1957-11-23 — Page 14

LAND

BRE came

more

THE · CHINA - MAIL, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER · 23;-1957. ̄*

THE OUTSIDER FINDS IT

Disc-Dizzy HARD TO BE ORIGINAL

news

A City Editor asks: Is this

the most astonishing phenomenon

of our times?

of the longest playing boom in British

AND

THE

RELIGION

REBEL. Gollancz, 21, 333 pages.

By Colin Wilson.

COLIN

IN WILSON'S first book, The Outsider, was acclaimed as if it were the advent of a major pro-

By GEORGE MALCOLM THOMSON

24

religious solution to life's problems.

At Andi

arrives where exactly?

inst he

"Perhaps I simply failed to groep my own conclusions." This is too modest There are

no conclusions.

The truth about Mr Wilson Heath and that a sculptor, after popular night, in a bag on. Hempstead must be faced: (1) Ho is a Journalist, with plenty

a record boss phet. Quite eminent critics modelling Mr Wilson in his of real curiosity. (2) He has a "We om delag were bounced out of their turtle-neck

in-

Summed up the other day: Rectie, businessbut petition is keen."

Hdustry in momophone records. The figures the

first eight months of the year. So far 7,300,000 more records have been sold than in the same period of 1950-and that with the peak selling period just about to start.

The Jubilant record chiefs expect to sell 75,000,000 records this year-a Afth more than last year. With these vital statistics before them the record borses, like tough and enger "Ted" Lewis of Decen, have a song in their hearts,

And it is "Tu-rn-ru-boom-

de-ay?" — a boom that has

been swelling and swelling

by FREDERICK ELLIS

with every post-war year. of dark at the einems with the good beat number," whatever

teenagers.

between breakfast fine on a Saturday.

and tco-

that may mean,

A recent marking of Richard Strauss' opera "Der Roson- kavalier" cost £20,000 to pro- dure-four records oosting £8. Canadian You need to sell a lot of "Rosenkavaller" to cover those

Such is the demand for Tocagers can make a star records that the big com- panies like Decca and His Masters Voice are working day and night shifts to meet

JL.

And along the High Street on Saturday mornings thu music shops frem with

teenagern pending pound or more on the latest "pop" records.

For raiders of my ore (42) "Pop" Is teenage jargon for what we oldsters called' jazz in the twenties,

And the record buyers are the Jost queue In business-with sume records frequently being "old out" in a month,

An

expert

says

ASKED a leading #cord

Take the case of Mr Paul Ankaan unknown singer.

Hs slow rock 'n' roll number costs, but Elvis the Pelvis will for the brightly-coloured covers boil the opern out. --sleeves to the enthusiast-are

Andi fine artistle productions. they cost as much as Zs. Bd ta produce and are so sklifully designed that they make the wallpaper best contemporary look Victorian

The classics

are bought

BOUT 70 per cent of the

75,000,000 Jecords are pop- the old-timer 10-inch, 73 revs fo the minute, and the new long players, LPs to the lads and 11.5.423,

the com-stupor to speak with en

thusiasm of the prodigy,

One thing that comes out of all this is that the keen-eyed teenagers know what they want, They rule the grove, and make and break the stars.

had faunlike talent for personal sweater, exclaimed: "I liked the faun pubilelty which would wring! like quality his slanting eyes respect from Elvis Presley, Bill gave him."

Haley and Lonnie Donegan, (3) The sceptics were right, COINCIDENCE The author himself was wist-

A few sceptics remained untouched by the frenzy. They convinced to the were not contrary by learning that Mr fully overcome by the s.range Wilson had slept, night after ness

and wonder of his c. "How extraordinary," he con- ilded to his diary, "Cut my fame, should have correspunded with, that, of James Deau, Elvis Presley, Bill Haley and Lonnie Donegan."

A British Crossword Puzzle

13

£4 15

16

17

9

12

13

14 15

116

17

And sales go

19

on growing

20

121

22

23

24

125

27

20

129

30

quis is no Flash Harry boom. At one time it looked as though the gramophone record had had its day long with the tramears. But since 1954 sal have doubled and are expected to bll the £20,000,000 this year and ge on growing.

The economies of the gramo- plione record are difficult to get. But on a 6a, pop the big star is lucky if he gets 2d. On that bugls the unknow

ginger Mr Anita can pick up some £6,000 The other 30 per cent are light from the record the kids like.

But the teenagers jitst pop-mad-they also are the buyers of the classics at £2 a record.

I make the other day for sure and the pussies

explanation ut this pheno- menal boom in weged buying. Crisply he said: "The teen ngers are getting back to the Jabits of our mums and dud

entertain the habit of home ment,"

are

And as you might expect your

not must pay, a toll for your pleasure and the Governineat extracts-is. 7d. În purchase tax

every pop.

Players also

boom

31

ACROSS Telephones 151. 4 Pierces (. Not touch

mwing alt! 161. 10 That in at the grocer's, magbe (5). 32 As a patter of fet 101. 114 Pirate 17).

17 Points for writers (4).

19 Paper money (7).

120 Condensed newspaper?

(7).

22 A kind of stew (4),

23 Try to stir up trouble (7).

27 Knocked off (0),

29 Glatted (5).

35 Stay at (0)

And

32 jabs of work, 13).

Takes the helm 16).

Afri

before the long-haired cultural characters ncer at the jop recorils let then he To e tecnagers the pop remdge that without pop there record sessions at their hoines would be no classics, For the are equal to the musical even- profits from the pops subsidise Ings around the plono to deatly the expensive classic. loved by the Victorians. (MY That

Scourge ot the FINALLY, to play records you

Ilice me, Elvis need a record player. feenage daughter will be ho:rl- middleagers fied at breakinst to read that Prsley, has just hit 500,000, the makers are booming tou.

have Vic with "ot a lot of living to do. Birmingham Scund Reproduc. [. she and her friends

And korlan habits).

wonder boy

which started making Tommy ions, But the fact is horne out by Steele, late af Bermondsey, hits record changers in 1952, has withh "Water Water boosted its profits since then Me falling berg office recvipls at 200,000 the cinemas. An evening with whka

io 364,000 last adviser from £50,000 my le: nage pop is replacing the 48. worth brightly tells me isn't even

JUNK BAY and the annual Royal Naval"

pulling regatta,

a year.

32

DOWN

1 A. word of capacity (5).

2 England bowler (0).

3 Girl's game 151.

126

$ Noting in beer but bitter (4).

Sort of golding gille? (6).

7 Accent (a),

its own is "r" (7).

11 I curgles (3),

3 Sprinkle that clears away mud

(7).

15 The right shape for Surrey (8).

18 Queen of Tonga (8).

13 Annoying child (4).

20 Ceoke and they're drunk! (8).

21 Brown pigment" (0),

Aga Slverini? Very much so (4).

73 Accumulato a 101 (6).

20 Eagles ver (4) 423 German

-FRIDAY'S CROSSWORD-Across: 5 Football, B Kulk, » War-paint, Conmiles, 13 Cade. 15 Covetous, 14 Stealing, 29 Dent 21 Hepartee.

B Tip 25 Restoru, 20 Sult, 27 Discals. Down! i Chic. 2 Plum, 4 Öraí, i 8 Affre. 7 Litre, & Wilts, 10 Revue. 12 Ozone. 14 Duner, 10 tder. 17 Selad, 10 Bored, 20 Nesta, 21 Rose, 3 Pelt. 23 Tout, 24 Eats,

MANY INTERESTS

FOES AND FRIENDS,

FOREIGNERS. By Sir Robert Bruce Lockhart. Putnam, 214, 286 pages.

THE BOOK PAGE

With this and diagnosis Thornton Wilder agrees.

And here Lord Beaver- brook, the astonished, enraged

friend but ever-forgiving Valentine, Lord Castlerose,

at

Onco . Beaverbrook told Cas.crosse to have an article for the Sunday Express "velled" by the Aga Khan. Hours passed. No article; no Castlerosse,

At

But the Royal Court Theatre Nie diverting gallory of his

new book, Sir Robert Bruce last came a telephone call to rejected his play, Death of God, Lockhart exhibits lar more Beaverbrook from his Canadian which Ronald Duncan, a selec-

friends than toes. They are a friend, Sir James Duan, tor, declared seemed to have varied. assembly - for Sir been inspired by a TV children's Robert's inteross aro broad hour serial."

(with a special emphosts un Now comes

Wilson's Fetter, football and fishing) second book. I reveals that he and each comes alive In as not a thunker or even a very characteristic ancedote. good writer. its style is often

Mr

Ace

"Where do you think Valen- tine's been?" cried Beaverbrook at the end of it. "Launching with ⚫ Augustus John at Jimmio Dunn's. They've drunk a bottle of sherry, u botlio of Junmie's best Liebfraumlich, four botiles venerable as the Rev. Roger of champagne and one boltle of Davidson, ex-rugby player and Courvolder. The conversation

of Kinfauno, Minister

who has been marvellous." attributes hig longevity to A sparing diet wo

Holf an hour later, Castlerosse double Coubles of whisky at lunch at himself telephoned; he had been the Perth Club and ay instructed to meo: the Aga scrtimentül as Bob Fitzsimmons, Khan at Jimmie Dunn'a. Но the boxer, who weeps over the

was at his post. delcat of Jim Jeffries by Jack Johnson,

pedestrian al times downright There are sportsmen 45 careless. His judgments neither startling nor profound.

Hasty judgment is uncannily United to commonplace state- menl in a phrase like, "The Great Gatsby is generally re- cognised as alic of the great novels of modern times" And Wilson's firm grasp of the banal appears in “I thứ 20th century could produce even a few more man of Newman's stature, the whole course of history might be changed."

James Thurber visiting Edia burga, explains his theory that On the positive side, Wilson owing to the pace of modern Is serious, naive, egotistical, ile life and drinking, the best has read inuch but digested less. American writers die before 60. Having a retenlive memory, he

is mighty free with quotations,

so that Religion and the Rebel

resembles a suet pudding full of

other men's currants.

"Can you beat it?' rald Max, but his eyes were smiling."

Out of his memories Slr Robert Bruce Lockhart, with a

well-disguised expertness, has maac a lovable, readable book.

(London Express Serulce).

Wilson's second book is really A LITTLE TRIVIAL THIS

ls Arst all over again.

about Outsiders, inen who feel themselves "lonely in the crowd of the second-rate." This broad celinition (an Outsider is any- body Wilson wants to include in the team) enables him to rehash the lives and "analyse" the Ideas of Spengler, Swedenborg, Pascal. Scott Fitzgerald, Rim baud anct other Ill-assorted worthles

NO CONCLUSION.

He convinces himself, and, perhaps, some unwary readers Mat the book has a unifying theme-the Outsiders' quest for

TIME MISS SAGAN

THOSE WITHOUT SHADOWS. Dy Francoisu Sugan.

John Murray, 9s. 6d. 124 pages.

IN her third short novel Francoise. Sagan attempts something a little more ambitious than the single love affairs which occupied her first two books. Sho abandons the first person narrative which served her so well in them and presents for our inspection some eight young Parisians viewed 1 from the outside.

And, at first, she looks as if she is going to be equally successful this time. In just a dozen brisk, concise pages she has lighted up her stage, set it, and made us instantly familiar with her main characters, their lives and temperaments.

MIXED RELATIONS

The weak and

gentle Bernard wrlies bed roves ana Cuality neglects his 123- supaisticated and adoring wife Nicole in his passion for Josec. Josec is only mildly acresæd in him; she is rich enough to be aole to indulge her own tastes and has picked up with a tough meulent Budent who doesn't really belong to their set,

Bernard's ex-girl friend is Beatrice, & cold girl only inter- ested in her tacatrical ambitions and willing to further them at anyone's expense. One of her victims is Alain, the head of the publishing firm for which Bernard works. Another is his romantic and hancsome young cousin. Edquard, just arrived in Paris from the provinces,

The lightness and definess with wilch Mile, Sagan wozves in each of these threads.com- mands on instant admiration. Sno etches a whole tempera- ment in one snatch of conversa- " tian, or pinpainis, a fatal defect characier by one small significant action,

But as the story develops wo beccome. ¡bware of o"talling nway. She hasn't enough Mx- perience technical experience, I mean-to keep each of her, threads golig equally strongly.

That very conciseness and brevity which was the strongth of the earlier and simpler books | becomes a weakness In dealing with this more complicated plot.

all beecomes a te Trivial, almost noveletfish,

But I do not want to give a impression of complete fallun The navel 14 lighted wit frequent flashes of Mile, Sagan's Characteristic talent. "Anda öfter alisha had to try to .extend het range. It is, perhaps, that | she hasn'i- extended. It enough. A hundred and twenty odd pages can contali, the story of a single love affair, but they are too little in which to explore, four or five. “

MEN RICHARD LISTER

mgkondon Keyness. Bepulcr),