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Show YOU KIDS go out and play for a while. I want to talk to legendary performers jour parents Thanks to the magic of repackaging, you can now buy, in KCAs Legendary Performer" series, both a Terry Como album and one by the man Como always denied was a major influence on his singing, Russ aim immMsimg too-lus- Columbo. My biggest influence was Bing Crosby, says Como What he would do, I would do. Fair enough, asfarasit by David L. Hec k Tribune Staff Writer goes. But the Columbo album reveals him as a singer similar to Como not he only in vocal quality was basically a tenor who sang in the baritone ra.ige because thats what crooners were supposed to do but in vocal technique. Actually, the Columbo album is pretty awful. But I don't want to say that therefore he was an awful singer Let me tell you a little story. A city editor I once worked for in Indiana, an w ho could pick out a tune on almost any instrument that came to hand and who had once sat on Hoagie Carmichaels piano (they were at Indiana University together) and played the ukulele, once told me that as far as he was concerned, there hadn't been a good popular singer since Crosby. The early Crosby. WELL, talk about hubris! No sooner were the words out of his mouth than what should come in the mails but d a set of the early Crosby. I played it for him. After two or three cuts he begged for mercy, because Crosby, the early Crosby, admiration And yet Crosby was a good singer in the right setting, with the right material. And so, I suspect, was Columbo. His career really began in 1929, by 1934 he was dead. These recordings we have here are as corny as they can be. but who knows what he might have become, given time, experience and the authority to choose his own material and arrangers? v for flic record for- - Mr. Beck (Answer on page find-a-quot- e Como's tailoring to affect my musical judgment, but I think he was a perhaps still is much better singer than he is given credit for being. PERHAPS THE problem has always been that his niee-gu- y image is simply the way he is; Como admits in the album booklet that he used to fool around a lot in make recording sessions mistakes, go to the john anything to stretch out the session and give the musicians some overtime. He seems to have been easily persuaded by his producers to perform the novelty tunes there is a hideous example on this album that mar our retrospective appreciation of his work. I suspect he just didn't like to argue, or maybe he wanted to let some accordion player earn a few bucks. Because w hile none of the was awful. old-tun- V. So what we have here is little more than an historical curiosity, fitted out, as all this series is, with an illustrated booklet: nostalgia, not music. The Como album is something else again. I would be hard put to define class, but ah knows it when ah sees it, and Como has it. I hope I am not allowing my deep two-recor- work on this album is as impressive as his singing on the old TV show when he was alone on stage with Tony Mottola and his guitar, still, some of it is very good. Within the framew'ork proh arvided by the rangements and the limpid Ray Charles Singers, you will find a true and attractive voice, decent attention to lyrics and a flawless sense of time. Included here are The Father of Girls," by Ervin Drake (who wrote It Was A Very Good Year) and Sunrise, Sunset," both impeccable performances of lovely, sentimental songs. The rest of it is nearly as good, except for the egregious Hot Diggity. One can hardly expect Como to be other than he is, but the man can still sing one cut here, a new Temptation," dates from 1974 and perhaps it is not too late for him to go back into the studio with just a guitarist, or perhaps a piano trio, and show us w hat he can do. Perry Como's entry in legendary performers series shows he's better than one might think. already big for Dolly, but watch for Linda's version of The Fire That Keeps You Warm" and Emmylou's version of When the Sun Goes Down Tomorrow, or maybe vice versa. The rest of the album isn't quite up to the standard of those three tunes, but Dolly Parton's second-bes- t is still pretty QUICKIES. Its hard not to love Dolly Parton. With that blonde hair and country sunshine to speak only complexion whats above the neck shes the prototypical Country Girl. Shes also talented. Every singer in the business, and a lot of other people, consider her the best. There may be some doubt about her vocal talents I think her squeaky little voice is kind of cute, myself, but I can see how it might but theres annoy others none at all about her talents. Linda Rnns-taand Emmylou Harris are going to be plundering Dolly's new album for years. All I Can I)o" (RCA (contains at least three sure-firAll I Can Do" is hits. of pop-count- good. SPEAKING of crooners, as we were a minute ago Merle keep alert out there Haggard croons shamelessly on "Union Station, from his new album, My Love Affair With Trains (Capitol). He does it beautifully, too, giving full play to the lower range of the best voice in country music. song-writin- g dt The whole album is the best he's done in years. Haggard can never be really e bad, but his last few albums have been decidedly mediocre, as though he didn't care much. And m fact he isnt writing much these days. But his selection of tunes here is careful and astute, and shows some thought, because except for the title song (by Dolly Parton), Jimmy Buffetts Railroad Lady" and one by Haggard himself, the other songwriteis are comparatively unknown. Well, not comparatively; absolutely Haggard's narration is de contly brief, if obviously improvised, and his singing throughout is wonderful. So is the playing; Capitol shares with RCA the award for Fewest Musicians Identified, Lifetime, so I don't know who the fiddler and dobro player are, but they're good 5) by ELBERT B.M. WORTMAN r r Can you decipher thi quotation without the anagrams? First figure out the obvious definitions d and write the answers over numbered dashes. Copy these letters into the squares ol diagram. Author's name and the title will appear in first column, reading down . . . 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