Sparse Crowd Mars Song Festival Opener
by Donald E. Wilcock, The Times Record, August 31, 1974
What would happen if they put on a giant concert and nobody showed up? Last night, the opening act of the four-day American Song Festival, the largest such festival ever staged, drew one of the smallest audiences the Saratoga Performing Arts Center has ever seen – 2,900 people. It was quite disconcerting to see more bald heads and official name tags from the recording industry than real people at a rock concert.
Five-thousand dollar winners in the pop and rock categories, both amateur and professional, were announced following brief concerts by the performing artists.
The Stampeders, a coordinated purple and red vinyl hard rock group from Canada, sang the amateur rock entries. Three unoriginal numbers that sounded like The Who, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Grand Funk vied for the prize. Who sound-alike Frank Filipetti won with “Analysis.” Filipetti is a psychology student who wrote a psychological study — “Shades of Quadrathenia.”
Jose Feliciano put on a tight set and sang the professional rock entries’ songs. The difference in quality from the amateur numbers was obvious. The melodies showed greater originality and variety. John Bryant’s “The Painter of the Sky” displayed vivid lyrics.
Bernard, Recker and Spruill’s “Let Your Light Shine” was a solid, gospel-tinged rocker, but the surprise winner, as far as I was concerned, was “Oriental Gate” by Ed Sanford, John Townsend and Kenny Loggins. Kenny is the Loggins of Loggins and Messina. Ed and John have worked together in R & B Clubs from L.A. through the South since 1968.
Sarah Vaughan performed a very professional and sultry set that included a “Foggy Day in London Town” and “My Funny Valentine.”
The Lettermen performed the longest and most plastic set. They also performed the three professional pop entries. Bobby Goldsboro’s “Kids are People Too” and “Advertisement for Naivete” should have won. “Lonely Together” by Rod McBrien and Estelle Levitt did win.
The Eagles concluded the evening with a 90-minute set of country rock.
Record columnist Donald E. Wilcock tells about singer Tim Moore and his song entry “Charmer” on Page 15.
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