Page 10 door STEREOSCOPES TALES FROM TOPOGRAPHIC OCEANS almost nothing but slick production this Yes time, pointing up the usual thinness of Atlantic SD2-908 both the words and the music. Side One opens with "Let Your Hair Another album by Yes has been re­ Down," an embarrassing message song to leased and there is speculation as to,its white American businessmen. "I Need. worth. Lacking the highly charged emo­ You" rocks slightly. "Heavenly" is awful, tionalism of earlier efforts, it seems to the worst of late-40's cocktail lounge represent both a regression and progre­ music. "You've Got My Soul on Fire" ssion. generates some excitement in its 4 min­ The lyrical content and thematic line utes, so just ignore its gratuitous allusion 1 are taken from the text of Paramhansa to Sly Stone. "Ain't No J ustice" tries Yoganada's '"Autobiography of a Yogi." hard and does move a bit but finally More specifically, a footnote on page 83 flounders for lack of any musical idea of that publication. Although several at all. lines do have a bit of subjective impor­ The second side goes sci-fi with only 2 tance, the majority appears to be pseudo- selections. The first is the title song, mystical b Ishit. Seated in four move­ "1990," a watery protest number with a ments, eac of which covers an album moderate beat that never really cooks. The side, the v rds quickly become tedious, other is "Zoom," a 14 minute song. Yeah, tending tc etract from the music. The dig man, cats on the corner rapping, UFOs music itsen is excellent, if not inspira­ in Mississippi, moon shots, fadeoutto tional, and highly listenable. insistent simplistic beat, zzzooommmmmm The question seems to be not whether sing the high voices, then Sly's "Higher" or not the album is a valid musical state­ again, all stretched out ad nauseam. It ment, since all music is, subjectively, has some really fine moments, but it but whether it measures up to previous never sustains them, and the conceit is efforts of the group. Earlier albums had pretentious. this feeling of imminent action, an event Forget it unless you're a Temptations or happening seemed to lurk within the Side One is devoted to spirituals, the through four album sides, a feat other bitter-ender. Dr. John Mood music, waiting to burst forth with a first two of which were recorded "live" bands have found quite difficult. Solid blaze of glory. Now it seems as though at the Berkeley Folk Festival, 1965. One guitar playing, flashy keyboards, and the event has passed, and they're waiting of these, "Amazing Grace," was a Mc­ assorted electronic effects complement COURT AND SPARK for the wheel of fortune to turn around Dowell favorite and here he gives the slow the steady drums and bass. Joni Mitchell to that area again. Mellowed out, might near dirge-like piece a superb reading, It's a good one. And it's outrageous Asylum 7E-1001 be a way of describing this, but it hardly full with a sense of melancholy counter­ when the volume's way up. JWM seems to help the music. At least two . balanced by hope or more so, spiritual Joni Mitchell is no ordinary songwriter. album sides too long, TALES FROM TOP­ faith. The feeling one experiences from TUBULAR BELLS Rather than write and sing a melody to an OGRAPHIC OCEANS is pleasant, if the song is real emotion not contrives as Mike Oldfield arranged accompaniment, she creates disappointing. JWM in the popstar Rod Stewart manner. The Virgin VR13-105 musical paintings.using her unique talent KEEP YOUR LAMP TRIMMED remainder of side one features two Mc­ for combining lyrical imagery and perfect­ AND BURNING Dowell session pieces and two songs on TUBULAR BELLS has been receiving ly executed sounds. COURT & SPARK, Fred McDowell which Fred's backed by the choir from a goodly share oppress notoriety, inclu­ her sixth album released in as many years, Arhoolie 1068 his native Como, Mississippi church, the ding "some" rave reviews. One-man- contains her most elaborate musical paint­ Hunter's Chapel Singers. band Mike Oldfield capably plays various ings produced to date. It was through Fred's work on "I Don't Side Two is blues, all blues; "Don't electric and acoustic guitars, assorted "Help Me" is the album's best song. It Play No Rock And Roll" (his only Cap­ Look for Me on a Sunday," "Good percussion, glockenspiel, flageolet, Far- has a light, far ranging melody that con­ itol LP) that I first came to appreciate Morning Little Schoolgirl," "Little Girl, fisa, Lowrey and Hammond organs, piano tains difficult vocal intervals and rhythmic the complexity of country-blues and find Little Girl" and "Levee Camp Blues." and grand piano, concert tympani, bass phrasing. You'll like the words and music pleasure in the distinctive sound of the All are solo numbers with the exception guitar, tubular bells and a few more. Un­ but you won't be able to sing them. Joni bottleneck style of guitar play. Fred's of "Levee Camp Blues" on which Fred fortunately, Mike gives no indication that Mitchell's oldest lyrical theme--the ambiv- ever-expressive voice, rich with its gospel is joined by Johnny Woods, a harp player his composition skills are comparable alance of a love affair-is partly explained overtones and his singing, piercing guitar out of the Little Walter mold (aren't they to his obvious instrumental abilities. The by the chorus: lines combined in a sound at once so all?). music takes the form of two episodic simple in form but so complex in content. On KEEP YOUR LAMP TRIMMED & pieces (one on each side), each organized "We love our lovin' His renditions of long-time personal fav­ BURNING you'll hear a musician sensi­ "Bolero" style from a basic theme that's But not like we love our freedom." orites like "Baby Please Don't Go" and tive to the blues form as only a very few embellished as it's systematically restated are. The rhythms which may at a quick Two new vocal tools are used by Joni "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" became using different instruments and thereby Mitchell in COU RT & SPARK. As first listen sound redundant, you'll find in creating different textures and tone the rendition's most often played on my actuality to be rich with subtleties. You'll performed in "Cold Blue Steel and Sweet, turntable. Later, after repeated exposure colors. All this comes off as harmless but Fire" recorded a year ago, she continuous­ hear melodies embroidered, expanded and a bit redundant. The story goes that to other McDowell albums, I came to starkly restated by Fred's impassioned ly slides her voice in pitch from one pre­ realize the comparative inferiority of that Ravel wrote his famous "Bolero" in a cise note to the next with a fascinating voice and guitar. While this album is not fifteen-minute period before an evening's Capitol LP, particularly when compared as effective as Fred McDowell Vols. 1 & 2, rhythmic effect, particularly in "Court to his best recorded work, that for a concert. Somehow I'll bet it took Mike and Spark" and "Troubled Child." In it is a very good country-blues album and much longer to compose much less. small Berkeley-based independent label, "one" of Fred's best. "Twisted" she omits all vocal temolo, Arhoolie Records. Those discs, (Arhoolie There's lots of muzak, er music, here, giving the song an unusual degree of If you're just beginning to appreciate but little conceptual ingenuity and no 1021 & 1027) contained consistently bottleneck or slide style guitar, you'll clarity and richness. Composed in 1965 superior recordings of blues and spiri­ inventiveness beyond elementary levels. by Ross and Grey, this is the first song find Fred to be one of that method's This album is supposedly the basis for tuals all marked by Fred's "make the most astute practitioners. If you're want­ recorded by Joni Mitchell that she didn't guitar say what I say" style. That style the soundtrack of "The Exorcist." By write. Probably chosen for its autobio­ ing a suggestion on a good starting point next year you'll hear this LP as back­ was a fondness for guitar used as a voice. for the enjoyment of country-blues, graphical content, "Twisted" makes good Lyrics held meaning not simply as a vocal ground music in offices...maybe....... use of her vitalic humor (remember her Fred's a sane, safe and satisfying bet. Penny's....Sears...Wards........... device but instead were a melody line Greg Leonard laugh at the end of "Big Yellow Taxi"?) which could be sung by voice or by ——Greg Leonard and taunts the stern advocates of common guitar, or by alternating or comb'infc'ing both BACK INTO THE FUTURE 1990 sense. This, in conjunction with his talent for Man The Temptations A recent lyrical theme of Joni Mitchell's both rhythmic subtleties and melodic orn- UA-LA179-H2 Gordy/Motown is given in "A Free Man in Paris," a fast- amentation,distinguished his style from driving song which tells of a popular his contemporaries and brought him pop- Recently, I heard on the radio about a A year after their blockbuster success musician's longing for his anonymous past. ularityunequaledby any other Delta new group called Man. So, when I ran with the 12-minute "Papa Was a Rolling With several voices yodeling together bluesman. across the album BACK INTO THE Stone" on the album "All Directions," across large melodic intervals she sings: Following his death in July of 1972, FUTURE, in my bi-weekly search of the the Temptations, with, producer Norman "You know I'd go back there to­ quite a few previously-unissued-material promo records, I ignored it.