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A Concise By Terry Dugas Gamecock Staff Writer A time honored method of travel that has fallen into disrepute lately is thumbing. Everyone knows someone who has thumbed across America. .When I was younger, my uncle used to tell me of days when he . thumbed to Miami, hitched a round trip ride on a sailing ship to Nassau, then thumbed up to New York. I used to dream of going on my own journey to the wilds on the strength of my thumb. Realistically,, however, most college students thumb just to get around Columbia. A few try to thumb downtown during the day or thumb home from the local beer hall at night. Most, however, simply thumb to school and back home. They do this for various reasons. I joined their ranks this summer because my car has terminal cancer. - Others thumb to save gas, to avoid the dreaded parking ticket, or because they can never find a parking place. The most important part of hitching is getting someone to stop. Everyone has their own technique and most of them are covered in the movie "It Hap pened One Night." The one that works best for me is what Clark Gable calls the "farmer's daughter" approach. The secret is to look cheerful as if you have just heard the juciest dirty joke and you are dying to tell it. Seriously, image is the most important thing about hitching. People will not stop to give rides to just anyone they see; but if you are carrying books, they assume that you are a student and are at least minimally responsible. And, the more books you have under your arm, the more responsible you look! Thus, a driver will have more pity for you, and your chances are in creased. That slight air of By Chuck Cromer Gamecock Staff Writer With record prices skyrocketing all the time, buyers should be more wary about the new releases they purchase. With such a huge selection of records to choose from, it becomes increasingly difficult to make the right decision. In order to take some of the guesswork out of buying a new album, three of the latest on the market are reviewed here. There is no better way to begin than with a long-awaited album * by Eric Clapton. For three years * rumors have been circulating ad the music world that the great * guitar master was no longer * producing. * With the exception of two * benefit concerts, Bangla Desh in 1971 and Rainbow Hall in London * in 1973, Clapton had dropped from the music scene. His music has remained static since 1970 and no one knew what to expect from Clapton in 1974. After hearing his first studio recorded album since "Layla", I know Clapton is very much alive. However, it is not unti e ear. Gude T iuTo respectability that college gives one is enough to make some people trust a young person on the road. Besides, another student that passes will feel a kindred spirit with you and may stop. Trite as it may sound, the second thing one must remember is to look neat. A hitcher must realize he is asking a stranger to risk life and limb to give a ride. If you have not bathed in a week and you have on your ragged jeans you may be run down by the same car that will stop for the well dressed clod down the street. Appearance is all drivers have to go on and they have all heard stories about hitchhikers who have beaten and robbed their benefactors. Hitching is a two-way expression of trust. The driver trusts you will not kill him and you trust he will not do the same to you. Once you have combed your hair, put on a good pair of jeans, and grabbed your books, you are ready to stake -out your street. I thumb from the Wheat Street side of Five Points, so I will use those streets as an example, but the following guidelines would hold true anywhere. First, stay away from the main arteries. Streets like Rosewood and Devine are main thorough fares and people on them are in too much hurry to stop for a student. Also cars parked on the side of the road make it difficult to be seen without getting yourself run over. Just the opposite of this holds true for smaller streets like Wilmot and Duncan. If no one is on the road, how can they stop for you? The best streets are secondary roads like Wheat and Harden. There is enough traffic on them to give a hitchhiker a fighting chance, but traffic is not so heavy that people will not stop. Neil Young, Clapton Reviewed the second side of "461 Ocean Boulevard" that we can say this. The first side is rather dull and mediocre. Clapton only wrote three songs on the album and two of them are on the first side. "Give Me Strength" and "Get Ready" were written by Clapton and both are quite poor. These two, along with "Willie and the Hand Jive" are some of the worst tunes that he has ever recorded. "Motherless Children" is the only saving grace on this first side because of the song's tempo and Clapton's fine slide guitar work. He doesn't play slide often, but when he does, it's almost nerfet Columbia Another important factor to consider is who lives on the streets you thumb from. Devine and Rosewood are mostly business areas and the people on them live in subdivisions further out. On the other hand, many college students live on Wheat and Harden and they are glad to give a ride to another student. Sometimes too-quick analysis of the street can be misleading. By all signs, Blossom should be a perfect street to hitch on. There are several college students who live in the area and the street is just the right size. The first time I tried to thumb on it, however, all the cars that passed me were in the $5 thousand range and up. I later found out that Blossom turns into a fancy section of town further up and rich people do not give rides. Now that you are on the street, timing becomes essential. If you thumb early in the morning, you catch "no riders" business men The lyrics on the first side are entirely worthless. However, Clapton comes through as a master on the second side. The listening experience begins with "I Can't Hold Out" featuring the Clapton blues and slide guitar. All the musicians shine on this song even though none of them are doing anything spec tacular. The next two songs, "Please Be With Me" and "Let It Grow," instrumentation. Clapton and Yvonne Elliman make a great singing combination. These two songs also feature Clapton's superb accoustic guitar and dobro work. "Steady Rolling Man" is a great jazzy blues number and is followed by "Mainline Florida." This is a tremendous song to end the album because it is quick - paced and styled after the "Eric Clapton Album." "461 Ocean Boulevard"~ is worth $5.00 even if it were only for the second side. Don't pass it up. Neil Young is another artist who -infrequently puts out an album. The usual time span between his releases runs from 12 to .16 months. I really enjoy his new album "On The Beach." Hfitchhikin .1811411 on their way to work. If you wait too long, the only people on the road are retired elderly people or housewives. Neither will trust you. If you are thumbing to class, hit the street thirty minutes before class time. That way, you catch other students also on the way to class. If you are much later than that the other students are late themselves and will not stop. Aside from the time and energy that hitching saves, the best part about it is the strange people you meet. Most people are not talkative because, just as the conversation gets going, you are at school. Those that do talk fall into general catagories. Though very rarely will you be picked-up by a single girl, unless she is a student, she will talk non-stop about her boyfriend so you don't get the wrong idea. Girls who car pool will oc casionally pick you up because they feel safer in numbers. Older people rarely pick you up unless you are dressed in a suit, as I was First, this is a very - low key record. The vocals are softly spoken and the tempo of the songs with few exceptions, is slow. Also, the lyrics are essential to the quality of this album and it is important that a prospective buyer listen closely to them. Most of the songs deal with Neil Young's fatalistic ideas and his distrust of people outside his own secluded world. The title cut, "On the Beach" and "Motion Pictures''express his fear of crowds and his preference for his own secluded lifestyle. He likes things simple, and the only way to have this is to escape from crowds to his own solitude. "Revolution Blues" is in the tradition of "Southern Man" and "Alabama" in its lyrical criticism. Here Young tells the story of an over-dedicated revolutionaly who terrorizes people whether he has a cause or not. Have you ever heard Neil Young do the blues? If you haven't then listen to "Vampire Blues." Here he is making fun of the blues, a musical form he very rarely ventures into. "On the Beach" must be carefully listened to in order to appreciate its outstanding aspects. It is a bhatif orng., 5 one day. The old couple that stopped asked what a "nice young boy" like me was doing on the road. I told them I was late for my heroin drop. If you are dressed nice, an occasional business man will stop. Most of these are former students of Carolina and talk about their jobs or about the basketball team. Always mention the tight job market to them. It makes them feel smug about landing a job even if they hate what they're doing. A surprising number of construction workers will give rides, perhaps because they work with students during the summer months. Drinking is always a good topic of conversation with them. Even on days that no one stops for you, past memories make the try worth it. My personal favorite is the old couple who picked me up in a Cadillac on Blossom Street. The woman said, quite loudly, "Bob, you're crazy to stop." Bob simply an swered, "I was a person once, myself." It made my whole day. The last album to be mentioned here is my favorite of the three. It is by a new band and is titled, "The Souther, Hillman, and Furay Band." Three of its6 Always mentian the tnignao feelher", abou andinger job Seven iftiles hateat theyd. oing BfA supringld,r Poofn rides phps bnd.use theyo work th sdentse duriDeekn the me momnhs Drnkingas aelwayswn them.Fbad Even onffers itha nistenerstop forieyo pstyleres Smae the deey wortimet.aM poesonal favoriee iste old cutplain pike Hme whic ins Cala fon Bloson Sret. Thg.ma sadhievouly, "Bob you'r strazyntton sp." Bob splyight seread,Iwa an doesn ohnce, myself." t mae. hledy Thlastvr albu te metond here is geet my favorable he evltions of hewsen revndis. tid The albushaer t eploing.an mebe rs dere ecgnitiond tchmuie Furyle ae ofound Iminoandwsawl-nw