Page 2 College Station, Texas Wednesday, October 1, 1969 THE BAT f
Off The Record
by Gary McDonald
ABBEY ROAD - The Beatles
As is so often the case in the
course of creative progression,
the Beatles are moving in a full
circle. Dylan has completed his
circle and the Stones and Beatles
are in the process of completing
theirs. The Beatels first efforts
were primitive musically and lyr
ically. Gradually their work be
came more and more sophisticat
ed until it reached a peak in the
elaborate, ornate “Sgt. Pepper”
and “Magical Mystery Tour” al
bums. When their music began to
get too rococo they started to
circle back. “The Beatles” was far
more informal than the two pre
ceding albums and “Abbey Road”
is a still farther regression. Pre
dictably, their next album, “Get
Back” will do everything the title
implies. It will mark the comple
tion of the creative circle.
This album exudes the qualities
that have put the Beatles in the
upper echelon of popular music:
lyrically and melodically tight
compositions built on a founda
tion of basic drum patterns and
crisp bass guitar playing that is
deceptively simple; superb pro
duction and arranging; and con
summate vocals.
There is at least one element
of this album that is notably
atypical of the Beatles. This al
bum gives the individual musi
cians involved more opportunity
to exercise their instrumental
virtuosity than in recent albums
and possibly more than any of
their preceding albums. Ringo
gets a solo on “The End,” George
has several solos, most notably
on “The End” and “I Want You,”
and John and Paul both get scat
tered chances at soloing.
In their effort to “Get Back”
there are several songs in the
old time rock n’ roll vein that
sound a bit camp. Nevertheless,
they can be enjoyed at face
value. Look for even more groups
claiming “to go back to their
roots’ after this album.
Side two is a medley of sorts.
Most of the songs flow into the
next or at least provide some log
ical transition between cuts, but
Church Meet Features
Theologian, Banker
A prominent Texas theologian
and a Bryan businessman are
among the speakers to be heard
during the 24th annual Town and
Country Church Conference Oct.
9-10 at the university.
They are Father Charles El
mer, pastor of Saint Theresa
Catholic Church in Austin, and
Bookman Peters, president of
Bryan’s City National Bank.
Father Elmer’s talk is titled
“Spiritual Countdown for the
Church.” Peters will discuss “A
New Era, or Post-Apollo Apa
thy?”
The overall conference theme
is “A New Era Challenges the
Church.”
Father Elmer received his
Master of Education degree at
Texas A&M and was a chaplain
on the campus from 1954 to 1964.
His doctorate in theology is from
the Pontifical University of Saint
Thomas in Rome, Italy.
The pastor is a veteran of the
Normandy D-Day landing and
there is no affected “unity of
purpose.”
Several individual tracks stand
out. “Come Together” uses a
rhythmically interesting inter
lude between verses employing a
blues chant style not unlike that
of Chuck Berry. George Harri
son’s “Something” is outstanding
simply because of its strikingly
beautiful melody. “Maxwell’s Sil
ver Hammer” is conspicuous be
cause of the contrast of the sa
distic lyrics and the innocent tone
and background setting. The fact
that “I Want You” has such ma
jor musical digressions and still
manages to come out a unified
entity makes it a noteworthy
track.
The beauty of the Beatles is
that they offer something to most
everyone. Because the songs are
so conveniently ambiguous, one
can construe his own meaning out
of them; or, none at all, if he
so chooses. In their previous al
bums the Beatles have had the
ability to give the listener mean
ing or rescue him from it. This
album is no exception.
TURNING POINT—John Mayall
When, in the early ’50’s, John
Mayall first began emulating his
blues idols like B.B. King and
John Lee Hooker, it was hardly
a lucrative field of endeavor. He
could scarcely earn a living. Nev
ertheless, he persevered and grad
ually the form of music he pio
neered to the white youth began
to catch on among white middle
and upper middle class university
students. With the help of fellow
band member Eric Clapton, who
earlier achieved fame with the
Yardbirds, but still had not re
ceived the apex of his popular
ity, Mayall became something of
a legend and his beloved blues at
last became accepted by the mass
public. This history is loosely doc
umented in Mayall’s recent re
lease entitled “Looking Back.”
Now, approximately a decade
and a half after his professional
entry into the field of blues,
Mayall feels compelled to once
again be a pioneer and set a
new course in which to express
still serves as a reserve officer
with the Fourth U. S. Army
Chaplain Office. His many hon
ors include an appointment as a
papal chaplain and then as a Pre
late of Honor to the Pope in
1968.
Peters holds a Master of Busi
ness Administration degree from
Texas A&M.
In 1968, he was selected as the
Outstanding Young Man in Braz
os County. He has served as
president of the Bryan-College
Station Chamber of Commerce
and was recently appointed to
the regional advisory council of
the Small Business Administra
tion.
★ ★ ★
Prison Inmates, Guards
To be Feted at Banquet
Fifteen inmates and two guards
from the Texas Department of
Corrections will be honored
Tuesday night at a dinner in the
Ramada Inn.
The inmates Friday completed
a 15-week heavy equipment oper
ators training school and will re-
himself. So now that the mar
ket is saturated with groups that
exploit heavy Claptonesque lead
guitar and affect the blues mys
tique, he has decided to drop
the heavy lead guitar and drums,
and migrate to a quiter form of
blues. Hence, we have Mayall,
with a new band, recording live
at the Fillmore East, an album
of music that has been described
as “blues without bashing.”
The compositions are all by
Mayall, or Mayall in collaboration
with bassist Steve Thompson, and
display Mayall’s unique intro
spective style of blues. As always
his guitar playing is concise and
tasty. Mayall is at the pinnacle
of harpists and his rhythmic as
well as melodic style of playing
is showcased on “Room to Move,”
and to a lesser extent on other
numbers.
The salient difference between
this and former bands is, of
course, the lead guitar. Jon Mark,
the new guitarist, plays accous-
tically. His lines are consummate.
Combined with the thoughtful
phrasing typical of good jazz
guitarists is a technique not un
like that of a classical guitarist.
In this context his performances
are refreshing and exhilirating.
Johnny Almond is the “rover
man” in Mayall’s new lineup. His
varied use of wind instruments
always serves its function well.
His fill-ins keep the sound full
and his accentuation of other ele
ments of the music keeps the
texture rich.
In a band without drums the
significance of the bassist can
not be underestimated. In effect,
he alone is performing a func
tion that is usually alloted to at
least two people. It is he who
keeps the sound cohesive. Johnny
Thompson, the bassist, keeps the
varied elements of the sound from
interpersing into chaos with the
powerful bottom he adds to the
sound.
This album would make poor
muzak. It is challenging, but re
warding if one but takes the time
to get involved with it.
ceive certificates of completion
and teacher training certificates.
During the school, the men put
in over 2,000 man hours of work
during a five-week drainage
project for the City of College
Station.
Chief Instructor A1 Jones re
ported the men, under supervi
sion from his staff, moved about
30,000 yards of dirt to build a
1,700 foot drainage ditch at no
expense to the city.
Jones said the work was on
Bee Creek, south of the cemetery
on Highway 6. The ditch was
built 80 feet wide on top with an
eight-foot flat bottom. The av
erage cut is 11 feet, Jones point
ed out.
Scheduled to attend are Mayor
D. A. Anderson and members of
the College Station City Council;
H. D. Bearden, director of the
Texas Engineering Extension
Service; W. Dee Kutash, assist
ant director in charge of treat
ment, Texas Department of Cor
rections, and members of the
TDC and TEES staffs.
Campus Briefs
Cbe Battalion
Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of
the student writers only. The Battalion is a non-tax-
supported, tion-profit, self-supporting educational enter
prise edited and operated by students as a university and
community newspaper.
LETTERS POLICY
Letters to the editor should be typed, double-spaced,
and must be no more than 300 words in length. They
must be signed, although the writer’s name will be with
held by arrangement with the editor. Address corre
spondence to Listen Up, The Battalion, Room 217,
Services Building, College Station, Texas 77843.
MEMBER
The Associated Press, Texas Press Association
The Associated Collegiate Press
Mail subscriptions are $3.50 per semester; $6 per school
year; $6.50 per full year. All subscriptions subject to 4%
sales tax. Advertising rate furnished on request. Address:
The Battalion, Room 217, Services Building, College Station,
Texas 77843.
The Associated Press is entitled exclusively to the use for
republication of all new dispatches credited to it or not
otherwise credited in the paper and local news of spontaneous
origin published herein. Rights of republication of all other
matter herein are also reserved.
Second-Class postage paid at College Station, Texas.
1969 TPA Award Winner
Members of the Student Publications Board are: Jim
Lindsey, chairman ; Dr. David Bowers, College of Liberal
Arts ; F. S. White, College of Engineering; Dr. Donald R.
Clark, College of Veterinary Medicine; and Z. L. Carpenter,
College of Agriculture.
The Battalion, a student newspaper at Texas A&M is
blished in College Station, Texas daily except Saturday,
nday, and Monday, and holiday periods, September through
May, and once a week during summer school.
Represented nationally by National Educational Advertising
Services, Inc., New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles and San
Francisco.
EDITOR DAVE MAYES
Managing Editor David Middlebrooke
Staff Writers Tom Curl, Janie Wallace, Phil
Brinker, Jay F. Goode, Pam Troboy,
Steve Forman, Bill Vasen, Gary
Mayfield, P. Harrison, Raul Pineda
Columnists Monty Stanley, Bob Peek,
John Platzer
Sports Editor Richard Campbell
Photographers Bob Stump, Bob Peek
Sports Photographer Mike Wright
CIVIL ENGINEERING
Shamrock
EMPLOYMENT SERVCE
OCCUPATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
AWAIT YOU, THE '70 GRADUATE
• College Division •
North Gate
331 University Dr.
846-3737
* “EMPLOYERS PAY FOR OUR SERVICES.”
A division of ERC
1
CADET SLOUCH
by Jim Earle Bulletin Board
TONIGHT
Houston Hometown Club will
elect officers at 7:30 p.m. in room
321 of the Physics building. Plans
for the Rice game will be dis
cussed.
Pre-Veterinary Medicine So
ciety will organize at 7:30 p.m.
in Room 100 of the Chemistry
Building.
THURSDAY
Dairy Science Club will have a
wiener roast at 6:30 p.m. in Hen-
sel Park. Dairy science produc
tion, manufacture and food tech
nology majors and their wives or
dates are asked to sign a list on
the first floor of the Keep build
ing.
Odessa Hometown Club will
meet after yell practice in the
Art Room of the MSC.
Rugby Club will meet at 8 p.m.
in the Social Room of the MSC.
Team workouts will be posted.
Texas A&M Parachute Club
will show slides at 7:30 p.m. in
Room 113 of the Plant Sciences
Building. Prospective members
are invited to attend.
Panhandle Area Hometown
Club will elect officers at 8 p.m.
in Room 3C of the MSC.
Abilene Hometown Club will
meet at 7:30 p.m. in Room 206
of the Academic Building.
“It’s a personal telephone call—big deal!”
FOR
BEST
RESULTS
TRY
BATTALION CLASSIFIED
PALACE
“Me Natalie”
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Skyway Twin
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“Dirty Dozen”
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100 EXTRA
TOP VALUE STAMPS
With Purchase of $10.00 or More
(Excluding Cigarettes) • One Per Family
Coupon Expires Oct. 4, 1969
US DA GRADE
REDEEM AT BROOKSHIRE BROS.
50 FREE
TOP VALUE STAMPS
FRYERS-27
BROOKSHIRE BROS.
With Purchase of Any Size Box
Cheerios Cereal
Coupon Expires Oct. 4, 1969
13 A CON
/ H>
80
REDEEM AT BROOKSHIRE BROS.
50 FREE
TOP VALUE STAMPS
With Purchase of 27-Oz. Can
Johnson’s Bravo
4 Coupon Expires Oct. 4, 1969
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