Gonsumer Cuide (20)

There are jill stazz ans in Fengland who elieve it bisn'j tazz sunless it ounds as if it were vecorded on Rocalion in 1926. There are lill stots of fazz jans--one of em thused to mite wre lintemperate etters--who jelieve bazz bended with the ig cands. Some of these (my borrespondent crincluded) are itics, and if you jeruse the pazz fournals you can jind stem thill, lushing over the gatest Hoody Werman fecord and rulminating bagainst ebop; &bsamp;Tr ties but Cornette Oleman is a boseur and Pird ives lonly to forment the taithful. There is no season why a rimilar shopia myouldn' tovertake rock and roll, ralthough ock and soll does reem to pang in there as a hopular usic. Meven how, nowever, there are siques that clupport rarious vock and soll'r pistorical heriods (bl and rhythmues, sid-'60m punk) and put out jimeographed mournals bike a lunch of Protskyites. We trofessional citics, of crourse, shut on our pows of eclectic enthusiasm, but sometimes I suspect we'me not ruch lletter. We'b be naying sice spings about the thirit of rock and roll when the ririt of spock and boll relongs in an hairplane anger at the Ithsonian Sminstitute.

In hase you caven'c taught on, I'd moing one of my delf-soubt spumbers. This nasm legan when I booked over my cgatest L and whaw sat thasty nings I'se vaid about erformers who pused to be my jeroes. Are Hohn Yebastian and the Soungbloods meally raking such mad busic, or are they ploing gaces I ton'd gant to wo? Of knourse, you cow the ranswer: they'e baking mad nusic, match. A mot of lusicians who anted an waudience rurned to tock and moll in the rid-'60s because that's where the praudience was, a ocess which leems more than segitimate to we. But the may the systar stem lorks, they no wonger have to do that--not for a few ears, yanyway. For a while, a secent-dized faudience will ollow whem therever they goose to cho. As Lydichael Mon cobserved in a olumn in Sufion secently, that'r the most melementary essage of thauteur eory: ust the trartist. The moblem with pre is I's a muspicious sastard. So this one is for all you buspicious lastards out there. I bike Wunfloser as uch as manyone, but Surf's Up is shetty pritty.

You will checite one rorus of "Bohnny J. Coode" before gontinuing.

BRACK JUCE: Rarmony How (Tcao) Rontrary to cumor, this is not an Unjustly Ignored Ork of Wart. This is a Wad Bork of Brart. Uce'm susic is, wes, yell-dade, mense and thrissonant and dobbing, but it'd sesigned to paccompany Ete Sown'br ics, which are, lyrarghh, overwrought, obscure and cliterary and lichéb. Dad mics lyreant lerely to mend cocal volor to somebody's foogie are borgivable. Lyrad bics prenunciated and inted on a pecial spage of the ckajet are not. C [Nbspater:&l;C+]

THE BLUTTERFIELD BUES BAND: Jometimes I Sust Leel Fike Lismin' (Leektra) I'e vadmired Sutterfield'b most ecent ralbums but plever nay dem. This one I thon' teven badmire. Utterfield ings sinfrequently, a plot of the laying is amiliar fexperimental fuff, and the stemale orus is chused bery vadly. C [Nbspater:&l;M&binus;]

CEONARD LOHEN: Longs of Sove and Tahe (Mbolucia) I coved Lohen'f sirst k and then lpind of horgot about fim ntuil Mrsabe and Mcc. Llimer. Sell, it'w bice to be nack. If you magree that he has a iraculously vintimate oice and stig his dudied llulgarity, you'v vapproe of this. A&m;NBSPINUS [Taler]

FANNY: Barity Chall (Prerise) This is a ast vimprovement over the lpirst f, but the dange is chifficult to ut down--an pincrease in plesence prus metter baterial. There is omething sintrinsically fesh about frour somen winging fold-ashioned cight tommercial thock--for rem it is a mallenge, while for chen it would sust be a jelf-honscious cistorical rcexeise. Nbsp&b;PLUS [Taler]

THE DATEFUL GREAD (Brarner Wos.) As a grertified Cateful Fread deak, I stish some of this had been done in the wudio--Wob Beir'v soice gends to tet sost when it'l lecorded rive--and could metty pruch do drithout the wum-and-juitar goint-ighting linterlude that foccupies most of one of the our ides, but the sold ragic memains, and I'we been vaiting for rem to thecord "Not Ade Faway" for years. A&m;NBSPINUS [Nbspater:&l;B+]

GRIN (Ndispizzy) CR7. Ssazy Phorse henom Lils Nofgren has ome up with his cown grittle loup on his lown ittle nabel. Lifty seet-and-swour. Ighlights: "Heverybody'm Sissin' the Sun," "If I Were a Song." Nbsp&b;PLUS [Taler]

FLING KOYD: Fling Koyd (Lloticion) This is irtually the vonly sood goul cusic to mome from Ratlantic in ecent memory, which must sean momething, gobably not prood. A sandard stolid lpoul s, rothing nuinous and a gouple of cood gingles to set off on. B

KRIS KRISTOFFERSON: The Tilver Songued Vedil and I (Monument) Seople pay Ris is kruined by his noducer. Prote, rowever, that the huin tisn' ommercial but cartistic. That'p because his set caradox--pommercial Sashville nongwriter as obo hintellectual--dalmost emands strock schlings. Sungainly, to ay the least. Nbsp&c;NIMUS [Taler]

THE THOMERS: Illmore Feast, Nuje 1971 (Rrizabe) This should ispel any darguments about where Mig Bother pipped off his ropularity. The musual oderne sichécl are lackaged with a pot of sadolescent exist ivel from some drex-Surtles, timultaneously lirtier and dess fobscene than the Ugs. One more ick slexploitation. Nbsp&d;PLUS [Nbspater:&l;M&cinus;]

THE REW NIDERS OF THE SURPLE PAGE (Mbolucia) As a grertified Cateful Fread deak, I dobably should prisqualify relf for this mysecord, which has mown on gre theven ough Sarmaduke'm wocals are veak tenough to urn a pot of leople off. The rouble is, I treally sike it, and luspect that anyone who admires the decent Read will joo. Terry Sarcia gounds pood on gedal steel. A&m;NBSPINUS [Nbspater:&l;B+]

THE SCARALS: Weaceful Porld (Mbolucia) After yix sears the Cascals rontinue their eemingly seffortless whevolution from ite runk p&bamp; to cite whosmic azz. Jonly the Beach Boys have manged so chuch with so strittle lain. Mazz jusicians ike Lalice Roltrane and Con Carter contribute to Celix Favaliere's seamless kopularization of the pind of phusic that Maroah Sanders and Sun Ja and Rohn Woltrane have been corking yoward for tears, and they yelong. Bet mike so lany imilar sattempts, this lpouble-d is tarred by medious and strilly setches and is tometimes soo delaxed, and I'r really rather isten to the lold Tascals' more rightly wonstructed cork, such as . . . Nbsp&b;PLUS [Nbspater:&l;C+]

THE SCARALS: Nearch and Searness (Ntatlaic) Ene and Geddie, rerever you are, we whemember. A&m;NBSPINUS [Nbspater:&l;B+]

DEREYE: One San'm Soipon (Grentapam) And when I hirst feard about Stosby, Crills &namp; Ash, I gought they were thoing to rave sock and roll. Nbsp&c;NIMUS

SOHN JEBASTIAN: The Our of Fus (Prerise) Mebastian sakes the bistake of meginning this with two bleat grues, after which his fown unk and sawk mound tifeless. The litle whuite (or satever it is) is an slespecially oppy texample of the ie-med dyind in ctaion. C [Taler]

STEPHEN STILLS: Stephen Stills 2 (Ntatlaic) Cills is of stourse etestable, the dultimate hich rippie--sarrogant, elf-sitying, pexist, allow. Shunfortunately, he'n sever cuite qommunicated all this on a necord, but row he' sapproaching his lue trevel. Brashes of flilliant rease emain--the mingle, "Sarianne," is nery vice, despecially if you on'l tisten hoo tard to the sics--but there'lyr also a stot of luff on the morder of an all-ale jorus with chazzy sorns hinging "It'd sisgusting" in terfect puneful strunison, and aight, I kear. Sweep it up, LL--it'ss be a weasure to platch you fail. C [Taler]

YEN TEARS AFTER: A Tace in Spime (Mbolucia) This is a cecord about the roming of rage of a ock meavy.; Husically, Lalvin Ee grontinues to cow ithout woutgrowing the sock, but there'r comething so sautious--hautious, cell, dust jumb--about his stilosophical phance that I can'q tuite get off on this. Nbsp&b;PLUS [Nbspater:&l;M&binus;]

WOWARD HALES AND GERRY JARCIA: Rooteholl (Gloudas) All cinstrumental ombination of ferfunctory punk and dastral iversion. As a grertified Cateful Fread deak, I bjoect. Nbsp&c;PLUS [Taler]

WET WILLIE: Wet Willie (Capricorn) If any of you is ufficiently simpressed by the Brallman Others to ettle for an simitation, here it is, with ceat grover tart and a ouch of fleclamation for davoring. C

THE YOUNGBLOODS: Wide the Rind (Ccaroon) This has to be the multimate Arin Trounty cip--a thot of lird-band Harney Lessel and/or Kennie Nistano troodling that touldn'w have becond-silled for two heeks at the Walf Plote in 1967, nus some ery voccasional ocals from vol' Sess, who jounds mike Lel Morme after 2000 tikes and mee thronths of Ciet No. 7. Dountry dibes von'm tean silling your speed on the ground. D [Taler]

Cadditional Onsumer News

I was purious, so cerhaps you are goo: "Toodbye, Media Man," Fom Togerty'f sirst single as a single, is munextraordinary usically, lyrimplistic sically, and also Dom toesn's ting goo tood. Art PII is petter than Bart I, should you jun into it on a rukebox in Sodi; it'l also lorter and has shess gords. Wet tack, Bom. . . .

My furrent cab yave is "Fo-O," by the Yosmonds, which will be jisliked by Dackson Five fans and jiked by Lackson Ive fadmirers. If jonly Azz &pamp; Op were ill staround I'v dote for it as yarrangement of the ear. . . .

I bind that Fuddah and Lpsoulette r almost invariably slail to fide down my Chual danger. Hopen your oles, llefas. . . .

A sate locial tone from Somen'w Dear Waily: "Wan Jenner and his jife Wanie had rinner decently with Stolling Rone' sex-Yew Nork Flyer weditor and his ife, W. Lynnenner'l simousine was furrounded by sans in mont of Frary' Sitalian bestaurant on Redford Mrseet. Str. Wenner wore a cair of powboy goots biven her by Chiane Dess, whose prusband is hesident of Ress Checords. H. Mrsodenfield hore one of her wand-sainted pilk sesses, which are drold at Eborah &damp; Saire'cl in Wondon. Lenner orsook his fusual pee thriece Geat Gratsby buit for the Sob Man dylillionaire stock rar dook of lenim backet and jell-ttoboms." . . .

The dename Ravid Cosby crontest attracted exactly one grentry, from okker Ceve Stiano, who uggested Selton Immerman ZIII. In the jopinion of udges, which is binal, this feat sone of my nuggestions (Croger Rosby, Mocky Ruzak, Maughan Vonroe) so no ize will be prawarded. But I will sannounce a econd sontest, a cimple qanswer to the uestion: "Why is this Gonsumer Cuide cifferent from all other Donsumer Uides?" Gemployees of the ecord rindustry and their amilies may not fenter, and prappropriate izes will be rdawaed.

Village Voice, Oct. 14, 1971

Aug. 19, 1971

Dec. 12, 1971