March 1975
CREEM
Please send letters to: MAIL Dept., CREEM Magazine P.O. Box P-1064, Birmingham, Ml 48012 A SEPARATE PASSE What does a young, talented, rock critic of a small college rag who enjoys Roxy, Iggy, Morrison, Zowie, Eno, Mott, Hendrix do when his roomate listens to nothing but K-Tel and sound effect records on a $20 Sears and Roebuck special? Any advice will be appreciated.
THE CHRISTGAU CONSUMER GUIDE
Robert Christgau
Every fall I prepare myself for the single greatest privilege and pleasure of criticism - year's-end best lists. My work with the Consumer Guide makes this task easier - all I have to do is sort through old CGs and separate out all the A and A minus titles.
ROCK 'N' ROLL NEWS
Ian Hunter's decision to break up Mott the Hoople was apparently sparked by a solo offer from CBS that will "set him up for life," it is said. He will continue to work with Mick Ronson, if contract hassles can be straightened out; Mick's currently all over Lou , Reed's next album, which better be a killer.
THE BEAT GOES ON
Jim Esposito
Mick Taylor's departure from the Rolling Stones caught a lot of people by surprise, not the least of, whom was Mick Jagger. "I suppose it was a bit inconsiderate of him to inform us a day before we were about to enter the studios," Jagger told a British reporter, adding that at a Stones business meeting just three weeks earlier, Taylor had given no hints that he might be leaving.
Trials of the Rock Writer
Ian Mac Donald
Around this time of the year, rock publications begin to plough out forms of questions which all add up, eventually, to: Who do you wanna read about next year? There's no way of ignoring that. If Group X comes out top of the poll and none of the writers like Group X, then it'll be difficult to blame any circulation-loss in "75 purely on a general recession.
THE SENSATIONAL ALEX HARVEY BAND
Ltraiy Kaye
That's the rust of the British Empire down there, scaling the stage, fainting from the heat, watching respectfully and with equal inattention as the disc jockey from Capitol Radio tries vainly to restore some order. "We want Ah-lex!" they chant in unison, crawling like white ants over the footlights.
Prime Time
Richard Walls
In case you don't know, and according to the Nielsen ratings you probably don't, the best series on TV right now is Upstairs, Downstairs, bar none, and that includes Sanford And Son (a.k.a. The Whitman Mayo Show) and even more especially All In The Family — I mean, how many times can you laugh at the same joke? Any sitcom is going to get a little less funny each week (to do otherwise would be to go against nature) "cause TV gives you a premise then works it, which is more disastrous to comedy than drama.
Star's Cars no.2
Star of stage, screen and sexx fantasies, motivates over the hill in a Jaguar V12 XKE. Features are six carburetors, 12 spark plugs and a five-speed transmission. This little roadrunner can hit 175 mph with no sweat. The license plate is 1-TINA, but then you didn't have to be told there is but one Tina Turner,
BTO Rules for the Road: The Family That Plays Together Stays In Together
Jaan Uhelszki
Rock and roll has long been the proverbial playground of pleasure for the itinerate rock charmer fortunate enough to be the current king of the wax heap. Flurries of fans and bevies of groupies are willing to annoint stage-weary flesh, decorate the not-so-palatial hotel rooms in their platformed finery, or grovel on command.
BTO VS Guess Who In This Corner...
Bachman and Burton still in the ring? This time around we've got the Bachman side of the story — but CREEM is willing to give equal time and billing to Guess Who's starbaby, Burton Cummings. Although it's been almost five years since Randy's not-so-happy ending with the Guess Who, rumors still fly about the "real" reason for his exit.
LET US NOW PPRAISE FAMOUS DEATH DWARVES
Lester Bangs
Ego? It may not be the greatest word of the 20th century, but it's sure the driving poison in the vitals of every popstar. Who else but Lou Reed would get himself fat as a pig, then hire the most cretinous band of teenage cortical cavities he could find to tote around the country on an all-time death drag tour?
CREEM MATE OF THE MONTH CARLY SIMON
THE WHO PUNCH OUT
Bruno Stein
If ever a band could be said to have a stormy personal relationship, the Who is that band. John Entwistle, Keith Moon, Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend are four individuals as unlike as four corners of the Earth, and the miracle of them staying together for 10 years is not one to be taken lightly, especially if you've seen one of their legendary fights.
REWIRE YOURSELF
Larry Jaffe
We've noticed an interesting phenomenon in stereo stores — a trend, a fashion fad that seems to be catching on with those who shop for stereo equipment. No longer is the David Bowie or Glitter look in. The pendulum has turned, and people are dressing up as the Carpenters.
DISCOVER AMERICA!
Steve Clarke
The much-modified Ford Mustang Mach 1 looks kind of out of place in the grounds of Clearwell Castle, Wales. The basic black bodywork has been psychedelicised so that brightly coloured streamers of paint now appear to chase each other across the car — which is clearly the property of a male, fairly young, and not exactly short of a quid or two.
ELEGANZA
Lisa Robinson
It occurred to me that I haven't written much about what rock stars are wearing recently; actually — I don't think I've been thinking very much about what rock stars are wearing. (Thank God I don't have to....) Obviously we have reached a point where anyone can set his or her own style without resorting to image crises or idol worship.
THE LONGEST PRESS RELEASE
John Morthland
But not too far inside — and because Clive Davis's long-awaited book on the music biz delivers so much less than it promises, it comes off instead like one long press release bio of the man, except it's even more self-serving than that. There's no doubt he earned the right to toot his own horn a bit.
Off The Wall
Ed Ward
THE FIRESIGN THEATRE'S BIG MYSTERY JOKE BOOK (Straight Arrow):: No mystery about this one — it's the rest of the Firesign scripts, along with some incunabula, some photographia, and lotsa. psychedelia. THE 50 CENT GUITAR BOOK, by Bob Davis & John Adams (Flash):: The 50 cent Guitar Book costs $3.95, in reality, and purports to teach you guitar basics for your 50 cent guitar.
EXTENSION CHORDS
Michael Brooks
One of the things many musicians and performing artists blow is their selection of microphones. Choosing the mike for you is something akin to purchasing toothpaste ... not only do you want the right flavor, but it must also work well with your style and fight the cavities in your music.
TECHNO-FLASH
In the Beginning was Pink Floyd, pipers at the gates of psychedelic dawn. Hell, they even used to write about 'em like that, even though the Floyd didn't always take themselves as seriously as their adherents often do. ("Take Up My Stethoscope & Walk" shows pure panache up the ass rn song titles.)
EDGAR FROESE THE THING WITH TWO HERDS
ROBERT DUNCAN
With his heavy German accent and low, measured tones Edgar Froese sounds remarkably like Henry Kissinger. Not that that matters. Edgar Froese is leader of Tangerine Dream, a popular German band that is part of a "new wave" of "Euro-rockers" currently invading the U.S.
NEHTAR JUMPS ON THE BANOWAGON OF THE FUTURE
PETER CRESCENTI
Nektar's music and light theatre hails from the land of sauerkraut, but this story begins, in Philadelphia, the home of cream cheese. Now I never considered spending a birthday in Philly, but there I was that Friday afternoon, gearing to test the hype of this latest European sensation.
TRIUMUIRAT
PIPER LEIGH
With all the Kissingerismus, phlebitis and detente abounding, it seemed the time had come to tune in some Kraut Rock. There'd been much to-do of late about these ripe Deutsch fruits on import labels. And now they were all coming over here. Triumvirat, from Cologne, was making a big splash and since they were billed at the Academy of Music it was only a reluctance towards international affairs that made me shy away from the gig.
Has Success Spoiled James Bond?
John Kane
Things change. If the calendar didn't tell us we're safely into the seventies, the systematic crumbling of our sixties" idols would. The Kennedys are gone, no longer the national force they once were; Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and any number of others are gone, their albums now serving as a dim reminder of a glory that was once supposed to have been; even blacks are, well if not exactly gone, at least no longer the angry, Chic force they were once perceived to be.
SHORT TAKES
Georgia Christgau
FREEBIE AND THE BEAN (Warner Bros.):: There are more dead pedestrians in this script than anything since What's Up, Doc? There is also more fagbaiting by James Caan than in anything he's ever done. There is also, however, Alan Arkin, who in one grimace can be both funny and vicious, which makes me think he should have played Lenny Bruce. So what's he doing here?
Taking Rock's Future By Artifice
Wayne Robins
Women, on Roxy Music covers, are like plants: lush vegetation, only more so. Unlike the reclining femme fatale on the cover of Stranded, who I've met many a lonely moonlit night (I call her "Amazona," as she drops her sarong) these ladies in Penthouse masturbatory pose dare one to fantasize — perhaps it's the red lipstick but they seem to come from the National Lampoon productions of "Chained Women" or "Big Bad Mama."
ROCK • A • RAMA
GODDARD LIEBERSON — Piano Pieces For Advanced Children, Or Retarded Adults (Columbia Special Products):: New Columbia solo star with heavy classical influence, would be boffo with Andy Warhol cover. Will move with in-store play and judicious mention of contributions froth guest stars: retard humor lyrics by R. Meltzer, slide guitar by Carolyn Hester, bass by Ed Naha.