Greg Shaw - Selections from Jukebox Jury Nov. 1975

DWIGHT TWILLEY BAND -"You Were So Warm - Shelter 40450
The screaming rockers of "I'm On Fire" show a softer side here, recalling shades of the Byrds and the Searchers. The flip, "Sincerely,"' introduces the Zombies as well. I think that what I like most about the Twilleys, apart from the impeccability of their sources, is the cleanness, the bare simplicity of their sound. They never over-produce, and they're not afraid to be tastefully derivative. This will bomb in the discos, but they don't care--the girls they want to reach are too young to do the hustle anyway.

BAY CITY ROLLERS -"Saturday Night" /"Marlina" - Arista 0149
Like everyone else, I'm a little appalled that these dorks should be considered for even a moment, by anybody at all, to have anything in common with the Beatles. But at the same time; I've liked almost all their records, beginning with "Keep On Dancing" in 1971. For a hard pop group (not quite Slade or Sweet, but more than Middle of the Road) they're not bad. "Saturday Night," a 1973 single in England, is currently on its way to becoming their first U.S. hit. The closest thing to a hard rocker they've done, its success here may say something about American tastes, since none of their more characteristic earlier efforts fared as well. In fact, "Saturday Night" started out as the B-side of this disc, backing the more tuneful (somewhere between Rod Stewart and Albert Hammond...) "Marlina:' actually their latest recording. Since their progression over the last four
years has been from harder to softer, the question is raised as to what they'll do for a follow-up if "Saturday Night" becomes a hit, short of raiding the back catalog still further--not that anyone in this country would be much the wiser.

WARWICK - "Let's Get The Party Going" - RAK 211 UK
The one RAK record I'd really like to see out here is "Let's Get the Party Going" by Warwick, which sounds like the Jook attempting to turn the Ronettes' "Be My Baby" into a modern post-glitter classic. Doesn't quite overwhelm, but comes close, and is worth searching out (RAK 211, in England).



By Greg Shaw - Jukebox Jury column, PRM Nov. 1975