Our guess is that most students' reaction to Don Frank's penetrating analysis of Elvis Presley (Salient 21) would be "Oh no, not another boorish Marxist telling us what music we should not listen to".

Although we have been subjected to these sorts of tirades before, it comes as a bit of a shock to learn that Elvis was a "boorish reactionary" and what seemed to be a very pleasant music was in fact "decadent degenerate and ugly .... (and) . . . . rotten(ly) individualistic ".

Students who rejected the "analysis" offered by Mr Franks were absolutely correct, for no-one likes to be preached to, whether it be from the pulpit (see the right-wing Catholic newspaper NZ Tablet for an article on the "decadent" Elvis) or from the lofty heights of "Marxist Correct Lineism".

What makes Don Frank's moralising all the more regrettable is that by adding a dollop of "bourgeois" and a gloss of Marxism he seeks to dress his prejudices about the nature and role of rock music in the clothes of objective analysis.

Marxist moralising is as worthless as any other form of moralising because moral arguments (e.g. is rock music decadent or not?) have no resolution. There is no higher opinion to say who is right and who is wrong for both are opinions and "right" within their own terms.

Marxism has nothing to do with moral judgements, but is a scientific theory which enables the transformation of what is already in existence in accordance with laws that govern the development of human societies.

Marx himself was careful to recognise the progressive role of capitalism in history, because of the development of the forces and techniques of production. But in its development the private appropriation comes into contradiction with the increasingly social nature of production. And if we see socialism as a historical necessity which the contradictions demand for their resolution, then the question of the moral nature of either capitalism or socialism disappears.

Also, we must recognise that forms of music, art and ideas that arise today cannot be pigeonholed as progressive or reactionary because they have the contradictory character of reflecting both the advanced technology (the development of production forces) and the old social relations that accompany this development.

Thus Elvis, as part of this progression in popular music, appears to be "bourgeois" in essence because he can only express progressive aspects (the fusion of blues, country and rock-a-billy) in a form already available—a form in a capitalist society reflecting the dominance of the capitalist class.

It is of little use, therefore, to flagellate Elvis for his bourgeois characteristics. After all, we live in a bourgeois society. Yet poor Don Franks, good socialist as he is, seems quite put out. Perhaps Elvis should have recorded the "Internationale"?

This is probably what Don Franks would class as Western proletarian music, for even though he correctly identifies the existence of class struggle in the field of music, he ultimately fails to give an example of the music the US working class "has fought to create". Maybe he is thinking of the social humanists (e.g. Woody Guthrie) and their music, or isolated trade union songs of the 1920s. He remains uncomfortably silent.

For while the music of the '20s seems a long way away, the music of Elvis Presley (who was incredibly popular amongst both the US and NZ working class) seems very recent. And it is music that is in existence at the present time in which we see the class struggle being fought—the struggle against the manipulation of the masses' music into forms subordinate to the need for capitalist enterprises to realise a greater profit. The unfortunate history of "soul" music, from the harsh almost wailing-like sound of the James Brown ghetto music to the slickly packaged Black acts of recent years, is a classic example.

There have been many spontaneous revolts in the field of popular music (a manifestation of the continuing struggle) of which Elvis Presley is one. For Elvis represented an attempt to get back to a simplicity of communication in lyrics, an "economy" in sound through the use of a few instruments (guitar, bass, drums) rather then large orchestras (either jazz or classical), and for a particular section of the population (young people) a revolt against the rigidity of sexual and interpersonal relations that had characterised the post-war period.

The struggle between advances in the productive forces (with increasing inter nationalisation of the rock market) and a music (which although originally located amongst sections of the masses) that is getting further and further away from the masses, will continue with increasingly frequent spontaneous revolts. It is up to us to analyte them, not morally condemn them, as Don Franks does.

—Kevin Kane and John Ryall.

Eulogy to Elvis

O 'Elvis
You hound dog
You did do a bit of sniffin'
And when I read
That you died at Graceland
Even my black heart
Almost forgave you
But then I thought about
All that money you'd made
You were such a bold white nigger
That you didn't even blacken your face
To put some shade on your act
I almost bought one of your records By mistake once—
I don't know how the lady confused you With James Brown
But Elvis, my mother always told me,
Never speak ill of the dead
So I'm not going to accuse you of 'rippin'
But I still can't forgive you
For what you said in the 1950s
The only thing a nigger could do for you
Was to clean your blue suede shoes

Toucan do it Too Amazing Rhythm Aces

At last—a country music album for those who hate country music. The Amazing Rhythm Aces have put together here a quality album of subtle yet genuine country songs.

Most people should know them from their singles "Third rate romance" and "The end is not in sight". Most of the tracks follow the same pattern - ballads, often funny, sometimes comically sad like "Third rate romance". The one tread running through them is the life of common people and especially of their relationships. For me this is the great redeeming feature of country music.

The music itself? Without exception is skillfully arranged and sensitively played. There are no fast rocky numbers—most are laid back with a strong bass rhythm running through them (commonly syncopated) and hence the name of the group.

To vary music that would otherwise become dull and tedious, the ARA employ skillful 'ace' lead/slide guitar and organ breaks. These are all done in the good traditional country way but at their best these breaks excell and really "make" the song. This is especially true on their singles where they achieve chart success with material which would normally get nowhere 'top of the pops' wise.

Above all ARA music is charming in a quaintly rugged sort of way. It sure as hell grows on you..

Although "Toucan do it too" is not a 'great' record it certainly is a very good one.

—David Murray.

Going For The One Yes

This may sound a bit silly to begin with, but "Going For The One" is an immaculately packaged affair. A three-section fold out with graphically stylised skyscrapers ricocheting laser beams around and around and a rear view of a naked man. Eerie correlations here: man's alienation in the technological - concrete jungle . . . light years away from the extra-terrestial landscapes gracing their mid-period albums. The music, however, only partially succeeds in [unclear: onveying] an aural equivalent to such portentous symbolism; though that too has moved away from the mystical tripped up lyricism evident earlier.

Not that that's likely to worry the assorted members of Yes much. Because, at the moment, "Gfto" (interesting capitalisation there) is nestled about thirteen amidst those charts that adorn the green and beige sacking tacked on to the walls of the room where the records are kept. So it's selling by the proverbial bucketfuls, but the old bogey about popular taste not necessarily reflecting quality rears its head yet again.

Yes are all extremely accomplished Studio technicians, and Rick Wakeman's return to the fold has strengthened their hand immeasurably. Every role here is played with the N-th degree of precision, almost frightening in its perfection—crash, bang, rat-a-tat-tat, v-e-r-y far out, but sometimes leaves me cold, and that's cold as in cold, not as in spine-tingling shivering.

For starters, the leaden-footed approach adopted by Yes following Fragile is here developed to its logical extreme - near terminal paralysis.

That's perhaps a little too harsh, but I do like to hear the vocals too, and here Anderson is mixed way, way back behind the rhythm section, almost among the deafening barrage of electronic wizardry.

This is not to infer that "Going For The One" is all over-volumed drivel. In fact, there are some really beautiful passages interwoven into the profundity. Delve into the middle section of "Awaken" and you'll become entranced by the evocative mood picture. But what can you say about a lyrical progression from "taken so high" to "nothing's taking you higher" in the space of three songs. You'll be flabbergasted.

—Horatio Axeman.

Earthborn Earthborn

Earthborn, a New Plymouth band led by pianist seemed to me to present a much more creative and honest set than any other band performing that night. Every thing they played was original and although the standard of composition and performance fluctuated somewhat, overall they came across as a group of talented musicians honestly trying to achieve something good with their music, getting where they wanted to go and taking along with them those in the audience who were sympathetic to the fun and sounds being created onstage. It was really the type of loosely structured improvised jazz which needs to be played in the intimacy of a small club, but nevertheless Earthborn overcame most of the odds and managed to set up a rapport with an appreciative audience.

Their earlier pieces were to me their better ones a piano trio, employing Jarrettesque blues slurs along with classical flourishes; a blues in D-minor featuring alto sax; a bossanova written by the drummer; and a piano/guitar duet entitled A Conversation between Two Lovers. The second half of the set became more electric and "spacey". The pianist didn't seem very comfortable on electric piano and moog, hence the results didn't quite gel.

All in all I got a bigger kick out of Earth born than either the Golden Horn or 1860 bands. They mightn't have been as polished presentation-wise, but they were much more honest and more creative musicians.

Tim Nees.