ONE OF A SERIES
informs us of what it's really like to pay sides done with the Harry James band. If you're around your dues. And I Did Ma is a witty The reading is reluctant, the voice light and vocally accurate put -on of country - and thin, but more than a suggestion of New and- western maudlinism, complete with the later exquisite enunciation is detect- York City honks and yodels. able. Other singers have paid as much Baltimsa and several others are mere- attention to their syllables as Sinatra, but and like shopping ly necklaces of mismatched imagery, not with the same simultaneous illusion deliberately going nowhere. It was good of naturalness. Only on those very first enough for Bob Dylan. It's not good tracks did it sound mannered; it soon be- great Hi -Fi stores - enough for Miss Ian, nor for the fans came second nature. who think this sort of thing is deep. The recorded sound in the collection see this man... With her clear tone and flair for dy- is far from uniform. Why Shouldn't It namics, Miss Ian possesses one of the Happen to Us, an inconsequential "cute" few first -class female voices to emerge song from the mid- 1940s, sounds as if from folk rock. What's more, her sing- it were recorded through five layers of ing is growing. And she has a real gift wet Kleenex. But along with other tracks for song writing. Yet just when one from the period, it shows a style already marvels at it, Miss Ian reminds us of formed: Sinatra could by then get "in- how young she is by throwing in a line side" a lyric even if there was no sub- of condescension for anyone of parental stance to it. And the voice was becoming age. With luck, the growing up process deeper. will cure her standard teen -age arro- The best tracks are the ballads. Sinatra gances. This is a fine talent. M.A. had not yet grown the necessary glands HE'S OUR DEALER! to take swingers by the horns. That came LOVE: Forever Changes. Arthur Lee, later. His attempts to swing (Blue Skies, Moe Belin, Owner of S & S Audio guitar and vocal; John Echols, guitar; for example) were mostly embarrassing, 106 West 32nd St., New York, N.Y. Bryan Moe Belin, one of the senior members of the Maclean, guitar and vocals; though a few of the lighter tunes in that New York hi -fi alumni, is now in business for Ken Forssi, bass; Michael Stuart, per- vein come off. himself. In his new, midtown location, he says, "I'd like my long- standing customers to know cussion. Alone Again Or; A House Is Sinatra's Dorsey days were recorded that since going into business for myself I find Not a Motel; Live and Let Live; on RCA Victor, and his first records on that Pioneer has become one of my most reliable Bummer in lines. It gives my customers the quality they're the Summer; seven others. his own were for that company's Bluebird looking for . . . and at the most reasonable Elektra EK 4013, $4.79 or EKS subsidiary. Excepting that material, Co- 74013, $5.79. lumbia's collection is a thorough and in- The first album by Love contained the teresting reconstruction of the first half Pl ON EER ,(1,1) intriguing Little Red Book, its shifting of his career. G.L. PIONEER ELECTRONICS U.S.A. CORP. harmonies implying a free -wheeling ex- 140 Smith St., Farmingdale, L. I., N. Y. 11735 ploration of exciting, untraditional chord NANCY SINATRA: Movin' With (516) 6947720 progressions. The group's second disc Nancy. Nancy Sinatra, vocals: Billy ( "Da Capo") realized the group's poten- Strange, arr. and cond. What'd tial in the area of harmonic inventive- 1 Say; Friday's Child; This Town; ness and also showed Ken Forssi to be a nine more. Reprise R 6277 or RS Audio -color solid, skilled, and imaginative bassist. 6277, $4.98. So I was very disappointed by this For all the lavishness of Miss Sinatra's Lets you see your music new record, which not only signals the recent television special, it brought us a end of their excursions into untapped rather nervous Nancy. Not so with this (for rock, at least) harmonic play- album, taken from the TV show, in grounds, but emerges as a real regres- which Miss Sinatra sounds relaxed and sion. They have lost two members (the graceful. With certain glaring exceptions, group now totals five) and have at- her singing is improving rapidly. She no tempted to compensate by bringing in longer sings flat -at least not here. While strings and trumpets, but they haven't she seems to be a basically restrained a decent arranger on hand, and the re- performer (in the family tradition), she's sults are amateurish. learning both the value and mechanics Live and Let Lite does, in some small of animation. In short, she's warming up. way, recapture the elemental spirit of Of course, it must have been a corn - their earlier efforts, and A House Is fort to have a few friends in the wings. Not a Motel affords a glimpse into the Frank Sinatra sings one track, Younger realm of good rock- guitar playing; but Than Springtime (he sounds beautiful), the rest sounds like the vast majority of and Dean Martin joins Miss Sinatra in a uninspired and mainstream commercial trivial but pleasant duet called Things. ASSEMBLED KIT FORM rock groups. S.L. Several selections were written by Lee $54.95 $44.95 Hazelwood, who has written so much of $5 DOWN - $5 MONTH FR A NK SINATRA: The Essential Frank Miss Sinatra's material from the begin- Sinatra. Frank Sinatra, vocals; or- ning. Hazelwood duets with Miss Sinatra Walnut finished cabinet included chestra, chorus, quartet; various on an earlier success, Jackson, as well as Shipped REA Collect arrangers and conductors. Close to Some Velvet Morning, a strange and You; Blue Skies; Sweet Lorraine; gripping song (alternating 4/4 and 3/4 Easy to build, easy to install. All transistor forty -five more. Columbia S3L 42 or time), which Miss Sinatra sings haunt- AUDIO -COLOR adds a visual dimension to mu- ingly. sical enjoyment. A brilliantly moving panorama S3S 842, $19.19 (three discs). of color casts dancing images on a soft frosted Columbia, a label that showed little faith For my tastes, Nancy Sinatra is a fine screen, reflecting rising and falling volume with in Sinatra when the tide was running talent and this is her most imaginative each beat of the music. Here's a truly unique against him, keeps finding new ways to and tasteful album so far. M.A. and exciting new musical experience. Make capitalize on its former association with check or money order to CONAR. him. This is the latest repackaging of SEND FOR FREE CONAR CATALOG some of that material, and, as it happens, the three -disc collection (eight tracks to a side) is a valuable retrospective.
CONARDivision of National Radio Institute It includes his first recording, From Deot CT8C 3939 Wisconsin Avenue, Washington, D.C. 20016 the Bottom of My Heart, one of the CIRCLE 17 ON READER -SERVICE CARD
12_0 CIRCLE 37 ON READER -SERVICE CARD-
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