The Philadelphia Inquirer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page 222

10-L Sunday. June 14. 1981 Philadelphia Inquirer POPROCK- Country music No star, but happy as a man They call her simply the best on SONY'EPI if Save 260 STR-V3S 35 watts minimum RMS per chan-e nel. both channels driven mto 8 ohms from 20H; to 20Mb at more than 0.041 HO Acute Servo Lock tunmg with LED center-channel and signal-strength TT BUY THIS 1 GET Will I tw too i Spook SONY RECEIVER IT $400.00 VALUf I indicators two laoe Monitors Save 340 on SHY.EsPI lit it ft GET BUY THIS 'w I me mi ten mtm. ir 2 mm RECEIVER AT I Spaakors STR-V45 40 wafts minimum RMS per channel, both channels driven mto 8 ohms Irom mi at no more than 0.02 THD Quartz tal lock frequency synthesis tuning with digital frequency readout, JiL.

'f X. ft 1 0 'V, ft r- 5 ,1 i fluorescent display A maXEll mi WVlNj. 1 mt Hiidi rjfcrrr.1 For 20-odd years, the voice of Cleo Laine was one of England's best-kept secrets By Jack Lloyd Inquirer Entertainment Writer At least one critic an enthusiastic witness for the London Times called her quite simply, the best singer in the world. More than a few others have watered down their evaluations somewhat, labeling her possibly the best singer in the world. The object of these assessments, Cleo Laine, takes it all "with a pinch of salt." Laine, who will be appearing at the Valley Forge Music Fair with Irish flute virtuoso James Galway tomorrow makes it clear, though, that she is not unappreciati ve of such proclamations.

"Let's face it," she noted, "it did me a hell of a lot of good when I first came to America to perform. And when I go out on stage I can back it up to a certain extent. But, really, unless the person who says such a thing has heard all of the singers in the world, one cannot say, 'Yes, that's "And if I were to think that way, I'd be a slightly different person than I am. One must keep some sort of equilibrium." The incredible range and texture of Laine's voice had been one of England's best-kept secrets for some 20 years until her first performance in America nine years ago. And while 'Laine has failed to reach classic "pop star" status in this country she is not viewed as "commercial" the Cleo Laine following swells steadily with each appearance.

Her technique is such that Laine is frequently labeled as a jazz vocalist, which is a convenient way of explaining that her talent is several notches above the standard pop singer. However, Laine prefers to think of herself as a "singer of songs." She is not interested in being regulated or pigeon-holed into a neat category. Laine enjoys working with musicians she admires. Her current tour with Galway a classical flutist who does not disdain pop music is an example. It comes on the heels of their recently released album collaboration for RCA Records, "Sometimes When We Touch." Previously, Laine has recorded albums with classical guitarist John Williams, and soul-singer supreme Ray Charles.

Laine's next album will be with English comedian-actor Dudley Moore. She seemed perplexed if not a trifle indignant when surprise was expressed at this news. "You don't know that he's an accomplished pianist?" she said. "You didn't see 10?" Ah, yes, the film that unveiled, so to speak, Bo Derek. "Well, he played the piano brilliantly in 10.

That was really Dudley playing. Before he joined 'Beyond the Fringe," he was John's pianist. And he was my pianist. I was also Dudley's landlady once. When I had to move out of a flat I had in England, Dudley moved in." "John" is John Dankworth, who some sort of equilibrium' 1 mmmm Fr Tiir lime ir 16 Direct from Xew Orleans PRESERVATION BALL JAZZ BAND By Robert Hilburn Lot Timet Service MEMPHIS, Tenn.

At 52, Paul Burlison is finally the rock star that he dreamed of being in the 1950s when he worked for Crown Electric Co. here with Elvis Presley. He is not a star in the sense of being a performer, but fans from around the world phone him or stop by his house south of town to talk about the old days. He's a link with classic rockabilly and a survivor. "When I see the toll the music business took on a lot of my friends, I'm kind of glad I never made it big in the '50s," he said.

"I haven't got any gold records, but I've got a wonderful family and I've got a lot of great memories." For years, however, Burlison was deeply saddened by his failure to achieve the rock attention of many of his Memphis contemporaries. He believed that he had lost out on his rock 'n' roll dreams. Burlison was one of the original guitar heroes in rock; his style and fuzz-tone experimentation in the '50s influenced countless guitarists. But Burlison, who was part of the Rock 'n' Roll Trio with brothers Johnny and Dorsey Burnette, turned his back on rock in 1957 a decision he regretted for years. Struggling at home While the Burnettes were in California building separate solo careers, Burlison remained here, struggling to establish his electric company.

He had stayed here to be close to his family, but was always running into people who told him that he should have stuck with the Burnettes, and that he had blown it. After Johnny Burnette scored big in 1960 with "Dreamin'," he invited Burlison to join him on the West Coast. Before he could even think about accepting, he was in an auto accident that kept him out. Burlison's company eventually thrived, but his self-dbubts about having left rock made him resentful. When fans and writers came around in the late 1960s and early 70s to ask about the records that he made with the trio, he refused to talk to them, "I just wanted to block the disappointment of those days from my mind," he said, sitting in the den of his house on a 82-acre spread in farm country near Walls, Miss.

"That's probably one thing that helped me with my business. I was a real workaholic. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do something. I didn't want to think of myself as a failure." Musicians envied him "I gradually began seeing that I may not have made the wrong decision after all," Burlison said. "Several of my friends had died: Johnny, Dorsey, Elvis The more I talked to other musicians, the more I could see they kind of envied my life.

Some of them had kept struggling without success and they were still hurting inside. Others had been successful enough to tour for years, but they now feel bad because they sacrificed their family lives. "I was talking to one of them at the store the other day and he said, 'You know, I've been on the road 20 years now. My son is married and I never even saw him play a game. I never saw him in the school It seemed to be bugging him.

"It made me think. My business has been good to me. I raised five children, sent them to college. They're all married, too, but I saw every Little League baseball game, and I was at all the horse shows that my daughters entered. See all those trophies in the other room? My kids won them.

To me they're as good as gold records." When Presley cut "That's All Right, Mama" in 1954 for Sun Records, Burlison was in a trio playing radio and club spots in Memphis. His group approached Sun, too, but owner Sam Phillips was busy with Presley and told them they would have to wait a few weeks before he could get to them, Burlison said. Impatient, they headed for New York, where they appeared on the "Ted Mack Amateur Hour," a TV talent contest. Tops three times, they won a concert tour and a contract with Coral Records. The trio broke up after two years.

In 1964, Burnette died in a boating accident. Dorsey died of a heart attack in 1979. sesses a voice that is tailor-made for rock, SYLVIA Drifter (RCA): Sylvia (no last name) is among the new-breed female country singers who are adding a fresh flavor to the idiom. She has a highly appealing voice, and there are a number of pleasing tunes offered on this album, including "Wippoor-wille." "Mising You," "Rainbow Rider" and the title track. Sylvia's voice can be quite sensual at the appropriate moments.

There are a couple of weak numbers here and there, though. THE CHIPMUNKS Urban Chipmunks (RCA): The premise here goes back to the late 1950s, when three "chipmunks," Alvin, Simon and Theadore, became pop stars as a result ot electronic gimmickry. Well, they returned last year with a hit record. "Chipmunk punk," and are now taking a shot at exploiting the urban cowboy fad with such songs as "The Gambler," "I Love a Rainy Night." "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Chipmunks" and "Lucken-bach. Texas." Well, perhaps it's all very cute and fine for the Kiddy set, but why an adult would want to sit around listening to the Chipmunks doing "Luckenbach, Texas" when they could hear Waylon Jennings' version is a puzzle.

Excellent. Very Good. Fair. Poor, AAA FREE VALUI TAPE SPECIAL 12 For li ttnmmf $9 75 turn mm i himmI I 1 ft i a 1 II iJ or MC: (215) 296-99 twin tr '-4 i 7 Yl -T Si 1 I ki 94 (8 pm), ft thru JUNE 28 FOUR PERFORMANCES ONLY! 3l Steve Goodman, the way we remember Cleo Laine: 'One must keep has been laine's chief collaborator ever since she joined his Big Band in 1952. He has also been her husband since 1958.

With Dankworth fronting the Big Band on sax, they toured the British dance hall circuit for several years until Laine's talent and reputation could no longer be be confined to that framework. In the years that followed Laine became a giant star in England, appearing frequently in television productions, musical theater and even opera presentations. However, in America, Laine is known primarily through her concert tours, which have become an annual outing. Naturally, she would ultimately like to take on a stage project in this country, but the circumstances would have to be right in her mind. It almost happened last year, except that Laine had already committed her services to a four-month stint in a London production of Colette, a play based on the French writer.

"I was approached to do Sophisticated Ladies," she said. "Well, Duke Ellington is an idol of mine, and that was a very interesting possibility. But I was committed to the other show. "Otherwise, I've had several offers Ifor Broadway but none of them appealed to me enough to Review Goodman's cohorts turned out to be two familiar Philadelphia instrumentalists, harmonica player Saul Broudy and banjoist Wanamaker Lewis. Broudy, in fact, appeared on several of Goodman's earlier albums, and both Broudy and Lewis have been performing on and off with Goodman for more than half a decade.

The trio aired Goodman's still-most-celebrated tune, "City of New Orleans," Hank Williams' "Weary Blues From Waitin'," as well as "Truck Drivin' Man" and the pickin' SOLt ALBUMS 1. STREET SONGS. Rick James 2. A WOMAN NEEDS LOVE, Ray Parker Jr. 3 WHAT CHA GONNA DO FOR ME, Chaka Khan 4.

THE DUDE, Ouincy Jones 5. RADIANT, Atlantic Siarr LATIN ALBUMS 1. 15 EXITOS NORTENOS, Viva El Norte 2. YA NO ME INTERESA. Chelo 3.

PIQUETES DE HORMIGA. Coniunto Michoa-can 4. UN DIA A LA VEZ Los Tiores Del Norte 5. SI QUIERES VERME LLORAR. Liza Lopez Source: Billboard magazine.

The hot ones These new singles and albums are the fastest chart climbers in Billboard's current nationwide surveys. SINGLES 1. TOUCH ME WHEN WE RE DANCING. Carpenters 7 TOU ARf FOREVER, Smokey Rohmstm 3. SOME CHANGES ARE FOR GOOD.

Dionne 4THE KID IS HOT TONITE. Loverboy 5. SUZI, Randy Vanwarmer ALBUMS 1. SOMEWHERE IN ENGLAND, George Harrison 2 KNIGHTS OF THE SOUND TABLE. Cameo 3 MESSINA Jimmy Messina 4, AS FALLS WICHITA.

Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays 5 TASTY JAM. Fatback commit myself for a year or more. Something might be good, you understand, and still not be right for you. That's the way I felt about a couple of them." For the current tour, Laine, Galway and the Dankworth combo are being augmented by a 14-piece string section. shows are coming off marvelously," Laine said.

"It's like a big party." Jazz is back on Philadelphia radio. Jonathan Takiff, whose "Sunday Night Jazz" program was a four-year' fixture on WMMR until it was discontinued last November, is back with "All That Jazz" for WYSP on Sundays from 10 p.m. to midnight. It fills a void that has existed since WCAU-FM bounced Michael Schlessinger's' Sunday night program a couple of months ago. Takiff pointed out that the emphasis of his new program will be on "fusion jazz." "This type of music is a natural evolution for people who grew up on rock and whose tastes are becoming more sophisticated," Takiff noted.

"These newer jazz musicians grew up on the same music. What it comes down to is a lot of people are looking for something else after 15 rehashes of the Eagles, and how many new wave bands can you listen to?" classic, "Foggy Mountain Breakdown." Prior to that, Goodman, sans accompanists, offered well-known originals such as "Somebody Else's Troubles" and "My Old along with humorous new fare such as "The Dying Cub Fans' Last Request." Humor, in fact, is always the quality just bubbling beneath the surface in many Goodman tunes; he is one of but a rare few songwriters who can make the listener pay attention with subtle verbal amusement. It lightens the atmosphere while Goodman slips in the "message" and the result is a very effective marriage of entertainment and enlightenment. Edgar Kosatkha New albums GEORGE HARRISON Somewhere In England (Dark Horse): This one received more (Kan the usual amount of advance attention due to ol the remaining Beatles for Harrison's John Lennon song, "All Those Years Ago." But the reunion was a token effort, with Ringo Starr sitting in on drums and the voice of Paul McCartney (plus Linda) barely audible in the background. Harrison apparently wrote the song from the heart and no more need be said about it.

Otherwise, the selections are of mixed quality. Two of the best numbers are vintage Hoagy Carmichael pieces, "Hong. Kong Blues" and "Baltimore Oriole." Among the more unfortunate cuts is a belated anti-disco tune called "Unconsciousness Rules. Among the more pleasing songs are "Life Itself," "Teardrops" and "That Which I Have Lost." ALAN MANN Wo Deal No Sleep (Contender): Mann is a veteran Philadelphia rock 'n' roller who demonstrates plenty of appeal on this six-song EP, even though he seems somewhat unsure of what direction he should be Apparently striving for an updated sound. Mann sometimes resorts to a quirky, computorized approach on such numbers as "You're Not the Only One" and "I Want to Know You." "Who's That Girl" gets closer to the spirit of basic rock, and the results are solid.

"New Orleans" and "Let's Pretend" are also strong songs. Mann pos 0 It was the old Steve Goodman who returned to the Bijou Cafe on Wednesday evening, the Steve Goodman that long-time fans remember before success as a songwriter and performer required a full touring band, a truck-full of equipment and a fast-paced stage show for larger halls. The stage was bare save for a microphone and stand at Ihe singerguitarist's midweek appearance and, once again, some local pickers were called upon to augment portions of Goodman's intimate and unaffected set. This is an old Goodman tradition and a rather rare one nowadays although blues, folk, and jazz performers have a long history of assembling "instant" bands when arriving in town. Top-selling records STEVE LAWREMCE EYDIE GORME CORBETT MONICA Frf.

(8 pm), Sun. (7:30 pm), $13.75. Sat. (6 A 10 pm), $15.75 I mpmm mum WEDNESDAY, lit Ui Jifl' Hi 1 1 AM 2 PM JULY 1 CROUPS OF 25 OB MORI OKIY: 2.O0 TICKET $3.00 Cdll Bobbie Cherry, (215) 296 9820 I TOP SINGLES 1 BETTE DAVIS EYES Kim Carries 2 MEDLEY. Stars on 45 3.

SUKIYAKI A Taste ol Honey 4. BEING WITH YOU. Smokey Robinson 5. A WOMAN NEEDS LOVE, Ray Parker Jr. TOP ALBUMS 1 HI INFIDELITY R0 Speedwaoon 2 MISTAKEN IDENTITY.

Kim Carnes 3. DIRTY DEEDS DONE DIRT CHEAP. AC-DC 4 PARADISE THEATRE. Styx 5. FAIR WARNING.

Van Halen COUNTRY SINGLES 1. WHAT ARE WE DOIN' IN LOVE. Dotlm West 2. BUT YOU KNOW I LOVE YOU. Dolly Partem 3.

BLESSED ARE THE BELIEVERS Anne Murray 4. I'M JUST AN OLD CHUNK OF COAL. John Anderson 5. I WAS COUNTRY WHEN COUNTRY WASN'T COOL. Barbars Mandrell COUNTRY ALBUMS 1 SfVEN YEAR ACHE.

Rosanna Cash 2 FEELS SO RIGHT. Alabama 3 ROWDY, Hank Williams Jr. 4 GREATEST HITS. Kenny Rogers b. WILD WEST.

Dome West SOUl SINGLES 1 GIVE IT TO Ml BABY, Rick James 2. WHAT CHA GONNA DO FOR ME. Chaka Khan 3. TWO HEARTS. Stephanie Mills 4.

A WOMAN NEEDS LOVE, Ray Parker Jr. 6. YEARNING FOR YOUR LOVE. Cap Band IN rTTTTJ TTm 1 V. CHARGE ON VISA if INFO: (21S) 644-5000 CROUPS: 047-2307 MAIL ORDERS write Velley forge Muic Fir.

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