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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume 36, Number 16. 12th July 1973

Records

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Records

Records header

Houses of the Holy:

Doremi Latido Fasol:

Two unmitigated disasters: one from a group that should know better, and one from a group that should never have been allowed near a recording studio in the first place.

With a couple of exceptions, "Houses of the Holy" is a pale shadow of Led Zeppelin's former glory. To get straight to the heart of the matter, the music has lost the spontaneity and excitement that was in evidence on their previous efforts, a failing that can be attributed to the 17 months spent in production. To retain any semblance of freshness over that period is a task to rule out any but the great, and Zep just don't make it.

The lethargy that shrouds the music has also extended to the vocals. Plant's voice one so powerful has degenerated into strained and unconvincing shouting. Mind you, if you had to deliver these lyrics — an illiterate hodge podge that veers between uncomfortably psuedo— mysticism and inane banality — you'd sound unconvinced too.

Two forays into alien territory — those of reggae and electronics — could have served to alleviate the tedium, but didn't. "D'yer maker", the reggae track can be classed as the ultimate Zeppelin atrocity, while "No Quarter" drags you unpleasantly back to the bad old days when synthesisers were being used as effects machines rather than as instruments in their own right. Not only unmusical, but downright horrible, it annoys hell out of me. I really did prefer them as plagiarists of Robert Johnson.

Hawkwind are worse, if that's possible. "Doremi..." is totally devoid of anything that's inventive or even remotely interesting. It's just a sixth-rate collection of puerile psychedelia that drags on interminably. In a nutshell, Beatles/Badfingcr equals Pink Floyd/Hawkwind. Save your money for "Dark Side of the Moon".

Drawing of a cherub holding leaves

Rolling Thunder:

Mickey Hart was a drummer in the Grateful Dead. Together with Bill Krevtzman, the other drummer, he developed the unique style which became such a part of the Grateful Dead's sound and theirs was certainly one of the most dynamic percussive duos ever heard in Rock Music. Mickey worked with the band up until the legendary first "Live Dead" set and then dropped out of sight.

Three years later Mickey turns up with "Rolling Thunder", his solo record along the lines of the Crosby, Stills and Nash individual albums: together with a whole bunch a 'friends'. The big names always glitter but the formula has never been successful. These star-studded studio 'jams' are always cluttered and lacking in real inspiration — the bands were always better in their original forms. Here Hart's 'friends' are pretty much the same gang: the members of his old band along with some of Jefferson Airplane and Quicksilver Messenger Service.

"Rolling Thunder" is based around the simple and unmistakable rhythm behind "Playing in the Band" and while this is a good theme in itself, the music fails to sustain an equivalent unification or cohesiveness.

Showers of rain and other sound effects begin the mingle-mangle. We find Bob Weir singing 'Playing in the Band', his own song and here he is backed by the shrill "Tower of Power" horn section who are instrumental in burying the song along with most of the record. The longer songs are interspersed with short percussive pieces on tabla and other drums."Blind John" ends the side and its probably the best thing on the record. Perhaps, tellingly it works because it is simple, unadulterated Jefferson Airplane sans apocalyptic lib-bretto and Mickey Hart.

Side Two begins with 'Young Man' sung by Mickey whose voice bears a close resemblance to Sam the Sham while the music reminded me of the psychedelic schlock of Moby Grape circa 1967. "Deep, Wide and Frequent" is notable in that it features John Cippollina, the original flashing guitarist of Quicksilver, back in the days when they meant something.

"Pump Song" is one of the better songs from Bob Weir's solo album "Ace" and is included here, still with Wier's voice in a most appealing arrangement. A really mediocre horn voicing replaces the electric original backing to no advantage and in addition a mournful lead guitar which recalls NRPS's "Dirty Business" winds around the song but is somehow totally out of place here. Unforgiveable.

The remainder of the record features some of the electronic sound effects the Dead loved to play around with four or five years ago. Somehow, strangely you get the feeling Mickey Hart never really progressed past that stage. "Hangin' On", the last number is more Moby Grape muzak.

I do not know who produced and arranged this record but I suspect it was Hart himself. Here, the producer must take the blame because the record's faults are not the result of inferior musicianship; on the contrary all this music — Mart's drumming included, is very good. The flaws are caused largely by the [unclear: abyemal] arrangements which have failed to co-ordinate and shape the music.

Mickey Hart is no creep — his heritage is unique, but here he has done the wrong thing and taken advantage of it. I hope in the future we might sec The Grateful Dead featuring Mickey Hart and not Mickey Hart featuring the Grateful Dead.

Turkey:

Quite satisfying this. Wild Turkey feature the quite stodgy ex-Jethro Tull bassist, Glenn Cornick, loads of nice 'n neat slide and lead guitar, throaty vocals from Gary PickfordHopkins and nine competent — mostly rocking — tracks.

Sadly, it'll get hopelessly lost in the mass of albums from break away musicians and today's heavy-sell shit.

Yes, it's damnably bad these days. Why, only the other day. A Record Shop Man gave me a free black-and-white pop poster so I felt almost obliged to spend money in His shop.

I'm not wasting column inches on this little number then. If you want a few surprises from a tired pop-scene, forget "Houses of the Holy", "Birds of Fire" and the latest from your greatest for a few weeks. Break out and buy something like Wild Turkey.

They're not half-bad and they run rings! around their British friends. Wishbone Ash ('course that was one of last year's classic heavy-sells so we shan't blame you for that).

Image of Victorian men sitting in a bar

True Stones and Other Dreams:

Judy Collins has built a career on introducing other people's music to an wider audience. And that's not something to be sneezed at. Between them, Collins and her male counterpart, Tom Rush, have been responsible for bringing attention to the names of Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Sandy Denny, Tom Paxton, Jackson Browne and Jesse Winchester, to name a few. Paxton has also said that her "In My Life" LP had tremendous significance for the new group of singer/song-writers. "Judy showed that we could use orchestration, escape from that acoustic backing without selling out."

But an interpreter needs to be aware of her own limitations as well as being sensitive to the aims of a composer, the best of Judy Collins is on "Cook With Honey", the first track so simple, pure and lovely, the same directions of approach that made her version of "Suzanne" so stunning. But the rest cruelly shows what Collins can't do, and yet she persists in trying. She wants to be a great dramatic singer, and abortions like "Pirate Johnny" on "In My Life" and "Che" on this album show that she just can't cut it. They're just plain embarrassing. And Judy digs string quartets. Digs putting them on song where they're completely inappropriate. Like on Dylan's "Tom Thumb Blues". How could anyone back those slashing opening lines about being lost in the rain in Juarez "When your gravity fails and negativity can't pull you through" with violins and cellos muttering and flittering away in the background? Dramatic tension? Nah, and she does it again here with "Secret Gardens", which underneath all the pretentious frippery, sounds like an o.k. song. She's also writing songs now, and has one beauty to her credit in "Albatross". But these four don't make it, especially one autobiographical wallow called "Song for Martin". And lastly, she hasn't got the eye for new material she once had. "Cook with Honey" is fine, but "The Dealer" is a clumsy bit of preaching that some people get good hands, some get bad, and you better not hassle the dealer, who's got all the cards, and just in case you miss the ah relevance, the song says "you know, life's a lot like that." Gee.

So one strike and four fouls against Judy Collins on this LP. That entitles you to a walk. So go listen to Little Feat.

Drawing of a brain, a hand and a dog

Billion Dollar Babies:

I did like Lou Reed's "Transformer" and sucks to (Miss) Harry Craig. And then these bastards come along and it's your old pal Decadence, with an 80-piece orchestra and it all just about wipes out little Lou. Lou's homely, like sittin' round the fire and laughin' bout nothin'. Alice is big and floppy, a plague of zits from American hot dogs and no-head boils. You don't try and dare talk over it 'cos you play it that loud — and I guess some people lap up Dali pix to the strains of "I Love the Dead".

So... "Billion Dollar Babies". For starters, the garish (import) deluxe cover, billion dollar bote and push-out pin-ups won't cost you a cent extra. That was as far as I got two weeks ago. Sec, its taken me that long to find anything constructive to write about in the music.

Objectively, the songs are samey, tedious and the lyrics (printed "Aladdin Sane"—style on an insert....) quite drollish.

But Alice is American, the thing is about Bad Things and necrophilia, and it does succeed, after a hazy fashion. In "Elected" they sound bitchy and the inevitable autobiographical "No more Mister Nice Guy" reads like two hundred words from a dull psychopath. It's all so crumby.

In the end, a billion babes will buy the record and already I've seen gents and ladies with it who look like they'd puke at "Raped and Freezin'".

Do have a listen to the music though: you owe it to your unborn offspring too. Unfortunately, they're gonna wanna hear about Alice Cooper in twenty years.

"The Legendary Profile":

It has been some time since we were able to sample a new MJQ performance on record and it is indeed a pleasure to welcome them again. The word "legendary" in the title possibly describes the standing of the MJQ when in the 1950's it was one of several groups trying to explore the relationship between jazz and classical music. But this group, with its limited dynamic range and tonal colouration, will especially be remembered for its subtle use of fugues and other forms of 17th and 18th century music, an approach which sometimes sounds as a pastiche of the old masters. It is however due to the personal style of counterpoint generated by pianist John Lewis and the artful, swinging improvisations of Milt Jackson on vibraharp that have given MJQ its character, not that we would in any way want to diminish the achievements of the other two members, Percy Heath on bass and Connie Kay on drums. The numbers played on this recording are mainly MJQ compositions in which the group's spirit is recreated in the same self-restrained and soft-toned manner we have been accustomed to in most of their performances.

"Cello Concerto in B minor/ Silent Woods":

"Violin Concerto, op. 61":

"Romance, Reverie & Caprice":

It is said that Dvorak never considered the cello as a solo instrument until he heard Victor Herbert (who was not only a composer, but also a well-known cellist) in one of his own compositions at a N.Y. Philharmonic concert in the spring of 1894. This prompted Dvorak to write this Cello Concerto, the last major work produced by the composer during his stay in America (1892-1895), the first one being "The New World Symphony", his most popular. The music is easily recognisable as coming from his hand, especially in the handling of the expressive melodies and countermelodies and themes, some sprightly, some reflective. Also the Finale opens in typically Bohemian fashion with full orchestra. "Silent Woods" is the fifth and sixth pieces originally written for piano duct under the title of "From the Bohemian Woods" in 1884 and arranged nine years later for cello and orchestra. The mood is langourous, half Lisztiann, half Schumanesque. The performance in both works is top notch as one could expect from this famous husband and wife team, plus the addition of one of the highest rated symphony orchestras in the world.

These Szigeti recordings date back to 1932 and 1946 respectively and belong to the "Connoisseur Scries", a distinguished selection of re-recorded concert repertory made by world-famous artists years ago and now available on LP's. At the time he recorded the "Beethoven Concerto", Szigeti admitted that this was possibly the greatest challenge he ever faced. With the 1927 centenary of the composer's death and the unavoidable excesses of the many routine Beethoven performances in its wake, he was greatly critical of himself and strived for perfection. He was rewarded in being able to record the Concerto with no less a master than Bruno Walter himself. As for the "Reverie & Caprice", a comparatively unknown work, it was a friend of Szigeti who urged him to play it and when it was recorded in 1946, it was considered a premiere in the history of the gramophone. Since then, a number of famous ensembles have performed the work.