MUSIC PROGRAMMING
...__ By Pat M ~tthews
The days dwindle down
It certainly has been some of those
days. The entire country has certain-
ly had its share of lousy weather , and
recently , in the southern states ,
we've had to sweat out not only the
heat , but also the threat of hurri-
canes .
If anything sticks out more than
any other item in the music world, it
has to be the rise of "new wave"
music , or rock n' roll stripped to its
bare roots and speeded up to 49
rpm, as I like to think of it. We've had
our share of this new phenomenon
to review this summer and I must
admit I've definitely surprised myself
by going out on limbs to hail the
music . The music has justified itself,
however , through its numerable
successes.
WHERE ARE YOU-Eugene Rec-
ord-Warner Brothers WBS 49060
From its majestic and jazzy
opening , you know there's got to be
more . And how! The record by Mr .
Record suddenly comes alive into a
brandishing brass , skyscraping string
mid-tempo dance tune . "Where Are
You" straddles the disco / R&B fence
closer than any tune in recent
memory . The beat makes it disco ;
the gutsy vocals keep the soul
flowing . Disco and R&B charts will
be ablaze with this 8 out of 10
Eugene record .
HELLO , HELLO , HELLO-New
England-Infinity INF 50 ,021
l?roduced by Paul Stanley of Kiss ,
this is the second single release from
this very talented group's debut LP.
It's rumored they're in the studio
working on their second and that
effort certainly is awaited anxiously
by this writer . New England blends
the best in driving, acoustic , and
esoteric rock all into one . Then add
the Beatle-ish vocals and harmonies,
and what have you got? A very good
record! 7 out of 10 at least. This
should be the record for this group to
get rolling .
GET A MOVE ON-Eddie Money-
Columbia 1-11064
Eddie is back! This time it's with a
tune from the cult flick Americathon .
It's a hard rocker complete with
Linda McCartney "!a-las" (not her ,
but sounds like the lovely lady) .
Money, who hasn't made very much
since he ate spaghetti out of my plate
at Pascal's Manale Restaurant earlier
this year , still has that female
attracting sound to his voice , with all
the right inflections . And with all the
right exposure , this one will be big .
8 out of 10.
HALF THE WAY - Crystal Gayle -
Columbia 1-11087
The opening bars remind me of
the Box Tops old smash "Cry Like A
Baby ," but that's where the similarity
ends. Crystal's voice comes through
as strong as ever in this beautiful
ballad that just oozes with sex appeal .
Needless to say it's a strong male
grabbing tune with Crystal bemoan-
ing the unhappiness of settling for
second best and "half a love ."
Having definite crossover possibili-
ties , Ms . Gayle has a sure-fire
country hit for herself and her new
record company . I give it a 9 out of
10-Country and an 8 out of
10- Pop , if it crosses over.
RAMONA - Wet Willie - Epic 8-
50760
I have to admit that upon hearing
the Which One Is Willie LP for the
first time , I silently picked this tune as
the single . I was wrong and as you
probably know , "Weekend" went on
to be a very successful record for the
prides of Dixie and a comeback
record of sorts for them . Well now
my silent wish has finally come true
and it's here! "Ramona" is a very up
tempo , Van Morrison type rocker
with very characteristic vocals and
tight , bright instrumentation . There's
also an excellent acoustic guitar and
sax ride in the middle . Come to think
of it , this tune sounds a lot like old
Allman Brothers , but certainly main-
tains the "original" sound of Wet
Willie . Reep on smilin'! 7 out of 10.
PLEASE DON'T LEAVE - Lauren
Wood - Warner
Brothers
WBS
49043
Warner Brothers has had tre-
mendous success in breaking new
artists this year (Randy Van Warmer ,
Nicolette Larson , Rickie Lee Jones ,
Roger Voudouris , et at) , and here's
another possibility . First off, it's
produced by Ted Tempelman of
Doobie Brothers' fame with back-
ground vocals by Michael McDonald ,
a Doobie Brother . This debut single
from Lauren 's soon-to-be-released
LP has a distinctive R&B flavor and a
Doobie Brothers' arrangement. This
record is just full of potential. It has all
the right ingredients . 8 out of 10 or
better .
'
ALL THE GOLD IN CALIFOR-
NIA - Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin
Brothers Band - Columbia 1-11066
California has all the money . At
least that's what Larry Gatlin would
like us all to believe in this
tongue -in -cheek tune about the
Golden State . The song itself has a
gospel feel and that's the key . From
the opening a cappella verse ,
throughout the tune , you get th is
sense of a religious experience in the
making . The chorus is the hook : "All
the gold in California is in a bank in
Beverly Hills in somebody else's
name ." Get the picture? It's a positive
Country smash with very little to offer
in the lyric department , so no one
should have any trouble in mem -
orizing the words in just one listen .
10 out of 10 country .