PAGE EIGHT
The Bitch Is Back
CARIBOU
Elton John
MCA
Elton John's latest LP, released late last June, is what I would
regard as the natural culmination of his most recent musical bent.
In his last album, Elton appeared to be relying heavily on elec
tronic wizardry and studio effects. Although this led him to some
new horizons, it also, in some instances, watered down some of his
most promising work. In Caribou, electronic, almost synthetic,
music takes over, with the major notable exception of the album's
opening cut, "The Bitch is Back". That cut, currently a single
release, has more strength to it than anything Elton has come up
with since Honky Chateau (owing mainly to the presence of the
Tower of Power as a backing group).
This album, though not a pinnacle of greatness, is certainly not
the worst to come from rock's most glamorous piano-banger. Its
ingredients include some noteworthy cuts (being "Pinky" and
"Dixy Lily"), a real classic Elton John number (being "Don't Let
the Sun Go Down On Me") mixed in with some experimentation
(being "Solar Prestige A-Gammon"), as well as something I
consider the closest thing to a flop Elton could manufacture (being
"Ticking").
I personally feel that "Don't Let the Sun..." is the best that
John's come up with since "Daniel". However, the rest of the
album really doesn't approach this, except for, perhaps, "Dixie
Lily", a real showboat number (if you'll excuse the pun). This is
especially sad, since Elton had so much material to work with
(being especially the Tower of Power), yet failed to turn it into the
success that Honky Chateau was. But I suppose this is excusable:
his double Yellow Brick Road set may have temporarily depleted
him and Bernie Taupin. What Elton John has come up with is an
album which will whet rather than satisfy our collective appetite.
Those of us who care can only hope that his next album will be a
real feast.
...And So's Harry
PUSSYCATS
Nilsson
RCA
Harry Nilsson, abandoning his Schmilsson facade, has joined
forces with ex-Beatle-leader John Lennon to create Pussycats, one
of the better LP's to come along in recent months. Assuming the
role of what some call the "Fifth Beatle" (and others call Mc-
Cartney's replacement), Harry has forsaken Richard Perry's
services as his producer for Lennon's. The result is a "new phase"
Nilsson album which may require more than one listening to fully
appreciate and enjoy.
On first hearing, it takes time to adjust to Lennonesque
production applied to Nilsson's full and many-faceted voice. This
results in a more restricted range for Harry's voice, which may
prove unsettling at first, but which brings out a certain true
richness in Nilsson's vocals, that may take a while to appreciate.
Lennon proves to be a very talented producer and arranger,
turning such oldies as "Many Rivers to Cross" and "Rock Around
the Clock" into sounds as fresh as our nostalgia-filled today.
Indeed, the album's two best cuts are oldies: Jim Cliff's "Many
Rivers to Cross" and the old "Save the Last Dance for Me". Both
have been splendidly rearranged and are far better than the
originals. Other notable songs are:
"Don't Forget Me" - type of song Nilsson does best. Easy
song with nice music and just the right amount of off-beat
humor.
"All My Life" - throwback to Schmillson albums.
"Old Forgotten Soldier" - the lament of a soldier Left
without a cause Because, they took away my wars.
"Subterranean Homesick Blues" - driving, 'so's-style
version of the Dylan classic, with "Back Off Boogaloo"
beginning. I'd almost swear Lennon was the singer.
"Black Sails" - originally written for a movie, but never
used, it's sort of misty and surrealistic, with such tongue
in-cheek lines as:
You're so veiney
You probably think this map belongs to you.
To sum it all up, Pussycats is another fine album from one of
rock's most versatile performers.
...And Bob Too
BEFORE THE FLOOD
Bob Dylan and The Band
Electra-Asylum
A clever two record set of Bob and the boys recorded live during
Dylan's tour of America last winter. Some of the songs, such as
"You Go Your Way and I'll Go Mine", hit listeners with the fury of
a hurricane while others, notably "Don't Think Twice, It's All
Right" and "Blowing in the Wind", make listeners wonder just
what the artist has in mind. Never noted for his fine voice, Dylan
snarls his way through the old hits and proves he can still do it -
when and if he feels like it. The Band, as usual, is excellent
although some of the voices are a bit strained as this album was
recorded late in the tour.
Jim Bollinger
Doug Gibboney
C. C. READER
Crossword Puzzle
ACROSS
1. Tree fluid
4. Saw
9. Craft
12. Before
13. Male voice
14. Old card
game
15. Stopped
17. Japan
19. Savor
20. Endures
21. Fairy
23. Total
24. Serene
27. Cereal gran
29. Fable
33. Poem
34. Bird
35. Metallic ro4
36. Roman rob•
38. Meadow
39. Destroy
40. Abyssinian
prince 53.
42. Her 54.
44. Small spray 55.
47. Number 57.
51. Dodges 58.
Transgressor
Thing: law
Fresher
Exist
Heavy stick
Answor to PussLt
A Plea for Mass - Transit
By Jim Bollinger
Last spring, after years in the
red, the Harrisburg Railways
Company decided to fold its
problem-plagued bus service,
apparently curtailing the only
mass-transit system available in
the Harrisburg Area. Realizing
the enormity of the situation,
Mayor. Swenson seized this
development as an opportunity
to further a personal dream of
his - to create a
municipally-owned mass-transit
system to serve the
Metro-Harrisburg Area. After a
relatively short period of
deliberations with Dauphin and
Cumberland County
representatives, the Capitol Area
Transit System was born. CATS
was formed to supplant the
obsolete privately-owned bus
system with a publicly-owned
system designed to fit the needs
of the Dauphin-Cumberland
metropolitan area, and to ease
the traffic congestion choking
the city and suburbs every
work-day.
Since its inception, the
Authority's programs have all
been aimed at only bus
transportation. They have
promoted and even attempted to
improve it. They have instituted
almost no really major changes
in the system itself, which has
gone nearly unchanged for the
past 20 or so years. Many of
these minor programs have at
least satisfactorily met their
goals, as far as they've gone.
THAT, however, is the main
points they haven't gone far
enough.
Having now achieved their
primary objective of keeping the
buses running, it is now time to
take more dynamic action to
59. Woody
plants
60. Trinket
Fuss
Limb
Fear
Thee
Three: prefix
Female fowl
Dry
Restraint
Representa
tive
Inheritors
Slav
Entreaty
Corrosion
Small fly
Courageous
person
Three: cards
Indian
weight
Perceive
Us
DOWN
Religious
group
Space
Vegetables
Metal
Foot: suffix 43.
Within 44.
Epoch 45
Boring tool 46
Mountains 48.
Plant part 49
Weights
Flower part 50
Tropical tree 52
Simpletons
Map book 53
Small bed 56
give Harrisburg a truly adequate
mass-transit system. The
Harrisburg area is most fortunate
in that, having once been a
major rail center, it has been left
with a fine foundation for the
type of mass transit which has
been most successful in the big
cities, rapid rail transit.
For those of us who must
drive to and from school every
day, getting here can be one big
pain-in -the-neck. The bus service
provided to Middletown is both
rare and expensive (65 cents one
way), and travel by car can be
both time- and gas- consuming.
However, we have right here on
campus the vestiges of the rail
system which once served the
old Olmstead A. F. base. This,
coupled with the other railway
facilities left to CATS provides
an excellent base for a superb
metropolitan transit system.
Rail transit has long been a
solution to the problem of
getting thru crowded metro
areas quickly and easily. With
railroad beds criss-crossing the
countryside and rolling right
thru the areas of the city, all
that remains is to put some
trains into service and all the rest
should come easily. This,
however, is what CATS has
apparently failed to recognize,
and as a result, the whole area
must suffer. With effective rail
service, the journey from Capitol
Campus to almost any part of
the metro area would be greatly
facilitated, providing quick and
hopefully inexpensive
transportation to and from
school for commuting students,
and giving resident students
greater access to the attractions
of the Capitol City, such as they
are.
SEPTEMBER 30. 1974
Aviation Club
To Meet Oct. 8
The Capitol Campus
Aviation Club was formed to
acquaint students with modern
personal flying.
Last year's activities in
cluded flights to the Piper
Aircraft factory at Lock
Haven, and Ocean City, Jersey
as well as visits to local air
ports for introductory flight
lessons.
An all-campus aviation day
was held in the spring. Air
plane rides were featured,
along with tours of the airport
control tower, a National
Guard helicopter, and a DC-8
airliner.
Basic ground school was also
offered to club members at no
charge except for study
materials. The club advisor,
Mr. Pugh, who is a licensed
pilot, obtained his ground
instructor ratings and
established a federally ap
proved ground school here at
Capitol.
A minimum of 50 hours of
ground instruction is required
prior to taking the four-hour
private pilot written exam. The
usual ground school cost is $lOO
- $2OO so our free instruction is
a real bargain.
The Aviation Club will have a
booth at the Organization Fair
for a sign-up of interested
persons and to answer any
questions.
Students, University em
ployees, and their immediate
families are invited to become
club members.
The first meeting will be held
on Tuesday, October 8 at 7:00
p.m. in Room E-224.
Plan to attend.