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Show 1 ' Jesse Colin Young is alive and well work. Exceptional vocals are Young's strong point as are lyrics of depth and reason. "Ught Shine," "Motorcycle Blues," and "Darkness, Darkness" were some of the early tunes he sang. "Lafayette Waltz," a Cajun song by Clifton Chenier was a delight. Accordian accompaniment was courtesy of Lawrence. "Fire on the Water" and the powerful "On the Edge" were from "The Perfect Stranger" release. "Deja Vu" and "Highways are for Heroes," previously unreleased, gave the audience something new to listen to and to look forward to on Young's next project. The management of Nino's provided pro-vided Young an atmosphere of intimacy and reverence and created a good night for an audience willing to pay homage to an open, delightful performer. It was a trip back to a time when dissent bred music as a message. Young's voice, as clean and pure as ever, was not only a reminder of yesterday, but a promise of possibilities to come for a talent far from asleep. by Curtis Willey While the show did not resemble the ones he did in the late '60s and mid-'70s, the intimate setting and the privilege of seeing Jesse Colin Young up close created a memorable night at Nino's in Salt Lake City last weekend. Located on the 24th floor of the old Utah Club on South Temple, Nino's provided a lighted Salt Lake City as backdrop for a concert filled with nostalgia and energy. The late '60s youth revolution opened up unprecedented avenues .for musicians. Young found his medium there. With a group called the Young-, Young-, Woods, Young made a name for himself, becoming one of the concert see ne's great box-office draws. After turning out songs like "Darkness, Darkness" and Sunlight, Sun-light, " Young left the Youngbloods to pe'i -form and record under his own name. His sensitivity and genius now had a chance to shine. Starti ng with "Song For Juli, an album tihat captivated a generation, Young's strength was proved. -r "Ridgetop," "Miss Hesitation" and "Jamabalaya" were among the gents found there. "Light Shine," the follow-up album for "Song For Juli," included "Pretty and the Fair" and what may be thought of as Young's anthem, his plea for brotherhood, "Light Shine." 1978 brought "American Dreams," a record that had less impact over-all, but was laced with great music nonetheless. Music was changing, and for unexplained reasons Young dropped out. Maybe the discos and the glitter left a man who protested the war in Viet Nam and sang of peace in a trying time less than enthusiastic. I lost track of Young until recently, when I heard a rare early copy of his 1982 release of "The Perfect Stranger.". My brother Doug saw an equally rare performance of this early record promotion and raved. Listening to the recording I immediately dubbed it one of the best come-back albums of all time. Consider the jacket credits: Guitar, Robben Ford; Keyboard, Key-board, Bill Payne (Little Feat, Jackson Browne); and album producer pro-ducer none other than Michael Jackson. Listening to the record I noticed his influence on the project. Wow! What a combo! Steve Lukather and Carly Simon lent their considerable talents also. The record, however, released on the Electra label, ran into legal problems and did not reach its audience. Now, after three years of litigation, "The Perfect Stranger" is being released. And Young seems to be launching a campaign on his own to make the record's existence known. That brings us to Salt Lake City. The show at Nino's gave me a chance to see Young live for the first time since 1974. Performing only with Scott Lawrence, Law-rence, his friend and part-time keyboardist of twelve years, Young in his two-man show filled the room to band-like proportions. My fears at not seeing a complete band were dispelled in the first minutes of the show. Scott Lawrence, Law-rence, a virtuoso of keyboard and synthesizer, provided back-up for Young's less-than-intricate guitar |