JUKE BOX JURY

It's been a drab month, folks. Left reeling by three months of skull-scorching singles, I was a bit shocked when the year seemed to fizzle out The Move, the Wackers, Slade, and Bowie still lurk around the nether regions of the charts, but never make the air anymore even in LA, while the crap proliferates all around. "Highway Star" didn't make it, heavy metal is represented by Uriah Heep's "Sweet Lorraine" (Mercury 73349) and Black Sabbath's "Tomorrow's Dream" (WB 7625), the worst single yet for each, and there ain't much for us fans of production pop now that "America" by the Dillards (Anthem 51014) looks like a stiff.

But wait. There's "Rock & Roll Soul" by Grand Funk (Capitol 3363) which keeps getting better Oust listen to Farner's guitar during the last minute and try to tell me these guys got no imagination), and also "I Wanna Be With You" by the Raspberries (Capitol 3473), whose Top Ten status I pray for every night. And as for pop, I'm willing to accept Albert Hammond's * It Never Rains in Southern California" (Mums 6011). His "Down By the River" (Mums 6009) was also a nice record, protest lyrics and all.