The Austin American from Austin, Texas • 98

musical notes ioMtoflnnims Songwriter Mahes Topical Music Mean Something By BARER WORIJKY well is always welcome. The Flock's debut album a year ago impressed us and we remembered a lovely violin in the midst of rock, so we listened to the new LP, (See SONGS', Pae 37) listen to "Magdalene Lane." His vision there takes some macabre tjrns and we don't know for sure what he's seeing. It's all sung in a pleasant, melodic voice, A songwriter who sings his own stuff and Now tliiit been duly praised by his colleagues in Nashville (the Country Music Association named "Sunday Morning Coming Down" as Song of the Year in October ceremonies), it's hiuh time fi.r Kris Kristofferson fo become a household word. Kristofforson Is composer of "Sunday Morning," "Me and Hobby McOec," ''For the Good Times" and a number of other it 1 1 attracting attention on popular music charts as well 34C0 EXPOSITION unnaturally near, but a short story has to be neater than a long one, and this relatively short song is dramatic and makes its point about our failure to communicate and, beyond that, failure to help each oilier. This song ends by asking whether life has to be this way: "Should plaster walls and ceilings separate us from each other's feelings?" Sometimes, as in that son.2, McLean sounds as though lie thinks humanity could improve.

At other times, as in "General Store," which carries a big sting, and a I which overstates the horrors of the older bank of the generation fiap, lie seems to have no hope. There are songs about poverty and about love, and in case a listener thinks that McLean doesn't have an individualistic vision, just 4 By ARY CAMPBELL AP Newsfeatures Writer Today, some of the songwriters, like Joni Mitchell and James Tavlor, are writing about their inner worlds and some fewer of the ones we hear a lot about are writing about topical subjects. One difficulty with being topical is being individualistic enough to be arresting while writing about subjects that all the topical people are usin and making those subjects seem newly meaningful. Ail this is to lead to saying that there is a debut record album out by a young man named Don McLean who has written and sung topical songs which do all the right, meaningful things. The album is titled "Tapestry," and it's on the Mediarts label.

McLean was on the first voyage of the Clearwater, the Hudson River sloop, with Pete Seeger, and. his album is r. to 'J Mondey thiu Friday "CLCSHD SATURDAY CREWEL -RUGS KNITTING-DESIGNS NCEDLE POINT-YARNS STSTCHERY-BLANK CANVAS as 1.1 the C-W field. He has also, finally, gotten into the recording game himself, with his first solo album i Muniment SI.P now on the market. He's lon IX'Cn recognized ss a capable musician by a faithful fesv in the Nashville area and in the Country music field in perioral.

His tunes have b'-n recorded l.y the likes of Miller, Roy Clark and Johnny Cash, amonp others. (Some will recall, too, that during her semi-surprise visit to the Kenneth Threadgili barbecue last summer, Janis Joplm sang a couple of Kristofferson accompanying herself on cuitar. One of them. "Me and Nowhere," a melodic and somehow extra-touching ballad about finding a home and going there. There's comical contempt in "Rlnmc It on the Stones" and serious cynicism in Law is for Protection of the People." And there's just plain pleasure in performing some of the tunes.

"Kristofferson" is fun to listen to; it's a mixture of music and words that reflect the test that real country music lias to offer. Kristofferson, as both composer and performer, is able to capture the spirit and maintain the honesty of the music his perceptions have produced. Kristofferson may not say jl all; but he's far ahead of most of us. "Pottery Pie" is another fun album. It's by Geoff and Maria Muldair, both of whom were formerly with Jim Kweskin and his Jiik Band.

The music is not essentially different from what they were loimj with Kweskin: there's just more to hear from the two individually. Probably the best cut on the allium is her haunting, bluesy and rightfully prlonged version of "Georpa on My Mind She's also in fine voice for Dylan's "I'll He Your Baby Tonight." Geoff, on the other hand, takes off on a Munninn. and sort of campy, veis-im of that should keep everyone in the room f.iscinated- There are other good things about the allium, but they're to be discovered individually. Suffice it to say that if vou liked this pair with Kweskin, vou should like them on their own. "Pottery Pie" is wor'h a trv, in acy case.

St 1 dedicated to the Weavers. His u-? music doesn't' sound like 1 hsSf SS-Jr f5-f COIVIFLETE Weaver era folk, FLAG inav be backgrounded in that It is contemporary and OAK LEAF WROUGHT with which also concerned strongly ecology, the concern the Clearwater IRON mm dramatizes. The title song is a plea for people not to unravel the world by messing up the balances. It begins, "Every thread of creation is held in position by still other strands of things living." The song we like best is "Three Flights Up," a story about a friend in need whose friend doesn't answer her call, a widowed father who is lonely, a woman who is separated from her husband. They all live in the same house, know each other well and don't talk to each other.

NOW MEDICINE CABINETS jj 0 jt i We have a nice line juT all price ranges, fQ IM As low as $339 ft The proximity I 1 I The easy way to the ottic. Hobby McGee," was included in the finished cuts for an album she was recording at the time of her death.) Kristofferson has been, in other words, something of a I. eon Russell. rountry-slj-K'. lie's put a lot of words into other peoples' mouths, and helped out musically whenever lie could arrange it.

But his songs ring of limes, and there's no doubt, after listening to him, that Kristofferson not only writes, but sins from experience. Poems don't come from ma bines," Johnny Ca.ih writes in his coer poem for a I m. "Machines can't set life into rhyme and you can't manufacture soul nor gauye' and 'chop soulful lines." i So Kristofferson lived and worked, traveling the Southern part of the US fulsome five years, and wnuru; out vhal he wjs Mi'in. "fV.st i.ke the oil that covers the water." Cash his ecu crrd eu'O'onc's nr. now we'u; aU jronr to in our closets for that lost Kristofferson sons." Wk'r; his break did conic, as IUomj thirds seem to li.i'i;,.-n, the market w.s r.fKtded lush other people's 10c sq.

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