Word: willard
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...Willard Libby two decades ago, the clock depends on the decay of carbon 14, a radioactive isotope of ordinary carbon 12, which is nonradioactive and stable. Both forms of carbon are found in all living things, and their proportion remains constant during the life of the organism. New carbon of both forms is continuously added through normal metabolic processes. But when the organism dies and the intake of fresh material stops, this ratio of carbon 14 to carbon 12 begins to change. The amount of carbon 12 stays the same, but the unstable carbon 14 begins to disintegrate. The radioactive...
...Willard, as well as his first solo album California Bloodlines, the concreteness of Stewart's lyrics and the simple instrumentation keep any tinge of romanticism from Stewart's blunt descriptions. For example...
James Taylor plays guitar and sings backup on much of Willard, but because of Stewart's refusal to embellish his powerful songs with either violins or vague emotional symbols, Willard maintains a hard-edged integrity missing on Taylor's own albums. Stewart even managed to write a sensible rock song about Jesus Christ, making the simple claim. "I do believe I'd of been a friend of Jesus in his time...
...Willard especially gains in integrity in comparison with Stewart's latest album, entitled The Lonesome Picker Rides Again. Stewart's tunes are good enough; the big differences are the lyrics and the production. Where Willard was knowledgeable, Picker uses exaggerated symbolism. Where Stewart used to rely on his gravelly honest voice, he now feels compelled to call in batallions of strings. The mushy production spoils two of the best songs on the album, "Touch of the Sun" and "Just an Old Love Song." But the strings are only a symptom of a deeper disease...
...rock on both Willard and Picker is already stripped of its popular form by the inherent limitations of its appeal, Willard at least deserves a wider audience on the basis of its musical content alone. In Picker, however, Stewart hasn't added much to the drifting times that will probably last until Carol King's next album comes...