LJL

A MONTHLY TRIP
THROUGH MUSIC'S
GOLDEN YEARS1972

STARRING...

've got massive plans"

LED ZEPPELIN
MOTT THE HOOPLE
SIMON & GARFUNKELBLACK SABBATH 7.

r

ROLLING STONES
GENESISLOU REEDV

T. REXR

I

WING§AINNOAVID CASSID

Welcometo 1972
FOR THE LAST 18 months, a sense of fun has gradually beensqueezing out the worthy musical explorations of the recent

blues boom. "Underground" spirit lives on in the likes of
Hawkwind, 1972's unlikeliest chart stars. For the most part,however, the year's most successful music is colourful andboldly stated.

The dominant music listener is no longer the serious university
undergraduate, but the teenager, who propels a flashy and addictive version of

rock'n'roll revivalism into a popularity unseen since The Beatles. 1971's
messiah, Marc Bolan, is the year's biggest seller, but his elfin head lies uneasy
under the crown.
Our cover star, David Bowie, instantly presents a more serious proposition. He
writes, performs and inspires frantic adoration for his theatrical rock. He evenrejuvenates careers -a service he performs this year for Mott The Hoople, Iggy
Pop and Lou Reed. The papers call his music "camp rock". Rod Stewart doesn't
knowwhat to think.
Bowie balances his multiple roles with apparent ease, and the character of theyear is altered irrevocably by him, as he changes musical trends, wields
influence, and becomes a topic of everyone's conversation. He is everywhere, or
so it seems.
This is the world of The History Of Rock, a monthly magazine that follows thetremors of rock revolution as they mount in intensity. Diligent, passionate andincreasingly stylish contemporary reporters were there to chronicle them. Thispublication reaps the benefits of their understanding for the reader decades
later, one year at a time.

In the pages of this eighth issue, dedicated to 1972, you will find verbatim
articles from frontline staffers, compiled into long and illuminating reads.
Missed an issue?You can find out how to rectify that on page 144.

What will still surprise the modern reader is the access to, and the sheer
volume of, material supplied by the artists who are now the giants of popular
culture. Now, a combination of wealth, fear and lifestyle would conspire to keep
reporters at a rather greater length from the lives of musicians.
At this stage, though, representatives from New Musical Express and Melody
Makerate where it matters. Bitching about Bolan. Smoking with Lennon in New
York. Watching Lou Reed's ego run riot. "Everyone else is now at the point where
I was at in 1967," says Lou in these pages. "Where will they be in five years?"
Join him here. Or even there. It'll be good to rap together.

HISTORY OF ROCK 1972 13

1972
WNW

H

Contents

6News
An impressive live showing
from a new -look David Bowie.
Jagger revolts. Chuck Berry's intown. Introducing... Don McLean.
David Bowie

12 "I'm gay..." With Hunicy Doryin the shops and a new album inthe can, the singer tells all.

laPaul Simon
USimon & Garfunkel are no
more. As he releases a new solo
album, Paul Simon looks back on

his recent succeses.

hn

2 ''he improvising Germanmusicians come into town totalk about life outside therecord business.

2A MC5iu

No longerjust kicking out
the jams, the Detroit band promotea new agenda of love, music anda "realityvibration".

42 News
An interview
with Roger Dean,rSladeOne interviewwith Noddy
Holder traces Slade's part in a newmini -phenomenon. Live, all hell
breaks loose.

Singles/LPs
The Faces' Ian McLaganreviews the singles, as does Bee
Gee Robin Gibb, who faces downa football single.

34

Judee Sill

36 The singer -songwriter tells
all about her extraordinaryearly
life, her new music and candidly
reviews the singles.

What kind of saxophone
41 tellers
is played by David Bowie, andother pressing issues from thecorrespondence pile.

the in-house artistofYes and Osibisa.
Neil Young is
coming to town.
Taking thetermperature of theGerman rock scene.
Iggy Pop

4 8 A meeting withthe (already) legendary
Stooges frontman. "We
were all prettyweird by
this time..." he confides.
Hawkwind

50 Longa beacon of
the underground scene,
Hawkwind are now inthe charts. Freedom,
pornographyand spacediscussed with the "Silver
Machine" stars.
Led Zeppelin

56 Does anyone backin England know how
big Led Zeppelin really
are?That's what's
worrying Led Zep(though in truth not that much)as they decimate the USA.

60 T. Rex
Elfin pop star Marc Bolan
surveys the landscape from the
top of the tree. John Lennon and
MickJagger are pals, while Ringo
is making a movie about him.
What gives?

with Bill Withers, toilet -fittermade good.

80 Alice Cooper
On stage, he dismembers dolls,
and is hanged for his crimes. Off
it, he's a beer-drin king nice guy,
who you're safe eating lunch with.
And theAmerican showbusinessphenomenon of 1972.

Singles
Slade's Dave Hill and Black
Sabbath's Tony lommi bend an ear
to the latest sounds.

84 David Bowie

7n The Rolling Stones

as he crests the wave of Ziggy
Stardust, "my gift to you". A chatwith Mick Ronson, and a review

68
I,

Returned from France and
LosAngeles, MickJagger andKeith Richards discuss the making
of Exile On Main St -and the"thieving froggies..."In-depth chats with the starof the competition.
Albums92 Marc Bolan previews his
new album, The Slider.

News
The London Rock'n'Roll
Show 1972 is a surprise success,i f not for Little Richard. The vital76

statistics of teen heart-throb
David Cassidy. And an interview

94 New York Dolls
Something extraordinary,and theatrical, is happening
in NewYork.

IIPIEMPriw

THE ROLLING STONESMONORS 19103

SIDE OPTM
01.34171.10

an enesis
The well-spoken former
protégés Jonathanof King finallydiscover their metier.

pull. hems.
S.V.. SSW
Time 170

Underground man. "Alice
doesn't make it as a dragqueen... He's so ugly."
TUMBLING DICE-=4%.
ficcospe

4.

Mott The Hoople

Roxy Music
Introducing Bryan Ferryand his band, who have a new
single designed to get themon Top OfThe Pops.

102

u On the influence
11g

Lou Reedencounterwith the formerVelvet

0*"of David Bowie, now as aSinglestastemaker and record producer.

138 Phil Spector"David is a very sage fellow..."delights in the reissue of
his Christmas album.

uin the United States. "We'll show
Marc Bolan a trick or two..."13n Black Sabbath
The band return fromthe USA. Drugs, confesses Ozzy
Osbourne, may have been taken.

Ringo makes a new
126 His134 John Lennon

movie. A Roxy/Crimson
collaboration is afoot.

The former Beatle goes live, andis rejuvenated.

The band's easy charm
continues to dominate audiencesI,

three occasions.

112 A bitchy but telling.

4

12n The Faces

10Q David Bowie
Ziggy played guitar -in
fact, played it all summer. Bowie's
revolutionary show, caught on

r712

op

140 !Pe The Beatles never
happened... kind of. Paul
McCartneyspeaks frankly.

Letters

145 Pressing issues fromthe mailbag at year's end.

*Zeit
Time Inc. (UK) Ltd, 8th Floor, Blue Fin Building, no Southwark St, London SE1 OSU I EDITOR John Mulvey, whose favourite song from 1972 is Reelin'
In The Years by Steely Dan DEPUTY EDITOR John Robinson Moonage Daydream by David Bowie ART EDITOR Lora Findlay All The Young Dudes
by Mott The Hoople PRODUCTION EDITOR Mike Johnson Silver Machine by Hawkwind ART DIRECTOR Marc Jones Popcorn by Hot Butter
DESIGNER Stuart Jones Rocket Man by Elton John PICTURE EDITOR Kimberly Kriete Starman by David Bowie COVER PHOTO © Sukita/Bowie Archive
THANKS TO Helen Spivak, ThomasSeal, Jennifer Johnson, Georgia Tanner MARKETING Charlotte Treadaway
SUBSCRIPTIONS Sonja Zeven PUBLISHING DIRECTOR Jo Smalley COVERS PRINTED BY Polestar Wheatons°recycle
TEXT PRINTED BY Polestar Chantry I WWW.UNCUT.CO.UK

Time Inc.

HISTORY OF ROCK 1972 15

1972-1"
JANUARYDAVID BOWIE, SLADE,

Tull tour

MC5, CAN, PAUL SIMON,i

JUDEE SILL AND MORE

Don't expect
Danny La Rue
MM FEBRUARY19 David Bowie
introduces his sexy rock theatre.

AS THE BAND played on and sang "You're

wonderful" in Edith Piaf emotion -drenchedvoices, David Bowie stepped down from the stage
into the audience until they picked him up andcarried him out in the spotlight. No bibbity-bobbity
hat, but shimmering white satin trousers and shirt
ripped open. Clothes by Liberty, boots by Michel, as
the man said... But this was no fag show, a drag act fullof lisping gestures and limp hands. Don't expect Danny
La Rue or anyAlice Cooper rubbish with boa
constrictors and electric chairs. The costumes -andthere were several changes- are the gilt on the lily, but
they're not the substance.
The music is muscular, the performances witty andassured. What other group would dare to do "I FeelFree" before a London audience, complete with Creamrip-off solo- so calculated as to be a thing of glorious
absurdity? Because Bowie and his band are nothing if
not superb parodists, right down to the way in which
Ronson walked to the front of the stage and invited thefront row to caress the body of his guitar. It plucked theheartstrings, friends, the pathos of that moment.
Bowie has a tremendous sense of pace and timing. He
varied things by slotting in a 15 -minute acoustic piece,
where he did "Port of Amsterdam", "Andy Warhol" and"Space Oddity", then threw in rockers like "ReelingAnd
Rocking", and then highly abstract pieces such as"Wild -Eyed BoyFrom Freecloud".
The harmony singing between Bowie and Ronson
was brilliant. "Space Oddity" was as perfect as therecord. Not surprisingly, there was reference to the
Velvet Underground. There was "Queen Bitch",
dedicated to Lou Reed, and even aversion of"I'm
Waiting For The Man". Later on, in the dressing room,
two chicks were saying they'd see Bowie at his next gig
in Brighton. They'd seen all his others so far.
Dedicated to bringing theatrics back torock music, David Bowie swirled andcaptivated at London's Imperial
College on Saturday, queening his
way through old and new songs,
before a house packed to the door.
And they hung on everyword thatdropped from his lips. Michael wars

"Icouldmake a transformation":David Bowiea lmost pulls off an
Iggy-sty le crowd wa lk on the

fourthdate of the first Ziggy
Stardust tour. Imperial College.
Kensington, London,Febt2,197 2

HISTORY OF ROCK 1972 17

1972

JANUARY -MARCH"The trouble isthat
English peopletake
everything lying
down": Mick Jagger
in London, May1972"England can govern
itself"aNtMfEigMARCH 18"IT'S DISGUSTING," M ICK Jagger
exploded in anger when I talked tohim in Hollywood about the latest
developments in the Tory government's Night
Assemblies Bill and its new and ominous threat
to civil rights. Often misconstrued andpublicly pilloried for his outspoken antiestablishment views,Jagger doesn't,
however, advocate the guerrilla tactics of thestreet -fighting man."What's needed isanother kind of direct action," he scowled.
"The British public should openly flout the
Tory government. And voting is no good,
because it never works. When it does work you
usually have to wait for years for it to come into
effect.The best thing would be for a load of
our top bands to turn up somewhere andassemble a large crowd and do a gigantic freegig. If they did, then you be sure, I'd be there."
Surrounded by a bank of silent brightly lit
vending machines, plus Rolling Stones
Records executive Marshall Chess and thelithe and lovely Chris O'Dell, Jagger spoke
freely during a break in the final mix -down
sessions for the Stones' impending double LP.
We were in the rest room of an air-cooled
studio along Hollywood's Sunset Strip and,obviously well pleased with his initialstatement, Jagger made himself comfortable
and continued while the hard, fast rockin'sounds of a number he described as "Turd On
The Run" acted as a continuous backdrop to
our lengthy conversation.
8 I HISTORY OF ROCK 1972

gover

.

Jill could outlaw gatherings
Mirk Jagger joins sh^ nrotest.

"My slogan is: 'Good Government Is No
Government'. England doesn't need agovernment, because it can govern itself...
I honestly believe that, because it does govern
itself," he added, directing this personalphilosophyat Marshall Chess, who waslistening somewhat bemusedly.
"I honestly believe Britain would be better
off with no government than the present Tory

one,"Jagger continued."The trouble is thatboth Heath and Wilson are just as bad as eachother... they're two of a kind. This present
government has got to go. Heath isn't going tolast for very long, and before you know it, he'll
be out. And as far as the police -they should all

retire.' mean they're all
disgusting... England is justfalling to pieces."
Suddenly Jagger clapped
his hands together andbellowed, "There's
absolutely no solidarity."
It was an action which

seems as though the only people who care
nowadays are the kids. And everything's being
done to keep them down."
Adding more fuel to the fire, Jagger
suggested that "People shouldn't take any
notice of the Tory government, period. Or
whatever Bills they pass. I think that all thosekids who are over18 years old,and even those
who aren't old enough to vote, should openly
register their disapproval by assembling alarge crowd. Despite what the government
says, the people should still go ahead and havea few rock festivals and then see what
happens. As far as I can see, this thing is being
done very underhanded... it's all very nasty."
Jagger concedes that sufficient space,catering and sanitary facilities should be ofprime importance at festivals. But he added,"Most of the British festivals have been alright.
Even the Isle of Wight was quite peaceful.
Quite frankly I don't know what the
government is worried about. But maybe
they're not worried. They
just wanna have a go at the
kids. Let's face it, the Tories
aren't in a good position.
And if they get awaywith
this bill, then they're really
going to try and enforce
other measures to restrict
people's freedom. If theybanned football matches
then they'd see some trouble. Just let themstart that -and see what happens."
Jagger says he regards the Night
Assemblies Bill as just an initial move by the
British government to suppress and limit the
freedom of this country's youth."For instance,"
he began, "you can't do anything in France.
They keep the kids totally tied down and in the"The police should

all retire... they're

disgusting. Englandis falling to pieces"momentarily attracted theattention of Keith Richards,
who popped out from the control room.
Jagger's opinion was: "The trouble is that
English people take everything lying down.
Nobody is going to feel sorry for England if thepeople continue to take everything in thisposition. For instance, you can serve cold
potatoes to English people forever and they
won't send them back. From what I can see, itJAGGERSLAMSBRITAIN"They could turnup anywhere"
MM FEB19

lis-

and
NME's ROY CARR watchedsit-in at the

fAillial ret,.. Liam

L......... Ladics. Wry remarks.

tened in an exclusive

in
Stones' latest recording sessions

Hollywood at the weekend. Details

P McCartney is back in action.

single and album

WINGS MADE THEIR surprisecanare on pages 4 and 9 and youlive debut last Wednesday atof the next Stones'
read Carr's

interview with Jagger -in which he slams British apathy and
the Night

Assemblies Bill - on p. B.

gutter. Italy is just the same, and it looks as
though these same kinds of restrictions aregoing to be enforced in England. Since theycame into power, Heath's government has
succeeded in making a mess ofjust about

everything. They started off with Rhodesia...
sold arms to South Africa... and got involved ina terrible mess in Ireland. N one of these things
should have happened, but they did, and Heath
has only made things worse. And if that's notenough, we had the miners' strike."
Jagger then voiced the opinion that among
the worst offenders against
freedom was the BBC, in that not
only did it have a monopoly, but
control the freedom of speech onradio. He offered the mass media's
refusal to air Paul McCartney's new
single as a prime example."It's
important we should have our own
radio. All the excuses given by the
BBC are nothing but pure bullshit.
The Tory government will nevergive free radio to anybody, because
they are afraid that people will say
things they don't approve of.
"All these other reasons are side
issues. The truth is that they are afraid ofanyone saying the things that were said on
Radio Caroline. You knowthe kinda things
Up with this, down with that and fuck thegovernment."
He concluded: "England has always had amalaise of not caring. People take everything
lying down.They are content to let the country
be run by a load of misguided right-wingers."
When I asked Jagger why he felt that GreatBritain was no longer Great he gave a wry smile.
"It's due," he said,"to me leaving." Roy Carr

Nottingham University- in
the style in which Paul McCartney
wanted The Beatles to make a latereturn to live performances.
The group played the showcompletely unannounced. It was
McCartney's first live appearance
since The Beatles' last live performancein Candlestick Park, San Francisco, on
August 29, 1966.
Before a delighted crowd, Wings played

many new songs, blues jams which featured
Henry McCulloch, some tracks from Wildlife
and the new single "Give Ireland Back To The
Irish". They finished with a rock medley,featuring McCartney singing "Long Tall
Sally" -the songwith which the Beatles
frequently closed their stage act.
On Thursday,
Wings played

July13,1972:(i-r) Henry
McCullough, Denny Leineand Paul McCartneyof
Wings play the TheStre
Antique in Arles, France

a similar concert at York University.

McCartney's assistant, Shelleyntrner, told
theMM: "Theyare on the road at the momentand have taken a lot of sandwiches with them.
Theycould turn up anywhere and play thisweek; I don't know exactlywhere theyare.""Give Ireland Back To The Irish" was thisweek banned by the BBC, ATVand Radio
Luxembourg because of the strong politicalfeelings in the lyrics. McCartney's reaction:"Up them!" He added, "I think the BBC
should be highly praised, preventing theyouth from hearing my opinions."?in( FLOYD"There is a lot of rubbish

coming out"

MM FEB12, ,0;owenut,.tm
tl gs

ua

E BOOTLEG BOOM in Britain is over. Bootleg album sales in
Britain have been escalating for three years- especially in thelast nine months- but this week London's biggest open
1
suppliers of bootlegs, Virgin Records, announced they were to quit
selling illegal albums. The decision is bound to rub off on to other suppliers of bootlegs in Britain.

Virgin told the MMthis week, "We have decided to get rid of the stocks we have got and call it a dayfor various reasons. There is a lot of rubbish coming out in bootleg form in this country, and we are
getting our own label together anyway. Unlike the States, there is not much money to be madefrom bootlegs in this country, and we want to get out before the situation gets out of hand.
"Bootlegs in Britain haven't really harmed any artists, and have probably given them some good
publicity. The fans buy their official records as well as the bootlegs, instead of buying bootlegs
instead of official records, as in the States."
Virgin were one of the few shops to advertise bootlegs on the walls and have the records in racks.
Other shops keep them under the counter. The move byVirgin follows the disappearance from thebooking scene of Jeffrey Collins, self-styled "Bootleg King" in England. Collins sold bootlegs openly
in his Chancery Lane record shop, and boasted to a national newspaper about his dealings in them.
July 22,1972:"Absolutely knocked out"
MM FEB12 Chuck Berry comes to.cain to play and record

CHUCK BERRY IS back! The ace rock'n'roller hit Britain last week forjust one date at the Lanchester
Arts Festival, and amid amazing audience scenes, stopped the show. And he's coming back. His set atthe Locarno, Coventry, was recorded for use on an album - but this audience were so loud that they
spoiled the tapes. Chuck - "absolutely knocked -out" with this reception -travelled to London's Pye Studios
on Saturday and recorded five tracks for an LP with Rick Grech (bass), KenneyJones and Ian McLagan, of theFaces, on drums and piano, and Derek Griffiths (guitar). After a short period back in the US, Chuck returns to
Britain in March. He opens on March 22 at Lancaster University, and dates are planned through to April 1.

Chuck Berryon BBC TV
show Sounds

For Saturday

TheChi-Litesin
1972:(1-r)Creadel"Red"Jones,Robert"Squirrel" Lester,Marshall Thompson
and Eugene Record"Black music was based on fantasy"
NME FEB 5
happening all around us. Before that, most
become an overnight success. A decade ofeverything associated with black music wasdues paying on the chitlin' circuit, whichbased on fantasy."
helped justify their position as top -of -the -billattraction at the esteemed pulpit of soul, theNME: The prime factor being?
Apollo Theatre, deep in the heart of New
Eugene Record: "Undoubtedly the world
York's black ghetto - Harlem. And it was insituation... the war inVietnam... and thethat theatre's Number One dressing room
general mess that affects just aboutthat I encountered Eugene
everything.""Squirrel" Lester:"Eugene
Record, Marshall
Thompson, Robert"Music has always
is right. Foryou see music"Squirrel" Lester andis the way of expressing
been the best
Creadel "Red" Jones last
ourselves. This has always
Saturday night. Making mybeen the best way for us toway for us to put
way backstage, I climbed
put across our feeling andtwo flights of steep stairs toourviews."
across our views"
find the group relaxing
between shows in brightly
NME: Your recording of"(ForGod's Sake) Give MeMore Power To The
coloured robes.
People"was socially orientated, and like the
The Chi-Lites are amongst the advance guard
Chi-Lites, alot of black artists are singing aboutof progressively minded black performers who
equal rights and personal dignity, which is a
are vigorously redirecting the entire course ofcommendable virtue. But do you feel that those
America's black music. Lead singer and theartistswho are advocatinggroup's prolific songwriter Eugene Record took
hate and armed militancy
it upon himself to open the conversation onin their music arethis all-important subject.
defeating theiraims?
Eugene Record: "This has all come about"Squirrel" Lester. "Well,
because people are now starting to deal withpersonally, I would put
realism in music. Not only through the beat,it like this: everyone has
but now you'll find that the lyrics of many songs
their own individual way
deal openlywith the real facts of what'sof expressing themselves,

IT HAS TAKEN the Chi-Lites 10 years to

10 I HISTORY OF ROCK 1972

some more than others. True, some blackartists are much bolder about it, and we're allaware of the problems that beset everybody,but to staywithin the commercial area you
really mustn't be too bold about these things."
NME: In other words, you think that if thoseartists, as you put it, get too bold, that candrastically harm the music and the progressof their fellow artists by alienation?
"Squirrel" Lester: "I couldn't really say. Like,
we talk to a lot of people both white and blackand some saythat it's beautiful that artists arebringing all this out into the open and talking
about their problems. Others say theydon't
think it's time."
NM E:W ith this new awareness now apparent

in black music do you feel that both black andwhite forms will integrateorsegregate?
Eugene Record: "I think they are going tobecome even more integrated than they haveever been in the past. All that Sly Stone andCurtis Mayfield are doing is what Dylan
practised in the '60s, but just relating it to theirown particular environment."
NME: Do you think that with this new

approach a lot of black artists are purposely
forsaking the old blues_
and gospel traditions?
Eugene Record: "Some ofthem have."
NME: Do you think
this could be becauseof the implications
involved when the

DonMcLien:"rmasanxiousas

vrybodykir
American Negro was regarded asa second-class citizen?
"Squirrel" Lester "Perhaps to an
extent. However, if you care to explore
the history of blues and soul music
you'll find that in the past there wasn't

enough instrumentation. As things haveprogressed, the music has become morearranged and far more sophisticated, with
far more emphasis on instrumentation.
But in the process they've lost a little of thesoul, the natural harmonies and thespontaneous ad-libs... there's not enoughroom forit now in a lot of the music."

NME: In your opinion, do you think thatwith the advent of this new approach insoul, many of the artists who were popularduring the mid -'60s will fade away?
"Squirrel" Lester: "Well, to be truthful, andbeing black myself, I would think so. But
those guys like Muddy Waters and John Lee
Hookerwill continue to play an importantrole because they've been along there withthe black people when people like us were
just kids or probably for that matter noteven born. It's onlyrecently that they've
started to be discovered and appreciated by
the mass white audiences.
NME: Did the occasion ever arise thatwhen artists li ke Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley
and Little Richard were picked up andfeted by young white audiences they were
dropped by their black opposite number?
"Squirrel" Lester: "No, they never were.
Theywere always accepted. In fact, these
artists opened a lot of doors for both black
and white artists like the Rolling Stones.
They started a trend."
NME: Do you think that the recent
experiments whereby Latin and soulmusic are being fused will amount toanything productive?
"Squirrel" Lester: "Well, Latin music isvery similar to soul music because it's all
centred around the beat. In theory it may
be two different things, but the fact is they
go hand in hand. It's still soul music butwith a slightly different way of expression."
NME: Do you feel that the sound of blackmusiccurrently being played by Isaac
Hayes, Curtis Mayfield, Sly Stone andyourselves is just the beginning ofsomething very much bigger?
Marshall Thompson: "Most definitely; I
don't think it's even scratched the surface.""Red" Jones: "I agree with Marshall.
However, I don't think it will be too long
before it reaches all audiences, black, white,rock, easy listening. It's a combination of
the important facts of life and honest -to goodness music. It could well take overfrom the heavy -rock scene.""Squirrel" Lester. "I think that people areat last beginning to realise that if we are all
going to survive on this big Earth of ours,
we've got to try and live together. Let's faceit, whetherwe want to be ornot, we're allneighbours, and as such we should learn tocompromise, live together, work together
and survive together." Roy Carr

A dreamfor DIY

sleuths

MM JAN 22 Introducing...
Don McLean, writer ofthe roman -a -clef pop
song "American Pie".
PERHAPS IT'S INEVITABLE
that with the feelingaroused by rock music, andits development over the past decade,"American Pie" should have struck home. Don
McLean's eight -minute "potted history" ofrock has received lightning American
approval. Critics have seen reflected in its
melancholia their own laments for the "deathof rock". McLean's lyrics area paradise for theimaginative interpreter.
Characters like the jester, the king andqueen,the sergeants,and The Father, Son andHoly Ghost wander through the verses, eachto be stamped "real identity- Bob Dylan" or
whoever else the symbols merit. McLean haseven been credited with some sizeable digs at
Dylan, the Stones and the Beatles.
He doesn't own up to this; in fact if there is
any significance to the song it's something
everyone will have to work out for themselves
without any help from its composer. His
remarks encourage the do-it-yourself
interpreter rather than offering him any hints.
Basically, if you want to see it as the destiny of
the western world epitomised in song, that's
you speaking, not Don McLean. He just gave
you the opportunity.
"That song isn't a criticism. The one thing I'dlike to say is that it isn't meant to be a criticism.
The metaphors are purelythat, metaphors,"
McLean told me during our transatlantic
exchange."Everybody has
a right to their opinions. I
never listen to what people
say about me. If I did I would
have quit a long time ago."
It's very easy to think ofin general, rather
than simply on
the qualities ofthis particularsong. At least, if one is dedicated to rock's
more powerful influences, the song steps up
to a different level of meaning. In its morenegative aspect, this can unleash a stream ofnostalgia, with the consequent debasementof people, who just become flotsam swept
along by the current. The effect is to denyself-determination in preference for an
oracular system in which musical arch -druids
hold the reins.
McLean's life is not dedicated to the past,though. Whatever he did intend his song torepresent, it is not a change into reverse gear.
"I feel that there's a lot to look forward to thanthere is to look back at. I'll tell you that. I think
I'm as anxious as everybody else."
The "death of rock" and its associations with"American Pie" promotes the idea that a

resurrection is there to be undertaken.
McLean's views on the subject are mellowedby his designation of rock as a folk form.
"When you ask about whether music can beresurrected, what you're really asking me iswhether people have a voice, because that's
what rock's always been. I think as often as notthat will continue to be."

"It isn't meant tobe a criticism. The
metaphors are

him as a new name,a lucky
man with a first -attempt hit.
In fact he's been earning aliving, and apparently a nonliving at times, from singing for years. An album
called Tapestrywas released in the States early

In view of his remarks

about the worth of themedia, was his successand consequent public
exposure difficult to cometo terms with?
"Most of the time I am
not willing, but I decided togive everybody one goodround to see exactly what they do. I feel alarger audience deserves to hear from mesince I can't see them all personally."
He added that probably he would be
misrepresented by the media like most singers
are."If that happens I won't give any moreinterviews. I will just stop communicating.
It won't bothermeatall. I will
still do concert
appearances, but
the media can gojerk itself off."

purely that"in two and was barely noticed. His single"American Pie" and newalbum of the same
name have both topped the US chart. The
former is selling "chart -topping quantities" in
Britain and the album is released here on
February .4. Had he expected or intended the
response to his single to be as it has been?
"That would bean impossible feat. Only
idiots and madmen expect or intend
something like that."
The appeal of "American Pie" depends
largely upon the listener's dedication to rock

Andrew Means

Drove myChevvy to
the levee
VIEKHAVN
5

feeling aroused by rockdevelopment over IN.

"I'm gay..
alwayshave
been"

DAVID BOwit

reveals a new look,a new album - and a

new sexuality, too.
Who is he really?
And where is his
dress anyway?
"I change every
day," he says. "I'm
not outrageous.
I'm David Bowie."- MELODY MAKER JANUARY 22 _DAVID BOWIE, ROCK'S swishiest outrage: a selfconfessed lover of effeminate clothes, Bowie, who has

hardly performed in public since his "Space Oddity"
hit of three years ago, is coming back in super -style. In
the States critics have hailed him as the new Bob
Dylan, and his tour de force album, HunkyDory, looks
set to enter the British charts. "Changes", the single taken from it, wasTony Blackburn's Record Of The Week recently. David will beappearing, suitably spiffy and with his three-piece band, at theLanchester Festival on February 3.
Even though he wasn't wearing silken gowns right out of Liberty andhis blond hair no longer fell wavily past his shoulders, David Bowie waslookingyummy.
He'd slipped into an elegant patterned type of combat suit, very tightaround the legs, with the shirt unbuttoned to reveal a full expanse ofwhite torso. The trousers were turned up at the calves to allow a better
glimpse of a huge pair of red plastic boots with at least three-inch rubbersoles; and the hair was Vidal Sassoon-ed into such impeccable shape that
one held one's breath in case the slight breeze from the window dared toruffle it. I wish you could have been there to vada him; he wasso super.
David uses words like "vada" and "super" quite a lot. He's gay, he says.
Mmmmmm. A few months back, when he played Hampstead's Country
Club, a small, greasy club in North London which has seen all sorts of
exciting occasions, about half the gay population of the citytumed up tosee him in his massive floppyvelvet hat, which he twirled around at the x.
HISTORY OF ROCK 1972 113

January29,1972:

first sighting ofBowie'salterego
ZiggyStardust at the
BoroughAssemblyHall,Aylesbury

end of each number. According to Stuart Lyon, the club's
manager, a little gay brother sat right up close to the stage

throughout the whole evening, absolutelyspellboundwith admiration.
As it happens, David doesn't have much time forGay
Liberation, however. That's a particular movement
he doesn't want to lead. He despises all these tribal
qualifications. Flower power he enjoyed, but it'sindividuality that he's really trying to preserve. The
paradox is that he still has what he describes as "a good
relationship" with his wife. And his baby son, Zowie. He
supposes he's what people call bisexual.
They call David a lot of things. In the States he's beenreferred to as the English Bob Dylan and an avant-garde
outrage all rolled up together. The New York Timestalks ofhis "coherent and brilliant vision". They like him a lot there.
Back home, in thevery stiff upperlip UK, where people areoutraged byAlice Cooper even, there ain't too manywho
have picked up on him. His last -but -one album, The Man
Who Sold The World, cleared 50,000 copies in the States;
here it sold about five copies and Bowie bought them.
Yes, but before this year is out all those of you who puked
up onAlice are going to be focusing on Mr Bowie, andthose who knowwhere it's at will be thrilling to a voice thatseeminglyundergoes brilliant metamorphosis from song
to song, a songwriting ability that will enslave the heart,and a sense of theatrics that will make the ablest thespians
gnaw on theirsticks of eyeliner in envy. All this, and anamazingly accomplished band, featuring super lead
guitarist Mick Ronson, that can smackyou round the skull
with their heaviness and soothe the savage breast with
their delicacy. Oh, to be young again.
The reason is Bowie's new album, HunkyDory,which combines a gift for irresistible melody
lines with lyrics that work on several levels as straightforward narrative, philosophy or
allegory, depending on how deep you wish
to plumb the depths. He has a knack ofsuffusing strong, simple pop melodics withwords and arrangements full of mystery anddarkling hints.
Thus "Oh! You Pretty Things", the Peter Noone
hit, is on one strata, particularly the chorus,
about the feelings of a father -to -be; on a deeper
level it concerns Bowie's belief in a superhuman racehomo superior- to which he refers obliquely: "'think
about a world to come 'Where the books were found by The Golden
Ones/Written in pain, written in awe I Bya puzzled man who questioned
what we were here forIAll the strangers came today' And it looks as though
they're here to stay". The idea of Peter Noone singing such a heavy number
fills me with considerable amusement. That's truly outrageous, as David
says himself.
But then Bowie has an instinct for incongruities. On The Man. . .
album there's a bit at the end of "Black CountryRock" where he superbly
parodies his friend Marc Bolan's vibrato warblings. On HunkyDory
he devotes a track called "Queen Bitch" to the Velvets, wherein he takes
off to a tee the Lou
Reed vocal andarrangement, as wellas parodying, witha storyline about thesinger's boyfriend
being seduced byanother queen,
the whole Velvet

Underground genre.
Then again, atvarious times on his
albums he resorts toa very broad cockney
accent, as on "Saviour
Machine" (The Man.. .)and here with "The14 I HISTOR1 OF ROCK 19 1.

fri

VictorBewleyBrothers". He says he copped it offTony Newley because he wasmad about Stop The World and GurneySlade: "He used to make his points
with this broad cockney accent and I decided that I'd use that now andagain to drive a point home."
The fact that Bowie has an acute ear for parody doubtless stems froman innate sense of theatre. He says he's more an actor and entertainer
than a musician; that he may, in fact, only be an actor and nothing else.
"Inside this invincible frame there might be an invisible man." Youkidding? "Not at all. I'm not part icularlytaken with life; I'd probably bevery good as just an astral spirit."
Bowie is talking in an office at Gem Music, from where his management
operates. A tape machine is playing his next album, The RiseAnd Fall Of
Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars, which is about this fictitious
pop group. The music has got a veryhard-edged sound, like The Man Who
Sold The World. They're releasing it shortly, even though HunkyDory has
onlyjust come out.
Everyone just knows that David is going to be a lollapalooza of asuperstar throughout the entire world this year, David more than most.
His songs are always 10 years ahead of their time, he says, but this year
he has anticipated the trends: "I'm going to be huge, and it's quite
frightening in away," he says, his big red boots stabbing the air in time tothe music. "Because! know that when I reach my peak and it's time for me
to be brought down it will be with a bump."
The man who's sold the world this prediction has had a winner before,of course. Remember "Space Oddity," which chronicled Major Tom's
dilemma, aside from boosting the sales of the Stylophone? That wasa Top 10 hit in 1969, but since then Bowie has hardly performed at allin public. He appeared fora while at an arts lab he co-founded in

DAVID BOWIE

Beckenham, Kent, where he lives, but when he realised that people weregoing there on a Fridaynight to see Bowie the hit singer working out,rather than for any idea of experimental art, he seems to have become
disillusioned. That project foundered, and he wasn't up to going out on

one-nighters throughout the countryat that particular time.
So in the past three years he has devoted his time to the production of
three albums, David Bowie (which contains "Space Oddity") and The
Man... for Philips and HunkyDory for RCA. His first album, confusingly
also self -titled, was released in 1967 on the new Deram label but it didn't
sell outstandingly, and Decca, it seems, lost interest in him.
It all began for him, though, when he was 15 and his brother gave hima copy Ida book] to play an instrument. He took up sax because that was
the main instrument featured in the book
(Gerry Mulligan, right?). So in '63 he wasplaying tenor in a London R&B band before
going on to join a semi -pro progressive blues
group that became DavyJones &The Lower
Third (changing his name to Bowie in
September '65 when The Monkees' DavyJones
started gaining attention). He left this band in1966 and became a performer in the folk clubs.
Since he was 14, however, he had beeninterested in Buddhism and Tibet, and after the
failure of his first LP he dropped out of musiccompletely and devoted his time to the Tibet
Society, whose aim was to help the lamas drivenout of the countryin the Tibetan /Chinese war.
He was instrumental in setting up the Scottish
monastery in Dumfries in this period. He says, in fact, that he would have
liked to have been a Tibetan monk, and would have done if he hadn't met
LindsayKemp, who ran a mime companyin London: "It was as magicalas Buddhism, and I completely sold out and became a city creature.
I suppose that's when my interest in image really blossomed."
David's present image is to come on like a swishy queen, a gorgeously
effeminate boy. He's as camp as a row of tents, with his limp hand andtrollingvocabulary. "I'm gay," he says, "and always have been, even when I
was David Jones." But there's a sly jollity about how he says it, a secret smileat the corners of his mouth. He knows that in these times it's permissible
to act like a male tart, and that to shock and outrage, which pop has always
striven to do throughout its history, is a balls -breaking process.
And if he's not an outrage, he is, at the least, an amusement. The
expression of his sexual ambivalence establishes a fascinating game:is he or isn't he?In a period of conflicting sexual identity he shrewdly
exploits the confusion surrounding the male and female roles. "Whyaren't you wearingyourgirl's dress today?" I said to him (he has nomonopoly on tongue-in-cheek humour). "Oh dear," he replied, "you must
understand that it's not a woman's. It's a man's dress."
He began wearing dresses, of whatever gender, two years ago,but he says he has done outrageous things before that were just not
accepted bysociety. It's just so happened, he remarks, that in thepast two years people have loosened up to the fact that there arebisexuals in the world- "and -horrible fact -homosexuals". Hesmiles, enjoying his piece of addenda.
"The important fact is that! don't have to drag up. I want to go on
like this for long after the fashion has finished. I'm just a cosmic yob,
I suppose. I've always worn my own style of clothes. I design them.
I designed this." He broke off to indicate with his arm what he was
wearing. "I just don't like the clothes that you buy in shops. I don't
wear dresses all the time, either. I change everyday. I'm notoutrageous. I'm David Bowie."
How does dearAlice go down with him, I asked, and he shookhis head, disdainfully: "Not at all. I bought his first album, but it
didn't excite me or shock me. I think he's trying to be outrageous.
You can see him, poor dear, with his red eyes sticking out and his
temples straining. He tries so hard. That bit he does with the boa
constrictor, a friend of mine, RudyValent i no, was doing ages
before. The next thing! see is Miss C with her boa. I find him very
demeaning. It's very premeditated, but quite fitting with our era.
He's probably more successful than! am at present, but I've invented
a new category of artist, with mychiffon and taff. They call it
pantomime rock in the States."
Despite his flouncing, however, it would be sadly amiss to thinkof David merelyas a kind of glorious drag act. An image, once

strained and stretched unnaturally, will ultimately diminish an artist.
And Bowie is just that. He foresees this potential dilemma, too, when hesays he doesn't want to emphasise his external self much more. He hasenough image. This year he is devoting most of his time to stage work andrecords. As he says, that's what counts at the death. He will stand orfall
on his music.
As a songwriter he doesn't strike me as an intellectual, as he does some.
Rather, his ability to express a theme from all aspects seems intuitive.
His songs are less carefully structured thoughts than the outpourings of
the unconscious. He says he rarely tries to communicate to himself, tothink an idea out: "If I see a star and it's red !wouldn't tryto saywhy it'sred. I would think how shall I best describe toX that that star is sucha colour. I don't question much; I just relate.
I see my answers in other people's writings.
Myown work can be compared to talking toa psychoanalyst. My act is a couch."It's because his music is rooted in this lack ofconsciousness that he admires Syd Barrett somuch. He believes that Syd's freewheelingapproach to lyrics opened the gates for him;
both of them, he thinks, are the creation of
theirown songs. And if Barrett made that initial
breakthrough, it's Lou Reed and Iggy Pop who
have since kept him going and helped him to
expand his unconsciousness. He and Lou andIggy, he says, are going to take over the wholeworld. They're the songwriters he admires.
His other great inspiration is mythology.
He has a great need to believe in the legends of the past, particularlythoseofAtlantis; and for the same need he has created a myth of the future,a belief in an imminent race of supermen called homo superior. It's his
onlyglimpse of hope, he says- "All the things that we can't do theywill."It's a belief created out of resignation with the waysocietyin general
has moved. He's not very hopeful about the future of the world. A year
ago he was saying that he gave mankind another 40 years.A track on his
next album, outlining his conviction, is called "Five Years". He's a fatalist,a confirmed pessimist, as you can see.
"PrettyThings", that breezy Herman song, links this fatalistic attitudewith the glimmer of hope that he sees in the birth of his son, a sort of poetic
equation of homo superior. "I think," he says, "that we have created a newkind of person in a way. We have created a child who will be so exposed tothe media that he will be lost to his parents bythe time he is 12."That's exactlythe sort of technological vision that Stanley Kubrickforesees for the near future in A Clockwork Orange. Strong stuff. Anda long, longway away from the camp carry- ons.
Don't dismiss David Bowie as a serious musician just because he likes
to put us on a little. Michael Watts"My own
work can becompared totalking to a
psychoanalyst"

"There wassomething
about it"With Simon &Garfunkel no longer
a partnership,.A;

INOMIAP11111141.1"

PHLSIM01 reviews-NME JANUARY 1 FOR THE SECOND time in his life Paul Simon stands
alone. However, his name on a solo album amounts tomuch more now than when his Songbook album limped
almost totally ignored onto the market some years ago.
Though he was the songwriting half of the incredibly
successful Simon &Garfunkel partnership, Paul Simon soloist -is now in the same position experienced by Lennon, McCartneyor any other active limb of a creative bodywhich has been amputated.
Simon is aware- though not unduly concemed - that people willundoubtedly make critical comparisons between the songs on the newalbum and those that he sang withArtie Garfunkel.
Continuing last week's article, Simon speaks about his recording
activities, past and present, Dylan, bootlegs and songwriting.

NME:On the Simon & Garfunkel albums, there's always been intricate
yet unobtrusive orchestral and group backings. Yet you've always chosen
to undertake live appearances with just the two voices, your guitar andtheoccastonalextramusician in support. What was your motive for this?
At one point, we did use some back-up musicians, but most of the time we
didn't, because it seemed to make things better just using the two of us.
First of all, we'd require a lot of time and rehearsal. The guys we used on
the records we couldn't take on the road because theywere all very busy
session men. Ifyou said to guys like Larry or Hal, would you come out,
they'd do it as a favour. But ifyou said we're going on the road for threemonths they'd decline.
10 I HISTORY OF ROCK 1972

his recent past andlooks to the future.

" Ifyou're aroundsays, "then you
don't believe
everything thateveryone tells you."le'I'molderandl
ont'seethings'n the same way":
he solo Pauleoge
Simonin1972

1972JANUARY -MARCHMIL Ninon

mQITHER MD CHILD REW11011
PARI:111010BWES"e4.
June 1972: Paul Simon

and Art Garfunkel
reunite at a fundraisingconcert for thepresidential candidate
George McGovern,
Madison Square
Garden,NowYorkCi

They've got families, theirwork, and besides, it seemed to work withjust the two voices and the one guitar. There was something about it,
the fact that it was reduced to such a small trio band... two voices anda guitar- that worked. Those numbers that didn't work, we didn't do,
so I don't think that you felt it, by not doing things that couldn't besustained within this simple context. Ifwe had then I'm sure you would
have felt it... but we didn't. Until Bridge came along, everythingwas easy
to do that way.
It's so simple to go and perform that way. Sound problems were prettymuch eliminated; even at the Royal Albert Hall -which acoustically is
supposed to be terrible -was, for us, just great.

So there isn't a chance that you might suffer from the same
predicament as Dylan, whereby a flood of unheard material is madeavailable in bootleg form? I know there's one album called Chez whichissupposed to feature both you andArtie singing and talkingin a room.
I haven't heard that one, but there's a lot of Dylan stuff about and there's
a lot of Simon & Garfunkel bootlegs of concerts. But the most flagrantbootlegging that's being done doesn't revolve around unreleasedmaterial; it's done by those people who take the album and copy it, thenresell it on tape cassettes and cartridges. These bootleggers make theirmoney by selling it to the record dealers for much less than the actual
record companies.
That's where the big bootleg market is -it's so much bigger than thebootlegging of discs. I mean, there's a Simon & Garfunkel Greatest Hits
tape that's a best-seller. You can't con people into believing thatsomebody reallybad is really drippingwith talent. An artist wants to
be good... he wants to please and finally succeed. If you're aroundlong enough then you don't believe in everything that everyone
tells you.

Is that hunger and that determination to succeed
still as strongtodayas whenyouandArtiewere
working the folk club circuit? Well, the people thatsurround me, like mywife and everybody else, arealways saying, "That's not as good as that one," or"Why not change that line in that song."aCD

You have this reputation of beingvery
meticulous when working in the recording.ct

18 I HISTORY OF ROCK 1972

studio, to the point of continually striving for complete perfection. In
fact, Duck Dunn recentlytold me that when he recorded with you forthe new album, you'd lay down a take- everyone would like it -but thatyou would insisted on redoing it over and over again until you weresatisfied that you had captured a certain mood. (Smiles as he remembers
the event) Well, I used Duck on bass and I used Jim Keltner on drums. We
just came into San Francisco and started to work on one songwhich
actuallywas never finished. I was looking for something, but I wasn't
quite sure what I was looking for. They're both really fine musicians andI probably drove them crazy. I didn't really say anything; I kinda wanted
to see what would come, and it didn't upset me in the least, because I was
so used to working that way. I had plenty of time and I was just sorta
formulating my ideas.

Duck's opinion was that as faras he was concerned, youdidn't need anyothermusicians, Just yourguitar for support. That's a very nice thing for
him to say. The track I was doing with him, I eventually completed withelectric piano and organ played byLarryKnechtel... he's the guywho
played on Bridge Over Doubled Water, and Joe Osbourne, the bass player
who was also on that record. The rest of the lineup was Hal Blaine thedrummer and myself on guitar, and I feel that particular song came out
a lot better than if I had just played it with guitar. It just took time to
evolve, that's all; you see, at that time it just didn't have it. I'm not somuch that meticulous about these things, it's just that I'm waiting forsomething to happen. It can happen one way and I don't want that, but I
just don't want to do it that way, because that's not the way I hear the song.

Talking about "The Boxer", there have been manyconflicting
theories as to the identityof the boxer -some sayit's
autobiographical; others, Dylan. Thenwhen Dylan
recorded it, it was almost like aconflrmation. Can you
clarify this?' would say it's autobiographical...
although it sure surprised me. When we recorded it,someone said to me, "Hey, that song's about you",and I said, "No, it's not about me, it's about thisguywho... "And as I'm saying it, I thought "Hey,what am I saying; this song is about me and I'm noteven admittingit." One thing is certain, I've neverwritten anything about Dylan and I don't know of
his personal life.

PAUL SIMON

Do you like Dylan's interpretation ofyoursong? Well, first of all, I'll tell
you how it came about. I was in the studio and Bob Johnston came
upstairs and said, "Dylan's downstairs - do you want to come down andsay hello?" And I said, "Sure, just as soon as I get a chance", which ! did.
Then they played "The Boxer" forme, which Dylan had just recorded. It
was at a timewhen he was recording a lot of other people's material for
his Self Portrait album.
About his version... I don't know, it's hard to say. You see, I identifyvery
stronglywith that song. Yes, I suppose it's OK, but I like Simon &Garfunkel's version... I was very pleased with that. It's one of myfavourites of all the Simon & Garfunkel records. It's a very personal song
and it's hard to imagine any other interpretation. It was fine... it was
original. Like anything Dylan does, it has its own thing. He did it
differently and I didn't think anyone could do that. Dylan's version
makes me smile. When Aretha came along and then Stevie Wonder did it,they both did it in a way that was very natural for the song and they madeit forme... I love it.
There are those people who haven't made good
attempts simply because they haven't got the
goods to do a good job on anything or because
they didn't have enough time. I mean, there are
more bad records than good records and so you
expect that the majority of covers won't be good,
but you're pleased when somebodytakes thecare and the time to do it well.

opinion that aparticular album was good at that time?! don't have toomuch perspective on those albums, because some of them were big hits,

What have been your opinionsof thecountlesscover versions recorded of your songs? Do theypleaseyou?Aretha Franklin's version of "Bridge

Do you employanyspecial method forsongwriting? I do have a method of writing,but I don't know exactly how to verbalise this.
For one thing, I don't have a schedule. I haveperiods of productivity; it's cyclical. I can't say
exactly how it happens, but I just sit at the guitar
and one minute nothing happens, and theminute later, as I'm thinking, something happens musically. I play it andthink about it. If it appeals to me I attach a phrase to it and some of thosemusical ideas evolve into songs and others go nowhere... I lose interest in
it or I don't. That's howl write. I never set out with the intention that I'mgoing to write this now, or for that matter that I have to write.

Of all the material that you havewritten, which is your personal
favourite? Well, most of my favourites are on the new album. It's not
because they are the very latest and I haven't as yet had too much ofa chance to get used to them.

Yourearlier work reflected the hardships that you were enduring inboth this country and America. Since achieving and enjoying success...
well, you do enjoy success, don't you? (Simon smiles and nods) Do you
find that in any wayyour present lifestyle has affected yourwriting?
I think that the main thing that has altered my writing is the fact that
I know a little more about how to write. I don't
think it has too much to do with my lifestyle.
It might have to do with the subject matter orthe musicality of it. The way of using lyrics issomething that you just learn from experienceand study. I don't think it's a question oflifestyle. I'm older, too, and I don't see thingsin the same way.

"I don't havea schedule.
I have periodsof productivity- it's cyclical"

Over Troubled Water" was fine. There's been
a lot of good versions of that song... in fact I've
just heard a good one by Roberta Flack.
There are quite a number of cover versions
which took the song into another direction than what we did. They arenatural directions, because that songwas a gospel -type song- it wasn't
a gospel song- it had a gospel feel to it and therefore lent itself verywell
vocally as well as musicallyto that kind of arrangement. Artie is not a
gospel singer or a soul singer, and Simon & Garfunkel never sang in a
blackvoice, because that's not ourvoice. Artie sang that song, I think, very
soulfully. Not black soul; he sang it from his heart and it sounded real.

You haven't appeared in public for nearlytwo years. Just how
important is a live audience to you? I like it. But there was a time when
I wasn't so much bored with performing, but bored withwhat I wasdoing. You know, singing the required Simon & Garfunkel hits which
realistically speaking you had to do. That's why people came to see you.
I mean we just couldn't say, "I can't sing 'Bridge Over Troubled Water'
again", because we've sung it so many times. People want to hearit, and if
you're going out on a stage then you've got to do it.

When you re -listen to yourveryearliest material, do you feelsomeembarrassment likesome artists do? Well, maybe a mild
embarrassment. Reallyit's not just like looking at a picture ofyourself
in 1959 when everybody had short hair. You look at the picture and you
see that the styles are so old-fashioned and you wish that you had beenahead of everyone
PAULelse and had longSIMONhairin 1959. But
you didn't.
Do you in fact play

all your earlierN

which tends to colour how I look at them. I tend to think that probablythat was good because it was such a big hit, and then when I hear it thething clouds... I just don't know. I don't spend too much time thinking or
worrying about what ! did in 1967.

albums? No. Well,very seldom.

In the past you havecollaborated with ex -Seeker Bruce Woodley.
Haveyou written songs with anyotherwriters recently? Well, yes.
"El Condor Pasa"... I onlywrote the lyrics; the melody, which istraditional, was one that! learned from the group Los Cincos, so it'sa collaboration between my lyrics and their melody. On the newalbum, there's an instrumental on which! collaborated with jazzviolinist Stephan Grappelli.
You have also been studying the classical guitar. Will this influence
showon the newalbum? There's no classical guitar on the new album,
but I wouldn't separate my own personal tastes from what I will be doingin the future.Again, that's not to say that I'll be playing classical guitar
only. I like it, for it teaches me a lot about music... I love the sound of the
instrument. Anyway, I never teamed how to play the electric guitar. I cansit and read the music and I don't have to think what I have to make uphere or there. Its great music and I love it.

Is there anyparticular person that you would like to write material for?
Artie Garfunkel. I think that, if I can rouse him up out of his world ofConnecticut, he might.' don't see why not -he should -what I mean is,
he could make a good album. He needn't if he didn't want to. He hasn't
got anything to prove to anybody. All I know is that Artie likes to sing andrecord. He doesn't write, so he has a problem of finding material, butthere's enough good material around.

When you do, isDuringyourveryearlycareer around the London folk dubs, did you
for one moment envisage thesuccess that you eventuallyachleved?

your personalNo, of course not. RoyCarr

INTERVIEW
THE ilriklIJL SIMON

By ROY CARR

Canat Inner Space,

their studioinadisused
cinemainWeilserswist,
near Cologne,1972:(I -r) Holger Czukay,
Demo Suzuki, Michael

Karoli,Irmin Schmidt
andJakiLiebezeit

20 I HISTORY OF ROCK 1972

CAN

Democratic andimprovisational, theGerman groupmake "music of the

moment", with rootsin jazz and classicalcomposition. Too

far out for record

"We

just

companies, the band
work on their own,

outside the regularmusic business. "Youhave to start refusing
the basis of theirpower," they explain.

freakedout"- MELODY MAKER FEBRUARY 5 IRMIN SCHMIDT HAS this theory. Have you ever noticed, he says, howmusic made by coastal dwellers invariably shows the influences of air
and water, whereas the more one moves inland the more the dominantcharacteristic is earth - the more it becomes gut music, in essence.
His theory is a conclusion he drew principally from a study ofAfrican
tribal music. He'd never really thought about it until now, but yes, hesupposed it could well apply in a European context. Take the Can, for instance.
Theylive inland in Germany, in Cologne, and their music is nothing if not earthy.
"Music of the stomach," he calls it succinctly.
Irmin is the organist and spokesman with the Can, and he's here in England,sitting in the offices of United Artists Records, to put the word out about the band.
Theirsecond album, Tago Mago, has just been released here on UA, but how many x.
HISTORY OF ROCK 1972 121

1972
JA

-MARCH

ofyou Britishers know of them? Irm in smiles ironically. Now theAmericans, theylove the group. EveryAmerican who sees them play says
they're terrific. Maybe he and Damo, the Japanese singer, who is sitting
therewith him, should be doing interviews in the States instead, do you
think?Another smile.
Their first album, Monster Movie, never received much promotion and
was a commercial bummer. The UA press release of the time described it
as a "rejection of all the pressures of contemporary society". Heavy stuff.
But this sort of PR verbiage is vaguely understandable.
In approaching the Can one is coming toterms with rock music that is genuinely
different to anything that Britain orAmerica
has thrown up; a music whose emphasis isstrongly instrumental, but aleatory and freeform in a jazz sense, and blessed with arhythmic pulse that English and American"space music" groups don't possess.
The Can, likeAmon Dutil, the founding
figures of contemporary German rock, bring akind of abstract European quality to pop music,
most probably because their music is not rooted
in a vocal approach (and maybe because theirheritage is so classical, whichAmerican music,
with its folk and vocal origins, patently is not).
Their singer, Damo, is not so much a vocalist
as another instrumentalist, now intoning the words in almost a whisper,
now screaming them out as the rhythm accelerates. The fact that manyof his lyrics are in Japanese, and that much of his English (on record) is
unintelligible, emphasises the strange, alien nature of the music.
Then again, they create some powerful electronic sounds, intended
not as mere effects but as integral parts of the music, and produced notby synthesizers, but through distortion and manipulation of regular
instrumentation, like the guitar and organ, and experimenting with
their mixer. They simply don't have the bread and the financial backing
to buy any fancy electronic stuff. That makes their experiments all themore interesting.
"All the music is recorded live," says Irmin. "There's nothingworkedout before. We never rehearse. We just play, and sometimes it's bad,sometimes it's good -but it's always improvised. Like the 'rain' effect on'Mushroom' ta cut on their new album]. That was because the level had
dropped in one place; the tape hadn't been regulated."
The lyrics, written by Damo, are similarly improvised. Even performing
at a concert they never use texts.Any number is calculated to sounddifferent from one performance to the next. That is whyIrm in says a newlistener has to see the band twice at least before he makes any judgementon their music.
The band has

gives you").
Jackie Liebezeit, the drummer, started as a Dixieland playerand went
through the jazz spectrum to become a founder member of the free -jazzgroup the Manfred Schoof Quintet before he found himself moving in arock direction. Michael Karoli, the guitarist, had a college education, like
Irmin. He went to law school, and during his period there he met Holger
Czukay, the bassist, who was a teacher but only
doing the job because he needed the money.
The two determined to form a group, but`All the music
is recorded
live. We neverrehearse - wejust play"

an extraordinary
mixed background.

he says, how
Iluences of air
the dominant,I

pasts. Irmin was pursuing an academic careerand proving successful
as a composer and conductor of symphony orchestras ("a reallybourgeois background with all those privileges that sort of existence

They are held
together to an extent
bya rejection of theirmusical and social

essence
can tribal mimic
could well apply

In Gamany In

celach.- he calls

you

dig

through Holger's association with Irmin, theirgroup grew to encompass Irmin and the others.
The Can was founded in autumn '68.
Malcolm Mooney, a BlackAmerican, wastheir first singer and was featured on Monster
Movie. But he "became sick" and rather
than enterhospital in Germany, where thestaff, it was thought, would have difficulty inunderstanding him, he returned to the States.
The band then auditioned 10 to 15 German
singers, but that didn't workout.
"This mistake was that theywere really
singers," says Irmin.
Then, sitting in a cafe in Munich last May, where theywere performing,
they heard Damo singing in the street outside: "He was singing really
loudly [Damo: "I was tripping"], and he looked really happy, and Holger
just got up, as if he'd been bitten bya tarantula, went outside and said tohim, 'You have to sing tonight with us.' There was no rehearsal. We juststarted playing and he began singing."
Damo: "I have no musical background. I was a street singer. I'd played in
Sweden and London before, in the subways, hitchingwith my guitaron
myback. I have about 300 songs but I couldn't reallyplayguitar, just one
chord, so I couldn't play otherpeople's songs."
Freedom is a concept that crops up frequently in 'min's conversation.
The music revolves around the idea of the individual creating on his own
whilst still working empatheticallywithin the group framework.
Similarly, they have attempted at all times to preserve their autonomy
from the music establishment. Three years ago, when the German record
companies were pressing all groups to sound like the English or theAmericans, the Can were cutting their own tracks in their own studio.
"We took our tapes to all the various record companies," says Irmin, "butalways they told me, 'It's good y'know, you're a really gifted group, but it's
so progressive no one will buy it. Just make another record first which iscommercial and then you can release this, because people will thenbelieve you.' We said no."They achieved theirbreakthrough when a freak who had his own label,Music Factory, made 600 private pressings, and then UA, whom Irminsays had listened to the tapes before, suddenly became interested: "Soonit was like a legend. 'There's a really, really strange record going round'-you know. And finally, after some weeks, people were paying 50 marks
for it [£6]. This convinced the record companythere was some responsein the public and so they
released it."All the same, the group is
not going to be restricted byrecord company executives;
Irmin loathes bureaucraticinterference. Despite greater
technical standards theywi II
use no studio but their own:
"We thought if we went into astudio we have to rehearse, andthat's not the waywe do things.
And then there's always someguy behind you, with a watch inhis hand, saying, 'Don't freak
around, because that will be
another 100 marks to me.'"This attitude has notfacilitated their financial
situation. Musicalindependence has meant them having to workon outside commercial ventures to makesufficient bread to continue. In the past three
years they have done the soundtracks for
13 movies, including a
15 -minute passage for
Jerzy Skolimowski's
Deep End.
"It's a question of theestablishment, too. You
know, when we took ourtapes to UA that was athreat to them, because
we weren't using theirstudios. With the Can we
don't have a manager, weare our own producers andengineers and our own
agency for Germany.
"You can't th ink justabout getting rich in theirway. You just have to startrefusing the basis of theirpower, which means of
their production. All you
can try to do is set up little
cells, which may grow ornot, but music is not tomake revolutions. The
main question is not that you start and then get f --d up. It's to makemusic at the moment of the moment." Michael Watts"Now the music is improvised collectively.

There's nobody dominating, nobodywriting.
When we were making the album we madetwo really long tracks by playing one rhythm
for hours and hours. We played it backmaybe six times and recorded on top of it.
Then we cut out the best pieces of tape andstuck them together.
"When we were recording these tracks
there were times when we felt we couldn't
do anymore on that particular piece, so wejust freaked out -went completelywild.
These sections were played with no previous
thought at all. We cut out the best of themand put them on the album. Personally I feelthat's a much more natural way to makemusic than the conventional method. Surelyit's unnatural to get fivepeople to learn a piece of music that was previously thought up insomebody's head and make them practise it over and over again.
"The point is, we don't think in terms of technical ability. That's
a political term -an old value. The need to reach a certain technical- NME FEBRUARY 5 0FALLTHE heavy German bands, Can are perhaps the mostinteresting and could prove the most influential. Next monththey tour Britain and, judging from their newly released Tago
Mago double album, they will finally kill the notion that European
musicians are the poor country cousins of rock.
In fact, Can are further ahead in many respects than most British bands.
Their music is dark, mysterious, often frighteningly cold, and createdalmost spontaneouslyin a studio built into a castle they own in Germany.
As the album's sleeve notes point out, probably the onlyBritish band withanything in common with them are Hawkwind, since both groups basestandard is unnecessary.
"If somebodywants to express himself he doesn't need to studyeight
years to learn how to play quickly. Tome, somebodywho is the fastest
on the guitar maywell prove to be the most alienated to the guitar of all.
His guitar doesn't have anything to do with his life. His aim is just to bea fast guitarist."
Can, of course, are not the first band to breakthrough from Germany-the various combinations ofAmon Dtitil being the other primeexample. I wondered whether Irmin had any ideas on why German bands
seemed particularly interested in the heavier side of music.
"Basically, I think it's because people on the Continent no longer think
making music means imitating British or
American groups," he replied.
"People in Germany, for instance, were born,
educated and brought up in a completely
different environment, so if they express
themselves in a true sense theyare boundto have a different feeling to their music...
but without having any nationalistic feeling,which is something I hate -and this is what'smuch of their music on repetitive riffs. But in spite of this the comparison
is loose as both groups are exploring rather
different fields of experimental music.
Last week Can's organist Irmin was in town
together with part -Japanese, part -German
vocalist Damo. Irmin, although copingwith
a foreign language, proved more articulate
than many of our home-grown musicians, andexplained how and when the group got together.
"The group really came together by chanceback in late '68. Each of us knew different
members of the group and we all came together
because we were fed up with what we had been
doing before. We just wanted to be with otherpeople exploring different musical fields.
"Before that, everybody had been doing
something different in the musical line. Holger,
our bass player, had been studying classical music
and played a little free jazz. Jaki, our drummer,
had been playing free jazz in the most advanced
group in Europe at that time. I had been

"The more you
go into a landmass, melody
becomes lessimportant"more you go into a continent, the more you get intoa land mass, the melody of the music becomes lessimportant in comparison with the rhythmicheaviness. It seems water has something to dowith melody, while countries like Germany
produce music more of earth and fire.
"I wouldn't want you to make too muchof that theory, but maybe that has

studying some veryanarchisticAmericanmusic, while Michael had been playing
guitar forpure pop groups. Damo, whojoined us later, had just been singing on
the street, which in itself is a genuine
scene. The only thingwe had in common
at the start was that we all wanted to playmusic that was spontaneous.

ARTis-iv%Cobs
U4 01'6481

TA Go

A,,0,,
n.,coming through.
Also I have this idea that in the past all musicfrom America, and especially from Britain,
has been more related to melodies. If you
studymusic from all over the world it seems
that in lands surrounded bywater the music
is influenced more bywater and air, while thesomething to do with it. Really, I don't
think any style ormusic should dominate,especially i f you're playing new music."
James Johnson
HISTORY OF ROCK 1972

CAN

*4.0::1..7."'N,

r

I

23

1972

JANUARY -MARCH`A battle
cry for the

kids inAmerica"
American revolutionaries thearrive in London. On the agenda: "reality
vibration", future shock, love, and evenmusic. "We're not interested in making it
big like Led Zeppelin," says Fred Smith.
"There are more important things to do."

- MELODY MAKER FEBRUARY 5 CONTROVERSIALAMERICAN ROCK band MC5

arrive in Britain on Thursday to begin a series ofconcerts arranged at the last minute by promoter
Ronan O'Rahilly. They will be in Europe until theend of March and are also planning concerts inFrance and Denmark.
Theyare hoping to record a live album during the British concerts
and are writing and performing the music fora film entitled Gold
which O'Rahilly is producing in April.
Dates fixed for MC5 are London School Of Economics (February5),
Corn Exchange, Cambridge (10), Mardi Gras Club, Liverpool (12),Greyhound, Croydon (13), France (17-22), LanchesterPolytechnic(25), Roundhouse, Chalk Farm (27), Seymour Hall, London (28) andThomas Hall, Canterbury (March 4). Other dates are being arranged.
24 I HISTORY OF ROCK 1972

uosdlootus!uuoa

JouAi god pueJoweiN
ouAeM.41!uuSPe'dww} ospvs/o):SDH °ills!Aea ioet13!H (I PI do;

1972

JA NMI -1011

The group is managed byJohn Sinclair, the White Panther leader
recently released from jail after being arrested for drug offences and thebeneficiaryof a charity concert at which John Lennon and Yoko appeared.

- MELODY MAKER FEBRUARY 12-

THE MC5 DON'T want to be stars, if you can dig that. The reason
that they are there with you to fill the air with vibrations, to takecontrol of the air molecules and fill them with sensitivity. You
see they are still very much into politics, although it is more subtle now
and not just a matter of "Kick Out The Jams".
You have to progress, and they make a point of putting over the fact thatthey are now into reality. Tuned into reality because rock'n'roll is a force
that can put people back into a feeling of security. It's a high-level energy
trip that can give people something they need.
But at the same time when stars become stars they lose that high-level
energy and reality because instead of them thinking of the people, they
become a machine that thinks of tax returns. And money prevails. At
least that's how the MC5 see it.
"I think the political side of rock'n'roll is still there, but like a lot of otherpeople, it is not just slogans. Political music is moving into reality," says
guitarist Fred "Sonic" Smith. "It's more tuned into a realityvibration.""It's a high-energy release," added Wayne Kramer, the band's second
guitarist.
Outside their hotel room, across the road, children played during
their lunch hour, shouting and letting offal' the energy theycould. If
everything in the world is too cool it is up to them to make it so. But
they point out that the natural loving instinct in children is stifledfrom the daythey are born. Parents teach children to love them only,
the brothers and sisters a little bit less, and to be careful of everythingelse around them. It's all to do with possessiveness and sexuality, theband point out.
"It is to do with the wayyou approach living," said vocalist Rob Tyner.
"You can approach it living and loving everything like children, oryou
can approach it from a personal thing like inAmerica. Children arebrought up in such a waythat they are afraid to love.
"When you are youngyou are willing to love anybody, but your parents
close that sensitive door. They close it so that you love them only. I havea child myself. I try to help it as much as ! can, because! know what
happened to me when lwas a kid. God knows what ! would have been
like if I had not been repressed at home and at school, and in religion.
I'm bizarre enough now, but I don't knowwhat I would be like if I had
been left to grow up in my own way.""Religion," says Wayne "is particularly
repressive. Just take the title, which comes fromthe Latin word religio, which means to follow adogma. It has nothing to do with turning thisplanet around and changing it."
The phrase "future shock" crops up with
Wayne as he stresses a point about people's
closeness to their own way of life. Future shock
has caused a lot of people to crack, people who
can't keep up with the use of change. That, hesays, accounts for the weird behaviour of people
who become involved in senseless violence thathas become a pattern of life in the westernworld, especiallyAmerica.
So where does rock'n'roll come into this pattern of future shock?
How can rock'n'roll save the worldfrom going to the dogs?
Well, it can change because it
is a powerful force. People readbooks, stresses Wayne, but they
only read them once and thenput them on a shelf or leave themin a plane or something. Films
you can only see once, and hedismisses TV.
"People play records a lot. They
are part of a lifestyle. People
listen to rock'n'roll throughout
the day, and they keep playing

their records. But mainly they listen to it when they do anything.
In a sense, rock'n'roll is the most powerful medium we have at the
moment," said Wayne.
Rock'n'roll has a different, anarchistic lifestyle too, and that, Fred
thinks, is important. But most important of all, he feels that people haveto be re -sensitised. We need change. People need to change theirlifestyles, and lifestyles have been changingwith rock'n'roll. With
rock'n'roll, the most important thing is to have sensitivity to airspace, totreat the air molecules with respect.
Rock'n'roll has escaped from the rigid musical traditions that haveprevailed in music forthousands of years. !frock can do that, then people
can escape from the structures that have tied them for thousands ofyears. Look at the States, they say the ideal behind the democratic
government goes back to Greece and Rome.
To find ideals they are looking for in life, the MC5 are thinking of moving
their operations to London, because things are cooler here and because
they feel that it is the centre of European art. Anyway, there are lots ofpeople theywant to get to know, especially science -fiction writers they
admire and musicians theywant to dig out and get to know.
But the main thingwith the MC5 when you get underneath all theirpolitical ideals is that they are open and honest. Unlike the vast majorityof radicals who want to replace what we have nowwith equally restrictive
governments, they are as mixed up as anybody. That is an important
thing when they talk politics.
They are talking from a human level, a level that they themselves havefound. Anarchy, theyfeel, is the thing, but anarchy that allows people tofeel free to move in their own direction instead of those laid down by thepowers that be. MarkPlummer- NME FEBRUARY 19 OFALLTHE groups who have dabbled in politics over the last
few years, the MC5 seem to have gained the reputation as oneof the most fervent, the most committed and the mostoutrageous. Tales of their exploits on stage are so varied that it'sdifficult to sort out fact from fiction. Ask vocalist Rob Tyner about
them and he says, "Well, yes, we used to burn American flags,
blaspheme, rape and pillage and sacrifice virgins...", but all with a sly,
enigmatic smile that you still don't know quite what to believe.
Either way, the MC5 are thought of as some kind of evil bogeymen, thekind of guys young chicks should be scared of and known better for theiroutrageousness than their music. After all, most people know theywere
first to come up with the phrase "Kick Out The
Jams, Motherf-----s", but how many haveactually heard the song?
"In fact that phrase started out as a colloquial
expression in the Detroit area," said drummer
Dennis Thompson. "Like, a lot of bands would
come and playin Detroit and they'd be so lame
you'd yell, 'Kick out the jams', meaning get off
the f ---g stage. Rob turned the phrase into asong and gradually it became a battle cry for all
the kids inAmerica."
It was in Detroit that the band first formed, asa purely instrumental rock outfit back in 1964.
Even at that time, though, they say theywere
becoming "politically conscious" and when
they met John Sinclair, now
president ofAmerica's White
Panthers, this intensified. He
played a shadowy backgroundfigure in the band's development,
calling them his "tool for the
revolution" until they split from him
two years ago.
Last weekend the band hit London
for their second British visit, which
includes dates all round thecountry. On their previous trip
they only played fourdates, so thisis really the first chance Britain
has had to see them. "I thinkmaybe people will thinkwe're"Children arebrought up insuch a waythat they areafraid to love"

28 I HISTORY OF ROCK 1972

going to preach politics atthem," said Thompson.
"But not at all- we don't
want to make the gigs likegoing to school. We'll just be
rocking, foot -loosing, saying
off-the-wall things and justacting crazy.
At one time we used to statethings verbally, all that stuff
about screwing in the streets,
etc, etc, but that was just an
embryonic stage. In away, justto state them is very limiting.
"Now we let messages comethrough on a subliminal level
through the music. As themusic is supersexual, supersensual, erotic and obviously

veryliberated, ourobservations
still come through.

"When wegoout onstage, everybody knows
how toget it up there,
how toreacha climax":
the MC5inLondon,1972"But what we're into has noset political thoughts anyway.
It's to do with total anarchy ofthe mind. The MC5 thing is a
total screw off. Like, I don't care what you do solong as you're free. Whatever drugyou want toabuse- abuse it. Whatever poison you want totake- take it. You can have the craziest fetishes
imaginable and I'll still be your friend. Tome,rock music at present is completely limp. Like,
Rod Stewart sends me to sleep. Why don't bands
give everything of themselves on stage? They
certainly aren't at the moment. Why don't theyexpress their natural passion for life?
"We don't take audiences on little trips andfantasies in their minds, but get them out of
their seats, give them music that is super explosive. We want to get people out of their
tormented minds and into their bodies andhave a great time."
Judging from the band's first gig at the London School Of Economics
last Saturday, theydid succeed on this level. There was no great technicalvirtuosity displayed, but bythe end most of the audience were indeed
out of their seats dancing to some pretty basic, no -holds -barredraucous rock.
"Ourmusic had always stuck to the basic elements of rock'n'roll," said
Thompson, "because that's the music that belongs to our generation.
Ever since we started we've been expanding within that form.
"The keyword is energy. You've got to have that to allow people torespond. The reason why there's so much in this band is that we'vebeen playingwith each other for seven years, so we've broken down all
inhibitions between ourselves. Consequently, with each other we're
all super loose.
"When we go out on stage, everybody knows how to get it up there,
how to reach a climax, how to go, go, go and climax again. It's been said
we're the only band inAmerica that can make an audience come. If wemake English audiences come then we've done what we want to do."

The MC5 are over here for only the second timein their careers, but look like they'll be here a lot
more often if they sign on with ex -pirate radio
chief Ronan O'Rahilly, who is thinking of being
their manager. Their last tour here -in summer
1970 -was fairly disorganised and included theequally disorganised Phun City festival, andthey also recorded their last album, High Time,
here.A few copies of that were released when
they arrived here this time, but that seems alittle disorganised too- a word which is all too
frequently applied to the group.
An Atlantic newssheet described them as "theband that advocated screwing, smoking and theburning of theAmerican flag", and although
this might have coincided with their early image and first album KickOut
Thejams, it certainly doesn't anymore. They're still a rough-and-readyrock band, generating a great deal of energy, but their aim is to utilise thisenergy for communication.
"We're not interested in making it big like Led Zeppelin," says Fred.
"It doesn't bother us at all that we can't go up on stage and do all thoseridiculous things -we've had a dose of that type of life and there are more
important things to do than carrying around shopping bags full ofmoney. I've SEEN Led Zeppelin leaving a concert hall carrying the moneyin shopping bags.""If you have money spend it, we reckon. Ronan is very into that- hezspends it on good projects like his idea forpirate TV. He never talks aboutmoney, never worries about it, lives in a £12 -a -week flat and drives a jeep."0
They are thinking of putting out a live album next (their first one waslive, and one of the best examples oflive recording). The whole loving
awareness concept is somethingthat has evolved during their six and -a -half years together. When
you're as powerful on stage as they
are, you have a grave responsibility
to use that power well.
"I don't thinkwe've ever got up on
the stage and just played along andnot cared about anything," says
Wayne. "As a band gets older itreally does begin to utilise its
powers. Soon music and albums
will be one of the main forms ofcommunication. At the moment,
albums brought in more revenue in
America than films last year, whichis incredible." CarolineBoucher"The MC5thing is to dowith total
anarchy ofthe mind"

James Johnson- DISC & MUSIC ECHO MARCH 4 ITCOMES AS something of a shock when the MC5 - long sincebranded as a revolutionary and rather spine -jarring band - looks
deep into your eyes and starts talking about "loving awareness".
"That," says guitarist Wayne Kramer "is what it's all about."He, alongwith other guitarist Fred Smith, are talking in a Fleet Street
coffee shop. Wayne periodically cleans his fingernails with a fork.
"Forinstance, when you meet someone, instead of having a defensive
awareness, you have a loving awareness and you're readyto take in thisperson's full vibration. Loving awareness is the onlyanswer to our
problems- look at President Nixon, the most defensive cat in the world.
His whole constitution has fallen into a defensive pit."

Back

ill theUK

MCS don't wantthey mak..

apoini of1972

JANUARY -OH

A band with ,_hardcore live
following, SLADE
have also become agenuine chartphenomenon: basic,
bawdy, for the kids.
"Parents couldn't
take our music,"
explains Noddy
Holder. "It's notmeant for them."

28 I HISTORY OF ROCK 1972

wan

Look wot they dun:
Slade appearon
Granada Television's

junior pop showLift
Off With A yshea

HISTORY OF ROCK 1972 129

1972

JANUARY -OH- NME FEBRUARY19 WE LIVE IN the age of the mini phenomenon.
It's a situation born out of three/four years of
waiting in a post -Beatles limbo for a new real

phenomenon to present itself for deification.
And a situation born too out of the musicindustry's gradual awakening to the fact thatno such substantial and lucrative hunk of manna is either going to be
manufactured or dropped from the heavens into its lap.
So the mini phenomenon- either initiallybusiness masterminded or
public initiated, then in both cases gratefully seized upon and glorified
by a hungryrock industry... has been the order of the day.
Latelywe've had the T. Rex mini phenomenon, the burgeoning Faces
mini phenomenon and the Slade mini phenomenon. The qualitative"mini" by the way, chosen not to imply a put-down but as an attempt tomaintain perspective.
I've lumped these three bands together for other reasons. One, because
I've a hunch that if there is to be a new real phenomenon of the '70s -one
with a standing equal to that of the Beatles... then the chosen he/she or it
will find it necessary to embrace certain charismatic characteristics fromall these bands.
A hefty measure of Marc Bolan's skilled use of the music as the media as
the message perhaps?A bountiful dash of the swagger and vitality of theFaces?And, lastly, the kind of identification and involvement with theirfollowing that Slade have made their trademark.
The other reason why these three bands group naturallytogether is that
all three have tapped for their devotees
a considerable hunk of the public that hashitherto either been an ignored backwater
uncatered for by the excesses of the 20 -minutealbum trackers or, more simply, been at school
up to now.
In the latter cases these are the kids getting
their first influential (in the sense of having thebread to influence trends) taste of rock music:
the young brothers and sisters of the Stones,
Dylan and even Zeppelin fans; the kids whohaven't been programmed and conditioned bythe "accepted" norms of snob rock behaviour...
who want to do what their elders did when theyfirst turned on to rock'n'roll.
Theywant to feel the emotion and the sheer

I'm sitting in an anteroom waiting formy interview, half listening to
Noddy Holderbeing interviewed forAustralian radio in an adjoining
room, and Slade publicist John Halsall is passing time telling me of therelease date clash between the Slade and T. Rex singles.
Somebody somewhere agrees with the premise that both bands attract
similaraudiences because, when it was discovered that "Telegram Sam"and "Look Wot You Dun" were scheduled for release on the same day,Slade's Polydor label sagaciously decided that their band might get theworse of a sales clash and pulled theirrelease date forward a week.
EMI, Bolan's label parent company, promptly responded by pushing
their lad's single forward as well. Study ofNMECharts over the past few
weeks will have shown that the T. Rex single won out handsomelywith
the initial sales, although what is now Slade's third hit is quickly making
up lost ground.
Ifyou don't flash on that little story then you're not a part of the everincreasing movement who feel that the boost music needs right now isa return to shit -hot quality singles by the top names in rock.
Noddy Holder, anyway, when! got in to see him, expressed surprise anddisclaimed all knowledge of anybehind-the-scenes dealings. In his
opinion, T. Rex are in a higherleague than his band are on the concert
circuit and have had four/five hit singles while his group have had three
and are still on one nighters.
But he adds, in a nasally Midlands accent, "Of course I'd like Slade to be
as big as T.Rex, but I don't think that we are in competition. However, if
we are, then! think that can only help the music business. Competition isa healthy th ing."
Holder does concede certain similarities between the followings ofthe two bands. Not only in that they are likely
to cross out each other where singles buyers
are concerned, but also in that they attract
the same age range. Anything from 10 to 15,
with a concentration between 14 and 18.
"These are the ardent fans," comments"The audiencesweat theirbollocks off...

It's a kind of
release valve"

gut and crutch power of rock at least on a par with, if not ahead of, thecerebral qualities that have been pushed down the throats of the older
generation. Theywant, as Marc Bolan puts it, to boogie. Theyare, as
Noddy Holder of Slade remembers from his first experience of rock'n'rollthrough groups like The Who and Rolling Stones, wanting to "rave fromthe start". What seems to have been neglected is the middle groundbetween the straight pop and progressive factions. Not all rock'n'roll
devotees are graduates hung up on John Cale and Terry Riley. Some are
16, just out of school and itching to boogie.
Jonathan King makes a valid point when he says that today's pop
performers are too old to relate to the new generation of pop listeners.
I don't see reggae or The Weathermen as the answer. Maybe T. Rex and
Slade are.
This'll take you back, those of you who remember with fondness thosehazy nostalgic days when The Beatles and Stones would be releasing
singles in the same week, so setting the nation and the industry abuzz
with excitement to see who got the better of the otheras the records
battled up a then -vibrant and alive singles chart.

FACES -THE

MINI PHENOMENO

Holder. "It is the sort of young kids who areleaping about. There is this section of younger

kids who aren't into sitting and listening, andare wanting to rave from the start. Same as! did
when! started to take an interest in music.
I never sat down and listened. I saw bands like
The Who and the Stones.

"I was gassed with The Who when ! first saw
them. I saw The Beatles on stage too. I couldn't
hear anything but theywere fantastic. It has got
to come back full circle. I suppose we are doing our bit."
Personally! find Slade, apart from anything else, too crude a musicalband for mytastes, but to dismiss them out of hand would be to ignore thedemands and opinions of a considerable body of people. They are, to mymind, the kind of band whose appeal revolves as much, if not more so,around a charismatic image as it does around the kind of music they play.
The heavy, boot -stomping beat that they've made their trademark has
more to do with image than music.
Slade's main appeal is that they come on strong, playing it part serious/
part humorous, as a band of neighbourhood heroes. Holder, with his
strutting stride and vulgar onstage manner, is the neighbourhood
tough. Dave Hill, with his effeminate mode of dress, the neighbourhood
flash. To the kind of predominantlyworking-class audiences they attract,they can be identified with. Here are no four/five remote acid heads
attempting to preach peace and love at some Barnsley municipal hall.
Slade is one of your mates made good.
There are similarities with The Who's earlydays in that respect -in fact
Slade's earlymaterial possessed that same naivety of stuff like "I Can't
Explain" and "Anywhere, Anyhow, Anywhere" - because The Whoat the outset owed their success to a very strong identification withthe youth movement, the mod movement, of the time.
Holder draws the line
at musical similarities
but admits to a strong
admiration for The Whoand, on the subject ofaudience identification,comments: "It is obvious to
us that it is that same sort ofresponse that theyhad."From the BlackCountry, the industrial
heart of the Midlands,
Slade was born against a
backdrop of aggression.
Holder is from Walsall,a working-class area ofWolverhampton.
"Yeah," he answers with a drawn-out grin,"it was pretty rough. I suppose you have tohave some sort of streak of aggression inorder to exist there."He also makes the point that the life ofa group quicklytakes a musician out of his
native environment and slaps him down inanother. Slade still live in Wolverhampton- Holder with his parents -but spend the
majorityof their time on the road, and whenI'

in London, live in hotels.
Formed virtually straight out of school,
theywere just one unknown band in a

thousand before their meetingwith manager
Chas Chandler, the formerAnimal andHendrix's co -manager... a meetingwhichcoincided with perhaps the most influential
point of their career, this the frequently
harked -upon skinhead gimmick.
Holderexplains: "Back in Wolverhampton
the fashion was catching on and suddenly
we thought, well, these are the people we're
playing to so we might as well look like themtoo. It shocked Chris, but I think he liked thefact that we had done something to associatewith our audience.
"What also impressed Chas was the factthat we were playing all different sorts ofstuff: Motown, blues, anything. We were notplaying for ourselves, but playing to please
the audience. Chas said he had seen so manygroups playing just for theirown enjoyment
S lade in1972:(l-r)
on stage."
Noddy Holder, Jim
Lea, Don Powell
I won't go over what has become well -trodand Dave Hillground. Suffice it to say that Slade's bookings
slumped as drastically as if they'd contracted
leprosy. The silver cloud was that in one
stroke of the barber's scissors, the group had done its bit, however
insignificant at the time, to bring rock'n'roll down from its lofty cerebral
plains and put it back on the clubland floor and street corner.
"Anygroup into playing long, dirgy guitar solos" growls Holder, "would
never have thought of that. Theywould have thought it uncool. Doingthat skinhead bit knocked our bookings down, but the audiences -notthe head audiences of course... they really flashed on it. That was therealisation of what it meant to communicate with an audience."
From that point, although the hair was again left to run its natural
course, Slade set about using the lesson learned to build a very realempathy among a growing following. Today, a good Slade reception isdown as much to the audience as to the band. Holder says that the credit
fora good gig is usually distributed 50 per cent between band and crowd,
and adds that audience involvement doesn't necessarily stop with the set.
"We get a lot of people come along and talk backstage after a gig," hemaintains. "We like to find out what they are thinking and what theywould like to see happen on stage."
Since their first hit "Get DownAnd Get With It" there has been barely
any resistance to the band's appeals for audiences to loosen up.Any
audiences slow to come forward get a treatment of vulgar harassment.
"There are some people pissed offwith being bored by band after band,"says Holder, "but they're too shy to let themselves go because of thepeople next to them. We tell them not to take any notice if somebodynext
to them is sitting down because, if they get up and do it, then the guy nextdoor will too. Sometimes you get a whole audience too shy but we justpummel their brains until theygive in."
The result, at Slade's gigs over the country (surprisingly, London has
never been cold to them), has led to scenes of audience participation

unknown since the pop heyday of theearly '60s. Yet their gigs are remarkably
trouble free. Holder feels that the humour they employ tempers theaggression in the music and has a therapeutic side effect.
"It is the beat we playat, that sort of tempo," says the vocalist. "Theysweat their bollocks off through a show and when they pour out of theclub they are shagged out. It's a kind of release valve." Nick Logan- MELODY MAKER SEPTEMBER 23 MM: Do you thinkyou have reached the stagewhere fans go and buy
your records because it's Slade, regardless of the record?
NoddyHolder. Yes, people do. We've got a hard core of fans but the
hardcore can't push a record in the charts. If we put some real crap out itwouldn't get in the charts. It's still got to be a decent record. Our records
are good fordiscos and dancing, which is good.
Jim Lea:I think our records have got better as they've gone along.
It's dangerous thinking they'll buy anything. With a lot of groups they
get worse.
Holder: "Mama WeerAll Crazee Now" has some atmosphere on it
which we think is like our five feet. We did this on "Take Me Bak 'ome"
as well, but "Look Wot You Dun" and "Coz I LuvYou" were a recording
studio type thing. Nowwe are back in the "Get Down And Get With It"
style, which is the style that broke us. That's what people expect fromus on stage. On stage, "Get DownAnd Get With It" goes down 10 times
better than "Coz I Love You" and "Look Wot You Dun", so we might aswell give them what theywant from us. The Slade Alive album is thesame sort of style. x.
HISTORY OF ROCK 1972 131

1972

JANUARY -MARCH

Dave Hill: There's about eight tracks laid
down on the new album so far. They're alldifferent songs and some of them have the live
feel and some the recording feel. We've put twoout as this new single, and the other six will goon the album.

"At a lot ofplaces we getmore fellasthan birds"

MM: Are all your live gigs riotousoccasions
with massivequeues outside the halls?
Holder: Oh yes, everywhere.
Jim Lea: Lincoln, I think, was the breaking
point. Since that night it's been ridiculous.
Holder: We haven't worked fora couple ofweeks now, but the last two gigs we did in Felixstowe we had to get there at
one in the afternoon to get into the gig. There's been a queue a mile up theroad before we've even got there. The acceptance of all-round fans cameat Lincoln. Since about last September we've been getting full houses, but
now the heads have accepted us since Lincoln. Before that they probably
thought we were just a hit -record band. I think it was word of mouth
among the people who were there.
Lea: The Rainbow was our major London concert.
Holder:The managerof the Rainbow wrote us a letter and said it was thebest concert they'd had in 10 years. He wasn't talking about us playing wise, but about how the crowd behaved. Theywere all raving but there
was hardly any damage done.
MM: Do you get mobbed outside theatres now?
Holder: That's been going on fora long time now. On the British tour inMayit was taking us time to get out of all the concerts. We don't mind that
because it shows that people are diggingwhat we're doing.
MM: Is it mostly girls?
Holder: Oh, no. That's the good thingwe dig about it. At a lot of places we
get more fellas than birds. The fellas dig the stomping stuffjust as
much as the birds. I think it's the music that's bringing them in as
well as the image we've got.

Beatles. We're nothing like any of them. We'reafter ourown bit. Imagine what John Lennon
thought if people asked him if he was the next
Cliff Richard.
Holder:I know what you mean. If you haveto put comparisons, then Bolan is akin to The
Beatles and we are akin to the Stones. It's aparallel in a way and it's a compliment to us.
Lea: The obvious comparison is the Stones,
but we're nothing like the Stones really.

MM: But parents will hate you like theydid

theStones.
Holder:Yes, that's right. Parents couldn't take our music. It's not meant
for them. It's meant for the kids.
MM: You still live at home in Wolverhampton, though.
Holder: Yes. We are having to look for ways to spend our money or thetaxman will take it all off us. A lot of moneywe plough into the band. It
takes a lot of money on the road. The travelling and hotels and roadies
take a lot of bread.
Hill:I thinkwe'll venture out of Wolverhampton soon.
Lea: It keeps our feet on the ground there.
Holder:It keeps the contact with the average bloke on the street and that'svaluable. That'swhowe playto, and we get musical ideas there. We get toknow what kind of records they're going to digand that's a big help to us.
Holder:If you've come to the stage where you can afford to becomea recluse in Surreyyou've probably got sick of the scene anyway. We're notsick of the scene yet. We love every minute of it. There's no reason for us tolose contact yet. Maybe a time will comein the future when you get pissed off withthe hangers-on you get? When you stay athome you get people calling all the time

MM: Do you deliberatelygo for this rough image?
Holder: Not deliberately. It's just built up from the skinhead
thing. We don't play it down and we don't build it up, it's just there.
The fans like it, and they probablylike football too. We are playing
to a new generation of fans, like Dave said a fewweeks ago; we areplaying to kids who didn't know about The Beatles or the Stones.
They might know about them but they associate with the musicthat is coming out now.
MM: What do you think is the fans' average age?
Holder: Sixteen, about. That's the time when all of us started tolatch on to music. Youngerthan that you latch on to the music ofa band or girls wet their knickers. When you're 16you start digging
the music more and the image doesn't count as much. The image
is important but it can't take overfrom the music. Theywon't
dig rubbish.

MM:Are you reaching the point where live gigs will be confined
to big tours?
Holder: We shall do mainly tours, but one-nighters who gave usa chance in the early days we shall still work. Theydeserve to makebread on us now. It'll get chaotic, but it gets chaotic at the concerts.
They'll still crawl all over the stage and knock the stuff over. We
love it.

MM: Did youexpect SladeAliveto do as well as it has done?
Holder: We thought it would do well because of the following
we've got and because people asked us to do a live album. Now it's
been in the charts six months and people who come to see us forthe first time are buying it. They must be holding it in the charts.

MM: it's beensaid that you arethe new generation Rolling
Stones. Do you agree?
Hill: We hate this classification. I don't thinkwe're the next
anything. We are the only Slade, and we're working on what we're
doing now. Forget all the past groups, The Who, the Stones, The
82 I HISTORY OF ROCK 1972

DaveHill:"Idon't
thinkwe'rethe
nextanything.We
aretheonlySlade"GET yek SUMMERTIME ROCKIN At
BRIDLINCeTCM SPA Vila:ri SiklUckAAY
PARS
WHARFRgt'AMC,
FINE tsPit.ios 'AN
tkusa,
sgivok!
LAT&
UV
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We F000 AN'
Barryasking for pictures and autographs. It doesn't particularly botherus; it's our parents that have to put up with it.
Holder: We love every minute of it. Some of the fans send us stuff
like presents and gear. Theygo out and spend theirbread on us,which is great. I've had watches, scarves and hats and braces. A bird
gave me a fur stole the other week. It's great that theythink thatmuch of you to give you things.
Powell:There's a bunch of birds from Liverpool who always
follow us when we come up North. They have bags of booze andsandwiches, and gear on like Slade coats and Slade hats. They
must spend a fortune and theycan't be earning much.
Hill: These are dedicated fans who don't particularly
want to go out with us. They have tremendous scrap bookswith everywrite-up we've ever had.
MM: Have you a fan club?
Holder: Yes. In the last six months it has become out of thisworld. They get an average of about 800 letters a week. Usually
there are 200 a day but it varies depending on if there's a record in
the charts ornot. We send them pictures back. They all want to get
involved in what you're like and what you're doing. We can't tell them
what we're like normally. There was one letter in the office the other day
from Singapore. Theycome from everywhere.

MM: Some critics have said you dress to look likecharacters from
A Clockwork Orange.
Holder:At the time they said that I've never seen it. The others had.
MM: Whydo you think the last six months have been so successful?
Hill: We put it down to hard work.
Holder: The time is right for us now but it obviouslywasn't before. We
weren't ready for the success before anyway. We realise that now but wedidn't at the time. We're handling it alright now and haven't gone out ofour brains because of it. We'd have blown it before.
MM: Why?

I Iolder: We were too headstrong before. We wouldn't listen to any
advice, but now we do. We always thought everythingwe did was right.
We needed advice from outside the band, which we have got now. From
Chas [Chandler] mainly.

MM: How big a part does Chas play in the makingofyour records?
Holder: We go to him with a song and he looks on it as the public would
look on it. Of the eight tracks we've put down for the next album there
were three singles and if could have been singles and if it was left up to us
we wouldn't knowwhich one to choose. But Chas can tell what willappeal to the general public.
Powell: Chas has got this uncanny knack of getting these things right.
Holder: He doesn't want us to step too far ahead too quickly. He doesn't
want us to get complicated or introvert. He wants us to do what we aregood at doing instead of experimenting with things we won't be good at.
Hill:It's not a question of doing things we won't be good at. You're wrong
there, Nod. We could be good at doing anything. Certain songs could bedone good but they'd be the wrong kind of songs to bring out.
Holder:Oh yes, I'm talking about getting introvert on to a completely
different track of music from what we're playing now.
Lea: Can you see Slade playing modern jazz?
Holder: We might think one daywe'd like to do something like, say,Matching Mole, but it wouldn't be us, though. Even though we might beable to play it, it wouldn't fit in with our progression of songs.
Hill:It would be a waste of time.
Holder. It wouldn't fit in with the stage act. It wouldn't fit in with us.
We always take things carefully, which is Chas' big influence on us. The
things we are putting down on the new album are things we can work withon stage. Theyare all in context with a Slade show. When we first went into
the studio we weren't getting it together at all. Wewere trying to make thearrangement of the songs too complicated. Chas was always drumming it
into us that we were trying to be too complicated. We couldn't see it.
"Get Down And Get With It" was the turning point, because it has thelive feel. We went in and did that live just likewe do on stage, and we'd hit
on something by doing it like that. Now we do everything like that,
because it gives us a live feel. If we sing it live, we record it live, and that's it.
Chris Charlesworth

Nettleton Prbtents

for Clrote
SATURDAY 18 AUGUSTSTATUS QUOPlus COTTONWOOD.

Only 60p M Door.
on saleTickets for SLAbE
only at Status Ouo prlood 70P.
SOD at Dour if available.
SATURDAY 25 AUGUST

80p atSLADE
If avallitble
Door

SATURDAY 2 SEPTEMBERELECTRIC LIGHT
CHESTRA;"Hands up, all the girls
with no knickers on!"
MM SEPT 2 Slade continue kiwi' I IULUUJ aJloG111...
-FE HARSH BAWLING of

Noddy Holder has led Sladeto more triumphs than ateam of David Bedfords. And
Saturday's volcanic eruption at
Bridlington's Spa Ballroom was
no exception. It was a stormer;
proving beyond doubt that
Slade have reached the allimportant step where they nolonger have to be as good astheir next single.
Their stamping, crashingriotous stage act is one for the
kids who want to stamp andcrash as well. No one sits andlistens. Like an unrulyfootball
mob behind the goalmouth theirfans chant and wave scarves.

With so many one-nightersbehind them,their act is now
perfect from start to finish. It's
pretty simple stuff -a mixtureof 12 -bar, their recent hit singles
and material from the Slade
Alive album and they put it
across with what appears to
be a maximum of effort.
Guitarist Dave Hill and bass
playerJim Lea leap up onto

conveniently placed tables
and boxes throughout the set
while Holder gets on his knees
forJanis Joplin's "Move OverBaby". H is amazing voice isalways the root for whipping up
the excitement.
"Hands up, all the girls withwhite knickers on," he yells to
the crowd. A few hands areraised and the shrieks come
forth."Hands up, all the girls
with no knickers on." Anduproars break out. "We've
heard there's a lot of very rude

girls in Bridlington. Is thatright?" Three thousand voices- male and female -acquiesce
in unison and the crowd force
themselves tighter against thestage, reaching out to touch theboots of their heroes.
Few other groups could getaway with such basic stuff, but itsuits Slade to a tee. Like many

before them, they've realisedthat success comes withkeeping things simple. And
using that formula they've founda style of their own based largelyon the similarity in the soundbetween the bass drum pedals
and the boot heels crashed onto
a ballroom floor. Drummer Don
Powell's contribution to theoverall sound cannot be

underestimated.
As the act wore on, the fansbecame indifferent to what was
being played. So long as Slade
were up there they were having
a good time and nothing else
seemed to matter -there wereeven a few screams during
Slade's rendering of John
Sebastian's "Darling Be Home
Soon". Especially as Holder,
somewhat inevitably,suggested that blokes have "agood feel with the birds" during
this comparatively slow number.
Basic they may be, but they'revery good at it. Many othergroups with a similar formula
have tried and failed, but
Slade's patience and ability
have brought them through therank and file to the front. On
this showing they'll stay there
a long time. Chris Charlesworth

HISTORY OF ROCK 1972 133

AIM

1972

J4NUARI-0"

tew
Grit eow mgo intothe studios andplay it. Like, the guitar
part is very strange. It'svery developed music.
They're just picking up
on reggae in the States,
and it's just over thewater for them. Listen tothat drumming -it
Who is it? Lonnie, I loveyou! He's retired twice,
you know. We used to do
one of his numbers on
stage. Good luck to him.
Cilia Black
Wish For You
PARLOPHONE(Strides over to the hi-fi
and deftly removes

record from turntable
after afewmoments)
Thank you,thank you! Oh,I know that voice. What's
she doing? What a drag.

Al Stewart
You DrKnot,

comes in from nowhere. It
couldn't be Alphonse the Greek?
Who is it? REALLY? (Jaw sags)
Speechless, and you can quote
me on that. He's really got into
reggae. He must have an original
reggae drummer there. Now I
know it's him I don't know if I likeit. He's multi -talented, that boy.
Them's all his own words, youknow, and he's not got long hair.
Mike Vernon
BLUE HORIZON

God, it's a load of rubbish. Is it
that guy from Wales - Dave
Edmunds? It's a group?
Fibrositis? I think it's fantastic.
But I don't really like it.

CBS

Nice bit of piano. Is it
Entwistle? The lyrics
and voice remind meof him. Oh, a nick off
the Ox [a nickname

FEB12 Faces keyboard player Ian McLagan speaks
his eccentric mind on some recent releases.
Jake Holmes

Turn it off (simultaneously with
opening bars),I don't like it!
Ah, the Pinball Wizard. Nice
production, but I've no idea who
it is, and I can't wait for the end.
It's not Rod, is it? Not a hit. But
then, I was the one who said
"Lazy Sunday" would never bea hit. Puts blindfold on again.

the label, didn't I? I like the song,
but I prefer the original by Denny
Laine. Have they re-released
Denny's because of Wings? In thenicest way possible, I've heard
this before, and the original is a
bit of a classic in our house. I think
this is overproduced. But I likehim as a person and I buy all his
records. Ee, I am a horrible,
wheedling person.

Colin Blunstone

Lonnie MackCBS

ELEKTRAEPIC

It's Colin Blunstone.Wel1,1 readJoe Smith, is it? It sounds like him.
Billy South?
Clapham South?
Ray Stevens? J ohng,nt

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that rugby plum

Ilk It,s11.,tLennon? Hell, he's
been listening to
Joe South. He
sounds white. No

idea. But I'd preferto hear this onRadio One thansome of the things
they play. You heara million records
like this in theStates every week.

for John Entwistle,
bass guitarist with
The Who]. Perhaps
it's John Entwistle's
dad? Very much likeWho Sell Out. OK,
I know it's not Cilia,
I'm intrigued. Now
it's really Blonde On
Blonde. It's not Rod's
brother, is it? That always
makes me laugh when I'm
reading the music papers

and I see bits about "Stewart off
on tour". I always assume it's
about Rod. Long innit? I prefer
his brother. Poor old Cilia. I still
have a soft spot for her, you know.
Cat Mother
Letter To The President UA

I'd say... Everly Brothers. No, I'm
only messing about. Let me see
now... Status Quo! I'm justimagining myself reading thisback - without all the gaps.
Y'know what I mean. Have I heardof this band? I can't imagine who
it is. That ain't bad at al1.1 neverrealised how hard this was. I'm
finding this baffling. I say that by
way of explaining my ignorance.
Paul Simon
Id Reunion CBS

Oh, it's reggae. I don't mind thatat all. What I like about good
reggae is the feeling that it's all
going to collapse at any moment.
I can't understand how they can

Hookfoot
0 Funky Music DJM

Oh,1 like that. A few years ago
I would have said it was the

Buffalo Springfield. It ain't Pocoand it ain't Neil Young, but it's
something to do with Buffalo
Springfield. It's not Buddy Rich?
No, no, I didn't think it was. Who
is it? Oh, good luck to Caleb
Quaye [Mr Quaye is the leader
and composer with Hookfoot].
Huddersfield Transit Authority
POLYDOR

It's Mario Fabrizi! Del
O'Shannon? Gawd! Oh, horrible
production. Definitely a hit. That
wins the prize for scapegoat of
the week. We recorded this songwith the Small Faces. Oh, whata horrible overstatement of thechord changes. I'd give thatnought out of to. Oh, nicestrings. What lovely windy
sounds. They must have been
eating Mexican food.

SINGLES & ALBUMSALBUMS
Neil Young
REPRISEThe Mona Lisa has
nothing on Neil Young.

singer. I can appreciate
heavy music but his is toobusy. There is too muchgoing on, and it doesn'tmean anything to me.
Glen Campbell..iday Morning
CAPITOL

This is American. Is it Glen

Campbell's brother? It'sa write-off. Whatever he isdoing, he is not doing itvery well. The backing is
nice, but so many records'

MM FEB 26 NO weeks later in Blind Date, Bee Gelhave this sound. By somefreak it could make thecharts, but again, this is

terrible production.

astounded by the tracks he hears.
The Deltones
Wings
Pnrif Tn The
APPLE

I don't like this for a start.

I don'think McCartney
should do this kind of thing.
I like McCartney but I don't
think he should get intoa
political thing, because it is
not his image.This song
has a message more thana melody and it's more ofa John Lennon type of
number. Some of thethings he has done since heleft The Beatles I have
liked, and although this hasa catchy chorus I don't
think it's his kind of
material. This has beenbanned, hasn't it? I don't
think any record should bebanned, but its good
publicity to be banned.
Uriah Heep
BRONZE

It's nice production butthat bit sounds a bit
gimmicky. Is it an English
group? The backing is far

too loud but the beginningwas great. It's not Blue
Mink, is it? I can't get into
this one at all. I don't think

TheWizard

i Why

it's that commercial. Uriah
Heep? It's not heavy at all.
I don't think it's a very
good record.
Chelsea Football TeamPENNY FARTHING

Jesus Christ. Is it a footballteam? Forget it. They
should stick to playing

football instead of getting
into records. I don't believe
it. It's unbelievable. It
would be better if people
in a group started playing
in a top football team.

TROJANI don't like reggae for astart. I respect all kinds ofmusic but I don't like thisat all. It sounds like an
instrumental version of
M ungo Jerry's "In The
Summertime". It's just notsignificant, and this type ofrecord brings any music
down and down.
Dave Clark & Friends
COLUMBIAThis is a cover of another

This sounds like a very
English track. Is it Wayne
Fontana or Crispian St
Peter? It's Dave Clark. I
don't think it will be a hit
but it's a nice record. It'svery average and mediocresong I have heard. I s it

and there is nothing to get

Cher? This is the firsttime I have heard it but I
recognise the voice. Thisis a beautiful song, but
I don't like the backing tothis very much. It could
easily be a hit but I don't
like the production. The
production seems a bit dry.

you. Dave Clark is a nicefellow and I would like to
see him in the charts.

Cher
MCA

Open Road vamp
GREENWICH GRAMOPHONE CO

Is it American or English? Itmight be a good album

track, but I don't think
it's good listening. Is it
Creedence Clearwater
Survival, or Revival orsomething? It sounds
like a heavy trendy

Norman Hitchcock
POLYDOR[Produced by Maurice
Gibb] I haven't heard thisbefore. Is it English? It'svery commercial. There
are some nice key changes.
Who is it? (On being told!)
My brother produced this.
It's very Radio One -typematerial. This is the firsttime I have heard it. It's not
my kind of music, or the
Bee Gees kind of stuff, but
it's got all the ingredientsof a hit record.

Enigmatic is probably
too precise a work for a
man whose songs defy any
attempt to pin him down. He is all things to allmen: loner, martyr, Christ -figure, poet,
mystic. The archetypal, all-purpose outsider,with whom any screwed -up, alienated kid canidentify and through whom countless more
can wallow in sweet, vicarious sadness.
He is also one of rock's greatest songwriters, wrapping up small nuggets oftruth and pain and beauty in melodies whichhave the haunting simplicity of songs half remembered from childhood and lyrics which,like the best songs of Dylan and Lennon, canbe interpreted on many different levels.
It is the elusiveness of many of Young's
songs that makes them so precious. Because
they are not explicit, each listener caninterpret them in a way which is meaningful tohim or her. Listening to the songs on thisalbum, I find it impossible to set down on
paper what many of them are really about. Yet
meaning is there, to be divined instinctively.
A few of the songs, superficially at least, aremore explicit than others. "The Needle And
The Damage Done", recorded live at the
UCLA, California, is a quietly poignant lament
for a dead addict. "Alabama" seems tocontinue the theme of "Southern Man" on his
previous album, albeit more obliquely. "A Man
Needs A Maid" is about the pain of love, of
being involved, and the impossibility of living
without it: "To give a love, you gotta live a love/
To live a love, you gotta be 'part of '."The other songs are harder to pin down.
They tell ofjoy, sorrow, love, old age, half described incidents and meetings -allexpressed in oblique, fragmented lyrics
which create an indefinable atmosphere of
regret and nostalgia for a simpler, happier
way of life which probably never existed.
Musically, the songs here hold few
surprises, except for "A Man Needs A Maid"and "There's A World", which were recordedwith the London Symphony Orchestra at
London's Barking Town Hall, with somemajestic string arrangements by Jack
Nitzsche. The rest feature the fairly familiar
mixture of plangent rhythm guitar, wood chopping drums, stinging lead guitar andtouches of steel, harmonica and piano.
Melodically, Young's songs seem to havebeen getting gradually simpler, and some ofthe songs here, notably "Heart Of Gold" and"Are You Ready For The Country", are simple
to the point of being facile.
And yet... he makes them work. That
desolate, vulnerable, painful voice compels
you to listen. And
when the voice,the song and thearrangement cometogether as they doon "A Man Needs
Maid" the result

is...frightening.
Alan Lewis

JudeeSill:"Spiritualthings
arethemain
inspirationfor
mysongs"

1,t

HISTORY

4 I'

OC 1972

From a background of drugs, crime, reptile's
and music theory emerges via Davit
Geffen the beautiful music ofJUDEE SILL.
"Out of mud grows,a lotus," she explains.

--

HISTORY OF ROCK 1972 137

1972

J4tiutall-0"""Perhaps he is an electrician," suggested somebody. "Ora plumber."Miss Sill announced her intention of moving from the house, provided
iNf f'
of'yreosgoh
for her at a cost of some £200 per week, during her stay in London's
indifferent."
eTrent." JudPeeTSI ill ttaonkya spooroen-theMayfair. "I'm moving next door," she said firmly.
watched a man clambering on to the roof ofMiss Sill is a firm young ladywith a plump face, owl -like glasses
Italian Embassy. She had just been discoursing on her
and a businesslike manner. Her conversation is college -cultivated,
past activities as herpetologist when her attention
humorous, dry and frank.
was distracted. "That's the same man who was lying
At one point she stretched out in her chair, gazed at the ceiling andon the floor in my bedroom just now," she exclaimed.
uttered an expletive that would have shocked Germaine Greer. "Oh, that
The small lunchtime gathering, inveigled for the same purpose of
f- spoilt my image ofyou," sighed a youth, toying with his chives. Judeeeating salad and joining conversation with Miss Sill, a native of
looked suitably blank and then gently explained that she usually did her
California, looked puzzled.
best to dispel her public image.
Judee is a singer -songwriter, who played
a sell-out concert withAmerica at the RoyalFestival Hall last weekend, and is her on thefi
MM APRIL 22 Judee Sill sits down with somecrest of a wave of interest in her debut album,
just released onAsylum.
recent releases. "I have to be honest," she says.
She follows in the illustrious footsteps of Joni
11 BET !don't know many of them. I hate rock bands," said Judee Sill sitting at the dining
Mitchell, Judy Collins, Judy Henske, etc. "Yeah,"room table in her luxury antique furnished mews cottage. That's good - there's some bad
she says thoughtfully. "Did you know there isrock for you."Oh, God. I hate it, but I have to be honest," replied Judee.
a new female singer-songwriterwho plays
guitar called Joni Judy?"
knock me out, but at least it's in tune. Very
Judee's album is a highly developed musicalEarl Scruggs & The Earl Scruggs Revuepleasant. Nice song. She's got a nice lightstatement, surprisingly m ature and roundedCBSvoice. It doesn't stab me in the heart like anfora debut performance. But as Judee hints, shelove it. Sounds like "Foggy Mountainarrow. It's always refreshing to hear
has been around a long time and been through
Breakdown"- Earl Scruggs. Or is it someone
someone being in tune.
a number of maturing experiences. Her songs
else? I love this kind of hoedown music. I gethave a graceful, formal construction based, as
the idea. I like this very much. Hoedown is
Alice Cooper
WARNER BROS
she explains, around the concept of four-part
something I like in much the same way that
It's terrible so far. Oh God, disgusting. Dog
harmonies, and this stems from her two years'
I like classical music. I think the music
puke. It's so unoriginal. Who is this group?
studyat Los AngelesValley Music College.
comes from these parts, right? Comes
Agggh, I can't listen any more. Maybe that's
Although the album is notable for its sensitivefrom the old jigs in tune.
the worst record I have heard in my life.
string arrangements, which enrich her
Alice Cooper, uggggh.
compositions, she works as a solo artist on tour,
David Cassidy
BELL
accompanying herself on guitar and piano.
Joan Baez
A&M
He's on a TV show in the States. That's right,
One of her problems in the States has been
The Partridge Family. Listen, I'll pretend
I've always liked her voice. It's not that I haveclumsy booking, being put on to open the show
I don't know who it is. Good production.
anything against people starving infor teenybop rock acts.
The string parts are nice. But that's all I like
Bangladesh. I like her voice, but she's"I reallywant to sell some albums so I don't
about it, I'm afraid. Eleven -year -old girls willa terrible songwriter. I'm prejudiced.
have to do that anymore and I can go out onlove it. It's silly, it's silly.
Political songs always turn me off. Oh God.
myown. Please buythe albums!" she pleads.
Yes, I know about all these things. I can listen
It was the second day of sunshine in a cityjust
Help Yourself
UNITED ARTISTS
to the news if I want to get all these things.
recovering from a showerof sleet and a plague
That's cute. I like the piano lick in this one,
She believes in what she is doing, but it'sof power cuts when Judee arrived at her

MELODY MAKER MARCH 25 -Dk"ogpu ebut I find the song monotonous. It's thesame old stuff. I really think the piano lickis nice though. [MM: the piano's a bit Leon
Russell-ish.] I don't know who he is. Is hea famous piano player? It could be a hit,
but who knows.
Curved Air

WARNER BROS

Oh God! What a weird song.Sounds a little
stringy, doesn't it? I don't think it will bea hit. A little dancey, isn't it? It sounds likeall the middle voices are missing. Oh dear.
Oh dear. Pretty bad, isn't
it? Poor record, poorsong. Too bad. I
don't think thatwas too good.
Anne Murray

temporaryhome.

such a poor song.

Aretha Franklin
n -m fli/ ATLANTIC
I love Aretha Franklin. I've always loved her
piano playing. Who wrote this; do you
know? Oh Aretha, what happened? What
happened to Aretha? It's going to getbetter, isn't it? Doesn't knock me out so far.
Hey, I have a piano over there, can you help
me lift it over here? I expected this record tobe better than this.
Carly Simon;end In Your Own Tim( ELEKTRA

Have you noticed she always has her legs
apart? Actually, I don't really like this. I think

it's mediocre. It just doesn't doanything
for me. Good production, though. I can't
believe that Alice Cooper voice; is he likethat all the time, or does he do it on
purpose? Well, sorry, Carly.

CAPITOL

She's a kind offemale Glen
Campbell. Pretty middleof the road. I like thesound of her voice.She's
got good pitch. It's well
produced and thestrings are nice. Doesn't"I hear everythingwas in darkness," she said
sympathetically. "How awful." She welcomed
us into the reception room and we sat down
while she moved sheets of music out of the way.
"I've been writing some songs," she explained.
"You know, I did the album 10 months before it
was released. I don't knowwhy it was delayed,
but I did it all in eight days. The arrangements
took about two weeks' working out beforehand.
I sang the parts of the orchestra and they
worked it out. I really like strings, but next time
I'll use the human voice more. Vox Humana!
"Before the album was finished, I had done
hardly any gigs, but since then I have been on
the road leaming how to sing in front of people."
What did Judee do in her formative years?
"Oh, !went to college and studied
Pythagorean musical theory. I had strong ideasthat I wanted to put into songs, ideas on religion

that! hardlyeverytalk about because! say
Hurricane SmithJ You

COLUMBIA

What's all this? It's not asingle, is it? It sounds
like old movie music. I
like this. It's ridiculous;
sure does sound like oldmusic doesn't it?

them so much better in my songs."
One of Judee's most popular songs from thealbum is "Jesus Was A Cross Maker", producedfor her by Graham Nash, which typifies the Sills
style- gentle, melodic, mysterious.
"It's not a religious song; it's about a bandit
who stole my love. In fact, it's an unrequited

love song about a romantic bummer of great magnitude! One of thebiggest romantic bummers of my life. Yes, he's heard it -we're goodfriends now."
I'm reallyexcited about singing 'live' -I love it. I don't worry about
anything regarding music, I haven't started to record my next album
yet, but a new one will be out on October 7, like my last one, on mybirthday. The last one has sold about 40,000 in the States which isn't
bad. They keep putting me on with rock bands in the States, which isappalling. It really is the limit. I come on and there's 11,000 screaminggroupies taking reds (amphetamines), and red wine." Chris Welch- NME APRIL 8-

ACCORDING TO JUDEE Sill: "Out of mud grows a lotus." Inother words, something beautiful comes from something
unpleasant. The phrase applies well to her own life. Judee,
you see, has seen some rough times. Born in Oakland, California,
she was brought up in her father's bar, where the customers
gambled illegally and she hid under the tables to avoid the fighting.
After the father died, her mother died of alcoholism a few years later,
and Judee took drugs -principally heroin, which led to a life of petty
crime and prison. Yet, remarkably, she pulled herself out. She became
the lotus. After kicking drugs and discovering certain religious,
spiritual feelings within herself, she now writes songs of rare beauty,
full of imagery and symbolism tied in with her spiritual beliefs.
"I was always singingwhen I was a kid," she told me in an express train torrent of words. "I always wanted to harmonise with somebody
but I couldn't find anyone, so I learned to play the piano so I could
harmonise with that. It was the same with the guitar.
"I didn't knowwhether I was going to be a songwriter or anything
like that, but I always liked writing songs and it slowly started
Judee Sillin London
in 197 on tour to
evolving. It was the only thing I was any good at.
promote her second"When! decided to quit being a heroin addict! realised I had toalbum, Heart Foodmake some kind of rash move that would give me the same kind ofthrill but at the same time be of a positive nature. I realised writing
songs was the thing! did best, so I decided topull my full energy into it.
stimulated. It's asking too much of anybody to"Musically, probably the turning point was
suddenly switch round and have another part ofwhen! became interested in alchemy andthem stimulated by something else.
spiritual things like that. It influenced my"But I like playing in Britain anyway. People
music a lot. Although it wasn't a sudden think, I
over here are much nicer. I think maybe theirdidn't wake up one morning and say. "Oh, I
taste is more culturally mature. Sometimes
see." I began to want to entice the listener toeverything in America seems tuned to a muchopen his heart.
grosser level.""Generally, spiritual things are theJudee is at present in Britain making a few
main inspiration for mysongs. I try to get
appearances and promoting her album. Also
inspiration in other ways, but I usually findshe's working on some songs, but says she's notthis so inadequate. I just wait for my innera very prolific writer.
voice to tell me, 'This is a subject to write on.'"All my songs have been written over a long
"Always, though, I've had this leaning towards a professional life in the
period. I wish! could write faster. I've tried, but I just can't. They don't
music business. It's just that! had such a hunger with this drug addiction
all come up to my standards. They sound crummy, so I reject them.
that! thought maybe! could use this hunger to push me forward. So I justSometimes it feels as if something outside me is writing the songs. It's sostarted working as hard as ! could, and figured that when the time wasthrillingwhen it comes through me. But when ! get my own personal
right things would happen.
ideas ! try to reject them. I think there are enough people writing on that"One day, I was sitting at home thinking, 'Gee, it's about time somethinglevel. I want to write songs when the inner voice in my heart tells me there
happened', and David Geffen rang to say he'd fixed me up withis something to write about. There are plenty of people writing songs
everything -recording, publishing, the lot."
about 'you and me, baby'. So let them. Good. Probably I'm most
Apart from looking after Miss Sill, Geffen in the past has handled
influenced by Pythagoras, Bach and Ray Charles in that order."people of the calibre of CSN and Y, Joni Mitchell and Laura Nyro. TheseIs there not a conflict between the subject matter of her songs and theconnections led Judee to her first major tour with Crosby and Nash. Did
fact that she has to sell them on a commercial level in the form of albums?
she find it hard to go on stage at the beginning?
"Well, I'm just concerned with doing one thing, which is writing songs.
"Yes, but I knew it would be alright eventually. At the start, it was hell.
But obviously to get your songs heard you must be successful. Being
As !walked on stage! used to think, 'Oh God, I'd rather stick a knife in mysuccessful is more or less a sideline. If success was my goal, of course, myheart than go out and say, "Nice to be here!"songs would be shit... they'd be worthless. Songs usually are when that is"Gradually, though, my nervousness turned to excitement. I started
the foundation for their inspiration. That's what I find, at least.
out on the road about a year and four months ago, and it's just built up"But I would like to ask people to buymyalbum. If they can't afford it I'dsteadily. Often it's been with good people, like Cat Stevens, Gordon
like them to askthose who can afford it to buy it. Then I won't have to open
Lightfoot or Tom Paxton. Unfortunately, sometimes I've played with rockfor rock groups when I get back. Mydestinyis in your hand s." JamesJohnsongroups, which is - urrugh terrible, ridiculous, in fact.
"If somebody is ready to hear
rock'n'roll they're readyto have acertain part of their mind or body"If success
was my goal,
my songs
would be shit"-brought up in her father's bar, andfightini
JUDEF SILL hid under tables to avoid theecrDRDING

I4

11,411:.1.

Irk

ill PO IA111114M111

-411111111

THE HISTORY OF,2OCKThe History Of Rock is a magazine series celebrating 50 yearsof the music that changed the world - starting in 1965.
Month by month, it builds up into an unprecedentedly detailed
chronicle of the music and musicians we love.

A MONTHLY TRIP
THROUGH MUSIC'S
GOLDEN YEARS
1972

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Readers' letters

JOVAN SHOES LTD

MM JAN -MAR )wie and Jagger respond - as does a crestfallen Paul Simon fan.
LET IT ROCK

Do you ever wonder why, after
so manyyears, a great many
people hang on to the rock'n'rollthat was? You can't dismiss us all
as nostalgic Teddy boys or hippy hating rockers.
To get an idea of what it was likewhen rock'n'roll was new, when

Brando and Dean wereyoung...
the sense of the loss felt when insuch a short time the Great Ones
started to die -Chuck Willis,
BuddyHolly, Big Bopper, Ritchie
Valens, Eddie Cochran... Chuck
Berry jailed, Jerry Lee Lewis
ruined by a vicious press... Presley
after the army a star where once hehad been a legend... Little Richard
turned to religion... Alan Freedbanned from US radio... watching
the gold lame change to mohair...
Forget all those rock books
written by guys looking back. Graba glimpse through Don McLean's
eyes; he's been there. It's all on"American Pie" -go and find it.
SHAKIN' STE VENS& THE
SUNSETS, Q 'Awn Road, Pnarth,Glamorgan (MM Fab 12)

With the tremendous success of
the recent Chuck Berryconcert at
Coventry, we are delighted at theprospect of "authentic" rock'n'rollmusic making a serious comeback
with today's contemporary rockaudiences. If the powers that be
onlyhad enough insight tore-release, much of this legendarysound -with enough radio airtime-would soon find itself in thecharts. Take, forexample, the half dozen records Presleycut for Sun
with ScottyMoore and Bill Black,surely the most exciting sound of
the century. Take Rick Nelson's
earlyworkwith the amazing
guitar picking of James Burton.
Listen also to JohnnyBurnette's
Rock'n'Roll Trio of 1956/7

featuring Paul Burlison's
incredible guitar licks. What about
Carl Perkins and Buddy Holly's
original rockabillysound?
Today's rock generation has
never heard it. One thing's forsure: when theydo, they'll realise
what they've been missing.
MEMFIS BEND (Rock'n'roll trio),
Cardiff, Glamorgan (MM Mar ii)

appalling record. Surelythe
Chelsea football club area profit making organisation andtherefore it is ridiculous for them
to be able to sing their own praiseson the BBC? But perhaps the BBC

can't find anything else apartfrom this trivia to play?Maylsuggest the McCartneyrecord?
GERRY HEAL, Victoria Road South,
Southsea, Hants (MM Mar 11)

for our guitar players to get out ofbed. It was probably forgotten(which may have been for the

SAX APPEAL

What type of saxophone wasplayed by David Bowie on his
album HunkyDory?
MICK WARD, Sheffield

It is a Selmer white plastic alto
which I've possessed since I firstbegan to play the saxophone when
I was 12 or 13 years of age. I began

mymusical education playing
drawing -room piano!As plastic
saxes haven't been made for years,
mine is now extremelyrare. I had
lessons fora time from Ronnie
Ross because I was into the jazz
thing in those days. The alto still
has the original plastic
mouthpiece and I always use
plastic reeds. I bought up a big
stock of these some years ago andhaven't yet exhausted them. They
were called roc'n'roll reeds andwere introduced to me by amemberof Sounds Incorporated.
Theyonlycome in one thickness
and are as hard as hell -likeplaying through a piece ofmahogany! You can try sanding
them down, but ifyou want a tight,
thick sound like King Curtis,
they're fine. I don't think you can
buy them in Britain, but theymight be available in the States.
DAVID BOWIE (MM April 29)

to watch Top OfThe Pops tonight,
I was disgusted to see the Chelsea

football team singing theirin NME recently. Mick Jagger gives

040.

stores mayeven give it away.
The album consists of the Rolling
Stones' rhythm section plus solos
from two instrumentalists, Nicky"Woof Woof" Hopkins and Ry
Cooder, plus the muffledbathroom mumblings of myself. I
hopeyou spend longer listening tothis record than we did making it.
MICK JAGGE R, Rolling Stones
Records, London WCI (NME Jan 29)

.

SYIPS

better) until itwas unearthed fromthe familyvaults bythese two
impressive entrepreneurs- GlynJohns and Marshall Chess.
It was theywho convinced theartists that this historic gem of the
giants should be unleashed on theunsuspecting public. As it cost

appropriate forthe finishedproduct. I think that it is about
what it's worth. No doubt some

Jamming With Edward (Rolling
Stones COC 291001, featuringNicky
Hopkins, Mick Jagger, RyCooder
and others, received a harsh review

Having been unfortunate enoughabout this hot waxingwhichwe cut
one night in London while waiting

about £1.10 to make the record, wethought that a price of £1.49 was

JAM TOMORROWYER BLUES

his own point of view here:
Here's a nice little piece of bullshit

kilk'S SHORTY SOOTSOMIT Ir10 wsr

MINI MOM BOOTS
ONLY t12 ros, 'ea

Give

Irelandback to the
Irish
wings
New
McCartney
singleBANNED EVERYWHERE
Mom Os *I womenel putb. to. ord
MEP

TIROCKINGTROUBLED WATERS?
TO PAUL SIMON:

As one who haspurchased all yourworks, seen yourconcerts and followed your careerwith a dedication bordering on
abnormality, it hurts me to write
this letter, Paul, but if yourlatest
LP, Paul Simon, reallydid take twoyears to put together, then I'm one
customeryou haven't kept
satisfied. I know you're swimmingin troubled water since Art's
departure from the seemingly
inseparable partnership you had,but I don't thinkyou can expect us
to accept such mediocritybecauseof his absence. The phenomenal
success of "Bridge Over Troubled
Water" has not been forgotten inyour latest work, has it?! neverthought I'd see the daywhen the
pen of Paul Simon gave up thesearch fororiginality, new subjects
and new depth. I'm on yourside,
Paul, but when times get roughand evening falls so hard, follow
Dylan and laylow for a few years.
Remember when a man gets tied
up to the ground, he gives the work
his saddest sound. Please don't
become another destroyed genius.
COLIN BRINTON, Harwich(NME Feb 26)

PRINCE of WALES
THEATREMAURO OWCACT & l t5411 MADE relent

I.

STEPPHc'ELIJAN

G RA

.

grrat
.

.

...

IIMANEWEINJOH,

OPENSPilliSieft13.6 15

845

BOX OFFICE NOW OPEN

nt-glo R6111

HISTORY OF ROCK 1972

41

ELP new

Why rockalbum -

is on theexclusive!

breadline

ISf. R

IGGY POP, HAWKWIND,LED ZEPPELIN, ROLLING
Faces forfestival

ILL STONES AND MORE-

"Ideasmainly comefrom thetitle":
Roger Dean's

illustration
for the inner
gatefold of Close
To The Edge by Yes

42 I HISTORY OF ROCK 1972

"The music
has neverinfluenced me".oducing...
roger uean, creator of fantastical
cover art for Yes and Osibisa.
MM APRIL 29

YOU CAN TELL a Roger Dean covermost times by the strange little jagged
monsters that work their way out of his
prehistoric fantasies. Over the last three years
Dean has become one of the most soughtafter album sleeve designers, working on
albums that range from Osibisa and Yes toMotown Chartbusters. His work is even beingsought after by some London art galleries.
Dean lives in a large workshop flat near South
Kensington tube station in a small communityof artists, including his brother, who designs
furniture, and a dressmaker. Through the flat, x.

oW.iiaba

heat

1972
APRIL-

JNNE

Artist Roger Dean inpast the dining room which acts as a1972;(left)one of his
dressmakingworkroom and you enter
Osibisa coverswith anelephantoriginating
into a fantasyworld that has been createdfrom an early ad forby Dean for album sleeves. Aworld that
Virgin Records
is every bit as compelling as
the standard of the music heis packaging. Little books of
Dean -a quiet,
drawings done when he wasunassuming, almost shy
studying furniture design at
person nursing a broken
you can have
Canterbury Art School andwrist at the moment the Royal College OfArt inwondered whywe shouldanyfantasy.
London sit on shelves in thewant to interview him. Butroom, with his bed built up
he does see the importance
Graphics
areusedabove the floor on aof a good sleeve, and believes
platform. Open them up,
for the quick idea" that it can help bands who
and the ideas that now sit on
are struggling to sell records.
covers are inside.
Retailers, he says, like to use
Until three years ago, Roger was working
sleeves in window displays.And the betterthe
exclusively on furniture design with his brothersleeve, the more chance it has.
Martin. Theywere commissioned to work on"Some people don't seem to realise thethe furniture forthe upstairs at Ronnie Scott's
importance of a sleeve," says Roger. "I haveclub in London, bumped into the manager of
no idea how useful the Osibisa sleeves were
The Gun and Roger asked to design the coverfor them, but theymust have made somefor their first album.
impression on people."That cover now looks a bit like a very bad copy
The flying elephant on the Osibisa covers,of a Roger Dean cover. But at the time it carried
flying through a fantasyworld, about to makea lot of influence in cover designing. It moved
contact with a grislylizard, was originally anawayfrom the standard picture -and -graphics
idea for Virgin Records. It was used for one ofcover that had been popular for a decade. Dean
their early adverts, but when Virgin dropped it
managed to capture, probably more so than thein favour of the double -sided girl, Dean
music, the fantasyworld of rock.
resurrected the animal from his sketchbooks.

"With illustrations

5

November 26,1972:
Carl Palmer with E LP

The music that is going to be inside hiscovers does not mean a lot to Dean; hedoesn't listen to the sounds and then design
the illustration to fit. With Osibisa, though,he was drawn into their music by David
Howells, A& R man at MCA. He went along
to gigs with them and became acquainted
with their music.
"I think, to be honest," said Dean, "themusic has never influenced me. But I do liketo have the music around. I think Osibisa
was a classic example of someone making
me aware of the band. I don't find musicinspirational at all. Ideas mainlycome fromthe title or something else.
"With illustrations you can sayanything,
you can have any fantasy. Graphics are used
for the quick ideas; it's a joke, it's an idea.
I think a lot of the stuff, like the Osibisa idea,
has to give someone a fairyland, instead of
justAfrica- an Africa that is as muchfairyland as anything else."
As well as covers, Dean has designed logos
for record companies including the Harvest
logo for EMI and the grotesque flyon thecentre of Fly records. The Harvest logo perhaps
captures Dean at his inventive best- although
the graphics, which are not his, are not so goodas the logo itself.
Dean is expensive now, charging three -figuresums. And he thinks that perhaps he, too,should get a percentage of the album. He feelsthat with certain albums, his covers have had a
lot to do with getting them off the ground. And
so he believes a royaltywould be fairer. But thatbrings in problems: Fragilesold more than any
other Yes album in Britain -and is still doing so-but it was definitely not due to his cover. So
where would record companies draw the line
and say royalty for this and not that? Roger
doesn't really know.
He also owns the copyright to his designs,
and makes sure he gets his original artwork
back from record companies -which is notalways easy. There are labels he especially likes
to work for, who allow him time to get a coverdone without hustling him over timetables.
Keep hold of Dean covers, for if specialists areright, he and other designers are producingsought-after collector's pieces. Mark Plummer"Business isn't
dropping off'at the Hammersmith
Odeon, West London

MM APRIL 22

E. ERSON, LAKE & PALM ER will playa special concert at London's Crystal
Palace Bowl on June 17, part of a European tour. The group finish their current
American tour on April 23, and then take two weeks' holiday.Their European
tour will start on June 5 and include concerts in Paris, Rome, Zurich, Copenhagen andBerlin. They then return for another tour of America.
Carl Palmer told the MMon Monday from Detroit:"Our tour is doing very well,although we are playing quite a few small-town venues this time, so more fans inremote areas get a chance to hear the band. We sold out in New York, so business isn't
dropping off. We've been doing some gigs with Dr John supporting and next week weare on with Bruce, West & Laing."
Carl promised that the group had "a few ideas" for their presentation at Crystal
Palace, but wouldn't divulge the details. He isalso planning a solo album on which hewill feature his new drum Moog and invite guest stars. Carl would like to invite suchgiants as Buddy Rich and Oscar Peterson to take part.
'%

4 I HISTOR7 OF ROCK 1972
400

Neil Young in his
1972 film Journey
Through The Past

Sunk on atechnicality
MM MAY13 Filibuster! The Tory
Jrnment's Night Assemblies Bill

"talked out" by Labour MPs.
THE NIGHTASSEMBLIES Bill, which only
a week ago looked certain to become law,I . 'was dealt a seeming death blow in theHouse of Commons last Friday night- only
hours after the government had announced
the appointment of a committee to advise it
on pop festivals.

"We'll definitely beelectric in January"
JUNE 10 Back in good health, Neil Young plans his return.
NEIL YOUNG IS planning a major

British tour- and now that he is ingood physical condition after a
spinal operation, he will be playing electricguitar. On his last British concert, atLondon's Royal Festival Hall in 1970, Neilconfined himself to acoustic work because
it was less strenuous.
"I've wanted to doa proper tour withelectric and now my back's OK we can goahead." Neil told Mfr./editor Ray Coleman in
Hollywood last week: "So we'll definitely beelectric in January in England. I've had backtrouble for two years, so I've not been able
to strain myself and it's been frustrating.
It should be a new dimension for me nexttime in England."

Neil said he would be accompanied on thetour by the musicians who were featured on
the Harvest album. "I'd like to doa free
concert in Hyde Park -that really appeals tome. But we'll be coming at the wrong time of
the year. It will be freezing in England in
January and I can't play with gloves on!"He added that the idea of doing a HydePark show was still not being dismissed. Neiland his manager David Geffen stressed thatthe British tour- a week playing the major
cities -would be planned with low prices forseats. "We feel strongly that audiences
should not be robbed," said Geffen. "Neil'sfans deserve a really good deal and that's
what they'll get." The British visit will be partof Neil's first major European tour.

Re -equipped free of charge
MM MAY13 ,iuipment theft fails to halt benefit -gig -friendly H.

.wind.

HAWKWIND WILL NOT split after all. The group, who were threatened with extinction
following the theft of their equipment last week, have been completely re -equippedfree of charge byAKG and Vox. All existing gigs will be honoured, and an additional
two appearances have been fixed for the group supporting The Doors in their two
concerts at Birmingham Town Hall on Friday.
Their equipment and a van, worth £10,000, was stolen from Russell Road in Palmers Green,
London. A£500 reward is offered for information leading to the recovery of the gear. It will be
impossible to dispose of in its
present form because it is elaborately
painted and stencilled with thegroup's name. Hawkwind's singer
Bob Calvert was released from
hospital this week and he will berejoining the band on all future gigs.

Hawkwind stay

together

The bill, promoted by Tory MP JerryWiggin,
was sunk on a technicality. Several Labour
MPs, including John Golding, Leslie Hucksfieldand Gerald Kaufman, succeeded in "talking itout" -discussing the bill's various clauses atsuch length that it ran out of its allotted
Parliamentary time.
Time permitting, the bill could be
reintroduced on two further Fridays -but theconsensus of opinion is that the bill is dead.
Its defeat is the culmination of weeks of workby people inside and outside Parliament notablythe LabourMP forAccrington,
Arthur Davidson.
The new committee, which will report to theSecretary forthe Environment, will be headedby 26 -year -old Dennis Stevenson, chairman ofa government working partyon the role ofvoluntaryorganisation and youth, which
recently produced a paperseverely criticising
the aims of the NightAssemblies Bill.
MrStevenson, directorof a market researchcompany, told theMMon Monday: "As I
understand it, the committee's first objective
will be to draw up a code of practice for festivals.
Secondly, as festivals continue, we will be there
to give advice to people -local authorities,
promoters, residents' associations and so on.
"I hope that, as a result, some of the steam
will be taken out of the situation. The silent
majority, who are quite justifiablyworried,
will begin to see that festivals can be run
properly. I also hope that promoters will start
disciplining themselves more effectively."
Mr Stevenson added that he hoped thecommittee would be representative of all
the factions interested in festivals -local
authorities, the Red Cross, Release and "evensome promoters. The keynote will be people
who are interested in the nuts and bolts offestivals, and who are sympathetic to them."
He was present at the Wesley Festival lastyear, and described it as "a good example ofthe problems involved, and of the mistakesthat can be made".

5

Melody 47 FESTIVALS
Maker
MR

REPRIEVE

1972

FlorianSchneider(left)

I

andRalfHiitterof
Kraftwerk:"sometruly
strangemoments"

APRIL- JNNE

Young Germans have ceased to
be bound by Anglo-American pop
SOMEONE ONCE TOLD Michael Karoli,

guitarist with Can, that the band sounded
like the Velvet Underground. "Yes," heretorted, "but after all they're really not
American but a European group."
It's an interesting, if debatable, viewpoint.
Karoli was attempting to explain not so much
thatAmerican bands have never looked toEurope for inspiration, but that European rockgroups are no longer ipso facto influenced bywhat is going down in the UK and US. He's right,
as British audiences will see for themselves
when Can arrive in this country, to be followed
at some future date byAmon Diiiil II.
It's no coincidence that both these bands are
German. Of all the Continental countries trying
to create theirown rock situation, Germany is
the one that seems most fertile andexperimentally inclined. It's an exaggeration tosaythat German musicians have formed theirown scene, independent of outside influences,
but at least a handful of theirbands are pursuing
paths that are more adventurous than the
majority of theirAnglo-American counterpartsand virtuallyall the otherEuropeans.
It's important that theybe encouraged, thatthey have the success in the British andAmerican markets which theyso desperately
want. At a time when British rock is so
insistently harkening back to the past, theseare possible pointers for the future. This is noattempt, however, to foster the idea of a massrock'n'roll movement; just to indicate that
there's good music across the Channel which is
not receiving much recognition in this country,
even though the German record market isconsidered to be the fourth largest in the world.
It should be stressed that the main percentage

told

gui
the

r vet.

es.er allA survey of the German scene.
MM"It doesn't matter where the music goes,"

iKmaprol-rleainntzisSttohcakthaaguoseesn
ient
explains.

of German bands are essentiallyimitative of
Anglo-American pop. It's not an absolute rule ofthumb, but these second -raters tend to adopt
English names, like Birth Control, Lucifer's
Friend and Epitaph. In a more obscure, Freudian
sense, there's also a predilection forhorrific,
somewhat stomach-chumingalbum sleeves.
The coverforan LP byLucifer's Friend, forexample, shows two sinister-lookingmen, one a
Napoleonic dwarf, standing in a pool ofbloodand surrounded bysevered hands and fingers.
The music of these bands is derivative of
Anglo-American pop in that it's usually
dominated heavily by guitar and sounds as if
the musicians are just going through that period
from 1965 to 1966, when there was a transition
from blues and R&B styles to hard rock.
The analogies can even be extended to thedegree that these groups generally sing in

English, mainlywith appalling
misunderstanding of the idiom. The mostpopularof these is Frumpy, who won a poll not
long ago in a German magazine, but the mostaccomplished that I've heard is Improved
Sound Limited, who are so confident of theirmastery of the English language that they goso far as to print all the lyrics of their double
album. The results vary.
This is the chorus of "DoctorBob Dylan" (a lotof the lyrics echo Dylan's work and include
some of his phrases): "LastJune, at Princeton'scommencement' Dylan's gota doctor's degree/
Down in a filthyBronxbasementlPerished thelast US flea". Curious, you have to admit.

UNDOUBTEDLY, THE DECISION to sing ina language foreign to their own is due
partly to a desire to be instantly accessible
to Anglo -American
audiences. Many ofthese bands even

Dtuts'fli ikoth

include English or American musicians, likethe lead vocalist, for instance, in Twenty Sixty
SixAnd Then, a Liverpudlian named Geff
Harrison. As with so many others, he went toGermany with an English band and finallystayed on.
There's anotherreason, too, however.
After the last war, the Germans became sodemoralised and disillusioned with their own
culture that they turned toAmerica,
particularly, for their ideas in popular art. This
rejection has been so complete that it's not until
recent years that they have regained some
initiative. Jazz musicians have now taken
independent directions, and in another area
young Germans anxious to express their own
concepts have ceased to be bound bythe
framework ofAnglo-American pop. Theysee
the rock tag as a convenient way of packaging
their own ideas to get them over to the masses.
This is particularlytrue of the musicianswith political motivations, like Ton Steine
Scherben with its utterly left outlook, I hre
Kinder, and the Marxist Floh De Cologne. Theiremphasis on lyrics ratherthan music, and theirsubject matteris frequently a diatribe against
the capitalist system. This is notably the case of
Floh (English translation "Flea"), who havereleased an album with the translated title ofCorweyorBelt Baby's BeatShow.

These pol it -rock bands, though they
represent food for thought, are not particularly
rated in their own country. In fact, Winifred
Trenkler, a leading German rock critic who lives
in Cologne, described Ton Steine as "completely
left and unintellectual." The main torch
carriers forintelligent German rock music area nucleus of groups headed byCan and Amon
DUMB. These include Embryo, Kraftwerk,
Guru Guru and Tangerine Dream. Between
them theydefine the best of German rock.

rs WHEN ONE talks in terms of "rock" thatit becomes difficult describing their music.
The label has to be used loosely. Although
they're avid followers of Anglo -Americana,the majority of "thinking" musicians don't
convince me that they have a proper rockfeeling. They don't swing in the slightest, andthey don't possess an understanding of the
dynamics of rock'n'roll. At the risk of being
accused of xenophobia, I'd put this down tothe proverbial Teutonic stiffness and selfconsciousness at having to express
themselves in a light, easy way.
Ina way, this is a good thing for their music.
At least what emerges is natural, and what isnatural reveals itself as a preoccupation with

uncompromising rhythms, with drum
patterns that are as rigid as piston strokes andjust as inexorable; and, moreover, with soundper se. Although most German rock groups lackthe financial support to equip themselves with
the VCS3s and Moogs that bands here accept as
almost obligatory, they show a fascination withelectronics, and use sound effects not asembellishment but for themselves. It's not too
far-fetched to suggest that Stockhausen is thefather figure of German rock, especially as
Irmin Schmidt, keyboards player with Can,and Holger Czukay the bassist, are both former
students of the composer.
Both men are intellectuals and perhaps see
the rock tag as a means of packaging music
which is nearer to the avant garde than to theTop 20. This is not the manipulation it sounds.
Stockhausen, talking earlier this year about
Can, said that their music was presenting itself
under the name of pop or rock to people who
were expecting something ready-made. Thiswas verypositive, he explained, because itannoyed an audience as much as it pleased
them: "You onlylisten to something when
you're surprised, when it's new and changes. It
doesn't matter where the music goes. What's
important is that it goes in new directions."
Enough has been written about Can's new
albums on United Artists, Monster Movie andTago Mago, but mention should be made of
Czukay's Canaxis 5 album, which he made withanother German called Dammers for Music
Factory, a private record company owned bya
freak who made the original limited pressingsof MonsterMovie. The first side, "Ho Mai Nhi",("Boat Woman Song"), consists oflaments by
Vietnamese villagers sung (or rather wailed)overa tape loop of voices and orchestra. The
latter repeat a line of virtually descending notes
throughout the side, strongly at first, thenreceding, but always there in the background.
It's very formal and eerie.
On side two, called "Shook Eyes
Ammunition", a series of electronic bleeps are
suddenly interrupted by the mightycrashing ofa gong, which introduces a man's vocal, thenvarious "galactic" sounds precede a choirchanting a continuous passage comprising two
notes. The effect is tranquil, conjuring up
Buddhist monasteries, and silent, aloof
ceremonies in my mind, although Czukay andDammers style themselves on the sleeve theTechnical Space Composer's Crew.
Can's performances are as unflagging as
their rhythms. At Cologne's Sportshalle inlate January theydid a free concert in front ofmusicians who are worth checking out. There's
Parsival, who play something akin to chamberrock, and are light, airy and pastoral inapproach; Georg Deuter, who combines a
mixture of electronic sounds, bongos, straightforward guitar and sitar- one track is called"Krishna Eating FishAnd Chips", Klaus Weiss, aprominent drummer in Germanywho has
recently recorded a super -percussion album,
Niagra, with other drummers
from the States, England,
Germany and Venezuela;
EMBRYO HAVE AN album
there's Eiliff, who have a"Many German
called Embryo's Rachebassist named Bill Brown,("Revenge") on United
and are organ -dominatedgroups use soundArtists, who, along with
with rather orthodox
effects not as
Philips and the avant-garde
arrangements; and thenlabel Ohr, release most of
Et Cetera, Gila, Xhol,
embellishment but there's
the better-known German
Cluster, Popol Vuh, Jamesproduct. They're rather
Jackson, Sweet Smoke, Paulfor themselves"
jazz -oriented, with aand Limpe Fuchs ( a live
soprano sax, flute andrecord cut in Ossiach,organ, but unmistakeably German, with that
Austria) and Ash Ra Tempel (who are supposed
heavy, insistent drum rhythm. While they
to be ferocious).
sing in English they're basically
instrumental, but they're not averse to
FALL THE German bands, however, thepolitical songs, like "Espagna Si, Franco No",
most assured is Amon Diltil H. If they canwith its line about "evolution is the only way".
maintain an equilibrium within the band
However, the most interesting track is theand continue to remain unaffected by thelast, "Verwandlung", with its use of Mellotron
various personnel changes, there seems no
and piano leading into Edgar Hofmann's
reason why they should not become a positive
violin, which sounds as if he's been listening
force on the international rock scene.
to Don Harris.
In terms of awareness of the rock idiom they're
Kraftwerk ("Power Station"), I understand,head and shoulders above the competition.
have released two albums, one of them, Tone
They're less "alien" -sounding than Can and
Float (as Organisation), on RCA, the other,
Kraftwerk; they have absorbed the transatlantic
simplybearing the band's name, on Philips
musicalvocabulary. But theirmusic has(whose English office saythey've neverheard ofremained theirown, despite references to thethem). The band revolve around Ralf Flutter on
Dead and theAirplane on the first two albums,
organ and Florian Schneider-Esleben on flute,
Phallus Deland Yeti, and Hendrix and theviolin and electric percussion. Though some of
Floyd on Dance OfThe Lemmings. Theycan
the Philips album reflects a trivial use of sound,encompass an astonishingly wide range ofthere are trulystrange moments like the heavily
sensations, from the far-out space rock ofphased drumming on "Ruckzuck", which fades
Lemmingsto the tinglingacid rock ofin and out of the speakers with the cold precision"Archangels' Thunderbird" on Yeti, whichof a machine. In fact, they've got the mostmade one of the best hard -rock singles ever.
"mechanical" energised sound I've everheard
Theirnew album, Carnival In Babylon, is theirin places. Theirname couldn't be more apt.
most composed. It's almost gentle even, with
Tangerine Dream, on the other hand, a Berlinrather pastoral-soundingvocals from theirgirl
group, are far less earthbound. If "space music"
singer, Renate, newlyreturned to the group. The
is not too overworked an expression, that's
music is not as experimental as on the previous
them. Sort of Pink Floyd -minus -tunes meets
albums but there's more texture: nice bass
King Crimson's 21st -century schizoid man.
lines, particularly on All The Years Round" andThey've got two albums out on Ohr, Electronic
deft strokes from the two guitarists John
Meditation andAlpha Centauri, and I've
Weinzierl and Chris Karrer. With these two lies
recently heard a single, "Ultima Thule (Parts
the future ofAmon DWI. Michael Watts
10,000 people -the city council had given theirblessing in the name of modern Kultur. The
group played for around four hours in all,including intermissions forjugglers, acrobats
and a guywith a singing saw. To hear themthundering away like a non-stop express issomething of an experience, but the repetitionof their open-ended act was finally a little toomuch for these English ears at first go. Theirenthusiasm seems to work betterin the edited
context of an album.

0

One and Two)", which if I recollect rightly, is aphrase from Virgil meaning"Furthest Thule". Most of themusical substance seems to be donewith a Mellotron and an organ but
it's pretty effective, even if Part Two
does bear a certain resemblance to"Set The Controls".
Guru Guru are also on Ohr (itmeans "ear", incidentally) with analbum called UFO, and they should
be checked out because of their
drummer, Mani Neumeier, whoplays electric percussion, which
several other of these bands have.
Leaving asideAmon Diiiil II, there
are a number of other bands and1972
APRIL-JANE"We were

all pretty
weird bythis time"
At only 24 IGGY POP is already a survivor. Beset by"ugly, unbi..... musicians, he created insteadthe visionary STOOGES. Having beaten "a man-sized
habit", he is now in London. He offers his thoughts

on record production, rehearsal and the road ahead.
"I want to do the best for my music," he says.

_ put nnv MY

APRIll_AS MARC BOLAN swung his hips for the benefit of Ringo Starr's

camerawork, did any of the 9,000 upturned faces notice the auburnhai red American fifth row from the front? From his seat in Wembley's
Empire Pool, Jim Osterberg, alias Iggy Pop, alias Iggy Stooge, waschecking out an aspect of the English scene as from one phenomenon
to another, and that singer he couldn't believe!"Kinda chipmunky,"
he was to say later. Iggy is sort of, uh, more extrovert.
I le sings a bit but he likes to express himself in other ways as well. You know, bash his headagainst the stage, pound his teeth with the microphone, draw a little blood. Anyt hing canhappen at an Iggy Stooge concert. Everything does.
It was unfortunate that time he played with the Stooges in St Louis. The time that the mic
stand broke, and he was rhythmically smash ing the jagged edge on the stage, and he neversaw the chick climbing towards him until he felt the metal slam into her head. When hepulled it out there was -ugh! -all this blood everywhere. Nasty business. But like I say,funny things go on when he's stooging around. »48

I

HISTORY OF ROCK 1972

Iggyis living in England rightnow. He says he'll be making someappearances next month. All you
British mums have been warned.
An Iggy Stooge performance is thephysical, visual culmination of thatlong line of bumps and grinds that has
distinguished rock'n'roll since Presley
put lead piping down his pants. Iggy
has gone further than anyof themalong the road of audience
participation. A feature of his act has
been to jump from the stage into thearms of his fans and invite them tobeat him up a little. It sounds likethe fulfilment of sadomasochistic
fantasies. It probably is. Iggy justsays it's impromptu. Whatever
happens, happens. Que sera, sera,
rock'n'roll style.
Before Iggy's band disintegrated, theact would go something like this. The
other three Stooges would arrive on
stage, plug in, and proceed to playwith

the total immobilitythars associatedwith Bill Wyman. Far out. But then,who is this bare -chested kid with the
bug eyes and the flapping arms and the
bashed -up two front teeth where themicrophone keeps lashing? See him
flop like an obscene jellybeside theguitarist before springing out over the
spotlights on to the heads of thegroupies. And Jesus, is that really hot
wax he's pouring over his torso? Ladies
and gentlemen, is Iggy Stooge yourkind of meat?
But tell me, Iggy, is everything they
say about you true?"Yeaaah, pretty
much. Maybe it gets a little distorted.
Like, if I was sitting on some guy's lap it
comes out that I was fhim, andif someone gets hurt they say I'm into
injuring spectators. But that's cool.
"Let me tell you a story. One timeon stage I did this windmill thingwith
a wine bottle, bashing it on my chest
until it broke. I can't tell you how
beautiful it was, to see the glass
Re-formedbutnot
reformed:Iggy&The
shattering and the lights reflecting it.
Stoogesin1972-(c/wise
And then I looked down and there's
from top) Ron Asheton,
JamesWilliamson,
this chick, who's been telling me she
ScottAsheton,Iggy Pop
loves me, holding up her arm and it's
covered in blood. She's saying, 'I hateyou.' The cops cordoned the place off. I just about got away."
Iggy, orJim as he refers to himself offstage, snickers gleefully. He's
wearing a wide -brimmed black hat over a face coarsened with excessive
living. He sits in the London office of his new manager, puffing cigarettes
and spitting out anecdotes with the smoke.
People have egged him on, he says. The Stooges once played this openair festival, and the organisers kept telling him not to incite the kids tobust down the perimeter fence, else it was going to be his ass that was on
the line. Naturally, he recalled, by the time he went on that was just what
he intended to do.
"So I made these little gestures, pointing to the wall, and then they tried
to revolve me off the revolving stage they had. But our equipment guys

Tifockgs,
S MARC BOLAN

swung his hips
thebenefit ofg Start :s camera-

business But, likefuhny things sn cat I say,when

hes stnngina rnund,,hazyv,0 living te Fnalane
He save he'll betome guy's lap it comesout that I was - hart
and if tomeone gets hurtthey say I'm MO inJurm gbeat up on them. It was beautiful. You could feel the electricity." Hesmiled, slow and impishly. "A lotta times you start playing and just get in
the mood."
Iggy and The Stooges attained national prominence in the summer of1970 when they played a festival held at the Cincinnati Redlegs Baseball
Stadium. Traffic, Mott The HoopleandAlice Cooper were also on the bill,
but it was Iggywho made the headlines. Pictures of him leaping, tongue
flicking like... an iguana, and the people handing him round on theirshoulders, were syndicated throughout the States. He was bound for glory,
however spurious. Less than a year later The Stooges were all washed up.
There were lots of problems within the group. Musical ones. And: "I got
a real man-size habit, and then I didn't want to be on stage anymore 'cosr daughters,of 1970 when they played

festival held at the Cie,

dna"'

Redlegs

Baseball

Stadium. Traffir Si...,

ICCY

Ia

clean

now,

didn't go 10 ny choir, tiehefrlustcians

httbfluen

via%

sword

a

prettytn usetv meet me and timptesa me

He didn't look Ur

IGGY POPI knew! couldn't do my best under those circumstances -I always try to
do my best for my music. So I started trying to get out of playing, but whatwith managers and audiences that's more easilysaid than done. It got tothe point where I'd get on stage and then puke. The people didn't care.
Theirattitude would be, 'I've seen him do so manyfar-out things, now
let's see him kill himself.'"I tried to fail so I'd just fade away, but theywouldn't let me. We just kept
getting bigger crowds. So I quit. 'Goodbye, world, f- off.' I bombed out
for six months."
Iggyis clean now. He didn't go to any clinic, he took himself off the hook.
It was sheer, schizoid hell, he recalls, but he dropped the habit. And forthat, he says, he has largely his parents to thank.
Iggygrew up in a trailer park. He was a caravan kid. He was brought up
inAnnArbor, Michigan, and at high school there he joined his firstrock'n'roll group, Iggy& The Iguanas, as a drummer. Later, playing in
Detroit with a blues band called The Prime Movers, he met Mike
Bloomfield, then with Paul Butterfield. Bloomfield liked him, he says, andgave him Sam Lay's address in Chicago, so off he went to the Windy Cityand bummed off Layfor a while, picking up tips on playing. Therefollowed a number of one-night stands withmost of the black bluesmen there, such as Walter
Horton and JB Hutto. About his drumming, Iggy
ain't modest. "Where! came from! was alegend," he says sincerely.
He never played more than one or two nights
with these bands, but they got him cut-rate. The
more he hung around the Chicago bluesmen
the more contempt he got from all the whiteguys trying to play the blues. Theyhad no
personal presence, which was what he waslooking for. He wanted to play music thatdripped right off his fingers, like these blackguys. He headed back to Detroit.
It was here in '68 that he formed The Stooges
with three friends. These were the twoAshetonbrothers -Ron on lead guitar and Scott on drums -and DaveAlexander
the bassist. Musicians was a pretty high-flown word to use in connection
with them. They'd had virtually no previous musical experience. Iggy
had to teach the drummer the rudiments, and the bassist learned byhimself. Iggywanted people who were untutored.All the guys who could
actually play, he recalls, were "stupid and unbeautiful".
Theywent out on the road as the Psychedelic Stooges, a name vaguelyconnected with the Three Stooges, and fora time were involved with theMC5 (also from Detroit) in John Sinclair's multi -media community,
Trans Love Energies. The Stooges did a couple of benefits for thecommunity concerned, but it wasn't their scene. They never got paid and
Iggy didn't like the people who were involved. "I'm waiting forthe day
when! meet someone who's never heard of John Sinclair," he says.
Then in late '68, the band was signed by Elektra Records. Danny Fields,
possibly the most famous rock'n'roll publicist of all time, went toAnn

John Cale. "We were a really strange band, and Elektra thought they knew
a strange producer," he says. "We were still living in Ann Arborand Johncame out. I really liked him. He just let us have our heads. His job was toprotect mymad ideas from outside influences." Iggy snickered again.
"We did that album in fourdays. We'd never played a note at that time
and the band hadn't written any songs before, so I bought a guitar andlearned these chords in two weeks. I wrote the songs in three days andthen we recorded them. Theywere all about 10 minutes long."
The album was cut at The Hit Factory, which is above Times Square in
NewYork. Jerry Ragovoywas on the sessions. Iggy remembers him well, if
not with any fondness.
"It was an R&B studio, and they thought we were horrid little creatures.
Then Holzman heard it and said, 'I don't hear anything but three chords',
so I said, 'Ifyou don't like it we got lots more material, let us go in again.' He
set it up for the day after tomorrow. We were at the Chelsea and it wasthere we wrote the other half of the songs. 'Little Doll' I wrote in the lobby.
All it is is '1969' changed around."Second time around, he says, Holzman liked it, but they haven't
remained the best of friends. Iggy is now finalising a deal with CBS.
It didn't workout too well with Cale, either. Iggy
wound up mixing the tapes himself.
"John's got a real genius for arrangements,
like on Marble Index, but that stuffs too shiny
for a rock'n'roll band. When I got the tapes theycame out sounding like Marble Index again. In
general, he doesn't have a feel for the fluidityand dynamics of rock'n'roll- or at least, as I liketo play it. He's got a classical background and it's
made him stiff."
The second album, Fun House, made at
Elektra's studio in Los Angeles, was produced
this time byDon Gallucci, who had recorded
The Kingsmen's "Louie Louie" when he was 17.
Elektra gave them a practice studio to rehearse
in. It didn't workout that way: "We were all
prettyweird by this time, and instead ofworkingwe picked up these
instruments like a tuba and a saxophone and marched around doing'Old Joe Clark'. We refused to do anything but set up our instruments
and record. Eventually, the sound we got was so ridiculous that it was
physicallyimpossible for anyone else to like us."
Yes, it was weirdness and more weirdness all the way.
By now Our Hero, hat pulled low over his forehead, is slumped in his
chair with his feet stuck on the windowsill. His voice comes out in a slurrydrawl, like a looser version of James Stewart. Under the shadow of that hat
he seems no more than a kid.
YoungJim Osterberg is explainingwhy he's Iggy Stooge. He will, he says,
do anything to get himself off. It's absolutely necessaryfor him to havekicks, to move his mind, and if people are upset, well, he's sorry, but rightfrom the word go he's been used to offending them.
People who "orient themselves into art" are always telling him he's
so abstract. He's not antisocial, not unless it's cops or characters withno brains. And then, someone will look into his face and see... beneaththe brim his eyes take on that psychotic look. Don't look at him, kids. It's
not nice.
Minds are alive, he explains. They see pictures and make up stories. He
sees big pictures and makes big stories; his audience sees little picturesand invents big stories. A performance is a whole mixture of thesepictures and dreams. You should have the guts to let the dream flow.
Iggysays he's had a lot of luck in his life, too: "I've always been lucky.
I've wanted everything in the world. I've wanted it all. I'm as dishonest as
the next guy, y'see. I'm greedy, crooked and vain, and I like to profile.
Everybody has a shadow and I like to project a big one.
"When I met my present manager! was on the bum with no plans andno food, and all of a sudden I met this dude, said 'I trust him' and signedwith him. The next thing! know I'm talking to the president of Columbia
and he's saying 'yeah' and now I'm in England. That's awful good fortune
fora poor boy!"
Iggyswitched on TVthe other night, just in time to catch Judee Sillsaying she preferred to playwithout a rock'n'roll band, who are so"young, loud and snotty", or something like that. Iggy has written
a tune about it, he was so creased. Because, as he says, that's the way itis when you're having fun. He'll be coming your way soon. Have fun.

"When I met
my manager
I was on thebum with noplans, no food"Arbor for Elektra to look over the MC5.
At this time, says Iggy, The Stooges were real bad, not just bad. Forastart, they had hardly any equipment. At the end of their set, however, theband left the stage with the amps feeding back and Iggywas wandering
around the audience being Iggy. Fields came by, told him who he was, andtalked about signing them.
Iggythought it was a put-on: "I believed he was an office boy, who justwanted to meet me and impress me. He didn't look like what I thoughta record company executive should look like. He was dressed like us. In
jeans and a jacket."He was finally convinced of Fields' serious intent, and not longafterwards Elektra's co -owners, Jac Holzman and Bill Harvey, came tosee the band. The performance they gave was not exactlysmooth. "I wasreally sick. I had a temperature of 101. There were bruises on my head 'cos
I'd had a kind of a fit, and my one earwas gone. It was at this time that I
wrote 'I Am Sick' and 'Asthma Attack'. Before I went on I was sitting in thisblanket, shivering, and then when we appeared
I kept falling down. It was really macabre. I was inunbelievable pain and they thought, 'This guy's
into it.' Theywere so totally freaked they thought
they should sign us."
The first of their two albums for Elektra, which
was simply called The Stooges, was produced byMichael Watts

HISTORY OF ROCK 1972 151

"The politics
of freedom"
Underground freaks turned Top lb 0,
HAWKWIND 7'e 197
unlikeliest success story. In the wake of their nit "Silver Machin'have chaithey reveal plans for a new "space opera". "Audi
now," says bassist Lemmy. "It's a collective consiless."-FEBRUARY 5 -LIKE THEM OR not, you must admit that Hawkwind
are honest. Guitarist Dave Brock is not loath toadmit that most of the band's musicians are at best
mediocre, while Mk Turner (sax) never ceases tobe amazed by their success.
Partly, it's all due to the band beginnings. Whenthey first came together, Hawkwind was just a means of having
a good time -"a pleasurable sideline", as Brock puts it. On ly whenpeople actuallyseemed to like their music did they begin to take it
serlously.And even now the main motive of the band is to provide
fun both for the audience and themselves.
"I think that's the only reason whywe get across to a kit of people,"
said Turner. "Theysee that we'reobviously having a good time,
and they get somethingout of that. In the beginning I neverthought our music would appeal to anybody, si mply because
we've never pandered to public taste, never compromised andjust played exactly what we wanted. Bya happyaccident people
seem to bedigging it."Now the band are probably more involved in their music andin assorted projects than ever before. Upmost in their minds isa space opera they hope to take on the road In late spring.
The brain behind it all is word man Bob Calvert, who explained,"It doesn't have a plot like a traditional opera but is an opera
nevertheless in the way it presents asituation. It concerns dreams
52 I HISTORY OF ROCK 1972

people might have if they were suspended in animation in deep
space. Whereas our last album concerned a journey into se, thisis more about actually being there.
"On stage it'll be a totally theatrical event, with dancers, m e
and a new wayof using light techniques which will cover the wholeaudience.Hopefullywe want to get together the best everight show
ever put on the road. And it won't just be complementing tIfe music
but actually part of it. The guy operating the lights will be playing
them, if you like, just as theothers play their instruments.""I reallydon't think groups give enough to their audiences," said
Brock. "They don't seem to have much contact. Ifyou go rounddance halls in thecountry and see the miserable conditions people
are in, you feel you should give them as much in alive show as you
possibly ca n. Most groups don't do it. They go through the sameroutine so much that they might as well be working in a factory."
Hawkwind, of course, have always had special connections with
what's loosely called the alternative sodety. Again it stems partly
from the beginnings of the group -as Brock explains: "When thegroup formed we were all hustlers and dealers on the scene, andnowwe still see the same people and go to the same places."
But do the group see themselves as any different from others?
Bob Calvert replied, "I suppose if the underground has any
meaning at all we're part of it, simply because we don't see ourselves
as part of the music industryor aligned to the profit motive x.

"Something tike
Isadora Duncan":Stacia onstage
with Hawkwind in
Denmark,1972

HISTORt OF ROCK 1972 53

which is what that industry is about. All
generations have had some sort of revolutionary
feeling in them, but this is the first that isn't
based on any political deals or programmes.
Consequently it's the job of the musician to put
these feelings into music that people canrecognise. Gigs seem to get into a very
ritualistic, tribal thingwhere people come tolose their personal identity and expand theirconsciousness collectively."
Probably the greatest link the band have withthe underground is through playing numerous
benefit gigs for various organisations. Trouble
is, though, as the group become more
successful, more requests for them to play
benefits pour in. Obviouslythis presents problems.
"Quite honestly, the benefit scene has got completely out of hand," said
Brock. "Because so many bands don't do them, people rely heavily on
those that do. Then when you can't manage, all of them people sayyou've
sold out.
Also there are a lot of rip-offs at benefits when you just can't tell where
the money has really gone. It's a pity, because there are so manypeople
who are reallyinto nice things but can't get the bread to do it that we feel
we should try and help as best we can."and last album cover, I suggested, seems tocontain influences from Buckminster Fuller- in particular the use of phrases like "Space
Ship Earth".
No, theysaid, it's more a question of moving
in the same direction at the same time. Calvert
is not the sole reason for their involvement inspace: it had been thriving even before hejoined the group.
"It was like that all the time," confirmed Doug
Smith. "It was just that someone had to be theCaptain. They had always played space music
and spaced -out music."
Smith devotes a great deal of energy todescribing the group, their music and theirsignificance. Since they don't regard themselves and their ideas as too
sacred to laugh about once in a while, listening to him isn't the ordeal it
may sound. He has some coherent ideas about the inevitability of a small
minorityacquiring financial power on behalf of a far larger section of the
population. It is the consequence of Hawkwind's need for better andmore ambitious equipment to extend their musical ideas, and thereby
their attempts to spread awareness.
"There's no political motivation behind it. It's a moral motivation,"
Smith mentioned.
"Politics of freedom," added Thrner, to murmurs of approval.
The group has a reputation for possessing "grass roots support". This
they have achieved without allowing the build-up of a dividing barrier
between group and audience. The people many musicians would call"fans" Hawkwind call "friends". In Doug Smith's words, it's "a joint
awareness of people together".
"The audiences have changed now," amplified Lemmy. "Theydon't say'me'. They shout 'us'. It's a growth of a collective consciousness."
The group is very concerned to create an environment in which to play
to an audience. For instance, theyare working on a space opera that will
use mime, dancing, lights, film and chemical smoke.
Their space opera has suffered various setbacks, but is expected to be
operative bythe autumn. Calvert's notes forit are stimulating, referringprominently to the visual effects the audience could be subjected to. Its
basic theme revolves around the dreams or fantasies experienced byseven space explorers in suspended animation. Andrew Means"We've neverpandered
to public

taste, nevercompromised"- MELODY MAKER APRIL 15 sUPERF1CIALLY HAWKWIND MAY be thought of as one link ina growing chain of space consciousness. The title of their lastalbum, In Search OfSpace, is an artfully ambivalent indicationof the ideas they reflect. On the one hand is the space out there past
the Van Allen belt, the ethereal space with which one associates theirmusic. On the other is the search for space on our own little planet.
The relationship between the two meanings is one that Hawkwind isvery much involved in. For while this new age of mechanical spacetravel suggests unlimited horizons, the situation upon Earth promises
the opposite.
The alternative widely prophesied is between severe restraint onmaterial growth or destruction on a worldwide scale. The fact that
doomsday is all too viable sets the background forthe group's activities.
They regard Hawkwind as primarily a mobile communications system
which can function through its music.
It sounds a vague idea, but that flexibility is probably its main strength.
A concrete ideology could be easily attacked. As it is, the group speaks of
its efforts at communication as helping to spread the new consciousness,
which is fair enough since, until it has replaced the old, no one will knowwhat it actually is.
There is a little more body behind the group, though, than a few peace
signs and well-meaning pleas for love and brotherhood. In Search Of
Space, which was theirsecond LP, included a formidable booklet called
The Hawkwind Log. Beginningwith a creation myth, this log sketchedphenomena from many corners of time in an effort to show man in somekind of perspective.
It came uncomfortably close to overshadowing the rest of the album
package, although the music's appeal increases steadily as the rhythms
become memorised. The logwriter was Bob Calvert. Currentlyhe's in the
country, recovering from a more recent psychological adventure -ormore accuratelyin this case, misadventure.
Hawkwind, being more of a community than a compact unit, areable to carryon giggingwith their musical lineup down to six-Nik
litrner (alto sax, flute, audio generator and vocals), Dave Brock (vocals,
electric guitar, acoustic guitar, audio generator), Lemmy (bass guitar),
Del Dettmar (synthesizer), Simon King (drums) and Dik Mik (audio
generator).
With Calvert out ofcirculation, Turner,
Brock, Lemmy andmanager Doug Smith
were the only
Hawkwindites toassemble forinterviewing
purposes. The log

ICWIW.the jokeband thatmade it- MELODY MAKER AUGUST 12 TWASA rather hot and sticky trek across country, and the one
thing that kept the stragglers shuffling was the narrowing
proximity of music. Over the next hill, round the next bend, thearmy of the new age had gathered half a million strong.
The Isle of Wight was being graced with some of the greatest names inrock. Backstage the superstars were standing on each other's feet; front
stage the people were suffering from an overdose of adoration.
And outside the wire fences some minor-league band from London had
the arrogance to playa free set for people who couldn't, or wouldn't, or
didn't choose to paythe festival fee. It was Hawkwind's first major assault.
Word spread about this bizarre travelling circus that played outside thegates or in the street; that blocked up pavements and made noise wherebyelaws said noise wasn't meant to be.
It was a joke. Hawkwind-the people's band. It would never pay therent, and it would never reach the vast majority of normal, well -adjusted
people's people who naturallywanted their entertainment dottedwith sequins.
Hawkwind grew. Nothing could stop them. The myth developed.
There's a Hawkwind cult now that is almost as vital to their gigs as themusic. No matter which part of the country they playin, the audience isbasically the same. Every gig is a stage forlocal fantasies. Bottled -up
extrovert tendencies explode into fancydress and painted faces, as if
some messiah had given the sign.
It's a precarious position fora group to be in. Hordes of dedicatedteenagers regard them as the revolution personified, and with "Silver
Machine" slicing through the chart some of them must be ticking off thedays to the takeoverwith increasing impatience. So much is implied by

1

Hawkwind that if you think of them as just a rock band you're deceiving
yourself. The regimented peace signs flashed from the audience imply
more than that, and so does saxand flute player Nikittrner's preference forHawkwind-sans DaveBrock and Robert Calvert-inDenmark,May1972:(1-r)
Simon King,Nik Turner,L e rnmy, Del Dettmar,

Michae1"DikMik"Davies,
unknown andStacia

ambiguous music. You can suggest everything, and saynothing. Ifyou do
it carefullyyou achieve more than you ever would if you laid down dogma.
The success of"Silver Machine" is like a vital chapter out of Animal
Farm. It makes Hawkwind an altogether more powerful prospect thantheywere two years ago as a group for Isle of Wight outsiders. Their
expanding reputation and financial assets must have boosted the
expectations of their friends and followers. Yet understandably theirsingle hasn't affected the group in the same way.
In the words of Doug Smith, the group's visionary manager, theyregard
it as two fingers in the air to a music business that used to write them off.
Nothing more. It doesn't trigger plans fora coup d'etat, because there
never were such plans. The group's more conscientious members -DaveBrock (guitar), Nik Thrner (sax) and Del Dettmar (synthesizer) - insist
that their objectives and activities will remain much the same as before.
They aim at the head. Once people are given the incentive theywill
undertake their own metamorphoses.
This ability to plant their myth in to popular imagination has playeda large part in their making. Hawkwind is a movement, not just a group.
In a quite mundane sense, they have a reputation for having one of thelargest retinues in the music business. Far more important is theempathy theyachieve with manyreaching in the same direction as
themselves. Some eminent people are apparently interested in theirideas, among them Sir Patrick Moore.
The fact that they are now hot news has made little impression upon
their gigs. At Hastings last week the atmosphere was much as it had been
at similar gigs four weeks ago.
Dave Brock managed to break a couple of guitarstrings and Lemmyeven succeeded in doing the same with a bass string. The result was thatthey played part of the set out of tune, to the discomfort of Doug Smith.
But hang around at the close of one of the gigs and watch the way
friends and followers religiously make their pilgrimage on stage andhow they sidle past the speakers and the roadies and the rubbish rightup to NikThrner's side. Thrner sits and peers vacantly around the hall,while the little half -circle around him shuffle uncomfortably into
incredulous conversation.
Probably the onlyaspect that comes out in their gigs and which
bothers the bulk of theiraudiences is space, but the other subjects are
there waiting to be explored. Maybe their teen following comes to hear
heavy lift-off music, but it's impossible to ignore the imaginative ideasof the group and of Bob Calvert, once a performing member and now
purely a writer of their material.
If their preparations workout and the audience plays its part,
Hawkwind's first major bill -topping concert -at London's Rainbow
next Sunday -should reveal how far their ambitions to project anenvironment go. Andrew Means- MELODY MAKER AUGUST 12 _FORAGIRL brought up by nuns, to strip off on stage before
hundreds of people may seem somewhat anomalous. But
Stacia, who performs with Hawkwind, goes into her act with noinhibitions and firmly but gently discounts any suggestion that she
falls into the "stripper" category. Not that she scorns strippers. She
would not dispute that "maybe 99 per cent" of such ladies' acts are
motivated by erotic content. "But some of them are real artists," she says.
And they must fulfil a need," says Stacia with benign tolerance. She iscertainly not prepared to pass any adverse judgement on them.
Stacia categorises her act with Hawkwind as "freeform dancing".
"It's something like Isadora Duncan," says Stacia. And modestly adds,"Though she was a million times better than I am. But she is myidol."Stacia regards herorigin al motivation in disrobing as a means ofovercoming an inherent shyness and lack of self-confidence. "I was always
conscious about my height," she says. "I'm six foot tall, and when lwas
younger (she's still only 191! was always stooping to disguise myheight."
Stacia, who comes from Exeter, had a variety of jobs before she joined
Hawkwind. She worked as a bookbinder, in a garage, and in the record
shop of a department store in Exeter.
"But lwas always interested in dancing and acting," she recalls.
"Anotherof my interests was classical music -Delius, Mozart, Verdi,
Wagner, Dvorak. That was when I was about eight.
"Then! listened to The Beatles, and jazz stars like Stan Getz, Billie
Holliday and Dizzy Gillespie. Dancing and actingwere my maininterests, but I was really too big and heavy to adopt these as a career.
I first heard Hawkwind at the Isle of Wight Festival -the one with Jimi
Hendrix. Then! met them again when ! went to London, where theywere
rehearsing -at the Middle Earth.
"Then theywent back to the West Country again, and theywere playing
at the Flamingo, Redruth when I got up on stage and started dancing. It
was one of those impromptu things that just happened. I wasn't wearing
any clothes on that gig; I had just covered mywhole body in paint.
"No, people watching did not regard it as a sexual thing. Hawkwind don't
attract that type of audience. Theyreacted to my dancing as an expressionof freedom. That's when I started to do occasional gigs with Hawkwind. By
then, I had started towear costumes. Before that, it was just paint."
Stacia does not always disrobe. One gathers that she reacts to the musicas the mood takes her. Stacia admits that other suggestions have been put
to her. "Somebody once approached me to do a pornographic film," shesays. "I reacted quite violently -not physically, but verbally. I would nevercontemplate anything like that."
And how do the male members of Hawkwind treat Stacia? "I regard
them as brothers, and theytreat me like a sister." LaurieHenshaw
HISTORY OF ROCK 1972 155

1972
APRIL-

JNNE"Something
has really
LED ZEPPELIN ire

massive in America.

But as they're keen
to point out, they havebeen for four years.
We join the band's
entourage on the East
Coast as they lay
waste to Long Island("It costs $5,300 tohire Madison Square
Garden..."). Earlier
in the year, Robert
Plant explains how

they wrote their fourth
album. "Burst intolaughter," he says.
"Preserve it on tape."

56

I

HISTORY OF ROCK 1972

clicked"-APRIL 29 _THE ROAR OF the crowd still rings long in the earsof Led Zeppelin. Record success continues to turn 'em

on but nothing stands against the motivation of thisfour -man crew to get out and make music. Led's
larynx, Robert Plant, particularly exudes anenthusiasm for his vocation that one rarely
encounters among the rock hierarchy.
Why, only the other afternoon I encountered the man himself and
Zeppelin's master-at-arms, Richard Cole, conducting a rip-off raid on
Kinney Records' vast library of tapes and albums and the singer
conceded that "music is serious... but let's dig it".
I took the opportunityto talk with him, and like a wide-eyed
kid having been given the freedom of Sel fridges' toy department,
Planty carefully stashed his loot in a corner and placed an Arthur
Alexander album on the office stereo.
"Art hu rAlexander... now there's a name to conjure with," he sm iledas the smooth voice of the almost forgotten rhythm-and-blues singer
filled the large room and obliterated all nearby conversat ion.
Accepting a welcome drink, Plant removed the filter from a cigaretteand confessed, "You know what? This record sounded much better
then than it does now."
Ile was, of course, referring to a time in the early '60s when the styleand songs of Mr Alexander and his contemporaries helped, in somesmall measure, to blueprint the format of those British groups who
were to completely change the entire course of rock music. »"The spirit within
the band isjust

fantastic": Robert
Plant onstage with
Led Zeppelin,1972

1972
APR

In fact, I have the strangest feeling that at one time oranothera younger Robert Plant possibly offered his own
interpretations of "Anna" or the like around the noisy
Brum mie club and ballroom circuits.
Plant mayhave gone on to much bigger and better things
since those far-off days, but I find it refreshingly to his
credit that he still hangs on to that all-important sense ofurgencythat initiallymade him get up and sing. Today it
safeguards him from complacency and stagnation.
"Whenever possible I really like to get out therewith
the kids," he told me, at the same time taking the trouble
not to give the impression of some kind of condescending
antihero. "Only in that way," he continued, "can I get toknow what the record buyers want. That's howl make up
mymind - from how the public makes up its mind. Forme, in fact, the most successful concert is the one when
everyone is up on their feet, smiling, yelling and getting
into the music. Personally, I don't like things to be too
straight-faced. The idea of people just sitting down andgetting turned on without showing any signs of response- it's just too melodramatic."
Like the rest of Zeppelin, Plant laughs at persistentrumours that each and everyalbum orconcert is theirfarewell, although some of the stories he naturallyfinds
irritating: "The fact is, we don't flog Zep to death. Just likeJohn Lennon once said, 'If you're on the road too long it
becomes painful.'"Plant further echoes the sentiments of the band's
drummer, John Bonham, in pointing out that Zeppelin
have set their own pace, one which allows them sufficient
freedom and creativity. With discretion the band face the.1
DOC OT bar 70972: Led Zeppelin public onlywhen either (as a recording act or as an(I-r)John Pau IJones,Jimmy Page,
in -person attraction) they feel theyhave something new
John Bonham and Robert Plant backstage at the Hard Rockand exciting to offer.
Theatre, Manchester; (inset)
He told me, "Speaking for myself, I've always got
SandyDenny,the"completely
different voice" Plant needed forthe motivation to work, but like the rest of the band,-TheBattleOfEvermoreI don't want to charge around the country every night.
What's the point? We only tour and bring out an album
when we want to. But as most people realise, we're always popping up
in the circle was all about," he pointed out, drawing my attention to one
all over the world to do concerts. Whenever possible we always returnof the four symbols that went up to make the album's title. A lot of theto those places."tracks on that album came from various moods where we just got together
Plant is proud, and quite rightly so, of Led Zeppelin's past achievements. and started to contribute to various basic ideas.""We were the first band to take over and play the Empire Pool, Wembley
Undoubtedlya great deal of the success of the fourth album can be
and present non -rock side features like circus
attributed to Robert Plant's maturity as bothacts -although the pigs didn't quite manage
singer and writer. Take into account, forto get it on," he said with a laugh, referring toinstance, "The Battle Of Evermore" andone of the interludes at the memorable"Stairway To Heaven". He told me, "In the caseWembley bash.
of 'Battle', I had been reading a book on the
Since they first became airborne, Zeppelin
Scottish Wars immediately before. It was reallyhave of course been the subject of a certain
more of a play -letter than a song, and after!
amount of controversy, ranging from themwrote the lyrics I realised! needed anotherbeing described as the definitive all -electriccompletely different voice, as well as my own,
band, purveyors of cock rock, to theto give that song its full impact. So I asked
manifestation of Jimmy Page's won
SandyDennyalong to sing on that track.
personal ego trip.
"I found it very satisfying to singwith
I asked him about it, but again Plant didn't
someone who has an entirely different styleshow concern. He wrapped it up effectively:
to my own. While! sang about the events of"A lot of people draw their conclusions without
the song, Sandy answered back as if she wasseeing enough of the band. If wethe pulse of the people on thecame over to them as beingjust
battlements. Sandywas the town
a raw body, well then, it's OK."
crier- urging the people to throw
Of the four Led albums -all ofdown their weapons.
which immediately turne d gold -it"'Stairway to Heaven' was thewas their fourth which for the first
result of an evening when Jimmy
time minutely revealed the fulland I just sat down in front of the fire.
spectrum of their collective talents.
We came up with a song which was"Music is very much like alater developed by the rest of the
kaleidoscope," said Plant. And I feelband in the studio."that particular album was just a case
Much of Zeppelin's appeal has beenof us stretching out. It was a very
byvirtue of their consummate ability
natural development for us.
to produce material hanging on"I like people to lay down the truth.
instant riffs- a characteristic they
No bullshit. That's what the feather
developed to great lengths on "Black"Wheneverpossible I
really like to
get out therewith the kids"

58 I HISTORY OF ROCK 1972

... ,;

'

se.

.,P

....:

MN

.

.....
.

ffil

Dog", which, to the annoyance of their plagiarists, includes instrumental
passages which are almost impossible to copy.
"They're really attuned to all those time skips," Plant explainedwith devilish delight, "they" being the rest of the band. "These things
aren't intentional, ust little whims which we'll no doubt expand on thenext album.
"When they're doing these kind of time -skip riffs in the studio, Jimmy,
John and Bonzo suddenlycome up with something like that passage on'Black Dog': play it, fall about all over the place for about 10 minutes in fitsof laughter. Play it again. Burst into laughter. Then preserve it on tape. It's
as simple as that."
Sessions for the new album are underway, and without disclosing any
secrets, Plant did say that it would include some things of interest. Like all
major acts, Led Zeppelin have suffered from bootlegs and in returnattempts have been made to cut a live album officially (the last being
during a recent tour ofJapan), but Plant told me the sound balance wasjust as bad as the bootleg. It was therefore rejected as unsuitable.
He added wryly, "You know, we've recorded ourselves at the Farm onjust an ordinary Revox, and achieved a far better sound." There must be

a moral in that statement.
And with that he was up and off to grab another armful of albums.
Roy Carr- MELODY MAKER JULY 1 THE NOISE CAJUNKED, and beefed outwards, filling eachcorner of the circular, space -aged Nassau Coliseum, Long
Island, New York State. Sixteen thousand people didn't knowwhether they were coming or going. Many danced, crazily, whileothers just stood, stared and smiled.
Led Zeppelin had been offstage four times. Fourtimes they had fled
underthe archwayto the side of the stage, and four times an unnatural
din of screaming and cheering and unbelievable begging had broughtthem back out.
Now their set was approaching four hours in length- four incredible
hours of the most wonderful music. Jimmy Page was on his toes, shaking

and trying to pull out a last batch of magical notes. He'dpulled so many that evening, it seemed inconceivablethat he could maintain such a peak. But something
tricked him, and he spun round, ran across to Robert
Plant, bursting, and slamming chords. Plant smiled,threw his head back, and the band rocked so hard you'dhave thought there was no tomorrow.
It was one of the most amazing concerts I'd seen fromany band, at anytime. Nothing had gone missing; it
had been the complete act. There had been power,
climax after climax, beauty, funk, rock, boogie, totally
freaked passages, and such constant, snarling energy that on thisevening Led Zep could have provided enough human electricity to lighthalf ofAmerica.
Does anybody really know how big Led Zep are?
So you'll get reports of English bands doing "well" inAmerica, andthe reports will be long. You'll hear about the Stones, Elton John andthe Faces before you hear of Led Zep. Somehow somebody forgot Led
Zeppelin when theywere writing home. And yet for fouryears Zep havebeen slayingAmerica. For fouryears they have met with the dooming
criticism that they could never do as well again, and yet they've comeback, and done better. This present tour will more than likelygo down
as their best ever. Theyare playing better than they've ever played intheir lives.
The people know it. The scenes are just ridiculous. Auditoriums andhalls are being sold out without anyadvertising. Led Zep are delivering
the coup de grace. Unfortunately it's being shadowed by the Stones tour,
and the garbage that The Moody Blues are the top band. But don't believe
it. Led Zeppelin are the ace outfit.
Strange how the Zep became unfashionable back home. Sure, they sell
albums, and they can fill the
Empire Pool -but where were
all the trimmings, where was
the real flash, the excitement?
It was in the audience, to be
sure, but for some reason the
media took it all with a pinch
4.
of salt. That Led Zeppelin are

possibly the biggest bands
the world never figured.Ad
that's a sad mistake.
It figures here, mind. HereZep are truly recognised. Why
do you think they come sooften? Money, sure. But also
because Zep are a band that *HOW
ROBERT

PLANT
STAYS
FRESH

.14

1'

love playing and here there are no inhibitions. They find their audience.
Here they playtheir best.
"The scenes have possibly amazed you," said John Paul Jones. "Butthis has been happening for four years now. I think we all feel a bit
annoyed that nobody really knows it back home. Do they really knowwhat we're doing?"
This feeling is common within the band. Why, you might say, should
theyworry? Theydo well, the audience -which is the main thing -shows
just how big they are. Why should they bother about wee small Englandand its fickle ways? Well, they're English, and like most people, theyalso
have egos. They'd just like England to knowwhat they're doing.
"Ouregos have been hurt," says Rob Plant. "They really have. For somereason English critics have never told the truth about us. For some reason
they've been out to get at us a bit. So things are clouded over, and nobody
gets to knowwhat's reallyhappening. There's been so much bullshit
printed it's just untrue.
"We read pages on some band -name not mentioned - saying just how
big they are here. You ask the people here just how big they are. We know.
You see, it makes the English press look ridiculous.""It's so annoying," added Jones. "Here we are slaving away and getting
consistently incredible reactions, and nobodyback home can careanything about us." He shook his head. "It's just not right."
Don't get the idea that Zep are just peeved little boys, with a chip on
their shoulders. It's not the case of them having their own ideas as to how
big they are. That position can be seen in a matter of seconds over here.
Zep are ace- there are no two ways about it.
"Maybe," said Plant. "If we were as big in England as we are here,
I wouldn't be able to walk down a bloody street without being stopped,"
he laughed. "Don't know if I'd like that or not."Now the Coliseum is a strange building. It sits seemingly inthe middle of nowhere, looming like a space research centre,
circular and concrete. Why didn't they play Madison Square?
"Because it costs $5,300 to book that place," says PeterGrant,"and that's just absurd. This is a great place, and this is where
the kids live. Shame there aren't places like this in England.
It's getting absurd over there now. There's nowhere to play.
4
But we're going to be playing somewhere in England at
Christmas," he said. "I think it will be good. I can't tell you
where it is yet, but I think it will be good.
"You know! wanted to put the band on at Waterloo Station?
You know, that massive area before the platforms. I thought it
was a great idea -you know, we could have Led Zeppelin
specials coming in on the platforms. It was going to work, but
the station authorities said there was one late train that would
get in the way. Shame, it would have been great; imagine Led
Zep playing Waterloo Station -a completelycovered hall, andgood acoustics."
They've got a nice PA there.
The Coliseum was beginning to fill, and when! walked out
with Plant he was met with a load of hand shakers. "Just wantto sayyou're the best band in the world. You just are. I just wantto say that," said one lad. "Ta very much," said Plant, and gave
the guy a backstage pass. "You're the best band in the world,"
said another. And they really meant it.
Martin, one of the famous crew of Led Zep roadies, wassqueezing Plant's lemons in the dressing room.A half -dozen
lemons, mixed with honey and tea to feed the Plant voice. How
it kept going that night was amazing.
Bonzo was just carrying his sticks, and the clothes he'darrived in. "I got stopped backstage somewhere, you know,
and theywouldn't believe I waswith the band. They said, 'Where's
yourstage clothes?' I said, 'Where's
me what?'"
The time was right, and the band made its
way out of the room, and stood in a large hallbackstage. The excitement just round thecomer was thick as 16,000 people made ready.
There was that hum, that frightening hum.
An electrical tone was started. It sounded
like the rising drone of a bomber. It got louder,louder, till it filled the whole place, and theband walked onto the stage. The placecollapsed and the band, without hesitation,
kicked into rock. Page stabbed out a riff and
Plant yelled and squealed, and glory,
all hell broke loose.
Page is the complete guitarist. He
captures everyemotion that sears throughhis head, and channels it through hisarms. Whetherit be a chord, a riff ora
gagglingneckful of notes, he is perfect.
And when technical abilitymight justswamp feeling, Page finds a dirty
dischord, and lets it cut uglyand messy
through the tapestry. It sort of jerks yourbody and throws you, and then he finds atrue line again, and weaves on in a straight,
sharp direction. Theirmusic has indeed
got better. There appears to be a deal more
open-ended excitement about the unit.
Page is in fine fettle, swaying on his
heels, and then shaking his mass of hair
into a blur of tangles, which are picked up
bythe many spots and turned gold, andthen white. Plant gets all very sexual, andmouths heaves and sighs, and frenzied
guttering down the mic. And then heforces that screaming voice right out,
Page ends the riff, Bonzo falls silent,
Jones stops, and only Plant's crazyvoice
insults the silence.

THE SCENE WAS the Waldorf Astoria Hotel on a sickening, heavy,
hot New York day. Manager Peter Grant

was stood with two house detectives
in a corridor. His huge frame dwarfed themsomewhat. There had been some trouble
over the amount of people visiting Bonzo
Bonham's room, and as per usual, a hotel had
it in for longhairs.
The night before had seen the band play the
first of two concerts at Nassau. Theywere
overjoyed at how it had gone.
"Something has really happened this time,"
said Plant. "Something has really clicked.
It's fantastic; the spirit within the band isjust fantastic."
Plant is a cheery character, forever jigging androcking around, spreading a laugh or two
with the first colourful Brummie accent
I've ever heard. Talk centred on Wolves,
and the rise to fame of Midlands footballteams. Derby and Wolves could indeed
rule, and it was a God almighty shamethat Forest has sunk to such depths
as relegation.
Page was quietly going about his
business, and then in a fit of laughter
Bonzo appeared. The grizzlyKing
Drummer. An honest lad who likes toswing sticks like fury and drink at about
the same pace.
"You wouldn't believe what bloody
trouble was goin' on with myroom."

It appears that trouble forever surrounds
dear Bonzo.
Pretty soon the line of limousines was
poking its wayin and out of the absurd
traffic towards Long Island. The three cars
were in radio contact with each other, andthe state of the traffic soon decreed thatsomebody's house could not be visited.
"Make sure the spare ribs are driven
to the Coliseum," came a message over
the radio.
80 I HISTORY OF ROCK 1972

"We're getting
incredible
reactions, andnobody backhome cares"-_co

ZEPPELIN

Vagj
SATURDAY. JUNE 17

PORTLAND MEMORIAL COLISEUM
BOO

TICKETSM

SS 00 ADVANCE S6 00 DAY OF SFMI

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ABLE AT

May 27,1972:Zep play

the Oude RAlexhibition
hall in Amsterdam
before heading of f on
their eighth tour ofNorth America

Three acoustic numbers give people time to breath, lie back andrelax. John Paul Jones exhibited a new electric mandolin that gavea good colourful feel to songs written on Welsh hillsides.
Then they all upped and left dear Bonzo.
He remained, and delivered the most wrecking drum solo you'd everimagine. He beat the thing so hard, with sticks and hands, that ! thought
his arms were going to fall off, or maybe the kit would shatter. His object
was to reach grumbling thunder, and that he did, a sort of crazy stampedeof drums, and sharp, slashed cymbals. It went on over 15 minutes and hewouldn't stop.
Bonzo would cool it all down to just one motion- he was leaving out
what was already bopping in everyone's heads. Everyone knewwhat
Bonzo was playing, but he wasn't playing it- if you can see what I mean.
And then he struck back, and with no nerves at all just smacked
everything till it hurt, and hurt. The tempo doubled, and doubled again,
and his anguished face and black hair was wet through and streakedwith burning skin and sweat.
His final crescendo was just not true. I stood and shook myhead indisbelief as he panned everything in sight. Toil and troubles, it justhubbled and crumpeted out in a monstrous form. PeterGrant was
shaking his head too, and Jim Page, who had snuck back onto the sideof the stage, was also staring with admiration at Bonzo. It exploded in
one mass of fire and flesh, and Page jumped into view again, and playedwith his buddy.
The Coliseum just couldn't understand it. They got up and for fivesolid minutes applauded Bonzo. It was heart-warming; it almost
made you want to cry, such was the emotion about, such was thepleasure, and enjoyment of applauding something that had been
so incredible.
"Someone once asked me what technicalities ! applied to my playing,"
Bonzo had said tome. "I said, 'Technicalities, what the hell are you goingon about?' I said, 'This is my technicality,' and raised my hand in the air,and let it fall. Head to drum, that's what it is, head to drum.
I'm not trying to be anysuperstar. I just do my bit as one quarter of
Led Zeppelin. When! have a solo ! don't ever imagine drummers aroundwatching me. I don't try and impress people. I don't try and perform themost amazing changes in tempo, or make people watch me. I justcouldn't do that -it would take away the essence ofJimmy's guitar, andRobert's voice. John Paul and myselflay down a thick backdrop,that's what we do."
The place was in a fever now of sheer adulation. It couldn't stop, andit didn't. The band stonked into 'Whole Lotta Love", with Pagey
experimentingwith the bizarre via the reverb unit. He stood there, on
his own, slashing and playing loud. The chords were held in the amps,
and then shot out with echo, just as he hit another. Then he took a cellobow, and scraped and banged it across the strings.
Nowwe're backstage, and the band run off, but Bonzo's saying they've
got to do another, and the screaming is really painful on the ear fromoutside. John Paul Jones takes the stage on his own, and sits at an organ.
From that he delivers a medleyof songs, some old, some new, someforgotten, and then into spine -chilling religious chords. It sounded likethe Phantom organist, rushing forthwith colossal organ chords, andthen Jones broke into "Amazing Grace".
Soon all the band were back on stage and Page laid a boogie out, andPlant growled "Boogie Mama", and what a boogie it was. It was like somestoked -up train belting on into the night -Bonzo being the pistons, Page
the driver, it gouged into everybody's head.
Things were coming fast and furious. Next thingyou know they're into
"Peggy Sue" and a rock'n'roll medley.And America goes wild, and dances.
So nowwe're into the limousine again and Plant is shaking his head.
"They'd never believe how good it is here back home. They'd just neverbelieve what happened tonight."
The way theyhad been applauded. The way the whole place had begged
every last thing out of the band. The way the band had given everything
they had, and still wanted to give more. Can you believe how big theyare?
"They sayJethro Rill are brilliant on stage," said Jones. "Well, he does
the same bloodything every night, the same gags, everything, the same.
Each of our gigs is treated differently; we don't have any s et, religious
rehearsed thing.And what you've seen tonight has been happening foryears here."
It has been a memorable evening. The memory of Plant there twisting
and turning, and screwing himself up on stage. Singing boogie, andsinging rock, and singing ballad, and singing his heart and head out. Of
Page being the guitarist, of Bonzo and his drums, and of John Paul Joneson the most pungent bass, and organ avec a difference. And the audienceloving every second of it like no audience I've ever seen. RoyHollingworth
HISTORY OF ROCK 1972 181

1972
APR

SO

a year"Bolanmania is a mixed blessing for T. REX.

New problems include management limbo
and record company hassle. New friends
include Ringo, John Lennon and Mick
Jagger. "The pressure of the whole thingis phenomenal," says Marc Bolan.

62 I HISTORY OF ROCK 1972

"Wealwayshad
commercial potential":
Marc Bolan andhis
congas' tapping sideman
in T.Rex,Mickey Finn

MAY 6 _How IS IT you and Ringo areso sympathetic to one
another? I don't know. You
always get illusions about
people in the business, who
you thinkyou'll get on with,but you never do - at least, I never do. One getsa great barrier, in fact, with everyone one
thinks one is similar to. It's always the people
I least expect to get close to that I end up
friends with. It happens. It's not contrived.

Is it that you're probablyexpectingtoo much?
i

7

.

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4

lb

r. A ,Iii
IA

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(j
t

Probably. I'd really like to meet Edwin Cobblers'cos he's such a groove and he writes really likeme, and you get there and there's this cat going,"Hey, man," and all that. It just doesn't work.
You bolitgiShere going (whisdesslowlyandstaresaround the room). Or you're frightened
to play songs 'cos h 's gonna stare or somethin'.
Alottathat goes on.

Are youconscious the fact there's asuperelite among pop musicians at acertain level,
asort of exclusive club? I don't think there is.
Don't you? Not the ex -Beatles, the Stones?
No. No one that I know knows anyone.

I'm just thinking on the lines that when you
were in LAIagger came to see you.Yeah.

And when youwere in NewYorktherewas
Lennon. Do you get the impression that
HISTORY OF ROCK 1972 63

1972

PRII -ANNE

these peoplecheckyou out, vet you formembership, so to speak? This is total
journalese now, isn't it?That's not the truth.
The truth is, there are so few people, urn, visiblethat one can learn from automatically, so one
can onlygo to the ones that one knows...
When! saw Lennon we just got on fine. He's nota close friend of mine or anything, but we just
immediatelyhad a nice thing, and I'd make a

Bolan and Ringo Starrpromoting theex-Beatle's highest charting UK single,"Back Off Boogaloo",in March1972

point always in New York of ringing him. But
John Lennon doesn't represent to me what you

said, anymore than I represent a superstar. I
like his chords.And he has a lot I can learn from.

But threeyears ago, whenyouwere
Tyrannosaurus Rex, thelikelihoodofyou
meeting onsuch a basis, was negligible. Oh,
I wouldn't have approached him. And heprobablywouldn't have known who I was.
He does now because he reads about meor something.And obviously there is acompetition artistically. Before, people of thatcalibre didn't have that many people to worry
about when they put a record out. Now they
have to consider T. Rex and possibly... I don't
know, who else?... There must be someone else.
If John Lennon, orBob Dylan, or the Rolling
Stones, bring out a newrecord, is one of yourfirst reactions to size up the strength of the
newcompetition? Sure, I listen to all those
things. When they're new I tend to listen tothem all, as everyone does, but I don't think of
it as inspiration. The first Lennon album, thesound of it, influenced me incredibly -thedrum sound. Very much. I heard his new one
and I enjoyed it very much, but there's nothing
on there that would
influence me. I heard"Tumbling Dice" theother day for the first`144%,,,
time, and I'm not sure,
4%111111101.
personally speaking, thatthey couldn't have put
out another track as a
MARC BOLAN
single. "Tumbling Dice"I think they're finding it difficult to live with, in the context ofdoesn't strike me as being
16 -year -old kids. That's who theywere important to, that's what theyX
the strongest thing. But
were about and that's what Mick still wants.
they still boogie so well.
I Iavingheard their new album, it's apparent they were awareofT. Rex,
I was very excited for them to hear that that energy is still there,'cos a lotta people have been saying it isn't.
Slade and others. I know. The beginning of "Tumbling Dice" is a bit like"Get It On". In fact, theyplayed it to me and watched my reactions. They
Survivorsof the '60s British rock scene?They're fragments, aren't they?
watched my face, theywatched my feet, theywatched it all, which is
But I think for them that's a great pain -I might be completelywrong but
great. I do that all the time. It means they're trying. Theywanted to findthey seem very aware of that all the time, that they've been there so long,out what I'd do on hearing it, and I do that every time someone walks into
and also that they're not obviouslyas big as theywere. They're veryaware,a room; I watch what they do all the time. We have great talks, Mick andlike Dylan, of not being the spearhead of something, and that's a downer.
me, great talks.
But maybe they've left it a little late. I dunno. Not musically, but like who
Can youever buy the idea of The Who as the greatest rock'n'roll bandis their audience? You're paying to see a phenomenon, and if it ain't agoing?! wouldn't put The Who in the same class as the Stones! No way.
phenomenon anymore... You ain't gonna tell me, for instance, that one
That's Kit Lambert's idea. The only thingwhere the Stones have nevercan sit through an hourof Paul McCartney and reallyvibe peak.
compared with The Beatles is they could never write as good songs,
No one can come to a peak on it 'cos it's a bummer, man. You can't hit
nowhere near, and that's still a problem with them. It's very hard for thema concert I'm doing at this point in time and not get off on it, 'cos I'll maketo write. They come up with some great songs sometimes, but it's hard for'em! I'm still fighting. But after three years not working I ain't gonna go
them. Theydon't just knock 'em out. It takes ages and ages and ages. It'sout there and do a whole number, 'cos I'm not gonna know. You can't go
not the playing, I don't think. They're just not that important anymore;back to it. There's no way it can be redone. Once it's gone, once you losethat train of doing it.
Like, there's 400,000 advance orders ont"Metal Guru". I mean it, it's -phenomenal!But" tuned out
In I main
if we didn't put a single out for a year it would
the pvr.
feu, driven
be different, I guarantee you. It would still be
bystanders
n od film
a monster Number One immediately andJoin The
Children Of

The Revolution'& T.RE

19.1

I

th. Would
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moralac.

Y bent forced

Mot batterto back Into

44E5'5,":.".:Ft7......4

EMI

T. REXMETAL GURU
Nam Bolan/

Ct

1972

45
Si.

Wizard Artists
Lurutedeverything, but there'd be something gone.
Like, the Stones' album cost a fortune, man and now Kinney have gotta get their money
back. Their advance was two million dollars,
and theywere offered much more by RCA. RCA
offered them five million dollars or something
like that. They ended up with quite a lot, but what
I got was not very short, which is something to think
about, on one hit in America.
We were offered five million dollars, whichis two -and -a -half million quid, by a jive
company, but you can't. You can't play thesegames 'cos it ain't no good. Like, as soon as you
got your money, end of story.
CBS offered a fortune, but what do I want with
CBS?That's the thing. I just didn't wanna know.

IPub: Wuard
Artists Ltd

s Produced by%Tony Visconti'\ .'REX
4111/aor`"I put myself
on view in theright places
and people

I don't like what theydo with Dylan -all thatabout "We're not gonna promote New Morning
without ads, really killed that album, stone
dead. And putting out "Wigwam" as a single
ain't too hip. I mean, hang about! C'mon!
Ifyou're bigyou can go with anyone and sellrecords, but you must think of longevity. You've
got to think of five years' time. I stayed with EMI
purely because they're geared to workingwith T. Rex. They've done it fora year and a half and they're totally equipped, and they paid what I asked,
so it was cool, and I felt obligated artistically. We got the most they everpaid for anyone, I think. It was worth it. We got it back in a day, I think.
That whole period was so luckyfor me.
I sit here and think I've sold 18 million records in a year and two months.
Two records ! didn't want out have both been enormous with nopromotion from me at all; "Debora" doesn't even get played much. "Metal
Guru" is coming out and it'll be a monster. You know, when! saw thatmovie !of the Wembleyconcertl it was weird, 'cos I felt exactly like what
you'd written, but that wasn't me. I was looking at this thing up there.
That's to do with me not going out anymore. To have every single person
look at you and point is very weird, very odd, and it gets so more and more.
I can really sympathise with Ringo. Electric fences and dogs, and allthat. I'm beginning to reallyunderstand that, which is cool, but you
mustn't let the kids see that side, 'cos they don't understand. To them
you're not real. MelodyMaker comes out every Thursday, theysee thepicture, and what do they know? I'm something that lives in a television.
The onlysaving thing is that I'm slightly like what I'm supposed to be
like. Can you imagine not being like it, being a manufactured product,and every time you went out people said, "O0000h!" (gives a knowinglook). Like, Alan Ladd was three foot tall and was always eight foot in
people's minds. At least ! wave at people and poke me tongue out. For
whateverreason, it's historynow. It just is, and we can't change it, evenifwe wanted to.

said, 'Hey!"

Do you ever feel aneed to justifywhat you've done? I feel I'm
justification enough. That I exist is enough, for me. Any more than that,it gets very debatable.

Whyshould you be moresuccessftd in Britain at this point than, say,Slade or Black Sabbath, successful as they are? Um, because we'vecaught the public's imagination at the right time. We area band thatstarted out as an LP group, basically, and who always had commercial
potential. I was always considered to be slightly literary, slightly mystical
if you want, which! am no less- I'm much more perceptive, in fact, thanI everwas. Because! don't choose to talk in long stanzas and poetic,
flowery prose doesn't mean one's any the less a poet; but I proved myroots by doing that.
And then we were always considered the sort of band that was neverreally as big as it should've been right at the beginning. I mean, we had
a week of being very big right when we first started, but it began overthree
years to wane. All I did, I think, was fulfil a lot of people's ideas about how
maybe we should go bydoing exactlywhat I wanted to do.
It's the old story of putting guitar, bass and drums behind everything.
Not like with Dylan, though -I've heard people say that - but 'cos wegrew into it. But without sounding arrogant, I've written some very goodsongs. I'm a good songwriter. There are better, but there's a lot worse,
man, I wanna tell you.

I think everyone who's a good songwriter
has peaks of writing special songs. It's nevercontinuous, ever. We all write less special
songs. What is exciting, and what makes one
staywith an artist, is a pretty consistent
standard. I wouldn't put a bad song on an album.
I'm not sure I write bad songs, actually; I don't think
I ever have. But I've written a lot betterthan others, by
myown evaluation.

It's not you that's changed; it's the public andtheenvi ronment? Everything. Yeah. I steered
myself in an environment where it wouldchange, didn't I?! put myself on view in theright places and people said, "Hey!" There wasa bubble. And then someone comes along andsays, "Record that," because pieces of plastic get
it out to people who can't be there, and then themachine starts. Or it doesn't, dependswhere youare. It can be putout and nothinghappens. But
95 per cent is 'cos it's bad promotion in that case.

Whywouldyou say The Beatles made It at thatparticular point in time? Why did the chicken
cross the road? You see? To get to the other side. That's reallyit, man. They
did what theydid 'cos theyloved it when theystarted. Theywere all inskiffle groups. But suddenly, you realise you've got to get a job, and then it
becomes something else. Onceyou get to this stage it's... hard, man. There
ain't no twoways about it.And if you're gonna lame out you'll lame out.
Every moment is a choice. The pressure of the whole thing is phenomenal.
Like, that thing goes out that I'm supposed to be at Lincoln- nothing to
do with me, out of my hands!But I don't know how many thousands ofpeople are going to hear about that, and you don't knowwhat reasons
they're going to sayfor why theythought I hadn't turned up. The mightsay, "Oh, that Marc Bolan asked for too much money," or "He pulled out,"
and it's nothing to do with me! I've never even heard of it, right? But that's
going on, and now I'll have to think about it and how to deal with it. And
there's millions of those. It affects anycareer. Obviously has to.
I've worked eight years forwhat I've got now, but in the end I don't knowwhat it's worth, how I'm gonna come out of the whole thing, and what sortof shape I'm gonna be in. I just know that those things are against thenatural way! ever did anything, and the reason I've been successful is I've
never screwed anyone.
The gods are strange. They take it away, baby, so fast. With no disrespect
to the Probys, for example, there's many people you can think of that werevery big at one time. And yet he disappeared. Why? The reasons behind it
are not what they seem to be. It's a law of balance. Someone points a finger
at you and says, "You've got it." Then you get what you wanted, but
whatcha gonna do with it? Everyday, man, so many people scraping hits
out of you, and you're there chopping 'em off.

Do you think thecritics are going to embraceyou like theydid Lennon
and McCartney? I honestly don't care. Like, take the poetry book
(Warlock Of Love). That goes out and it's not reviewed in one paper, and it
was verysuccessful fora poetry book. Now that makes the guy at The
Times, orone of those things, obsolete, man, as far as I'm concerned.
It's like Grand Funk inAmerica. That got ripped off rotten, but one can't
deny their success. How one adjusts to that is something else. Had we not
had the groundwork of three years of making friends on the papers,
having people be slightly sympathetic towards me and knowing that I'm
not a creep, it might've been different, 'cos when it happened everyone
knew what'd gone down. It'd been since '65, man. But you'll notice with
the Wembleyreviews not one of 'em actually reviewed the concert. They
just said what went down, which is the way it should be.
Critics... You know, someone asked me todaywhat "Metal Guru" is allabout. And I said ! don't know. He said, "What's a metal guru?" and I said,"Well, like a jeepster, actually." So he said, "What's a jeepster?" I said it's
like riding a white swan, and he went, 'Oh.' He wrote it all down. You see,it's just enough that it is. I can sit down for hours and tell 'em all about it,
give people like that guyanswers theywanna hear, but it's a waste ofbreath. Forme, it's not abstract. "Metal Guru", in the context of that song,is about godhead, I suppose. "Metal Guru, is ityou?I Sittinginyour armourplated chair". The other line is:"You're allalone without a telephone". *HISTORY OF ROCK 1972 185

1972

SO

APR

I mean, God isn't gonna have a telephone. I don't want telephones, so heain't gonna want one, is he?
It's very hard, because one never knows outwardly how people look atthings. I mean, I wasn't the "electric warrior". Electric warrior is a thingout of a story !wrote, an IceAge warrior. I didn't feel it necessary to explain
to people that fact because at some point that storywill come out. I mean,
what's "ambling Dice" all about? Y'know, if a guitarsound or a lotta bass
drum doesn't turn you on, there isn't much point in listening anyway. If
someone doesn't like what you do, it's reallytough; they shouldn't listen.
Or just because one is successful that doesn't mean they shouldnecessarily feel inclined to dissect what you do. Donald Peers was very
successful in his time, I believe, but that doesn'tmean I've got to go out and buy all his records
and start dissecting. No downer on him!

guitar and playit well; that's enough of a message. There are many tracks
on my album that are, shall! say, autobiographical. "Ballrooms Of Mars",
that's one track.

Do you ever listen to Slade, Black Sabbath, the Faces, and your othercontemporaries? Sure, I check everyone out. I listen to everything.
I know Slade ain't about to be competition. Have you heard the new
McCartney? He's lost, man, he's lost. He's no idea what he's gonna do.
Ringo! love, because he's fine and he'll neverlet me down. I only see
George occasionally. I don't know much about him. We're not overly
attracted to each other, but he seems quite a nice cat. Lennon! get on finewith, but he's sad, just sad. There's a greatsadness about him.

"Have youheard the new
McCartney?

Do you -like Lennon, say- use music asa means of puttingacross some form of
message? I have done on the new album. Everysong is a message, but it's very hard forme todescribe... And, personally, Lennon's thing forme was slightlytoo political. Rock'n'roll isbasically an up, and I like music to think to,
obviously, and I don't listen to just anything,but I found it slightly depressing as an album.
It would slightly limit the times I would play therecord. Rock'n'roll is enough ifyou pickup a'tic...,Elk&'

Do you get the impression that the Faces and
Rod Stewart backed off from competingwith
you? I'm not aware of them at all, actually.
Honestly. I'm aware of Rod 'cos he had a big

record. I neversaw anycompeting going down
- and I know when someone is competing withme 'cos I get worried, you get a feeling down
here, of excitement. I know! neverconsideredthat with him, but we might compete for the
media. Whoever is behind him was trying
hard. Remember that phrase? "We don't wannaput singles out, we onlywanna make albums."
That seems to be the overall approach. And
then suddenly they make singles again a year later when they aren't
as big. I like all the Faces verymuch as people, but I never... Rod's
albums are better, obviously, much better than theirs. I've felt thatmuch more inAmerica.

He's lost, man,he's lost"rioi)

Tell me, what isyourreal strength inAmerica? Very new, but very
big. We've got a gold single now for "Get It On", and that album isgold this week. "Telegram Sam" came in at 61 the first week. It did
250,000 the first three days. You see, what we haven't done, and I
hope the people respect it, is we made no attempt to hype it. I mean,

there are so many groups -and I won't mention the names- that
I read so much about and are supposed to be big there. That single
got to Number Eight in the singles charts after six months, and thealbum's been in the charts, I think, 40 weeks.

T Rex in concert
SPECIAL GUEST STAR

JACKIE LOMAXSUNDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1972

CARNEGIE HALL

7:30 PMevrcitsC

Whatclinthed it in the States foryou? The tour, really, but all thegood promotion as well.lwanted to find out what had gone down
and the people just weren't aware of what was happening. I went
round all the radio stations and said, "How come?" They hadn't
really heard "Get It On" there, but slowly it just happened. We neverhyped anyone there, either, you see. But everyconcert we played
was totally sold out. That last tourwas incredible. We did 100,000 ina week on the album afterthat tour.
The audiences were much less primed there, you see. We'd neverbeen on television. They didn't really know what we looked like.
It's growingvery fast there for us, because they're very into thecommercial thing. They can see what's happened here. I think, if
the thing is done correctly, it could be phenomenal there. I justdidn't wanna say, "Hey, we're T. Rex making it inAmerica," and allthat- 'cos it's been done so many times and I don't think it means
anything. If someone doesn't have the intelligence to look at
Billboard and Cashbox and see the placings, well... But inAmerica
I let them see all the Number Ones here, and keep seeing them, tillsuddenly they couldn't deny it.
Y'know, I keep all the music papers everyweek, as I'm sure many
people do. I've got papers from '62. I've got a great room full ofmusic papers! But I only ever go back on anything months, years,
later. I used to refer back to what guitar someone had in the old days
-I still do, actually. It's normallypictures. I'm veryinto pictures,and hand movements, all that sort ofjive. I don't do it anymore,that's the sad thing.
When! had five years in Tooting or wherever itwas, I didn't havemuch else to do but drool over Les Pauls.At9.30 every Wednesday
morning I used to go to Tooting Broadwayto pickup the music
papers and I used to have a coffee. I was very embarrassed about
going places -still am, actually. Then I used to go and read 'em on thetrain home. It was bliss, man. Heavenly bliss.
But going toAmerica got me out of the habit.
When "Hot Love" came out we left Britain
when it was Number One and came backwhen
it was NumberOne. For the first time! began torealise it all goes on without you. I thought we'dgo away and be totally, instantly, forgotten,
5,000 miles away. We came back and it wasexactly the same. I'd always felt that had I notread my music papers it would be all different.

How's your relationship nowwithJohn Peel?
Fine. Fine. I see John no less than! see anyone.
Most of the people that are my closest friends
I haven't seen for months, especiallywhen
they're working as well. It's hard to liaise. The
last time! sawJohn was three months ago, andthat was fun. I send him a lotta postcards.

There's a feeling that there's someestrangement between the two of you? My
relationship with John was always strange.
We're not really compatible people, although
we love each othervery much. We have a bondwhich is unbreakable, basically, as we started
virtually unknown togetherand both attained
success from nothing. We always had
differences of opinion. We're both oversensitive towards each other. I mean, just our
taste in records is very different. There aremany things. But we've never lied to each other.
We've always been very straight.
You see, anytime! get off at all now I tend to
stayat home on my own, just because! don't
want to see people in general, not necessarily
John. Normally, the times when you do want to
see the people they're not around. Often I've
rung John and he's been away. He understands,of course he does. At the beginningJohn helped
me incredibly, and when you see something
like this happen... I wouldn't say he feels left out
or anything, but the thing has grown muchbigger than anyof us ever thought. Times havejust changed, you know. The thing about John isthat he has a great mind and a reallygood head.
He will always surprise everyone, always will.

Haveyouchanged, do you think? Well, I'm still"Allthiswillbeclassedas
the same little boy I was. I still get off reading
aphenomenonalongsidemusic papers. I still get off on guitars. There's
theotherphenomenons":
T.Rextasyinfulleffectthis great block, you see, between the kids andthe pop star, which doesn't exist, man, in
reality. I don't think I've changed since I wasfour years old. I think lwas hipper when I came out, when I was born, thanwhen I'll go back. You just get sadder. You see more pain and suffering.
Life is loving people, screwing people, having affairs with people, seeing
old friends, going back to your old home where you used to live, going toschool... but you end up dislikingyourself most of all, probably.
You're the one that in the end you don't like. Everyone is cool but you.
Yourdeficiencies bugyou: the fact that yourears might be a little bigand
you wanna chop 'em off. As a kid you get into those things. Chicks -all thisstuff hangs you up, which is rubbish, but that's the one thing in the end that
consumes you, and ifyou get overthat one it becomes a mental thing: thefact that you're too quickwith people, or you didn't give someone a chance.

What do you think you will have left behind as an artist and musician?
I'm inclined to think it will be more than people will give me credit for,because! don't think I've actually done mythingyet. It probablywon't
be music. Writing, I would think, in 10 years' time.All this will be classed
as a phenomenon alongside the other phenomenons, as it's being now.
I span a lot of spectrums. I'm right in the middle of it all. I've written somevery fine melodies, I think. "Cosmic Dancer" was a verynice melody. I dida string quartet recording just for myself, and it sounded very fine. I wasvery impressed, much more thanI expected to be.And there are
manywords I've liked on songs. I
think people will always pick pieces.
Theypick the "newspaper taxis" andall that stuff. There's a line in "RipcOff": "I'm a creature in disguise I There's
a man with a whip on his silver hip I
Liuingbetween my eyes". I think that's avery relevant line. I very often flash on it.

You think, therefore, that peoplewill pickup
on the lyrics and the imagery rather more thanthe music? People tend to. Yeah, I tend to.

I know that the music business thinks that throughyou rock'n'roll isboogying again? Sure, I think so, too. But, y'know, all the music is exactly
the same. Everyone thinks the same thing. It just depends how you do it.
We're all flesh and blood, supposedly. At least, so the rumourhas it.
5
Chris Welch and Michael Watts
HISTORY OF ROCK 1972 167

mu:

JOIN 'TOGETHER

Marc Bolan
TRACK

IS it a chick? Melanie? It sounds
a bit like Bolan, but there are no
riffs. This must be an oldie

re-released. It sounds dated. It
sounds like something from his
Tyrannosaurus Rex days. It will
be a hit.

Jonathan King

It'saiauuraerForAShortl

UK

That intro sounds like Betty
Wright's "Clean Up Woman".
There's a change of key there.
It don't go nowhere, man. I don't
hate it but it doesn't knock meout. It's got a commercial touch
about it.

111

JUNE 24 Slade yobbo Dave Hill proves an astute criticof the latest sounds. "I keep tabs on everything," he says.

Neil Young
REPRISEYou don't have to tell me whothis
is. I have always liked Young's
voice. Some of the songs on his

Free

FROM THEa live act. Their numbers seem

ALBUM FREEATLAST, ISLAND

It's Free. The style of the lead
guitar and the singer's voice
gives it away. Is this their new
album? From the sound of it
they are back intothe Free
kind of music. I would like to
get to see them on stage. I
have never actually seen them,but their music to me is very
similar. Everything they do ispretty much the same.

to me to be too difficult toperform live.They are one of
the greats, though.
The WhoJoin log&

mixed-up band. I don't know who
it is but it's very interesting.

Roxy MusicFROM THEALBUM ROXYMUSIC , ISLANDThis sounds like something from
Crimson. That sax player from
Crimson. It's the same style. I
don't find anything in the voice,but there is something about it,
though. It's a "Jumping Jack
Flash" kind of beat, a Stones/
Crimson sound. Very unusual.
There are a lot of influences on it.
That was a Beatles riff from "Day
Tripper". This must be a very

TRACK

The Who. I keep tabs on

Goldrush album were great. He
writes lines into his music which
are really commercial. I like this,but it sounds similar to "Castles
Burning" or whatever it was called["Don't Let It Bring You Down"].
My favourite of his is "Only Love
Can Break Your Heart".

everything, you know.
This is the third time I
have heard this single andeach time I like it more. To
me The Who never have to
be as good as their next
single. They are established.

Beach Boys
FROM THE

Creedence Clearwater Revival

ALBUM CARL ANDTHEPASSIONS"SO TOUGH", WARN ER BROS

The Beach Boys. I love theirmusic.Surf's Up was their best
album. Is this their new album?

It's very typical of the material
from Surf 's Up. It's like acontinuation of that album.
Virtually everything The Beach
Boys do is good. I think they are
more a recording group than

FANTASY

I don't like this at all. The
backing is inadequate.
Creedence? I really never

THE NEEDLE AND
THE DAMAGE DONE

thought it was them. It isn't
the kind of rocking material
you expect from that group.
They have done someincredible tracks in the past
but this is a boob.They've
blown it with this one.
Roger Cook
Jackie DeShannon
ATLANTIC"

113[314.1 (hWwwi with si.d.
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the UM ale know moat

at Ow artaate pawed arra
empanasaad a poalarancIao taw Ilwch 'Ow Who
eve

Lon;

ourr.....J.Or-11,1C1C"kV.

It's a good song. I haven't
caught the voice. It could besomeone I know really well. On
the first hearing it sounds
good. A pleasant song but I
don't know who it is.

We Will Ge

REGAL ZONOPHONE

A nice voice. I know that voice but
I don't think I've ever heard him
sing so high. Roger Cook? I like it.
He is breaking away from theBlue Mink sound. A nice song. It
will be interesting to see what theoutcome will be.

were
on

2g/
ti

49

4

"Sounds likekTopol!"
JUNE 17 Black Sabbath

PAW

man Tony lommi recognises
melody, strings and Rolf Harris.

ittATIW
1912.

California Dreamin' PROBE

The Mamas & The Papas (after
afewbars). I like it. I like a lot ofthings they do. I like the tune
and treatment. I'll give it five.
The Mamas &The Papas isa nice one to start with.

"If I Were A Rich Man"-Topol.
I like the strings; they sound nice.
But I don't care for the changes
in the middle part. It's very
dramatic, but I don't think it quitecomes across. I think it's a bit

overdone emotionally. It would
seem to be more suitable as analbum track than a single.

I've Never Found A Girl (To Love Me
Like You Do) PYE

Jesahel COLUMBIA

I've heard that sound before,
but I can't think who it is. It'sa nice record and would do wellin discos, and it might justpossibly make the chart.

I've no idea who this is. It goes ona bit, doesn't it? There's a niceacoustic guitar sound but it's a bit
monotonous. Those changes atthe end are a bit corny. The

Congregation? I preferred their"Softly Whispering I Love You".
Rub It In COLUMBIA

I've no idea who this, either.
Dave Clark? Well, it's a lot
different from what he has done
previously. It might be OK for
discos. I don't like the guitar
work; it could have been better.
It doesn't sound like Dave Clark
at all, but it does sound likesomething I've heard before.

On Fire For You Baby UA

The guitar sounds like George
Harrison. It's pleasant, but I don't
think it will make the chart. I've
never heard of him.

Tutankhamun COLUMBIA

Rolf Harris (immediately). It
sounds like a theme for one ofthose Bob Hope road movies.
I bet Tutankhamun never thought
he'd make the chart. But this one
might. It's a good novelty with a
topical flavour, and Rolf has had
previous hits- so this could makeit. But it does sound like a pieceof film music.
I Only Want To Say
FROM JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR

Jesus Christ Superstar... It
sounds like that fellow who did

Swan Lake BAF

Take that off! It's spoilt a beautiful
melody. The Cats? Well, they've
got the right name.

We're On Our Way APPLE

It's very well produced. I like theinstrumental sound. As far as therecord as a whole goes, what isthere to say? I can't say anything
fantastic about it.

Good Time UA

American, isn't it? But it reminds
me of an recording made about
five or six years ago - somethingfrom the rock'n'roll era. It might
do well in America, but I don't
think it will doanything special
over here. It's quite pleasant, butthey should have done it four orfive years ago. The voice is nice,but it could have been heard on
something more up to date.

c(matEc'xrif

MN II 1E1,

ALBUMS
Roxy MusicISLAND

Kari-Ann stares, with lustful expectancy, teeth bared andsurrounded by frosted deep -pink lips. She reclines on acounterpane of silvery satin in a halternecked pink -and -whiteswimsuit, built strictly for the boudoir. There's a pink rose fallingfrom one hand. A gold LP nestles beside her.
And all that is just the cover of an extraordinary album, from an
extraordinary group. Roxy Music is a concept which not everyone
will latch onto at first, but which is as rich in performance as inpromise, carefully calculated yet simply oodles of fun.The music on
their first album consciously displays echoes of pretty well every
style of pop and rock, but it's not a hotch-potch and they're notjust a
British version of Sha Na Na. Despite their general '50s orientation,
the result is thoroughly contemporary, and they use their awarenessof earlier modes to inform and reinforce their own unique ideas.
"Re-Make/Re-Model" (the first cut) is a good place to meet
them: over a steady, thudding beat, Bryan Ferry declaims his lyric
with the throwaway insolence of a Lou Reed. Eno's synthesizer
bubbles and squeaks around him, Phil Manzanera's guitar winds up
through the gears to peak revs, and Andy Mackay's alto gibbers
and judders. The short instrumental breaks contain echoes ofDuane Eddy, The Beatles, Cecil Taylor, King Curtis and Robert
Moog -tossed out as humorous asides.
Ferry's compositions have an almost visual appeal which isbeyond everyone else in rock these days. "2 HB", for instance, is ahomage to Humphrey Bogart (including the famous "Here's lookin'at ya, kid" line), yet uses thoroughly contemporary means- like alto
with echo -repeat, and electric piano loops reminiscent of Terry
Riley -to build the mood of a smoky Moroccan nightclub. "Sea
Breezes", too, is startlingly visual -and not just through Eno's VCS3
wave noises. Ferry's wistful melody, embroidered by Mackay on
oboe, conjures all kinds of half-forgotten movie fantasies.
"The Bob (Medley)" is a portrait of the Blitz, with fearsome
synthesizer noises, while "Chance Meeting" has a fascinating fade,the fuzz guitar screaming over lightly skipping bass."Would You
Believe" develops into a Belmonts doo-wop groove, with more
raunchy plastic -reed sax and some great singing - Ferry seems tohave half a dozen different voices, none of which sound remotely
like anyone else. Best of all is "Ladytron": it begins as a little love
song, with flickering castanets, but soon shifts into a "Johnny
Remember Me" groove, all echoing hoofbeats and Manzanera's
guitar flying over the top like the horsemen of the Apocalypse.
OK, there's a debit side too. Pete Sinfield's production is
generally good, but the overall sound tends sometimes towards
mushiness ("Re -Make" has nothing like the energy of the take they
did for Top Gear), and the inclusion of Mellotron strings on "If
There Is Something" diminishes the song's impact and invites
totally unnecessary and misleading comparisons with King
Crimson, whom they resemble not one whit. But take it from me:
Roxy Music can bring pictures to your head like no one else, andthey've only just begun. Hold it right there, Kari-Ann - I'm justfinishing this martini, and then... Richard Williams, MM June 24

HISTORY OF ROCK 1972

I 69

1972
APR

SO

Ii
El

1

-

.

.40"..1"0".

.

"Every-one
was playing

with theirpants off"
The ROLLING STONES,____ _ ,_

mishedon Exile 64'.
.

Keith Richarua cum IvliclrJagger discuss t
thefroggies are thieves"), and a pop scene in which they are.
men. "I never felt I was part of the Swinging Blue Jeans era," says Mick.
.

70 I HISTORY OF ROCK 1972

weThe Rolling Stones laying

down backing tracksfor
Exile On MainStin thebasement of Villa Nellciite,
near N ice, France

HISTORY OF ROCK 1972 171

1972
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t

- NME APRIL 29 FROM LISTENING TO the entire four sides of the newalbum, It's evident a lot of time and great deal of

personal effort went into achieving the somewhat
complex final mix -down. How long, in fact?
KEITH RICHARDS:About three months. The backing
tracks were cut very basically in the basement of myhouse in the South of France using the barest of equipment, so therefore
the mixing was done in the opposite manner, using a lot of sophisticatedstudio equipment.
As far as I'm concerned it didn't seem anymore complex than any of theprevious Stones albums. I suppose that's because it's a double album. The
overall process of recording and mixing just went on a little bit longer.

Was there much overdubbingdoneon theoriginal backing tracks?
No, not verymuch. Basically, the instrum ental work is prettywell the
live sound that we got when we recorded the songs in my basement.
Except for little things here and there, the vocals were the only things
that were put on afterwards.

I've noticed that on the individual track credits, various membersof the group constantly switch instruments. Both you and Mick

allatab.

Taylor play bass, Jagger adds some guitar and produceriimmyMiller
sits in on drums. How did all this come about? Well, making this album
was a much more relaxed affair than usual. Not being done in a proper
studio, it was a question of whoeverwas around just picking up theappropriate instruments and laying down the tracks. Forinstance, I
might do the bass part or MickTaylor might pick it up and play. Then Bill
Wyman would turn up three hours later, but we'd laid down what we
wanted to, so it wasn't worth doing it all over again. A lot of the tracks were
cut with just three of the Stones there. It was as simple as that.

Onsomeof the tracks you are heavilyfeatured on guitars, bass andkeyboards. Was this intentional so as you would have ashowcase todisplayyourversatility? No, not really. Again, it was just a matter ofwho
was available to record at that time, forthe sessions were very loose. As
you know, we cut the record at my house, so I was there all the time andI just kept on blowing. Therefore, on one of the tracks, I've done all theguitar parts. Just overdubbing them one after another.

Unlike most guitarists you never appear to push yourself into solo
prom inenceon the Stones records. Seemingly, you are content to workwithin the context of the group, onlycoming to the fore to accentuate ariffor tear off a couple of choruses.
Do you prefer this as opposed toindulging in lengthy guitar
workouts? I don't think in termsof lead guitar or rhythm guitar.
I just think in terms of guitar
players. I mean, on some of the
tumbling dicetracks on this album we've got four
sweet black angelor five guitars going and they're all
playing different licks and counter
figures. We're not into that trip of"you're the lead guitarist and I am
the rhythm guitarist".

On thevarious tracks you utilise
alot of diverse guitar tunings -doyou encounter any difficulties
when reproducing these sounds on stage? Yes, I use a lot ofold... a lot of old blues tunings all the time. I've been intothat since I first used them on theBeggarsBanquetalbum.
And since then I've been using these tunings more andmore. When I use them on stage I find that it can prove to bequite a hang-up, because I have to use no less than fivedifferent guitars all with different tunings and I'm always
forgettingwhich one is which. Quite often I pickup thewrong one and have to change it very quickly for the guitar
with the correct tuning forthe numberwe're playing. Also
I have to contend with the heat and the atmosphere, whichquite often puts them out of tune.

Do you look upon the Rolling Stones as being moreofa"songs" group, instead of a vehide foreveryone's
individualvirtuosity? Yes, we do concentrate on the songs.
We're into making records and we make the best records
that we can and everybody plays what they think will be
the best thing that fits in with either the sound orthe song.

Apart from the handling vocal on"Happy", haveyouever
had the inclination to singon more tracks? I did "Happy"
just because I happened to have that together, and it would
have taken another four or five hours for Mick to havelearned it. Mick said, "Well, you do it 'cos you know it." And
so I did it. I mean, I did sing lead once before on the Letlt
Bleed album.

There's a noticeablesimilaritybetween both yourvocal
styles? That's the Dartford accent, you see.
Keith Richards:"Thetroubleis,
peopleexpect
toomuchfrom
bandslikeus"

72 I HISTORY OF ROCK 1972

There are 18 tracks on the new double album. How manysongs did you in fact record during the sessions for thisrelease? Vi rtually everything that we wrote and recorded
is there. I think that there were about three orfour tracks

m

...
.

-Now
ROLLING STONESA

as they stop diggin' it they'll collapse.
Everyone digs to play just as theydid
10 years ago and as long as we've got
that kind of spirit we'll keep on.

left over, which we consider more as
demos. If we wanted to use thoseparticular songs in the future wewould undoubtedly cut them again.
They are songs but we didn't finish
them off in terms of complete
recorded performances.
Theoverall feeling I got from thealbum was that everyone wasplaying out more and obviously
happy with the outcome. Was thismainly a natural progression?
A progression in that we use thetwo horns and NickyHopkins
permanently in the band. I suppose the maindifference for us is that nowadays we don't
cut a record as the five Stones, but as aneight -piece band.
I noticed that on most tracks Mick's voice wasvery warm and infinitely more authoritative(Laughs) Yeah... it's probably the whisky.
"I Just Want To See Ills Face" isn't the usual
kind of material one might expect from theStones, in that it's more or less a repetitive

What kind of material can weexpect
to hear on yourforthcoming tour?
I expect it'll mostly be made up of
stuff from this new double album,
and probably one or two thingsfrom the last one, because we've got
Bobby Keys, Jim Price and Nicky
Hopkins with us.

-1111111'"A lot of the

tracks were
cut with justthree of theStones there"

chant sung against a percussion backdrop.
Howdid this track materialise? It was just oneof those things that kind of happened on a session and went on forabout

10 minutes. We just chopped the most interesting part out of it and threw
awaythe rest.

Apart from "Tumbling Dice", there are perhaps some more immediate
tracks on the album which would have made an obvious single. Did you
intentionally choose a more subtle songlike "Tumbling Dice" that has
the effect of growing on you? I agree, there are some more obvious
singles on both the albums, but then that always happens. You'll always
find those songs that are very simple and grab you immediately, thenthere are those that get you after a couple of weeks and you suddenly
realise, "Ah, that's so and so's new record."

Do you always flnd it a difficult taskchoosing asingle from all thematerial that you have recorded? Yeah... 'cos everybody has got theirown ideas about which song is the best choice for a single. If everyone in
the band drew up a list of their personal choice from the five songs whicha single should be picked, they're usually the same five. So really it's justa question of pulling out what we think is the most immediate from fouror five tracks.

After being so closely involved with the lengthyoverall project writing, recording and mixing -do you encou nter anydifficultywith
regard to programmingthetracks for the album? We usuallyjust playaround with the tracks by bunging them on to tapes in a different order tosee how they feel. On this particularalbum, we ended up putting all the
acoustic -sounding things like "Sweet Virginia", "Tom and Frayed" and"Sweet BlackAngel" all on one side because they seemed to fall together.
While on another side you'll find the more uptempo rock things.

Personally, I feel that on some of the tracks- mainly the uptempo
rockers -you faithfully recaptured the same kind of intensity andurgency that the band had when recording your first two albums. Was
this arrived at subconsciously? It's very hard to say, but I know what you
mean. Everythingwas veryloose when we recorded it, because as I havealready said, it was cut in my basement and not in a studio, so it's a very
basic kind of album. It was 120 degrees; everyone sat around sweating
and playingwith their pants off. It was almost like a rehearsal.
You don't release as manyrecords as in your formative days. Do you still
have the same kind of motivation to write and record, or has it now
become more of an effort? No, I find it just as pleasurable as ever to getsongs together and record them. As long as the Stones are diggin' what
they are doing then they'll put it out foreveryone to hear. I think as soon

Will you also use some of the back-up
singers who appear on the album?No. But I did
heara rumour that Martha Reeves might bekicking off the first half of the show and she
did say that she'd singwith us. Though nothinghas been fixed yet, we might also have Stevie
Wonderwith us on the tour because he now
fronts his own band. I wouldn't swear to it,
because you know how things change, but
it looks like Martha and Stevie will go on theroad with us.

What immediate plans have you to release
albums by other artists on the Rolling Stones
record label? I've got a few tapes coming froma few new bands in England, because I haven't heard what's going on in
England for the last year. So I've got this little campaign going to heara
few new bands. Quite honestly I'd really like to get some new bands andthey all sound so very much alike. I'm hoping that I'll find at least one
band whose album we can put out in the summer. The advantage inhaving your own label is that you can put out albums by other artists.
That's the reason whywe put out the Howlin' Wolf album and Jamming
With Edward!, but basically, we like to get a really strong act together andput theirrecords out. However, you've got to maintain the standard thatyou set with yourlabel, it's no good just putting out anything.

As a band, the Rolling Stones through their own music have always
acknowledged their basic influences like Chuck Berry and other Chess
Records artists. Do you feel that a lot of artists fail to admit this andstate just how important these artists were? Most of those artists, like
Chuck B erry, Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf, are stillworking. They're still around and so if people want to pickup on them

they can.
YourAmerican tour is set. So what plans have you got for the Rolling
Stones to appear in England? I'd really like to do one of those big festivals
this summer, if only to fuckup this bloody Night
Assemblies Bill, so as we
could see what they'd doabout it. At the moment, it's
just a matter °filming. It
would be nice to do Lord
Harlech's thing, but thetiming of it might be a bit
difficult for us because atthat time we would be
rehearsing for theAmerican
tour. It would involve flying

Keith Richard talks
about the Rolling
Stones April 1972

from I -don't -know -whereto the gig, playing andflying out again almost
immediately. However, I'm
trying to talk everyone into
getting that thing together,so that's a possibility. If
not, perhaps we can dosomething in August after
the American tour. ").1 come mem m mom ....
Men minMem- -MickJaggerat
NellcOte:"Ithink
I wasthere forat
leastthreeof thebasic tracks"

You undertake approximatelyoneayear.
tour.Would you like to do
more gigs or are there too many hassles involved nowadays? I'd like to
do more gigs. A tour of America is so arduous that it knocks you on yourheels for the rest of the year... I mean, this one is going to take two months
and take up the whole of June and July. At the end of it I very much doubt if
anyone will feel like undertaking an English tour. They'll all feel likecrashing out fora month or so. But I'm sure we'd like to get back together
again in the autumn and tour England and Europe. That would be nice.
The trouble is that people expect too much from bands like us. Roy Carr

- MELODY MAKER MAY 20 -vfICK JAGGER IS late, of course. But then does anyone expect

him to ever arrive at appointments on time? A chick who was
his secretary once told me, "If he says he'll be there on
Tuesday at two o'clock, he'll be there at exactly that time -a week later."
Its a great moody. But in their heart of hearts journalists like the gameof cat and mouse. Even if they're sometimes not the cat.
But... "Only got back from New Yorkyesterday and I'm still feelin'zonked." Jagger bips like some conquering prince across the expensively
white, fleecy carpet in the capacious office of the managing director of
WEA Records (alias Kinney, alias Warner Brothers). He glances at thesurroundings, sniffs, and then flips open his can of beer. It's not lost on
him that several years back this same office belonged toAndrew Oldham.
The beer, the big bowl of crisps and the large plate of brown sandwiches
are provided on the table. For this Thesday
afternoon he's required to perform before an
audience of cassette mics and scribbling biros.
"Interviews? Naaah!" he replies in that comic
cockneyaccent. "I've 'ad six months of'em in
LA, 'aven't I?"

He sees the photographer shaping up.
"Gonna 'ave me pitchertaken, then?" He flicks
his hand through his hair and sits forward on
the leather sofa. You can see him quite
unconsciously reacting in his face and body to
the lens.As ever, he's compulsive viewing. He's
talking about the music scene in the States.
"Ah," he says, grimacing, "the difference isthere's no poppy thing there, it's all rock."74 I HISTORY OF ROCK 1972

What about the David Cassidys, I said. "Naaaaah, there's only 'im, and'e don't sell records." The tone of disdain is heavy. "I've been listening to
Humble Pie over there and they're great, they're really heavyplayers. And[Latin rock group also signed to Kinney] Malo, that's a good band."And T. Rex? He hesitates, his mouth screwing up at the corners.
"I dunno... 'E's alright. I don't wanna be rude about the band; I dunno...
it all depends what standard you're judging them by. When! saw 'em in LA
I thought the best bit was the acoustic numbers, when he just sat therewith his guitar. It was great. But the band!Y'see, there's no pop in LA, no
teenybop. You can get awaywith it up to a point. Marc Bolan can get awaywith it, but there's only him. Ifyou don't have a good rhythm section,
forget it. You gotta be reasonable, man; to play in front of 15,000 people,
like there was at the Palladium. In the old teenybop days you didn't 'ave toplayvery long. S'matter of fact, I don't think he did."He pulled hard on his beer, then resumed: "I dunno, I don't listen to
rock'n'roll music nowadays. There's nothing much I listen to except for
gospel music maybe. Have you heard of Dorothy Morrison [sic, actually
Norwood] ? She's gonna be on the Southern part of ourAmerican tour,
doingAlbuquerque and such. She sends us these great letters, endin' with'the Lord be with you' and all that. She's really sweet."
He went off into a long explanation of one of her songs, "The Singing
Slave", sounding unaccustomedly excited. Then he had another thought.
"John McLaughlin!! like 'im. The things McLaughlin does arefucking great. God, I remember him in the old days. I used to see him
leaning against the pillars in the Marquee, stoned out of 'is 'ead." Hemade the appropriate motion, as if he were
holding a guitar.
"But I like the stuff he did with Miles Davis,
which is the other rock band I listen to."By a chain process, the conversation arrived at
the name of (violinist) Don Harris. It seemed heplayed on the new album: "He played a few
notes, and I liked it, but the rest of'em said, 'Oh
no, oh no.'"There was Dr John, too, "doing some great
stuff". None of that went down, either. But then,there appears to be some idea that there's notmuch of MickJagger on the album as well. Notso, he says sharply, his lowerlip jutting out in"There's notmuch I listen
to except for
gospel music
maybe"

alarming fashion.

ROLLING STONES"I was there fora lot of the time in France. I think I was there for at least
three of the basic tracks."
And what about France? "Ugh, I didn't enjoy it at all, fucking dragit was."His expression of disgust is comic. "Everyone else liked it. But it was too
hot, and the fucking froggies are thieves. Thieves. The onlyplace that's
nice there is right out in the country, but you've got to get there. I suppose
it was OK 'cos we were really thrown together. If you think the album's
good then it wasn't a waste of time."
The album, Exile On Main St, should have been out by now, but they've
put it back to May 26. It's down toAllen Klein, he says. That was why he
was in New York: "He claimed he had two tracks on it. We said we weregonna pay him, but it wasn't enough."
A settlement has now been reached. "Let this be a warning to all
up-and-coming English guitar players," he adds, wagging his finger.
Insouciant was the right word.
We talk about the Stones' albums since Satanic Majesties. If this one isreally boogying, he says, the last one was "a bit London". "It should've
been called 'Too Long In London'," he mutters.
I tell him I think the albums have become successivelybetter since
Beggars Banquet. He shrugs.
"Did you know," he replied, "that Beggars Banquet and LeatBleedwere
recorded around the same time?
And that there are always tracks not used on one album carried over tothe next, like 'Sister Morphine'. 'Sweet Virginia' and 'ShineA Light' on the
new album are both from the Sticky Fingers period." There's 50 hours aswell of unreleased material, which he thinks they're going to put out.
Looking back, didn't he think Satanic Majestieswas a littleinconclusively experimental -the Stones' version of Sgt Pepper?Frankly,
he didn't.
"Satanic Majestieswas the mood of the times. You can't playor write
outside the mood of the times, unless you live on a mountain -and evenin the South of France I wasn't that out of it I couldn't get the Melody
Maker. In those times it was flowers, beads andstars on yer face, that's what it was. In fact, I'm
ratherfond of that album, and I wouldn't mind
doing something like that again."
So between him and Richards he was the moreexperimentallyinclined?
"Well, in a partnership one of you has to be. I'mjust as much a rock'n'roller as Keith, but one ofyer has to be that way else it'd be too much forpeople to take."!wondered why they hadn't both written

outside the songwriting partnership. Naaaah,that was just an ego thing, he snorted.

He made a face of mock disgust. "'E just goes in therewith a riff and
if nothing 'appens he goes back the next day. It's alright for 'im. I haveto write the tune!"
There were songs, though, that theywrote independently. Like
"Sympathy For The Devil"? "Yeah." He nodded disinterestedly. "I wrotethat -but it's a bit of a bore going through who wrote all the songs 'cos I
have to think about it. 'Sympathy For The Devil', that was a big drag thatsong." Because of its connotations atAltamont? "Not really. It's all theseyoung rock'n'roll singers who come up toyer and say, 'Are you still intothat devil shit?'"
The naughty reputation again -black magic, sex and drugs? Well, hesaid, there were onlya few references to drugs on this new record. This
was a very undruggy album forthe Stones. There was something about
speed, and one line about "cough mixture".
"That's a heavy aspirin song," he mumbled, like some Mile End
skinhead. Christ, he's cracking up me and the photographer. I said I'd liketo clear up a point, and asked him why he deliberately appeared to mix
down his vocals. On "Tumbling Dice", for instance, the words were often
lost. For the first time he began to look concerned.
"I think they used the wrong mixwith that," he said slowly to himself.
"I'm sure they did. I dunno..." He looked up. "Well, with the fast ones
I really like me voice to be part of the band, but with the slow ones I
generally like it upfront a bit. I think it all started in theAndrew Oldham
days, when ! couldn't really sing." He laughed. "He mixed it down so
I wouldn't get big -headed. It's a matter of tradition."
By now Jagger seemed to have warmed to the idea of an interview, so
I put to him the concept of the Stones, like The Who, being survivors of theearly -'60s rock scene in Britain. "Ugh, it's 'orrible," he exploded, "to be theGrand Old Men. If all this talk gets anyworse I'll be getting another band.
I dunno why, but it's not nice to be asked that question. It makes us soundlike survivors from a holocaust.
"I s'pose I should be grateful that I survived the SwingingBlueJeans era,but that was the era before us, !always believed. I neverfelt I was part of it,
the SwingingBlueJeans and that, doingme Top
20 hits everyevenin' on stage. Whenever ! used tosee them playtheywere just all them, standing inline together, doingtheir hits. I think theywere
something else. We played M a differentway."
There was the question, too, about whether
they appealed to the young teenage T. Rex
audience. "Aw, I don't have to do everything
twice!" he shot back. "We don't have to go backto those people. Why," he looked sardonic,"some of our audience are much younger thanI am. Manyof the kids who dig us in America
are 15 years old. Christ, in Italy they're nine!
Here it's students. That's who The Who andZeppelin get as well.
"Naaaah, there's nothing happening 'ere.
The music is negligible, it's all nothing.
There's a lack of originality, and that's why I
don't care about it. I'm not interested in goingback to small English towns and tuming on
the 10 -year -olds. I've done all that.
"We've always had a much older audience
than that here anyway. We played to theRichmond art school lot, and theywere 18
to 21. I've considered our audience to be
students, and that's who was there when we
played Manchester, Newcastle and the rest onthat English tour last year."
What would he do if he decided to jack in themusical business?Films?
"If I jacked that in, I'd jack it all in. I've been
wanting to jack it in foryears. But, I dunno."
He hesitated. "I'd like to do something
completelydifferent. There's too muchpressure being in a group; if I don't wanna dosomething, they do and vice versa. I'd like totake a year off and study."
Study? "Yeah." Back to LSE? "Naaaah. I've got
a few projects." He looked reticent. "I think it's
all just talk," he said finally. Michael Watts"You can't
play or write
outside themood ofthe times""I don't like people saying, 'This one is mine!'
It doesn't matter what anyone fucking says.
Then you get in the position of wanting
to be known foryour greatness. As longas you can workwith someone...
you've got to 'ave someone to bounce
off. You can't bounce off yer old lady
like you can yer songwriter."
I said I'd heard it took them ages towrite a number. He looked sideways
at me: "Ooo you 'earing this from,then? You getting these impressions
from out of the air?" He grinned at
his sarcasm. "It's balls. No, I write'undreds everyday. Writing 'em all
the time, I am."There was also an impression,materialising out of thin air, that
he liked to go in the studio witheverything planned, or at least
worked upon. "Ah, well, that's right,
whereas Keith prefers to be more
spontaneous. That's our only
disagreement." He chewed on thethought. "No, I wouldn't call it
spontaneous if you've been there
for 10 hours on one riff."A

urn arAm TrIUR 1972

HISTORY OF ROCK 1972 I 75

ALICE COOPER, T. REX,
THE FACES, GENESIS,ROXY MUSIC AND MORE

August 30972:Little
Richard at rehearsals
for the London
Rock'n'Roll Show in
Wembley Stadium

78 I HISTORY OF ROCK 1972

"Ideally we'll

do Elvis next"
MM AUG12 the London Rock'n'RoII
i a mixed success.
cHUCKBERRYWAS the undisputed starof the giant Wembley Rock'n'Roll Show
on Saturday, after 10 hours of music while Little Richard blew his prestige witha flop performance that drew boos, jeers
and slow handclaps.
Said promoter Ron Foulk: "Richard told me
he gave the worst performance of his life.
I couldn't understand it. For me, Bill Haley
was the king of rock'n'roll."
Bill was obviously knocked out by his
reception, which was accorded a rock pioneer
who gave a "musicianly" and unpretentious

performance. Cheers forRazzle Dazzle" and"RockAround The Clock", with two encores,
were only to be equalled later by Chuck Berry.
"Obviouslywe had a lot of problems at thevenue," said Foulk. "The main one was that we
could not offer one -price tickets. There wereseveral prices. You can't push people around,and the stadium people realised that after the
first half-hour. We'll do another concert at theOval, Kennington, in September, but whether
it's a rock'n'roll show, I don't know. Ideally, we'dlike to do Elvis Presley next, but we haven't done
anything about that yet."Foulk paid tribute to the fans at Wembleyand
said: "They told me there would be a lot of
trouble with a rock audience, but there wasn't.
I was very happy about the concert."
There were about 60,000 at the stadium to see
Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Bill Haley and Jerry
Lee Lewis plus others. Said Foulk: "A film wasmade of the show, but I've no idea when it will
be shown yet."
The Oval concert will be on September 16 andthe following day another concert will be held
at Nottingham's Trent Bridge cricket ground.
"We plan to put on the same concert at both
grounds," Foulk told the MM. "It will be asimilar bill to the concert at the Oval last yearwith the rock acts." Last year The Who andFaces headlined the bill at the Oval and raised
cash for Bangladesh refugees.
HISTORY OF ROCK 1972 177

September 6,1972:
singer, Partridge
Family star and mu lti-

instrumentalist David
Cassidy in London

successful. Before that he had an eye muscle

that was malfunctioning. Another traumatic
experience was the divorce of his parents,
Jack Cassidy and Evelyn Ward,who split up
when David was seven. His father has sinceremarried, and Cassidy's stepmother isactress Shirley Jones - who plays the part ofhis mother in the Partridge Family series.
At the age of 18 David Cassidy decided to
split and go to Florida to play in a band. He
never went, however, as mother Evelyn had
been offered a part in a play entitled And So
To Bedand David auditioned for the show and
got a small bit part.
His first "big break" was with a Broadway
production Fig Leaves Are Falling, which wasa mammoth flop but which indirectly led to his
landing the part in The Partridge Family. As inthe best fairy stories, he was then "spotted","The nearest thing to
the King of rock'n'roll"
NM E SEPT 30 le's this and "a good fuck" besides, according to one young lady.
.ion. Here comes American heart-throb David Cassidy!
THERE ARE AN astonishing two million,
worldwide, fully paid -up members of
the David Cassidy fan club. In Britain,
although the club has been in existence a mere
to weeks, there are already 10,200. With morethan a thousand requests to join per week, it'sa big business.
One British teeny magazine which was thefirst publication to realise the enormity ofCassidy's appeal a year ago started to run
a "David Cassidy Writes For You" column. In
the past year the magazine in question has
more than doubled its circulation. While allcredit cannot be taken for just the column,
an obvious part has been played in upping
circulation figures.
Even the hip Rolling Stone carried a featureon the "boy wonder", finding a reportedly
tarnished image of Cassidy and publishing analmost full-frontal nude picture. He sinceadmits to regret at having had it taken. In the

1TD--)WN7,

1 (r kyt4(... tire (4article one young lady by the name of Jill wasquoted as reporting Cassidy "a good fuck".
Cassidy's record producer, Wes Farrell,compares him to Elvis "He's the nearest thing
to the King of rock'n'roll."
And professionally Farrell
has never been regarded
as an idiot.
According to available

went to Hollywood, and subsequently landedsome TV acting. You may have seen David
Cassidy on British TV
before the Partridge
Family TV series- he has
appeared in Bonanza,
Ironside and The FBI.
When he first heard
about the part of Keith
Partridge, apparently hedidn't like the idea. He
told his agent he didn't
want to do it and onlychanged his mind when
he found out there might
be an opportunity in theshow for him to play
guitar and eventually
make records. Wes Farrell only auditioned him
fora singing part in the show out of "kindness"rather than anything else. He never expected
Cassidy to be able to sing. For his audition
Cassidy sang Chicago and Crosby Stills &Nash material.
Although Cassidy's official age is given as 22,
rumour (nasty and wicked, perhaps) has it that
he is in fact 2.tt. NME's Pamela Holman, whointerviewed him earlier this year, asked: "Areyou really 22?" Answer from Cassidy:"Yes."
Every actor in a TV series has a stand-in who
works on the set for him. Cassidy's is a girl 23 -year -old Jan Freeman.

Evidently Cassidy is not theleast embarrassed about
having a female stand-in.
Musically his tastes
vary: "I like jazz, blues androck," he says. The singer
information the first
he most admires is Paul
instrument Cassidy took
McCartney. Spare time israre, so his love or sex life,
up was violin, later
discarding it in favour ofwhich is reportedly soguitar and clarinet. His
active, has little time to gain
momentum. There was a steady girlfriend but"favourite" instrument, however, is listed as
piano- until he took up drums, that is. It's all
she is no more -"There wasn't the time tovery confusing, but evidently he's able to playdevelop a good relationship," he says.
And as for hobbies or sports (other than
all these instruments.
One of the most traumatic experiences ofbirds, that is) we do know that in his time
his childhood was an eye operation, which was
Cassidy has taken up everything from dancing
and tennis to karate. And
a note for astrology fans:Cassidy was born under
the sign of Aries.
.717;Ac- and other high -campfacts and figures on

For his Partridge
Family audition

Cassidy sang
Crosby, Stills &Nash and Chicago\

44;-\YarrD - 8

America's idol of thehoppers - ate in an
intriguing investigation by

"The easiest job
I've ever had"
MM JULY 29

itter Bill Withers.
IVIAGGIE BELL LIKES him, and nearly

three millionAmericans like him
enough to put his new single at the

September 5,1972:
Bill Withers, who
ser ved eight years in
the US Navy before
quitting in 1965,
poses for a portrait
in Los Angeles

top of the US charts. A year ago he wasmaking toilet seats for Jumbo jets. But
now he's very famous, and rather rich.
He's Bill Withers -a bit of aphenomenon. A34 -year -old "undereducated, unread" man who plays a pretty
anything quite as good as that?" It wascheap guitar, and talks a lot. Rumour has it
indeed a remarkable album. Withers treatsthat Buddah Records chief Neil Bogart gaverhythm and blues like he'd invented it. There
Withers a gold-plated toilet seat to markwas one track, Nilsson's "Everybody's Talkin'",selling a lot of records for the little company.
I remember, and that was just imperial.
Bill doesn't really care; he just wants to sing.
When Withers came out of the Navy a few"It's the easiest job I've ever had in my life.
years ago he decided he wanted to be a singer.
Man, it becomes a good world when you get
He moved to the Hollywood district, and got
paid for enjoyin' yourself."a job at an aircraft factory. He saved enough
When ! stumbled into Bill he was beingmoney to get a recording licence, and picking
plagued by the nasties. He was swearing, andmusicians from names on the back of album
cursing, and giving heavy tongue to a poor
sleeves, he made a demo tape, and took it
callow youth. The youth was a young, hiparound.A while passed, and the demo wasagent who'd booked a load
heard. Then a shortof dates for Bill, andmeeting took place in atherefore reckoned hecompany office. Withers"I'manewcomer,was Bill's mate.
was told: "This gentleman"Hey look, sonny, youhere is Booker T; you're
sure, but I'm anknowwhere you had me
going to make an album
playin' on Monday night?
with him."old, wise man.
You know where you
Booker (of the MG's) told
I've seen crap"
damned well had me
Withers he'd bet ter write
playin'?" The youth didn't
some songs. Withers did,Ma".
really remember.
and the first album
LEAN cei"Well, sonny, you had metranspired.And then Withers
TOWN
playin' a chow hall at a Naval
became famous. And the
I Abu /OW A
Air Force Base in Maine.
rigmarole that surroundseThey'd onlyfinished413r.mfame is killing Bill.
serving the guys up chow
"You know I played thewhen! got on this stupid
Bitter End the otherweek
stage. There was no public
and I couldn't even go tothere 'cos theyweren't
the toilet because of all
allowed in. Man, I served
the goddamn agents, andeight years in the goddamn
promoterand record
Navy, and I ain't gonna put up
companypeople justwith being booked into places
hassling around me. Everybody
like that.
was getting into the thing.""Look, kid, I'm getting on to be an old
His single "Lean On Me" had sold twoman. Ma belly's fat, and ma chest's sagging.
million, was riding No I in the US charts, andI ain't come into this business all wide-eyedheading for another million in sales.
and silly. I've lived. I don't want any crap any"Everybody is trying to get me on some sort ofmore. I don't want agents and hangers-on
list. Everyone wants to instantly bag me,
bustin' into my dressing room and sayin', 'Hey
instead of saying, 'Hey look, this is what heBilly, that's cool, man.' If it carries on like it is,does.' Christ, and they are people ! love, they
then I'm out, and I ain't jokin'."are really nice people, but I cannot stickwhat
The poor kid was shaking, and attempting
they're trying to do."to mumble apologies. But he couldn't do it, so
Withers was sweating with some sort ofhe sort of made himselfvanish very quickly.
passion and fury. "Christ, I'm so goddamn
The first time lever heard Withers was on
grateful to everyone. I really am. Christ, I feela beautiful evening round at Maggie Bell's.
like getting down on my knees and thankin'
She played the whole of his first album, andeveryone forgetting me to this position, I
I remember her saying: "Did you ever hearreally do, but I'm no kid, I'm not gonna have/some kid fresh out of college booking me into
show halls, and slapping me on the back. No,
he can just get out."
He'd just finished playing a set in Central
Park. He's soulful, is Bill. He just sits on a stool
with a guitar and funks about, while thisgoodly band behind him thrive on his energy.
Letting a song hang, letting it hang w ith aback -funk, rather than "Ya feel aright?" is theWithers trick. He simmers a heck of a lot, andteases because he's got that lovely magic of
being able to leave out the obvious -leaving
you to fill that in, if you see what I mean.
"I suppose everything is working out justlike I wanted it to, but the problem's arisingbecause the business is treating me like ayoung newcomer. I'm a newcomer, sure, but
I'm an old, wise man. I'm uneducated, but I've
seen life, and I've seen crap, and I'm not goingto take anymore. I know that these people whocome and say 'beautiful Bill' ain't gonna talk tome if my next album don't sell. I can see
through all that.
"It really makes me sick, all these cheap little
maniacs hanging around me just 'cos theywanna be seen. Well, I ain't gonna let thesecats beat me down. This is still the easiest job
I've ever had, and ifyou can ride the idiots inthis business, then it's darned pleasurable."It's all been a bit strange for Withers. He
actually got laid off at the aircraft factory but
his music made it just in time. Now he gets toride in big limousines and gets invited to fancy
dinners, and has somebodyto carry his guitar.
And he stays in flash hotels -but he's 34, andhe remains the same as he always has been.
It doesn't payto mess with Withers, because
he's seen it all.
"You know, this business is just like theArmy.
You get some sergeant comin' up to you, andhe says, 'Son, you can have three stripes on
your arm if you go out into that open field, andstrafe those Japs, andcreep round the back of'em and shoot them up
the ass.' If you're a wise
man you just tell that
sergeant where to go.
And then you tell himthat you just wanna
be a good private."
RoyHollingworth

Still
Bill

JULY -SEPTEMBER

1972

ALICE COOPER"On stage

I'm MrHyde.?
ALICE COOPERJULY 1 LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, you've seen him electrocuted,

you've seen him hanged, and now you're about to see him
fired from a cannon. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Alice
Cooper! The cannon had just arrived from Warner Bros,
Burbank, and stood impressively in the large ballroom at
Alice's surrealistic Connecticut mansion. Alice fondled
the barrel, and burst into a scared laughter.
"I'm a bit worried about this one. Got a feeling that when I'm shot from
this, I won't comeback, literally
speaking." The forever -present canof Budweiser found its way to his
GuntRcm-,
mouth, and he swigged, deeply.
A big roadie picked up a horrible looking dum my and fed it, legs first, intotthecannon.Then hebegan cranking,and the massivesprings that run down
the barrel were pulled tight. Then thebarrel was aimed into the air, and POW! »ORY OF ROCK 1972 181

1972

JULY - SEPIMER

The barrel jerked and the dummy shot out, looking grotesque anddeformed in flight, its arms and legs boneless and spare.
It travelled for about 20 feet and crashed into the floor, skidding on its
backside for another 20 or so feet, and came to a horrible, messy rest.
Obviously bearing in mind that the dummywas soon to be replaced byhimself, Alice grimaced. "When we first did the hanging stunt, it tookthem three days to get me on the gallows. 'Alice we've really got to hangyou now,' theykept saying. Well, I don't know how long it's gonna take me
to work myhead up into climbing inside that. Still, it's going to be fun."And fun is the essence ofAlice Cooper, although this strange, straggly
black figure is most certainly no joke. Alice is a superstar -a real, genuine
superstar. He is currently enormous business throughoutAmerica possibly the biggest American rock'n'roll act, actually, and certainly themost strikingly different. He is the complete breakaway from thesophisticated, lame policy of stateside rock.Alice is ugly, rude, creepy,
sick, sexuallyinsane, and a scourge and menace to the minds of middleaged America.
And underneath all that -he's a beautiful person.
Greenwich, Connecticut, is per head of population perhaps the richest
community in America. As you drive down the thicklywooded lanes that
dip and twist around the town you could well
be in some lavish corner of Sussex. Incredible
houses peep out from behind the trees, andeven the mailboxes are built with loving care.
Alice's place is just round the corner from Bette
Davis, and Jack Warner (not the loveablecopper) lives opposite.
"Galise" is the name of the place; also thename of the chap who built it. From the first
impression, Galise was an extraordinary man.
It's a dead ringer for a Vincent Price film set.
Built during the '30s, it incorporates theunmistakable style of a man with money anda sadlydemented mind. In the dark hallway
lurks Alice's late, lamented Electric Chair, andnext to that the skeleton of a pinball machine.
Through to the left the eye catches an ever -so slightly swaying body, hung by the neck from a noosein the ballroom.
Immediately above in a bedroom, lies Yvonne,
seeminglyasleep now, her long, lithe body, relaxed
and motionless. She is naked, and almost child -like insleep. But one can sense the menace, power and veins of

LAST NIGHT'

HERE TONIGHT:
ALICE COOPER

ALICE COOPERWAS IN ODCSSA
IT WAS HOT;SO WAS ALICEIS A WORKINGRAND: ALICEALSO PLAYS .

.

.

O

8:00 P.M.

CONCERT

JULY 15

EL PASO

WITH SPECIAL GUESTSJOJO GUNNE .0 CAPTAIN BEYOND
Tickets 54.00 advance $5.00 at the door
Tickets available until 5 p.m. at
Central Ticket Agency, Great Pant in Cielo Vista
Flipside Records at 6. Tickets available Coliseum Box Office
Box Office opens at 6. Doors open at 7. Show begins at 8.

evil running through her body. At any moment she could awake, andwith one blow kill. ForYvonne is a snake, you see. An I lft-long lady,
weighing 40 pounds.
She lies in a glass case, and shivering in one corner of it is a little whiterat. It's eyes are filled with terror no matter where it treads, it treads on
snake. For some reason Yvonne hasn't touched the rat, who's been in thecase fora few days. But it knows it's doomed. It really knows.
Now along the dark corridors upstairs. Every now and then there isa creak, and the lights in the old candelabras flicker. The sound of crazytalking comes from one room. That's Alice's room. He sits surroundedby cans of Budweiser, watching a Marx Brothers film on a very small
television.
"Hello, please sit down," he says in a very brisk, charming fashion.
"Found a Marx Brothers film - it's fantastic."
He's dressed in a matt -black zip -up top, and jeans studded withrhinestones. The fly -hole is broken, and held together bytwo large, whitesafety -pins. Alice smiles. "Have you seen the cannon? Jesus, it's fantastic."
Without makeup he looks quite normal. His hair's a shade ratty, but
his voice is calm and unaffected. Drummer Neal Smith lies on a bed
watching television, too, asAlice cracks another can open, and gives off
an air of sheer normality. Alice zips himself up, and trucks
across the room, his yellow painted boots a bit wobbly, andhis nonexistent chest and stoop give the appearance that
AliceCooper in
December -1972:-I drink beer allday...lt helps

mecreate

ALICE COOPER

at some stage he was hollowed out, and they never
put back the stuffing.
In a moment we're in the back of a giant limo,
purring down the lanes -Alice wearing a black
cowboyhat, and carrying a can of Bud. "I drink
beer all day. I drink it as soon as! getup, before
breakfast, and I've forever got an open can. I
drink a case a day -which is about 25 large cans.
Beer puts you in a good state of m ind -you don't
get drunk on beer, just sort of permanently high.
It's a nice, safe feeling somehow.
"Yes, beer helps me create...'cos I'm hooked on
the stuff," and he breaks out laughing.
The limo pulls in front of a restaurant, andout we get in the middle of Greenwich. It's like
Tunbridge Wells on a Sunday. Alice clumps into
the building, sits at a table, and orders... guess
what? He starts talking about England.
"The reviews, and receptions we got over there
were real strange. I thought it was off; I thought
the English would be more open to what we aredoing. I mean, the English are far more cultured than Americans; they've
had theatre for hundreds ofyears, and there we were with theatre, androck'n'roll. And yet theyseemed bewildered, and afraid of the energy
we had."Energy? "Yeah, I mean Elton John has energy, but it's not so obvious, notso pow, ifyou see what I mean.AfterCarole King and James Taylor there
had to be somebodywith a burst of energy, and that'sAlice Cooper. But
I just couldn't understand what happened in England. I mean, the biggest
entertainer in England on a family level must be Danny La Rue -so I reallythought they'd digwhat we did.
"Not that we've ever done drag. We are not a drag act. Sure, we wore eye
makeup ages ago, but it was more a Clockwork Orangething. We're amusical Clockwork Orange, and we've been doing it for eight years now.
When! saw the film I really flipped. I said, 'Hey, that's what we've been
doing foryears now. It was great seeing it."Did you ever imagine you'd be so successful?
"No, never. When it happened, it sort of caught us on a low. We'd been at
it foryears, always doing this theatre/hard-rock thing. Christ, wayback in'661 had a bathtub on stage, with me in it. People had always talked aboutus; we'd always made some impression."
I know what finally converted me toAlice- it was recognition of the factthat he was really laying out good hard rock. Alice's new album, School's
Out, sees the band embark into fields of music you'd have never expectedfrom them. There's a heap more music around, and delicious production
from Bob Ezrin. "We workwith Bob like Elton John works with Taupin. It's
more than a producer/group thing. He's a genius.
"When we wrote 'School's Out' we never reckoned on strings and that.
But Bob put them in- strings and horns. He made them just tasty. They
haven't taken a thing off the hard -rock approach. You see, we've hit a level
now that people know its Alice Cooper."School's Outsees the emergence of a new Cooper concept. After the last
performance of Killer -in London this week -the newAlice Coopershow
will be taking to the road.
It's going to take the form of a Broadway spectacular -10 dancers,a choreographer, a pit orchestra, lavish backdrops, and touches of WestSide Story. And, of course, the cannon.
"Gutter CatVs The Jets" is a tremendous Cooper interpretationof Bemstein's West Sidescore. It's a gas on the album, and its
colossal, outrageous stage treatment looks set to stop

"We seemto be a vehicle
for people's
exaggerationand fantasy"

the other bands were becoming dreadfully boringand samey.
"It all came to the state where music was themain thing; they'd just stand and play music. It wasinconceivable to them that icing could be added tothe cake. And even though it was mentioned,
they shrugged it off as not being cool."
But Alice kept to his guns, and at least people
were leaving his gigs and not just saying, "Yeah,
it was great." Theywere leaving not knowing
what they had seen. "You couldn't define us,"said Alice, "and you still can't."
Eventually the audience caught up with
Alice, and began to believe that he wasactually serious about what he was doing.
Then the change occurred, and suddenlyAlicewas very big.
"You can only hear so many guitar solos, youknow," said Alice, picking a shrimp to pieces
with his teeth. "You can only hear so many

brilliant guitarist playing brilliant riffs, before
one day theyall strike you as being the SAME. Sure, we play those riffs but look what's going on top of the music. We're entertaining. We keep
awayfrom all other groups, we keep right away. That waywhat we comeout with couldn't be anybody else but us."
DoesAlice feel he has a heavy, evil image?
"Mmmmmmmm. I don't know. So many people see evil in us. At
interviews we'll sometimes go out to insult people. If Glen [Buxton]
doesn't like a guy, say, we're all so close that we'll all put the guy down. Welove destroying people we don't like. But if I believed everything I'd heard
about myself, then I'd kill myself.
"We seem to be a vehicle for people's exaggeration and fantasy. They'll
say theysaw us doing things on stage which we didn't do at all. This biting
the head off a chicken bit. Christ, I've never bitten the head off a chicken...
Maybe a leg or two. But not a head," Alice laughed.
There was also the tale about him having kittens on the stage andhacking them to bits with a sledgehammer. "Whoever thought that one
up must be sickerthan me?Besides I'd use road drills. No, seriously, theAlice you see here, talking to you, is OK. You're comfortable, and eating,and you're happy. But on stageAlice is a sexually freaked creature. I'm
two people -on stage I'm Mr Hyde. Everybody likes to see a Mr Hyde.
Everyone would like to release their Mr Hyde at some time.
"I release things for people. I act out their fantasies, and it's a great
release forme too. You see, I don't have to answer to anybodyup there
on stage; anything goes, and anything is legal. But we do not condone
violence in people. If they can see us up on stage doing violent things doing things for THEM - then theywon't go out and do it in the streets.
"There's got to be more theatre," Alice had said. "It's got to happen; it's
all been too still for too long. Groups have got to go out and form an image.
Christ, images are fantastic. The Beatles had an image. The Stones havean image. The people who are making it now are people with images- like
Rod Stewart.
"I see something more than most people see in rock. I see somethingartistic, and - although I hate to say it - cultural about what we're doing.
We're at least a stimulus."
Alice smiled a friendlysmile. He's no fool; he knows what he's doing.

And what's more -he's a beautiful person. RoyHollingworth

something.
"It's a drama thing, I love drama. People don't realise that our
greatest influences were maybe the James Bond films- ie, theJohn Barry dramatic scores.
"Our humour is there, and people know our humour. But onstage, whatever we do, we mean. So I'll chop up a baby, and theaudience nervously laughs it off -well those in the audience whoare close enough to us will. We have a strong urge to get across topeople, you see. We do things for the public; the public arealways in our minds."
Alice talked about the earlydays in LosAngeles. Everybody
was doing Grateful Dead, Love, and JeffersonAirplanetype stuff. Alice saw no reason to slip into that- as most of

ALICE

COOPS'
Gil II

Rainbow, U.S.

for Britain's

high -priest
of Camp - Rock"I held on.
I knew it

would
happen"FinallDAVID BOWIE is the star he11

always RI ICW Ile si muld be. As an
entourage of Lou Reed, Iggy Pop

gather round, Bowie discusses
the path to his latest creation,
Ziggy Stardust. "I'll get him outof my system," he says. "And then
we'll don another mask..."\I\- NME JULY 22 HREE CHANGES OF d ress and a kiss fromLou Reed. The waiters were horrified.

"If we havetheatricality
itcomesthrough fromus aspeople": Bowie inearly Ziggy guiseog72

Jill and Lyn are 17 and they're into Bowie.
They've both seen David work three times
in as manyweeks. They've both got Ziggy
Stardustand neither of them like Marc
Bolan. Jill says she likes the way David looks. She doesn't
necessarily think he's good-looking; she just likes the way
he looks. They and me and a sweaty hal iful of other people
saw David Bowie and the Spiders From Mars work Friars in
Aylesbury at the weekend. The phantom waver of the Ziggy
banner put in an appearance as well, and it was alright, theband were altogether and Ziggy played guitar.
TheSpiders area surrealistic vision of a rock band. Trevor
Boldeessilvered sideboards hang several inches offhis
HISTORY OF ROCK 1972 85

lukt,zsPOrtit#face and WoodyWoodmansey's hair is an orange
Vidal Sassoon duck's ass similar to David's.
Through the show at top speed until the final
encore of "Suffragette City", where David pulls off
his most outrageous stunt and goes down on Mick
Ronson's guitar. David is gonna be huge.
The day after the gig he's holding an extended
press conference at the Dorchester Hotel, held
especially forthe planeload ofAmerican writers
flown in for the weekend. In the foyereverything isfrosty, air-conditioned elegance, in slow motion
after the sweltering dusty street. Down the
mirrored corridors of the second floor through thedoor into a suitably chic room where assorted
media people are eating cakes and sandwiches anddrinking tea and/or scotch.
Lou Reed and his band are there, all the Spiders,and curled up in a corner in a Bolan T-shirt, eyeshadow and silvered hair is Iggy Pop. When I got
there David was wearing an entirely different
outfit. Before I left he'd changed into a third.
David's wife, lithe and crew-cut, is smoothing
things down, getting together drinks and being
assaulted byLou's roadie. When ! arrived, he'djust bitten herin the stomach, and as she's very
slim, the bite had gone direct to her abdominal
muscles and everybodywas falling about.
Woody pours me a sumptuous Johnny Walker
Black Label and peach juice. Lou Reed is talking
quietlyto David. He's wearing shades andmaroon fingernails. Periodically, horrified
waiters enterto deliveryet more scotch andwine and sandwiches.

and we blew a bit. We did it at some of the gigs
where there seemed to be a lot of mods, so wethought we'd throw it in... I ad-libbed most of it.

I remember five years ago trying to run a blues
band and failing completely because people
were standing at the frontshouting, "Gem!
Geno! Play some Tamla!" Oh yeah, but I wasa great soul merchant, a James Brown merchant.
I've always dug his veryfunlry things, but I've
neverconsidered that I was capable... I'm nevergonna try and play black music, because I'm
white. Singularlywhite!

111 ZIGGY STARDUSTIS DAVID BOWIE"I wish myself
to be a prop
for my songs.
I want to be
the vehicle"

NME: Atthe moment, the most popular rockjournalist words appear tobe funk, camp and punk. To what extent do you thinkyou've broughtthese words into essential usage?
Bowie: I think it's most probably due to the general inarticulacy of thepress. They're very small-minded. Theydo indeed revolve around those
three words.
Not revolve around. Theycrop up...Yes they do. Funk, I don't think! haveanything to do with funk. I've never considered myself funky. Would you
say that?! wouldn't...
Would you want to be? Yes. It's a muddy kind of thing. Camp, yes I
understand the camp thing. Once upon a time it was, I think, put downin the category of entertainer but since the departure of good old-

fashioned entertainers the re-emergence of somebodywho wants to be
an entertainerhas unfortunatelybecome a synonym forcamp. I don't
think I'm camper than any otherperson who felt at home on stage, andfelt more at home on stage than he did offstage.
Nobodyever called JerryGarciacamp. No, right, but he's a musician andI'm not a musician. I'm not into music, you see, on that level. I don't professto have music as mybigwheel and there are a number of other things asimportant to me apart from music. Theatre and mime, for instance.

Yousayyou don't consideryourself a musician, but for somebody
who's producing music ofavery high grade, I would reckon thatyou're entitled to be called a musician. OK then, I'll shift my emphasis.
I wouldn't think I'd ever be considered a technocrat on any instrument.
I have a creative force which finds its way through into a musical form.

Youweresayingyoudidn't consider yourself to be a musician. In thatterminology, in that definition: that a musician is a virtuoso on his
instrument? By no stretch of the imagination. I playa good alto, I playeda bit actually on the Mott album, which is quite pleasing forme, having
not touched a sax fora long time.
You used it on Hunky Dory? Yes, but just fora few phrases. I used it quiteheavily on the Mott thing. [Mick Graham: You used it on stage] What?
Yeah, I did a James Brown thing fora couple of gigs. We did "Hot Pants"
88 I HISTORY OF ROCK 1972

There's adistinct kind ofwhite funk. Velvet
Underground, for instance. Going bythat
as a yardstick of funk and notAlbert King,
wouldn't yousaythat what you are doing is
into acertain kindof fttnk?Yes, I couldn't
put my finger on what it is. Of the rock'n'rollthings that we write, theywould definitely bein the Velvets bag, because that's my biggest
influence in rock'n'roll, more so than Chuck
Berry, the archetype.

I'dsaythatLouReed was to you asChuckBerrywasto theStones.Yes, very much so, that's
a verygood analogy, and I agree with itentirely. In fact I've said the same myself on

numerous occasions.

The second preconceived question I came withwas that rock'n'roll is increasingly becoming a ritual. Instead of thevery down-to-earth stance of, say, the Dead, it's becoming very much ofa spectacle, very formularised. I've not seen many bands where I've
noticed that.
Alice is averyextreme example. I thinkyou come into it to a certain
extent. I think Bolan does. Sha NaNa in their own particularwayalso...
Well, you must firstly tell me your feelings on this before I quite knowwhat your question is...

I have mixed feelings about it... In somecases it works. I think it works
when you do it, butsometimes I get the feeling that theaudlenceis being
excluded. Yes, I feel that a great deal more theatre does not necessarilymean props. As you saw with us, we were using no props. We're not into
props. If we have theatricality it comes through from us as people, not asa set environment or stage. Like playing an instrument, theatre
craftsmanship is something that one learns. There are going to be a lot oftragedies and a lot of dangers dropped over the next fewyears when a lotof bands try to become theatrical without knowing their craft. I'm a very
professional person, and I feel that! contribute all my energies into mystage performance, that when I'm on stage! give more to an audience
than to anybody else when I'm offstage. I've worked hard at it. I was witha mime company and I've had other theatre experience. What I'm trying
to say is that it's important to know about the things you do and to havelearnt it, as it is to learn your instrument. As the theatrical expression
evolves, a lot of it is going to be on a secondary -school amateur -dramatics
level. There will only be the odd bands who have the knowledge to mastertheirtheatre. Iggy has natural theatre. It's very interesting because it
doesn't conform to any standards or rules orstructures of theatre. It's his
own and it's just a Detroit theatre that he's brought with him. It's straightfrom the street. Rememberwe have onlybeen on the road for threemonths, so it's still coming together, but I wish myself to be a prop, if
anything, for mysongs. I want to be the vehicle for my songs. I would liketo colour the material with as much visual expression as is necessaryforthat song.
One thing I've noticed is the way you use words, like in "Andy Warhol"
where you transform the word "wall" into Warhol. I mean, the way
you listen to speech and incorporate it into sound. One can say asentence to three people and it'll take on an entirely different meaningfor each of those three people. I think if any of mystuff becomes at all

DAVID BOWIE

surrealistic it's because that's the purpose of it. It's to give people theirown definitions. I certainly don't understand half the stuff! write. I canlook back on a song that I have just written and it means something
entirely different now because of my new circumstances, new this orthat. I get told by so many people- especiallyAmericans -what my songs
are about.

You had better watch outor you'll have your veryownAJ Webermanrootingthroughyour garbage. I have one already! He's not quite at
garbage level yet, but he's certainlyvery adamant about what I mean.
It's disconcerting to saythe least. Alarming. ButAmerica is made up ofacademics. They're very Germanic in that respect. Because they are so
subconsciously aware of being a new nation that has no accepted roots inthe old world, they strive fortheir own culture as fast and as quickly as
they can. Whatever isn't needed is soaked up bythe media and becomespart of theAmerican way of life. They're terriblyself-conscious about
everything. The level to which rock music has become an academic
subject is just incredible. I could walk into a shop and see row upon row
of books about anyaspect of rock. I mean writers about rock. I mean
writers about writers. There are even books on Meltzer. Layer upon layer.
It's a build-up. They're making their own culture.

Anotherlineofyours I wanted to askyou about is in "FiveYears". You
said, "Ineverknewldneedsomanypeople". Basicallywhat it means isrealising the inevitabilityof the apocalypse, in whatever form it takes.
I was being careful not to saywhat form it would take, because that to me
would be incrediblysad, and I just tried to get that feeling over in one line.
It's like the things you flash on supposedlywhen you're dying, running
down the street and...
Hiswhole life passed before him... Yeah, really, it's like that, the graspingshare of exposure, but I'm not convinced that we are leading any
particular cult.

But it's happening almost inspiteofyou, peopleexaminingyouralbums
almost I ine by li ne. OK, well if this is going to bean inevitable situation withthe chronicles of rock, and one must presume that it will be, then ! would
strive to use that position to promote some feeling of optimism in the
future, which might seem veryhypocritical related to "FiveYears". There
thewhole thingwas to try and get a mocking angle at the future. If! canmock something and deride it, one isn't so scared of it. People are so
incrediblyserious and scared of the future that I would wish to turn the
feelingtheotherway, into awave of optimism. If one can take the mickyout
ofthe future, and what it is goingto be like... It's goingto be unbelievably
technological. There isn't goingto be a triangle system, we aren't going torevert back to the realwayoflife. That's not going to happen. It's certainly
not a new thing. My god, I haven't got any new concept. I jugglewith them,but what I'm saying, I think, has been said a million times before. I'm justsaying again that we've gotta have some optimism in the future.

"FiveYears" struck me as an optimisticsong. It is, it is. The album in fact
should be taken that way. "Starman" can be taken at the immediate levelof "There's a Starman in the sky saying boogie, children", but the theme ofthat is that the idea of things in the skyis really quite human and real andwe should be a bit happier about the prospect of meeting people.

On the second sideofZiggyStardust, the songs seem to go in a cycle. But
whenyou playliveyou don't necessarilyplaythem in that order. I must
admit! speculate on the prospect of a show which would be Ziggy
Stardust, but the way I want to do it requires a lot of planning and wehaven't had time for that. I'd ratherleave it alone until it's gonna be done
properly. I don't want to do anything unless it's gonna be done well.

for life.

In the other room I sawatapeboxoftheMottalbum.TheonlytitleI
Do you feel worried by people who regard you as aguru? I'm not thatconvinced, at the moment, that 1 am anybody's guru. I know there is a lotof interest in what I'm doing, and we seem to be getting our goodlyfair

recognised was "SweetIane".That's right, Lou came down. I've got Lou
singing it at the moment. I've got to put Ian on, but he doesn't know the
lyrics yet. *July16,1972:manager
Tony DeFriesbeamsinthe

ackgroundashisclients
avid Bowie, Iggy Pop andouReedposefortheUSressattheDorchesterotel,London

HISTORY OF ROCK 1972 18

1972
JULY -NUR

So you recorded it with Lou Reed singi ng on Mott's backing? Lou
phrased it so Ian can pickup how it was.
How does it sound when Mott play it? Fabulous, it's really good. I'll play it
foryou. The album is fabulous. They've never written better stuff. They
were so down when I first met them.

They were having troubles with Island, weren't they? Oh, everything
was wrong. Everythingwas terrible, and because they were so down
I thought I was gonna have to contribute a lot of material. Now, they'rein a wave of optimism and they've written everything on the album bar
one Lou Reed number and the "...Dudes" single I did for them. Theywere
being led into so many directions, because of general apathywith their
management and recording company. Everybodywas veryexcited about
them when they first came out and then, because theydidn't click
immediately, it fell away. When I first saw them, and that wasn't very long
ago, I couldn't believe that a band so full of integrity and a really naive
exuberance could command such enormous following and not be talked
about. The reactions at their concerts were superb, and it's sad that
nothingwas done about them. Theywere breaking up, I mean, theybroke
up for three days and I caught them just in time and put them together
again, 'cos in fact all the kids love them.
[At this point, Bowie put on the rough tape of the Mott album. First cut
was Lou and Mott's "Sweet Jane". It sounded the best Mott I've heard.
While it was playing, Reed entered the room. I hoped to get him to joinin the conversation but he just came over and kissed David.]
REED: That's it. [Exit]
I was hoping to get a two-way interview.
BOWIE:That was a two-way interview.

Next week: The mind -shattering conclusion of this glitzy, super-neato
interview. Be there or be square! CharlesShaarMurray- NME JULY 29-

Country Joe about two years ago. That Roundhouse gig was the kind ofthing I cite, in that I was into something there that the band wasn't into.
Theywere verymuch still onlywanting to be musicians at the time, and itcame off as no more than everybodydressing up. Was that the one youcame to where I was wearing a silversuperman suit?
You weren't. You did [Van Morrison's] "CypressAvenue".We did one at
the Roundhouse about the same period when we appeared very muchthe same as we are appearing now, and that was with Mick Ronson. I wasin a cartoon strip and we all dressed up as a different superhero.
Who were you? No one in particular, but superhero -type figures. We had
silver suits, the thing! used to wear for "Space Oddity", that silver catsuit
which is exactly the same as this. It hasn't changed at all in three years, if
you think about it, but it's different material. I was in silver lame and blue
silver cloak and silvered hair and blue hair and the whole thing, glitter
everywhere. The whole thing was on that scale.

Were they ready to cope with it at the timelNo, theyweren't. We dieda death. And, of course, the boys said, 'Look, I told you so, let's get backto just being a band again.' That's the period that broke me up. I justabout stopped after that performance, because! knew it was right, I knew
it was what I wanted to do, and I knew it was what people would want
eventually. I didn't know when, though, so I held on. I knew it would
happen, because I've always been excited about seeing things that are
visually exciting and it's always knocking me out. I like seeing people
pretending. I have a great imagination. I'm not a vegetable. I like to let my
imagination run wild and I thought, 'Well, if that does that to me, it has to
do it to other people as well, 'cos I'm just a person.' I'm not quite that muchof a superman. And, anyway, I'm glad ! stuck it out, really.

Could you name four or five specific records that influenced you earlyon? Yes, "Alley Oop" by The Hollywood Argyles -just a feeling that camefrom it. I'm afraid I'm not verytechnical on things like that and all I cansay, at best, is that it was a feel that I had an empathywith. I don't knowwhat it was, whether it was the zaniness of the record, or what.

rrHE STORYSO far: Lord Ziggy and his pals are holding courtat the Dorchester, drinking, looning, doing interviews andgenerally having a day of good jolly superstar fun. In addition
to getting her midriff bitten by Lou Reed's manager Ernie, Lady Ziggy(alias Angie Bowie) had fun by sinking her teeth into the generously
proportioned left breast of American rock historian Lillian Roxon.
Among a welter of other happenings which even Lou Reed doesn't
want to discuss, this reporter (a shy, young small-town kid bewilderedby such extravagant debauchery) continued his epoch-making
interview with David Bowie. We enter the conversation after David
Bowie and Lou Reed had
conducted what Ziggy
described as "the shortest
June15,1972: Bowie andSpiders Mick Ronson andinterview on record".
Woody Woodmansey

Is that theoneabout thecaveman? Yes, and that was Kim Fowley asa matter of fact. He was the Hollywood Argyle that did it, and I loved

parodybecause...
Zappa?Yes, I admire Zappa, but there
again! prefer Charlie Mingus. I like myparodyto be a little softer because I'm apacifist person by nature and hostility
in any form, even on a mental level,

lona
Tv-

cloud bowie-4%41RO,the lean PrieV!
trig on to LAndigs.

perform"Starman"on

BOWIE: I like to see people

Lift Off With A yshea

pretending.

5

NME: You retired after"Space Oddity"; would
you ever do it again?
BOWIE: I can't envisage
stopping gigging for the next
yearat least, because I'mhaving such a good time
doing it. I've never enjoyed it
more. I feel I'm one with theband I'm workingwith andthat hasn't happened before
forme. I've always felt I was
dragging people into doing
things. I had a band once
before which had the samelead guitarist.
Yeah, I sawyou work at the5Roundhouseonce with88 I HISTORY OF ROCK 1972

N.1
IN INGHILTERRAftDAVID BOWIE

I find not endearing. I think Zappa may have a problem with feeling that
he was not accepted on a Mingus level and he had to find himself an
audience. I don't think he's ever forgotten that.

David's alright, you know. He may even be the "shining genius" his ads
say he is. Whatever, he's a gas. Long live Ziggy Stardust!We needed him.

But "Pithecanthropus Erectus" is not quite the same as "Brown Shoes
Don't Make It"? Well, that's the strength of myview on parody. I'ma softerperson by nature. I'm not hostile. I don't believe I'm an aggressive
performer either. I like the situation that seems to develop with theaudience, which is generally on a veryhuman level and they're quite
friendly. It's neither screamy nor rebellious: it just has a good feeling to it.
I love myaudiences. I think I've not been to too manygigs where thefeeling is not nice. It's a verywarm feeling! get from audiences.

- DISC JULY 15 -Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't there one cut on The Man Who Sold
The Worldthat is a parody of Marc Bolan? Oh yes. Yes. That was "BlackCountry Rock". I Bolanised it. I do that to a lot of people.

Apart from the obvious one, "Queen Bitch", which of the others arenotably parodic. I did a lot of Newley things on the very first album
I made, Love You Till Thesday.

That's a verystrange album. Has it been reissued? It will be. It's been out
once. They brought it out when I had "Space Oddity", but it didn't do sowell. I expect they'll bring it out in a few weeks' time. I guarantee they'll
bring it out. Other songs - d'you want some more songs? Of course"Waiting For The Man", I'll have to saythat one. In fact a lot of Lou's
material. Especially that one because it sums up a lot of his earlywriting
and his writing has changed considerably since those days. I think his
new material on the album that we're gonna do will surprise a lot of
people as well. Its miles different from anything he's ever done before. On"Waiting For The Man" I think Lou captured, for me better than anyone
else, the feeling of New York, that particular area of New York that he wasliving in, and those times.

Theother great NewYork record ofour times is"Summer in TheCity". Yeah, I agree with that.
I was a devoted fan of the Spoonful. I loved
them. Another record was the Mingus Oh Yeah
album, particularly "Ecclesiastic", which I drew
an enormous amount of pleasure from. I felt itvery 1990s- very2001- that whole album. I wasinto that sort of jazz. Before Santana came, I wasinto the English scene and I was never able torelate to that stuff because of my earlier interestin Coltrane and Mingus as well. A lot ofZappa's

things flatten me, actually.

ChariesShaarMurray

cc T

OU CAN ASK me if I'm bent," said a somewhat subdued
Spider From Mars, "but I'll only say no." Not looking in theleast bit bent, Mick Ronson had lately suffered at the handsof an interviewer who apparently was interested in such matters andwas prepared for the worst.
The Spiders From Mars are the musicians who workwith David Bowie,
and who are every bit as outrageous in appearance and style. David once
said that he has one of the best -dressed bands around, and he wasn't
exaggerating. Now, his ideas in dress are being copied fast. Gary Glitterand Sweet are only two of the bands who have jumped onto the idea, butneitherseem to have the panache or the grace of Bowie and his boys.
When all three bands appeared on last week's Top OfThe Pops, theSpiders and David underplayed their hand to fine effect, so that theyretained the aura of being the real thing, and not an overdone paste
glitter imitation.
Neither do the Spiders come over as stooges for David. Theyare talented
musicians in their own right, and the band work as a team. Mick Ronson,
like the rest of the band, comes from Hull. He came to London two -an d -a half years ago, after he and WoodyWoodmansey had both been playing
in a regular blues band called The Rats. Mick heard that David waslooking fora guitarist and so came down to see him. He was asked to playon David's appearance on the John Peel show, although he didn't know
the music, and as things worked out, he stayed. David has much to say inpraise of his band, who've been workingwith him now since Hunky Dory.
"I didn't know a lot about Dave before! came down, but I had heard'Space Oddity', of course, and I liked that. I'd been playing in this blues
band and just being a serious musician. I'm still serious about my music,
but not in impressingjust a small group of people. I'm out to impress
everybody, make it a show and give them theirmoney's worth.
"We did split up for a while, last year, because
everyone was battling against each othermusically, but now it's runningvery smoothly."
Bowie's appearances with the band aren't justlike any othergroup's set, as you'll know if
you've seen them. He and the Spiders make aproduction out of it, each person integral to the
movement and music. "We get to a gig very early
to set up the sound balance, and the lights, thenwe eat, taking it steady, then put on the makeup
and then roll onstage at the last minute. It all
takes about four hours. We build up nicelyto it."
It was David who put forward the ideas on clothes to the group, andalthough theymight have been a bit doubtful at first, they have realised
the impact the costumes have on the audience: "When we were firsttalking about it, I had a few different ideas, but I think I was caught on
an off -time. I had a lot on my mind then. I can get pretty stubborn attimes, but once theywere made it was fine. Some people think that
we're bent because of the clothes, but that doesn't worryme. People
just like something to talk about. Ifyou want to be successful, you've
got to be prepared to do things you might not otherwise do, taking therough with the smooth, and be prepared to be talked about. You can't let
it affect you.
"Actually, it makes me want to be more outrageous if anything. I likeshocking people. If we didn't want people to talk about us then we'd comeonstage in jeans. We want to excite kids, make them feel good, and makethem feel they can't take their eyes off the stage."
It would appear that this policy is working, as the band get bigger
audiences everywhere, with hundreds being turned away, and Bowie
finally getting the praise he has deserved for so long.All the adulation forDavid doesn't affect the feelings of the Spiders at all.
"It doesn't worry us Dave getting the limelight. He's the draw, it's his
show. Basically the people come to see Dave and he's good. He is an
outstanding showman, a true artist. I'm learning a lot from him. He hastaught me how to present a group and how to keep it together. If it wasn't
for David I'd still be a run-of-the-mill blues musician. We're all veryclose,
but not as close as has been rumoured!" *"It's a very

warm feeling
I get from theaudience"

AnyofZappa's stuff make it with you? We're
Only In It For The Money, because I mean ! saw huge potential in that area
forZappa, but I don't understand Zappa and I'm not that intrigued by him
to try to unwrap his problems or try to find out why.

Wereyou ever tempted to get into James Taylor thing of
autobiographical songs? Yeah, I had a spasm of that, but thank God I got
out of it.

Out of all your material, withwhichsongsdo you feel most
comfortable? D'youever listen to anyofyour stuff and think thatyou could havedone it better ifyou'd done it later? Oh yes, lots of times.
A lot of Man Who Sold The World, although that was one of the best
albums I made. It was a whole traumatic period.

What's gonna be the next post-Ziggy development? Haveyou started tothink about anew album? No, not at all. I'm still totally involved with
Ziggy. I probably will be fora few months, getti ng it entirely out of mysystem, and then we'll don anothermask.
Thanks a lot, and I hopeyou and Ziggy will be very happytogether. Oh,
no. I hope YOU and Ziggywill be very happy. Ziggy's my gift to you.

It had been the last interview of a long day of raps, zaps and variedcraziness, and I was keeping David from an immediate departure to
enjoy a fortnight's holiday. So we shook hands and said our farewells.

HISTORY OF ROCK 1972 189

1972
JUIY

s,

It has also been rumoured that with a gradual fading of T. Rex publicity,
David and the Spiders could ably fill a gap in the entertainment quota.
Although not similar to Bolan in musical style, they have the same
confidence and showmanship that make the grade: "Well, Marc Bolan
had a lot of dedicated fans and he is Bolan, as we're the Spiders. I'd love it if
we took off like that. I admire what they have done. Bolan has gone out of
the way to give the kids music they can relate to, with simple sequences.
I'd like to thinkwe could be different. It's an older audience that we have."
Apart from the group work, Mick and David have been co -producing
Lou Reed's new album, following Reed's seeming dissatisfaction with hislast, which was produced by Richard Robinson. Both Mick and David
have been into Lou's music fora long time. I have been blasted more thanonce bysamples of his sounds while visiting the Bowie.
"We are concentrating on the feeling rather than the technical side of
the music. He is an interesting person, but I never knowwhat he's
thinking. However, as long as we can reach him musically it's alright."
It's not settled if Mick or David will be playing on the album; they are
putting all their energies into the arrangements.
They have also just finished workingwith Mott The Hoople on a new
single and are to begin arrangements on an album. David and the Spiders
have cut a track that might well be their own new single, but it won't bereleased until "Starman" has climbed as high as it's going to. As it's justgone into the US charts and is selling a lot here, it maybe some time before
we hear the new one. RosalindRussell- MELODY MAKER AUGUST 15 ccHE'SA REAL star. Not in a sort of record business style,

not a Rod Stewart star, if you like, or a Cat Stevens, but...
a Marlon Brando or James Dean -type star. I see him morein that category of large-scale untouchable. It's like he doesn't quite
belong here. You know, he's got those odd eyes. It's very curious." (Tony
DeFries, David Bowie's manager).
"I'm not content just to be a rock'n'roll star all my life. The reason I'mtrying to be one at the moment is so that! can get off. Even now, I've got
onto other things, great massive plans for the future!" (David, a protege of
Mr DeFries).
"One night I'm going to turn up at a Bowie concert. I've known him fora long time and all of a sudden he's like ! should get down and kiss his
feet." (Rod Stewart).
The moment he hits the stage of the Rainbow this week it will beapparent to one and all in that audience that David Bowie is much bigger
than Homerand the Monuments ever were. Not just because from the tipof his spiky, carrot -coloured hair to the soles of his shiny silver boots helooks a star, and not just because he's made it voguish to be theatrical.
Listen, the boy's got talent. He's come a longway from the Bo Diddleybeat
and heavy harp work on "Unwashed And
Somewhat Slightly Dazed", which is second
track, side one, of David Bowie on Decca.
We thought it an auspicious time to chronicle
the rungs of the ladder in the rise and rise of
Ziggy S. For instance, here are some facts: born
David Robert Jones, 40 Stansfield Road, Brixton.
Attended BromleyTechnical High School. Leftschool at 16 with two 0 -levels in art andwoodwork. Is an ex -mod. Reads Genet and
Hubert SelbyJnr. Played sax, and led a numberof groups, including David Jones &The Lower
Third and David Bowie & The Buzz, with whom
he had a Marquee residency supporting The
High Numbers ("we did my material but !wrote
very much like Pete Townshend").
"I spent all those formative teenage years," he says now, "adopting
guises and changing roles. One moment I was a musician and performer,
the next a mod, just learning to be somebody."
Before he made "Space Oddity", in fact, which set him on the course
along which he's currently progressing, he was a directionless soulmoving in an artistic limbo. He had his own mime troupe, Feathers, withan acoustic guitarist named Hutch and a ballet dancer called Hermione("LetterTo Hermione" is also on David Bowie).
For a year and a half he was also a memberof the Lindsay Kemp Mime
Company. He'd gone along to one of the performances and found one of
his albums was being used as interval music. He felt so flattered he went

backstage, and eventuallyended up doing productions, too. And thenhe wrote "Oddity".
"It was my own idea of protest. I wanted to be a newspaper. I think
I still think a little like that. I didn't actuallywant to give too manyviews.
I wanted to present the images of today, the images bywhich we set ourstandards and live, and I wanted to present them in a song.
"You see, the emphasis placed on what people are saying, and whether
they're profound or not, annoys me a little, 'cos I don't want to be
profound. The aim of an artist is just to investigate. That's all I want to do:investigate and present the results."
The fact that the record got as high as Number One here (and was anunderground classic in the States) had a paradoxically near -disastrous
effect on his life. He'd previouslybeen doing the folk circuit, but was now
suddenly booked into ballrooms and such venues as made money fora hit
artist. The environment was wrong. He was appearing at Meccas in frontof teenage kids who wanted whateverthe current big artist was.
Unfortunately, the happening thingwas David Bowie's "Space Oddity",
but nobodyrealised David Bowie was a folk singer and "Oddity" was justa freak song that he put in his act.
"It was veryhard. It was 1969, and !went on in front of these gum chewing skinheads. As soon as ! appeared, looking a bit like Bob Dylan
with this curly hair and denims, I was whistled and booed.At one point
I had cigarettes thrown at me. Isn't that awful? (A biggrimace) It turned
me off the business. I was totally paranoid and I cut out."
He decided, he says, to just exist as a person again, and not a performer,
and got involved with an arts lab, held at the Three lims in Beckenham
High Street, near where he now lives. He was dogged, however, by his
image, which pursued him spectre -like in the shape of audiences whoturned up essentially to peruse a pop star.
It was such a bad period, he explains, that he's blanked most of it out inhis mind. The awfulness was compounded by his father dying at roughly
the same time. The steady slide into public oblivion was halted by Tony
DeFries, a young lawyer who has subsequently become his manager. He
consulted him in 1970 to see if he could straighten out the tangled
financial situation in which he found himself.
Bowie recalls the occasion well: "He said I can get you out of that, andI just sat there and openlywept. I was so relieved that somebodywas sostrong about things.
"I was always stronger than everybody else around me, moredetermined and wanting to do more things, and everybody else was
mousyand didn't want to take any risks. It was like going up a hill trying
to drag kids with you- "Oh, come on, will you!" (He mimes dragging
someone by the arm) -and nobodywould go with you.And there was thispillar of strength. It was like everythingwas going to be different."
And it was, of course. He made The Man Who Sold The World for
Mercury, and then the two really got into their stride. DeFries negotiatedanew contract with RCA, and then early lastyear took him on a promotional tour of theStates. He cut Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust,
which is expected to break in a bigwaywhen
he toursAmerica in September (he plays
Carnegie Hall on September 28).
In Britain the forthcoming concert on
Saturdaywas sold out so quickly they're staging
another the following day. I understand bothshows will be large-scale production eventswith dancers and mime.
In this scheme of things his public persona,with its overtones of camp, has been decidedly
crucial, although ! think theatrical is a much
more apt adjective in the context of his stage act.
He says he didn't want to have to dress it up,
but unfortunately it did seem that to make the kind of breakthrough heneeded he had to initially put on a few trappings.
"It was verynaughty of me on a lot of people. I know." He doesn't looka bit contrite, all the same.
To this end he has graduallysimplified his appearance, dispensingwith
the long gown that was featured on the cover of The Man Who Sold The
World and cutting off the long hair. He'd set something in motion, he says,
and he wasn't really quite sure which way this monster was developing.
Little by little he has stripped himself down to become a performer who
couldn't be copied, unless by outright imitation. "It was like Top OfThePops the other night. Everyone came on in what they thought was David"I don't want
to be profound.
The aim of anartist is just toinvestigate"

90 I HISTORY OF ROCK 1972

Bowie, and David Bowie came on and he was none of those things.
He was just a person who performed."
But the campness?
"I'm not incredibly aware of it. I've always been camp since
I was about seven. That's not a pose, really. I was outrageousthen, only because my interests weren't centred around obvious
seven -year -old interests, like cowboys and Indians. My things
were farmore mysterious. I would pull moodies and say things
like, 'I think I'm dying,' and sit there for hours pretending I wasdying. I'm a performer, you see, but people only think in terms ofcamp these days."
Had his avowed bisexuality made any difference to his
public reception?
(Much laughter) "The only thing it everdid was to sell albums!Assoon as your article came out in Melody Makerpeople rang up andsaid, 'Don't buy the paper. You knowwhat you've done? You've justruined yourself.' They said, 'You told him you were bisexual.' I said,'I know, he asked me!' Nobodyis gonna be offended by that;everybodyknows that most people are bisexual.
And I bought the paper and it looked alright. But from then on,
the way the otherpapers picked up on it and just tore
at it like dogs at meat! Theymade this enormous
thing out of it."I said ! thought much of his appeal lay in his
sophistication. But the last thing he wanted, hereplied, was to be sophisticated. He knew people like
that, and it was one thing he was not.
Bygeneral rock'n'roll standards he was, though,surely? Well, he said, he'd never been involved muchwith rock people before, and he didn't know theirattitudes until he recentlystarted to meet them.
There was all this stupid, exaggerated studiedness
that they obsessed themselves with.
Bolan, he said, wasn't camp, hewas prissy. Prissyand fey. But that was right for the age group he wanted
to appeal to, 'cos theywere all fey. He'd been fey

himself at that age, poutingand mincing around.
He hadn't seen Marc since he'd become T. Rex, but he'd known him
quite well before because he'd mimed on a Tyrannosaurus Rex tour.
They'd been terriblywary of each other, he recalled; embarrassingly
wary, he'd imagine, to people looking on.
"We'd sit at opposite ends of the room just looking at each other. It wasa verykinda moody thing, I suppose, on an infantile level."
But he'd seen a spark there. He knew Bolan would be enormous one day.
"We were just terribly polite to each other all the time. I'd never saywe arecompetition to each other 'cos we're at opposite ends of the spectrum. We
might just have happened in the same period."
He broke off as a little reminiscence struck him. "The funny thing is,
he made Steve Currie get his haircut as soon as I got mine. Marc was
furious because Steve and the rest off. Rex came to see me at the Central
Polytechnic and they asked if they could come to my partyafterwards
to tell me how good theythought we were. Marc was mad about that.
And then! heard a week later that Marc had made Steve Currie get hishaircut! (Great laughter)"Marc has always dealt in extremes, you know. He has his own fantasy
worlds, he really does, in which everything is extreme. He's lovely. He's soterrifically aware of image. That's what I meant by prissy. He really is
engrossed in his own image."
Another thought hit him. "June (Bolan's wifel had it in forme the firsttime we met, you know, and she realised I was making records. She hated
it that Marc was playing lead guitaron "Prettiest Star". She came along tothat session, sat on a chair, and said, 'I think it's awful. ! think the song's
a drag. I don't think Marc should be playing on this at all. He's got so muchwork to do, you know, he really doesn't have time to do your sessions.' This
war's been going on for four years now!"
He laughed again. He really can be delightfully malicious at times unexpectedlyso, because he's main ly gentle and somewhat vulnerable.
I asked him if Bolan, though, was more committed to his music than he
was to his. He paused, looked serious and finally said he thought that wastrue in a way. "You see, Marc onlyhas his music, I think that's probably
the difference. He's seen me as a mime as well, he knows my areas stretch
out, and so my conviction formusic probably isn't as strong as his. He's
totally holding on to his music, a totally convinced performer. I can't see

After years offalse starts, Bowie
finally connects.
early 1972

myself always being a rock'n'roll singer.
Talking of otherrock singers, he said he'd gone to see Presley at Madison
Square Garden. They hadn't met because he could imagine what he waslike as a person... "a very nice, uncomplicated kind of guy" -and thatwasn't the Elvis Presley he wanted to meet. It was the image.
He thought it was superb for him to have come out of ice and all that.
Although, he reflected, he'd never bought any of his records. Little
Richard had always been his idol, as far as rock'n'roll idols went.
Lou Reed, whose second album he's currently producing at London's
Trident Studios, he'd met at a party. He was fascinated by his stories of thestreets, which was why he also adored Jacques Brel. Theyboth worked ona similar level. It was very basic stuff.
Lou had said this fantastic thing aboutAndy Warhol, he remarked - hewas laughing again. He said they'd once thought of designing an Andy
Warhol doll. You know, you wound it up and it did nothing. He thought it
was a prettygood joke, Bowie. He hadn't actually met Warhol himself until
after he wrote that songabout him. He'd always been fascinated by his
artwork and he wanted to see if he could get near to his character without
meeting him.Afterwards, he said to himself, he didn't do a bad job.
But there were shades to him that he hadn't been aware of before. Lou
had told him he was incredibly strong. Once he'd wanted Nico to tickle
Lou, so he's grabbed Lou's arms behind his back and got quite a buzz outof getting her to tickle him. "Lou is a well-built guy and he couldn't breakfree from him. He says he's like a demon. His strength is incredible."
Bowie's meeting with him had been very peculiar. For an hour or so they
hadn't said a word, and when he played the song to him, he walked out of
the room. Warhol eventually came back and said, "Well, that was great,
thankyou." He put on a tape recorderand sat taking pictures with his
Polaroid, peeling them off and leaving them on the table. Then they'd sat
looking at each other for a bit and all these other people began talking,until suddenly Warhol caught sight of his shoes, a pairof Caterpillars, andhe went, says Bowie, bonkers about them.
"I'd forgotten that he used to be a shoe designer before he was acommercial artist, and he went on about that, and that broke the ice. It
was fascinating. He has nothing to say at all, absolutely nothing. And hehas this white, pudding face. He looks slightly out of this world, really
inhuman." Michael Watts
HISTORY OF ROCK 1972 191

1972
JULY -NUR

JULY M Marc Bolan wrestles withhis first post-superstardom album,
The Slider. "I'm not promoting it," hesays. "It doesn't feel it's like my Imagine."- ALBUMS -REVIEW
1972"I'M JUST DOING what I did before thelunacy; I'm not doing any business.
I make a point of walking down thestreets now, which I never did; even though
I get a bit hassled sometimes, it's nice. I went
down Petticoat Lane the other day, where I
used to workwhen I was about eight, and it
was weird but so nice. I was heavily disguised.
I had my hair up like a samurai warrior, witha knob on top and chopsticks through. It's the
new phase, man. I went into my grandma's
tea shop and had a cup of Rosie.
"One reason! haven't done interviews fora
time is I've been veryworried that everytime
I open my mouth I'm having to defend myself,
against people that have done things without
myknowledge. Now it seems ! have to clean up
all the mess that went before me. I now guard
mywords, whereas ! didn't before. I believed
people wouldn't print 'em, which is wrong 'cos
they're gonna have to. I shouldn't have said
them in the first place. It's just teasing. I'm given
to making extravagant statements all the time.
I've never been ruthless in mywhole life, ever.
I'm honest. Not Honest Harry, but honest by mystandards. No one I know thinks I'm ruthless,but I only see my friends, so I don't know.
"The onlything I don't like about all this crap
is that it confuses the record -buying public,
who don't wanna know any of that stuff aboutme, other than what's in that plastic they buy.
"You know, I don't know if I'd rather just give
the whole thing up. Seriously. That court casebusiness reallydestroyed me. I had two weeks
when I was such a mess, 'cos I'd never felt likethat before. I was changing managers at theitime and I was veryemotional. I'm a very

emotional person.
92 I HISTORY OF ROCK 1972

"I'd cut all the tracks forSliderand I just said,'Screw it!' I did a Brian Wilson. I said, 'F-thealbum! Don't wanna put it out. I just don't
wanna record ever again.'
And I went away for about a week, came backand played the tapes, and thought theywere
great. So there you go. I'm not promoting it. It
doesn't feel it's like mylmaginealbum. It's the
only album in which I've said what I think I am.
"Things change around you when you
become successful. I've not changed as aperson. I've never spoken to someone. I didn't
sack [publicist] BP Fallon- he left. He had
nothing to do. He wanted to leave verybadly.
He felt he'd done what he wanted to do. We'dbeen through the beginningbeing able to get five suites at the Hilton,means something. I remember once going
there when I was 15 to see a friend, an actor, andthe doorman threw me out -and at that age,especially, that gets you. I went back recently
and theywouldn't let me in again, either.
"I said, 'I want the manager,' and pulled out
a $100 bill and said, 'You do take Americanmoney, don't you?' -made him hold it, wentand got the manager and just said to him,
'I understand exactlywhat you do. You think
I'm some little punk, which I probably am,

but meanwhile! could buyyour house, man.
So just be careful.' And he went all red andapologised. But I didn't get in. It's irrelevant,because next week someone
else might go in and he might
let them in without doingof the thing to the growth,and he was just like coming"I went downin and sitting down andthat number.
Petticoat Lane thetoto the Sheffield"The business needs
Standard or something.
rock'n'roll from anybody; meother day. I had my and Bowie, of course they're"It was right that he left,'cos he was vegetating
trying to play us off! They canhair up like aalmost, and he's an active
do whatevertheywant. Ifyoung man. But I was very
David and I did a concert, I'msad. It was not an artist -press
overthere and he's overhere.
agent relationship, which is"Obviouslywe're very
why I didn't replace him. Everyone around me I
much biggerbecausewe're two years ahead of
consider personally before I even shout at them.
him, and it's not the same riff, either. Him andI still see him. Of course it would make him sad,I would meet in the middle and have a jam'cos it always looks very easywhen you're in the
anywhere, and that probablywould be the best
middle of a whirlpool madness. When you're
part of the evening. Whatevertheywant, I don't
suddenlyoutside, nothing happens.
care. They say Dave Clark is going to topple The"I believe it's a small thing, but that throughBeatles -that's as bullshit as you possibly get,being a Marc Bolan or a Mick!agger one does
yet it was played up, even nationally, press -wise.
change things, insofar as people can't deny
"Now that's bad, almost evil, to do that. And
you. For me to come from the background I do
that's why I welcome David, 'cos at least I know-a poor, working-class background -and now
he's a cool cat. He's a hip dude, which is groovy.

samurai warrior"SINGLES & ALBUMS

It's good to have good people about. All I want to
see is good hit records in the charts and good
albums bygood people. But if it's full of Eric and"It's a song about me"

his milk carts then! dunno what's happening.
"There's always The Beatles and Stones. But at
the moment they are trying to get someone torun alongside T. Rex, which I think is admirable.
David is into a whole different school to us.
"I th ink ifAlice Coopereverhappens, David
Bowie would be much stronger, 'cos he's a muchbetterwriter. I've always said he should staythereon one line, but he tends to lose interest.
If he can hang out long enough he'll be fine. I
think 'Prettiest Star' is one of the best things he's
everdone. It was daring at that time, 'cos after'Space Oddity' it would've been easierto put out
somethingwith a strange Mellotron sound. But
I'm pleased it's happening for him. He's suffered
the fate of people like myself and Rod Stewart.
People say for eight years you're going to happen
and you never do. It's horrible if you're living inBalham or somewhere like that. I've always
wanted rock stars to look groovy. You can evenwear a denim jacket if it's got anApollo's head on
the back. But I neverwear clothes on stage thataren't functional. That's whyPetewore a boiler
suit for years; it's easier to play.
"No one ever wore that glitter under their eyes
before. So it's becoming theatrical, but it always
was. The thing is the artists are doing it now,whereas before it was dictated by managers.
Ha, I see Jagger is wearing glitter now. But intwo months it'll all be over, 'cos everyone islooking the same. I've done my bit and that's it.
On the last four gigs I was dressed very plainly.
"Despite what's been said, I shall never giveup gigs; because that's the way I need tocommunicate with people. I never said it,
anyway. I said it was getting hard to work andwe'd have to rethink the waywe did it security wise, in terms of working out a structure to playin; not before 5,000 people getting crunched up.
I'd like to play in a big stadium and charge about
25 pence a head, maybe a football ground.
And then I'd like to use other people on gigs:
another drummer, back-up singers- Howardand Mark, or maybe a couple of black chicks;
I want to spread out. I'd like maybe to findanother guitarist to playunison things, to get
off on each other. I still don't believe we've evenstarted, but you check it out- every time a singleof ours gets below Number 12 on the charts,
someone says T. Rex have passed their peak.
I'm not a journalist when I write. I record theevents in my life. Ifyou see something on thenews, you're seeing it all the time and I don't
think one reallywants the same coverage inrock songs. Lou Reed? I've only heard several
tracks at parties. I never liked The Velvet
Underground. The singer always sounded likea bad copy of Dylan tome.
"There was a period when I covered
everything in a very poetic style. The images
were poetic. They're no less now, but theyrelate
to people ratherthan the landscapes of myhead.
"Ask me what poets I haven't read?Beowulf... I
was reading him when lwas nine. But Rimbaud
was the first poet that really rocked me. When I
read him I felt like myfeet were on fire, and that,in fact, altered mywhole hairstyle, ha!
I'm told all romantic poets have a death wish,
and I'm definitely a romantic poet. Let me sum
up: I feel like a rock'n'roll star who's writing forthe people as long as theywant to listen. If they
don't want to listen, I'll become a poet."Interview byMichael Watts

MM JULY 22 Aare Bolan talks readers through the...d feelings behind each track of The Slider.
Metal Guru
"Metal Guru" isa Festival Of Lifesong. I relate metal
guru to all the gods
around. I believe in

If you wanna get inside a chick, man, it'sa God, but I have noI've ever done on a record, I think.

gotta be called Buick Mackane to get off
with me.

Rabbit Fighter"Rabbit Fighter" has got the best guitaring

religion. With "Metal
Guru" it's like someone special; it must be agodhead. I thought how God would be; he'dbe all alone without a telephone. I don't
answer the phone any more.' have codes
where people ring up at certain times.

Mystic Lady
"Mystic Lady" has lines in it about Bobby
Dylan. In the letters in your paper they were
saying he was dead. I feel close to him 'cos
he's a nice man. I met him two months ago atsomeone's house. I didn't expect him toknow who I was.
Rock On"Rock On" was written in a Cadillac going
between gigs in a place called Chevy Chase,outside Philadelphia [it's in Maryland].

The Slider
The album was originally gonna be called"Rabbit Fighter", which is one of the othertracks, but this came through. "Slider"sounded much more sexual, sort of raunchy
young man. I wrote some of the lines when
I was about eight, actually: "All schools are
strange". Lyrically, I really like it.

Ballrooms Of Mars
A very personal song. Dylan and Lennon getin there, and Alan Freed. "I'm talking 'boutnight-time/When the monsters call out". I
believe Bob Dylan of all people knows aboutthat night-time thing. It comes through in"Johanna". There are no real monsters, I
believe, but I think one can make them. I've
manifested creatures when I was into magic,
but it comes from here, baby; it's up there.
The Lyceum always looked groovy, and thisis that barren landscape, like a big Lyceum
ballroom made of silver. All the astronauts
get up there and leave the whatsit, themodule, and it's like " dum dadadada"- allthis jiving and riffing going down. Whatwould happen to the world? Rock'n'roll ishere to stay, mothers.

Chariot Choogle"Pasolini toad"- Pasolini is dynamite, man.
You see, I do get all the journalism bit in, but
I do it in a different way.
Main Man"Main Man" is a song about me: "As a child

Baby Boomerang"Baby Boomerang" was written in New

I laughed a lot... Now it seems / cry a lot".
I've never cried so much in my whole life as
this last year. "...giraffes in my hair". That's a
Top Of The Pops flash about having giraffes

York. I adore this. This to me islike writing a Dylan song:coming out the top of my head. I thought itwould be funky. I'm weird, man. Let's go.

"You're talking with yourboots/And you're
walking with yourmouth". It's one of
the best things I've
written this year.

Spaceball Ricochet
It's totally a poem about
my life: "I bought a car/It
was old but kind". In thefilm we used a 200 -quid,
beaten-up1948 Cadillac,
which is lying outside
Ringo's house somewhere. I bought it off him
and I haven't picked it up.
It's the only car I've everdriven. I drove it down an
aerodrome when wewere shooting.
Buick Mackane"Buick Mackane" is like
Zep Rex. It's like yer
heavy rock, it's one ofthose. It's dynamite.
Buick Mackane is a chick.

+k,

Le.

94 I HiliORY OF ROCK 1972

October 30,1972:the New
York Dollsbackstage at the
Empire Pool during theWembley Festival of Music-(l-r)BillyMurcia,JohnnyThunders, David Johansen,

Arthur"Killer" Kane andSylvain Sylvain+or- MELODY MAKER JULY 22 THEY MIGHT JUST be the best rock'n'roll band in theworld. And whether you believe that or not, you're goingto have to take notice of them... The New York Dolls.
Musically, they hurt, because they don't have any
manners. They can't play very well. They pout, andswank, and shake their bums with the hellish rhythm
thrown up by their drummer, who wears driving gloves and smacks
about like a madman.
The singer, a lovelyyoung replica of Mick Jagger, shouts as though eachword were a swearword, and the rock -a -boogie swears on to meet its evil
end. These are young NewYorkers, seemingly unimpressed with theswitches and swatches of progressive music- as is their growing
audience. Not for them any boring, endless singer -songwriters; not forthem any polite sobering up in the quality of rock.
Not for them any attention to what old men are flogging off as hip. No
class, little discussion, just stuff wild and unsubtle. And it makes
wholesome sense. The NewYork Dolls are a five -piece with no manager,
no record company, no publicity unit, and precious little equipment, andyet their quest must be logged.
For in them, and their kind, lies the rebellion needed to crush thelanguid cloud of nothingness that rolls out from the rock establishment,
and falls like endless drizzle on the ears. They are growing up within the
hot swathe cut byAlice Cooper. They havepicked up on the remnants of things thathave been misused. They sound like a crossbetween The Deviants, Pretty Things andvery early Rolling Stones.
In otherwords, the circle has indeed
turned. The need for wildness andarrogance is back again, as much as it was
during the '50s. A need to enjoywithout
inhibition. The Dolls are one of the possibly

Singer David Johansen is a young, bubbling spot of Jagger, but insteadof straight copying, he just camps naturally, and shouts like a bitch.
Then there was strange, supine bassistArthur Kane, blond, and withwhite makeup, tights, high -heeled shoes, and a mouth full of surly
posing. He struck loud patterns, while drummer Billy Murcia drew
savage percussion.
You hear this band fora minute, and there's one thought in your head-you want to dance.
And the people at Mercerleapt up and down, sideways and went wellcrazy on the floor as The Dolls' music got louder, and sawed about theroom. It's simple music, just rock and blues, but it's played right, andplayed with monsterarrogance.
They lookyoung, too. No lazy, bored 30 -year -old in jeans, picking notes
and their noses, but kids having a great time, playing heavy rock like it
had just been discovered. They're going to make great singles, are The
Dolls. Now they live in an attic, just on the Bowery, in a dimlylit, seedy
area, where activity consists of pool rooms, and standingwith little ortotally lost ambition on street corners. Bo Diddleywas on the stereo, anda couple of big dogs filled the stale air in the attic with doggysmells.
A couple of ladies are busy in dark corners, and the toilet is a sink. For the
Dolls, money is hard come by, but even with a little, luxuries like cans of
Budweiser can be bought.
Theywere formed in Januaryof this year. "Three of us knew each other,
two of us didn't," said Johansen. Their first gig was a political benefit
party -they don't knowwhat politics wereinvolved -but an ad in The Village Voice,plus a shoddy picture, launched them.
There was something about the "ad" a little magic maybe.
"I thinkwe all felt somethingwas lacking
in music. It wasn't exciting any more to us.
Everyone was hanging about on stage,
being morose as well... We didn't dig that.
We reckoned what b ands were lacking wasmany bands- mostlyveryyoung- whoare crawling out of the shadows cast by
their elders and, with sneaky cheek andbrash egos, pulling notes of scorn against

PIZZAZZ. We knew we had PIZZAZZ, we

knewwhat we wanted to do. We wanted toplay rock," said Johansen.
ignite Yee %yea tit Vein
Being young, what had they picked up
ebe
the establishment.
on; in otherwords, what were their roots?
A Wed lbw led b se Mb
bob Cie* fib lbw% Reembeer
Their music may sound like drivel, but"Well, we picked up on anybody that was
At O. Ii sem Weems Need
II 1 enIleemeld bee Mal
ISO INA 43 Wee,
whateverit is, it is indeed alive -and you
really good. The Stones, Kinks, Prettye OW I Mk TM kb M.
can see an audience dance themselves
Things, Pink Fairies. Oh, and Jamesdead and blur their minds crazy to it.A rockBrown. And so our music has a lot to do
musician maybe likened to a footballer. He's atwith the waywe were brought up. The time ishis best when young. The mature years over 25
right for some good rock again... Some goodmeet for more stylish eclectic play -the sting inthings are going to happen."
the tail becomes a wise glow in the eye. After 28,
Did they ever imagine that people would
the style begins to dim, and then even being
actuallylike what they played? "No, not really,wise cannot match the impact of youth.
what has happened has been pretty amazing.
And rock must be young.
I mean we haven't even got any equipment,
Beingwise also fails to throw up any sort
except guitars and harmonicas."of ugly, but fiery, ego. Confidence becomesA few weeks ago somebody described thea substitute for that character, but egos, no
Dolls as "subterranean sleazoid flash", which ismatter how sickeningwith their arrogance,
maybe getting quite close to the core.
make for colour. The Dolls and their like have
"I think that, on a social level, we tryto becolour, the colour that is now being lightly
inoffensive -but it doesn't work. We don't try
painted in pastel shades by theirelders. The
and offend people, but somehow we do offend.
youngsters paint with blood.
"You see, we don't want nobody laying down any rules. We don't want toIt's rather like changing one's hobbyfrom cock -fighting to chess get involved with corporate enterprise. At the moment that makes for
growing old, that is. The music follows suit -watching the NewYork Dolls
hard living. Where do we get money? Well, basicallywe hassle. We've
is like watching not just a cock -fight, but a dog -fight -in drag.
been picking up about five dollars for the gigs at the Mercer."
They don't have anything to sayof importance offstage. They aren't
Five dollars?
talkers, they don't have any amazing concepts to drawl on about,"Yeah, and sometimes less," said Johansen.
they just want to playwhat the people want to hear. Really, it's as simple"Alice Cooper is possibly the better of the top bands, but really the musicas that.
scene to us didn't have much going for it -except money. Sure, there was
The first time! saw them was at Greenwich Village's MercerArts
money, but there was no vitality. I know if I was 13, I'd be off onAliceCentre, and theydid everything right. They played Bo Diddley's "Pills"
Cooper like crazy. Alice to me would be the greatest."
in a very brash way, dressed in a variety of clothes, women's shoes andOffers have been pouring in from all angles to sign the band. "Wevampy makeup.
haven't accepted any. We're waiting to hear the whole situation on
Guitarists Johnny Thunders and Sylvain Sylvain were high on treble
everything. What's a good record label?"and big, fast chords -few riffs, just rock and blues, nicelyout of tune inThunders cuts in. "Yeah, nice people being interested -the more theplaces, and evil. It owed nothing to the respect electric guitar has got overmerrier. You should have seen us last night, we were just flawless. You
the past few years.
know, everyone was dancing. Rather than have them sit there listening,

New York Dolls.

"We don't try
and offend
people, butsomehow we
do offend"

98 I HISTORY OF ROCK 1972

we want them dancing on the floor, we want themgetting off to us. We're rock'n'roll.
"Sure, we have few technicalities about our music,
but, my God, we have feel. We don't attempt to be a
type of Segovia with guitar work, but when we play,everyone casts their shackles aside and dances.
We're playthings; kids want to have us."
Johansen: "The thing about rock todayis that you
have to impress somebody, have to relate to them. It
lost a lot when it became just like that. Theyforgotthat you also have to entertain people."
And with a couple of gigs a week, the Dolls are

Suicide'sAlan Vega
performs "A Punk
Mass" at the Projectof Living Artists,
Greene Street, NewYork City, May1973

entertaining. "Isitacrimetofallinlovewith
Frankenstein?" is a line from "Personality Crisis",one of their self -penned items. "The lyrics are high,"
Johansen tells us.
New York, says Johansen, has a lot of goodmusicians. "But they somehow find difficulty inplaying together -in a group. We didn't have any
trouble at all. We were a group from the start a proper group. It's got to the state where it's all
we want to do."So the next week down the Mercer, the crowd was
twice as big and there were twice as many people
dancing. The Dolls are making it in an old-fashioned
way. There's no hype- they're just the best new,young band I've everseen. Yes, young. RoyHollingworth- MELODY MAKER OCTOBER 21 WEDNESDAY 10PM, THE Mercer Arts

Centre, Greenwich Village: and now forsomething completely different.
The Mercer is an extremely comfortableArts Lab
that has thrown up several names, including Dustin
Hoffman. It consists of a maze of concert rooms andextremely modem theatres. Wayin the back in the
Oscar Wilde Room, a strobe light flicks slowly,
picking out a stage that contains only one mic andthree keyboard machines.
There area handful of people in
the room. They don't talk, and thestrobe just flicks. Its electrical flick
is hypnotising.
Then two figures appear -one isdressed lazilyin casual clothes, theother is dressed to kill. His face iscovered in glitter. His clothes are
shoddy and black, and on the back of
his leather jacket is jewelled Suicide.
Yes, this is Suicide, a two-piece thatmake appearances every now and then.
They are appearances to remember.

The onlymusic- as such -comes fromthe manipulation of the keyboards.
The power and effect is startling. Firsta drone, keeping both there, and theningeniously spinning more webs on the
top. It's loud -but needs to be, for thesong about to be delivered consists of
only two chords.
It is a heady, stark trip. The starkest
trip I've everseen. The singerstalks thestage, and at full volume shouts words
about love through the speakers. The
chords just ooze up and down, and they
are sludgy and dirty, and the texture
gained is so right as to be richly exciting.
It's like having a claw rip down your back. It lurks onwards, and thesinger jumps off the stage and crawls over the floor. "I love you," he singsin this evil voice.
After about 15 minutes of this same number, somebodymade to leave,
was harassed bythe singer first, and finally fled through the door. The

door should have been locked for full effect.
It was hell inside there.
One byone, people left as the dirge grew
onwards. It was a pleasurable case of just
how much could be taken, of possiblythe
most frightening blend of music goingaround today.
It was fascinating- how two people
could create such a thick wall of soundand atmosphere was an unbelievableachievement. It roared, and groaned, and thesinger smacked himself on the head with the
mic a couple of times, and then fell in a heap in

a corner- and whimpered.
Was this the end of music as we know it?
O00000h! It was creepy.
The next number was so vicious that ! put myhands over my ears. It clawed into the air withsuch malice. So dramatic, so well done. Really,
it was incredible.

Suicide were certainlythe most awfulsight ever- and yet, in the most bizarre way,
it was a therapy for the mind.
What has rock created? In New York City it has created things thatreach from the pinnacle of obscenity, through hapless -lazy rock'n'roll,to boredom, and to sheer musical vomit.
It's like it being in a sewn -up sack. It doesn't know how to get out, and it
most certainly doesn't know where it's going. RoyHollingworth
HISTORY OF ROCK 1972 197

JULY - SEPTEMBER

1972

(

"We'vestarted

They failed as pop

songwriters. As atheatrical rock groupwith elaborate
lighting requirements,
GENESIS are doing

very well indeed. "Theenergy flows in," says
Peter Gabriel, "andwe push it out".

control"- MELODY MAKER JULY 15 pETER GABRIEL IS a quiet and nervous chap. He sits
twisting his hands while his eyes bore from a highforehead that might indicate supreme intelligence, or
is simply the result of shaving part of his scalp.
He ponders awhile, then out comes a rush of sentences,a message to the outer world. Get it down quickly;
because transmission may suddenly cease, and Peterwill be winding
himself up inside again.
"Try beer," I suggested. "It helps you relax." Petershook his head.
"Coke," he said faintly. "I'll have a Coke."Not bad going, because Peter, the flute playerwho will take on a motley

audience with menacing verbiage, had thrice refused refreshments,
even while his fellow musicians
were gladly absorbing lager.
JOHN & TONY SMITH in association with
It never ceases to cause surprise
MOTHER MANAGEMENT present
that the most extrovert characterson stage prove to be mildmannered, gentle souls away fromthe glare of footlights and strobe.
There was Jimi Hendrix, PJ Proby,
Arthur Brown, Keith Emerson, alla blur of flaming guitars, ripping

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1972

SEPTEMBER

display. But behind the scenes -just plain old-world courtesy every time.
And Peter Gabriel, who can hold an audience with hypnotic ease, andlaunch into the most powerful flights of fantasy, has none of thebrashness normally associated with the hard -gigging rock musician.
Peter and Genesis have come a longway since their debut album under
the auspices ofJonathan King, who produced them back in the dark ages.
Their music and attitudes have changed, improved, and progressed,
until theyhave reached that most exciting time for all groups, when they
haven't quite cracked the publicitybarrier, but are enjoying the much more
worthwhile and rewarding acclaim of genuinelyappreciative audiences.
For Genesis have theirfans, who know about the music, and the lyrics
and the act, and plot their course through the clubs and corn exchanges.
They cheer when Peter launches into a brief
resume of the plot of "Musical Box", one of theirmost emotive pieces.And they leap to applaud
when the lights explode to the music withbrilliant timing.
What struck me most about the band, after
not having seen them for a year or so, was thestrange aura they managed to sustain, even
within the municipal confines of the Watford
Town Hall. They seem to be super -relaxed,
or floating, which probably stems from thehabit of the guitarists in sitting down to play.
Even delays between numbers do not seem tomatter. The audience knows the next piece will
be equally complex.
The strongest interplay seems to comebetween their remarkable drummer Phil Collins and Gabriel, probably
because Phil has a strong personality and Peter used to be a drummer. In
fact, Pete still hangs on to a solitary bass drum which he raps from time totime, between singing and fluting.
The feeling and excitement of a band that is happening musically, andknows it, is only rarely experienced. It happened for Led Zeppelin, The
Nice, Jethro Tull and a few others when theywere just starting out assupport bands or local club attractions.
That feeling is happening nowwith Genesis, although they are notentirely convinced that success is just around the corner. How do they
feel about "success", howwill the band evolve?And how do they feel
about such contemporaries as Alice Cooper and David Bowie? Peter, Philand guitarist Steve Hackett assembled to talk this week in London, justpriorto a lightning assault on Holland.
"Yes, our style has changed a lot -evolved in the last year," said Peter,
sinking onto an uncomfortable stool and wobbling slightly.

"It changed when Phil came along and Steve joined on guitar. And it
will change again, because we will be doing all new stuff for our next
album. It's the only time we can get to write -when we work on an album.
We hope to have a new show byJanuary, which will be a complete
musical presentation."
Said Phil, "We'll be using back projection with a big screen behind us.
What we've got at the moment is verybasic as far as lights go. A lot of lightshows are just rubbish, with pretty patterns playing on the band. We went
through a period when one of ourroadies left us and the lights just didn't
happen. It was bad karma. But with lights -anything dramatic that helps
the music is valid."Peter began to muse. "Originallywe tried to do folk -type numbers, andit's all worked up to a crescendo. Now we've got
an act we've started to take control of theaudiences. In the past, we bodged ourway"It was hardto get acrosson a single
what the bandthrough things.

"I suppose it started for use at the legendary
Friars, Aylesbury. That's where people first got
to know us. It's all built up mostly through gigs
rather than publicity. People seem to know ournumbers, and those who dislike our music thefirst time, pick up on us later.""Happy The Man" was their last single
release, and it didn't knock me out. But after
hearing it live, it's a song! constantlywhistle, in
tuneless fashion. Said Phil, "It was hard to get
across on a single in three minutes what theband is all about."
So what is the band all about?
"I don't consciously think about it all as an act," said Peter, whose stage
movements have a balletic quality that could earn him an audition at
Covent Garden. "A lot of it is based on fantasies, without them taking overfrom the music. There is a lot of freedom in the music. Nobodyhas tocompromise too much. In our writing, we are trying to do something thathasn't been done before, and that is to write a combination of sections

is all about"a"We like to create a moody,
dreamlike quality in themusic-: Genesis in1972(1-r)Mike Rutherford. TonyBanks. Phil Collins. Steve
Hackett and Peter Gabrielthat match.
"We have a number called 'Musical Box' that is composed in this way.
It's quite a complicated story -abouta spirit that returns to bodilyformand meets aVictorian girl. He has theappearance of an old man and therelations with the young lady are
haNin the man
somewhat perverted, so he gets/ seven stones
bumped off into the never-never."

..... ....... .

Who's the leader of the group? Peter?
"No! We just squabble. We have a democratic system.
There are five in the group and three represents amajority. When we are on stage, we really feel the energy
coming off -man." Peter laughed. "That sounds
American. The energyflows in, and we push it out. We
need success to get the band into the next stage. And
anyway, the band is £14,000 in the red at the moment."
Chris Welch- MELODY MAKER SEPTEMBER 23 _APARTICULAR QUALITY OF certain

successful groups has been their ability tocreate moods, to take an audience a little
further than the surface excitement of an insistentrock beat. Their entire performance is calculated to
one end - to grab and disturb listeners, to play upon
their emotions.

..........,...-....

A touch of- .1. .....
r _ ..F.T, - .. .....,,,..E.;.. -7-',..ar_-..

...- -'''..-. . . . - ........___-...-V:".

,.-.... -1

Gilbert Si,
Sullivan
MM SEPT 30 klbum

four from uenesis.
GenesisFoxtrot
CHARISMA

Once in a while there is an event on

keyboards playa greatpart in setting up theatmosphere, while Phil Collins'fine
drumming holds the arrangements
together and pushes them along. In
some respects there are detectablesimilarities to Yes in their concept, andone theme in particular reminds me of"Sweet Dreams".
But in the main there is great
originality in their work, and pieces
like "Time Table" have a quality ofbeauty. The lyrics of "Get 'Em Out"are particularly good: "'represent afirmof gentlemen who recently purchased
this house and all the others in theroad/In the interest of humanity
we've founda better p/acefor you togo -go-go". There is a touch of Gilbert& Sullivan and Victorian irony
evident here.
Between them the band summon
up a remarkable array of instruments
which give a sweeping grandeur tothe album front, an occasion when
Genesis are such a band, and as a result of abundant
a new release is greeted with eager
ideas and novel approach, theyhave gained an almost
anticipation, and not just perfunctory
fanatical following, who enjoy the jokes, delight inacceptance. Foxtrot is such an album.
perversity and will boo the band the length of the
A milestone in the group's career, it ismotorways. During two years existence of their present
also an important point of development
lineup, they have gradually developed a personality
in British group music. For Genesisthat appeals strongly to connoisseurs of eccentrichave reached a creative peak with thisEnglish rock. And when Peter Gabriel, partially shavencollection of songs. The lyrics arelead singer, coolly suggests that loyal fans might careabsorbing, and range from the social
to barrack performances, instead of givingvent tocomment of "Get 'Em Out By Friday",the usual standing ovation, they oblige with goodto a mixture of myth and fantasy.
cheer- and boo.
There is a kind of gripping menace
The historyof Genesis is now fairly familiar. Suffice toin the combination of Phil Collins' andsay for those who know naught of their works that thePeter Gabriel's vocals, while the bandcore of the band came from Charterhouse school, whereinterprets the themes with great carePeter and friends had daydreams of writing hit songs forand ability.
Dusty Springfield. Theywere encouraged byan old boy
The creation of moods is the basis of
who used to visit the school -Jonathan King.
Genesis, and they have managed to"There were four of us songwriters," says Peter; "Tonytransfer those in highly successful
and Mike of the present group and Anthony Phillips.
fashion from their stage art. Tony
But our songwriting was marked by a tremendous lackBanks' Mellotron and other assorted
the sound. Chris Welchof success. We were writing straight songs. I think we
had one cover version that was recorded by Rita
Pavone's brother.
"We tried to get a band together as a vehicle for our songwriting, andbackcloth. It's a pet idea of mine to have semi -circular backcloth whichthat also failed. We went flogging our wares around the business, andwill hopefully give us a large reflective surface."most people turned us down. The Moody Blues showed an interest, andHow close were Genesis to their audiences? "We had a great night atthen we met Strat (manager Tony Stratton -Smith). There was a time
Aylesbury recentlywhen we asked the audience to boo instead of cheer.
when we heard of anAmerican group called Genesis, and we changed
Then last night we played at Greenford and it was easy to recognise theour name to Revelation. We then heard they had disintegrated andAylesbury contingent - theywere really abusive. They reallyare a greatswitched back to Genesis."audience! They like the concept of our music and we like people to like us
The group recorded its first album with Jonathan King in 1968, but it- it's very simple.
bore little resemblance to the present-dayGenesis and so they like to call
"We like to create a moody, dream-like qualityin the music, and we use
their latest album, Foxtrot (Charisma), their third, although it's their
our stage act to enhance the moods. We don't appear to have much
fourth. "We tried to write some structured songs in those days," recallshumour but there are things we laugh at and wePeter, "but the publishers didn't like them at all. This was before we went
are putting more humour and more subversion
on the road, and we were playing for our own pleasure. I suppose ourinto the music. There is an element of escapism
ideas were fairlyidealised and a bit over -romantic. Initally the band wasin it, but there is nothing to do with the druga vehicle for writing and it has developed as we have gained experience.
culture, which ! don't like. We should be able
We started out with a small, hard core of followers, who gave us a goodto create and sustain moods on a natural level.
welcome wherever we went."
I don't think drug -induced states are valuable.
How did Peter explain their appeal? "It was the flights of imagination"Sometimes we like to say that the audienceand the lyrics probably at first. Now it's a bit different as we have a moreenjoys the music, but really the music enjoys
extreme stage act. It's all been there for two years, but we have tried tothe audience. Personally, I like to see any
improve on it."response that people want to give. If peoplePeter emphasised that the ideas in the band came from each member.
want to dance they can. I think that's great. On"They're not all mine, you know- it's a very democratic system."
the whole, people are inhibited, myself
Part of their development has been an increasinglyclever use of lighting
included. Any expression to music is pleasure.
in the desire to make their show visually exciting. "We have a fairly
Genesis brings express relief. Well, it works for
integrated light show that relates more to the music than most. Lights areme. I can get completelyengrossed in theoften trimmings and they get in the way of the band. They don't convey
music. Rhythm for the body, and stuff for thethe different moods with different colours."
mind. The powerof music is unlimited. In the
But Genesis plan to change all that. "We're going to get two light towers,
future, music will be used to heal, whereas
two on stage and two in the audience. And we want a white circular
now it often makes people sick." Chris Welch

THE

BAND
WHO

WANT

TO
BE
BOOED

1972
JULY

SE? EMBER

4

On the road with, and introducing the memb
ROXY MUSIC. They are enjoying success with "ViPlain", a pop -art collage that cues up this inspiringband. "It's a whole American Dream thing," explalde

singer Bryan Ferry. "And a way to meet Pan's People.'

102

I

HISTORY OF ROCK 1972

Roxy Music at the Royal

College Of Art, London,
July 5,1972:(l -r) Andy
Mackay, Paul Thompson,
Bryan Ferry,Brian Eno, Phil
Manzanera and Rik Kenton

HISTORY OF ROCK 1972 I 103

z
0

1972
JULY -NURa.

- MM JULY 29_
ALMOST A YEAR ago to the week, Bryan Ferry sat ina council flat in Shepherds Bush and explained histimetable for the next year. He had this band called
Roxy, and he said that they were going to make it "inas civilised a way as possible."
All he wanted was the best management, the best
agency, the best record company and a large bag of gold coins -and if he
got them, he knew the band would be very good, and very popular. One
yearlater, theirmanagement is EG, their agency Chrysalis, their record
company Island -and theirfirst album's at Number 29 in the MMchart.
They're playing the best gigs (with Alice at Wembleylast month, Bowie at
the Rainbow next), and in November they're off to the States. Their firstsingle comes out this week and if it doesn't make the chart, then it'll be thefirst thing that's gone wrong in 12 months. For if Boxy Music go very muchfurther, they'll be one of the great success stories of modem times.
One imagines that countless hard -gigging pros, up and down theisland, are swearing their heads off at the way Boxy have taken off. Afterall, only a couple of the band's six members have anyreal experience oflife on the road. Dues paying, as far as Roxy is concerned, has been
virtually eliminated by a combination of imaginative excellence andintelligent strategy. And these two adjectives -imaginative andintelligent- prettywell sum up where they score over the muddymorassof mediocre pickers truckin' nightly up and down the MI.
A large part in the success has been played by John Peel -who, with his
producers John Muir and John Walters, has given them regular airtime
since the very early days. They're playing Crystal Palace this Saturday,
with Edgar Winter, Osibisa, Stone The Crows and others. Certainly, many
new listeners will become ardent fans through exposure to their blend of
wittyvisual style and Ferry's strange, compelling songs. There can belittle doubt that they're moving the music forward, stylisticallyand
aesthetically, while reaffirming the strength and validity of its roots.
Bryan Ferry is wearing a somewhat distracted air these days. His
album's in the chart, he's moving house, he's trying to write some newsongs -too much to be taken in at once. How does it feel, Bryan? "Couldn't
tell you. I feel in a complete void at the moment... very unsettled. It'll getbetter when we go to the States... the travellingwill be more interesting."
Facts: he comes from County Durham, is 26 years old, and studied Fine
Art (painting and sculpture to you) at Newcastle University. Started
singing in soul bands, notably Gas Board, and then returned to painting.
Won a scholarship from the Royal College Of Art, exhibited his ceramics,
and veered awayagain in the winter of 1970, when he began teachinghimself to play piano, and started a period of intense writingwhich
produced most of the music Roxy Music plays today.
Their single, "Virginia Plain", exemplifies his approach to writing,which freely criss-crosses between the visual and aural arts. It's basedaround a painting of the same name which he did years ago, and which isitself a three-way pun. The name, of course, comes from a brand of
American cigarettes- and the painting consists of a large cigarette pack,with the motif of a girl, placed at the end of a plain; so the cigarettes are
Virginia Plain, the girl is Virginia Plain and the plain is Virginia Plain.
How it translates into the song is rather more complex. "The paintingwas
a sort of throwawaywatercolour," he says, "and the song has lots of little
images and throwaway lines. The painting was done in '64, and although
the songwas written this year, it reflects the feeling of that time -I was up
in Newcastle, livingwith a guywho'd helped Warhol to make the Marilyn(Monroe) silkscreens. It's a whole
American Dream thing, living up
there yet constantly thinking about
Warhol's Factory and BabyJane
Holzer. It's got some other things in
it now: Vegas, Nevada, Route 66..."The sharp -eared will catch the line
"Baby Jane's inAcapulco /Weaveflying down to Rio", which reflects
how Bryan can translate cinematicreferences to song (as he did in thealbum's "2HB"). There's also a few
seconds of motorbike noise -shadesof "Leader Of
Pack".

d2.

"It's a bid to get on Top OfThe Pops,

actually... just a wayto meet Pan's
104 I HISTORY OF ROCK 1972

tile.

People. I think a single is necessary; afterall, most ofthe bestthings in pop have been done in that medium. We've always
wanted to make them, and I don't want people to think it'sa cop -out -that's silly. There's nothingwrongwith beingcommercial if it's good, likeThe Who and the Stones. I'd likeoursingle to be thought of in that area."
Will it be a hit? "It could be much stronger. We did a live
version for the BBC yesterdaywhich was full of power thick and rough. But the record has some fine bits. Oh, I
don't know what to think of things anymore."
Bryan wants to make their second album much quicker
and cheaper than the first -which itself wasn't expensive
to make. "We'll just do a couple of takes on each number to
get a 'live' sound... There weren't enough mistakes on thefirst album. It'll be much wilder." He's frustrated bythefact that he can't hear properlywhat they sound like onstage -"and people saywe're much better live than onrecord. I neverexpected that -I always expected that we'dbe a recording band, really. But I'm really pleased about it."
Andy Mackaywould have made a great hipster, had hebeen born 25 years earlier. Almost over -endowed withcool, he'd be great in a zoot suit and a naked -lady tie. As
things are, Andy adds a lot to Roxy Music, in terms of style.
His playing isn't secondary, though.
As befits a fancier of King Curtis andEarl Bostic, his contributions are

trenchant and memorable.
He began musical life as a teenage
oboeist in the London Schools
Symphony Orchestra and didn't takeup the saxophone until he went toReading University, where he took
a pleasant course which combinedMusic with English Literature (How?
"Old English madrigals"). Unusuallyfora reedman, he had no jazz
influence whatever and played ina college soul band called Nova
Express, as well as joining theuniversity orchestra. He also became heavily involved in avant-gardemusic and began to organise concerts with guest artists from London.
Among his influences at this time were Morton Feldman and John Cage.
Leaving in '68, he hungaround London for a while before splitting to theEast, which "was the obligatorything to do that year". Coming back, he
did odd jobs before leaving again, this time for Italy. He stayed a year,
practising and writing music, and teaching English. Returning, he met
Bryan in January'71.
"I knew I had to be a musician, and I wanted to be a rock musician. I
suppose I could've been a classical oboeist, but it didn't seem free enough;and I couldn't have supported myself by playing electronic music -also
the audience is very limited, the onlyway I could be a musician was inrock- but with people who had a lot of ideas. The waywe tackled it... wecould have gone on the road and played all the colleges, but very earlyon
we decided to do it the other way, to do onlywhat we wanted. Being on theroad for the first time is great -I haven't enjoyed myself so much in years."
Andy is very much involved in the band's visual style. "Last year I'd havebeen verysurprised to find that what we're doing now is so much in
fashion. It seemed very remote then but now, it's a feeling that's around that
we happen to represent. We'd got it all
worked out by the middle of last year,
so it's not just something we've
jumped on all of a sudden.
"If the single is a success, we'll attract
different kinds of audiences and we'll
be freer to do more things. Alreadythere's pressure, because people are
expecting certain things from us...
I just hope that it's pressure to comeup with creative ideas."
While the rest of the band were
mixing the B-side of the new single,
Brian Eno was sitting in the control

Roxy working onsecond
album For YourP/easurewith producer Chris
Thomas(far right) in AI R
Studios, central Londonb ooth with a set of log tables, a notebook and a rapidly blunting pencil.
"I woke up this morning," quoth he, " with a theory about prime
numbers." The column of numbers in the notebook grew apace.
With stripey-dyed hair and pallid maquillage, Eno operates the band's
synthesizer, prepared tapes and other electronic aids. He also does a niftyline in back-up vocals. Having spent his early years near a USAF base, hisinterest in rock is long-term ("We used to get the newAmerican records
from the PX stores"). At art school in Ipswich in the mid -'60s, hediscovered the properties of the common, domestic tape recorder- andwithin three or fouryears had amassed no less than 30 such devices.
"I realised that there were certain areas of music you could enter
without actually learning an instrument, which at my age I certainly
wasn't about to do." At Winchester School OfArt between '66 and '69, hemade himself president of the Students' Union and spent the union funds
on hiring prestigious avant-garde musicians to come and lecture mostly to himself. He also collaborated with some of the famous men:
Cornelius Cardew, Christian Wolff, John Tilburyand Morton Feldman.
Influenced byCardew's piece called "Schooltime Composition", Cage's
bookSilence and the SystemsArtists ("Their emphasis is on theprocedures rather than the end product"), he was brought to Reading
Universityto lecture by oneAndrew Mackay.
Years later, whenAndy had just met Ferry,
Andyand Eno bumped into each other on thetube, and Eno was invited to join the group,
playingAndy's VCS3 synthesizer. Now he uses
four tape machines at home, transferring theresults to anAmpex cassette machine for gigs.
Soon he'll be getting a new synthesizer,
incorporating a memory circuit which willretain any sequence of notes, up to 256 in fact.
It'll also have various custom devices, including
phasers and phase shifters and "a device which
gives the effect of quad in two speakers -honest!"
He's also about to acquire a special long -delayecho unit, with a repeat of up to 15 minutes. At
the moment, I'm mostly interested in modifying

the sound of the other instruments. You get a nice quality- the skill of theperformer, transformed by electronics. Neither the player nor I knowwhat each other will do -which means you get some nice accidents."
Apart from possessing one of the finest drum kits I've ever seen, Paul
Thompson was, until the arrival of Rik Kenton, the only member of RoxyMusic to have been through the rock'n'roll mill, and to whom life on theroad wasn't something of a shock. Paul is from Newcastle, and started
playing before he left school. He worked in a shipyard fora year, and thenplayed with various bands -The Influence, Yellow and Smokestackamong them. He came down to London with Smokestack earlylast year.
"But it fell to bits after a while, and I went back home and did nothing." His
determination rebuilt, he returned to London a few months later andworked on a building site while looking around fora band.
He and Roxy Music met each otherthrough an ad in the MM. "Wonder
drummer required for avant -rock group," it said, and after an audition he
was in. On the face of, it doesn't seem a band anyself-respecting heavy
funk merchant would associate with. Not, in fact, drummers' music.
"I'm not into drummers' music," says Paul. "I'm into group music,
something that comes out of a unit. I'd never played anything like it
before, but I'd always wanted to do something out of the ordinary. I can't
stand the heavy bands that just play riffs- only Led Zeppelin are goodenough to get awaywith it. I try to play
melodically as well as rhythmically, and I try
to create my own licks. For instance, whendrummers go right round the kit, they almost
always do it clockwise. It seems to be the naturalway. So I sometimes try it anti -clockwise -andit sounds really interesting."
At first, Paul was ratherreticent aboutwearing makeup and strange garb on stage,
having been brought up in the jeans -and sweatshirt school. "I was a bit reluctant at first,
because I'm basically shy- ahh!- but I've lostthat as the group's got better known. With all
the other bands I've been in, when we walked
on stage nothing happened. With RoxyMusic,"There's afeeling aroundthat wehappen torepresent"

HISTORY OF ROCK 1972 1105

1972

Juty -OMB

I

the audience takes notice right away. There's an immediate impact."
Phil Manzanera's association with Roxy began when he was invited to be
the group's sound mixer. Soon he replaced David O'List -and his bejewelledshades are now an integral part of the group's teen appeal. Born in London,he spent his childhood moving between Cuba, Hawaii and Venezuela,
which ensured he was exposed to the youth culture of NorthAmerica.
"The first 45I ever had was 'Teenager In Love'," he says. "I wasbrainwashed, and I've never recovered. I used to watch all the old Shindig
shows on TV, and I started playing guitar when I was 12 -'Wipe Out' andthings like that. Nothing too difficult. I was completely swept up by the
Beatles/Stones thing. That provided a lot of the impetus for me."
He came back to go to Dulwich College, and formed a group with bassist
Bill MacCormick and drummerCharles Hayward. It was the psychedelicera, theywere known as Quiet Sun, with a heavy Soft Machine influence,
because Bill's mother knew Robert Wyatt's mother, and theywere into theSofts right from the "Love Makes Sweet Music" single. "When we got Dave
Jarratt in on keyboards, we started experimenting with time a lot. But it
fizzled out -no interest from outside, and no work." MacCormick, of course,
is nowwith Wyatt's Matching Mole. Phil auditioned for Roxy through thefamous MMad that also attracted Paul Thompson, but the band waslooking forO'List and found him. Phil saw them playa party, though, andwas still interested -so theyplanned he should mix their sound at gigs. He'dnever done it before and was completely baffled by the mixing equipment but fortunately O'List left in time and Phil was invited to join.
His influences on guitar were originally George Harrison and Chuck Berry- more recently, Randy California, Lou Reed and Jimi. "McLaughlin's not an
influence- at a certain point ! decided I'd never reach that stage of technicalability. Roxy Music fits in with myideas of playing guitar, and with mylimitations. I think people are getting fed up with long guitar solos, becausevery few people can maintain that level of creativity forany period of time those who can are mostly playing jazz anyway. Perhaps after playingwith
Quiet Sun for a long time, I'm reacting the opposite way- getting into songs
and simple rock'n'roll music. I like to be economical, and I'd ratherplay twobars of something nice than half an hour of something mediocre."RIK KENTON'S ROLE, as Roxy's bassist, is generally to mesh with Paul
Thompson's drums to provide a tough, tight platform over which the

instrumental lunacies of the front line can stretch unworried. Rik started off
playing organ and guitar in Nottingham about five years ago, with local bands like
Woody Kern. It was mostly soul music and jazzy blues, until he came to London in'69 to audition for a band called Mouseproof, on bass for the first time.
"That band wasn't far away from what's happening," he says. "The guywas into tapes
and stuff, but he wanted a three-piece band and it wasn't that successful. I played withthem fora longtime -their manager was Jack DeJohnette's brother-in-law, bythe way."
From Mouseproof he joinedArmada, meeting crazed American tenorist Gary Windo- "who taught me a lot about the technology of music. Just playing with him was anexperience, he's quite a musician." Armada was another jazz -influenced outfit, andthrough meeting various new friends, including ex -King Crimson drummer Mike
Giles, Rik began to get into the aspects of bass playing exemplified bythe great Richard
Davis. The band lasted 18 months and then he met Leigh Stevens, formerly guitarist
with theAmerican prototype heavyband Blue Cheer.
"Leigh was a big influence because he was a side of rock I'd never met before. I playedwith him forabout three months -we didn't do anygigs, though. It was hard to get on
because Leigh didn't seem towant to and, although he's verytalented, he didn't haveany confidence. That finished last Christmas, and while I did a lot of auditions, I couldn't
reallyfind what I was after. Eventuallyl got togetherwith Roxythrough knowing Pete
Sinfield and the people around the King Crimson scene. I'd heard the album and I liked
Bryan's songs and voice, andAndy's oboe -playing. So when Graham left, I joined!"
Nerve-rackingly, his first gig with them was the Lincoln Festival on May 27. "Being on
the road has given the band a lot of soul," he says. "From the outside it may not look likea musicians' band, but it is -it gives me a lot of scope, because the music varies so muchand I'm called on to do different things. There are four lead instruments, so I have to becareful not to overplaywhen I'm supposed to be laying down a rhythm feel, but atother times there maybe only me and Phil playing. As Bryan gets more confident on
piano, it'll loosen up even more!" He's a great admirer of melodic bass players McCartney, some of Jack Bruce's work and the Motown session men in particular.
"I keep making discoveries about the Motown guys.A lot of bassists forget about
dynamics- for instance, the pinnacle of a phrase should be louderthan the rest. It's also
something to do with playing near the bottom of the fretboard, to give a certain depth."
Rik believes that Roxy's greatest strength is its all -encompassing attitude. "In Bryan's
voice, we've got something that's identifiable straight away, so we haven't got to keep
the music straight in order to retain a 'Roxysound'. That's one of the reasons why
there's plentyof room for the band to grow. It's verystimulating." Richard Williams
108 I HISTORY OF ROCK 1972

MM JULY 1 On the road with the...,Iving Roxy Music roadshow. "So far,everything we've tried has been fairly
successful," says Bryan Ferry.
pAUL THOM PSON'S TOM-TOMS ground slowly toa shuddering halt as Eno's synthesizer simulated
the sound of Firestone Wide Ovals being pushed
past their limit around a fast curve. The short final
chord was almost obscured by the cheers andclapping. This was last Sunday night at the Greyhoundin Croydon,South London's answer to Manhattan andSpaghetti Junction rolled into one.
It could have been several places over the past few
weeks, because almost everywhere they've been, RoxyMusic have been greeted with the kind of warmth all
new bands crave, but few ever achieve.To those who've
watched the band's progress closely in recent months,
it comes as no surprise that audiences are taking tothem without being told to. Roxy's brand of skiffle isaltogether too good for anyone to miss -a lovely blendof surprise and satisfaction. They seem to combine somany good things into one tightly compressedpackage: good writing and playing, humour, dazzling
visuals, and shocks galore. Anyone who puts them ina rock -revivalist bag is missing the whole point.
Bryan Ferry, writer, singer, pianist and embryoniccultural superstar, explains: "Only two songs on thealbum - 'Would You Believe?'and 'Bitters End'- useelements of '5os and 'Oos music. And 'Bitters End' isquite serious -the ambiguity of the doo-wopping in the
background, which gives people a certain image,against the words, which are strange and not at all thekind of thing you'd usually find in that musical context.
"Actually, 'Would You Believe?' is the mostrestricting thing we do -far less satisfying than the

July 5,1972:performing

attheRoyalCollegeOf
Art videostudioin
London whilemaking
their first promo film

- JUNE25 rest - because it's a very set thing, a little
cameo with no room for improvement orinteresting improvising. It's very muchsomething we have to act through, and if we're
not in the mood there's not much we can do."The rest of the songs abound with references
to earlier pop - like the "quotes" on "Re -Make/
Re -Model" or the Joe Meek -style production
touches on "Ladytron". Ferry says: "It seems tobe nice to have something that is rich in variety,and so many things from the past have beenforgotten. It would be terrific, for instance, tohave real violins on stage playing like thestrings on 'Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow'.
"We're eclectic, certainly, but it's not so muchcribbing -these elements are used with apoint, and that's the strengthof the group." What's reallysurprised him is the way
these back -references aregoing down with an audience
which is presumably too
young to have heard them
the first time around: "Atsome places they've beenvery young indeed, but thereaction has been amazingly
good. We want to geta brilliant debut album behind them, they're
playing Wembley's Empire Pool tomorrownight (Friday) as the sole support to Alice
Cooper. "So far, everything we've tried has
been fairly successful," Bryan says.
It's particularly enjoyable for the threemembers who haven't been on the road
before: reedman Andy Mackay, electronics
manipulator Eno and Ferry himself. Ferry's
responses are coloured by his experience asa painter and sculptor:"It's strange to dosomething and be cheered for it, when you'reused to a cool reaction to anything you've everdone before. It's much nicer this way, and theaudiences really do seem to appreciate thefact that we perform, rather than just play."
The songs in their current
repertoire come almost
exclusively from the period
between September '70 and
May '71when Bryan wrote
a great deal. But now he's
having trouble finding thetime and space to write.
"I can't work while we're on
the road and I can't write athome, because I work bestlate at night and theneighbours go spare. What I need is a semidetached bungalow in Esher and a few weeks
off to absorb some information from outside."
Bryan recognises that life on the road can leadto the kind of introspection that manifests
itself in so many supremely boring songs.
His official biography states that he names
Duchamp and Warhol as two significant
musical influences. Bryan thinks it's too baldand sounds pseud, and elaborates: "Someone"We want to
get through todifferent people
on different
levels"through to different people on different
levels, so whereas one person, maybe a
Hampstead intellectual, would say, 'Howcampr,
a kid would respond by saying, 'That's weird!'

The kid would probably get the bigger kick."
Obviously, it's all been happening very fast
for the band. Only four months ago, they had
no manager or agent,and had played only atiny handful of generally abortive gigs. Now,
with a brand-new bassist (Rik Kenton), and,---vNr-v like Picasso develops a style and then flogs it

IPto death. Marcel Duchamp was a kind of will -o -the-wisp of art, lending his hand to all kinds ofactivity -which one would wish to emulate.
Warhol's idea is to make art with as little effort
as possible- he's an ideas man, really. And if
you have faith in an idea, it is easy to make it
happen. The main thing about our music is still

its surprise. It would be terrific to have thesecond album sound nothing like the first.
We're not the kind of band to find a formulaand then stick to it. That's deathly!"
Future plans include their first single, a Ferrysong called "Virginia Plain", to be produced(like the album) by Pete Sinfield this month.
The song's based on one of Bryan's paintings,
in turn inspired by the cigarettes of the same
name and by former Warhol superstar Baby
Jane Holzer. What about success then, Bryan?
"There are so many unknown anduncontrollable factors. Most of the band havethis approach of inspired amateurism, and aslong as we can retain that we'll be alright.The
Rock Machine is quite a tough beast and very
conventional. We've
got to keep up theenergy to question
how things are,and
shift them around to
how we feel theyshould be, into ouroverall scheme. But,
at the moment, I justthink going up anddown the MI for
the first time isvery enjoyable.

oxyMusic:

Richard Williams

thesound ofsurprise- AUGUST19IlMw

"He left

the stagea iant"Throughout thesummer, DA' iD BOWIF

inspires adulation
with his Ziggy show
becoming the authentic
star many in the presssuggested he might be.
Correspondents from-

Melody Maker and NME

filed their reports.
"He has stuff goingfor him that mostpeople haven't eventhought ofyet..."- MELODY MAKER JULY 1

1-

TWAS RAINING the night Jim met Phil. They were total
strangers to each other, but Phil had asked Jim for acigarette, and well... one thing led to another. They've
become very good friends. Phil still recalls how Jim's hands

had trembled, though.

They'd gone along to see David Bowie in Dunstable. Greatfans of Bowie theywere, and Jim had almost to pinch himself when he
first heard such a grand person was actuallycoming to that place. He
hated it there. Privately, his mother confided that he found it difficult
to make friends at work.
That Wedne sday night he was there, though, clutching his copy ofthe new David Bowie album, TheRiseAndFallOfZiggyStardust,
which he hoped David would autograph after the show. He was
DUNSTABLE
wearing his red scarf, flung nonchalantly over his shoulder,- CIVIC HALL and his red platform boots. His hair was long down the backbut cropped fairly short on top sothat it stuck up when he brushed his
fingers through it. He hated that it- JUNE 21
was dark brown. He'd promised
himself that when he eventually
split to London he'd have it donebright blond. He was just turned 19.
Phil was one of the first to arrive at
the Civic Hall. He'd stood in thequeue foran hour and a half to geta ticket, so when he was inside herushed quicklyto the front andstood beneath the stage. He waitedpatientlywhile the Flamin'
Groovies went through their set. He
was to say later, in fact, that theyIP` 4were quite super, but after all, he'dreallygone to see Dave, hadn't he?
He was so excited, Phil can't
remember exactlywhat Bowie
came out wearing, but towards theend of the performance it wascertain that the outfit was whitesatin shirt and trousers, the legs x.

LIVE!

BOWIE RETURNS TO THE RAINBOW
Wednesday 30110 August-,w"77gra

1972
JULY -

NUR

tucked into glistening, thick -soled white boots. He looked like Vogue's
idea of what the well -dressed astronaut should be wearing. Dare it besaid?A delicious space oddity.
A lesserhunk of glamourmight have been upstaged by guitarist Mick
Ronson with his maroon sequinned jacket, red lipstick and hairdyed
peroxide as a '50s starlet, but though oohs and aaahs were directed hisway, teenage hearts went fluttering out to David; for can anything dim thesplendourof this ravishing creaturewhom all Britain is learning to love?

The newspapers were to report subsequentlythat this performance
was one of the major turning points in David Bowie's incredible successstory. The man from United Artists Records,
who knows what he likes, was quite sure of that.
He said afterwards that DB was definitely thebiggest th ing around.
To those who had seen his act before this year
the format was not new. That's to say he started
the set rockin' like a bitch before cooling down
somewhat with "Changes", a song of mixed
tempos, and then the darkling, apocalyptic
message of "Five Years", which owes something
lyricallyto Lou Reed ("I think' sawyou in an icecream parlour I Drinkingmillcshakes coldand
long"). And then the acoustic passages with
Mick Ronson ("Space Oddity" and "Andy
Warhol"), culminating in a solo version of"Amsterdam", a febrile account of rough trade,as delightfully coarse as navy-blue serge.
"Now some golden oldies foryou." He announced the number as
written byJack Bruce and Pete Brown. All his fans, of course, needed no
telling. "I Feel Free", ripped out of the stereo PA system, choreographed by
the flickering strobe lighting; it's not what you do, it's the wayyou do it.
My, how theyclapped and whistled.
The band returned for an encore. It was "I'm Waiting For The Man". But
something ratherstrange was happening up there on stage. During the
instrumental break, Bowie began chasing Ronson around the stage,
hustling him, trying to press his body close. The attendants at the exits
looked twice to see if theycould believe their eyes. The teenage chickies
stared in bewilderment. The men knew but the little girls didn't
understand. Jeees- us! It had happened.
It should be recorded that the first act of fellatio on a musicalinstrument in the British Isles took place at Dunstable Civic Hall. How doyou top that? You don't. You get offstage.
After the show was over, scores of people were still milling around. Overthe loudspeakersystem Hunky Dorywas playing. The autograph hunterswere crowding round the dressing -room door, but he wasn't seen to
emerge. Moist -eyed boys still hung around. After a while, Jim and Phil left
the place together. Michael Watts

David and his group, and although mutual admiration societies likethis are often disappointing ego trips, an electrifying heat came acrossthat stage as David and Lou roared into "White Light", "I'm Waiting For
The Man" and "Sweet Jane". Theirobvious admiration for each other's
style was great to watch. Bowie did the back-up vocal work to Lou's
haunting singing, and though his words were hard to pickup, Reed's
presence was terrific. In black -sequinned top suit and gold shoes, hestood with feet tripping into a neat criss-cross movement at the breaks
in his songs - rather like The Shadows used to do in that much -mockedleg -crossing stage movement.
There was something beautifully earthy, cooland all knowing about Lou Reed, and the crowd
who had come mainly to see Bowie were
obviously in love with the memory of Lou's
Velvet Underground history. Reed now needs tostrengthen his simmering popularity here witha full-scale tour of his own. The time is now.
But this concert still belonged to Bowie, legs
astride as wide as possible, his face painted
incongruouslyto project a DannyLa Rue profileand his diction quite splendid. His musicnaturallycomes mainly from the ZigsrStardust
hit album, but little on this record equals thecanny "Changes" from the Hunky Doryset, or
the classic "Space Oddity". At the start thesound was imperfect, but once this settled
Bowie came over powerfully, oozingwith histrionic confidence, with
Mick Ronson turning in a potent lead guitar.
"Star Man", "Five Years", "AndyWarhol", a straight solo on "Amsterdam"
and a superb encore, "Suffragette City", were the high spots of a show
which saw Bowie dressed in two outfits, obviously revelling in stardom,
strutting from mic to mic, slaying us all with a deadlym ixture of fragility
and desperate intensity, the undisputed king of Camp Rock.
The concert, presented byFriends Of The Earth to save the doomed
whale, also featured Marmalade and the JSD Band. It was Hughie
Nicholson's last night with Marmalade and he will be sorely missed.
Dean Ford is singing extremelywell and the group knits together
now even better than they did on the momentous Songs LP, but
Nicholson's guitar work has been a brilliant cornerstone, helping theirmusic across the bridge from straight pop to something moreadventurous. Plagued bysound problems, Marmalade still made it
through a splendid show, with a newish song called "Save The Whale"
showing their punch and verve.
Surprise of the night were compere Kenny Everett's latest raves, The JSD
Band. The commercial presented them as the most exciting discovery
since early Fairport or Steeleye, and so great was their impact that no one
will quarrel. Theywent down a storm with their unique mixture of
Scottish reels and hard rock, and Lindsay Scott's violin was staggering
in its speed allied to ideas and rocking attack. He
must be the best rock/folk fiddler in the land.
Bowie, Marmalade and the JSD Band put on
a superb night's music, because all of them
ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL-- LONDON -have roots. Like Marc, Bowie has been a longtime coming, but a more certain Bolan -"Can anything
dim thesplendour of
this ravishingcreature?"- MELODY MAKER JULY 15 WHENA SHOOTING star is heading for the peak, there isusually one concert at which it's possible to declare:"That's it... he's made it."For David Bowie, opportunity knocked loud and clear last Saturday
at London's Royal Festival Hall -and he left the stage a true 1972 -style
pop giant, clutching flowers from a girlwho ran up and hugged and kissed him
while a throng of fans milled around the
Lou Reedisa
stage. It was an exhilarating sight.
surprise guest
attheRFH
Bowie is going to be an old-fashioned,
charismatic idol, for his show is full ofglitter, panache and pace. Dressed
outrageously in the tightest multicoloured gear i maginable, Bowie isa flashback in manyways to pop -startheatrics of about 10 years ago, carrying
on a detached love affair with thisaudience, wooing them, yet neversurrendering that vital aloofness thatmakes him slightly untouchable.
On Saturday, the magic was boosted
by an unadvertised appearance by
Lou Reed. TheAmerican jammed with
110 I HISTORY OF ROCK 1972LIVE!

chaser I never saw. At the end, two "Ziggy"

JULY 8

tr.

14

vor

DAVID BOWIE
TAKDZSTbanners were extended by fans over thebalcony. Bowie has arrived -a worthypin-up
with such style. Ray Coleman

Flourishing- NME AUGUST 26 -theatricality

GOING TO THE Rainbow these days isdefinitely an outing, an excursion,
something of a treat. Unfamiliarity
breeds respect, and though the cheerfulhippies who used to sell you hot dogs andguide you to your seat have been replaced bybored -looking usherettes, there's still thatthrill as you wait for showtime. Mr and Mrs
First Nighter... this is your life.
David Bowie's show is definitelya spectacularin the grand tradition.A Bowie concert is yourreal old BusbyBerkeleyproduction. Bring on the

dancinggirls-orrather theAstronettes with
Lindsay Kemp, wheel on the dry -ice machineand put some mystique back into the whole deal.
Opening act Lloyd Watson proved that theblues do indeed goon, and on, and on, and on.
He's a good singer and plays fair slide, but his

original compositions are reallydire. Harshthough it maybe, I'm afraid that Lloyd does nothave the weight to playa gig like this. All he did
was to ensure that the bar did good business.
With their performance at the Rainbow, RoxyMusic proved that they are now in a major band
not just in the eyes of publicists, friends and a

few partisan journalists, but to audiences aswell. Starting out with their glitzyteenage hit
single "Virginia Plain", they played a tight, neat
set of songs from their spiffy first album. Each
number earned a successivelywarmer
response, and Phil Manzanera's guitar tempertantrum went down especiallywell. Theyclosed with "Re-Make/Re-Model" and went off
to a standing ovation -well, a few people werestanding up to clap and lots more were callingfor an encore. Onwards and upwards- andhere's looking at you, kid.
Lou Reed later described Bowie's set as"amazing, incredible, stupendous -thegreatest thing I've ever seen". While Lou is notexactly the most impartial of observers on
things Bowie, he knows a good showwhen hesees one, and this was perhaps the mostconsciously theatrical rock show ever staged-and, bythe by, it madeAlice look like a third form dramatic society. With a multi -level stage,a light show, sawdust on the floor, the Spiders inall their gloryand a backstage Matthew Fisher
playing piano, it could hardly fail, and it didn't.
Right from his entrance, walking througha cloud of dry ice up to the microphone tosing "Lady Stardust" (while the face of Marc
Bolan was projected onto a screen byhis side),
Bowie provided a thoroughly convincing
demonstration of his ascendancy over any
other soloist in rock today.
With perhaps the finest body ofwork of any
contemporary songwriter, and the resources
to perform this work to its utmost advantage,
there really isn't anything going that tops thecurrent Ziggy show. Other, more basic
performances have got me off more and higher-Hendrix, the Dead, Berry, Winter, Steeleye
and the Crows to name a handful -but David
Bowie has stuff going forhim that most people
haven't even thought ofyet.
And he's got nice legs, too. CharlesShaarMurray

Bowie's songs of self transformation assessed.
David Bowie The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy
Stardust And Thp cniffprc rrnm Plarsc
RCAVICTOR

The cover of Bowie's new album
has a picture of him in a telephonebooth looking every inch the stylish
poseur. Style and content have now
become inextricably tang led in
Bowie's case. Campness has
become built-in to his publicpersona. I mean that, however,in a far from derogatory sense.
The main preoccupation ofDavid's work is not directly gay

sexuality, though that element
is there, as with a flourishing
theatricality and dramatic sense.
On ZiggyStardust this isapparent even with a song like "FiveYears". Ostensibly about the death of theworld, Bowie turns it into a "performance"by virtue of his gift for artful mannerism
and by creating a convincing mise-en-scene(a cop kneels at the feet of a priest anda soldier is run over by a car after it isannounced on the news that the Earth has
five years left). It would also go some way
towards explaining why this album has sucha conceptual -sounding title.
There is no well-defined storyline, as
there is in "Tommy", say, but there are odd
songs and references to the business of
being a pop star that overall add up to astrong sense of biographical drama. On one
track, "Star", he sings about playing "thewild mutation of a rock 'n'rollstarfi'd send myphotograph to my honey/
And I'd come on like aregular superstar"). Then
"Ziggy Stardust," the title
track, is about a guitar
superhero who "took it all
too far". ("Making lovewith his ego, Ziggy sucked
up into his mind").
The final track is simply
called "Rock'n'Roll
Suicide"- it speaks foritself. In the space of three songs he thus
suggests the ascent and decline ofa big
rock figure, but leaves the listener to fill in
his own details, and in the process he's also
referring obliquely to his own role as a rockstar and sending it up. There are manylayers to Bowie the artist, but he has thisuncanny knack of turning a whole album or
stage performance into a torch song.
Ziggy Stardust is a little less instantly
appealing than Hunky Dory, basicallybecause that album was written with theintention of being commercial. This one
rocks more, though, and the paradox is that

it will be much morecommercially successful thanthe last, because Bowie's bid for stardom
is accelerating at lightning speed.
Michael Watts, MM July 7, 7972

David Bowie
RCAVICTOR

With most of his material either dealing
with the flashier style of city living or
looking far into the future, Bowie must
rate as our most futuristic songwriter.
Sometimes what he sees is just a little scary,and perhaps there's a bit more pessimism
here than on previous releases, but they're
still fine songs.
Like the first track, "Five Years", about
the imminent death ofa decaying world, is areal downer to start with,
but Bowie brings a new
approach to the rather
overworked theme.
Certainlyall the
tracks, written by Bowie
with the exception of
Ron Davies "It Ain't"Bowie has thisuncanny knack ofturning a wholealbum into a

Easy," are never less thantorch song"entertaining. "SoulLove" features somewithdrawn sax from Mick
Ronson [sic],"Ziggy Stardust" deals with thedestruction ofa rock star, while "Hang Onto
Yourself" is a real little sexual gem. Also
included is Bowie's current single,"Starman".
Mick Ronson (guitar), Trevor Bolder(bass) and Mick Woodmansey (drums)
handle the backing all through.
Of course, there's nothing Bowie would
like more than to be a glittery superstar,and it could still come to pass. By now
everybody ought to know he's tremendous
and this latest chunk of fantasy can only
enhance his reputation further.
James Johnson, NME June 3,7972

HISTORY OF ROCK 1972 1111

1972

JULY-st? NUR

J.

"It wasn't easy": inLondon,Lou Reed

reflects on hispre-Velvet
Underground position as
an in-housesongwriterfor Pickwick Records

112 I HISTORY OF ROCK 1972

LOU REED"I just likerock'n'roll"
LOU REED arrives
MELODY MAKER JANUARY 22 _THE BIG SPEAKERS at the far end of the small, narrowroom are about to burst. Guitars wash across them,while a kettle drum cracks and a gong explodes in slow
motion, like a flower opening, aaaa0000mmmmm!
Inside those speakers, a man is going mad. Lou Reedleans forward, lights a Marlboro, and empties a glass ofbeer into his face. "Someone's gotta speak for those people," he says.
Lou Reed made his first record when he was 14. His group was called
The Shades, changed to The Jays when they found out that somebody else
already had the name. "Our lead singer couldn't reach the microphone they had to put him on a stool," he says. "We played shopping centre
openings, things like that. Typical teenage hoodlum band."The Jays were in the tradition of the NewYork vocal groups of the '50s.
"The Ravens, The Diabolos, The Cleftones, The Jesters... I used to go crazyfor records like that, the street -group sound."One of his all-time favourite, he says, was only ever popular on his block.
It was called "Why Can't I Be Loved," byAlicia & The Rockaways, and heproudly drags the words out of his memory: "Whycan't I be loved1Why
doesn't someone take me I Ifi've been asleep /Won't somebody come andawake me.
"I fall down when I hear those lyrics," he says. "I don't think that a lot of
our contemporary poet laureates are nearly up to songs like that."
For The Velvet Underground's fourth album, Lou wrote a song called"I FoundA Reason" which was based on that old sound. It even had
a solemn speaking bit in the middle. And on his next album, which he's
finishing right now in London, there's a tune called "Love Makes Me Feel
Ten Feet Tall", which is another attempt to regain the directness of thesound of his adolescence. "I just like rock'n'roll," Lou Reed says.
After school he became a professional songwriter. They'd tell him that,
before lunch, theywanted five surfing songs, five hot -rod songs and acouple of ballads. "It wasn't easy," he says.
It couldn't contain him, though, and he wrote a song called "The
Ostrich" one day, when he was stoned. "I decided to make up a dance, so
I said, 'You put your head on the floor, and have somebody step on it.' It
was years ahead of its time."
The day after writing it, he was reading the fashion pages in the oldHerald Thibune and noticed that ostrich feathers were the latest fad. An
act of God!" So he rang up Vogue and told them about "The Ostrich" andthey, being intrigued by people with long hair, photographed the group
Lou had put together for the occasion, which also included a new friend
called John Cale. They recorded the song, and even lip-synched it on Dick
Clark's TV show in Philadelphia. But it never happened.
What came out of the association between Reed and Cale, though, was
The Velvet Underground, in all its eventual legendary splendour. It wasn't
long, of course, beforeAndy Warhol picked up on the sound,and made them a spoke in his whirling wheel.
Reed remembers those days, in '66 and '67, with considerable
affection. Andywould be asked to bring a piece of his art to ashow in a gallery, and he'd surprise his hosts by carting along
the Velvets. They'd play for the art patrons, says Lou, andin London to makea solo album. While

there, he accounts
for the forcesthat made him,
and the novel -likestructures of
Velvet Undergroundrecords. Might here-form the band?
"You couldn't
recreate what wenton then," says Lou.

"It's dead."

Reed between
the lines

1972

NUR

JULY -The most gifted

writer in rock
Bed's second so.
Lr, unaer the VU microscope
MM DEC 2

Lou Reed

Lou Reed is rare among his-

ALBUMS -REVIEW

nsform1 RCA VICTOR

1972

Is knowledge necessarily beneficial? That's
the question this album poses for me. If"Walk On The Wild Side" had been cut in '66,
when I didn't have a clue that "Jackie" is Jackie Curtis and "Candy" is Candy
Darling, would I have been as helplessly beguiled as I was then (and still am) by"All Tomorrow's Parties" and "I'll Be Your Mirror"? This is no longer the first
Polaroid print from the New World: nowadays, we've all got maps.
But Lou Reed is still the most gifted, personal writer in rock, and anything hedoes is necessarily of great interest. Transformer has its ups and downs, and I'dsay that the general level is rather lower than his initial RCA solo album, but it
obviously does its appointed task of reflecting where Lou's brain has travelledduring the past year or so. "Upfront" is the key phrase this time: nothing needs tobe shrouded in metaphor or obliquelyalluded to. If Lou wants to write a gay lib
song, as he does with "Make Up", he can be completely explicit: "We're coming
out, out of our closets". The result is heightened by the use of carefully craftedarrangements (using strings, voices, tuba, Dixieland band, etc), and some may
think that the settings are, indeed, too neat and precise. "White Light/White
Heat" was so surprising because art was couched inside a matrix of rock,whereas now he's taken the Bowie route and gone all out to create art -rock.
They're two very different things. Nothing much against Bowie ("Jean Genie" isterrific), but whatever else he may have achieved, he's never proved himself
capable of making really satisfying rock'n'rol I; all too often he simply titillates,
and the Bowie/Ronson production work here lures Reed into the same trap.
Lou is a rocker and the role now chosen ill becomes him, however liberating hemay find the new surroundings. The beat tracks here are "Andy's Chest", which
has a lot of the old mystery and menace, a really cutting vocal, and a fade-out("Swoop, swoop... Oh baby, rock, rock") which is the album's finest moment;"Satellite Of Love", a very humorous '50s -style group song which reminds me ofan old doo-wop classic called "Guided Missiles (To Your Heart)"; and "Walk On
The Wild Side",a beautifully controlled production number (here,the"gimmicks" like the string bass and baritonic sax solos coalesce in a valid way).
I'm unhappiest about the rockers: "Vicious" is a parody of former glory, while"Hangin' Round", "Wagon Wheel" and "I'm So Free" simply never take off -oh
for Clem Cattini or Les Hurdle! "New York Telephone Conversation" is, ati.31, an
amusing skit on the behaviour of the girls who frequent the back room at Max's;"Perfect Day" is pretty and nothing more and "Goodnight Ladies" attempts tocome on like Kurt Weill or Cabaret but ends up plain boring. Of course, you
should buy Transformer -after all, it's still the second-best Lou Reed album of1972 (not counting the Velvets' live LP). But it seems to me to bean album for two
kinds of people: David Bowie fans and those who heard about Lou this year
(sorry, maybe that's one kind of person). Anyone who's heard "Heroin", or"Femme Fatale", or "Here She Comes", or "I'm Set Free", or "Rock And Roll", or"New Age" knows that he can -and will -achieve something of greater worth
than this, whatever he might be thinking at the moment. Richard Williams

within a couple of minutes half the people would have left, by the nearest
exit. But half stayed, transfixed.
Was the art crowd attracted to them by the sheeroutrageous grotesqueryof the music? "No no no. It was never grotesque, I thought it was beautiful."
Very few people, he adds, managed to come out of the Warhol scene
with their own identities intact, becauseAndy's presence was sooverwhelming. "It's not something I'd have missed, if I'd been outside ofthat, and had seen what was happening. I'd have cut my arms off to bepart of it. It was just so fantastic..."Little did he know, he adds, that he'd have to spend the next five years
establishing the fact that The Velvet Underground could exist in its own
right, without the crutch ofWarhol's patronage.
"Now there's no more Velvet Underground, so I don't have to work at
establishing that."
But what about the group led by DougYule, which came over to Britain
last year? "I don't follow 'em," he mutters.
114 I HISTORY OF ROCK 1972

contemporaries in that he'll
actually admit to the content of
his songs. He knows that they
have secondarylevels of
meaning and that many of themconnect up, and when somelistener comes to him and asks
him, say, if the third album was acomplete story, he positively
glows with affirmation.
"I've never known whether itworked for other people. There's
been a limited amount offeedback... I've been kinda isolated. I've always written with
the idea of putting songs into concepts so that they relate toone other, I always thought of these things like chapters ina novel, and that if you played the first three albums all inorder it would really make huge total sense.
"No one ever seemed to pickup on the that, and why should
they?! don't put out that many albums anyway, so by thetime Chapter Three arrived, you had to go running back to

the archives to find where Chapter Two left off."
His efforts were also sabotaged by poor recording on the
MGM/Verve albums. On the third album, for instance, thecrucial "Murder Mystery", with its parallel vocals split by thestereo, is virtually unintelligible.
"The whole idea of it was that one person's saying one thing
on one side, and the other person's giving an example of it, or
doing the opposite. So that if one person's saying something
funny, and the other person's saying something sad, you
might laugh and cry at the same time... which would really
be fun, if you could do it. I tried my damnedest to get it so you
could hear the words, but most people have told me that the
track doesn't work. We neverdid learn to record as a matterof fact."
The odd album out is Loaded, which was edited and mixed
after Lou had left the group during their stay at Max's Kansas
City in the summerof 1970. He hates the overall sound, andthe severe editing of tracks like "Sweet Jane" and "NewAge"("They took a song that I'd worked on fora year and ruinedit") but even worse is the random sequencing on the tracks.
"There were some people there, who were very intelligent,
who picked the order of the tracks so they didn't makesense." His bitterness is old, now, but it's still evident. Afterall, the album was a piece of himself.
Reed talks of his former colleagues in the original bandwith great fondness. "Nico is the kind of person that you
meet, and you're not quite the same afterwards. She has anamazing mind, and The Marble Index is just one of themilestone albums. It's like nothing else you everheard.
And John (Cale) -well, I only hope that one dayJohn will
be recognised as... the Beethoven or something of his day.
He knows so much about music, he's such a great musician."
Oddly enough, the three of them are all in Western Europe
at this moment; Lou and John in London, and Nico living in
Paris. But the thought of a reunion concert meets with asmall shake of the head. "It's a nice idea, but you couldn't recreate whatwent on then. It's dead. Even Max's is dead, full of people who shouldn't
be there. Some nights, I guess, something happens and the magic starts
again... people do strange things. But it's over."Lou is working in Morgan Studios, in thewilds of Willesden. "We camefora change of pace. We thought it'd be interestingto get out of the New
York thing... also wewere veryimpressed with the sound of certain
English records. Itwas a certain sound we were looking for, and we listened
to a lot ofrecords made in different studios. For what he heard, Morgan
fitted. We knewwe'd be isolated... like nobody comes into the studios here,
there's no great parties going on. It's just making a rock'n'roll album."The continuity from the previous albums will be there but, he says, lessobviously so. "I don't feel like doing Chapter Six any more, and I don't feellike doing anotherChapter One. Theyvaguely relate, and that's enough."He's used British musicians: Caleb Quaye, Steve Howe, Rick Wakeman,
Clem Cattini, Paul Keogh, Les Hurdle and Brian Odges. He's really

LOU REED

pleased with what they've done, and as the tracks are played back, hepoints out little guitar riffs and bass runs with genuine delight. And hisfans needn't worry. The album is rich in the kind of content we expectfrom Lou, each track a little photograph of someone we once knew.
"One of these days, I'd like to do an album in which all the charactersfrom myalbums meet up," he says, suddenly.
Behind the camera -lens, his eye is steady... steady... Click.

- NME AUGUST 12 -c

LICE COOPER REALLYdoesn't make it as a drag queen,"says Lou Reed. "I mean he's so ugly. Iggy, now Iggy's reallyvery beautiful, and so's David, but Alice..."
The former mastermind off he Velvet Underground shuddered
delicatelyand inspected his maroon fingernails, which were chippedaround the edges. Talk to Lou Reed, they said. Since his outward
appearance was rather forbidding, and two previous encounters had
proved slightly less than productive, the idea had been that, instead of aformal interview, a sumptuous lunch with plentiful alcohol would induce
the saturnine, taciturn Lou Reed to give forthwith intimate revelations
concerning his lifestyle and music.
What actually happened was that we all got pissed.
"When he's not being troubled bythings around him, he's a very
generous person with time and conversation," was what David Bowie had
said of Reed, and with these words ringing in my ears, we went out to lunch
at a plush Italian restaurant. Lou had just bought some clothes at Liberty's,
and was enthusing about his "new drag". "Isn't it heaven?" he drawled.
Once ensconced at a comfortable table bythe window with RCA's genial
Geoff Thorn to act as referee and pay the bill, things moved into high gear.
Reed was determined that we would get into the liquors, and get into
them we did. It is only recently that the songs Lou Reed wrote five years
ago for The Velvet Underground have become noticeably influential.
David Bowie and Roxy Music have paid their dues to Lou, and thetortured, violent guitars of Reed and Sterling
Morrison have taught many to extend theboundaries of their instruments.
"What I was writing about was just what wasgoing on around me," says Reed. "I didn't realise
it was a whole newworld for everybody else.
Everybodyelse is now at the point I was in 1967.
Makes me wonder where they'll be in five years'
time. Come to that, makes me wonder where
I'm at now."
One of Lou's best known is "Venus in Furs"
from the Velvet Underground & Nico album.

"I saw the book (by Leonard Sacher-Masoch) and just thought it would bea great idea fora song. Now everybodythinks I invented masochism."
Despite the ads, Reed is not going to return to Kingsound- the King's
Cross rockvenue. He didn't like the hall, and found the dressing rooms
cramped and crowded.
"You're in there trying to find a place to change into yourdrag and put
on your makeup and people keep coming up to you and offering you
joints and rapping to you, and it's just intolerable."
Lou's girlfriend is coming over from the States soon, and he's looking
forward to seeing her, because things are getting a mite chaotic at his
Wimbledon residence. Seems that some of his friends began smashingup the house but his landlady didn't mind. She thought he put some life
into the place.
As the meal grew progressivelymore and more bizarre, we switchedto grappa, using chablis as a chaser. Lou recalled the time when, as ahitchhiker, he turned to desperate measures and laydown across thecentre of the road. The first car to stop was a police van, and farfrom
getting his lift, he got busted. Vied been me in the car, I would have kept
right on going," he said. "They'd never catch me, and the experience ofrunning somebody over..."I pointed out that on the Velvets' live album, Lou told the audience they
didn't play "Heroin" anymore, but that he played it at King's Cross.
"Oh, we just didn't feel like doing it that night. Besides, I never mean
what! say." What? "Oh, I never keep to things unless ! actually promise.
I told some journalist that I was very hung up on cowboys. If I saw him
today I'd probably tell him I was really aggressive and that all cowboys area bunch of assholes. I'm reallyvery inconsistent."
After that, an almost total disintegration sets in. I rememberReed
drawling that Englishmen were really sexy because they didn't have hairon their chest, and Geofff horn opened his shirt to prove the contrary.
Unlike at the Dorchester with Ziggy, Lou's outrageous clothes andpainted fingernails left the waiters at the restaurant rather cold, but thentheyweren't Lou's type anyway. The following day I was still drunk.A lotof people have learned a lot of things from Lou
Reed, and there's a strong possibility that they
can still learn a whole lot more. His new single"Walk ItAnd Talk It" is a remixed version of a
track from his album, and wouldn't it be a gas tosee that on Top Ofthe Pops?
If Ziggy isn't too outrageous for the BBC, thenit's about time we saw Lou. After all, he was theman who started that brand of outrage way
back in the swinging '60s. We mayeven see
where everybody else will be at in five years.

"I never keep
to things... I'nreally very
inconsistent"

liketochaan
album in which allthecharactersfrom
my albumsmeet up"

Charles Shaar Murray

JULY -OM"

1972

1972JULY -s?

VBER- NME SEPTEMBER 16 WHEN THE NEWS was first released that David

Bowie had written and produced the single"All The Young Dudes" for Mott The Hoople,

reactions were mixed. Some people were
knocked out with the whole concept, while
devout Mott fans wondered whether they
had "sold out".
Did Mott really need Bowie, the latter faction reasoned?The simple
answer (and the correct one) is yes. Without Bowie there would be notMott The Hoople today. Without his help theirvery fine new album would
perhaps not have reached such a high standard. And over and above
everything else, Bowie has given Mott a new confidence in themselves
and injected anew enthusiasm into their music.
Lead singer Ian Hunter was delighted with the new album when I met
him at their new record companyCBS-where it was blaring away in theturntable. ("It should be played loud," says Hunter.)"You can't compare it to our other albums -this one is how Mott shouldhave sounded all along. David likes a very perfect album and this one is somuch cleaner and clearer- after the mugginess on previous albums. In
the past we just didn't know how to record. I thinkwe could have done
this album a year ago if we'd had the right producer."
Huntertalked to me about each track... startingwith "Sweet Jane", theLou Reed composition- and other than Bowie's "Dudes", the only track
not written by the band: "About the same time as 'Dudes', Bowie played
us a riff and we leapt on it, wanting to knowwhat it was. It turned out to be'Sweet Janet"Mommas Little Jewel": "Overend wrote this with me while we were stillat Island. We recorded it then but it was too fast -it's one of David's best
tracks. He really has got the knack of knowing what to do -just a little
thing makes all the difference."
All The Young Dudes": "There's a jerkin the tape here just before it
starts -I like a jerk, it's cute, makes you think.""Sucker": "I don't think anyone has noticed Mick Ralphs. I know certain
people who play guitar notice him, but if people can't relate to the guitar
solo on 'Sucker' then there's something wrong. It's funny, with guitarists,
the emphasis often seems to be on speed -but character is important,and I think Mick's guitar playing is very individual.""Jerkin Crocus": "This is a ladywho is good at pulling. The title wastaken from a girl Overend knew. It was written fairlyrecently-just before
we went into the studio to do the album.""One Of The Boys": "David liked this a lot. We did it at the time of the'Dudes' session, and towards the end of the second daywe knew 'Dudes'
would be the A -side. It was written just before the Circus tour. Again, Mick
had a riff -and usuallythat's how it works. We got the phone effect at
Trident- there's a bit I like where the track dies away and you hearit comeout of the phone receiver.""Soft Ground": "Verden had this in his mind for three or four months.
And when something's in his mind it totallyabsorbs him. He lives it. It
came out at rehearsals -just before the album.""Ready For Love" - "After Lights": "Although on the album they are twosongs, it's reallyjust one song. Mickwrote it, and there are two hook lines.
You think it's all over -and then it goes into the next hook line.""Sea Diver": "Writing songs is almost a perversion. Most writers can go
six months and not get a song. They panic -and then suddenly they startagain. That's what this song is about."
Album and single aside, the best thing Bowie did for the band was tokeep them together. Hunter explains: "We were looking for material,and David sent us a demo of 'Suffragette City'. Anyway, we split up in
Switzerland. So Overend phoned David to thank him for sending thedemo and told him the news. David went quite mad on the phone about it,
and Overend rang me and said Bowie thought the group was great andshouldn't split.
"At that time we'd allheard David's HunkyDory
and dug it, but didn't want
OVIOTITIre HOOPLE
to form again because we
all the Polo%
were so pissed off. Pissed
off with being told we'd be
put on half wages... andtheywere taking ourlights away.

-,4

2,44A,"Anyway, three hours later Bowie rang Overend again and in that threehours he's written 'All The Young Dudes'. He'd said to Overend, 'If you
want to split, then split -but please do this number first.'"It was after a gig at Guildford that Mott came under the management ofTony DeFries, and Bowie offered his help with the album. "CBS were at
the gig and Tonysaid he wanted to manage us. And David said, 'If you
want me to write a song or produce you, then I will!' He didn't want us as
an extension of his personality. He wanted people to understand he washelping and not taking over. He even wanted us to have co -producer
credits on this album.
When it came to making the album David had some numbers and so did
we. We played him ours and he said theywere OK- he liked the stuffwe'd
written. The basic arrangements were done bythe band, then David set
about embellishing it. He's been a great asset just when we needed it."For all the help Bowie has given the band, the most refreshing thing is,as Hunter says, the fact that the band are exactly the same as they always
were. I asked Hunter if having Bowie as a producer would be a permanent
thing -or if this album was a one-shot idea.
"Nothing is ever permanent in the music business, but as far as we'reconcerned the relationship with David is amazing, and he wants to carryon. He genuinelydigs the band -he needn't have had us; after all, theband was over."
Hunter denies anyallegations that Mott are now portraying a camp
image. "The last thingwe want to be called is camp," he says, andcertainly looking at him swigging back a glass of scotch, a mop of curly
hair flopping around his shoulders, he looks anything but camp.
There's only one person -who can do that well and that is David. And
he's not a fairy. It's just that what he does on stage he can do infinitely
better than anyone else. We ain't fairies- not one guy in the band is. And
we figure we've got to lay back a bit on stage so that our audience will lay
back on looking and start listening." Julie Webb

- MELODY MAKER OCTOBER 28 CC

HATED 'JOHN I'M Only Dancing'. We all hated it but Davidsaid, 'Don't worry. You'll get to like it.' And he was right. David
is a very sage fellow."
Buffin, the smartly suited young drummer with Mott The Hoople, hasan engaging smile and a clear-eyed view of his world. He speaks his mind
without malice and talks about the fortunes of Mott with refreshingfrankness. Their recent success with "All The Young Dudes", written forthem by David Bowie, has posed problems for Mott as well as giving thema new lease oflife. Manyimagine the band are in such close cahoots with
Bowie that theyhave relinquished the qualities that gave them original
fan following.
There has been much confusion about images. But Mott are not going"glamorous rock", an expression which in its abbreviated form has
gained current usage. There was no rouge about his cheeks as weconversed this week, and there was a notable absence of tinsel fromhis brow.
"We're no different from workingwith Bowie," declared Buffin withgood cheer. "We don't wear earrings and have new hairstyles every
week. And our stage act is no different from what it has been in the last
two years."
What has been the difference then?
"We do more quality things now. The main effect has been that David
gave us ourself -respect back. Overthe last year or so, we had become asham. We didn't want to be just a caricature ofwhat people thought wewere. Now our numbers are better -and they are betterplayed."
How close was the band to David, apart from having the same

management?
"We don't live in each other's pockets. What happened was, we were in
Switzerland when the band just about reached the end of its tether. We
jacked it in and went to see a John Wayne movie at the local cinema, after
our last gig. Back home David heard about us splitting up and he thought
it was a shame, and wanted to help.
"There had been nobody around the band to give us any inspiration andthere had been no light at the end of the tunnel. None of us had such an
ego that feeds itself. We needed to be helped along. We couldn't evenwrite songs because it seemed like there was nothing to write about.
"We kept away from the press because there was nothing more to besaid after we had bared our breasts to the whole country!And anyway
people don't like to see groups airing their dirtyY-fronts in public. Theywould prefer to hearabout the gloss and glitter.
We don't hate the press, because they have helped
us a lot in the past, even unwittinglyby slagging
us off."Will the band maintain its association with
Mr B?
"It was great to have a hit single, but

now the group would like to have a hit
with one of ourown songs. We don't
want to lose contact with David. As
a producer, he is magnificent.
"Guy Stevens [their first producer] wasinspirational, but he was so erratic. He
was incredible at starting things but
would not always finish them. David
is inspirational as well, but he is also

MottTheHoopleint972:(I-r)
PeteOverendWatts,Verden
Allen,MickRalphs,lanHunterandDale"Buffin"Griffin

veryworkmanlike."
What effects had there been on thegroup's audience, since their change
in fortune?
"Oh, there are lots more girls in theaudience now. We used to have a sea of malefaces in front of the stage. We get some of the
Bowie crowd as well. He attracts the late teensand early 20s."
Do they expect a Bowie camp show?
"I don't know. We've had some ideas for ourshows that haven't always come off. At the"It's going to be called'Mott's Greatest
Misses'. It's very naughty of them, but what can
you do? I remember when we first started out it
was like the Clockwork Orange. We were playing
flower power to all the local heavies beating
the hell out of each other. We came from the
backwaters, and their idea of a night out is tocome home covered in blood with a few teeth
missing. I suppose we do tend to look on thosedays with rose -tinted spectacles!"Pause for Buffin to laugh and explain the stateof his nose. But its interesting alignment withthe rest of his face was more due to an accident
on a building site than anyviolent reaction toa Hoople performance.
The main difference he had noticed from the days of Savage RoseAnd
Fixable was the inflationary spiral affecting the group business.
"It's so much harder to start a band now. It's got to the stage where it's
not enough to set up your equipment up on stage and do a gig. You needa huge PA and road crew to go with it.
"And audiences are used to hearing bands like RoxyMusic and Yes
with fantastic equipment. It used to be hard enough to get an amplifier
and guitar together. All the time the rock machine is getting moresophisticated. I don't know how young musicians can cope with it.
"And it's a naive assumption that groups can ask for less money. With
the present inflationaryspiral, everything has gone up. And to ask groups
to take a cut in wages to help the scene is like asking the ETU to takea wage cut. We worked it out that it costs us, on average, about £500 for
every performance, before you include the cost of hotels.
And when we did our last tour of England, it was frighteningly apparent
how little moneythere is around in the country. The kids have just not
got any money. Eitherthey are unemployed, or their parents are
unemployed. In Doncaster we met eight kids who had saved up to buy
one of our LPs - between them.And they couldn't afford to get to thegig either.
"I don't know if it's a feasible idea, but we thought of organising Student
1
Union cards that gave a discount to kids who were unemployed. If they
were issued the cards, they could get into concerts at reduced prices.
5
The situation will get even worse when ValueAdded Tax comes in.
There will be a 10 per centincrease in the cost of"This album
is how Mott
should havesoundedall along"

Rainbowwe wanted to bring on Billy Fury,
Adam Faith and John Leyton. We wanted tohave them appearing in a series of flashbacks,
singing their old hits. Ian Hunterknows Billy
Fury -and he's looking great; about 18 years old!
"Adam Faith was having his tonsils out, so hecouldn't do it, and we didn't know how to gethold of John Leyton. Then we couldn't get Billy.
It was a bit presumptuous of us really to ask them, and it all got blownout. But we thought people like Billyhad a hard time in the '60s, and were
put down as Elvis copyists. But theywere incredible rock artists. Cliff
Richard too.
"One thingwe have noticed in the reaction to our shows it that a lot ofkids are there for the hit record. The evening goes alright, until we play
All The Young Dudes' and then we hit the jackpot. In the old days we'd goout and theywould cheer from the start. Now we have to wait until theend of the evening for someone to break a chair."
Buffin grinned. "Actually, not so much desecration goes on these days.
When we played at theAlbert Hall they alleged some damage was done.
We never saw it. But we paid forit. After that, there was always a little
clique who were not there for the group really, but just to cause somedamage. It became the done thing, which was a shame. It's died out now,
but in away, it's a bit frightening for us not to get that instant reaction.And
that is because the music has changed, it doesn't hit from the word go."At 22, Buffin has a premonition of becoming "an old veteran", and says
it's a bit frightening, which will amuse those of the rock generation
pushing 30. He looks back on the early days of Mott when it played out
west in Ross -on -Wye, with long -toothed nostalgia.
"We had lots of different names then. One of our earliest names was
Savage RoseAnd Fixable." Buffin paused to allow expressions of disbelief
to die away.

While it has probably been recounted on manyprevious occasions incountless interviews, for the sake of the new generation, not to mention
the old generation -whence came their present unlikely name?
"It was an American storybyWillard Manus, called Mott The Hoople.
We met the author's secretaryout in the States once, purely by chance.
She was knocked out we knew the story, and told us Manus was now livingin the Greek Islands.
"The story is a black comedy about a character called Norman Mott. He
was a Hoople, which is a kind of wandering miscreant. When we started
up, we had never actuallyread the book. We just couldn't get hold ofa copy. We just used to sayvaguely to people who asked, 'Oh, it's just thename of a book.'"This reminded Buffin that their old record label, Island, are putting out
an album of ancient material.

entertainment. It's not
so bad for kids down South,
but when you get to the North- it's frightening."
Meanwhile, what of the
future forMott?
"Well, our stage act is
becoming less frantic. We werein a rut, but the whole aim of
the band now is to go upwards.
That's whywe broke up, toescape the rut." Chris Welch

Whiro
Mott?
WE'RE NOT CAMP, ANYWAY,SAYS HUNTER

THAT'S BOWIE'S LINE -AND HE'S NO FAIRYEITHER HF'f A fIRFAT PRODUCER BUT

1972
JULY

SEPTEMBER"We'll show
Marc Bolana few tricks"
I.

FACES continue

their American
campaign, with aneye on the state ofthings back home.
Their unrehearsed
approach continues
to yield results. "AllI do," says Ronnie

Lane, "is plug the old

guitar in and play it."

120 I HISTORY OF ROCK 1972

A-r

SEPTEMBER 16-

NG ON. I'LL wake up in a minute," says Ian
McLagan for the fourth time. It's 3.30 in theafternoon and Mac's struggling through aninterview. As a rule, he's something of a talker,
but right now he's only been out of bed half anhour and his mind's a little foggy.

The night before, the Faces had been down at the studios, doing
nothing in particular, just tryi ng out a few possible ideas for their next
album. In fact, it isn't due to be recorded until after the band's next
American tour, when they'll get down to maki ng the finished productin LosAngeles. But still McLagan thinks working on odd bits andpieces is a valuable exercise.
Now though, this afternoon, his eyes spell "hangover" in big letters.
I le blinks out of the kitchen door at the bright sunshine, makes somecoffee, takes some pills of a mildly rejuvenating nature and tries tothi n k clearly. We stick to fairly simple stuff.
"The t hi ngis, we've never rehearsed for recordings before, never evenconsidered it," he says, talking of the recent sessions in the st udios."It'sbad really, 'cos when you th in k of it they're more important than gigs,
because they're going to be confronti ng your ears the whole time. We
thought we'd go down to the studios with an open frame of mind to see
what we could do and what would come out. Ifwe got bored with an idea
after five minutes, we'd drop it and move on to somethi ngelse. I n fact,
the numberofideas we came up with was amazing.
"We should have used this system to start every album. Sometimes,
in the past, things have been a little too forced. There's too muchpressure if you start thinking you've got to make numbers that have
got to be Nu mber 0 ne hits..."
The results, according to Mac, were more ideas than actual tracks,
but a few numbers had been kicked around, like the old Impressions
number"Fall For You" which Mac said he"would like to stick in »somewhere". Also, he thought the overall feel of the album would be
rock'n'roll. But that was hardlyworld-shattering information. What were
the other albums, then?
"Well, I suppose the last one was rock'n'roll," he replied, "but ! don't
think the first two had any kind of overall feel. Theywere really just bits
and pieces. Basicallywe have just two types of numbers -the rockers thatsteam along and are good for stage, and then the low-down, quiet sort ofthings. On Nod, the rock side dominated, and I think it will on the next I hope it will, at least."
Mac is graduallywarming up, becoming more articulate. Graduallywe
get on to talking about Rod Stewart, and I mention the recent suggestionthat Stewart's singing is betteron his solo albums than on those with theFaces. He half agrees: "I think his own albums definitely bring out thebest in his voice. It's natural really, simplybecause they are his own
albums. They don't necessarily make him abetter singer, but I think he'sa bit of a folkie at heart and we're a rock'n'roll band, if you like.
"If everything fell apart tomorrow! could almost see Rod down at the
Crown Folk Club in Twickenham doing the old acoustic guitar bit, staring
up at the ceiling... Well, perhaps not, but I don't think he's satisfied justsinging rock'n'roll. He's been singing that for quite a long time, and before
that he was singing a bit of the old folk.
"Like in the band, I don't think any of our musical tastes have changed
that much, but with Rod maybe they've
reverted a bit to his original ideas- a bit Jack
"Wedotendtorely
quitealotonthe
Elliott and all that. I like to hear him singexcitement":therock'n'roll, but his voice has got so much
Faces on stage,1972
subtlety as well. People knock it and sayit
sounds like an old rusty gatepost or
something... and, well, it's true, but that's
his voice. The way he uses it can be very
subtle; there's a lot of innuendo - if that's
the right word."
With so much attention paid to Stewart,
and with Mac alongwithKenneyJones
seeminglythe quieter in the group,
I wondered if he ever felt a little left in the
background. "Yeah, I do now and again,
but it suits me quite well. I mean it's all fair
Rod can do what he can do. Like there wasa similar idea with Steve [Marriott] when
I was with the Small Faces. A lot ofemphasis was put on Steve and in away it
did him in the same way it can do Rod in.
At the same time, Rod is very level-headed
and it ain't going to go to his head... I don't
want to say like Steve... but he was younger
and Rod's been through a lot more.
"Of course Steve's been through a lot
more now as well, but in the old days it
used to cause a bit of friction.And I think
it's good that Rod's got his own thing going,
doing his own albums, and that's one of thereasons the set-up works so well. Like, if
I had so much going in me the best thing
would be to split from the band and do myown album or something... but Rod can doit, at the same time realising that it's theband which is what it's all really about.
Without the band, Rod wouldn't get to singhis solo stuff onstage; it's a great set-up."Continuing on the same theme of the
Small Faces, he pointed out: "I've been with
Kenneyand Ronnie for seven years now
and I always celebrate on November the
first, 'cos that's the date I first joined them.
A few bottles are opened. Rod and Ron havebeen together just as long, and even now, it
helps. It's good to playwith the same people
for such a longtime, because you can rely
5 on certain musical things happening. Also,
we know each other's jokes."`i
As for Steve Marriott, though, Mac says
he hasn't seen him for a long, longtime. "I'd
122 I HISTORY OF ROCK 1972

like to," he says. "I still feel close to him. A lot of his musical influences are
the same as mine, but then at the same time there's nothing much to say.
It's a load of waterunder the bridge really."
At this point he decides it's time for another coffee and also brings his
portable stereo down to the kitchen. He plays a few records and talks a bit
about some Chuck Berrysessions he was playing on recently. One of thethings that impressed him about Berry, apart from his music, was his
total disregard for the ways of the music scene as awhole... the wayhe

thinks orChuck Berry only" and doesn't bother himself with any kind oftrends. I suggest that it's been a bit the same for the Faces.
Mac agrees. "If we concerned ourselves with what otherbands were
doingwhen we started, we would have gone well under," he says. "A big
thing was made of the drink thingwith the Faces, and I think it madea change because all the other bands would be smoking and would go
onstage in a kind of euphoric state. Drink isn't so introspective. I mean, I
tend to be a bit introspective myself, but a few drinks soon loosen me up."On gigs as awhole, I suggest, their sets tend to vary in quality to a greater
extent than most bands.
"I'm on the inside and it's difficult to tell," he replies, "but !wouldn't
have thought so. It's a fair comment but it doesn't seem like that to me. If it
comes across that way I can only put it down to creative genius... Oh no,what am I saying?" He breaks into a smile.

THE FACES"But to me, all gigs seem much the same. I'm notsaying I'm bored or anything, but we always put asmuch into each one. The one thing that really pisses
me off, though, are encores. I'd like to rub them out
forever. It's like you do a whole set and you get niceapplause and then you say it's the last number andeverybody gets on their feet and starts screamin'. It's
like... forfuck's sake... if they'd done that earlierwe would have had more
fun out of the whole set.
"I don't want to get into a big thing about 'the overwhelming feedback,man' orthat waffle, but we do tend to rely quite a lot on the excitement.
Hey, would yalike another coffee?"
Well yeah, why not... JamesJohnson- MELODY MAKER SEPTEMBER 16 _BEVERLY WILSHIRE HOTEL, Beverly Hills, California: "Steve
McQueen phoned up, said he wanted seven tickets for the show,"
said Rod Stewart, his head poking out of the pool like a bullet
with a nose. "Now that's a BIT much. I mean, two's enough, ain't it?"
He could gatecrash it, Rod, you know, jump the fence on his motorcycle.
"Just let 'im bloodywell try." The nose threw up a few bubbles as it sankEven with red-hot stonking fun, there's got to bediscipline, and even though that discipline isstretched to breaking point at times, it's always
there. That's whyit pays off for the Faces. Stewart isa laugh, and a bloody fine singer, but he raves andworries, and gives more than you'd ever realise. If
you start putting him down for arrogance or flash
you're doing bad business, because Stewart has earned each sequin on
his jacket, 10 times over.And it's worth remembering that.
So theydon't play England much? Well, however dear the little island
can be -and believe me it's no dearer to anybody than Stewart and theFaces -it can also be hellishlystifling, especially in the creative field. The
Faces made it in the States, remember. England - as a whole -didn't wantto know Stewart all that much until the USA pumped him up to an idol.
Here they can breeze, and cruise, and gas, and do what the hell theywant
to do- and there are few around that will bite their backs.
You should be thankful that it's an English band plundering the
rock'n'roll Midas. It's not just the Faces; the biggest business, the bestmusic, the onlyvalid progression is coming from England. America's got
nowt -exceptAlice, and that's the truth. Here the kids look to England forthe kick in the groin, and you can't blame English bands forwanting toplayaudiences as desperate as that.

underthe water.
Smart little Ron Lane strolled into the pool area, looking smart asa razorin a pale -green three-piece suit, and ligging shoes. Like a true
Englishman, he changed behind a tree, wrestlingwith a towel as hedropped his trousers. Ron then plonked into the pool, exhibiting the graceof a sack of potatoes. Faces afternoon recreational period was underway.
"Want to go down and see the stage before the gig, Ron?" asked
Ronnie Wood.
Lane was drying himself and lighting a fag. "What's the point really,
what's the point?" he said. "A111 ever do is walk on stage and plug the old
guitar in, and play it. I don't have to rehearse that. There's no point. I'm notlike that.""That's yourbloody trouble," said Stewart, nicking into theconversation. "You've still got yervolume controls set for the MarqueeClub. You knowyou Sellotaped them into position, and you ain't moved'em since.""Aw, go awaywill yer," said Lane, all smiles, his saturated head shrunk tothe size of a peanut.
It was all rathersplendid, was this. I mean, the Beverly Wilshire was
THE hotel in Beverly Hills. Frogs' legs on the room -service card, a few
really nice beds, and aged millionaires beside the pool, toasting aged
bodies in the stinging Californian sunshine. There's a guywith six chins- each one representing a million dollars. And it
must have cost around the same amount to get
rid of them. Posh.
"You know Marc Bolan's goin' tonight -we'll
show the lad a few tricks, eh?" - Stewart, smiling.
"No, he's a grand lad is Marc, a grand lad. Must
be strange for him bein' big in England, andbeing nothing here. If he wants to do it, he'll 'afta
work for it. I think he knows that. He'll 'afta do it
here mind, really, otherwise he's gonna run outof things to do in England. You really do 'afta
make it inAmerica, you know. You really do.
Wish people could understand that."
Mac McLagan appeared. "You won't believe
what I'm goin' to wear tonight. You just won't
believe it."
The night was rolling up sharply- the night for the band playing thefamous Hollywood Bowl. The place had sold out within 90 minutes -no
mean achievement. And here in deep chatter were the Faces. Laugh -a minute lads. "You know," said Rod, "I could be laying half -asleep, andmopin' bythis pool, and I'd hear those lads comin', and there'd be a smile
as wide as a half melon across me face. That's what it's all about."
It's true, there's something about the Faces and Rod Stewart that's about
as natural as turn -ups on an accountant's trousers. It's all a lot deeper
than most people would ever realise. There is an unsigned mental pact, an
occasional glance, a nod, a wink. I've never quite seen such a relationshipwithin a band. On the outside it's a gas to call them boners, ravers, ladswith a glass and a song. It's not onlya gas, it's true, but when you delve a
little deeper, each and everyone of them knows exactlywhere theyare at.

TIME PASSED. STEWART appeared in the hotel lobby, his lady byhis side, a silver -spangled suit on his body. He was cheerful anda mite cocky as he loped into the limousine. Wood and Lane

were up to tricks, too. Mac appeared in a baggy, rumpled morning suitwith matching sneakers. Kenney Jones was reserved.
There were about four limos, flanked by two bike -riding outriders, who
cut holes in the traffic, pulling their cycles in and out of the line, busily
making sure that the convoywasn't halted. Christ, you'd have thought
Nixon was on his way across town to declare war, such was the drama.
Hollywood flashed by, a blur of neon, and streets paved with electricity.
That quiet walk down Wardour Street to the old Marquee seemed a long,
longway off. "It's a case of bringing back the old glamour," said press chief
Mike Gill as one of the outriders slewed his cycle to a halt and stopped
traffic from crossing the path of the convoy.
The Bowl was eventually reached, and stood there, looking somewhat
ridiculous in a kilt, was a lone bagpiper who was hired to entertain theaudience with "Amazing Grace" and other stirring tunes before the lads
took to the stage. It's impressive, is The Bowl. Seeminglya natural
amphitheatre lined with seats, reaching right up and around, as faras theneck could turn. It's dark and you can't see anybody, but you knowyou'resurrounded. There's noise and chatterin the night air.
The Faces run out of the dressing room, there
are arms pushing you, faces looming up, people
shouting orders. "Right, 'ere we go," says Rod.
There are suddenly 20 times more people
backstage, each with a job that seemingly
consists with keeping each other off the stage. It
never worked.
And then... SHAZAM! It was like having acidthrown over your eyes -a sheerwhite explosion
hit the stage, which was coated in solid perspex,
throwing the light back up in mistybands ofwhite. Stewart's sizzlysuit was on fire; Wood wasa mess of colour. The stage was a mirroroflight;
searchlights swept the crowd. Now this wasHollywood. The band kicked their machines
into action. Wood smashed and screwed a chord
and then "Memphis" and the Faces are a-rockin' and a-rollin'.
If I hadn't stayed and witnessed the following at the Hollywood
Palladium just two days later, then I would have said the Bowl was a great
Faces gig. As it turned out, it was good, but not great. Despite Rod's striding
out, and frequent slide tackles across the slipperystage. Despite Ron
Wood's punchy, raunchy, slashed guitar, it lacked energy. It was enjoyable,
but it didn't grab your neck and twist it for90 minutes. Instead, there weretimes you found yourself not watching the stage, even maybe talking.
But it was enjoyable, and it was fun. The lads have got their own bar onstage now, stacked high with Blue Nun, and other sprightly nips, andmanned by a smartly decked -out barman.At frequent intervals the band
would amble up to the bar, while Wood screwed out a break, or Rod got"You do 'afta

make it inAmerica, you
know. You
really do"into some dramatic parts. *HISTORY OF ROCK 1972 1 123

Despite what was lacking musically- the crowd were eating it right
There's only one way to get Rod back in the land of the living- football.
up. "Come on down from there, come and get round the stage," shouted
It seemed bizarre nailing along the boulevard in LA, sat in the back ofout Rod. They did just that- a bad move because the security boys
a tasty limo, passing the flashiest scenes on Earth, and talking about
pounced -and when they pounce inAmerica, they pounce like animals.
Old Trafford, Denis, the Baseball Ground, and the true art of selling
So there was much shoving and pursuing through "Miss Judy's Farm"a dummy. Bizarre.
and "Maggie May", Stewart sprawled across the stage, or getting up andAs soon as we got to the Palladium you could smell booze, and sweat. It
dashing around the whole stage area like Denis Lawwith a loose ball in
was about 100 degrees inside, and rising. Stewart was feeling better, but
his eyes.
still wanted to be sick.
When theyfinished, a roar filled the air, and they came back for two
He needn't have worried one bit. Theywere so darned good theywere
encores. A beautiful achievement for the Bowl- but something had been
illegal that night. Fora start, it was an ideal gig. It was like a largerversion
lacking. There had been this emptiness.
of a Locarno ballroom, and was stacked to the roof with kids. "If they ain't
Now the Faces are known to like one helluva partyand that was the planfeelin' good on 1,500 bottles of champagne then we're off home," said Rod.
for Sunday.A tricky plan, and the boys were warned about it.
The place pressed on you. It drew a
I mean, theywere going to get the crowd boozed on punch andriver of sweat from underyour armpits.
champagne before the gig, and they had taken full responsibility
The audience was pressed right up
for anything that happened. It was an extremelynervous Rod
against the stage, right under the chins
Stewart travelling in the limo to that gig.
of the band, and wailing like hell for"I think I'm gonna be sick. I've never been so nervous, I'm allmusic. It came from the very opening
Iltrry knet %wet lane kw PFloyan
Iliarnorhere and there."patterns of "MALI Over Now," loud andROCK .1 1101.1 CIRCUS SUnttf R TOUR 72
so brash, and glorywas it swinging.
Bodfinger
Theyjust hit a swing, something that
got your whole body jigging, andkicking. Oh, what slang and swearing it
was- and yet it was goodtime. There's
a line between something beingvicious
and menacing, and vicious and fun.
The Faces -on this night -had all thepressure, all the evil you wanted, andyet the final product brought a smile toyour lips, and not a sneer.
Everyone knew it was reallyworking.
There was Ron Wood playing someThursday 6th July
extraordinaryguitar. It's amazing how
War Memoriol
Wood has developed a style that's
SYRACUSE N VW YORK
totallyhis. His bottleneck solos area joy
to behold, hot rashes of metal scraping
and rutting away, a fag burning twixt
his teeth, his legs striding a busy pattern
across the stage. Then there's Lane, asweatmark covering the whole of his back,chugging away, while McLagan and Jones
shift and rip it up. "Miss Judy" bit hard, while
there was no stopping "Memphis."
Stewart in a yellow spangled whistle, threw
his head back and smiled, then walked to theback of the stage, leaving the band playing at
this utterly uncanny pace.
"These four guys are my life," he said,
picking out the backbeat with his arm andshaking his head. "Can you feel that?"
Feel it? You'd have had to be made out ofbricks not to have felt the swagger going about
on there. The audience was out of its head, thestage was out of its head, and the backstage
people were wearing out shoe leather by theinch. Even the Faces' bar looked like runninglow, the Blue Nuns being raped in quick
succession as the heat began to swell.
"You know, man, the Stones died a deathhere the other month," said a guy backstage.
Stewart was back on stage on his knees
delivering "Maggie" in a voice that looked fit
to shatter his throat. Then he was up, his arms
around Lane. "Twistin' The NightAway" and"FeelAlright" were the killing encore blows;
it was a wonder anyone was left standing. It
was complete and utter enjoyment. The
October 79.1972:
the Facesintheir
Faces' own party and there hadn't been a spot
dressing room beforeof trouble. What a beautiful band this is.
the Wembley Festival
Of Music at the"And we're tired out," Ronnie had said
Empire Pookwhere
earlier. "We've got to layoff after this tour they top the bill after
the Pink Fairiesandlay off until we're bored. Then come back andthe New York Dolls
boogie."RoyHollingworth
124 I HISTORY OF ROCK 1972

Indeed, every

song tells a story
NME JULY 22 ices aside, Rod
Stewart's latest solo album, his
fourth, gets a rave review.
Rod Stewart
MomentMERCURY

As a cursory listen to any of Rod Stewart's
solo albums will reveal, there are many
aspects of his music which are simply shutout of his work with the Faces. NeverA Dull
Moment is a lovingly crafted work which
concentrates on Stewart's sensitivity as
an arranger and as an interpreter ofintensely varied material both fromhis pen and from the pens of others.
When listening tothe Faces, it's
all too easy to forget that Rod
Stewart has one of the mostexpressive voices that any of us
will ever hear. The thunderous
rhythm -and -booze that the Faces
produce seems to limit Rod to theraucous and demonstrative aspectsof his style, and thus, I fear, does him
a severe artistic disservice.
The Faces have never produced music withthe depth of feeling and range exhibited on
An Old Raincoat Will Never Let You Down,
Gasoline Alley, Every Picture Tells A Storyand now NeverA Dull Moment. The dilemmais this: on his solo albums Stewart can takesongs as differentiated as "Street Fighting
Man", "Man Of Constant Sorrow" and"Handbags And Gladrags" and show us
what these songs have in common, while
simultaneously respecting the individual
identity of each song, whereas with theFaces, every song ends up sounding
uncomfortably like its predecessor. A Nod's
As GoodAs A Wink... tends to sound likeone exceptionally long Faces track, but
NeverA Dull Moment duly realises that,indeed, every song tells a story.
It features the usual Rod Steward solo
album studio band, which has with somejustification been called the best studio band
since the one Dylan assembled for Highway &Revisited and Blonde On Blonde.
Exact track -by -track details are notavailable as I write, because my copy arrived
without a sleeve, but somewhere in there
are Ron Wood (lead and slide guitar), MickyWaller (drums), RayJackson (mandolin),

Martin Quittenton (acoustic guitar), Speedy
Acquaye (congas), Dick Powell (violin) andsundry Faces.
None of the songs have been picked out for
single release, and none of them leaps out atthe listener as readily as "Maggie May" did,but "True Blue", written by Rod and Ron
Wood, and "You Wear It Well", written with

Martin Quittenton, seem the most instantly

appealing here.
because of the difficulty of getting the"Interludings" is a very brief
guitar leads right.
acoustic guitar instrumental written
Here Rod does a beautiful reading ofby Ron Wood's brother Arthur (who, with
Jimi's "Angel" from The Cry Of Love, andKeef Hartley and Jon Lord, had a brilliant but
effortlessly surmounts the problem byneglected mid-'aos band). Of these "Trueconcentrating on the vocal and leaving theBlue" is a typical Stewart opening cut in theguitar to play rhythm. He soars through thetradition of "Gasoline Alley" or "Bad'n'Ruin",chorus with a grace that Hendrix would havedealing with one of his perennial lyricaldug, and I hope this spurs a few more people
themes, that of the prodigal son.
on to record Jimi's songs.
"/gottaget myself back home", he moans,"I'd Rather Go Blind", the Etta James songagainst a steady descending sequencethat was a hit some while back for Chicken
blocked out by Quittenton's acoustic guitar
Shack, is one of the few recorded examples
and some driving rhythm section work.
of Rod's excellence as an interpreter of slow
"Lost Paraguayos" is anblues, others being "Blues
acoustic carouser about
Deluxe" on the Jeff Becka Mexican jail, with Rod
Group's Truth album, which
Rod does achuckling delightedly
is a variant on "Gambler's
between the lines.
Blues" that ends up as"You Wear It Well" sounds
a showcase for Becksimilar to "Maggie May", andand Nicky Hopkins, and"Italian Girls" begins with a"So Much To Say" on
Bo Diddley mumbling bass
Immediate's long -deleted
solo against the acoustic
Blues Leftovers. "Blind"
Cry Of Love
guitar before charging off
is the most moving
into the song, the melody
performance on theof which derives fromwhole album, and I'm glad
traditional sources.
that it's part of the Faces' act.
On each of his last three solo albums,
Lastly, a tribute to one of Rod's idols,
Stewart has featured an obscure Dylan
the late Sam Cooke, on "Twistin' The
song. Perhaps "Only A Hobo" from Gasoline
Night Away", an effortlessly swinging
Alley was the most successful of these, but
performance of the R&B classic, which ends
here "Mama You've Been On My Mind" isthe set with great good humour and a nicereal sweet, with Wood's pedal steel shining
solo from Wood.
in the background. But next time, Rod, could
NeverA Dull Moment? Well, almost never.
you see your way to doing one of Dylan'sThis is an album which is going to give me a lot
better songs? I'd love to hear you singof listening time over the next few months,"Positively Fourth Street".
and I'm glad it's in the house. I just wish that
For some reason, most performers fightone day the Faces will make an album thisshy of singing Jimi Hendrix songs, probably
good. Charles Shaar Murray

beautiful readingof Jimi Hendrix's"Angel" from The

HISTORY OF ROCK 1972 1125

ffatfl
NISH SABBATH

JOHN LENNON, WINGS,BLACK SABBATH, PHIL
SPECTOR AND MORE.,

Keith Moon

A___-.

... aiwill play the

drummer
MM OCT 28 Ringo Starr andother musicians act ina new rock movie.
DAVID ESSEX, WHO plays Jesus in

the hit musical Godspell,istoleave
the show to make a new rock filmwith Ringo Starr, Keith Moon, Billy
Fury and The Everly Brothers.
Called That'llBeTheDay, it has ascreenplay byEueningStandardwriter
Ray Connolly, and will be a "definitive
picture" of the storyof young people
growing up amidst the pop boom of
the '50s and '60s.
Shooting commenced this week onlocation at a holiday camp on the Isle Of
Wight, and the rest of the cast includes
actresses Rosemary Leach, Rosalind
Ayres and Kim Braden. The story
revolves around a group called Stormy
Tempest & The Typhoons. BillyFury
plays Stormyand Keith Moon will be thedrummer in his group. David Essex
plays a young boy growing up in 1958
who gets bored with school studies andopts out of society, joining up with his
friend, played byRingo. In one scene
Ringo gets beaten up by Teddy boys.
It is hoped many top rock musicians
like Pete Townshend and Jeff Beckwill
help supply music for the film, and asoundtrack album will be released tocoincide with the film's issue next
spring. That'llBeTheDayis being
directed by Claude Whatham, a top
television director, and produced byDavid Putnam, Sandford Leiberson
and Roy Baird.
ROCK 1972aFictional band The Stray
Catsin That 11Be The

Day:(I-r)Keith Moon,David Essex, Karl-fi

Howman,Paul Nicholas ;rt.,.
and Dave Edmunds

1972"We're all counting
on thisbeing a longterm thing": Brian
E no and (right)

OCTOBER -DECEMBER

Robert Fripp/

From out of an
improvised King Crimson
MM

1

66

that onesession comes... fripp &Eno, a meeting of mind. jn

costX280

for the tape.

a small studio, witlf.somd 41
nudie playingcirds...

BEFORE KING CRIMSON'S recent
appearance on the German Beat ClubTV programme, percussionist Jamie
Muir asked their roadies to go outside andcollect a large sack of leaves. Then, during theset,whileJohn Wetton was playing a quiet
bass riff, Jamie took the sack, upended it, andspilled the contents over his kit. As someone
said recently: Dada, we're all crazy now.
Jamie's kit in itself is enough to qualify the
new Crimson for a place in the surrealistic
stakes alongside Han Bennink, John Stevens
and Frank Perry. It's like nothing you have everseen before. He doesn't play it all the time,either. To say that Jamie is a "multi-"
instrumentalist is to say that he can makemusic out of anything that comes to hand.
There's his whirly-pipe, for instance: a lengthof rubber tube with a coil and a tremendous
mouth -piece, which he blows andsimultaneously whirls around his head.
Maniacal, certainly. After all, when Jamie
was with the ill-fated and underrated magic
band called Hurts, he once re -coaxed a drum,.,

solo at the Marquee by sitting on the edge ofthe stage and screaming at the audience, whofled. Believe this: if King Crimson can maketheir old fans listen to their new music,they'll
have struck a giant blow for progress. If theysucceed, it'll prove that audiences will invest in
the avant-garde,and the wax will be used forutter inspired lunatics like
Derek Bailey, Evan Parker,
Cecil Taylor.
The major part of their
German TV set was totally
improvised, just like the first
set on each of their threenights at Frankfurt's Zoom
Club, which was their first ever gig. Bob Fripp playedme the TV tapes round at
the good Captain Eno's flat in Maida Vale theother night, and it was impossible not to be
impressed with the predacious unity they've
already achieved, prior to their English tour.
Eno's studio is situated in a tiny room, notmuch bigger than a closet- it contains several
tape recorders,an amp and speakersystem, loads of leads and tape-snippings
hanging over everything, some model
aeroplanes and funny pictures, many reelsof tape, and the Captain's collection of...
uh, "connoisseur's" playing cards.

With practised ear, he manipulates Revox
and Ferrographs to bring us the sound of King
Crimson live in Bremen. Fripp's had a busy day,ending with he and violinist David Cross optingout of all the decision -making in the band, but
he's filled with enthusiasm for the music.
The tape begins,and it's obvious that thisCrimson is not for those of nervous
disposition. The five musicians positively tearinto each other,throwing ideas around likeconfetti, feeding and developing phrases withavid skill. At first, the rhythm section is whatcatches the ear. "They're the two mostferocious drummers I've ever worked with,"says Fripp, as the combined efforts of Messrs
Muir and Bruford threaten to ignite Eno's
machinery on the spot. It's hard to tell who's
playing what, except when Bill's laying downstraight funk and Jamie's embroidering it withtinkling percussive effects, but their
combined power is awesome.
"We're trying at the moment to play5 over4," says Fripp, by way of metrical explanation.
When it works, the strength of it almost tears
the band apart."
Wetton's bass guitar, too, catches the ear:his very sound is bloodthirsty and cursing, andhis inventiveness in a pointillist duet with
Fripp's guitar is astonishing. "I call it theCrimson Lurch," says Fripp.
"It catches you in the neck."
Eno, too, is impressed.
"I heard Family a while back,and I thought, 'That's myfavourite bass sound.'When I heard these tunes,
I was amazed to hear thesame sound again.Then
somebody told me it was
the same guy."
Fripp's guitar and Mellotron are, right now,
much as ever they were. Bob knows that he's
got a long way to go as a soloist- there's no
self-delusion here, and he's going to make it.
Cross is the youngest and least experienced
Crimsonite, and at the moment it's showing alittle. Lack of confidence comes through on
violin and flute more than on most instruments,
but the music on the tape attests to his protest.
"You see," says Fripp, "we're all counting on
this being a long-term thing. We're planning to"I call it theCrimson Lurch.
It catches you in
the neck"stay together for two or three years -and

David is someone I know I'll want to be playing with in
1974. You just watch."

The major portion of the13-minute TV set is the free
improvisation titled "Vista Of Operating Theatre
Under Ark -Light", and it ends with a written
composition, in comparatively recognisable Crimson
vein, called "Larks' Tongues In Aspic".
The tape really shows only one facet of the new
band. Bob hasn't played us all the songs (ie,vocals), butthere'll be plenty for fans to savour on the tour. "Don't
judge us on the very first gig. It's improving by
gargantuan leaps -and it'll never be bad, anyway,
because at its worst this band is very professional. But
the third night in Frankfurt... well, it really happened."
As the tape ends, Eno is already connecting anothermajestic treat. He pulls out a small spool, threads it
through the Revox,and explains it's something hetaped from a radio play, the voice of actressJudi
Dench speaking a single phrase. He made eight tapes of it,
at slightly differing speeds, and then re-recorded them
together. They begin together, and then gradually shootout of phase until the effect is like an aural hall of mirrors.
The phrase Miss Dench speaks is "You don't ask why",
just that, but the multi -tracking turns its meaning a
thousand different ways. This may sound like somethingfrom Pseud's Corner (or a John and Yoko test pressing), but
it's utterly mesmerising: "youyou do -don't ah-ah-ah-ah
don't a -ask whywhywhy don't ah-ask you -you -don't..."For Eno,the highlight comes when the voices come back,fora split-second, into phase. Hel also insists on inflicting
our ears with one of his "snake guitar" pieces overdubbed
by himself through his own equipment. Initial worries give
way to pleasure as his fuzzy rock'n'roll licks pour forth.
"That's my Sterling Morrison sound," he says with somesatisfaction. Fripp grunts: "I've spent months trying to getthat sound in the studio. How'd you do it?"
Eno explains,to Fripp's amazement, that he feeds theguitar straight through his tape machine -which, by all thelaws of wattage, should explode under the strain.That they
don't can be attributed more to luck than expertise. The
evening's highlight,though, is on the next spool: 20 minutesof music recorded, in Eno's room, by himself and Fripp.
The theory and practice of the music were as follows:
Fripp, on guitar, laid down a bass drone, modulating into
different tonal areas twice over the length of the tape,which Eno subjected to various forms of echo and tapedelay that I don't understand. And this produced a dense,
shifting groundswell over which Fripp then improvised
a top line -once again with electronic assistance.
The result is somewhat between Terry Riley's "Rainbow
In Curved Air" and John Martyn's longer guitar pieces which is to say that it's utterly, magically riveting.
The listener is totally absorbed as the guitar wheels,
spins, cries, bleeds, soars, turns back into itself, climaxes
and dies away. It is,without doubt, a complete triumph.
Eno's theories on tape delay were published in book formon March 6 -and five days later, 3,000 miles away, Terry
Riley published his own theories in America.They were
almost exactly the same. "What an example of creative
confluence," chuckles the Captain. "Actually, shortly
afterward I found out that John Cage had discovered thesame things years ago. But he was a creep, and anyway hedidn't know how to use it." What a joker.
This tape will, they hope, be used on Island's experimental
HELP series with another piece they're recording soon."It's
my idea of howto make an album," Eno commented. "Thatone side took 40 minutes' work and cost £2.80 for the tape.""We're hoping,"added Fripp, "to bring the album in,mastered and complete for £100." Contrast that with thefive -figure sums Crimso's own albums have cost to make.
"Also we'd like to arrange some gigs in the future withboth Roxy and Crimson, so that Eno and I can do a set
together in the middle." Richard Williams

Osmonds fansgather outside
a London Note I,
November 1972

Fan hysteria on a massive level
MM OCT 28 !nu of the three biggest US pop stars, The
OCIURJUI I a and The Osmonds, are set to arrive in Britain.
THE BIG SCREAM is on its way back to Britain - and the biggest scream of allis due to fill the skies around London's HeathrowAirport this Sunday
morning when The Jackson 5 and The Osmond Brothers touch down within
hours of each other. It's doubtful whether Heathrow will have played host to
such a fan gathering since the days when The Beatles returned triumphant fromtheir American tours. For accompanying the Jacksons and Osmonds is thebiggest wave of fan worship since Beatlemania.
First to arrive are The Jackson 5. Their plane, Pan Am Flight Number 106, is due
to arrive at Terminal3 at 7.20am. The Osmonds arrive at Terminal3 at 10.30am.
Arrangements have been made forThe Osmonds to drive in front of Terminal2.
Together with David Cassidy, the Jacksons and the Osmonds make up a trio of
American acts that have brought back fan hysteria on a massive level. Record sales
for The Osmonds alone are toppling records set by The Beatles at the height of
their touring days. In Britain alone, The Jackson 5 have sold two million singles
and 100,000 albums for Tamla Motown in two years, counting recordings by thegroup and lead singer Michael Jackson.
First -to -arrive Jacksons will spend the Sundayat rehearsals forthe Royal Variety
Performance at the London Palladium, which takes place the next day. Following
concerts on the Continent, the group playtwo shows at Birmingham Odeon on
November9, Belle Vue, Manchester (10), Liverpool Empire... two shows (11) andtheywind up with a massive concert at the Wembley Empire Pool on November 12.
Osmonds will be driven from the airport to their central London hotel for anafternoon press reception. Theywill play concerts at London's Rainbow Theatre(November 4), Manchester Free Trade Hall (6) and Birmingham Town Hall (7). All
the concerts have sold out. Concerts follow in France, Germany and Scandinavia.

"Nothing to do withdrugs

MM DEC 2 lie new wings single gets,dnneu - this time for "sexy" content.

PAUL MCCARTNEY - WHOSE "Give Ireland Back To The Irish" wasbanned by the BBC last February- has again fallen foul of the Beeb. His
latest single, out tomorrow (Friday), has been banned by Radios One andTwo. Title of the piece,written by Paul and his wife Linda, is "Hi, Hi, Hi", by Wings.
BBC publicity officer Rodney Collins told the MM: "The ban has nothing to dowith drugs. We thought the record unfit forbroadcasting because of the lyric. Part of it goes:`I want you to lie on the bed and get you ready for mybody, gon' do it, do it, do it to you'.
"Another part goes: "Like a rabbit I'm going to
grab it and do it till the night is done'.""Hi, Hi, Hi" was broadcast by Tony Blackburnonce last week, but this was a "mistake", say
the BBC.

1972

OCTOBER -DECEMBER"Rock
releasesstress"RUCK SABBA1

have

returned from theUSA. They leave behind-delighted crowds
but at what cost tothemselves? "We were

MELODY MAKER OCTOBER 14 _BLACK SABBATH HAVE always had a hard

time. Does anyone really take them
seriously? Their music is loud, often
lacking in finesse. But it carries an honestythat few bands have today. It has power and while an awful lot of people are readyto laugh at the music's monotony, there is a hard following
in Britain and enough people digging them in the States tomake their smallest gigs 5,000 -people events.
Ignoring critics, Sabbath have quietly sneaked off andrecorded a fine rocking album with depth and shades ofjust four ordinary
losers," says Ozzy
Osbourne. "We signed
and it all happened..."sophistication. Made at the Record Plant in Los Angeles,
BlackSabbath Vol4 is coming of age, a new-found maturity
and freedom.
But America has taken its toll on the band. Tony lommi isill, and Ozzy Osbourne's complexion shows that somesunshine wouldn't do him any harm. They still carryon,
and although future long tours of the States are out, in theimmediate future they find themselves in the almost
impossible situation of working stateside for three weeks,with two weeks at home in Birmingham before going backagain for another three-week stint.
Last week Osbourne looked half-dead. Lack of sleep andjet lag had drained his energy. But he talked excitedly about
the band, bigvenues, drugs, America and their latest LP...

I
iS

130 I HISTORY OF ROCK 1972

Do you feel your music has fallen into an accepted
pattern? I don't know, but a lot of people have told me that
we've got our own thing, our own sound. I don't reallyknow myself, because of the next thing. The actual mythand feel of the music is somethingyou're not really awareof when you're so close to it. When we sang "Paranoid" we
didn't plan it. We don't plan things, we just do them. We )0

-5

^...,
a

aim
March22,1972:
B lack Sabbathonstage at Cobo

Arena, Detroit,
Michigan1972
OCTOBER -DECEMBER

didn't feel that a lot of people felt like us, but evidently a lot of other people
did feel what we were writing about.
I think that was one of the main things why it sold, because at the time
there was a lot of shit around with all this violence, which is still around.
It's got way out of proportion now, but at one time it was something thatwas just filtering through and getting at people's nervous systems. We
didn't think, "We're masters of the world; we knowwhat everybody's
thinking." We just wrote something.
It was mainly Geezer, who is a very intense person, in as much as writing
goes. He's the main lyricist. I have done a few things; I wrote the lyrics to"Black Sabbath" and a few of the others, but he's the man. He comes up
with some reallygood things. I mean sometimes I feel, "God what's in his
head?" One of the tracks on this new album really freaks me out even now- "Cornucopia". Listen to the lyrics on that. The lyrics on the last verse go,"Takea life, it's goingcheap I Kill someone, no one will weep' Freedom's
yours, just payyourduesIWejust wantyour soul to use".

Is that becauseofAmerica? Now I feel the band is getting veryinfluenced
by theAmerican trip. You knowwe were thinking of calling this album"Snowblind", but it was very heavy because they said it was to do withcocaine and drugs. We get criticised about drug influences, but if people
really get into the lyrics it's an anti -drug thing. Whether we've used it ornight and there wasn't one thing good. Everythingtheyspoke about was abomb. Bomb on a plane, bomb in Belfast, bomb in somebodyelse's boot.
The biggest tragedy of all time must have been the Olympic Games.
Theyeven had to mix a thing like sport where a man physically competes
with another and race doesn't matter. For two weeks people forget about
colour and religion and they just compete as human beings. And thensome people have to go and do something like that just for politics. The
thing you ought to see is pollution inAmerica. It's terrible. People arewalking around looking up in the air, shivering, scared. As if one day thisbig black hand is going to come out of the sky and choke them.
Your music's a reaction to that? Well, America is the most satanic
country in the world. They do anything for a dollar. If you've got a dollar
you're in; ifyou haven't you're out. You're not human over there, you're
just another punch card in a computer. It's never heard of to say thankyou. "Give me a cup of coffee, me, me, me; feed me... him..."It's funny, because I've been everywhere and this country is the sanest
country out of all of them. I look at my little house in the country here andI think I've bought myself a little piece of heaven on Earth with my kids
and animals. I don't want to be a neurotic old man at 85 coughing up soot.

not, I'm not obliged to say, but what we've seen of it is terrible. It's likepeople are living in nightmares, and anybodywho goes into it ends up
like that. Over there when theygo in for something... "Get stoned, forget itman." It's like drinking half a shandy to them, getting stoned. They reallygo overboard; it's a wonder that half of them don't take a coffin to a gig.

Doesn't rock contribute to pollution with its sheer volume? No, rock isthe best sedative in the world. It releases the stress, the anxiety and thehang-ups. If I go onto a stage and there are 20,000 people out there or evenone, and if they're digging it and having a good time getting high on theevening and the event, and they're forgettingwhat's going to happen in
the morning when they clock on again, I think I've achieved something

Do you never feel that is the realityof dope? I don't think so; I was having
an argument the other week in a pub near where I live. This old bloke wassaying, "This pop star, he's the cause of all this drug abuse." I said, "OK,but who gave him the drugs, and who gave the bloke before him drugs?"
We don't go on stage like freaks; we go on to play music. If you're freaked
you can't play. I've tried it; you just can't get it together. You think you're
playing great, and then you start losing it and, man, it all falls down. I just
don't touch it anymore. I think as soon as the world... although it's toolate now, but if the world gets it together then the kids will do the same.
This world -I don't know. I've sat and thought to myself, "Look how long
theworld's been here, and man, now they've found awayofdestroyingthe
world byjust pushing a button and theycan wipeout the whole thing." Attimes I don't think it would be a bad idea. I was looking at the news the otherDo you never feel like ajukebox playing the same tunes all the time?
Yeah, you feel like that sometimes. Plug a dime in and he'll sing all night.
It's such a drag sometimes. Like two days before we went away on the last
trip ! caught this bug and it just turned me off. Second number of the firstshow my throat just turned off and I was dead. I had to walk offstage. I
couldn't goon. You try to tell a crowd of people that you can't go on.
We go mad now, we do what they call bops. Three weeks in the States,
two weeks home, three weeks in the States, two weeks home. I haven't
slept since we got back. I got back Sunday, I went to bed on Thursdaynight, didn't sleep Friday night, didn't sleep Saturday night, didn't sleep
Sunday night. It's like you're sitting down and bangyou're asleep for twohours and then wide awake all night taking the dogs for long walks at fivein the morning through the haze.

Black Sabbath in 1972:(I -r) Geezer Butler,
Tony lommi, Bill Wardand Ozzy Osbourne

BLACK SABBATH

temenevee
diGainAny plans fordoing asolo album? I've been
thin king about it, but I'm very limited because
I can't play an instrument. I think I'm going to geta Moog and learn to playit, not just instrumental
work, but doing a solo album using a Moog on it.
Getting some different people to work on it, too. If
I used the people I workwith now it would just be
anotherversion of Black Sabbath.

Would you like to usestrings, likeon "Changes"
from the new album?Yeah, it gets pretty boringfor us after a time. We play everything on record

a 5,000 -watt PA at the Albert Hall. The people in thefirst eight rows had their hair blown out. And they

wondered why people were running out holding theirheads, with screwed -up pained faces.

"The wholething justthat we do on stage. It's good for our ears as wellas other people. We like our own music betterif
we can experiment on albums. That's whyTony
likes to playa little acoustic guitarin the studio.
Actually, I thinkTony is one of the most talented
guys I've ever met. None of us have ever been tomusic college, and if someone put music in frontof me now, well! couldn't even read English
writing, let alone music writing. But Tonyhas
this natural ability. He'd never played piano
before, never before, and yet he sat down and got "Changes" together at
the piano after a day.
Geezer has almost got all the things written foran album and recorded
a lot of it at home on his little Revox. If he gets the time he'll be doing one.
He's got everythingworked out, what he wants to call the album andeverything. His album will be reallysomething if he does get it together.
I've heard one thing he's got together and that was beautiful. I've got tohear him sing as well. Geezer's an interesting guy in that he thought of theblooms intoa beautiful
energy trip""Paranoid" trip and everything.
Do you ever feel unreal, caught up in the "downer" myth? No, not really,
but it's strange, I never realised the strength of Black Sabbath. Although
I'm beginning to understand it a bit more now. I understand more about
the first Black Sabbath album now than! did at the time, because you
have to understand the fact that we were just four ordinarylosers. We justbummed around in an old Transit van, doing it anywhere, playing at Irish
workingmen's clubs, anything just to get a gig, just to playto people. Then
this cigar came walking in the room one dayand said, "Sign here." And we
signed there and it all happened.

There's always a lot ofenergyat Black Sabbathconcerts. Right, it's goodenergy. I feel when we do a concert there's so much energycoming off thepeople if it's happening. Sometimes it doesn't happen, but you can't
expect to do it everynight. But when it does, it reallycomes over good. The
whole thing comes up to a thing that just blooms into a beautiful energy
trip. I'm sure we moved theAlbert Hall three foot last time we played
there. I don't like going to these concerts where the band tries to baffle youwith science. Hop onto a Moog, play 35 violins, it's just nowhere forme.
The onlyband that can do that for me is Yes. Rick Wakeman, theorganist, is the best in the world as far as a keyboard player goes. I rate him
a lot higherthan Emerson -it's been done before -jumping on to organs
with knives. On stage that band is perfect, fora singer Anderson has sucha great idea at arranging. It's so perfect.
Youstill get nervous before you go on stage? If it's a big gig, before! go onthat stage! have a couple of hefts of scotch, and sweat... my hands melt!
But as soon as they go "Black Sabbath" I walk on that stage and it justdisappears. The lastAlbert Hall gig I was so ill. I could feel this thing
coming through the walls. I was feeling, "I've got to go out there into the
big lion pit." As soon as you're on stage you just open up. But I'll tell you:
if som ething goes wrongwith the equipment on that first number, I'm
finished, but once the first number's over, it's cool.

Does thevolume you use ever affect your hearing on stage? No, I'm rightin the centre of the stage. You see the speaker fans out and it doesn't hit me
so much as it would the people at the back of the hall. The people at thefront of the hall are better off, actually. I'd saywe use volume effectively,
like we use a guitar.
Have you ever seen Grand Funk? Now that's volume. They say in
America that we are louderthan Grand Funk. I'll tell you, if the world
ended it would not be that loud! When they came overhere theyused

Youget to apoint wherevolume ceases to becreative. Of course. And that loud it's painful,and it's not getting anywhere. It's just noise.
There's no co-ordination with their music,
there's not even a nice flowing riff, and it's
just a great noise. If that guychanges a chord
once, he's doing a good run. You can say
we're monotonous, but we do have thecommon sense to write a little bit morevariation in the trip.
Yes are so big inAmerica. You thinkThe
Beatles were big. We did a gigwith them at theForum, two nights there, and that holds 20,000

people and theypacked the place both nights.
Man, you could fit theAlbert Hall into thedressing room of the Forum. The size of thoseplaces -you don't get applause at once, it comesin waves from the back of the hall.

Can youcommunicate to that amount of people? No, I just have to throw
myself at them. I just use a bit more energy and a bit more sanity. The
amplification thing overthere is amazing... perhaps that's whywe'regetting a bit too loud for this country, because we've got used to playing toa great mass of people. The smallest crowd I've played to indoors is 25,000
people. On this last tour we went to this open-air festival on LabourDay,
which is a big holidaything. This guy didn't expect what he got. There
were half a million people there; we couldn't get to the gig because for10 miles along the freeway there were abandoned cars. There were cars
turned over in the river. It was like someone had said you've got 10
seconds to get out of the city before it's destroyed.
The guy couldn't believe it, man. He expected 80,000 people!There was,like, three toilets forhalf a million people! It was terrible; theywere sellingthem aspirins to get them stoned. That's what ! hate about festivals, thedope trip. Bad news. If you're going to sell something to people, sell themsomething good.

The newalbum sounds as ifyouspent a lot more time and effort on it.
This is our first album. OUR first album; in the past we've been limited
time -wise, money -wise, this expense thing. If you can afford to put aband in the studio, you can afford to wait. That's why there is so much bad
stuff coming out. If everyone was to do a good job on an album there'd beso much more good music around. I pickup an album sometimes and it's
so bad. An album is a completely different thing to a show. You can't see
me boning around, you can't see Tony's fingers working.
We started recording this album before last Christmas. We've spent a lotof time and a lot of money on it. We took four or five all-night sessions on
one track, "Under The Sun", because we didn't feel it was right. In the end
we got it right. That's reallywhat we wanted to do before.
Master OfRealitywe recorded in fourdays. The first album we recorded
in Regent Sound, on an eight -track machine, in two days from 10 in themorning till six. It was good for the time and expense that went into it.
That whole album must have cost £600. It's the people you neversee whoare behind it all. The Blue Meanies.
This album is just the four of us plus Colin Caldwell -and PatrickMeehan. We had so much fun.

Why cut in LosAngeles?At the Record Plant? What a studio for depth andbass! You'll notice that the volume of this album is a lot higher than theother, and the crispness is so much better.
This album is a complete new step as far as we are concerned, because
now it's a new era for Black Sabbath. We're no longer going to use a
producer. We experimented a lot on this album. It was like a partywith
people around at the studio. As faras producers go, no disrespect toRodger Bain or anything, but we just felt that we couldn't communicate
with him in the end. I don't knowwhether he's got an ego trip that he had
made us or something. I think a producer has to be with a band 24 hours aday, otherwise you can't communicate with them. It shows on this album
that we enjoyed ourselves. The energy level is there. MarkPlummer
HISTORY OF ROCK 1972 1 133

1972

OCTOBER -DECEMBER

1

I

.
I

John LennonandYokoOno
atone of two charity concerts
they organised for NYC's
Willowbrook School forchildren with menta I
disabilities, Madison Square
Garden,August30,1972

134 I HISTORY OF ROCK 1972

I

"People say
I'm selfindulgent"
JOHN LENNON returns to live rock'n'roll. Inevitably, it all
reminds him of The Beatles and the iniquities of fame. How
best to use his influence? And his money? "Believe it or not,people would be happier if you took the bread and ran..."2046EPTEMBER 30`C-

014DISON SQUARE Gardengig", says John Lennon, nostalgia
in his eyes, and his hand stretchedforward holding a welcoming beer,"was the best music I enjoyed playing
since the Cavern or even Hamburg."
It's 1.30am as we slip into the vacafft bedroom to talk andescape the congestion of theentire population of Greenwich
Village noisilysetting up its rock hardware in the living roomnext door. Thescene is the Lennons' spiffy m id -town hotel
suite,30 floors up from the hot sweat ofNew York's 7th Avenue
and only mugging distance from Times Square. Down on thestreet the shrill scream of a speeding police car punctures

theconversation.
I have been trying to see him for more then a week and heknows it, apologising as he digs deep into a crumbled packet ofcigarettes as he sits on the si ngle bed with Yoko at his side.
"Man," says Lennon, continuing the theme, "I really enjoyedthat Madison gig." He peers at me like a contented owl frombehind the familiar tinted National f 1th shades perchedatop the bridge of his nose. "I mean, y were there. You could
see I was on the trip alright. It was just e same kinda feelingwhen The Beatles used to really get into it.
"Funnilyenough, I tend to remember the times before The
Beatles happened most of all.Like in Hamburg we used to do
1 this... at the Cavern we used to do that... in the ballrooms theother. In those days we weren't just doing an entertaining thing »

11

HIS

RY OF ROCK 1

1972

OCTOBER-DECEMBER

or whatever the hell it was we were supposed to be. That was when we
played music. That's what! enjoyand remember best about those days.
"That's the same feelingwe got at Madison Square Garden with
Elephant's Memory" -Yoko nods in full agreement -"and you know
they're such a good band. Stan Bronstein, their tenor sax player, is a realrare one. Perhaps the best since King Curtis, that's what I say."
Having been at the Lennon concert, I more than go along with him in
regarding it as an event neverto be forgotten. As the minutes ticked into
the first hour of a new day, I had seen Lennon push a thickwad of gum
hard into his cheek and grind out a boogie rhythm on his Les Paul Gibson
as he screamed, "New York City... Que pasa, New York? Que pasa, New
York", before a demonstrative crowd of well over 20,000 Manhattans plus
a few mad dogs and visiting Englishmen. It was magnetic.

The response that night from the animated multitude stompin' madlyon their $15 seats had been deafening, and the stream of gut -level licks
coming from the stage substantiated all that we felt. Here, for the firsttime since the fragmentation of The Beatles,
John Lennon finally got back to where he once

belonged... rockin' and rollin'...pushing his
powerful lungs to their limits and then beyond,accompanied by one of the raunchiest punk
street bands! had ever heard. When he sat at the
piano to sing"Imagine" it was to perfection, andonlyone of the complications. We just wan n a play, but at the moment
it's just a hassle. Paul's trying it on one, and it might be working for him.
He's got his band together and he's just hitting the road and appearing
wherever he can.
"The wayYoko and I were doing it was at the Lyceum, in Toronto, andwith FrankZappa at the Fillmore- until we got together with Elephant's
Memory. All we're trying to do is just playwithout it developing into someweird scene. But it's almost impossible, if you do it a lot."He pauses, looks at Yoko, smiles, and ponders on his last words. "I don't
know," he says again, "if we're prepared to do it a lot." He continues,
directing the statement at Yoko. She stays silent.
"It's not because we're bothered about losing the buzz, but you know
you get involved with such hassles as who's making T-shirts and who's got
these rights; unions, cameras; and before you realise what's happening it
soon becomes bigger than both of us. Either that or it's 'forget about thehassle'. But if we do then you get a lot of people ripping a lot of other people
off. At one time Yoko and I thought about goingover to Ireland to do something, but until we've"The only way
I can describe
it is that Yoko
was like anacid trip"

the silence had a magic of its own as the slow
chugging intro of "Come Together" slid out of
the giant bank of speakers.
The motivation behind this Lennon emotion packed official reunion with the public,
followed a TV expose by New York's celebrity
newscaster Gerald° Rivera, on the squalid
conditions suffered by the mentally retarded
children of the upstate Willowbrook Institution.
In the wake of a violent public outcry, John and Yoko, in collaboration
with NewYork's MayorJohnVLindsay, had proclaimed August 30
a fundraising day and theywere personally responsible for raising$350,000 to help alleviate the children's plight.
Mymental flashback to the concert passes and Lennon opens a new
pack of cigarettes and explains, "There were all sorts of plans to do a world
tour, and then the US immigration thing started, so that had to be shelved.
Even with the Madison Square Garden gig, though, I can't begin to tell
you the weird things that went on before it. Touring is going to be a big
problem. It wouldn't be so bad if we could do a tour and not take home apacket of moneywhich onlybecomes a tax problem, and God only knows
what else. The perfect solution would be to do it so that we only cover
costs. But then what you do, when do you do it, and who do you do it for?
"In my position it's harder to do something that doesn't earn a couple of
5 million than it is to actuallygo out with the intention of earning it. Believe
it or not, people would seem to be happier
if you took the bread and ran. And that's

cleared up this immigration thingwe can't
leaveAmerica. We're kind of trapped. It mightprove difficult forus to re-enter the country. It
depends which way the wind is blowing.
"On the Sometime In New York Cityalbum theroyalties of 'SundayBloodySunday' and 'The
Luck Of
Irish' are supposed to go to the civilrights movement in both Ireland and New York.
Angela [Davis'] money is towards whatever
she's struggling for, and some more is for the
Attica dependents. Whether we can get it out of
the 'system' or not is another thing, but we'regonna try. In the end it gets down to whatsomebodyin our position can do to help others."
He admits he can fullyunderstand the reasons why others refuse.
"You see, I was in there. When you're a child you're surrounded byrelatives, and most of us seem to get ourselves in the position where wecreate a whole new set of relatives... like friends and advisers, however
well-meaning. Suddenlyyou get in a position where you get so muchmoney -and if you're like us you're aware there's a lot of people come out
with more. So you go through the whole bit- 'Why did they get more thanus? Didn't we do the work? Didn't we write the songs and record them?
"It's the people- whoeverthey may be -who stayaround the fringe ofthe artist who create a situation where the artist is always in fearof being
hit, like MickeyRooney, by the taxman. Either that, oryou spend so muchbecause you're living a life in which you don't even think about it.
"So there you are, living in a limbo where you're constantlyworried thatyou might end up owing- orthat someone will come along and take away
whateveryou have left. The people who get into that position are insecure
anyway, like me. They get you up there. You collect it, 'cos you're insecure
enough to want to do it. You do it. Then you become surrounded, andscared of it being taken awayfrom you.
I

"So what do you do? You find you're goinground in circles forthe rest ofyourlife." Roy Carr

- NME OCTOBER 7 CC

HE BEATLES HAD a standard tolive up to," admits John Lennon,
lighting up yet another four -inchlink in an endless chain of batteredcigarettes. "And for that reason, when The
Beatles went into the studio, they had to3"Untilwe'veclearedup
thisimmigrationthing...
we'rekindof trapped":
JohnandYokoin
Manhattan.Au ustIg72

stay in for at least six months. Today, I justcouldn't stand to be locked up in a studiofor that length of time."
Lennon's reason is as simple as it is short:"I don't want a standard to live up to.""You know," he tells me that muggy nightin NewYork, "when the Beatles cartoonscome on the TVeverySunday, I still get a kickoutta watching them... It's just like leaving
home -after that you automatically get on
with your parents."

JOHN LENNONLENNONI bring us back to the present and ask:
How much has Yoko influenced John,and how much has John influenced
Yoko?Lennon displays obvious pleasure
at the subject. "She," he begins with anaffectionate smile at Yoko, "changed mylife completely. Not just physically...
the onlyway I can describe it is that Yoko
was like an acid trip or the first time you
got drunk. It was that big a change, andthat's just about it. I can't really describe
it to this day."
I put it to them that an example would

John was always with boys who were
working together and therefore in directcompetition. That was his situation. I was
far more isolated."
She pauses and Lennon takes over theconversation: "It just came to me -for thetwo of us it was a question of mutualadjustment, with all the joys andpleasures of marriage on an artistic andmusical level. However, it's not just themusic, or our lifestyle, or where we'reliving. The whole change is happening inthe space between us.
be appreciated and theyboth choose"Yoko coined a phrase. 'Rock Square'...
their new album, Sometime In New Yorkand I was definitely in that box. I would
City, as an illustration. Again, it's John
never have admitted it while it wasW
who leads off: "Ifyoureallywanna know,
enif A 11 V
happening, but nevertheless, it was going
Yoko writes all her own chords andon. What happens is that you suddenly
music completely. If I can get in a riff or
become exactlywhat you didn't like aboutsomething, then I'm lucky.A lot of people
other forms of music, be it jazz or classical
don't know this, but Yoko was classicallyor whatever, and then you have to admitLIVE IN CONCEPTCOWF TilfT
PP
trained from the age of four, and that, asthat it should really be like this or that.
you know, has its rewards and its
Now, when someone comes along anddisadvantages, in the same wayof any
says 'no', it can be whateveryou want it totraining. It's always hard to hit upon specific details, but for instance, thebe. That's a verybig change to go through. But afteryou experience it,idea fora songlike "Imagine" came out ofYoko's influence regardless ofthen you loosen. You feel free to do whatever you want."
what the format of that songwas. Half the way I'm thinking, musically,
The facts behind Lennon's candour reveal that at the dizziest heights ofphilosophically and every other way is her influence both as a woman and
Beatlemania he lost contact with reality. "That happened many times,
an artist. Her influence is so overwhelming that it was big enough not only
but then a lot of other people go the same way. Just being, quote, 'A Star', orforme to change my life with The Beatles, but also my private life, which
whateverit was that happened, made it a little more unreal. So perhaps
has nothing to do with how sexuallyattractive we are to each other."the periods lasted just a little bit longer.
For Lennon it's time for anothercigarette, forYoko a chance to offer"Look, a working guywill get lost for a weekend, get pissed, and forget
her observations.
who he is or dream that he's so-and-so in his car. Well, it was just the same
"Naturally, my life also changed. Mainlywhat we give each other iswith us. But instead of getting blotto for a weekend, we got blotto for twoenergy, because we're both energetic people and when we're in themonths, trying to forget whatever it is that everybody tries to forget all thecompany of other people who we might feel are less energetic, then wetime. Instead of worrying about who is gonna pay the milkman, we
have to give more. For instance, ifwe're on stage and John is reading aworried who was gonna paywhatever it was we'd gone out and spent.
song really good, and I have to come after him, then that means that I've
"I think that around the time of Help!! began to wonder what the hell
got to do myvery best. So then I do a screaming piece orsomething, andwas happening, because things were definitely starting to get veryweird
then John does a screaming piece after that, and then he has to stop me.
by then. But then, I can only judge it byA Hard Day's Night. At that time, weThat's preciselywhat was happening during our concert at Madison
still had one foot in the backyard."
Square Garden. Many of our close friends noticed we were really sparking
With Marc Bolan today attempting toXerox the kind of hysteria
off each other."amongst Britannia's children that John, Paul, George and Ringo patented
John interjects with his own interpretation: "I mean, I got up from thea generation earlier, I further enquire if Lennon bleeds in sympathy for
piano in one number, and Jeezus, it was like following an act ortoday's teenyboppers.
"I dunno if I feel sorryfor these people or not. But I do think about it.
something. Phew, it was just the same as competing in the Olympics
when you've really got to boxyour best. It was reallyweird."
The first thing that strikes me is the things these stars say in the musical
Suddenly Lennon stops talking, leans over, and with a teasing growl,
papers changes so often. Yerknowwhat I mean: like when they keep onroars into Yoko's right ear, "Go on, luv, tell him howl influenced yer."saying, 'We're the greatest.' I mean, when I read about Dave Bowie
She laughs nervously, tries to ignore his request. "The thing is..." Butbitchin' with Marc Bolan, who is bitchin' with Fred Astaire... Actually, it's
she can't complete the sentence as she breaks up in a fit of laughter.
a bit of a laugh when you're not doing it yourself.
"Alright," she concedes.
"I imagine it's all down to the fact of the biggeryou become, the more"That was the question, remember," says John in an effort to redirect her
insecure you feel. I'd like to think that people could learn from thetrain of thought.
mistakes others have made. But they don't. It's like you can't tell anybody"OK then, I'll answer it. It's obvious, I think, that these days my songs arenothing, ever. I can't learn myself from other people's mistakes. There's
all rock..."nobody I can think of, where he did that, and that's where he goofed. You"And what were they before?" intrudes Lennon, temporarily taking overcan sing about it, because that's your own experience, but you can't
the role of interviewer.
expect anyone to think along the lines, 'Oh, so they did that and that
"Well, I was mainly doing myvoice experiments. You know, screaming
happened, so we won't do that.' You can't do it. It never works."
and all that, but then I got very interested in the rock beat, because it is likeSelf-indulgent is a put-down constantly aimed at John Lennon, and his
the heartbeat. It's verybasic and a very healthy thing. Most music, other
reply to such criticism is explicit.
than rock, went away from that healthy direction and into perversion.
"When people say I'm self-indulgent, it's only because I'm not doing
That's the wayl feel about it."what theywant me to do. Simply because they're stillhung up on my past.
John: "Just virtuosity."
If you've noticed, when theysay such things, they don't usually refer to
Yoko: "Actually, I think the most obvious change has been on my side,
the music. Actually, I got it down the other day. People talk about not what
which is that my musical style changed. Whereas John is virtually
you do, but howyou do it, which is like discussing howyou dress or if yoursticking to what he's always done. But I adopted rock."hair is long or short. They can saywhat theywant, but the artist knows
Yoko's last four words prompt Lennon to enthuse "Yeah... yeah" priorbest, anyway. And when you work at such an energylevel, like Yoko andto proudly pointing out to his wife: "But ! did that Cambridge thingwith
me, then you're doomed to be heavily criticised."you. Nowwasn't that an adaptation?"
The cigarettes have run out, so has the tape, and we've talked ourselves
Yoko, unperturbed: "Rock is a whole new field forme and I get inspired
dry. I have a plane to catch at noon and the Lennons have a live TVshow to
so much that ! find that now a lot of songs are coming out of me. Also, I
rehearse. New York City... New York City._ Que pasa, New York. Que pasa,
think I was getting to a point where! didn't have too much competition.
NewYork. Que pasa, John and Yoko? RoyCarr

DACE TO ONEI NEW YORK CITYHISTORY OF ROCK 1972 1 137

0
411a

Phil Spector (right) withsinger Darlene Love andarranger Jack Nitzsche
recording A Christmas
Gift To You at LA's Gold
Star Studios in 1963-

ALBUMS -REVIEW"It never snowsin California"
White Christmas' stuff. I mean, everyyearthey
have to revive Irving Berlin and tell him, 'It's
Christmas -time again, Irving.' He must be 180
years old by now."
Spector's nowwaiting excitedlyfor a call fromSpector took silly songs like "FrostyThe
Ali himself. "He's my friend," says Spector.Ali
Snowman", "I Saw MommyKissing Santaand Phil -both winners, both stripped of their
Claus", "Rudolph The Red -Nosed Reindeer",titles through jealousy and resentment for the"The Bells Of St Mary's" and "Parade Of The
way theybucked the system and held up a
Wooden Soldiers" and transformed them into
finger to the establishment.
pop epics through the use of all the soundPhil Spector revealed himself, briefly andcomponents which had built his chart hits with
unexpectedly, to the British media last week.
the individual groups. He's never believed in
The reason was the release, this week or next, ofspoiling the ship fora ha'porth of tar, and every
his famous ChristmasAlbum. The album,
effort was expanded to make this production
originally recorded and half-heartedly
as grand and perfect as his singles like "Thenreleased in 1963, was first
He Kissed Me" and "BetitledA Christmas Gift For
My Baby". Leon Russell,
You and featured The
Glen Campbell, Sonny
Ronettes, Darlene Love, The
Bono, HerbAlpert, Ninomonths. I never
Crystals, and Bob B Soxx &Tempo, Hal Blaine and Jack
The Blue Jeans, with a
Nitzsche sat in LosAngeles'
wanted to see him
memorable Yuletide
Gold Star Studios for weeks,benediction spoken by theadding bits until the jigsaw
grand master of record
was complete.
production himself.
The record was pressed,
It took between six and nine months tothe jackets printed, and thousands of copies
complete and cost in excess of $35,000. The
were stacked in warehouses, waiting for releaseamount of care put into the arrangements andin Novemberof 1963. "It came out the same day
percussion overdubbingwas extraordinary. "Itthat President Kennedywas assassinated,"
went on for months," recalls his engineer, Larry
Spectorremembers. "Naturally, that depressed
Levine, with a shudder. "I never wanted to see
the whole country. Certainly no one washim again after that. Day and night for months."
buying Christmas records -everybodywas in
All the tracks were made like singles," says
mourning, which was only right. Not onlywas it
Spector. "I did everything that Irving Berlin andthe worst Christmas of all time, it was also the
Bing Crosbywouldn't want, because I washottest Christmas in American history. It nevergetting a bit bored with all the I'm dreaming ofa
snows in California anyway."

MM DEC 2 Phil Spector talks mono, The Beatles and the troubled history of his
Christmas Album. "It came out the day President Kennedy was assassinated..."THE LONG LEFT arm of Muhammad
Ali snakes out, his fist beating a tattoo
of wicked jabs on Bob Foster's tired,puffy cheek. Five thousand miles away, Phil
Spector sits, cross-legged and straightbacked, his nose two feet away from thecolour TV screen. "Scored!" he screams.
"Scored! Scored again! Scored again!"
SuddenlyAli goes into retreat, teasing Foster
to follow him on rubbery legs around the ring.
His strength ebbing alongwith his confidence.
Foster tries one last time to connect with his
opponent's jeering mouth. Somehow, he lands
a solid left -and -right combination.
"Missed! Missed again... Look atAli, he's
carrying Foster! He can take Foster anytime hewants! He's knocked him down six times, andall theycan talk about is him getting cut!
"He's the champ, there's no one better. Get
him, Ali... scored again! Scored again!"
EventuallyFoster's legs betrayhis courage,
and he tumbles to the canvas for the eighth andlast time. Spector bounds to his feet,applauding with a fierce intensity. The TV
broadcast is a recording, and Spector saw thefight "live" the previous night at a London
cinema, by satellite from Lake Tahoe, Nevada.
"That cut's onlysuperficial," he says, still
staring at the screen. "Bundini told me it wasn't
nothing important."
Bundini Brown, Ali's trainer, had telephoned
Spector in London only hours after the fight.
138 I HISTORY OF ROCK 1972

"It went on foragain after that"SINGLES & ALBUMS

The record lay like a stunned whiteelephant. But over the years the demand
DEMONSTRATION
from collectors and Spector freaks has
RECORD NOT FOR SALE
grown to such proportions that copies of33;
the album, whether on Spector's own
It; Ulabel, Philles, or on British London, are
PHIL SPfCTOWS 6IHISTHP,S
much sought-after. You'll be lucky to pay, DAP Lie 1.3330g:
vipoTE Co4i4IST1242
less than a fiver forone in England, while
3 1102TY T141 $1.4,044 N.I. T. 412,1,14,1
OMIT ;44.,
mus Go,p 2. THE
WIZ 2 THE WOE ALTAI.
25 dollars is the minimum price in the New
14 4.01114M T
ve 4 SANTA
TIMEYork oldies shops. Spector is aware of this.
"People have been asking me to re-release it
foryears. Every record label wanted it. So I
looked at the charts over here and I saw'Leader
Off he Pack' and 'Let's Dance', and obviously
there's a new generation in Britain, and I
decided to put it out. I do believe in it, and I loveit verymuch, and I want people to be able to getlike hell; the other does it very quickly, just rips
it without paying £5 for an old copy. It's theit off. Theyboth did the same thing but one
same album, same mixes and everything. Just
suffered considerably less. You have to realise
remastered, that's all."that what you're doing may be art, but what theIt also has a new cover, with Phil disguised
public's listening to is commerciality."
as Santa Claus, surrounded by oddities like
Wearing his BackTo Mono button, Spector isa monkeywearing headphones, reading thescathing about people who use 16 -track studios
Bible. It's onApple, rather than a reactivated
to cover up their own technical inadequacies.
Philles, because "I figured thatApple would be"There's a lot of insecurityinvolved. They've got
the best vehicle for it, here and inAmerica."
32 tracks, and they'll have64 soon, and then
Although he may have yearnings to have his
they'll double that to a hundred -and own label again, he's reluctant to reveal them.
something. The waywe used to work recording"In those days, I did it alone.
everything monaurally, you
I started Philles in 1962, andhad to get it right first time.
for three years I didn't even
Today, they can't do that.
"We used to work
have any promotion men.
"We did John's last album
monaurally
I had to call guys myself
in quadraphonic. There's
and set things up, masterfourspeakers around you,
had to get it rightthe records and approveand I say, 'I can onlyhear thethem, talk to distributors
bass,' and Yoko says,' I can
and accountants... Since
only hear the strings,' andthen, I've changed mymindJohn says we all have to sit inabout big companies."
the middle to hear everything. So there's about
He also revealed plans to release many of the
20 of us all huddled together in a heap in theold Philles hits on an album, to be followed
middle of the room... It was really silly.
perhaps bya whole series of LPs- maybe"All my old records were recorded in mono.
including an album devoted to the manysides
I tried to do what somebody like Wagnermight
by Darlene Love and The Ronettes which have
do to have the moving lines and everything
never seen the light of day. There are, fortogether. Ifyou try to separate that and make itinstance, magnificent versions of two Harry
into stereo, you lose everything I tried to do."Nilsson songs- "Paradise" and "Here I Sit" Testing this theory, I played him the newwhich were cut in '65, but kept hidden when hereissue of "River Deep", onA&M. He listened,folded Philles after "RiverDeep - Mountain
shook his head, and said, "It's a stereo mix...
High" flopped in the States. "People saythat
Listen there, how the strings are separated. It's
I retired because 'RiverDeep' wasn't a hit in
got no power anymore. I didn't do that.
America," he says. "But really! had enough"So people ask me why, when ! wear a BackTo
money, and I thought that after the Christmas
Mono button, I record the ex -Beatles on 16 -track
Album and especially 'Lovin' Feeling' andmachines. Well, their records aren't really'River Deep', I'd reached the epitome of what I'dstereo, you know -just listen
wanted to do in the record business."closely and you'll hear that
He returned in '69, with a Ronettes single andthe sound is all together
a Checkmates Ltd album forA&M, but since hereally. Theylike that."began workingwith John Lennon and George
In response to repeated
Harrison the following year, his only"solo"
requests, he plays thethrow has been last year's single, "TrySome,
Christmas Album, andBuySome", by his wife, Ronnie.
commentates through it,
Against his expectations, the record wasskipping the stylus from track
a comparative flop. "I thought George had
to track. "'Bells Of St Mary's',
written a great song, and I tried to make it
I told Hal Blaine there, 'solo...
romantic and Wagnerian and big andsolo... solo...' I wanted thebeautiful. Was ! disappointed when it wasn't
drums on the same level as thea hit? There are two ways of looking at it: on thestrings. He didn't understandone hand, it's art because it's an expression of
at first, but he got it.
what you feel. If it's not successful... well, that's"Santa Claus Is Coming To
painful, but you also have to look at it as an
Town": "The Jackson 5 haveeight -piece of wax that can be broken andjust stolen the whole thing.
thrown away and you make another one.
That sax solo there... that was"It's like if you have a piece of adhesive tape on
when Steve Douglas could
your arm, there are two kinds of people: one
really play. There, you hear
will peel it off slowlyand painfully, so it hurtsthat percussion? It's supposed
.

1

6

- you

first time"

to be the toymakers working away.""Sleigh Ride": "Motown stole that for'Heatwave'. That's Sonny Bono (playing
the horses' -hooves effects]...""It'sA Marshmallow World": "There's
Leon playing piano.Aw, nowyou've got
me all excited. Christmas is funny everybody loves everybodyfor two days,
then they start killing each other again.""Winter Wonderland": "There's Ednasinging harmonywith Darlene. Edna,
Darlene's younger sister, is now the lead singer
with the Hot Wax hit group, Honey Cone.""Paradise Of The Wooden Soldiers": "That's
HerbieAlpert playing trumpet, with the otherguy from the Brass.""Christmas (Baby Please Come Home": "Thisbit was meant to be harmony, but Darlene went
crazy. I tell you, those kids loved to sing."
He finishes up with "Silent Night", and its
spoken message to the fans from the producer.
The corny sentiments - "Ofcourse, the biggest
thanks goes toyou, forgiving methe opportunity
to relate myfeelings ofChristmas through themusic that I love"- should be embarrassing, butsomehow it's movinglyinnocent. "I had to play
all the strings on that," he shouts. "The string
players wouldn't do it. I said if I was Toscanini or
Eugene Ormandyyou wouldn't say that! Playit!"
Nearlyall the guests at his press conference
have departed, the wine is almost gone, and thefood trolley's been removed, so he gets out his
jumbo and starts fooling around. He sings The
Mystics' "Hush -a -Bye", The Robins' "Smokey
Joe's Café" and "Down In Mexico", the Everlys'"So Sad", The Elegants' "Little Star" and Richie
Valens "Donna". "That was supposed to be aproper ending on the record," he says, "but theengineer faded it too early."
What?Spector smiles- a small secret smile.
He returns to the hi-fi table and pulls out analbum bearing that familiaryellow-and-red
Philles label. It's a prototype of his forthcoming
Greatest Hits album. There are 18 tracks on thisone, including all the favourites, but probably
there'll only be 12 on the production copies.
He's thinking of getting the rights to "To Know
Him Is To Love Him" and Curtis Lee's "Pretty
LittleAngel Eyes", so that the album will give amore complete picture of his earlyyears. He
turns all the lights out, puts the needle down on
the first track, which is "You've Lost That Lovin'Feeling", and lies down on the carpet, staring at
the ceiling as the massed pianos, basses, anddrums fill the room. "I played this to one girlbefore I released it," he says. Richard Williams

1972
CC OBE

VI

Vail

"John
who?"
are
concentrating on "simplicity".
Inevitably, McCartney is drawn
Paul McCartney's

into discussion of The Beatles,

but his journey of self-discovery
is moving forward. "I think I'm
getting more back to what I'm
about," he says. "You know...
melodies, tunes."- NME DECEMBER 16 IIHE TITLE OF the B-side of"Hi, Hi, Hi"
is "C Moon". Why"C Moon"? Sam The
Sham, in one of his songs, used theexpression "L seven"... Which is L, and a
7 means square. So I - in one of my brightmoments - thought C and moon is likethe opposite. Clever. So C Moon. I just took that, and thatmeans cool. So then the whole song is like, she's cool.

Were these songs written at varying times?"Hi, Hi, Hi"
was written in Spain, because we had this tour coming
up which we didn't have an awful lot of material for. The
European tour.And we need something to kind of rockon. So we did this number. We originallydid it different.
We've revamped it forthe single.
Howabout theBBC ban on "Hi, Hi, Hi". Wereyou
surprised? Not being quite that thick, we all thought,
you know, it might be possible. The story is actually only
about sex, not drugs. It's something to sing. I don't careabout the lyrics. Not really.

How prolific is your sonpvriting these days? Pretty
prolific. l"He writes millions of them," says Linda.] We've
got about 30 -odd tunes that we've got, like, done at the
moment for the next album.
81

In NMErecently, John is talkingabout... John who?

140 I HISTORY OF ROCK 1972

Wingsintg72:(I-r)
DennySeiwell,Linda
McCartney, Paul

McCartney,DennyLaine
and Henry McCullough

1972

OCTOBER -DECEMBER

lea

II

vow

og

IL I

111

The Wingstour bus used to convey the bandaround the Continent
in July and August1972parked outside Sotheby's
auction house in London

Had* Little,
Art" y.MI McCart

John Lennon. He's talking about quite I i king the ideaof
playing with you thesedays- if you're interested... Howdo
you feel about it? The story, in a nutshell, is that The Beatles
broke up, but didn't breakup any contracts or anything. So all the
Beatles monies still stayed where they all were. All the Beatles rights werestill controlled by Klein. So that was the reason! had to kind of stand fastand say, "Well, I don't want him." The only alternative for me was to have
Klein, and keep on with the whole thing. So what happened is, we fought
the Klein thing, and now I thinkwe stand a chance of him giving all of us all of us -some kind of release. This means we will get all our own
royalties coming to us separately. That was all I wanted. And now, since
that's beginning to look a bit better, our relations between ourselves arequite cool now. They're quite good. Once it's sorted out, I don't see any
reason whywe, maybe, wouldn't want to playwith each other.

Maybe irs impracticalto thinkoffhe Beatles, in the future, as akind of
permanent workingunit But could you see yourselves musicallycomingtogetheronce in a while?That kind of thing might happen, yes.
But really, all it's down to is the fact that if you are in a job, and you're
treated wrong by the management or by the government, or by someone
kind of a bit official -you can eitherjust go with it and think, "Well, this islife, we've got to go in the Common Market kind of thing. So let's go." Or
you've got to like digyour heels in and say, "Well, I'm not gonna go." This is
the case with the Beatles thing. Really, that's all it's been down to for us.

Once that's sorted -which I think maybe soon -well then everything's
cool. There's no tellingwhat might happen then.
What wouldyou say has been Linda's influence, musically, on you? She
helped me simplify. It's mainly a wife's influence... girlfriend -type
influence. But mainly, just simplification.
If !were to pin anything on solo -album stuff, it would be that I feltthat youwere getting into complexities. I felt that there was a kind of

raggedness, and that everythingwas being tried -that you were losing
good, solid, rocking melodic direction? That's true, yes. Soul- that's thething really. With the break-up off he Beatles! didn't digit at all,obviously. At the end off he Beatles, everything was a bit kind of ragged
forme, a bit disheartening. Since that, I think I'm getting more back towhat I'm about a bit -you know, melodies. Tunes, simple...
8g.

Some people thought you'd be ashamed ofyour abilityto writegood
melodies. No matterwhat you say, and cover up and hide and stuff, if
you're with a band -even a remotelysuccessful band- for 10 years, when
142 I HISTORY OF ROCK 1972NC

you split up there was inevitably a lot of kind of "He's likea bloody Engelbert Humperdinck" from the other people
in the band. I got little remarks like that. Well, you do think,
I'll bloody showyou I'm not, mate -I can rockwith the best of them,
I'm as complex as any of them." And I started fora period, going awayfrom my normal things. Just simple things...
The funnythingis, it's all coming back to that. Right now. Well, I thinkit always will. See, I thinkwith The Beatles, like that was kind of what I
knew. People are always people... No matter how far out everything gets.
I mean, underneathAlice Cooper there's a fella. And that's the kind ofbasic fact behind a lot ofwhat goes on. For instance, "Mary Had A Little
Lamb" wasn't a great record, but the funny thing about that is we've got
a whole new audience of eight -year -olds and five- and six -year -olds- like
Pete Townshend's daughters.
Do you mind that?A lot of people might ask like, "Where the hell are
you at?" I can understand why. I think ifl was just knocking around therecord business and someone made a record like "Mary Had A Little
Lamb", I'd think, maybe, "I'm not that keen on it"...
But looking back on it, and looking forward on it, and all of those kindof things -it reallyworks, you know. I mean, on our tour it was reallya big
number, man. It was ridiculous. I mean, it's only kind of a kids' number.
But it's one of those where you can get an audience singing.

Would you regard yourself as an establishment -related artist -as
having "sold out yourgeneration to the straights"? No, that's rubbish-all that kind of thing. It's rubbish.
How do you feel about the hostilitytowards Lindafrom thosewho
resent her presence in the band? With the breakup ofThe Beatles,
everythingwas explained. It was ,"What are the lads doing?" Well, we
stopped touring. When The Beatles broke up, I, for instance, just buzzed
off with Linda, and we just did what we felt like. We didn't feel like doing
any press, so we didn't do any. Then people started coming out with allthese, you know, "He's a hermit" kind of things. Naturally, I could read thepapers, and I could sit there and think, "Well, I'm not a hermit. They'rewrong, obviously. I can tell what I am. I'm not living in London anymore- but that doesn't make me a hermit." Because, you know, lots of people
live in Glasgow, and lots of people live inAberdeen, and they don't feelfunny. But no one rings them up via the press everyday, saying, "You're
funny -you live in Aberdeen." So I just didn't feel that I had to answer it.
Obviously, the Prince Rainierway of handling this would have been toWINGSsay, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is my ladywife, Linda" on ITN...
like have a big press conference after we got married and say, "Please
understand her, she's human." Now the thing is, I didn't really feel likeI needed to do that. But I'll tell you- the people who don't accept Linda
are nearlyalways the people who've never seen the band.
A lot of people who came to see us in Europe were really quite kind ofpleased with Linda. I'll tell you, she's really gonna do something. Not ina kind of far-out way, where she's going to make her own albums. I don't
think it will get in that kind of direction. I just think that as part of theband. Like I say, you remember when The Beatles started? No one could
hardly play anything... Everyone knew a few chords. When you comefrom obscurity, that's the normal way. I can name a few bands aroundat the moment where people can't play much, but they can get it on.

I once heard youdescribed as the Ninaand Frederick of rock... It's notthat kind of thing. It's only a small role she plays, you know. It's not as if
she's playing, like, anyhuge kind of role. I mean, the main role Linda isplaying is that she happens to be "mywife". I mean that's the main kind ofrole thrust on her. In actual fact, I look on Linda, with regard to the band,
just as a piano player. She also takes the little bits -a harmony singer.
There's no kind of big deal. But you'd be surprised -like the audiences on
our tour, you know. She always used to get a clap when she came on, in,like "I'm Your Singer". We were a bit dubious about all this, but she used to
get the clap all the time. The clap, of course, is referring to applause.

Does It hurt, these snides against Linda -or don't you give a damn
anyway? Linda: Well, to begin with I'm not really pushy, you know...
like I want to be a star. I want to play. I'm in it to have fun. The last tour
was great fun.
Paul:The answer to this question is that it has hurt her in the past weep, weep, there are things that hurt when someone says them. For
instance, when John married Yoko everybody said, "BloodyJap." And if

you think that didn't hurt them, then you're daft. Ifyou go marrysomeone you fancy and everyone goes around saying, "She's bloody'orrible, mate"- it hurts. The main thing that's happened with Linda andme is that since The Beatles have split, we explain an awful lot ofwhat wewere doing. If we'd kind of really been careful, like about Ram orsomething, and set up some kind of publicity machine before it all, andtuned all your minds into it -maybe it would have been different. But wejust bunged it on your desk and said, "Look- love us or hate us." And a lotof people said, "Well, we hate you then." Fair enough, we hate you- OK.
And I think a lot of that's happened by default.

Do you nowregard Wings as fully"run-in" -and If so, aren't they long
overdue for Britishdates? Well, there's the British tour in April, and we
had our little period of getting it together, because you've got to have that.
You need to work yourself in. I mean, The Beatles had three, four orfive
years before we made a record... We were together as a band. Slade had
been together long before they made a record, too, and the Stones were
together fora hell of a longtime, too, before theymade a record.
Linda:It's also a question of getting a bunch of people together andsaying, "Hey, now we're gonna be tight, we love each other, we know eachother." We just, none of us, knew each otherbefore.

I take it that audiences don't scream at you any
more.Anyfeelingson this? I don't know, you
know. I like an audience that raves. We hadsome real good signs off that European tour.
Listening to the tapes, it's obvious we're still
pretty new as a band. I'm not going to deny that,either, because it's stupid. There's nothing
wrongwith it, nothing to be ashamed of. We
are very new. In fact, we've turned that thingaround in our own minds- and we're chuffedthat we're new.
Actually, I feel that in a waythat we've got it

overpeople like the Stones... although! don't
thinkwe're quite as good as them, yet. But we've
got a hell of a lot of room for improvement in ourband. And that's always a great thing.

I once read you were very much the kind of person
who liked to direct operations. With Wings I can doanything I like, really. They're good -theywould just do anything!
wanted. But in fact, we don't do it like that. We turn up at a session and we
all throw ideas in. I wouldn't be embarrassed to come up to them withmaterial and stuff. We knowwhat it's about as far as that's concerned it's for all of us, it's just to produce good music. I don't think anyone's thathung up about how we achieve it.

Areyou aware you're the onlyex-memberofThe Beatles still producing
his own album? I sometimes feel the need for other producers, andsometimes! do use other producers. We used Glyn Johns on a couple oftracks. But we were a bit restricted there...
Linda:You'd like an engineer to get great sounds.

Do you think the George Martin days... We've just done something with
George -just the other week. We did a great track for the next Bond film
called "LiveAnd Let Die", which unfortunatelywill not be released fora long time. But it's a good track.
What about the alburn situation? This next album will be verygood, I
think. I hate to go talking about this, in case there's 50 incredible ones out
at the same time and ours turns out not so hot. But I think ours is good,
you know. There's a lot of good stuff on it, some great tunes. It's a bit more
melodic, I think. But it bops; there are some great bopping tracks.

Haveyou added much instrumentation? We have used some added
instrumentation, but the best way is obviously foryou to hear it. I don't
want to go on about it. I think it'll be out in Februaryand I think it'll bea double. The idea is just to get working, working, working, working. So
it's all down to a whole load of work, because I like that -doing TVshows,doingwork. I wouldn't even mind appearing on The Mike And Bernie
Winters Show. I read people knocking Top OfThe Pops, but I'm tellingyou,
I watch Top OfThe Pops just because it's pop.
In Britain you just don't have anything -and I'd rather watch that than
the news any day. Top OfThe Pops, Tom And Jerry.. .1 mean, they may be
a bit for kids, but I'm a kid then, because ! dig that stuff. I think rather
than don't do Top OfThe Pops, you should do Top OfThe Pops. Rather
than drop a show like this, there should be five more like it.

Is there anyrestriction on composing wfthin the band? Oh no Denny's got a great one on the next album. It's really just that if anyone
turns up with a good song, OK. If it's a lousy song, then we wouldn't use
it. And we've got Denny singing one of our songs on the next album.
We're trying to put it around a bit, so it's a nice kind of unit. The thing
about our band is, everyone likes to be in a band. There's really not much
more to it than that.
We're all from varying parts of the globe, and we're all from varying
upbringings. We couldn't be more different people unless we had a few
Chinamen in there. We're all pretty different. But whatever we're doing,
we're doing it together now. The thing that's eventually going to tell,
obviously, is the music. I mean- if we write great stuff; if I write some greatsongs; if Dennystarts writing great songs -great. I think some of thesongs we've got are reallyverywarm, verykind of soul, very nice stuff. It's
stuff you can sing to.

"It's obvious

we're still
pretty new asa band"Do you still travel about agreat deal? Oh yeah,
not half. Wouldn't anyone? We go to the
Caribbean whenever we can, because that's
incredible. That is like, you know, paradise,
Jamaica- that's verynice. I like peasants people -people. We're peasants, too, fromall corners of the globe, a gang of peasants
who want to be in a musical entertainment.
This is the whole idea. It's like in medieval days.
A few people just got together and made somemusic to make themselves happy, and then to
make people happy off it. And that's really all it
is forme.
I occasionallywant to make some little
political statements, occasionallywant to doa kid's song, but were not to heavilyinto that
stuff. The main thing, still, is just the music.
That comes off. Ifyou like, "Hi, Hi, Hi", then you
like Wings. Alan Smith
HISTORY OF ROCK 1972 1 143

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Readers' letters

MM OCT-DEC butivu vs teenybop, Lieutenant Pigeon vs Pink Floyd, and much more.
TEENY PROBLEM

How the hell can The Osmonds
have the nerve to saythat theirso-called heavy music sounds like
Led Zeppelin or Rod Stewart?
Come on, you British music -loving
fans. Tell The Osmonds and theJackson 5 we don't want any of
their 10 -year -old teenybop music
reproduced in Britain!
Go back to America, Osmonds
and Jacksons, and leave Britain tobands (The Move, King Crimson,
Van Der Graaf, Kinks, Who) thatyou shouldn't be wastingyour
time and money on J5, OB and, lest
we forget, your coveted Marc.
PAUL TAK AKJIAN, Los Angeles,

Well -organised festivals are alaugh. How much organisation
went into Woodstock and the Isle
OfWight?Little or none. It was
beautifullychaotic. From the one
road that led to Woodstock, now

California (MM Dec 2)

a dozen or so lead from it.
GAVIN DU NNETT, Wick,

Caithness, Scotland (MMDc 2)
GENESIS REVELATION

Until October 24, I had heard
nothing of Genesis and was still
listening to Bolan and the
Boppers. After that evening! wastheiroriginal brilliants, such as
Purple, Sabbath, ELP, Faces,
Budgie, Zeppelin, Who, Yes, Heep,
Stevens and Ash. YEUGH is the
onlyway to describe my reaction.

completelychanged.
Genesis are a very underrated
group and deserve more than thelittle publicitythey get. Not only
are they original, but theysing

PETER MOORE, Liss, Hants(MM Nov 18)

BOP TILL YOU DROP

I won't pretend to be amazed byPeterMoore's letter in MM (Nov18), because it's only too typical.
"I don't like them, so they're notentitled to exist as musicians."
I wonder if he objects to them
being alive...?
"Go back toAmerica, Osmonds
and Jacksons..."!
I don't like The Osmonds but I
don't have to listen to them. I don't
see whyl should demand they goaway -my sisters get a lot ofpleasure from listening to them,and I'm not prepared to deny themthat pleasure.
I love The Jackson 5, on the other
hand, and if anynarrow-minded,bigoted, pretentious brat thinks
I shouldn't love them, he's quite
welcome to come round.
STEVE SCH ETI N I, Enfield,

Middlesex (MM Dec 2)

Is it possible that Peter Moore(Mailbag, Nov 18) doesn't like
"10 -year -old teeny -bop music"
because he's not a 10 -year -oldteenybopper? Think back, Peter,
you were 10 years old once.
What kind of music did you dig
then, if any?
DAVID BAUCKMAN, Wallasey,
Cheshire (MM Dec 2)

We in the States regard theOsmonds and Jackson 5 as ajoke;a money scheme for promoterspeddling puerile material to
12 -year -old teeny -weenies.

Wake up, England! That's notmusic; it's the antithesis of music.
Do your fans know that this is thesort of muzak my grandmotherlistens to? Have you lost all taste?
England produces so many fine

UNDERGROUND STATION

I remember the
beautiful days when
asked to define the
WINNER!
underground and its
music, I could easily reply it was
the music of freaks: Woodstocknation, peace, love, etc, Bob
Dylan, Paul Kantner, Jim
Morrison, CountryJoe, Jerry
Rubin and Richard Neville.
In the old days it meant
something to sayyou had "turnedon". Todayyou can ask, turned on
to what? Camp rock? Glitter rock?
Orthat frigid brand massproduced by bands like King
Crimson? What happened to thosebeautiful days of the "alternative
society"? Now we have to stomach
the whining denials oflerry Garcia
and CountryJoe McDonald, who
are now questioningwhether
those days of the San Francisco
freak -outs and flowerpeoplewere
at all constructive.
Bob Dylan has all but deserted
protest, Richard Neville has
retired, Carlos Santana (among
others) has cut his hair, and theMC5 remain today a pathetic
relic of their former glory, theirbeautiful naivety shattered.
The two groups who truly
represented the underground arein danger. Pink Fairies are refuseda platform in favour of Gary
Glitter, and Hawkwind arePfollowing The Who. Today, we
have Alice Cooper and Sladereeking of violence, (I've lost countof how often on hearing Slade I've

imagined someone's face underthose stamping boots), Bowie andthe limp -wrist brigade, and ELP
and their musical elitism.

such imaginative lyrics. It also
shows the oldergeneration that
not all bands are thick drop -outs.
So come on, everybody, if you get
the chance to see Genesis at a gig
anywhere, snap it up. You will see
how good theyare.
ANDREW DYER, Palmseston Way,
Alvorstoke, Hampshire (MM Dec 30)

To Joan Genii

David Bowie's now origin
Written On the rood Recorded Y. Mew 'krt. hinted

Mosiwila rho OM 'nolo lo come horn Moroitnurroduot Anoricon Sour.

MAC TO THE IRISH

So Mr J Neill of CoArmagh,

Northern Ireland, is "disgusted"
after reading the Paul McCartney
interview in MM. I read theinterview too, and McCartney
said, "I'm in Britain, and I'm
British, and what I'm complaining
about isn't something! have to go
to Ireland to complain about...
Ireland happened and I thought,'I'm going to say something about
that', and the best way to saysomething is via song."
I sympathise with readerMr
Neil, but to suggest that Paul go toa place where, at present, insanity
reigns, clearly indicates that it ishe, and not McCartneywho"hasn't got a clue".
To visit Ireland, as you suggest,
Mr Neil, would be jeopardisingPaul McCartney's life, and that,old son, whetheryou like it or not,is just not on.
MIKE BRETT, Gadebridge Road,
Hemel Hempstead, Herts(MM Dec 30)

gICIVENS

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The new Lou Reed single
is like nothing
you've ever heard before
not even Lou Reed
-WALK ON THE INIU)

OLDIES AND MOULDIES

Hasn't anyone noticed thesimilarity between the Pink
Floyd's "Interstellar Overdrive"and Lieutenant Pigeon's No 1
single "MouldyOld Dough"?
JOHN LORD, Maylands Avenue,
Breaston, Derby (MM Nov 18)

HISTORY OF ROCK 1972 1145

Mel
Maker

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41:1

Coming next...
in 1973!
SO THAT WAS 1972. Hope you camped it up. But that's far
from it from our reporters on the beat. The staffers of NME
and MelodyMaker enjoyed unrivalled access to the biggest
stars of the time, and cultivated a feel for the rhythms of adiversifying scene; as the times changed, so did they. Whilein pursuit of the truth, they unearthed stories that havecome to assume mythical status.
That's very much the territory of this monthly magazine. Each month,

The History Of Rock will be bringing you verbatim reports from thepivotal events in pop culture, one year a month, one year at a time. Next
up, 1973!

PINK FLOYD

THE ONE-TIME UNDERGROUND darlings attempt to reconcile
themselves with their past, via the medium of their Dark Side Of
The Moon album. "Money is the single biggest pressure on people,"they decide. And play a benefit show for Robert Wyatt to acknowledge
the fact.
NEIL YOUNG

THE RETICENT BUT intransigent singer -songwriter turns film
director. Along the way, he dispenses sound advice. "British bands
want to be the answer to this or that," says Neil. "By then you've
forgotten the question."
BOB DYLANWITH THE RELUCTANT voice of his generation as he films Sam
Peckinpah's Pat GarrettAnd Billy The Kid. The MMis reluctant to engage
with the artist directly. "You're scared?" asks Kris Kristofferson. "Shit.
I'm scared and I'm making a picture with him."

PLUS...
DAVID BOWIE!

BOB MARLEY!
PUB ROCK!

148 I HISTORY OF ROCK 1972

FROM THE MAKERS OF UNCUTTHE HISTORY OF

Every month, we revisit long -lost NME and Melody Maker interviews
and piece together The History Of Rode. This month: 1972.
"Keep your 'lectric eye on me, babe"

Relive the t,^... -DAVID BOWIE CREATED ZIGGY STARDUST(AND IGGY AND LOU WENT ALONG TOO...)THE ROLLING STONES RELEASED EXILE ON MAINSTLED ZEPPELIN LAID WASTE TO AMERICA...and MARC BOLAN, CAN, PAUL SIMON,
MC5, THE FACES, BILL WITHERS and many moreshared everything with N ME and MELODYMAKER

More from UNCUT...

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