Page 3 - TheGoldBug1972-73

The new folks who live on the Hill newest occupants of the prettiest house on are a family by the name of John. a lucky COincidence that the engaging of the clan also happens to be Western new college President, Dr. Ralph John. For without that fact, WMC would be four of its nicer additions. to Dr. John, the family consists of (Prince) John, and sons Byron, 22, Another son, Doug, 24, lives with his Rita in Waverly. Iowa. Byron graduated this June from Cornell College in Iowa, and kandy sophomore at the new Westminster High the John household would normally be busy but the added dimensions of moving and .e,deoorallh· ie have kept Dorothy John on the go. her glassware are in the process of When the Johns left Simpson College, the faculty there presented them with a lJe'nl,wa,;hed and put away, but Mrs. John has little patchwork quilt. Each faculty member contributed a patch representative of themselves making that a full time job. Besides and their family. up with the boys," as she' puts it, . in collecting buttons, and He recently saw a sign in the Grille requesting new recipes." (She makes terrific anyone interested in spelunking to call a certain Moody Blues th()co],ate,:h"p cockiest) Not to mention the various number. (anyone who has any additional in- from p. 4 whicha president's wife is formation regarding this, please contact Randy) combines a natural ease He is perhaps the most private of the family, and on the keyboard, nearly any instrument can be his third floor pad is "off limits to everybody," says reproduced complete with their respective his father. polychromatic range. Besides the mellotron, the The best known of the family is, of course, Dr. band has COllectively mastered thirty other dif- Ralph C. John. A firm believer that families who do ferent Instruments. Freed of limitations which play things together are happiest, he makes sure there is havoc amongst the vast majority of rock groups, time in his schedule for family outings, on the boat, this band is capable of much wider latitudes of (;.} took them down to the Bay the other day and musical expression they all got seas!ck!':) or takin? a drive... or just Asort of electric philosophy has stepped out from being together. HISphIlosophy of each person being behind a barrage of haunting lyrics and has encouraged to develop as an individual, extends to asserted itself as the professed drive behind the his own family. He encourages each of his sons to group. Speaking of musicians as the mouthpieces of make their own way, to grow and change. Neither today's culture. Graeme Edge said, "Artist.s should son is particularly interested in Westminster as a be like good journalists: prodders and pushers, permanent home, and both understand this. moaners and groaners; ."The philosophies that The Johns represent something new in the office we express in our music are a lot of people's of the Presidency. The almost pontifical aura that. opinions. not just our own. I think and hope that we are expressing what a lot of people feel". John Lodge mentioned that, "Our songs are about what happens to everybody. We might get. around to a lot more places but we have the same experiences as eV1'6n'1~%T~~~s~~~ ~~~We:~t"~a:,r~~~j~1~d perhaps most polished of their albums to that date. A very real world which lies between the concrete and the dreamlike is explored in what can best be described as a tone poem. I am particularly drawn to Lodge's 'Send Me No Wine', Hayward's 'Lovely To See You' and Pinder's 'Have You Heard?', Dr. Ralph C. John: nice home, nice family which are perhaps among the best material that they have ever recorded. .ith a delightful sense of humor. "I'm surrounded "To Our Children's Children's Children," y men," she says. "Ralph, the boys, and the dogs. released on their own Threshold label in 1970, was ometimes I think even the fish are male." When I written as a 'dedication to the Children of the sked her how she could tell, she said knowingly, future', and inaugerates "lEe beginning of the Oh. it's in the looks they give me sometimes ..." free". Launched as an extended metaphoric Byron, a sports enthusiast graduated from treatment of the Apollo Eleven flight, it explored the uncertainty of the future in a hope of finding ?~~:~~I;ol~~~fn~sf~rh~Sj~r6.~:j~~l:;;~~~~{n~n~~~ true aesthetic worth. Metaphysics is indeed shtng. tennis, and has recently acquired a taste something new to the doldrums of rock lyrics. r golf. he hopes also to tryout the college pool "A Question of Balance" also released in late -metime soon. As a 'history major, Byron was 1970, breathes new life into the value and wprth of .rhaps more acutely aware than the average serious and. honest introspection. This album is -rson of the era in which he went to college, 1968- adorned with Christian imagery which surface "1 went into college all rah-rah, gung-ho, beat Dorothy Prince John: "r'm surrounded most noticeably in 'It's Up To You', 'Melancholy ose gooks!" he says. "But I really got shot down ~ by men!" Man' and 'The Balance'. flames. Other kids didn't feel the way I did. I once hung over the ornce has been swept away over And finally. "Every Good Boy Deserves red to get really angry ... " He isn't sure if history, the years. The Ensors began this, and the Johns are Favour," as released last summer is a musical 'wever, is the field in which he wants to work; continuing the change. For first families are, after reaffirmation and consolidation of the Moodies; 'd like to try something else for a change, related all, just people. And the hew first family is a very patented musical expressionism. 'Story In Your ·rhaps. but not necessarily." nice group of people. WMC is lucky to have them. Eyes', 'After You Came', 'You Can Never Go Randy, an introspective guitar player, also likes Home' and 'My Song' all betray two concurrent orts. He enjoys the use of the family boat, themes: evolution and mankind's spirituality. rmpus. as well as anyone else in the family. He is THE NEXT MEETtNG OF THE Christian shadows are again lurking in this puzzling n-rently .taking guitar lessons, and practices GOLD ~U(; and at times enigmatic work. A further album is llgently. .He has tried writing songs, and en- WILL BE HELD WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 27 p'ojected to be released sometime in October or ys various chord configurations to get different AT 6:30 PM. tN THE GOLD BUG OFFICE. November. 'ects. In addition to boating and guitar-playing, ALL THOSE "NEW FACES," Back at square one, I am reassured that the mdy likes to snor-kel. . PLEASE COME AGAIN! - music of the Moody Blues is "music to listen to and float away 0!1".