MUSIC PROGRAMMING
From hoedown
to knock down
Summer sweltering. I don't know
how the weather is in your part of the
world, but it's definitely hot and
humid in the Banana Republic of
Louisiana . Me , my honey, and my
music; other than that, what is there
to live for?
THE DEVIL WENT DOWN TO
GEORGIA - The Charlie Daniels
Band-Epic 8-50700
I do believe this is going to do it for
'em . Finally! It's three minutes,
thirty-five seconds of some of the
best knee-slappin', fiery fiddlin' I've
heard since the last cow was put out
to pasture. There's a story involved,
an unusual offering for a pop record .
And this one's got all it takes to cross
over into every chart save R&B ,
Disco, Jazz, and, uh, Classical.
Charlie and company have got a
helluva record, and I give it a 9 out of
10.
MY SHARONA-The Knack-Cap-
itol P-4731
From hoedown to knock down.
The outset of this record sets you up
to get blown away with some of the
finest , heaviest pure rock n' roll to
make it to the airwaves in a long
time . The drums and bass lay a
heavy bottom for wailing guitars and
clean , crisp vocals. Sort of a love
song with guts . The Knack, in its first
time out of the box, rates an 8 out of
10, or better.
DRIVER'S SEAT -Sniff N' The
Tears-Atlantic 3604
Another new group graces the
pages of this fab mag . And this one is
English and that's gear . Remember
those terms from the decade prior?
Well, this act could have invaded our
shores back then, too . The Animals,
The Searchers, The Beatles, The
Rolling Stones, The Dave Clark
Five ... and Sniff n' the Tears! But it's
almost 1980, and here they are,
fifteen years late but none the worse
for it, because they lack nothing,
especially talent. With the right
exposure, this record could go far.
I'm not saying it will, but it might.
This debut disk is an up-tempo tune
featuring acoustic and electric gui-
tars, drums, and an eerie moog. Not
much sense can be made out of the
lyrics, but the vocals still dominate.
The single does show promise,
however, and the rest of the album
("Fickle Heart") hopefully will be
better. 6 out of 10, but watch
nonetheless.
BAD CASE OF LOVING YOU
(DOCTOR , DOCTOR)-Robert Pal-
mer-IslandS 49016
Now this is a record and a half. It's
rock n' roll, and totally different from
anything Robert Palmer has done to
date . It's an old timey blues number ,
speeded-up with successful results.
Palmer's raunchy vocals fit in
perfectly with the solid wall of sound
which surround them. It's loaded
with a great beat , fine vocals , is
technically just short of perfect, and
has a dynamite chorus , which is a
pure hook . Watch this one fly!
Optimistically : 9 out of 10.
HOT SUMMER NIGHTS - Night-
Planet P-45903-A
Okay , okay . Yes , the group
sounds a little like Fleetwood Mac,
but only on this particular song . You
see , the tune was penned by Walter
Egan at a time when he was working
rather closely with Stevie Nicks and
Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood
Mac . Get the picture? Walter Egan is
not a member of Night , but they have
done wonders for his bouncy tune all
about cruisin' (when gas is available) .
Excellent female lead vocals spark
this tune , and it should be a sure-fire
winner for this group in their first
effort . And besides, it's perfect for the
season . 9 out of 10.
GOTTA GET OUT OF HERE -
Randy Van Warmer - Bearsville BSS
49004
Hmmm , just when he's needing
you most , Randy-with -the-funny-
last-name has another hit on his
hands . The tune starts out kind of
disco-ish , then grows into a bouncy
number featuring a very catchy lyric.
It 's shades of Todd Rundgren ,
ABBA , and the Hollies , all in one .
It's one of those songs that , until you
The records are rated as follows: 10 out of 10 = Top 10 peak; 9 out of 10 = Top 20 peak; 8 out of 10 = Top
30 peak; 7 out of 10 = Top 40 peak; 5 or 6 out of 10 = Somewhere in Top 100; 4 or less = Forget it, loser,
break in half.