The Ottawa Journal from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada • Page 25

Friday, July 28. 1978 Page 25 You the that they want one re IBitii ihh Mil itWiftft- Pale conversion PETEB FRAMPTON -THE. BEE GEES AND CO. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band SP 6600) How sweet it would be If this record (and movie) turned a new generation To be young these days is to have seen the movie Grease at least 10 times on to the original Sgt.

Pepper Grease fans -v. 5s mw'-p The boppers ranging in age from seven to 17 begin lining up about 11:30 a.m. for the 1:30 p.m. show, Brown says. Many will sit through all three matinee performances and warm theatre seats well into the evening.

Boppers know all of the tunes by heart and give a resounding, clapping finale to You're the One that I Want. Most of the. younger set, questioned in line early Wednesday evening, cooed over Travolta's cu-teness and toughness when asked why they return time and again. And the teen-age boys unanimously agreed they were "hopelessly devoted" to Olivia Newton-John, the honey-blonde Australian songstress, who has set many a heart a flutter since her entrance on the country-pop scene several years ago. Sitting In the front row, the Pilon sisters, Linda, 11, Laurie, 12, and By Rose Simpson Journal Reporter When you're 13 and In love, John Travolta is always better the 15th time around.

Many Ottawa hoppers whether teeny or otherwise boast of having watched the musical Grease with their noses almost pressed against the screen up to 20 times in the past seven weeks. A Capitol Square Cinema usher said Wednesday one youngster squeezed a marathon 15 episodes of the mock '50's rock musical Into three days. Bert Brown, manager of the Capitol Square which has hit a gold-mine by housing Grease says the musical has out-distanced box-office receipts at the theatre for every other motion picture In-. eluding Travolta's other hip-swinging vehicle, Saturday- Night Fever. 1 JZt 'J v''r 1 I take part in the movie soundtrack.

One could perhaps appreciate these songs if they offered any kind of new dimension or feeling, but with minor exceptions they don't. The Bee Gees are a talented trio and Frampton a skilled musician, but all four are way out of their depth here and at times totally lose their own identity. The only real pleasing cut is Aerosmith's version of Come Together, a tune which the band stamps with its own hallmark. But as for the rest, well, to quote John Lennon "the sound you make is musak to my ears. CHRIS COBB One to watch TOBY BEAU (RCA AFL1-277I) This album shows a lot of promise.

Beau is a five-man country rock group handled by Bill Aucoin, the man who made Kiss. Beau has an Eagles-Outlaws feel and seems more at home country-rock than' rock. Belinda, 13, and friend Joanne Brewer, 12, sing along to all the songs ranging from the heavy 50' rock number Grease Lightning to the Barry Gibb disco-rock treatment of the movie's theme song. "I really like it because they've put rock and roll with disco," says Belinda, who has seen the movie nine times. "I like disco music better than rock and roil." Aside from the Travolta tremor, the girls all say the best part of' Grease is the "good beat" of the music' There's a steady beat which continues throughout the movie, Laurie says.

She describes her favorite scene where Travolta sings torch after being deserted by his favorite girl at the drive-in. In the background, there is the familiar popcorn-getting, drive-in commercial in which hot dogs, ice cream bars and cold drinks dance merri- iy. you notice, the beat of John Travolta's song goes perfectly with the what going on on the screen," she says. "It's really neat." For Grease addicts, the musical has the appeal of a hit record. Its thin plot and stereotyped characters don't seem to get in the way of the music.

It's like your favorite hit song which gets better every time you listen. While many of the off-color cracks sail over the heads of many, youngsters, they still relate to the images. Fast cars, tough guy Fon-zie types with hearts of gold and school-time pranks are the kiddie-connection of this film. But they can't relate to the real 50's symbols. In fact.

Brown says there is a natural candy-bar break in the movie when one of the original heartbreak kids, Frankie Ava-lon, dusts off his white suit for a rendition of Beauty School Dropout. "When I see about 50 kids at the candy counter, I know Frankie must be on," Brown The Frankie Avalons, naughty images and innuendo are saved for the real 50's people the mothers and fathers who brave line-ups and gum-laden aisles to accompany skirt-tugging, squirming boppers. Meanwhile the record and picture producers are making a killing off kiddie-hype. "The producers really knew their market," says Brown. "They've got a hit movie, hit records and when it's ail over they'll sell it to television." Meanwhile the best baby-sitting service in town continues on Queen Street.

Vjj urn gether they accomplish a lot. Most of the material was written by band members and shows considerable depth and ability. Some of the tunes are weak in theme, but It shouldn't take long to get that straightened out. With the writing down pat, the vocal harmonies there and a continuation of the good muscianship evident on this LP, Toby Beau will be a band worth watching, as long as Aucoin doesn't steer it towards the lucrative middle-of-the-road. BRIAN CIIADDERTON 4 album released by Tbe Beat les more than a decade ago.

But how awful it will be If this 1 horrible piece of exploitation overshadows the original and establishes itself to the point where The Beatles' album gets pushed into oblivion. This Frampton-Bee Gees sound- -track is, at best, a pale cover-version of Beatles' songs and doesn't deserve to be taken seriously. At worst, it's a diabolical insult to the skill and talent of not only the Beatles, but also to the musicians who irsi impressions are impor tant in this business and Beau blew it by putting a soppy, pop-rock song called Moonshine in the number one position. The album gets a- lot better, with track two and the further it strays from pop- rock, the better it gets. The Eaeles similarity fit's bv no means a copy) is apparent in the tremendous vocal harmonies.

None of the five has an outstanding voice, but to of a Child (Portrait PR 35481) musician and an even better inconsistent. Dream of a Child enntnlfia enniA ovnnllnni fnte some in-between tunes that nearly make it and others that he shouldn't have bothered with at all. Musically, the whole album has some neat touches that do much to lift many of the tunes above the medicore. Cummings' own lyrics are perhaps his most underrated quality. For the most part, they are intelligent words that make an effort to say something, and invariably succeed in doing so.

He also does stylish versions of the old David Porter-Issac Hayes really suit the material. She wrote all of the songs and shows signs of flair, but the themes are not the themes of which great songs are usually made. She Is basically a Call-fomian now, but prides herself on her travelling spirit. To make this LP, she certainly logged enough miles; it was recorded in England, Nashville and New York. And when cornea to session men, she doesn't spare the air fare.

She retnnwMl with the IlkMnf Tnrirl Rundgren for guitarist and First It was disaster flicks. Then exorcism frighteners. But the rock film is the now film. The dollars have already rolled in for Saturday Night Fever, The Baddy Dolly Story, The Last Waltz, Thank God It's Friday and FAf and you'd be forgiven for thinking Hollywood had turned into one fat recording (where are you Robert Bedford when we need Ottawa is now lining-up around the block for Grease, see above, and today the latest rock-pop movie extravaganza, Sgt, Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band hits town. Here's a look at their money-spinning appeal.

Good moments BURTON CUMMINGS Dream Burton Cummings is a good vocalist, but he is confusingly fTT't 1j I JuBl! COLLETTE PLANTE, "It thought If was a nice movie and I would like to see it again. It's not the first movie I've seen twice I saw Smokey and the Bandits too. Grease reminds me a lot of when my mother was young." LAURIE CROSS, 20 "J've never seen the movie, but I saw Saturday Night Fever and I liked the dancing. I heard it was like the 'SOs the story, the dress, everything. But It's also like today.

A lot of the styles are the same today as they were then. DARREN HAMILTON, 13 "I've come because I heard It's good and It has good stars John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. You need good stars. They're good because they look younger. The music's good, too." TAMMY FINNER, t.

"I've already been once. I came back again because of John Travolta. It's always good the second time around." Journal-CP Photon By John Mahoney InsideEntertainment Page 21 Page Page 2 I I jJ.nourrMM yillliljlllllllll Rockploitation Sgt, Pepper marches Hold On, I'm Coming and Bobby Darin's Walt By The Water. While Cummings himself is often inconsistent with his musical interpretation, the album has a commendable variety to it. The singer explores his vocal expertise throughout, but it's on the hard-driving gutsy tunes that he does best.

Maybe this album isn't going to set the world on fire, but It stacks up as one of the best solo efforts Cummings has produced. On the good moments outweigh the not so good. CHRIS COBB MLI into town today John, Paul and George are laughing, guffawing even, all the way to the bank, (Ringo, alas, doesn't get any royalties;) Stig wood soon will be In the bank too, and the 30-year-olds will be rubbing shoulders with the 13-year-olds for the rest of the summer. And they said It couldn't be done. Travellin 9 woman ELIZABETH BARRACLOUGII (Bcarsville BRK 6978) Barraclough sings with the fury of Janis Joplin, but little of the feel or polish.

In fact, the hype she uses on some tunes doesn't By Ian Haysom Journal Reporter It was 20 years ago today, Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play. And it took 11 years, $12 million and four superstars to exploit the biggest rock album In music history. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (first you heard the album, folks, now- rush to the movie) was opening at the Somer-.

set and Queensway Drive-In today and they were expecting line-ups and traffic jams like you wouldn't believe. Record mogul Robert Stlgwood he of Saturday Night Fever, Tommy and Jesus Christ Superstar fame has literally banked a fortune on his potential audience's gullibility. He's come up with an old-new rock formula which may make the rock and film critics cringe in disgust, but It will become this year's biggest drawing -First, the album. The Beatles made Sgt Pepper In 1967 and It still stands as the most progressive. Inventive piece of Its generation.

A film featuring Lennon and McCartney's Pepper music will tantalize every Beatlemanlac they're still there In and out of Christendom. Then, the stars. Stigwood has Peter Frampton playing the one and only Billy Shears and the Bee Gees paying the Hendersons (who'll all be there) and in one foul-swoop tantalizes the contemporary rock fans and the Travolta crowd. Add George Burns (even the geriatric set is taken into account) as Mr. Kite and cameos by the likes of Tina Turner, Billy Preston, Donovan, Dooble Brothers, Helen Roddy and Alice Cooper and you Peter Framptdn, second left and BeeGees Will we still listen when we're 64? V' tf i "JLyt have the most blatant rockploitation there Is.

piece of The story Is based loosely so loosely in fact that It hangs limply on the songs from Pepper. The plot, even Stigwood acknowledges, Is purely incidental. All that matters is that Frampton, the Glbbs and Co. are singing Lennon, McCartney and a dash of Harrison. They asked former New York Times rock critic Henry Edwards to produce a script, and former Beatles producer George Martin to produce the film's songs.

And The Beatles go disco, a concession to the teeny-boppers, the final Insulting Irony. ca, Russell Hicks for a steel player and the equally famous Ken Buttrey on drums. Even with this talent, she didn't come out with a memorable album. The first side Is more successful than the second. She has a touch of country to her rock and some of It Is fairly interesting, but she wanders hopelessly Into Jazz rock on side two and the result Is a lot of confusion.

BRIAN CIIADDERTON The Gbb family In Miami Da ve Lamb Big Band at Astrolabe Liberace planning new museum.