PAGE SIX
READER REVIEWS
Remember Lennon ?
Walt and Bridges John Lennon Apple
It's always easy to tell when autumn rolls around: the foliage
changes pigments, all the kiddies return to school, and John
Lennon releases another album. This latest is the ex-Beatle
leader's fourth solo effort (sth, if you count Sometime in N. Y.
City) since the Breakup, and 400th if you count all his pre-Breakup
sets.
In 1970, he gained instant immortality (as if he needed any
more) with Plastic Ono Band, the unique musical baring of his
soul. In 1971, he came out with Imagine, one of the biggest of ex-
Beatle LP's. The last year, it was Mind Games, a pretty, but
rather shallow effort that didn't go very far and was dwarfed by
the successes of other ex-Beatle efforts - Band On the Run (Mc-
Cartney) and Ringo (Ringo).
On the average, Lennon's albums have been slightly better than
the other three ex-Beatles, but the conclusive success with any one
album that Paul managed to gain with BOTR always seemed to
elude John's grasp. Well, no more. In Walls & Bridges, John
Lennon has returned to his roots of rock & roll and forsaken his
Plastic-Ono sound and themes of love-peace-Yoko for more solid
footing in the real world of today.
Walls & Bridges is like a synopsis of every phase Lennon has
been a part of: it is satiric, it is nostalgic; it is funky, it is velvet
smooth; it is self-parody, and it is self-pity. And this album sounds
unlike anything any of the Beatles have ever done before, either as
a group or as individuals. There isn't a weak cut on the album, and
several pieces (especially "What You Got") are really over
powering.
Elton John joins forces with John Lennon to produce "Whatever
Gets You Thru the Night", which is definitely not the best cut on
the album, and "Surprise, Surprise (Sweet Bird of Paradox)",
which is much better than the first Elton-John collaboration, and
is a take-off of "Drive My Car". Harry Nilsson also lends a hand
with "Old Dirt Road". Lennon sounds great with Nilsson and Elton
John sharing the harmonies.
Other great moments include: "No. 9 Dream", with
"Strawberry Fields" surrealism; "Steel & Glass", a biographical
self-satire (with "How Do You Sleep?" refrain); "Beef Jerky", a
parody of Booker-T type R&B (featuring "Booker Table and the
Matre d's"); "Nobody Loves You (When You're Down and Out)",
where a mellowed Lennon recounts his life with veiled references
to Paul and the Beatles, with a generous dose of self-pity; and
"Ya-Ya", the kind of indulgence McCartney is famous for, and
here, John lets young son Julian play the drums in a quick take of
the old R&R number.
Walls & Bridges is not as biting and revealing as Plastic Ono
Band, it's not as deep as Imagine, and it's not a flimsy as Mind
Games. Walls & Bridges is a new-old Lennon bringing us the joy of
music in the most well-rounded ex-Beatles album yet. As a final
word, I can only say that if you've never bought a Lennon album
before, for one reason or another, then this is the one to buy.
Jim Bollinger
...How About Eric?
461 Ocean Boulevard
Eric Clapton
This past summer, Eric Clapton burst back onto the rock scene
with both a national tour (which I was fortunate enough to make)
and a new album, 461 Ocean Boulevard. Being a novice Clapton
fan, I have been sitting back and watching many critics deride
him for producing a 'mediocre' album, playing with a 'mediocre'
band, and even displaying only 'mediocre' talent.
I think it's time to put things in a more reasonable perspective.
461 is neither mediocre nor great; it's good. Clapton displays his
guitar-playing sparingly - he has nothing left to prove. If anyone
doubts his virtuosity, just let them listen to "Layla" or "Little
Being withoug five-minute guitar solos gives Clapton a chance to
display a voice that has mellowed pleasantly and can still turn a
great tune (especially on "Willie and the Hand Jive"). It also
gives him a chance to show other, more intangible talents, like
producing the great sound on "Let It Grow".
Not having expected any miracles from Clapton when I bought
the album, all I was really able to do was enjoy it. And I think
that's all that Eric wants us to do. So, listen and enjoy.
Wigoo ,
THIS INFORMATION WILL BE COMPILED FOR 1
OUR SCHOOL DIRECTORY BY YOUR STUDENT $
GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION •
1 Last Name
Home Phone
Home Address
Jim Bollinger
First
School Phone
School Address
C. C. READER
Reprinted from North
Carolina A & T State
University's A & T Register
of Aug. 30, 1974.
Last week three seemingly
insignificant incidents took place
on campus but . , if they are any
indication of things to come j we
may he in trouble. Our troubles
won't necessarily come from
what someone has done to us as
students; but rather from what
we have failed to do as students.
The first thing that happened
was that the SG A called a
student body meeting. And
in spite of the fact that classes
were in their first day and that
the dominant question from last
semester was "Why wasn't the
,SGA scheduling meetings?", only
about 60 people turned out for
the meeting. Nokafter two years
of creating excuses as to why
students don't attend student
body meetings, cultural events, or
political activities on campus,
I've finally "unexcused" my
excuses and decided that we,
in spite of ourcontinuous
complaints, are satisfied with
what we've got or we're getting
what we deserve because we
don't care about ourselves. I
mean there is no way one can
compose a feasible excuse to
account for the absence. of 95
plus per cent of the student body
over a two-year period. from any
given "student body" meeting
on any given day and time.
There is, however,an analysis
of this lack of response by the
student body. And that analysis
speaks to the reason that most
student problems and unbearable
conditions become ways of life
or acceptable over ..a period of
years. This analysis says that if
an Aggie has a problem, "THAI
ONE INDIVIDUAL" Aggie has a
problem. He may raise it "as an
individual" with the
administration. He can expect
sympathy, but not support, from
his student body mates; for
Dickinson Lists
Exhibition
Carlisle, Pa. -- Noted print
maker Mauricio Lasansky's
"Nazi Drawings," a series of
30 works created during a five
year period from 1961 to 1966,
will be on display at Dickinson
College Oct. 1 through Nov. 8.
Providing a sensitive
commentary on Nazi savagery
of the 1930 s and 40s, the
drawings have been shown in
major museums across the
country and in Mexico at the
invitation of the government.
Dickinson earlier exhibited
Lasansky works two years ago
at the beginning of the
college's bicentennial
celebration.
The Nazi Drawings also
include a triptych added by the
artist after the exhibit's initial
presentation at the
Philadelphia Museum of Art
and the Whitney Museum in
New York.
Initial
Most of the drawings are
hfesize and give the im
pression of under-ground,
subway graffiti.
Lasansky is on the faculty of
the University of lowa School
of Art and History and his Nazi
Drawings are on extended loan
from the Richard Levitt
Foundation of Des Moines.
Exhibition of the drawings
How Do You Replace An Entire Student Body?
sympathy is easy and cheapt
support constitutes work and
comes at a price. Therefor',
whether the problem of each
individual Aggie is solved or
remains unsolved. depends upon
who he is or wham he knows.
The administration never has
to answer the question of
housing, finance, or whatever for
the student body, but only for
John Doe. Hence students begin
to correctly complain that "Ain't
nothing going to be done" or
"The SGA can't do nothing".
But it's better to have the SGA
officials fail the student body,
than to have the student body
fail to support the SGA. You can
replace impotent SGA officials,
but how do you replace an entire
student body?
The second thing that
happened occurred during the
student body meeting when an
SGA official informed me that
the meeting had been called to
introduce the "main"
organizations on campus to the
student body. But the first step
in maximizing ones strength is to
recognize ones strength.
And, like it or not, pro or con,
we m ustdeal with the FACT that
the fraternities and sororities
constitute the most organized
force on campus. Any time any
given SGA meeting is capable of
pulling only five to ten percent
of its members (the student
body) and frats and sororities are
consistently capable, of pulling
from 80 to 100 percent of
their members, it is a mistake
to 4leglect the "main"organized
forces on campus.
Thus working in cooperation
with these organizations aro
having them turn out their
members for relevant meetings
can only increase the support of
the st uden tgovernment. It seems
only logical that the "main
organizations" would include
those that enjoyed function al
support also.
preceeds Dickinson's
presentation of its Arts Award
to Lasansky Oct. 29.
Consisting of a Wedgewood
medallion and a $l,OOO
honorarium, the Dickinson
College Arts Award is
presented periodically "to an
individual who has made an
outstanding contribution in the
arts or humanities." Previous
recipients include the
Philadelphia Orchestra,
Robert Frost and Judith An
derson.
Nazi Drawings will be
mounted in the college's
gallery in the Holland Union
Building, open Monday-Friday
from noon to 2 p.m. and 4 to 6
p.m.
••••••••••
A forum discussion on
"Prescribed Drugs and
Women" will be held at 3:00
p.m. on October 17, 1974 at
Capitol Campus in the Main
Building Auditorium.
The topic will be approached
from three distinct concerns:
the extent of research con
ducted prior to patent approval
by the Federal Government,
the side effects of these drugs
on the off-spring of women who
consume these drugs, and the
effects of these drugs on
women who consume these
drugs.
Our panelists are: Mr. Bob
Lockett who is the Consumer
Affairs Officer with the Food
OC, TOM R 11. 1974
The final thing that took
place last week was the meeting
of the Council of Presidents. At
points during the meeting l the
participants were so disorderly
that it became somewhat obvious
that, if this group represented
"the cream of the crop', the
"crop is indeed in trouble."
But.beyond that, the response
after the meeting was equally
depressing. One sister came up to
me after I had been elected to
serve as president of the Council
and said, "You're all right with
me, but I'm telling you now, all
these different organizations are
going to follow their own path."
Well, it was now here in my
mind to try to establish a path
for any organization, outside of
the Vet Club, to follow. I neither
know enough about their
constitutions or objectives;
neither do I care to add that
particular responsibility to my
list of objectives. But I do know
that„if the Council of Presidents
does not move forward as a
representative body of the
students and organizations that
they represent, then the
individual organization must face
the same fate as the individual
student.
The Vet Club has no chains
around its plot; we have no plot.
But as a member of the Council
o f Presidents we are willing to
support the decisions of those
organizations facing the problem.
As president of the Council, the
only position that I care to push
is that OUR problems are one—to
be solved as ONE student body.
Students pay too much in
money, time and effort to allow
all the decisions and policies to
be decided without their input
and at their expense. Buso far,
that's what we deserve until we
give our support as one in
support of each other for the
benefit of ALL AGGIES'
and Drug Administration,
Philadelphia, Pa.; Dr. Cheston
Berlin who is the Director of
the Pediatric In-patient Ser
vices and the Pediatric In
tensive Care Unit at Hershey
Medical Center and also an
Associate Professor of
Pediatrics, College of
Medicine, Penn State
University; and Dr. Vincent G.
Stenger who is also a Professor
with the Penn State University
College of Medicine and
Chairman of the Department
of Obstetrics and Gynecology
at Hershey Medical Center.
The panelists have done
extensive research in their
specific areas of specialization
and will have a wealth of
knowledge to provide on the
subject, which has caused
tremendous concern for
families in recent months.
A question and answer
session will follow the
presentations. The program is
free and open to the public.