Things Are Gettin' Better
Aug. 25 You may have noticed this column’s disappearance last month. It vanished at some point too near the deadline for anything to be done, unfortunately. Meanwhile we have been thrown out of step and this column will have to be limited to a rundown of the very best singles of July and August.
Juke Box Jury
GREG SHAW
Things Are Gettin' Better
Aug. 25
You may have noticed this column’s disappearance last month. It vanished at some point too near the deadline for anything to be done, unfortunately. Meanwhile we have been thrown out of step and this column will have to be limited to a rundown of the very best singles of July and August. You wouldn’t have bought the obscure ones anyway.
I began the last column with a rant against inanities like “Coconut” and the abominable “Outa-Space” that were keeping great summer records like the Beach Boys’ “Marcella” off the air. "Where is the spirit of summer," I cried into the wilderness. Since then I’ve mellowed, thanks to a number of fine pop records that have lately graced the charts. Like “Alone Again (Naturally)” by Gilbert O’Sullivan (MAM 3619) which proves his mastery of lyrics if not his versatility. Or the Carpenters’ “Goodbye to Love” (A&M 1367). Is that Procol Harum backing them? Sure sounds like it, and if so, they haven’t sounded this good to me since their first album.