn out albums every year, hoping for financial and critical reward. Many are undeserving and are rightly discounted. Some become discouraged and give up. Some get lost in the shuffle. It is not unusual for a considerable talent to be overlooked in this musical flood. An artist can go for years, dependably giving able support to others as background vocalist, musician, arranger or composer, while his on her own album ellorts go virtually unnoticed. Then, finally, all the pieces fall into place The artist's vocals are unusually good, song selections are matched perfectly to voice, instrumentation and backing are just right. And the perfect album is the result, the vehicle to take the singer to that long sought acclaim. Rita Coolidge is one of those background stars, and her third album. "The Lady's Not for Sale," could well be her Miss Coolidge has long Top tunes based on sales at Wallichs Music City stores across the Los Angeles area include several surprises. With all the election excitement, however, it shouldn't be a surprise a "Convention '72" heads the list. What's interesting is that Gilbert 0 Sullivan is still in the Top 10 after six months on singles charts and the Moody Blues a two albums high on the list, including "Days ol Future recorded five years ago. Also, the Temptations are making themselves felt with their "All Directions" LP closing out the top 10 and their single from the album "Papa Was a Rolling rated No. 20 and moving up fast. Speaking of durability, Carole King's "Tapestry" is still among the top 20 after a year and a half, while her newly-released "Rhymes and Reasons" comes in seventh this week and appears headed for the number one slot. Other long-staying alblums In the Top 40 are Roberta Flack's "First Take" and Elvis Presley's "Live at Madison Square Garden." Albums to look out for include Bread's "Guitar Man" and "Living in the Past" by Jethro Tull. TOP 10 SINGLES 1--Convention '72 Delegates 2--I Can See Clearly Now Johnny Nash o--Ding-A-Ling Chuck Berry 4--I Am Woman Helen Reddy Michael Jackson 6--Alone Again (Naturally) Gilbert O'Sullivan 7--It' I Could Reach You Fifth Dimension 8--I'd Love You to Want Me Lobo 9--Garden Party Kick Nelson 10--1 Believe in Music Gallery TOP TEN ALBUMS 1--Seventh Sojourn 2--Historic Live Concert at the Forum 3--Liza With a 4--I Can See Clearly Now 5--Moods 6--Catch Bull at Four 7--Rhymes and Reasons 8--Days of Future Pass 9--Supcrfly 10--All Directions Moody Blues Barhra Streisand Liza Minnclli Johnny Nash Diamond Cat Stevens Carole King Moody Blues Temptations been recognized for her support work behind other singers, including Eric Clapton, Leon Russell and Delany and Bonnie. She has been a stalwart of recording sessions and a friend and helper on tour. Russell wrote "Delta Lady" for her. Her first two albums, "Rita Coolidge" and "Nice Feelin'," attracted little notice. There arc some nice tunes on them, notably "Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I'll Go Mine)," but the bulk of the material is average. The songs on the new album, however, seem as if they were written for her. In a voice that is om etimes sexy, sometimes bluesy, sometimes almost religious, she takes 0 t-recorded songs like Leonard Cohen's "Bird on a Wire" and Bob Dylan's I Baby Tonight" and makes them her own. Most of the 10 tracks are slow, downbeat numbers. ''My Crew" and "Bird on a Wire" are gospel-flavored. "Fever" is appropriately sultry and can almost make one forget Peggy Lee's famous version. "A Woman Left Lonely" and "Whiskey, Whiskey" are as moody as Laura Nyro's best. A change in feeling is provided by Marc Benno's "Donut Man," an upbeat piece of nonsense. But the best tracks on the album are Benno's "Inside of Me" and Kris Kristofferson's "The Lady's Not for Sale." In every way, both a cording masterpieces. Miss Coolidge gets support in her shining effort from a number of talented 1 i iduals, including Kristofferson and her sister Priscilla Jones on vocals. Brother-in-law Booker T. Jones also does backup singing. John Sebastian, Marc Benno and Russ Kunkel are among the many musician contributors. All the elements of the perfect album are there, 1 i tted together tightly, beautifully. If the time is right, as determined by the somewhat fickle buying public, Rita Coolidge's new album will make her a star of first magnitude. --MICHAEL COATES There are many groups a nd today capitalizing on the rock-jazz sound which has become so popular. The only prob- lem is that many of the groups are beginning to sound alike, both in their styles and in their material. However, take the same two ingredients, rock and jazz, add a pound of soul and a whole new sound is born, reflected in the music of Earth, Wind and Fire. The group's first album on Columbia, "Last Days and Time," sprouts forth with a fresh sound that sets it apart from many of the he-hum aggregations around today. The album consists of eight moving tunes, including five written by members of the group. The best of these originals are ''Time Is on Your Side" and "I'd Rather Have You." The group also does a niore than creditable job on two classics, David Gate's "Make It With You" and Pete Seeger's "Where Have All the Flowers Gone," the latter being clone in such an original fashion that one gets the feeling of listening to a brand new song instead of one that has been recorded hundreds of times before. While the eight-member group is mostly soul-rock oriented, their talent for jazz comes through on a n-m i i n- stru mental appropriately titled "Power," on which solos are a by Roland Bautista on lead guitar and Ronald Laws on tenor saxophone and flute. Earth, Wind and Fire hails from Chicago and was formed by Maurice White, vocals and drums. They group recorded two unsuccessful albums before signing with Columbia, and if this album is any indication, the switch was a wise one indeed. Jessica White, the lone female in the group, has a vocal style and sound very similar to that of the Stylistics with the high falsetto and the soulful phrasing of the lyrics, particularly on "I'd Rather Have You." A little sentimentality is expressed on the album with "Mom," a song expressing the love and dedication that only a mother can give. With the change of record companies it becomes obvious that Earth, Wind and Fire would rather switch than fight. After listening to "Last Days and Time," you'll be glad they did. --OVID GOODE JR. By SCOTT PAUL The movie spectacular, with its large budget, superb cast, huge battle scenes and thousands of extras, has been a film tradition since D.W. Griffith made "The Birth of a Nation" back in 1914. Many times, however, these films come up lacking despite the lavish effort that goes into them. Not so with "Young Winston," a film that combines huge scale with a strong plot and fine acting. i Churchill's "My Early Life," a biography of his rise to national prominence in England, is the source for the movie. "Young Winston" was produced by Carl Forman Guns of Navorone," i Noon," and directed by Richard Attenborough in his second attempt behind the cameras. The two work well together if this film is any indication. Holds Interest the intricate battle scenes to the more delicate personal scenes, the picture maintains the viewer's interest by its forcefulness and energy. Simon Ward in his first major role is great in his protrayal of a young man rning with ambition and the need to prove himself. Ward attacks the role with vigor and makes the character of the young Churchill seem to come alive. Winston was the son of Lord Randolph Churchill, a leader of the Conservative Party in the late 19th Century who comm i tted political suicide resigned a Chancellor of the Exchequer in a refusal to be bound by the discipline of party politics. The part of Lord Randolph is played brilliantly by Robert Shaw. It is this disaster in his Rock Band 'West' Plays Tomorrow al The Creation The rock band "West" i eturn tomorrow night to the Valley's only teenage night club, The Creation located at 17400 Victory in Van Nuys. The club is open from 8 p.m. to midnight. Admission is $1 with the first 10 in line admitted free, a okesman said. There will be a dance contest and a surprise door prize. The Creation also offers a game room pool tables, ping pong and a place to gather and rap with friends. Food and solt drinks are available at the snack bar. father's career and his sequent death that gives Winston a goal in life that of restoring his father's good name. Prodded on by his ambitious mother (Anne Bancroft) the young man sets forth on a series of adventures that eventually land him a seat in Parliament. These adventurers include a tour of duty in India, taking part in the last cavalry charge of the British Army against the Dervishes in the Sudan, and being captured, then escaping during the Boer War South Africa. Film Narrated All of these true experiences are retold in the film with thrilling realism. The picture is narrated by the voice of an older Churchill looking back on his experiences with the great wit and humor that he was noted for. This technique is extremely effective and increases the yment of "Young Winston" greatly. The movie is spiced with some fine spot performances by such distinguished actors as John Mills, Jack Hawkins, Patrick Magee and Ian Holm. Mills is particularly effective as General Kitchner, the leading Army officer who opposes Churchill's army career. i ss Bancroft gives probably the best performance of the film as Winston's American mother. She conveys the character of a woman with great a ilion tempered by grace and charm. During the course ot the plot she uses her womanly wiles to influence both Lord Randolph's career and the budding career of young Winston. Many of the same attributes that made AVin- ston Churchill such a 1 d-respected figure irmg his lifetime are demonstrated in his account of his early life. The picture has the charming wit and humor that the great statesman ssed. Churchill's courage and strong will are clearly demonstrated along with his ingenuity and flair for public life. Declined Role Attenborough must certainly be applauded for an excellent job of directing, especially in only his second try after first directing "Oh 1 What a Lovely War" in 1968. a ome thoi ght given before the shooting of ''Young Wms to Attenborough playing the part of Lord Randolph Churchill, but he turned down the role feeling that a director must be able to take an objective view ot every scene. cer Forman's 10-year quest to put the story of Churchill's early life on the screen culminated in a highly successful production. He also xcellent screenplay for the film and deserves much of the credit for the quality of "Young Winston." The movie is playing at the Beverly Theatre in Beverly Hills and is an excellent reason to spend an evening at the movies. Concert Fare Offers Leisure Time Ideas For anyone at a loss for ideas on where to go or what to do prior to the holiday break from school, concerts locally this week end and next week might solve some leisure time dilemmas. There are several concerts this week end, with the big one seeming to be Buddy Miles, the Steve Miller Band and Commander Cody tonight at the Hollywood Palladium at 8 o'clock. Miles is coming off an extremely successful live album done with Carlos Santana and he is always a gas in concert. Plan Review Sha Na Na and the Persuasions also are appearing today at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium beginning at 8 p.m. Sha Na Na is a favorite among nostalgia buffs since the group's style and material is a throwback to the 1930s. The Persuasions are a unique group since all their recordings are done a a lla (without instrumentation). This concert will be reviewed in next week's Teen Talk. Also Billed Chuck Berry, the revived rock and roll legend, will headline in concert Sunday at the Long Beach Auditorium beginning at 7 p.m. His hit single "Ding-A- a from his "London Session" LP was just pushed out of the number one position and the album is doing quite well also. John Mayall and White Trash will share the stage tonight at the Swing Aud i rium in San Bernardino with the show set to start at 8 o'clock. The Hollies, Billy Preston and Danny O'Keefe are billed at the Santa Monica Civic for Wednesday at 8 p.m., and if record sales are any indication it should be quite a concert. BIG BAND of Abe Most a to Canoga Park High School, performed at three assemblies and received three standing ovations from enthusiastic students. Chatting about performances are from left Jehrome Richardson, saxophone player; Cathy Beaudoin 17; Dick Nash, trombone; Ken Kemzura 17; Michelle Beber 16 and Frank Beach, trumpet. Dance band numbering 14 pieces performed music from 1935 to 1972, featuring tunes made famous by such greats as Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Artie Shaw, Count Basic. Musicians, who worked with original leaders, appeared on campus through courtesy of Musicians Trust Fund and Keith Williams, president, Musicians Union Local 47. Th New

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