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Stylistic , ChhLitcv recmcrgence of the
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O 'Jays, Al Green, and CBASR ’ s own " Too THE GUESS WHO
Late to Turn Back Now. " LIVE AT THE PARAMOUNT
Genetically. CBASR stem from the tame RCA
kind of soul pop hybrid the Jive Five
developed in the early sixtiei. In facl, lead Lately some people have begun lo assert
sinter Cornelius ' vocals arc quite reminiscent that, what with 1967 so far gone and all. ain ' t
of the Jnre Five's Eugene Pittv who on "My nothin ' cosmic anymore. They say that rare
True Story " and "What Tune Is It " was the evanescent psychic Per drop, the flith has
model for street corner acappella singers gone out of contemporary life. But I Know
throughout the five boroughs of Manhattan Different Ever since last Thursday, when I
and Long Island too. was awakend at 5 o ’ clock in the morning by a
bolt of lightning from a flash thunderstorm
Anyway you look at it. the CBASR have a striking the streetlight in front of my houw.
pretty good album, in fact, it ' s probably the
best 1962 album of 1972. Just look at the creating Mich a bag boom, with a slowly fading
terrible cover, a classic esample of bargain bin aftermath hiss so close lo the one at the end
* ‘ A Day In The I ife " that I was sure the
provincial; the colors arc running , as if it were of
left out in the rain, the pictures are so goofily Russkies or the Chinks had dropped the
posed and astonishingly out of focus it had to Bomb on us at last, and just lay there waiting
for the shock wave lo come and snort me up.
be done on purpose . Any cover that corny has
to have something good inside. I lay in wait for about 1$ minutes , and
hasn ' t even seen A Oorlxtvi
Most of the material as written by E. Orange for that matter. He ' s whatcha call a when I was finall) and absolutely convinced
probably
tike one or the other of the group ’ s two hits. musicians ' muucan and you know, it ' s that it definitely was not coming. I got up and
Cornelius and most of it is samey. sounding
played the 16 minute version of "American
There are subtle differences though, and some amazing how boring these fellas can be. This Woman " on the new Guess Who album
album should have been called Roy Buchanan
very high moments. " 1 .tf« Your Head Higher " Show the kWo/e World That He Can Ptav AU recorded live in Seattle, Washington. In the
*
is brilliant, with spare, low down piano, Different Ktndi of Stuff Without Once process of auditioning this performance for
the fust ( lashes I could remember having in.
magnificent " I real Her Like A Lady " Causing Anything Ready Putty Structured to the first time. I was hit by not one but two of
harmony builds and intellqccnt race Appear; it’ s a collection of stylistic exercises
consciousness/transcendental lyrics. Horns that ranges from haid rock ("Pete ’ s Blue " ) to oh, it must be at least four years. I realired
here are used very effectively, as they are lard rock ("Hey Good Lookin’ " ) lo quasi- simultaneously that:
1. The Guess Who is God.
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through much of the album, as italkt rather spiritual drcck rock (’ ' The Messiah Will Come
than complete clauses Similarly. " Good Again ") complete with a spoken introduction 2. Burton Cummings is the rightful and
unquestionable
Lovin ’ Don! Come Fasy " begins with a even more embaiassing than Al Htrt playing spiritual mantle. heir to Jim Morrison ' s
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welldeveloped Edwin Stan riff and climaxes the national anthem at a New Orleans Saints
beautifully because of restraint us production. I saw the Guess Who do this version of
But with all great (or awful) 1962 albums , football game. One begins to wonder if there ' s " American Woman " live a year ago. and I
have never been more offended by a concert.
any real reason for Mr. Messiah to risk hts
even in 1972. there's gotta be a catch, and the neck again if /Art is the best that can be done.
catch here is strings. "I’m Never Gonna Be As an exhibition of ( lash guitar. Ihe LP Just as he d<ies on the record. Burton
extremely cranky rumination on Yankee Yin.
Alone Anymore " and "Just Ain ' t No Love Cummings indulged himself in a long,
(Like A Lady ’ s)’ * arc both touching, powerful succeeds; Buchanan really does seem able to
songs, but in both Brother Cornelius vocal is play anything he likes. . but b that enough in a sort of fallen-out Beat poetic style:
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to call this debut an important musical
muscled (o the ground by strings from the American bitch
very beginning. Same thing happens on Al statement? I think not; there ’ s just nothing American cunt
happening on this record (except for the
Green ’ s lift Stay Together” Brother often brilliant guitar work ) that w-c haven ' t American shit
Cornelius misses the trademark subtleties of American lesbian
Green ' s vocal, the organist sounds like a heard a million times before , lie ' s backed by American schoolgirl
refugeee from Dodger Stadium, and anybody an almost faceless aggregation called the American housewife
Snakestretchers (who may as well): five men
who likes strings as much as this arranger did American beaver
should be exiled to Al Caiola Island. certainly comprise an extravagant etc..etc.. etc. Wouldn ’ t yam be offended by
The CorneOut Bn»then and Sitter Rote metronome. this Canuck creep coming down here taking
All in all. this is one disappointing I P.
ends up a plus for me. Out of eleven songs, What Roy Buchanan needs to do ts get a band all our money while running down our
’
four arc great, three are good, all but two together that can pvc him some kind of women Sure you would! Until you realized,
’
always listcnaNe. which isn t a bad percentage energy feedback. Maybe then he ' ll be the as I did. eventually , that that kind of stuff b
for your typical pop singles RAB vocal group wipersonic cat he ' s been made out to be. exactly what makes the Guess Who great.
Tint LP. In the future. Mike lewis and Bob Dann DeWitt (Huh* - Pd.) They have absolutely no taste
Archibald should mix more carefully, because at all (Ok. that - PdJ , they don ' t even mind
it ' s quite shoddy in spots, and keep those cmharassmg everybody in the audience,
goddamn strings out. The CBASR have great they ’ re real punks without even working too
voices that can wrap themselves around hard al it. This was all brought home when I
phrases , sustaining a song with only the most went to tec them a couple of months ago and
minimal accompaniment They just might be got offended all over again by a song which
the Jive Five of the Seventies , and when had Cummings hollering ; "I got cocaine and
they'reon I’m a happy man. morphine too/Lots of stuff lo gel you all
high..
Wayne Robins
>
I mean, these guys ust don ' t know when
ROY BUCHANAN to quit! That ' s what puts ' em so far ahead of
POLYDOR everyone else. They ' ll say anything. What do
you think " diesel fixer , fixed a diesel, diesel
fixed me. what a weasel " means? Do you
This guy isn’t gonna make you come in
care? No ! Do ? ou love it anyway? Sure!(Aw
your pants or anything, but he knows his e num Letter... -
Beks the way a salamander knows wet leaves ' Ed.)
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The most amazing thing about him b that he I his album, as far as I can tell, b the Guess **
isn 't even an androgy nous- btsexual rock ’n ’ roll Who ' s magnum opus so far. The "Woman
queeny slither and yet he ’ s still a member of alone, starting writh a long sloppy medium
the Living I egend dub. good old Roy. quiet tempo Hues, proves that Burton can
unassuming Roy of the onamtlic guitar. He improvise the best gauche jive lyrics since the
November, 1972 67