'call Me' Is Not An Exceptional Al

To Her Audience, Janis Joplin Has Remained A Symbol, Artifact And Reminder Of Late Sixties Youth Culture. Her Popularity Never Derived From Her Musical Ability, But From Her Capacity To Link Her Fantasies Of Freedom And Immortality With Ours.

The Early Stones Were Adolescent Rockers. They Were Self-conscious In An Obvious And Unpretentious Way. And They Were Committed To A Musical Style That Needed No Justification Because It Came So Naturally To Them. As They Grew Musically The Mere Repetition Of Old Rock And Blues Tunes Became Increasingly Less Satisfying.

Aretha Franklin's 'let Me In Your Life' Is One Of The Few Recent R&b Albums That Places The Emphasis Entirely And Deservedly On A Voice. Many R&b Producers Have Been Making Records On Which The Singer Is Outshined By The Song, The Arrangement And The Sound.

The Rolling Stones Are Violence. Their Music Penetrates The Raw Nerve Endings Of Their Listeners And Finds Its Way Into The Groove Marked 'release Of Frustration.'

The Beatles Production Is Often So 'perfect' That It Sounds Computerized. 'sgt. Pepper' Really Does Sound Like It Took Four Months To Make.