APRIL 1969
CALENDAR MARCH 15 — 31 EXHIBITIONS
March 15 , Exhibition of toys, from the studios of Detroit Artists and Designers. Cranbrook Academy of Art. Through March 25. Les Silva Black Mirrors Series. Newest exhibition in Plexiglass, Art Place No. 2,6558 Third. Monday — Friday. 11 a.m. — 6 p.m., Saturday — Sunday 1 a.m. — 5 p.m. Through March 26.
RED & BLUES
The Red, White and Blues musical style is a combination of all that has gone down in the last ten years and what they could hear from, the remnants of American blues, both delta and urban. They are not blues purists, but rather combine the musical dynamics of rock with the brash simplicity of blues.
FIRST TIME AROUND
Gayle Clark
For their first time in the States the Savoy Brown are making quite a name for themselves. They played Feb. 7-9-12-15 at the Grande Ballroom and came across very well. Both Sat. and Sun. nights they received standing ovations, that’s how well that’s how well they came across.
WHAT FLOWS ?!?
Gayle Clark
Whilst on my travels distributing the first edition of Creem Magazine (that newspaper we all know and love!),I happened to arrive at a desolate little night spot that goes by the name of Crows Nest West. The management welcomed me in and was very nice all around.
TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT!
i.a.
Quote from Phil Spector upon being played “Reach Out” by the Tops: “Man—That’s black Dylan! ” He’s right. Speaking of Spector, London Records is finally releasing the River Deep Mountain High album in this country. For Christ’s sake, make it a hit this time!
miller!
Well, what have we here? Another Rocky Roily Paper? I certainly hope not. In fact, it probably isn’t. It’s probably going to be more of a general rap sheet, using Rock as a starting point. I think that so far, most rock papers have failed to give us very much that is meaningful.
Three Dog Night
Eric Jaggers
It looked like a typical night at the Grande Ballroom crowded with an assortment of Steppenwolf fans, people with nowhere else to go, and the usual range of Grande regulars. I got there late as per usual. But, in time for Three Dog Night’s first set.
ZETRO
Zetro by James Zetro, ESP-Disk Cuts: Freekin', Happy Pretty, Fourth. Personnel: Bert Wilson, tenor sax; Allan Praskin, alto sax; Warren Gale, trumpet; Michael Cohen, piano; Bruce Cole, bass; Zetro, drums. Zetro. is insane. On Freekin' he has everyone play the same melody, but not at the same time— one horn lags behind the other and it’s really Weird.
'TRANE
One of the most remarkable records ever put together in the galaxy is Ascension (Impulse AS-95), a monstrous manisfestation led by John Coltrane. This, record transcends artifact (or anything solid), jazz and other concepts we use to control music.
JEFF BECK GROUP
DYLAN '65
Note—Three years, some odd months ago, I walked backstage before Bob Dylan's concert at Masonic Auditorium intending to do an interview for a high school paper I edited. Instead, I met Alan Stone, then a Dj for WDTM, A Detroit FM station now disappeared, and after talking with Stone, decided to use parts of his talk.
CREAM au revoir pt 2
So here I am, Spring of ’64, sitting in the ol’ Purple Onion (in Northern England), a coffeehouse; I’ve got two cigarettes and it’s a nine mile walk home. The door opens and conversation drifts quieter as everyone turns to see if it’s a “regular” who might have money.
BO BO
Bo Bo Jenkins
As looking in on the musical world, especially checking on clubs, and bars I find that many good musicians are umemployed because of different types of music. I find Rock-in-Roll and Bluest are your main features and many people have traveled around trying to find good rhythm.
THE POP SOAP OPERA:
ANNOUNCER: Welcome once again to "Searching For The Very Souls That Already Have Been Sold” our continuing story of life and 2 love, laughter and liberty tears and fears and feeling proud within the Popular Music World we, all know and love so well.
BANGI
Kenny
Eight months ago Terry Reid, guitarist and vocalist, got together with Keith Webb, drummer, and Eric Lease, organist, to play gigs in and around London. Last November with new organist, Peter Shelley, they made their debut in the States with the Cream at Madison Square Garden.
THE LITTER
K. McCormack
Covered and curtained, the Litter transports those that are waiting. One of the characteristics of an audience is expectation and the Litter gives birth to a forwarding sound with an intended destination in mind. Scott Doneen, manager of the Litter, explained in an interview at Silverbell last Saturday night, “Detroit’s MC-5 are into a violence thing.
WE’RE GOING WRONG
Phil Richardson
I once heard of Ernest Hemingway saying that a writer may write about anything he chooses, but if he is only insincere once, he will never be quite, the same again. He was speaking in regard to the literary field, but I would like to think of it as analogous to music.
Editorial
Things are beginning to happen in Detroit. Open city is becoming a reality with the switchboard open (831-2770) and till the committees progressing rapidly. WABX has announced a series of free concerts this summer as well as a further venture into Television.
DONT LOOK BACK
BOB DYLAN
Since before he had achieved any notable degree of fame Bob Dylan the person has been a pretty obscure figure, well hidden behind the artistic poses and put ons which served to define Dylan the pop culture hero. Two books continually available attempt to clarify and define the unknown element that is Dylan and, though they both fail at really doing this, and for pretty much the same reason, both are good books that together come extremely close to breaking through the poses just by showing how Dylan uses, them to protect himself.
SILVER SURVEY
Richard Walls
Horace Silver came into prominence in the early fifties. But this isn’t a history, rather a registration of feeling concerning Silver’s recordings. I am assuming that 1.) you’re hip to Silver, or at least vaguely aware that he’s a jazz pianist and 2.) when you’re faced with the Bluenote backlog of Silver recordings you’ll trust me a little in helping you pick the best.
OPINION
Phil Richardson
The human element, or “human nature” if you will, is of course present in everything we do, from the basic satisfying of physical needs to our pursuit of pleasure. It has been pondered, written about, lauded and condemned for centuries. How much is truly“human” never has and never may be agreed upon.
Fleetwood Mac
Gayle Clark
“They came, they played, they conquered.” Yes my friends, the Fleetwood Mac brought down the house Friday night, Feb. 7. Actually it wasn’t a house and they didn’t bring it down, it was the Grande Ballroom and they incited complete pandamonium for some ten or twenty minutes.
...Or Words To That Effect
Eric Jaggers
First I have to say Van Morrison is an artist that needs a lot more damned recognition than he’s had so far. The man is a genius. His new album on Warner Bros. — Reprise called Astral Weeks is a masterpiece of words and music. In my mind his greatness has no comparison (except to say he is England’s Feleciano with 100% more originality and power.).
MOKA
Jim Kleinsorge
I went to East Detroit High. School on Saturday night for a concert headlining the SRC, and, like most concerts, this one had a few small groups before the main attraction For me, the high point of the evening was not the SRC but a new group on the scene, simply called Moka.
THE INCREDIBLE STRING BAND
Ice Alexander Five or six combinations of artists in the world are in the unfortunate position of being practically journalistically indescrible. I say practically in that these artists are of such obviously high calibre that they are describable only by the use of such terms as "brilliant", "genius", "revolutionarily unique", "gods and demi-gids" and, the worst of all, "the ultimate".
LETTERS
TED LUCAS
JIM KIEINSORGE
It’s a gas That someday All your cares will pass. You’ll be laughing in the grass Isn’t a lovely day The words are gentle and simple and bring a contrast when compared with words of hate and revolution, of sorrow and denial. Simple yet expressed in such a way that brightness of the sun has caressed each word.