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Words, Words, Words I have made a game of covering your re viewers' initials at the end of reviews and guessing who generated each one. Noel Coppage's are eminently detectable and delectable no matter what the subject. And he has finally exposed himself literarily with his article on country-music word play (July). His own writing always seems to be characterized by a quick pun or some down-home metaphor that immediately makes the reader feel some thing, probably the same something he felt when he wrote the piece. I have been following N.C.'s reviews since I lived in Whitesvine, Kentucky, so I know about the goat-on-the-church in Dundee, the Fordsville Trojans, the Laws brothers' gas station and all; thus when I read Noel's work I always seem to reach an empathy. I would like to see him explore further the use of authentic Southern regional accents in both country and pop mu sic. It might do a lot toward justifying them as viable means of communication rather than evidence of humble intellect. PATRICK HARDESTY; Chesterfield, Mo. Noel Coppage would have us believe that country music is the last great repository of Original Clever Lyrics but fails to make a case in his article. "Words, Words, Words" (July). His examples of supposedly great one liners are mostly contrived, cutesy puns and gooey melodrama. Lyrics like "I got tears in muh ears from layin' on muh back, ka-ryin' in bed over yew" and those in Lynn Anderson's Rose Garden make the vast majority of country music garbage. I just don't feel like picking through the haystacks of junk for the needles of brilliant wit. K. A. BORISKIN; Milford, Mass. Mr. Coppage replies: Has Mr. Boriskin ever heard I Overlooked an Orchid While Looking for a Rose? The Eagles It's a shame that such smooth-skinned softies as Steve Simels can make such rash comments about country-rock groups ("The Proficient Eagles," August). Perhaps he'd have a different viewpoint if he was out picking up rocks in the hot sun with the rest of us country folk. Country rock hasn't reached a "dead end"; Mr. Simels' car merely ran out of gas at the city limits. RICHARD QUEMERE; Graves Mill, Va. The Teaneck Terror (Steve Simels) should stick to reviewing (and dreaming about) the Rolling Stones and the Kinks, his two pet bands, and leave the serious work for his able staff, who generally seem to have a bit of understanding of and insight into the various kinds of popular music. His attack on the Eagles (August) and on country-rock in general is typical of most East Coast, city-bred, rock-and-roll fans' attitudes. They smile scorn fully at the merest mention of the word "country," envisioning either "Hee-Haw" or Tex Ritter without the slightest knowledge or appreciation of the culture that produces music like the Eagles'. The "Cosmic Cowboy" image Mr. Simels ridicules is not some PR hype for a bunch of painted, screaming, "decadent-chic" clowns, but a way of life. I won der if Mr. Simels has ever seen a tequila sunrise after camping out in the desert-one that wasn't poured into a glass. I wonder if he has ever seen the sage and the cactus and the "million stars" at night or a horse that wasn't in a race or under a cop-or even a live country-rock band. The Eagles portray the West in much the same way the Allman Brothers Band represents the South with their dancing, thinking, and loving music, each a style within a style. KENNETH M. LEONARD; Tucson, Ariz. Mr. Simels replies: This cowboy business strikes me as being about as silly as the old "Can white men sing the blues?" argument that used to rage in the pages of Rolling Stone. Nonetheless, as far as the Eagles go, I'd like to just mention that Glenn Frey was born and bred in Detroit, cut his musical teeth on the kind of hard rock represented by Detroit hands like the MC 5, and has stated that he agreed to call the group the Eagles be cause he thought it sounded like the name of a street gang! So much for his firsthand knowledge of tequila sunrises. I suspect the "country-influence on the Eagles' music has as much to do with Asylum Records' David Geffen's. business acumen as anything else. In any event, it is role playing that we get on albums like "Desperado," and, unlike Mr. Leonard, I just don't find the Eagles believable in the part. This is a problem 1 never had with, say, Gram Parsons or the Byrds. Has Mr. Leonard heard the Byrds' "Sweetheart of the Rodeo"? Steve Simels' review of the Eagles' "One of These Nights" (August) could only have resulted from hearing the title song too many times on the radio. The Eagles have developed into one of our finer bands, and they have made it apparent that terms like "country rock" should have been done away with long ago. If Train Leaves Here This Morning and Peaceful Easy Feeling from their first album are forgettable, I would like to know what isn't. Could it be that Mr. Simels is upset that the Eagles now command a larger audience than his beloved Byrds ever did? BOB SILVEY; North Hollywood, Calif. To answer Steve Simels' question in his review of the Eagles (August), I care very much if I ever hear Tequila Sunrise again. It is a beautiful song and I'm going to play it right now! ANGELA ROTONDI; Bloomfield, N.J. Simels' Back Pages I thought I was the only one still listening to "Beatles VI." And P.S.: the voice at the end of Nowhere Man harmonizing with John is Paul, not George. ROBERT KURIS; Whitestone, N.Y. Mr. Simels replies: Mr. Kuris is right, of course, but I was referring not to the vocal harmonizing, but the bell-like guitar harmonic George hits at the end of his solo. The Pop Crew Thank you for Steve Simels. He has prov en himself to be one of the most interesting and knowledgeable critics in the business. He is a little overly subjective, to be sure-but that's a hell of a lot better than some of our stuffy, boring L.A. critics. His article on the Rolling Stones (August) was truly sensitive and totally devoid of all the groupie nonsense which has become the standard fare of many. Your whole crew of pop reviewers deserves a lot of credit for making intelligent, thoughtful, and lively reports. Keep them coming! MATT WRIGHT; Los Angeles, Calif. I'd always suspected Popular Music Edi tor Steve Simels had more taste than he let on to-and "My Front Pages" (August) confirms that. I can dig it all, especially Carly Simon's legs. PAUL FALON; Ann Arbor, Mich. Stones, Stones, Stones Despite the fact that the Stones are one of the biggest hypes of this century, Steve Simels is content to laud their self-important, ultra-chic talent in his August column. Some how he sees his way past flatbed interviews and twelve-fifty seats at the Garden and finds something worth getting ecstatic over. I pay my respect to the roots, but I cannot possibly accept the Rolling Stones as all the rock world can offer until the "third coming" is upon us. The "third coming" died stillborn when the world realized that David Bowie can't sing without an eight-track at his side. The Rolling Stones are no more than a parody of the bands making a living being parodies of the Rolling Stones. DENNIS MCGRATH; Kendall Park, N.J. Mr. Simels replies: Well maybe, except that few of those bands are making a living. Minnesota Microphones David Hall's article "The Minnesota Orchestra's Ravel" (August) leaves me rather confused. On the one hand he says "here are clarity . . . and a wonderful sense of space" and "Solo-instrument aural 'placement' is precise and clear . . . while the larger ensemble textures come through with fine transparency. . . ." On the other hand, he complains that in Daphnis et Chloe, La Vulse, Alborado del Gracioso, etc., there is an apparent lack of "sonic focus." Now what exactly is "sonic focus," later on also described as "precise focus"? Surely Mr. Hall does not mean that all sections in a sym phonic orchestra should be miked and recorded separately in order to obtain a "clarity" which is not in the score to begin with. This would be hard to believe, as Mr. Hall has been an ardent proponent of the so-called one-microphone technique for classical recordings. In fact, the entire four-record Ravel set (Vox QSVBX 51300) was done with the same microphone placement. Once the balance in the control room was arrived at, dynamics and balances were adjusted internally within the orchestra as required. Sonic differences from one piece to another fortunately reflect Ravel's intentions rather than the producer/engineer-helping-along syndrome. Finally, Mr. Hall is quite wrong when he says that the a cappella choir in Daphnis "should sound totally disembodied rather than so uncomfortably close." The superb St. Olaf choir was placed in the twentieth row of the audience for quad rear channels to get the distant effect needed. Disembodied no, distant perhaps, although the choir in performance is right on stage with the orchestra. MARC J. AUBORT; New York, N.Y. Mr. Hall replies: All of which goes to show, "syndrome" or no, that different producers might record the same work differently. Massenet Mania In view of the present Massenet revival, STEREO REVIEW readers might be interested in the Massenet Society. This organization was founded by soprano Stella Wright, whose sole interest is to perform rare Massenet works. If you'd like to join, write to Miss Stella Wright, Flat 2. 79 Linden Gar dens, London W2C4, England. GERALDINE SEGAL; Randallstown, Md. Pulitzer Performance A small correction in the information regarding Dominick Argento (August, "Musical Honors"): his song cycle was premiered by Janet Baker in Orchestra Hall in Minnesota but with the piano accompaniment of Martin Issep, as scored, and not with the Minnesota Orchestra. At a reception after the premiere. I asked Mr. Issep if he might consider an orchestration, as it seemed the texture of the piano part might lend itself to this treatment. However, after talking at length, we both agreed that the work is more effective as Mr. Argento conceived it, and thus the Minnesota Orchestra will probably not have an opportunity to perform it in the future. As a further footnote, Miss Baker's recital was presented by the Schubert Club of St. Paul, which has been in continuous operation for more than ninety years and which presents several distinguished artists in recital each year. DONALD L. ENGLE; President, Minnesota Orchestra Minneapolis, Minn. Hairy Loudspeakers Ralph Hodges' "Audio Basics" for Au gust was probably the most concise and definitive report ever made on the hairy subject of loudspeakers. It is a gem like this that makes the other eleven issues worth waiting for, The "Speaker Placement" article by Roy Allison was also a winner. And while I'm on the line, the July issue was outstanding because of the trouble shooting chart. This is an invaluable guide for the novice, who just has to be grateful that some previous know-it-alls have developed a respectable sense of system analysis for the beginner with a problem. I still believe a basic guide to understanding is what works ...and what sells. So I thank you once again ... a fine effort. RICHARD MUELLER; Tampa, Fla. Good Soldier Kurka I enjoyed reading Paul Kresh's review of Robert Kurka's The Good Soldier Schweik Suite (August). However, Mr. Kurka did not die at fifty years of age as noted, but at the impossibly young age of thirty-three or thereabouts. The music world lost a great talent and a warm, gentle, and very bright young man as I knew him, ELINOR KLEINER MARKS Summit, N.J. According to Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, Mr. Kurka, born December 22, 1921, died December 12,1957. Rossini's Stuffed Turkey I was delighted to see in Managing Editor William Livingstone's July Opera File some interest in Rossini and some justice done to his reputation. I am even more delighted to know that Mr. Livingstone is a Rossini enthusiast, and I share his fervent hope that Le Comte Ory will be reissued. Among the other operas we need to have recorded is Armida, which Cristina Deutekom sang at some festival half a dozen years ago in a kind of marvel ous yodel. The tunes are delicious. And how about Tancredi, the original home of "/ Tanti Palpiti"? Is the rest of it up to that aria? Rossini said that after he became success ful he wept only three times in his life: when his first opera was performed, when he heard Paganini play the prayer from Moses, and when a turkey stuffed with pate de foie gras fell overboard at a picnic on the water. A man with that kind of taste deserves all the sup port we can give him. Louts T. Mitic; Bratenahl, Ohio Gloria Gaynor Again Concerning the little brouhaha in your letters column about the Gloria Gaynor album "Never Say Goodbye," I'd like to point out how unusually successful it is as disco music. Instead of a token dance cut, the whole album was conceived from that perspective, and the producer did not bother with the subtleties that make a record listenable while lounging in one's living room. Judging from the reactions of the disco crowd, what is important are thick textures and a relentlessly danceable beat. Eight Voice of the Theater horns blasting onto a dance floor tend to overwhelm subtlety and precious detail. Those who have no inclination to throw dance parties needn't bother with this "wired-up Martha Reeves." DARRELL THOMAS; Vacaville, Ga. Ray Noble Peter Reilly disparages the Pasadena Roof Orchestra in his August review as an apparent "attempt to parody the old and very great Ray Noble Orchestra" and wonders why EMI doesn't release some of this "splendid orchestra's" recordings. No doubt it has escaped Mr. Reilly's notice that six (and soon seven) discs of Ray Noble's Orchestra have in fact been issued in the U.S. by Monmouth-Ever green in collaboration with EMI. They pro vide a fine sampling of Ray Noble's brilliant arranging gifts, Al Bowlly's (this is the correct spelling, not Mr. Reilly's Bowley) truly inimitable vocals, and the band's great performances. Here are the "elegance" and "heart" Mr. Reilly laments as being absent from the modern-day product. WALTER DIEHL; Great Neck, N.Y. Mr. Reilly replies: 1 am happy to know that Mr. Diehl's favorite orchestra land mine) can be heard again, and sorry that spelling was never my best subject. But "Bowlly" still looks a little peculiar, doesn't it? Composer as Interpreter Igor Stravinsky spoke often and at length of the composer's role as the only valid "interpreter" of his own works. Thus it is certainly surprising that Columbia would discontinue recordings of such vital works as Threni, Agon, Persephone, Canticum Sacrum, and the two larger works for pianoforte and orchestra. Also, no longer available to complement Robert Craft's Russian performance of Les Noces is a composer-conducted one (sung in English) with, as pianists, composers Samuel Barber, Aaron Copland, Lukas Foss, and Roger Sessions. If one performance of Le Sacre du Printemps can exist in no less than five formats, the reissuing of these other works must be possible. MICHAEL CLAY BRUNSON; Monroe, La. Well, ninety-five percent of classical releases don't break even; perhaps this Sacredoes. Music Editor James Goodfriend gill be examining the implications of this interesting little statistic in his Going on (off?) Record column next month. One More for Rodrigo Regarding David Hall's July article on Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez, there is one other 1959 recording, an absolutely unique and superb transcription for trumpet and orchestra by Miles Davis and Gil Evans. Davis' horn has a nerve-icing quality unfathomed by any guitar recording I have yet heard. JOHN HOGLE San Jose, Calif.
Also see: EDITORIALLY SPEAKING, WILLIAM ANDERSON CHOOSING SIDES, IRVING KOLODIN Source: Stereo Review (USA magazine) |
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