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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 21, 1973)
THE BATTALION Page 4 College Station, Texas Wednesday, February 21, 1973 Resonance by Steve Grayson Mick dagger says the Rolling Stones’ new album was influenc ed by “local reggae.” Traffic’s latest album was recorded in Ja maica. The Doobie Brothers sing about how they “got to get back to Jamaica” on the “Toulouse Street” album and Johnny Riv ers’ new album is “L.A. Reggae.” Kingston, Jamaica, is the home and birthplace of reggae, a mix ture of voodoo, jazz and jungle bongos set to an ever-changing quick tempo. The term was first used in the mid-fifties to describe a curious type of music unique to Kingston’s bars and clubs. The Jamaicans had been Amer ican jazz fans and when rock-and- roll took over the record industry, they began to produce their own stuff. Reggae was the result. It is simply produced, as only guitars, bongos and a few reed instruments were available to the Jamaicans. However, the rhythms it involves are so difficult to pro duce that even today, if one wants reggae musicians, one goes to Jamaica. Reggae can be obvious, as on Simon and Garfunkles’ “Cecelia” (yep, that’s what you call that stuff) or as unassuming as the accordian and moog parts on Johnny Nash’s “I Can Sec Clear ly Now.” Reggae got its start in the out side world when homesick black Jamaican workers got together in the seacoast towns of England. It was improved with the incorpo ration of non-Jamaican interpre tation and gradually began to sur face as a distinct music style. Perhaps the first reggae artist With a hit single was Millie Small, whose “My Boy Lollipop” made the charts in 1964. But by no means did this signal any sort of reggae fad. Desmon Dekker had “Israelites” in ’65 and Nash’s “Hold Me Tight” came out in ’67, but, largely, reggae was put down in Britain as primitive mu sic unacceptable to civilized peo ple. Indeed, its acceptance proceed ed with glacieral speed. Bob Dy lan said it was “ok” in ’71 and since then Roberta Flack, Aretha Franklin and Paul Simon, besides the Stones, Nash and Traffic, have all recorded in Jamaica using at least a few local musicians. Now reggae is a common noun adjective ax-ound music circles, but through the years, its boun daries lost their distinctness. Even though Johnny River’s new album is entitled “L.A. Reggae,” he says, “The only relationship be tween what we play and reggae is that it’s basically very simple music, straight ahead rock-and- roll.” Even the king himself, Mr. Nash, exclaims, “I would like for them to explain . . . what it really is.” Whatever reggae does or doesn’t refer to, its influence is growing. Besides, even if there was no such thing, the recording industry can always use another word to describe some new piece of music that really isn’t new. Environmental Troubleshooter To Evaluate Pollution Device A&M’s Environmental Trouble shooters Team will soon swing in to action as it helps evaluate a pollution control device for auto mobiles. The device, called the PASER (Power Amplification by Stimu lated Emission of Radiation) 500, is being manufactured by Ameri- mex Industries, Inc., of Dallas. Eugene Irvin Jr., president of the corporation, said the device was not the complete solution to pollution problems caused by au tomobiles, but that it did reduce hydrocarbon and carbon mono xide emissions while increasing gas mileage by about 10 per cent. Dr. J. Martin Hughes, assist ant professor of Environmental Engineering, said the device would be evaluated to see just how good it really is. “We plan to evaluate tests of the device in actual automobile installations and in laboratory conditions,” he said. “We are in no way endorsing the device. We are merely going to make impar tial evaluations for the company to see what the device will do.” The device, according to Irvin, achieves a high induced voltage which causes an electrical dis charge in the combustion cham ber of an automobile engine, lead ing to more complete combustion of gasoline vapor and lower ex haust emissions. “The PASER 500,” he said, “uses electromagnetic energy from the ignition system of the engine, energy that is normally wasted, in such a way that it leads to more ideal conditions for combustion in the combustion chamber.” An earlier version of the de vice was tested by General Test ing Laboratories, Inc., and it was found that reductions in hydro carbons and carbon monoxide were achieved by the device with an in crease in fuel economy. The company wants to improve the PASER 500, and has ap proached Hughes and his team for recommendations. Read Battalion Classifieds It’s fun to be a volunteer. If you- can spend some time, even a few hours, with someone who needs a hand, not a handout, call your local Voluntary Action Center, or write to: "Volunteer”, Washington, D.C. 20013. advertising contributed for the public good <9 We need you. The National Center for Voluntary Action. ■WV a[SKAGGS ALBERTSONS DRUGS & FOODS PHARMACY FAST CALL |jP$| FRIENDLY 846-7743 fTlcl SERVICE r 'Hitt® ROYAL TYPEWRITER $ PORTABLE AND RUGGED LOW, LOW PRICE PICA TYPE GENERAL ELECTRIC CHORD ORGAN $ TWO OCTAVE ORGAN EAST TO PLAY N! 12- POND^ COLD CREA* 1 PONDS COLD CREAM $ HYPO ALLERGENIC SOFTENING CLEANSING CREAM 10.4 0Z. I IHE VASELINE INTENSIVE CARE FAMILY SIZE FCW OVER-DRY SKIN Non-greasy Softens on contact Iven dry, chapped skin feels better FAST FOR OVER DAT DRV SKIN - SOFTENS ON CONTACT 15 0Z. DISPENSER SIZI %” ELECTRIC DRILL 90 MINUTE CASSETTE $ $ TOASTMASTER RUGGED DRILL FOR HOME OR SHOP. 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