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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Vol. 35. No. 13. 14 June 1972

Records

page 22

Records

Mountain Climbing

Polygram

This is, of course, the first album that Mountain, as a group, put out; previously released here a couple of years ago, its now re-released with the original overseas cover. As an album, it does little more than provide examples of Mountain's brand of music, and as far as that goes, I like it; but I've got my reservations, Most of the records very heavy (Mississippi Queen- being the best example, but the quieter tracks are better - Imaginary Western, The Laird— more subtle, more rehearsed. To me, most of the heavies sound as though they were stuck together in the studio to fill out the album- Corky Laing counts it in, a couple of shattering verses, lead break, a bit more yelling, and a quick fade. Ho hum. But, there's Theme for an Imaginary Western, which Mountain have made their own (have a listen to their version on Woodstock II- a real goody). For a Friend is West's accoustic solo outing and excellent; The Laird and Boys in the Band are quieter (with traces of Jack Bruce) and show more arrangement than most of the tracks, oh well, they're just better songs. Sitting on a Rainbow, Silver Paper and Never in My Life are the heavies, loud and uninspired. This is where Mountain falls down- they can obviously do better.

West's guitarring isn't at its best, but its still very good- a bit like Kurt Winter out of Clapton, notes sounding as though they're being physically wrung out of the instrument, and a vibrato that makes it a good complement to Pappalardi's voice. (West's singing is not great shakes, but I find Pappalardi's the most beautiful and skilled voice in rock). All the playings good, but its marred by the production, which places the bass a bit too low, ignores the keyboards, and eliminates half the drum kit.

—Tony Backhouse

Mountain Climbing album cover

Godspell — a musical based on the Gospel according to St. Matthew. Bell (Polygram)

With the current craze on Jesus reaching hysterical proportions, it is only to be expected that the fad would encroach on pop-music, a domain which, since the demise of Pat Boone, has been something of a haven for atheists. No longer it seems. Godspell is the third of four pop—musicals with biblical stories and as such it invited comparison with its predecessors and in particular with Superstar. However it is difficult to find any similarities between the two beyond the obvious fact that they are both religious. The differences are obvious.

For one thing, Superstar is an opera whereas Godspell is a musical, which is to say that Godspell comprises spoken dialogue interspersed with songs rather than having the entire dialogue set to music as in Superstar. Further Superstar sets out to reinterpret the orthodox interpretation of the Bible and accordingly concentrates its attention on Jesus and Judas whilst Godspell appears to relate the popularly accepted ideas of the gospel through the eyes of the man of the street in Jerusalem at that time.

However where the two differ most is in their mood and tone. Where Superstar, drawing much of its musical inspiration from the James Brown school of soul, is dramatic, sensuous, hedonistic and ultramodern, Godspell seems to be an attempt at something reverent, devout and hence more in accordance with the approach of the established clergy. This is no doubt why the archbishop of somewhere was shocked by Superstar yet impressed by Godspell. However this attempt at piousness is largely a failure. Here, as in Superstar, there is a vaudeville inspired song, but, in contrast to Superstar's Herod's Song All For the Best in Godspell is hopelessly out of context.

To throw a vaudeville banio solo haphazardly into the midst of a sequence of songs of praise strikes me as being in gross bad taste, and it really lets the album down. And in his haste to keep Godspell 'musically simple—Stephen Schwartz, who composed the set, allows the mood to slip, into innocuousness in places. In fairness, it ought to be pointed out that there are a few places where he manages to sustain piety and real musical power in this context of simplicity, but on the whole the set consists of pretty melodies, not bad in their own right, but lacking in any significant impact. Of course to attempt to assess the music outside of its musical context is at best a little dubious, but this cannot deny that Godspell is a somewhat indifferent album.

—Roger Smyth

New Riders of the Purple Sage

Album cover for New Riders of the Purple Sage record

This L.P. has a supporting cast of the greatest musicians and studio folk in San Francisco and to me anyway, the whole of the States. Well, what can you say? Far-out? Wow? Shit? Spaced? Sykadelic?

Yep, all that and more. Dig this. John Dawson, David Nelson, and Dave Torbert, collectively known on the San Francisco Electric Kool Aid Acid head scene as New Riders of the Purple Sage, and themselves very able musicians, have their spaces filled in by Jerry Garcia (Mr Jerry Garcia to you) playing his usual superior standard of Pedel steel guitar and Airplane drummer and percussionist Spencer Dryden, Mickey Hart, ex-Dead Drummer and Percussionist and son of the Deads ex-Manager, and a guy called Commander Cody who plays a bit of piano on two tracks (maybe someone can fill me in on this guy). Also.....the exec producers Phil Lesh, bassist from the Dead and Steve Barnard who doubles as engineer and engineers for the Dead too. Well, what can you say?

What I say is that except for any Dead L.P. this is the 2nd best L.P. I've heard. All the tracks, written by John Dawson are easy country-style, truckin down the road type listening like Henry, a little fast beat song about Henry seeing a man in Mexico who's got it growing from the ground (Henry tasted, he got wasted couldn't even see) and bringing back the golden keys. Merry wanna's what they're rapping 'bout boy. Portland Woman and Louisiana Lady bounce along spinning a better image of the town groupie than most other groups do. Last Lonely Eagle seems to me to be the best track on the L.P. followed by a long track Dirty Business. Glendale Train seems to have been put in for the hard-core freaks-really good stuff.

It might be mentioned, to add another feather to their already liberally adorned stetsons, that NRPS collectively and singularly have played on most of the Dead L.P's They're like one big family over there. The cover probably sums the music up best — a psychedelic-type cactus in some desert. Really good stuff.

Keep on truckin NRPS.

—Dave Kerr

Jimi Hendrix — Rainbow Bridge

Jimi Hendrix

This record is from the soundtrack of a film with the same name. It's Hendrix. That man who was the black sun of the rock movement, the genius electric - mutant. He was (superlative) good. The space left from his death is pain. Most of the tracks were recorded '69-'70. The music has an unfrenzied cool; but all the Hendrix power. All but Hear My Train A Comin recorded in studio. The sound's fine; really integrated electronic effects. Hendrix moves through beautiful stereo space. There's another version of the Star-spangled Banner. Away from the violent explosion of the Woodstock version (and that is genius) to an inner contained sound mystic and golden but falling into dissolution. It's superb. The agony of unfulfillment. No rock musician has touched Hendrix. It's that simple. He's that great.

— Rex Halliday

Slade Alive

A strange album, and difficult to judge. The music is good rhythmic noise, the production capable, and the performance explosive. Yet it's boring. You get the impression that both the group and the audience are trying too hard. However, seeing the group in perspective makes it all seem a little easier to understand.

Slade arose from the Black Country, the industrial heart of the Midlands. They cater to the new, younger rock audience who have not yet accepted snob rock values and who, as Nick Logan puts it, want to feel the emotion and sheer gut and crutch power of rock at least on a par with, if not ahead of the cerebral qualities that have been pushed down the throats of the older generation. The group have made association with their audience a feature of their performances (even to the extent of short haircuts). They exhort their people to let go at concerts, and if they don't, the group "just pummels their brains until they give in."

This exhortation on record, delivered in British working class vein gets pretty oppressive, however, since it sounds too much like a mission hall charity concert in Coronation Street. Or Cilia Black. You feel embarrassed and offended that a group should think you need such provocation to get moving.

Dave Hill is a bloody good guitarist. His performance of Alvin Lee's Hear Me Calling is impeccable, and his feedback control is comparable to that of Hendrix. Noddy Holder's vocals can generate a lot of excitement, so when I hear good tracks, Know Who You Are, I wonder why they doodle around with the rest. But why not? On this album you can hear the audience screaming their approval, stamping and clapping.

"It is the beat we play at, says Holder. "They sweat their bollocks off through a show and when they pour out of the club they are shagged out. It's a kind of release valve."

I think it's fair to say that the appeal of groups like Slade will persist as long as the young British workers need them.

—Philip Alley

FILM LIST FOR TERMS II & III, 1972Wednesday148pm"Green Slime"Thursday158pm"Heart is a lonely Hunter"Tuesday272pm"If"Wednesday282pm"The Boys in the Band"JULY Crime Festival. DOUBLE FEATURESMonday38pm"Asphalt Jungle" "Edge of the City"Tuesday48pm"The Big Heat" "Cry Terror"Wednesday58pm"Slaughter on 10th Avenue" "The Killers"Thursday68pm"St. Valentine's Day Massacre" "Coogan's Bluff"Tuesday113pm ?"Judgement at Nuremburg"Wednesday122pm ?"The Comic"Tuesday183pm"Z"Wednesday192pm"Ulysses"Tuesday AUGUST253pm"M.A.S.H."Tuesday13pm"Great White Hope"Wednesday22pm'A Man Called Horse"Wednesday 30 SEPTEMBER8pm"Finnegan's Wake"Wednesday68pm"Lawrence of Arabia"Wednesday132pm"The Cobweb" "Story on Page One"Wednesday202pm"The Russians are coming. The Russians are coming"Wednesday OCTOBER272pm ?"Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice"Wednesday42pm"The Reckoning"Wednesday118pm"I love you, Alice B. Toklas"This list may be subject to slight alteration, the official times and dates of screening being publicised through Newsheet and the Weekly Staff Circular.