November 17, 1977
DlSCassions
Ratings: ****excellent; ***bet
ter than average; **average;
*don't bother.
Decade - Neil
(Reprise Records)
rating ****
This three record set is a
comprehensive anthology
marking ten years of recorded
music from Neil Young.
Included are songs which
represent every phase of his
career, incorporating five songs
never before released on
album.
Young's career can best be
defined as one of action and
reaction. Since his early work
in the trendsetting Buffalo
Springfield, he has founded his
own band, Crazy Horse, as well
as made short-lived yet
important contributions to
Crosby, Stills and Nash and
recently the Stills-Young Band.
Young's always distinct and
personal style has progressed
through electric rock, countri
fied rock, commercial accept
ance and later rejection, ,acute
depression strongly felt in his
"The Maltese Tarnhelm"
Sam Spade looked around
the living room for an ashtray.
As he stood blowing smoke
through his nostrils, the woman
brought one from the kitchen
and handed it to him.
"Now mahm, tell me, when
was the last time you saw your
son?"
"Well it was about two
weeks ago. He was acting very
strangely."
"Like what?
"He kept mumbling some
thing about a Tarnhelm."
"How do you spell that?"
"Like it sounds."
"Oh."
Sam wrote Tarnhelm down
and then asked some routine
questions about the young
man's description, activities,
and interests. He found out he
was a student at Capitol
Campus and figured that would
be a good place to start. He
asked the boy's mother for a
picture of him.
Spade showed the picture to
some people on campus, but no
one seemed to know where the
young man was. He was about
to give up when he saw a
suspicious looking character
slouching away from the water
fountain. He looked at the
figure as it turned, and then at
the picture, and realized it was
the missing young man.
Sam ran after him and
followed him into an office.
"Hey, kid."
The young man looked up
"What do you want?"
"My name's Spade."
4 "You a Shamus?"
"Yeah. You know your
mother's been worried for
By Gregory Hall
music as the result of two
friends' deaths, and a return to
country and electric rock
complete with new insights and
fresh strength.
Young
These phases, all of them
essential in defining ten years
of Young's contributions to
music, reveal him as an
abstract, ever-changing vital
force - . among the most
important artists in what used
to be called a cultural
movement. Young represents
the few that have refused to be
sacrificed, and Decade is a
superb document, and a tribute
to one man's accomplishments,
failures, and unique visions.
Rough Mix - Pete Townshend
and Ronnie Lane (MCA
Records)
rating: ****
Pete Townshend is one of
rock's handful of geniuses. Ro
nnie Lane is an intelligent, gifted
artist with a penchant for soft
acoustic ballads and some rock
n' roll. Townshend is usually
"I figured she would. But
I've got work to do."
"Look, kid, I've been looking
for you for a couple days and I
want some answers. Now
what's this Tarnhelm jazz all
about?"
"Tarnhelm? Well it's a
magic helmet-type of hat. It
was made by a dwarf, a
ARTS and C,LTURE
thought of first as the Who's
writer and guitatist, not a
vocalist; yet here his voice is
strong and commanding, as is
Lane's. Together they cast a
pure and essential Spirit which
makes this album a likely
choice, though not commercial
ly, for my best of the year list. .
The songs, especially Towns
hend's are cinematic, intimate
and psychologically complex,
yet joyous and accesible. As a
sidelight, Eric Clapton contri
butes some fine acoustic and
dobro guitar to most of the
cuts.
Out at press time: new
releases lice Electric Light
Orchestra's two-record Out of
the Blue, Greatest Hits, etc.
from Paul Simon, Rick
Wakeman's Criminal Record,
All n' All from Earth Wind &
Fire, and Still Falling For You
from Boz Skaggs.
Coming after term break: to
start off the new year,
Discussions reviews the best
and the worst albums of 1977,
and looks at the State of the
Rock. Until then, have a good
holiday...
Nibelung, named MIME, from a
stolen treasure called the
Rhinegold."
' "God!" Sam thought "the
kid's in on a jewel heist!"
"Anyway, when you wear it
you can transform yourself at
will and travel anywhere in the
world on a wish."
"So how much is it worth?"
C.C. Reader
See Page 4
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Get Published! Be ye an artist, photo:
writer of poetry or prose - Tarnhelm wants
works to Humanities Office, W-161, by Janua
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