University of Virginia Library

Sly Change

This year a change seemed
evident. Sly and the Family Stone,
the group which devastated the
Newport Jazz Festival and electrified
the stoned generation at
Woodstock, brought their chant of
"Higher and Higher" to University
Hall. However, after Sly, came the
Association, a group of unquestionable
talent but of debatable
contemporaneity. Then there were
the Chambers Brothers who
reached their peak long before we
saw them. Now Janis Joplin whose
stature has rapidly declined in
recent months will grace the stage
of University Hall.

This year's concerts have been
an improvement over those of
previous years in absolute terms.
However, speaking relatively, we
are just as far behind other schools
as we ever were. The total unawareness
of a musical scene which
changes with rapid irregularity and
which is characterized by a baffling
amount of personnel turnover
among the groups, pervades the
choices made by both the University
Union and the PK-German
Dance Society (their choice of Sly
is an exception).

However, now a change is
possible. Possible, mind you, not
imminent. The PK-German Dance
Society maintains that a sign of
approval must be given by the
student body before either Ten
Years After or Joe Cocker can be
signed. Supposedly petitions are
being circulated although I have as
yet to find one. Unless enough
signatures are gathered I can only
conclude that the present datedness
of University concerts will continue.
Can you imagine Led Zeppelin
making an ecstatic first appearance
in 1972 (minus Jimmy Page,
of course)?

As for the groups concerned,
excitement is the word. Ten Years
After played in Central Park this
summer before an audience that
refused to let them leave. I
personally, have seen them at
Central Park, the Fillmore and in a
tiny club on Long Island. Each time
their intense excitement provoked
ecstatic audience response. Alvin
Lee, the lead guitarist, is not on a
level with Larry Coryell or Eric
Clapton but he is incredibly fast
and this fact plus his audience
appeal make him and the rest of the
group a captivating attraction.