CIRCUS October 1971
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Iff FREE! [(HARRISON POSTER I'y^r ■ ’ ' ■ NEW moodyA *s*in BLUES JI B-ME w !tN th IP PINK J ■ J FLOY a r The Bloody Blues new album Every Good Boy Deserves Favour I As in life, so in music As in music, so in life K ggr- -■ ls0pl& £1 THS 5 I- fc\. MIMUUO Of -WWMCCMDf &e iP>: Soft Machine Vol. 6 No. 1 emeus October 1971 ARTICLES THE STORY BEHIND THE BENGLA DESH CONCERT 4 What brought George, Ringo, Leon, Dylan and Clapton to the Garden? THE INTERSTELLAR THUNDER OF PINK FLOYD 20 The electronic birdmen put their old eggs in a new platter. THE SWIRLING SOUND OF SOFT MACHINE 24 Ignored when they toured with Hendrix, standing-ovationed today. WOODSTOCK: A TIN PAN ALLEY RIP OFF 28 Abbie Hoffman on Janis. Jagger and Greed. RELIGIOUS REVIVAL IN THE ROCK CULTURE 30 Peter Townshend, George Harrison and the Cat are among God’s helpers. PETE SEEGER’S RAINBOW RACE 31 The folk patriarch points a political finger at you and me. THE ELUSIVE MOODY BLUES 32 With five gold albums, how have they avoided fame? AN INTERVIEW WITH JOE McDONALD 36 Poetry and pointed shoes? Guess there’s a new Country Joe. AN INTIMATE LOOK AT ROD THE MOD 54 Making an album on a bottle of brandy. DEEP PURPLE: OVERCOMING THE IMAGE CRISIS 60 Will Fireball burn away the confusion? FEATURES LETTERS 12 Wrecking a church for Iggy. RECORD REVIEWS 16 Blood, Sweat & Tears, Stephen Stills, Beach Boys and more. POEMS 23 Morrison: laying the lizard king to rest. ON THE HORIZON 40 Osibisa spins a rhythm web. Buddah bets on Dust. And Titus Groans. HOT WAX 44 Hit predictions from the FM stations. OUR BACK PAGES 46 From New York, London, and the West Coast: polar bears, obscenity and Grand Funk. NATIONAL SCENES 52 Who’s playing near you and when. COSMIC CHARISMA see back of poster Libra: the scales of balance. MOVIES see back of poster Filming the dirt behind war and the West. Publisher: Gerald Rothberg Editor: Howard Bloom Art Director: Norm Jacobs Contributing Editors: Tony Glover, Richard Meltzer, Bud Scoppa Advertising Director: Norman Harris Assistant to Publisher: Art Ford Regional Correspondents: London—Mike Conway-Benton; West Coast—Jacoba Atlas Cover Design: Arnold Genkins CIRCUS Magazine Is published 12 times a year by Circus Enterprises Corporation. 866 United Nations Plaza. New York. N. Y. 10017. 212 - 832-1626. Return postage must accompany all unsolicited manuscripts, drawings and photographs. Entire contents Copyright © by Circus Enterprises Corporation 1971. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use without written permission of editorial or pictorial matter inIn any form Is prohibited. Printed in U.S.A. I Subscription rates: 12 Issues for >9.00. 4 1 4 i 'll L 1I I •SI I I JnJengla Desh Concert Paul Said, I, luv to come, but. ew York, the big questi fro I reporters was, Wei to be on your own?” ■ tL 4 » by Howard Bloom Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan My friend came to me opened the concert, tossing fierce Sadness in his eyes riffs back and forth as incense drift Told me that he wanted help ed around them. Khan worked over Before his country dies. his tabla with such intensity that he broke a string. When their set ended, ("Bengla Desh.” c Harrisongs Music Shankar stood to receive the enthu- Ltd.. 1971) *siasm of the crowd, then pressed his hands together and bowed his I ^he friend was Ravi Shankar. head in thanks. -L the Bengalese musician, world's greatest silar player, who has been tight with George Harrison for over six years The country is Bengla Desh (East Pakis tan). soaked in the blood of outrageous slaughter The request for help came as George was cutting a new record in Los Angeles. And the answer was a concert that brought Bob Dylan. Ringo Starr. George Harrison, Eric Clapton. Leon Russell, and many others to Madison Square Garden for a history making session that witnessed such strange com binations as Clapton and Harrison pick ing guitars while Dylan puffed his har monica and Ringo slapped a tambour ine on his thigh. o s The lights dimmed, and suddenly was on his feet clapping, and the photographers had flooded the space As Dylan played "A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall," Harrison and Leon Russell around the stage. laced together a melodic background with an occasional un-Dylan-like twist. Later Ringo came up, looking in his black suit like an amiable but shabby priest, and began to tap a tambourine on his thigh. Dylan’s set was capped with a standing ovation. _____ CIBJCUs 7 ngla Desh Then, to pul the Bengalis back in the his superstar stature to generate en And the mush harness of subjugation, he sent his thusiasm for the concert. “1 had lo pul BBC. and the c ^^3r requested help because American-equipped armies to the East myself out front.” he declared, “and anything bin h< n are being destroyed by (in American Boeing 707’s). where they hope that my friends would come.” If he But Chip Mi ■—ir of a bloodthirsty, high- frequently terrorized, tortured, and de numbers his fans among his friends, he willing to dona ^^wny against a weaponless stroyed everything and everyone in got what he hoped for. The lines began Ringo Starr. of whom had no wish to sight. The result is a set of horror stories to form al the box office two days be Clapton were i too sickening to tell. When Bengalese fore the concert's tickets were to go on very beginning. actually two territories college professors, newsmen, and musi sale. Twenty four hours before the offi George slag =sm each other as completely cians have returned to their country to cial opening of ticket sales, the lines had York, where l nd Canada by a thousand look (unsuccessfully) for their families, grown so long that it seemed pointless zines and lelei Indian land. The Bengalis, they have passed one hamlet after an to keep the box office closed. The win tered like raisi ■—of the Eastern section, have other where heaps of murdered villagers dows opened, and within six hours get as much pi ^^plied the country's wealth, lie between the burned out collages, and Madison Square Garden was sold out. possible. For l ^■dstanis of the West have mo- only carrion birds picking at a stiff hand George spent weeks telephoning mu goal was to p the government, holding the or face seem at home. sicians in California. England, and Though it broi and an albmr might bring the hall with hungry applause, the aud;ence brought George and his entourage back for two encores, George knew t stamped, shouted, and clapped for more even after half the equipment had been taken down and the bly raise enout lights had sunken hydraulically into the floor. in the suffering portanl thing. I gla Desh to th you and me. enough to kei after the conce V gel us to keep A'oh' it may But where it 9 Il's some th ii (“Bengla Des. Lid.. 1971) (To help the money to the U.S. Comm . I 331 East 3E - A* New York and pul in a .4, Bengla Desh The report) conference fo- him with que his own. Ge play with a I* to record hu murky stat* BiKvsn good not m doesn’t.” ai— . I really there— gees. But the Atlantic I plh him to a^a k avoided in "rge I met with h__ Harrison’s performance of his own songs was accomparved by a group large enough to make a Las help Ravi ; las band•and leader jealous. With Ringo Starr on drums, Leon Russell on p'ano, Eric Clapton and Jesse Davis Georg------ - electricguitar,___ Billy Preston on organ, Klaus Voormann on bass. Bad Finger on rhythm guitar, two extra live off^^ss immers. three norns, and six singers. from hi_____ I year. Il lered l Jry ,n* Jhe vice their military ma- But Ravi Shankar’s request made it Spain only lo discover that getting a L tn!.hC P?Sl ‘*elve years. obvious that no mind can blow away the thing like this together was not at all I here ter----- - The it „ cemb«r, the West Pakistanis cloud that hangs over the Bengalis. No easy. Leon Russell cancelled two con Londo^^^^ y a owed a f^ election. The Ben- amount of meditation can revive the two certs to come, but even then, it wasn’t Fcsl ivL • won a majorj.v of seats in the new hundred and fifty thousand dead or feed certain he could make it. John Lennon Assembly and were deter- was in the Virgin Islands trying to ccptio^^^^ the 40,000 new refugees who enter India Bcr^------_ iom° T? thcise $cats to 8ain some each day. George responded to Shan gel custody of Yoko Ono’s child and r. ’. ",s thrcatcned to throw the wouldn't commit himself one way or the sat Pakistt; kar’s plea by planning the Madison dress^^^^ •an’s frofn the saddle of pow- Square Garden benefit. other. Paul said lethargically, “I’d luv a threat recon^^^^ 11 PbeSidenl Yahya Khan At first, the idea of appearing in con to come. but. .” Record company acc^ t He cancelled the executives asked to cooperate said they lucid cert as a solo star “made me shake.” each I 111: ilfiyona* Assembly. George said. But he knew he had to use “didn't want lo get involved politically.” null Dill nions.