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Thursda). June 5, 1975
the tar heel
cruggs commercializes album
by John Dunlap
Staff Writer
He is a short man with greying hair
that runs straight back and behind his
ears. His wavy hair reaches weakly
down to his collar, rather long for a man
his age. Wrinkles cut deeply across his
forehead when he breaks into a toothy
smile. His eyes are tired and deepset yet
he still answers questions with a quiet
"yes sir".
Earl Scruggs and his sons (The Earl
Scruggs Review) were in Chapel Hill
this past school year to do a concert in
Carmichael Auditorium with Linda
Ronstadt. Earl's eyes were heavier than
ever as he stepped off the stage and
made way for a Linda Ronstadt who
was three hours late but insisted on
blaming the Carolina basketball team
for the delay.
At the time Earl Scruggs was
planning his Anniversary Album
Volume One, which has just been
released recently. Yet he was more
interested in talking style than specifics.
As tired as he was, he agreed on the spot
to talk about himself.
Nearly a half year later, that same talk
relates very well to the new album. His
description of himself and his music
weaves softly into the Anniversary
Album and explains a bit of what Earl
Scruggs is up to these days.
Yet the latest from Earl Scruggs is
strange in that it appears to be more of a
commercial venture than anything
previously released by this man of
incredible ability. To start with, the
Columbia people have decided to make
an Academy Award sort of production
out of the album by gathering a list of
present "biggies" to do their thing while
Earl does his.
One has to wonder about the choice
of people like Dan Fogelberg, M ichael
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photo by John Dunlap
Karl Scruggs
Murphy, Alvin Lee, the Pointer Sisters,
and Loudon Wainwright III. to sing
with Earl Scruggs.
Add Joan Baez, Bonnie Bramlet,
Johnny Cash, Leonard Cohen, Ramblin
Jack Elliott, Doug Kershaw, Loggins
and Messina, Roger McGuinn, and
Buffy St. Marie and one gets the idea
that he, or she, is listening to an
incredibly highly paid choir singing
country-rock.
In fact, about four of the ten
selections are nothing more than five or
six superstars singing rounds and
joining in on chorus which makes for a
lot of voices and generally mediocre
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music.
As mentioned before, Earl Scruggs
said a good many things about his music
that apply to the new album. So while
the album is reviewed a few of-Earl's
statements will be reviewed.
"There came a time when I just felt
that I had done enough (bluegrass). I
had to move on. So I got the group. I
changed the style added a little more
spice."
A little more spice is exactly what the
first song, Banjo Man, could use. It is
written by Jim Messina-and sung by
Loggins and Messina which is a
simple way of saying that it might as well
be on a Loggins and Messina album.
But Earl does play some good banjo.
. Song four is The Bleaker Street Rag,
a fast-paced instrumental that begins to
sound like the Earl Scruggs music we all
know and love. Billy Joel's piano is
especially good as is Earl's banjo.
Bob Dylan's Song To Woody is good.
Johnny Cash does a nice bit of singing.
In fact. Cash probably does as good a
job on the album as anyone, with the
obvious exception of Earl Scruggs.
"I had done so much bluegrass that
there really wasn't any progress there. It
is really like anything in life you can't
stand still. You have to move on. So that
is what I had to do."
Scruggs "moved on" too far with
"Third Rate Romance", a song totally
out of place. A boogie tune featuring
The Pointer Sisters, this song just does
not work within Scruggs' scope.
Hey Porter does. Written by Johnny
Cash and sung by the man in black it is
the sort of folksy train song that Cash
sings so well and Earl Scruggs can back
up so well.
Finally, the song Passing Through is
one of the choir-type songs that comes
off fairly well. The voices stand out as
does the music of Master Earl.
"As far as my change in style and
whether or not one can over-electrify,
well the answer is you can over-electrify
or under-electrify anything. The idea is
to keep on trying to find the right
combination."
And so we have Earl Scruggs, a
friendly quiet sort of man who answers
your questions with "yes sir". We have
one of the truly fine banjo players of our
times. Yet we also have an album over
produced and poor in overall scope.
Finally, we have the hope that Earl
and his sons will come up with that right
combination and make more albums
that feature their own fine talents and
not those of too many others.
Father's Day
make it a day to remember with
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