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P.J* 6
The Red and Black. Friday, April 14. I fl1 2
JIM PETTIGREW, JR.
Musical I
truckin's
?4
That new Z Z Top album I’ve been ranting about for
some time now is in the stores, and. true to the prophesy of
Mr Bill Ham, it is a b-i-t-c-h.
Perhaps I should backtrack a little before the fusillade
of praise and give some information on the band since they
seem to be the most talented “unknown” group around in
the quagmire of rock Z Z Top. from Houston, Texas, is a
blues and rock ’n roll bunch with only three members a
rare number in a time when it’s in to have seven or eight
members to cover up each others’ mistakes (exceptions:
The Allmans A colleagues Wet Willie, i. Geiis, etc., you
know’em).
Z Z Top’s sound is smoldering, mature, laid-back stuff
straight from the gut. There’s no urinating in a bucket in
the background, no sirens and no violin bows across the
guitar strings. Theirs is the dark, sinful and passion-filled
music done with an uncommon expertise that you never
hear on the radio You can sometimes hear it under the live
oaks in Valdosta where the King Cotton bottles glint in the
moonlight and at the Stockbridgc Country Club below
Atlanta places where white music people rarely, and I do
mean rarely, ever venture
THE THREE-PIECE juggernaught of Z 7. Top centers
around the vocals and guitar work of Billy Gibbons, whose
specialty is ultra-clean blues and slide guitar and a snarling,
lower-extremities voice. Dusty Hill provides a rolling bass
and also doubles on vocals, combining with Frank Beard
who completes the rhythm section by adding tight,
restrained drumming
Their impact in concert was aptly shown in Memphis
last September Billy Gibbons came onstage with his short
hair and spectacles, wearing hot pants, hose and knee boots.
A few wise ones in the crowd snickered and whistled. One
song later during the first bars of Z Z Top's sensual “Brown
Sugar," the crowd was on their feet a standing ovation
from the jaded freaks of Music City
The new Ip, "Rio Grande Mud,” is only a slight
departure from “Z Z Top's First Album." Rather than just
“Marking time," the new album is a concrete addition,
offering more boiling funk and slow blues
B.issist Dusty Hill makes his s«»|n vocal debut on
“Mud” with a humping version of the classic “Francenc.”
Bill Ham's producing is again in evidence, superb and
complimentary throughout He somehow manages to
achieve an energetic “first-takc/live-studio" sound that
many in the rock industry arc unsuccessfully trying for
•x-xxwx-x-x-x-xx-f
BILLY GIBBONS' unusual bluesy voice is slightly
changed on some tracks of "Rio Grande Mud.” On "Just
Got Paid" he sounds like a huskier Johnny Winter Gibbons
shows a glimpse of what he can do on harmonica on
“Mushmouth Shoutin’ ’’ and two Z Z Top stompers, the
erotic “Ko Ko Blue" and “Chevrolet" finish out side one.
Side two more closely resembles the first Ip with a jiving
uptempo instrumental "Apologies To Pearly" and more
solid Honk on “Bar-B-Que" and “Down Brownie.” Both
the peaks of "Rio Grande Mud” are on this side. “Sure Got
Cold After The Rain Fell," a 7:39 slow blues, is one of the
best tracks I’ve ever heard put down by white blues people.
Gibbons double tracks both rhythm and lead guitar here,
proffering some incredibly tense and expressive blues lines.
"Whiskey n Mama" is pure irresistible buckle-twisting
rock. When Billy Gibbons goes "unngh" aside from the
mike, you people out there who play porno Scrabble at
four am. while dnnking lukewarm Key Largo and
speculating on what would have happened if Clapton had
joined the Rolling Stones when he was asked to know he
feels it
This album is an immense joy There is room in the
Void of ’72 for a do/en more like it. (Z Z Top; "Rio
Grande Mud,"London XPS 612)
Here is a prime example of what Hype can do. Take one
“lead singer” who sounds liKe a fatigued John Kay trying to
sing through a tourniquet and an ordinarily competent
band we heard better ones in the sordid bottle clubs in
Panama City in 1967 add lots of advance publicity and a
raving half-page in Rolling Stone by a respected critic, and
up jumps Black Oak Arkansas. Their new album, “Keep the
Faith,” is an affront to even the most unknowing ears of
rock.
Somehow I am going to find a way to foist my copy of
this pap onto Robb Holmes, as revenge for his finding an
old John Hammond Ip in a cutout bin in Griffin, Ga. And
Mendellsohn, for his blasphemy in saying that these could
be the new Rolling Stones, should be locked in room and
made to listen to this album endlessly for a entire weekend
(Black Oak Arkansas. “Keep the Faith," Atco SD 33-381)
Awareness speaker
traces black history
Mel Winkler, in a senes of
one-man acts called “Black
Genesis," traced black history
from ancient Africa to the
present.
Winkler was sponsored by
the Black Student Union as
part of Black Awareness Week.
He told of the beginning of
black life in Africa, and a
civilization there. Then he
dramatically told of slavery,
and the post-civil war period.
Another Black Awareness
Week-speaker, Ebon Dooley
read some of his poetry
Tuesday night.
Black poet
“Poets
themselves
have to
is more than
elite group of people throwing
gems out to the public," said
Dooley, the provocative black
poet from Atlanta.
He was discussing the need
of the black poets to get down
to the basic problems of the
people in order to help the
black movement.
Dooley recited his poem,
"The Year of Insurrection," to
about 80 people at North P-J.
He explained that his poem
was written during the Chicago
riots in 1968 and it is
concerned with the resulting
problems of that riot. He
stressed the fact that
“Insurrection is a long way
Compulsory birth limits
seen as real possibility
By VELMA SMITH
"If the American people do
not exercise their right of free
choice in matters of birth
control, this country will have
compulsory family size limits
within 10 years," predicts
Courtland Hastings, field
director of the Association for
Voluntary Sterilization (AVS),
who spoke here this week.
Addressing a sparsely
attended meeting of the
Athens chapter of Zero
Population Growth (ZPG), the
former sales executive spoke at
length about the state of the
environment and the goals of
AVS.
“The United States is the
most overpopulated country in
the world in he terms of the
environment," said Hastings,
who advocates reversal of
population growth with a move
toward families with a
two-child maximum.
“AVS PROMOTES the
availability of all methods of
birth control as an American
right.” continued Hastings.
“Our main goal is education,"
he said, adding that AVS is
currently working to lighten
hospital restrictions on
sterilization.
“Although sterilizations
have increased from 100,000 in
1968 to over 1,000,000 in
1971," explained Hastings.
"There arc still many men who
equate sterilization with
castration ” Citing misinforma
tion and prejudice as the two
main obstacles of the 35-year
old AVS, Hastings added that
sterilization does not interfere
with hormone production or
cause any other adverse effects.
“Sterilization, now legal in
all 50 states, is the only
permanent, fully reliable means
of birth control. Recently,
there have been some very
notable developments in this
field."
WHILE MENTIONING
frozen sperm banks as an
insurance against an unpredict
able change in decisioh, he
emphasized the importance of
considering the operation
virtually irreversible. "Steriliza
tion is not advised for anyone
who is under undue pressure or
uncertainty."
Hastings went on to explain
innovations in female steriliza
tion, which he forsees as
“becoming a doctor’s office
procedure by the end of a
year." Citing current steriliza
tion prices ranging from S30 to
$300, he added, “As more
physicians are trained to do
sterilizations the prices will
begin to go down."
“I am considerably optimis
tic about my work,” said the
65-year-old Hastings who has
covered 47,000 miles in the
last six months speaking fr
AVS. “otherwise I wouldn’t
waste my time.”
from Revolution. Revolution is
much more serious and
involved."
“My poetry is very visual. I
gain my inspiration by actual
experience. Poetry comes to
me as a movie type thing. I just
write down what I see,” said
Dooley.
He said that he had not
written a poem in about three
years. He is presently
concerned with writing
political analysis and conduct
ing classes in politics. He has
already had several pamphlets
of poetry publiehed. and he is
in the process of writing a
book.
Gylan King, one of the
original “Last Poets" of New
York, appeared in the program.
King will release a record soon.
According to King, the
most important factor that
kept the black man alive during
his days of oppression was
music, and poetry came out of
this music.
Dillard plays
Saturday at
BSU dance
The Black Student Union
will sponsor a dance Saturday
night at 8:00 in Memorial Hall
in connection with Black
Awareness Week.
The dance will feature
Moses Dillard and the
Tex-Town Display, a 10-piece
band which plays a mixture of
rock, soul, and rhythm and
blues. The Display features
Martha Starr.
Moses Dillard has twice
toured Vietnam with Miss
Black America and has
appeared with such musicians
as Otis Redding and Jerry
Butler.
Springtime Eever SALJ
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Athens Imports, LTD.
Tallassee Rd. at N. By-Pass
Sales • 546-2291 • service
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! $ 100.G0 off on all MG Sportscars J
I EFFECTIVE THRU MAY 1.197’ ,
UGA hosts Issac Hayes
A creator of the "Memphis
Blues Sound, Hayes is probably
Movies in town
iiuiiinm
Alps Dmr-ln Theater Double
feature. "The DtrtV Outlaws*' and
"The Hratt KUIers " Both rated
•H" Shows at 7 30 and V 30 p m.
Alps Hoad Mini Cinema. "The
Cast Picture Show." Hated "R".
Shows at & 10. 7 15 and » 30 p.m.
Athens Dnve-ln Theater “Gone
With the Wind" Show begins at
7 30 p m
Beerhwood Cinema. "The
French Connection*' Shows at
3 02. 5 01. 7 OO. t» 00 p m.
Classic Theater “Silent Hun
rung Hated ”G*\ Shows at 2 30.
4 10. 5 50. 7 30 and 0 10 p m.
Georgia Theater. “The Ten
Commandments." Shows at 3 30
and 7 30 p.m.
Palace One Theater “The
Godfather." sUrnng Marlon
Brandt* Shows at 2. 5 10 and 1 30
p.m. Hated "R**.
Palace Two Theater “Joy in the
Morning ** Haled "Pi"' Shows at
a 10. 5 19 7 It and 9 17 p m.
South P-J Auditorium, spon
sored by the Union. Friday,
“/.achartah." 7 and 9 30 p m. 25
cents with I D.. 50 cents without
Saturday. “Diary of a Mad
Housewife." 7 and 9 30 p m. 50
cents with student I.D.. SI without
McKuen lecture
Rod McKuen was rained out at Legion Field Tuesday night,
but he moved to the Memorial Hall ballroom He read some
of his poetry to the crowd and philosophi/ed on his life
experiences. McKuen is the author of seveial books of
romanticized poetry, among them, "Listen to the Waun,"
and “( aught in the Quiet."
Negotiators accuses Nixon
PARIS (UPI) William J
Porter, chief U.S. negotiator at
the Pans peace talks, said
Thursday President Nixon
secretly asked the Communists
on Apnl I to resume the talks
he ordered suspended nine
days earlier A Viet Cong
spokesman denied it
Porter said the Communist
answer was c “mushrooming
invasion” ot South Vietnam
Bite into Spanada.
Juicy!
One nip and you it Know why we
can it juicy Spanada is mellow red
wme drenched witn me flavor of
juicy oranges, lemons and limes
Chined Over ice Over and over
DrmK Gallo SpaAada Juicy
Isaac Hayes, recent Aca
demy Award winner, is coming
to the Coliseum this Monday at
8 p.m. Student tickets are $2
and general admission is $4.
Tickets for the Union-spo
nsored concert can he
purchased in room 229,
Memorial
best know for his score of
“Shaft," a MGM film
His other million -selling
albums are “Hot Buttered
Movcrtient" and “To Be
Continued."
Hayes is a vocalist, pianist,