Page 130 - Scrimshaw1977-78

alwaystit ....6 Scrimshaw Friday, April 21, 1978 ('--__ R_E_C_O_R_D_S_~J W'NGSL:~:ng:;W"Boredom Town Is, Is, Is It Alive?? been a bit of a wimp. has As long as _ _ Moe"'tn.y Paul :ns~aO:~~:~~~!do~~~~~~~~:~ , SOUNDTRACK: Saturday Night Fever man, the on~ most likely to guest - ~ I~".· ' host the Torught Show. The thing... Saturday Night Fever is like any was, no one really cared; he rarely other disease. Either you have it or let the fact that he was a "regular you don't. Therefore, there can be guy" get in the way of his music. no ambivalence about the album When wimp was synonymous with Saturday Night Fever" currently Paul, wimp wasn't that badatall. misses here - the title track, "Cafe one of the best selling records And then along came London On The Left Bank," and "With A around. I personally consider disco Town. Little Luck" among them - but a malady about as loathsome as Paul and company have done everything blends into a syn- leprosy. However, I realize that more to set back the cause of thesizer-Iaden haze, painting the this nauseated attitude toward progressive music with this album perfect picture of an aging rocker disco could very well lead a rabid than all the machine-groups in deep, deep trouble. disco Can to tear me limb from churning out disco have ac- I imagine that a good part of the limb. With that in mind, I will, (in complished in four years. Where's problem stems from the choice of the interest of self-preservation the fun, the vitality and the good- recording location. As Wings were and always being unbiased abcut natured energy that used to floating on an expensive recording records) review this album in the characterize Paul? The record is studio-boat near the Virgin two following ways ~ For Those so laid back and mel-low (how Islands, back at home in London, Who Are Infected and For Those chic) that every time a cut is the town he has the audacity to Who Are Not. played on the radio I could swear I write about, the most vital music hear an entire nation snoring. of the decade was being worked out _ al:~~ T~~~::rod ~:~a~e~o~s~~ noyance, a disturbance in the calm lyrics that seem as significant as at Even the single With A Little Luck, on $25 guitars and thirdhand amps. has ~n well produced, giving a waters of the ~usi~al w_~rld, a Hallmark card and vocals that although a weak piece on its own, Instead of confronting this obvious better sound quality than I ex- product of A.~eJ"lcan ingenuity and sound like upbeat Ray Coniff seems to BURN WITH THE difference, Paul packed up his peeted. A great deal of Hollywood hype a~verbsIng '.1 looked forward Singers. It competes with Kiss PASSION OF ROCK AND ROLL band and hid from today's musical money has obviously gone into the to h~rJ.ng the ~~hre two recor~ set (which is also extremely popular when placed in the context of the reality, totally protected in his effort to cash in on the biggest (which ISclaSSified. by a lot of dls.co these days) or an album of the whole album. It wouldn't be too early seventies time warp. craze since The Fonz or Farrah fans as an expeJ"Jenc~ not quite sound of fingernails scraping down bad if this was released in 1970 by This could have been such a Fawcett-Majors (may her capped heave~, but close). ~lth all the a blackboard (if one has ever been some unknown Canadian with a great album; y'know the "old- teeth never fall out). A enthusiasm of a .Chnshan about to made) to see which can grate on furrowed brow, but this is Paul timer proves he still has it" type of conglomeration of names, some of be de~oured by ho~. I looked o~er the nerves the most. And heck, it McCartney! This is 19781 Come on. story. We, the fans, waited which are in the zenith of instant the shck comme.rclal marquee-like wouldn't even make a good I can't say that this record is patiently, putting our faith totally stardom right now, such as the Bee album c?ver ~Ith John Travolta frisbee ... totally worthless -- and T don't want in Paul and Wings hoping to Gees Yvonne Elliman and Kool (thel970svers!OnofJa~es~ean) to; I keep listening to it, trying to heaven that they wouldn't blow and the Gang are ~dme of the doing his stud strut amid bhnding All we can hope is that those w!).o find some great cut, a gem in and this chance. Well, the ballots are featured artis~. The music has its flash glitter .. S~ock registered enjoy it are having a good time and oC itself, that will. salvage the all in now and I'm sorry to say that own kind of sensuality, making it a when I saw ,?USICI~ns Joe Lala ~nd for those who can't like it, only entire album and allow a more Wings has lost but - and this is the little more than just a beat, but Step~en Stills given percussion time will remove. it from its positive tone to creep into this worst part - not as badly as we little else. Above all, it is dan- credits. current position review but all my efforts are of no have lost. ceable, if disco- is your kind of And now for the record Itself, the Mary Cole use. There are quite a Cew near Tim Windsor dance. album IS filled to the brim with For ~hose Who Are Not: This pure diSCO, music maddeningly Take A Break In DiMeola's Casino album- IS only a temporary an- boring with its incessant beat, Sorry! ' Fusion is a curious musical lyrical "Dark the Eye Tango." As Ai forewarned--for proficiency despite of this the Casino AL DiMEOLA: amazing caresses one strings, form. It utilizes the power and imagines the mysterious gypsy guitarist, the album is presented in This happened last week with the who appears on DiMeola's There's probably no worse review of Joni Mitchell's latest steady rhythm of rock as the the same mystical Latin-flavored feeling in the world for an editor album. The writer was listed as background for flowing im- previous album cover. tone that pervades Land Of the than when he's scanning a finished being Jim Green who, in actuality, provisational jazz lines. Regret- Midnight Sun and Elegant Gypsy, copy of the paper and he notices a lives and writes in New York. The tably, many ruston artists have. That is hot to say that it is dull. ~A glaring error. The most extreme piece was really written by Ben allowed this potentially exciting musician of his-caliber could never form of this kind of error is when Lowe. These things happen oc- style to disintegrate into "funk," be so. DiMeola is still quite young, an article is given yan incorrect casfonally and all T can do is but other artists have expanded its and probably will achieve much byline. boundaries. Of the latter, the most acclaim in the years to come. If apologize when they do. 1W you have had enough of three- notable may have been Chick give DiMeola some Corea's Return to Forever with its chord guitar, Visit the magical casino attention. Pure Pop? You Decide four immensely wizardry talented with portrayed here-you- may wish to Many are familiar musicians. linger a while. the keyboard of Corea and virtuoso bass-work of Stanley Jim Martin ABBA: The Album NICK ~ith great ch~~.es that evoked Clarke. Since RTF's breakup, one , Images of millions of Swedes of its least publicized' members is LO:h~~ p~:e~~~:o~e~:w :;:o~~~I si.ngi~g on the hillside ~ith t~e ~un now receiving well-deserved albums, one by the biggest selling ~~~~yth:u:%:~e~I::~I~~~: recognition. Guitarist.Al DiMeola group I~ the world and th~ other b,y concerned with maintaining an has just released his third solo a r~l~bvely obscure ar~lst who s "important" attitude' in the final effort, "Casino," and it is worth a arrIvmg on the. coat-tails of the song. on the record' Abba suc- listen. His fingers may be as quick as those of Mahavishnu John ~~~:fsV:~~h~/~:·~::t~:~:s~ cumbs to the "I'm' a star and McLaughlin but, like McLaughlin, The highlight of Casino may be disappointments ever scraped into ~v~~0~,~sr~7~~~~c~:~~:YI~~: his playing is always crisp, clean, the "Fantasia Suite ror Two and disciplined. Beware, Casino is Guitars" which features Al on ~~:. =c~~~c~u:heg~~~esi~ you" syndrome. God, they used to intense-but quite enjoyable. acoustic guitar, mandolin, modern music managed to record sound so good - what happened? Impressive on side one is the "castanets, hand claps, foot this boring album will remain a di~!~n~I~7~n~~:~k~f ~~i~~o~~e~ i wild, breathless "Chasin' the stomps, muted congas and Voodoo." The intricate runs oC bongos." This sprightly piece ~~~!e~~e:~~~~es~~t t~~or~Ps~::;~ something he's not, Nick is playing DiMeola dominate, as they do in all presents a fine contrast to the the most blatant, mindless pop numbers. Here the percussion usual driving pace· of DiMeola's music there iso-or is he? section of Steve Gadd and Mingo music. "Fantasia" is proof that Al .. !1~~~~~hO~~ea~~t a:~~:: ~~~: Lewis supply real pulse and tex- does not depend on amplification to make an impact. ture. And just as the voodoo chase parodies many other musical ends, along comes the romantic. To current DiMeola· "sounds": Thin Lizzy in "So It Goes, Andy Williams and the like Heart's Magazine Released in "Tonight" and, in what is perhaps the finest pardoy on the album, "Music For Money," he HEART: Magazine able to go in to the studio and polish takes Queen's '"Get Down, Make the record to their satisfaction. Love" and disguises it so thinly as ~~~~~:,~~~~r~~:~f:~:~~:~w~~~r~~~n~~:;t~ve~~~k~~~! to make it easily "deciphered" by ago: even the weakest of wits. Overall, SIX. and a half ~onths MagaZine I new recording the that Heart tracks did .Heart original enhances reViewed. s. though, Nick keeps old fashioned concepts like melody and harmony album, thlnkm~ that l~was to have especially the title cut and the foremost in his head while playing. been released Immediately. Well, remake of Nilsson's "Without be a making this quite an enjoyable after coun.Uess cQ.urt ~attles You." This should definitely anyone's Mushroom fmally won the.J"l?ht to addition welcome to album. Tim Windsor ~~~e~~i~ef::S~mH~~tt!:u~~ ~ record collection 1W I L_ __J