Diamond Lets Go Of 'Religiosity' For lnnoVativeness By Bernie Russell Knows,'' a rousing love song along the lines of "Don't Let the Sun· Go Down "I'm Glad You're Here With Me 'lb- On Me. ·· Sandwiched between "Let Me night" [CBS]- . Take You In My Arms Again" and "Let There was a religious aura to much nf the Little Boy Sing" is "Once In A N~il Diamond's music in the early seven­ While," another slow one with stunning ties. Hits like ''Dr. Love's Travelin' Sal­ background music reminiscent of a vation Show" and "I Am, I Said" were glockenspiel. Side One ends with the so spiritual in their mes.sage that the title cut, one of two really poor songs on music suffered from the oppressive hea­ the record. ''I'm Glad You're Here With viness of the lyrics. In the mid-seven­ Me Tonight" is a bland love song that .ties, the words of Diamond's tunes becomes absolutely hokey at the end moved from r-eligious topics to romantic when Diamond coos, "Oh yeah. Feels ones, but, the melodies retained that ear­ like old times.'' lier hymn-like quality. The result of this development were hits like "Serenade" Almost every song on Side Two is ex­ and ";" songs ceptional. It begins with "Lament In D in which Diamond would sing lyrics like Minor," a haunting minute-long instru­ "I loved her with words and.more" to mental introduction to "Dance of the Sabres." "Dance of the Sabres" is al­ music that sounded like it belonged in a Neil Diamond most totally instrumental with Diamond church service. an that is as mellow and profes· chanting the title in time to the in­ dustry today-energy and imagination. sional as any pop record. Twitty's pleas· In his latest album, "I'm Glad You're fectious whirling background music. Ar­ Even though he has achieved tremen­ ant soft touch can be heard on such Here With Me Tonight," Diamond fi­ ranger Alan _Lindgrind and producer dous commercial success, Diamond con­ .tinues to alter his musical style, chang­ tunes as "Honky Tonk Song" and are­ nally succeeds i.Q cleaning out all of the Gaudio deserv~ as much credit as Dia·' make of Chuck Berry's "Mabelline." "religiosity" from his words and music. mond for the excellence of "Lament in .ing it (at least, in this case) for the bet­ He has replaced that "holiness" with in· D Minor" and "Dance of the Sabres." ter. Except for the constant presence of novative, melodious, and (most impor­ "I'm Glad You're Here With Me To­ steel , "Georgia Keeps Pulling "Desiree has those "loss of innocence" tantly) entertaining music. night" is a feast for Diamond fans. Peo­ On My Ring'' sounds as much like a lyrics like "If You Know What I Mean," ple who have found him a little too high quality Middle-Of-The-Road record There are manv similarities between but the up-beat melody and lively ac­ heavy in the past will be pleasantly sur­ as it does_ a country album. Conway ''I'm Glad ... " and Diamond's hit albuin companiment save it from becoming a prised with this album. In ''I'm Glad Twitty is soft-selling country music of last year, "." Again, blatant imitation of last year's hit song. You're Here With Me Tonight," Neil here, and doing it beautifully. Diamond uses a mind-boggling number The powerful orchestration of "As If" Diamond has struck the perfect balance of back-up musicians (ninety-seven in is in brilliant contrast to the sparse ac- between the light and the emotional, be­ "Down Two Then Left" [CBS]-Boz all). Two of the songs on "I'm Glad ... ," companim~nt to "You Don't Send Me tween the entertaining and the artistic Scaggs-Calling Boz Scag~~' s latest al­ "Let Me Take You In My Arms Again" Flowers." Diamond is at his best in "You and he's managed t() do this while leav­ bum: "Down Two Then Left," a dilu­ .. and "Let the Little Boy Sing" have Don't Send Me Flowers," with ing his religion out of it. ted version of "Silk Degrees" is being almost exactly the· same melodies and such conviction that even the most de­ far too kind to it. The fact is this record as "Beautiful Noise" and tached listener will be caught up in his Short Cuts is bland, bland, bland. Borrowing the . "Stargazer," respectively, from last sorrow over a love that has died. U nfor­ mellow style of Fleetwood Mac, Scaggs year's album. In this case, the imitation tunately, the album ends with the sec­ has recorded each song on "Down Two "Georgia Keeps Pulling On My Ring" can be forgiven because Diamond and ond poor track. ''Free Man in Paris'' is a Then Left" so quietly that, at times, [MCA]-Conway Twitty-Whoever brand- producer Bob Gaudio have given all of song that is so self-consciously artsy only· the beats of the drums can be heard. the music on "I'm Glad You Are Here and personal that its melody suffers, of­ ed country music as loud and uncouth There are no stand-out tunes on this With Me Tonight" such a lively inter- · ten becoming discordant as instru1J1ent· has obviously not heard it recently. record because everything sounds alike. pretation that the repeats sound even al sounds clash. Conway Twitty, one of todciy's most "Down Two Then Left" will make even better than the originals. Neil Diamond has two qualities that popular country stars (as well as being the biggest ·Boz Scaggs fan fidget with Side One begins with "God Only are severely lacking in the recording in- Loretta Lynn's husbandl has here done boredom. '~ Proves There's intelligent Life On TV

By Barry Hoffman your hands on it and you'll never let go. plot, overacting, lousy or phony-sound­ run.'' It takes superb craftsmanship to Actually, things aren't really that bad. ing dialogue, ' and, of course, any give as authentic a picture of life in the Of all the vices known to humankind, In 1977, for instance, the medium served unnecessary violence. This is a top-flight press as Lou Grant does. It takes television is one of the most addictive. up a lot of high-quality documentaries production in every detail, and consis­ something extra to make it equally As one of its resident wits (Madison and films. Public television brought us tently provides first-rate entertainment. entertaining, as is also ~he case. Avenue departmentl· once put it, get thirteen weeks of the intriguing I, What's more important is that Lou Much credit goes to the Mary Tyler Claudius, courtesy, of course of the 1 Grant is as authentic as a situation Moore Company, the show's producers. BBC. comedy on journalism is every likely to Second only to Norman Lear's firm as a Yet it's no exaggeration to suggest get. This remarkable credibility enables creator of popular sitcoms, Moore's firm that the front page story was the arrival the program to deal with a lot of concentrates on the head where Lear's of badly needed class in the sitcom important social concerns in a realistic, goes for the belly. MTM, Inc. deserves market. It came in the bulky form of Lou intelligent, and authentically moving high praise for having the guts to treat Grant 1 which may be the best continuing manner. There's hardly any kind of story its audience as ·mature adults. series on TV today. in the local section of the Sun that The subject is journalism. Obviously, Grant's paper doesn't cover, and Ultimately, though, Lou Grant belongs this isn't everybody's cup of tea, yet this viewers have the unique advantage of to its actors. Asn: and Marchand are at show has made Nielsen's Top 20 recently watching the reporters do their the top of the scale among TV's with regularity. homework. · 1character actors. Linda Kelsy and Robert This success isn't at all surprising. TV Then there is the human side of the Walden bring star reporters Billie audiences already know Lou Grant (Ed business, Lou Grant's strongest sult. Newman and Rossi (Nobody ever calls Asner) as Mary Tyler Moore's news The series makes i10 bones about the him by his first namel to slightly larger editor on her long-running series. Grant awful responsibilities that go with the than life. Mason Adams is solid as the has been transformed into a newspaper­ profession. On one recent program, an managing editor, and Jack Bannon's Art man on a major Los Angeles daily where ex-convict turned successful business­ Donovan is believable as the number two he runs the city desk. As is so often the man saved the life of a judge running for rock of stability at the city desk. case in this kind of show, he immediately governor on a ferocious ''law and order'' Anderson's "Animal" is ever depend­ finds himself surrounded by a host of platform. The spectacle of a rehabilita­ able for comic relief when it's needed colorful characters, ranging from the ted criminal saving a politico who didn't most. idomitable owner, Mrs.Pynchon (Nancy believe convicts were worth salvaging All in all, Lou Grant is a winner. Not Marchand I to ''Animal'' (Daryl makes great headlines. Yet the public since the early days of All in the Family Anderson I, head photographer. revelation of his past almost ruins the has a situation comedy shown such a Yet this isn't your usual sitcom. You ''hero's' ' business. consistent capacity to educate and can watch this show for weeks without As Johnny Cash once sang of trucking, inform while entertaining viewers Edward Asner, 'Lou Grant' seeing a single dopey or unbelievable newspaper work, too, ''ain't no easy thoroughly.