Circus Magazine Articles

News about Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush. Announcements only.
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farmanimal
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re: Circus Magazine Articles

Post by farmanimal »

YEAH....I REMEMBER READING WHAT THAT DICKHEAD WROTE. IT'S FOR SURE....MORON'S LIKE TO CRITICIZE THINGS THEY CANNOT UNDERSTAND...ENJOYED YOUR RESPONSE WILLIE...HOPE HE CONTACTS YOU...I WANT TO READ THAT!!!!!
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Guitard
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re: Circus Magazine Articles

Post by Guitard »

Thinking back on this....

I actually subscribed to Circus magazine for a year or so. I was a big Kiss fan, and they always had lots of Kiss articles.

Don't get me wrong - I was also a big fan of Frank's.

What I really wanted to say is that back in the '70s - there was very little in the way of resources to get information about bands. The handful of magazines like Circus - were pretty much it. They had a tremendous influence - how was I to know when I read that article that it was all a bunch of crap? Knowledge is power - and back then - those rags controlled the knowledge - hence they were quite powerful.

I would like to say one good thing about Circus - and this was one of the main reasons I subscribed: they used to list concert schedules and this was one of the very few places you could get such information. There were many times when I first found out about a band coming to my town by reading it in Circus. Of course, the newspapers all listed the upcoming concerts - but Circus had the whole tour listed - usually well in advance of the newspapers.

Lastly, this past summer I visited my home state, and just for the heck of it, I went to the library at Western Michigan University to read some concert reviews in the college's newspaper. I got the microfiche out and started scrolling through the papers from the mid to late '70s. I read 30-40 reviews, to include about ten of shows that I had attended. Most of them were written by the same guy (presumably a student at WMU at the time). He trashed every single band he ever reviewed, except one. That one band being The Little River Band. I saw that concert. It was Ram Jam - Little River Band - Foreigner in the fall of '77. But Blue Oyster Cult, Aerosmith, Rush, Kansas.... etc., etc. - he trashed every one of them. Never had a decent word to say about them. I did a google search for his name - but didn't find anything. Fortunately - it appears his career as a music critic was short lived.

Randy
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Guitard
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re: Circus Magazine Articles

Post by Guitard »

This guy is still active as a critic - in fact, he's reached pretty far up on the critic food chain - an editor at Rolling Stone.

Here's a few things I found while out googling around.

I'll bet if we were to look long enough and hard enough, we could find his email address and Willy could actually send him what he's posted here. Assuming he hasn't already found the email himself already!

Randy

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http://www.turnituporturnitoff.com/SXSW ... 40416.html

Mary McBride @ Hole In The Wall
“McBride brings the party with her wherever she goes and her upcoming album captures the energy of her live shows and suggests that McBride's fame as a songwriter is right around the corner." -- John Swenson, Rolling Stone Guide to Jazz and Blues

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CIRCUS

March, 1982

Album Review
By John Swenson

Jack Bruce / Robin Trower - Truce

Wild things were happening in 1967. First, Fresh Cream redefined dynamics in rock and roll with the loudest, cleanest guitar sounds yet recorded, and bassist Jack Bruce had a totally unique approach to harmonics and structure. Bruce was also the lead vocalist, and in live performance it was apparent how much of the band's weight he carried , even in light of Eric Clapton's presence.

Then there was Procol Harum, a keyboards- based outfit whose classically trained organist had recast Bach in a rock format for the great single " Whiter Shade Of Pale." The live sets featured the mighty guitar playing of one Robin Trower who eventually left to front a power trio whose style paid homage to Jimi Hendrix.

Bruce and Trower sounded terrific together on their first outing B.L.T., but Truce has all the marks of a collaboration in full maturity. Bruce and Trower are perfect compliments to each others strengths, and the current line-up, which unites Trower with Reg Isidore, the powerhouse drummer from his first album, makes this one of the best power trios in rock history.

The match is especially interesting in that it pits Bruce's advanced bass concepts against a guitar style that Trower has developed to it's highest level. But Truce works not just because of playing concept; both Trower and Bruce have long-term lyricist sidekicks in Keith Reid and Peter Brown respectively, and while B.L.T. concentrated on Trower /Reid compositions, this time around the Bruce/Brown team carries it's share of the load. So a Trower/Reid song like "Gonna Shut You Down," with it's straightforward funk and Hendrix-style solo spot, is balanced against the Cream-like Bruce/Brown fantasies of "Thin Ice" and the fantastic "Shadows Touching." "Last Train To The Stars" combines Brown's lyrics with both Trower and Bruce's musical ideas, and the thunderous results are the best on the album.

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Tom Russell's 1999 release The Man From God Knows Where was termed "one of the most important folk records ever recorded," by John Lomax III. Rolling Stone and UPI writer John Swenson noted: "Russell is one of America's great songwriters ... this record is as close to a Homeric treatment of American history as we're ever likely to see ... when somebody is looking for the equivalent of the Harry Smith Anthology in the middle of the next century The Man From God Knows Where is what they'll discover."

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The Proctor & Bergman reviews are by co-editor John Swenson, a founding editor of "Creem," author of books on Kiss, the Who, the Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Bill Haley, & Simon & Garfunkel, a former contributor to "The Village Voice," and a record reviewer for "Crawdaddy," "Circus," "Rolling Stone," and "High Times."

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Baby Snakes

REVIEWS

Tracks

Zappa always thought in multimedia terms, and the film... captures the circus-like atmosphere of his live performances. John Swenson

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The Who By Numbers [Remaster] (New Music CD)
Release: 11/19/1996

Recorded in 1975 & 1976. Originally released on MCA (2161) in October 1975. Includes liner notes by Penny Valentine and John Swenson.

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The art of jazz singing has opened up to exciting new advances in recent years, and Barbara Sfraga is one of its most promising exponents. With Under the Moon Sfraga explores the hidden nuances of Ellingtonia, breathes new life into Bob Dylan's Every Grain of Sand and offers a dazzling technical display on the title track. --John Swenson, Editor, Rolling Stone Jazz and Blues Album Guide

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The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide
Posted: 2004-03-08

John Swenson, ed.
Random House, New York, 1999
ISBN 0-679-76873-4
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Wild Willy
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Re: Circus Magazine Articles

Post by Wild Willy »

Just re-read my somewhat scathing letter to John Swenson. LMAO! He deserved worse in my opinion. :yahoo:
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