{ title: 'The Spectrum (Buffalo, N.Y.) 1955-current, November 16, 1979, Page 14, Image 14', download_links: [ { link: 'http://www.loc.gov/rss/ndnp/ndnp.xml', label: 'application/rss+xml', meta: 'News about NYS Historic Newspapers - RSS Feed', }, { link: '/lccn/np00130006/1979-11-16/ed-1/seq-14/png/', label: 'image/png', meta: '', }, { link: '/lccn/np00130006/1979-11-16/ed-1/seq-14.pdf', label: 'application/pdf', meta: '', }, { link: '/lccn/np00130006/1979-11-16/ed-1/seq-14/ocr.xml', label: 'application/xml', meta: '', }, { link: '/lccn/np00130006/1979-11-16/ed-1/seq-14/ocr.txt', label: 'text/plain', meta: '', }, ] }
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Why did the old Chief Sitting Bull . Sit around feeling blue He couldn't wahoo wahoo wahoo On Hicks' rollicking \Play 'Rocky Top',\ a bar patron sees musiq as a last chance aphrodisiac: I can’t play no music \ I ain't got no hundred dollar bill / But if you just play old Rocky Tjop' • I know that lady will. ' $ ■ . v Bassist Jack Herrick's vulgar trumpet break gives it that musty bar smefli The album's masterpiece is \Aragon Mill\ which resurrects the spirit that.\drove old Dixie down;\ Now I'm too old to work and I’m too young to die And there's no place to go for my woman and I For the mill has shut down it's the only life I know Tell me where shaIN go tell me where shall I go. The lamenting five-part harmonies intensify this desperate tale. The Music of t harps and fiddles cl : ; ; } i ■ : | Recapitulating tradition by David A. Comstock ® The Red Clay Ramblers, Chuckin' the Friz (Flying Fish \ Records) 2 The Cache Valley Drifters, The New Cache Valley Drifters | (Flying Fish Records) | Claudia Schmidt, Claudia Schmidt (Flying Fish Records) <o Robin Williamson & his Merry Band, A Clint at the Kindling (Flying Fish Records) \We'll take a short break and then we'll be back,\ promise the Ramblers at the conclusion of this live recording. In true show biz style they leave you wanting more. More globetrotting music from Flying Fish Records. Robin Williamson's third album for Flying Fish harkens back to his Incredible String Band period that survived a nine-year stint between 1965 and 1974. His Merry Band is a tight ensemble of harps, penny whistles, bagpipes, flutes, concertinas, fiddles, and guitars all manipulated by the dexterous digits of (our'masters. Hypersensitivity Claudia Schmidt's album is yet another promising debut on Flying Fish. She sits confidently on the Mother Earth throne relinquished by Joni Mitchell On \Drinking Buddy\ and \Fuzzy\ her expressive voice conspires with amorphous dulcimer tones to paint a world of pitiable hypersensitivity. \Old Woman Lament\ powerfully confronts America's toilet assumption' method of flushing away the problems of the aged: I am an old woman helpless and weak And my room it is filled with death Confined to my bed I can scarce cry for help With what remains of my breath In the immortal words of Peter Townshend, \I hope 1 die before I get old.\ But just when you're ready to dismiss this idealized world of clear complections and noble intentions, Schmidt belts out a lusty version of that old chestnut, \Since I Fell For You.\ Although the high notes are heavenly, the messge is ground level. The traditional ballad \Horse Thief\ adds a touch of humor as a gent unknowingly surrenders his horse to the fair maiden; Oh no, kind sir/ said the maid, ‘you’re mistaken To think that this cold morning will do me some hardm There's one thing I crave and it lies twixt your legs If you’ll give me that it will keep me warm. Well, that's life in the fast bridal path Robin himself is a self-professed archivist of tunes and poetry in the Celtic tradition. However, he is not content merely to recapitulate these dusty influences. The majority of tunes are entirely the product of Williamson's fertile powers that create a time-warping sense of ancestral detail. The mournful harmonium overlayed with shrill whistles sires you down \The Road the Gypsies Co \ Sylvia Wood's lucid harp vamps for Williamson's roguish ballad, \Me and the Mad Girl.\ Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson wasn't the first to exploit the role of contemporary court jester. /• ■ Williamson turns a tidy trick in \Lough Foyle,\ adding his ribald memories of military camp to the traditional Irish tune \Nancy's Whiskey:\ Me and all the other poor bastards Glengarry bonnets on at bugle call I never thought I looked good in khaki It hurt the pride as well as it scratched the balls absurd bluegrass reading of Bob Marley's classic, \I Shot the Sheriff.\ (I'm proud to be a Rasta in Muskogee?). Likewise, \Angel From Montgomery\ finds the Drifters stuck on George Jetson's out-of-control treadmill (\Jane stop this crazy thing!\) The superior versions by John Prine and Bonnie Raitt sound slow-footed by comparison TVs this puzzling commercial afterthought that haunts the otherwise promising debut effort That Robin Williamson and his Merry Band remain true to their Celtic roots is amazing in that they are based in Los Angeles, California, the hotbed of transient culture Mandolin fly The Cache Valley Drifters also hail from California. Their debut for Flying Fish finds them cooking with an old recipe. Start with a healthy portion of Grade A material composed by other people. Season with original and compelling arrangements (just a pinch of the old rock and roll). Fire it with some of the hottest pickin' this side of David Crisman. They call it new grass, William Griffin's mandolin phrasings fly off his fretboard tike grease on a hot skillet. Guitarists Cyrus Clarke and David West, and banjo player Jeff Ruff also show a predilection for the sizzling fare. \Columbus Stockade,\ \Dixieland Lady,\ and \Joanne\ are the blowing cuts here. On \Stockade\ the Drifters 3pply the brakes to a runaway locomotive and settle into a groove reminiscent of the Dead's treatment of \I Know You Rider.\ On \Joanne\ they interchange waltz time and a romping shuffle to evoke the laziness of hovering smoke. Ruff's rock and roll banjo quickly clears the air in the rollicking middle section. An attempt to timely material degenerates into an Tin Pin Alley Jhe Red Clay Ramblers sure make a joyful noise on Chuckin' the Frizz, their fourth album for Flying Fish. But bluegrass music always sounds best when a wailin' band is rallied by a high-spirited audience The Ramblers juggle a peculiar assortment of influence on this live album that accommodates both humor and sincerity Two original compositions, \Thoroughly African Man\ and \Baby Grand,\ sound vaguely like Randy Newman in their Tin Pan Alley voicings. Mike Graver takes his piano into relatively unchartered waters. Jelly Roll Morton meets Bill Monroe in a pleasing clash of styles, \Tilly Take Your'Time\ is a classic blues from the Bessie Smith stable. Bill Hicks' saws his fiddle like a Papa John Creach disciple. \Wahoo Wahoo Wahoo\ is Western swing in the Commander Cody mold, albeit a bit farcical: Rad Clay Ramblar* Making a joyful noise SOFT CONTACT LENSES • BAUSCH & LOMB $79 00 • A. O. SOFT • HYDROCURVE Price Includes: • Lenses j • 90 Day Money Back Guarantee On Lenses • 3 Month Service Contract • Cold Sterilization Kit • Carrying Case slaw and a drink of your choice all for one, low price It's a tempting meal a! a tempting price from Arthur* Treacher's-a nice little seafood 'i^lIcKers BY APPOINTMENT ONLY 'estaurant OMer not good in conjunction with any othor promotional 0M1 !9?9 by Af All Riqh BUFFALO CONTACT LENS GROUP S Arthur Treacher’s Super Saver 2777 Sheridan Drive, Tongwanda,N.Y. ONLY A 5 MINUTE WALK FROM NORTHTOWN PLAZA. ■ hushpuppies coleslaw ai H soft drink for only S2 09' B Offer good Monday Ihru ■ Sunday - anyt^pe' I c Copyright 1979 by Annul Treachers Fish & Chips, Inc AM Rights Reserved at any Arthur Treacher s in Western New York \ (» complete meal) <.<■>09 fed ]e( The Super Savi Iwo pieces of fish 834-4336 Expires Nov. 23. 79 Professional Fitting Fee ~ $35.00 ■ ■■■■■■■■■■■■■ Bclip coupon■■■■■■■■■■■■■